Tell that to northern Ireland, Scotland, Gibraltar, French Guiana or Polynesia.

Both countries still have overseas territories all over the world. It doesn't matter how hard you, they or anyone else tries to legitimize those colonies, that's still what they are.

Why were the French using the Polynesian islands as nuclear testing grounds up through 1996? Would the French government be so lax with testing in their own country? No - that's why they did it in a colony with 200,000 brown people instead.