Commonwealth should lead the discussion on slavery reparations | Slavery

As a new secretary-general assumes leadership of the Commonwealth, it seems de rigueur in some circles to dismiss the organisation as a relic of a bygone era. To speak of it with any seriousness places one in a social pillory, the face upturned for pelting with the fruits of modernity.

Still, counterarguments exist. Nations would not be lining up to join if the Commonwealth were indeed an anachronism. Shared bonds of language, legal codes and education systems make trade cheaper between…