A sorry state

He was Liverpool FC's first black player. He has worked tirelessly to rid football of racism. When Howard Gayle was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in August, people cheered.

But not Gayle: he turned down the honour. The problem was the e-word in the name. 'If there had been some proper recognition here of the way the empire treated Africa and Africans,' he explained, 'I might have looked at this nomination differently.'

Last weekend, Gayle's comments were echoed by Neil MacGregor, the respected former director of the British Museum. Praising Germany's 'courageous' discussion of Nazism, MacGregor contrasted it with Britain's narrow focus on the 'sunny chapters' of its past. 'This sort of handling of history is dangerous,' he warned.

British officials have a long tradition of secrecy. In 1250, the Privy Council took an oath not to divulge state matters. Its spirit lives on in the Official Secrets Act and the surveillance unveiled by Edward Snowden, among other policies.

The country's imperial past is arguably the biggest elephant in the room. Museums, history books and school curricula have tended to recount the successes of the world's greatest empire while skating over its injustices. Official apologies for British wrongdoing have been few and far between.

A recent controversy brought this home. In the 1950s, Britain brutally suppressed a rebellion in its colony of Kenya. The story of the Mau Mau uprising was largely unknown until a decade ago, when American historian Caroline Elkins began to research the subject.

As a result, the British government was forced to reveal a huge secret archive of incriminating documents from its imperial heyday. It became clear that colonial authorities had destroyed many more files in the empire's last days. The government expressed regret; an official said that 'there should be a debate about the past'.

Most nations have done wrong at some point. Some are quicker to recognise this than others. When has one apologised enough?

Committing atrocities is bad enough, say some. Denying that they happened adds insult to injury. Governments should encourage open discussions of the past and fully apologise to any victims. The Germans erect Mahnmale: monuments to national shame. The British don't even have a word for this. That in itself is a national shame.

It's good to say sorry, agree others. Guilty nations should do it once, then move on. Too much apologising can backfire. Past misdeeds are exaggerated, and citizens resent the fact that they are being made to feel guilty for the crimes of others. In diplomacy, it is important not to wallow in history. Governments must look to the future.