Thread here starts off poorly in its claim that the Brits were the greatest slavers as opposed to, say, the Portu Geese (or to the Sephardim if you want to class them as a "nation"). Admittedly this is a midwit / replyguy take. Anyway it's Joachim Voth and Ett Al (pdf). I also recommend Davis Kedrosky.
Main-claim is that slavery brought non-agricultural prosperity to Britain: industrial mills, steam-engines and the like. The more-slavish regions, in Britain, were the trade-ports: London, Liverpool. Beyond that, slaves didn't go.
The key seems to be not to keep the slaves on the island, but to trade in them between others' islands. A Sepharad would understand - or a Bengali. Or maybe an Irishman (h/t).
UPDATE/BACKDATE 8/31: Major h/t to Whyvert.
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