Slavery, Employees and Servants

When a large company spends money to take over another, it acquires all the employees and managers at the same time. Well, of course they are free to resign so it's not really slavery, but even so no employee is consulted, and so one might imagine at first sight that people are being put up for sale - without compensation.

Many people in Asia, South America and Africa have servants. Why do rich countries have no servants while servants are in abundance in poor countries. At first sight a bit of a paradox. Servants are paid very little - may be US$100 per month - and some are too ignorant to want to escape. Are these people happy at living such a life. I don't think so! But the people who employ servants are quite pleased with their standard of living - all cleaning, cooking, driving and washing are done by servants. It is a wonderful advantage, not usually available to most people in the USA or Europe. I confess I do like having my laundry done every day! One of the reasons the developing world does not change is that the standard of living of the top 20% in any developing nation is much higher than in USA and Europe. Who would want to change in such circumstances? I suspect this lack of interest in change also stems from the international community which supports the status quo. Governments and diplomats do not support change and after 50 years of waiting I still detect a reluctance to change. National sovereignty is still the guiding light for international affairs - whatever disasters may occur. Originally I used to think that change did not take place because of incompetence, negligence and ignorance. Now I am not sure! The third world does not get better because that's the way the rich and powerful like it!
I would agree that when the British abolished slavery and used the British fleet to supress the trade, they at last recognised that slavery was a stain on human nature. I am less sure that apologising for events more than 200 years old really helps much. It seems that men of all races were engaged in the slave trade. It was a feature of how uncivilised we all were only quite recently. One wonders how Tony Blair can apologise for the British participation in slavery when he steadfastly refuses to apologise for the chaos that has occured in Iraq. A future British prime minister undoubtedly will apologise, but not yet! Indeed I do take the argument that Romans rules Britain for 300 years, and the Normans made England a French colony for the same time. The English came from North Germany and perhaps should go back, and what about the Americans returning to Europe and apologising too. It is all too utopian to mean anything. So if the world is like it is, it is because that's the way we like it. It has not happened by chanc!