This isn'tvreally too relevant to the Proms - but I'd disagree with Malcolm about the insignifucance of the slave Trade. There were enormous profits from the trade itself, over a couple of centuries. These were a significant element in fuelling the Industrial Revolution. And that's what I mean by saying there is a debt involved.

True enough, within the British Isles slavery wasn't economically viable, but in British colonies elsewhere, more especially in thge West Indies and on the American mainland the situation was different.

Agreed, there's no point in feeling responsible or guilty (or proud for that matter) because of things our remote ancestors did. In any case, far more of us than realise it could include African slaves among our ancestors, since the sizeable black population of freed slaves in England melded into the general population over a couple of generations. We should worry about the things we are doing today which might make our descendants embarrassed about us, and there's surely enough there.