Departing from his predecessors’ stances(背离前任们的立场), the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, surprised us all when he stated he was open to listening to calls for an apology for the UK’s role in centuries of transatlantic enslavement(奴役；奴役状态). King Charles is expected to speak with “unflinching(毫不退缩的；坚定的) honesty” and “sincere sorrow” about the UK’s role in the transatlantic slave trade at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting(英联邦政府首脑会议) in Antigua and Barbuda today. Burnham was quick to add that financial reparations(赔偿；赔款) were off the table(不在考虑范围内). But he was in favour of discussions about debt restructuring(债务重组) – one of the key concerns of the Caribbean community (Caricom(加勒比共同体)) and the African Union. The opposition, led by Kemi Badenoch, argued that apologies were a distraction.
英国首相安迪·伯纳姆一改前任们的立场，表示愿意倾听为英国在数百年跨大西洋奴役中所扮演角色道歉的呼声，这让我们所有人都感到意外。预计查尔斯国王今天在安提瓜和巴布达举行的英联邦政府首脑会议上，将以“毫不退缩的诚实”和“真诚的悲伤”谈论英国在跨大西洋奴隶贸易中的角色。伯纳姆很快补充说，经济赔偿不在考虑范围之内。但他支持讨论债务重组——这是加勒比共同体（Caricom）和非洲联盟的主要关切之一。由凯米·巴德诺赫领导的反对党则认为，道歉是一种干扰。
Beyond political bickering and point-scoring lies a deeper question.(在政治争吵和互相攻讦之外，还有一个更深层的问题。) Why does Britain struggle to fully understand its colonial past and to grapple(努力应对；设法解决) with the negative impact of its legacies(遗留问题；遗产)? One the one hand, the country celebrates its historical conquests as far back as the Battle of Hastings(黑斯廷斯战役（1066年）) and applauds(称赞；为……喝彩) the wealth that derived from the products of colonisation, such as cotton. On the other, it refuses to accept that harm was caused to populations whose lands it forcefully occupied – and that the trafficking of African captives has changed how we think and what we assume about different racial groups to this day.(另一方面，它拒绝承认曾对被他武力占领土地上的人民造成伤害，也拒绝承认贩卖非洲俘虏改变了我们至今对不同种族的看法和预设。)
在政治争吵和互相攻讦之外，还有一个更深层的问题。为什么英国难以充分理解自己的殖民历史，也难以应对其遗留问题的负面影响？一方面，这个国家庆祝其历史征服，远至黑斯廷斯战役，并为殖民产品（如棉花）带来的财富喝彩。另一方面，它拒绝承认曾对被他武力占领土地上的人民造成伤害，也拒绝承认贩卖非洲俘虏改变了我们至今对不同种族的看法和预设。
The king and the PM clearly understand that Caribbean countries, and the Commonwealth as a whole(作为整体；总体上), are among Britain’s most important relationships. The group of 56 Commonwealth countries represents about a third of the world’s population with more than 2.7 billion people. Because of their historical links to Britain, these countries play an important role in the UK’s global influence and soft power(软实力). Refusing to apologise and work together towards a reparatory justice plan(修复性正义计划) is a diplomatic and political mistake. In the long run, it also has a knock-on effect(连锁反应；连带影响) on trading partnerships, as Burnham seems to acknowledge.
国王和首相显然明白，加勒比国家以及整个英联邦是英国最重要的关系之一。56个英联邦国家约占世界人口的三分之一，超过27亿人。由于与英国的历史联系，这些国家在英国全球影响力和软实力中扮演重要角色。拒绝道歉并共同推进修复性正义计划，是外交和政治上的错误。从长远看，这还会对贸易伙伴关系产生连锁反应，伯纳姆似乎也承认这一点。