The politics of apology
"Never apologise. Never explain."
The during World War I, Jackie Fisher, was actually extolling the quality of boldness - but his quotation has become shorthand for a strong, ruthless mindset, contrasting with the weakness of those who are "sorry" for themselves.
It is a macho philosophy which chimed well with the dispassionate values of the 1980s boom years. It was Margaret Thatcher who said that "to wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best".
Such emotional toughness gave way to a new "touchy-feely" style a decade later - what some called a feminisation of political rhetoric.
Echoing the public remorse served up on confessional TV talk shows such as Oprah Winfrey's, politicians (notably Blair and Clinton) began queuing up to apologise publicly for everything from the slave trade to personal infidelity.
And so the utterance of has become part of the narrative of the crisis or the scandal - a climax of contrition in the final chapter.
With , it was the apparent lack of a fulsome and public apology that initially fuelled the press campaign against the head of children's services Sharon Shoesmith.
With , a handwritten expression of regret from the prime minister was not enough. The story could not be closed without repentance.
Saying "sorry" is powerful because it incorporates a degree of humiliation, of personal weakness and, most importantly, it infers acceptance of blame. It is dangerous.
Like the advice sometimes given to motorists involved in an accident, best to say nothing lest the lawyers use an apology to suggest fault.
But even Number Ten knows that there comes a point when only "sorry" will do.
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