Apology

[Mancie]

The British Prime Minister has made an open apology to the innocent victims who were killed during the protests on what has been is known as "Bloody Sunday".. no doubt about it innocent people were killed.
I'd like to know how the members on here who have openly stated they do not believe any present government should apologise for the mistakes made by Governments in the past... I point to some who kicked up as fuss when the Government apologised for the mass murder this country carried out during the slave trade.. and those who complianed when the Government apologised for the kids we sent to be abused in Australia... what do you say now??

[steeljack]

My thoughts ,maybe I'm contradicting myself but ... the slavery apology was wrong , not one British citizen for 5 or 6 generations has had anything to do with slavery.
the Australian kids apology was correct , it went to the living, the only thing wrong with it was the delay in it being carried out , it was swept under the carpet by the civil servants and politicians for so long to protect the guilty parties that they were allowed to spend their last years living in comfort on fat pensions and never made to face up to the harm they did.
The "Bloody Sunday" in my opinion is wrong, they should be glad only 13 got killed , if things had got 'hotter' the numbers would have been a lot higher and probably some of the troops would have ended up like the London cop who was macheted to death by another mob .

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Mancie

The British Prime Minister has made an open apology to the innocent victims who were killed during the protests on what has been is known as "Bloody Sunday".. no doubt about it innocent people were killed.
I'd like to know how the members on here who have openly stated they do not believe any present government should apologise for the mistakes made by Governments in the past... I point to some who kicked up as fuss when the Government apologised for the mass murder this country carried out during the slave trade.. and those who complianed when the Government apologised for the kids we sent to be abused in Australia... what do you say now??

It sits better than many of the previous apologies because it happened within Great Britain and it is an event within living memory.

Unfortunately, what generally happens in these situations is that any number of 'traumatised' relatives come out of the woodwork for compensation. Tragedy though it was, the Hillsborough families were on the case not two weeks ago claiming around £25k each for mental stress. It was another awful event but how long do these guilt trips last? That one has already been unequivocably apologised for several times.

It sounds rather heartless but apologising for every last misdemeanour in British history is leaving yourself wide open to abuse in the end.

[Eric]

I think that when considering if an apology is appropriate or not, one has to consider "incidents" on a case by case basis. In the case of bloody sunday, I don't think that an apology is appropriate. There was no government policy that led to the incident, which can appropriately be termed "isolated". The British public, whom the government represents, had no involvement. Compare it to what happened in Europe under the Nazis; the whole apparatus of government and the majority of the population combined to give the world the horrors of mass extermination of Jews, Poles, Russian civilians and POWs, Gypsies, etc., etc. And from what I see of the Krauts, they don't seem to be all that abjectedly apologetic for causing the deaths of tens, maybe hundreds of millions. A quote from Marlowe would be appropriate here, but I'll spare you the pedantry. However, quite rightly, the Government of Canada has apologised to First Nations people for the abuses in the residential schools. The government did not intend that children in residential schools be abused, but it was their policies, aimed at erradicating First Nations' culture that put the children at risk.

But I do think that this whole apology fad has gone way too far. It's a convenient and popular bandwagon which gives the PC crowd the opportunity to feel good about themselves, and pat themselves on the back for being holier than me and you.

[jaysay]

I still stand by what I said previously you can't apologise for things that happened years ago, the people, if there was an apology necessary are long gone. Inquires such as the one just undertaken lasting 12 years and cosing £200 million is still a he says she say exercise

[Wynonie Harris]

Don't see why any government should apologise for something it had nothing to do with. Whatever the shortcomings of the present government, most of 'em were probably attending school, when the Bloody Sunday incident took place.

I would, however, like to see Blair and his odious henchmen apologise for the deaths of British servicemen and others in Iraq, caused by their contemptible decision to go to war...wouldn't you, Mancie?

[cashman]

What don't sit right wi me,is the simple fact, the British Goverment have apologised fer Bloody Sunday, yet Mcguiness n Adams have been rewarded fer being responsible fer slaughtering MANY more oer the troubles, Wheres there apology? nowhere, they have been rewarded wi a nice office, nice salary,good job etc etc n NO GUILT. this country is pathetic. IMHO.

[MargaretR]

Politicians lie all the time - apologies mean nothing - it's just a public relations gesture entitled -
'placation of the masses'

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Politicians lie all the time - apologies mean nothing - it's just a public relations gesture entitled -
'placation of the masses'

Exactly, just tell the public what they want the hear, well some of them

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

Don't see why any government should apologise for something it had nothing to do with. Whatever the shortcomings of the present government, most of 'em were probably attending school, when the Bloody Sunday incident took place.

I would, however, like to see Blair and his odious henchmen apologise for the deaths of British servicemen and others in Iraq, caused by their contemptible decision to go to war...wouldn't you, Mancie?

Well no doubt there will be a public inquiry Wyn, costing millions and find out absolutely nothing that we don't already know, governments of all colours waste money faster than a demented woman on the loose with her husbands credit card, shortly before she leaves him

[Margaret Pilkington]

I wonder if Martin Mc Guiness will now instigate and enquiry into all the atrocites that were wreaked by the IRA....and whether he will issue an apology for the innocent who were killed in the many bombings......Manchester and Brighton spring immediately to mind.
Like Jaysay, I stick by my original feelings on these apologies.......they mean nothing, because they were not issued by those who were responsible for the crime......and they devalue the impact of a true apology.

[garinda]

We're still waiting for an apology from the Angles, Saxons, Romans, Normans, and Vikings, who unlwafully invaded our country, raping and pillaging as they went.

Some people have no manners.

[Barrie Yates]

Where is the apology from the IRA and offshoot organisations and members - for the civilians, including children, and of course our troops, that they murdered.
Perhaps Adams and McGuinness would set the example and get the ball rolling.

[shillelagh]

i read about this last night .. from someone who is of northern irish descent .. my parents both came from county armagh .. i just hope now that the enquiry has finished and the result known .. that the family members think that its enough to know that they were innocent and not to go after the soldiers to prosecute them. Its cost a lot of money this enquiry .. and i can quite honestly say that most people will say what could they have done with that money .. rather than pay a load of solicitors etc for the enquiry.. but its finished now all we need is the PIRA, UVF, INLA, UDF etc to come out and apologise for all the atrocities they did .. They never will .. but it would be nice for them to do it .. and maybe just maybe .. if they ever get the guts to do that .. Northern Ireland will be at peace.

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

i read about this last night .. from someone who is of northern irish descent .. my parents both came from county armagh .. i just hope now that the enquiry has finished and the result known .. that the family members think that its enough to know that they were innocent and not to go after the soldiers to prosecute them. Its cost a lot of money this enquiry .. and i can quite honestly say that most people will say what could they have done with that money .. rather than pay a load of solicitors etc for the enquiry.. but its finished now all we need is the PIRA, UVF, INLA, UDF etc to come out and apologise for all the atrocities they did .. They never will .. but it would be nice for them to do it .. and maybe just maybe .. if they ever get the guts to do that .. Northern Ireland will be at peace.

are you suggesting that the families of the dead rioters should recieve monetry compensation ? (sorry if i'm reading your post the wrong way)