Thoughts about apologies prompted by Nick Clegg’s apology for a broken promise (now put to music), Andrew Marr’s apology for putting his hand down a woman’s trousers (not put to music so far), and
the chief whip’s apology for being rude to a policeman
Very sorry I can’t come. Lie follows by post
Lord Charles Beresford
Apologies only account for that which they do
not alter
Benjamin Disraeli
A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong,
which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he
was yesterday
Alexander Pope
An apology? Beneath
the dignity of any gentleman, however wrong he might be
Steve Martin
I got bad calls every match, and I never got an apology. I thought it was rather strange
Ivan Lendl
Apologising – very desperate habit
Oliver Wendell Holmes
It is a good rule in life never to apologise. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them
P G Wodehouse
Top 10 world’s richest countries
according to per capita GDP
1 Quatar
2 Luxembourg
3 Singapore
4 Norway
5 Brunei
6 United Arab Emirates
7 United States
8 Hong Kong (administrative region)
9 Switzerland
10 The Netherlands
Top 10 world’s poorest countries
according to per capita GDP
1 Democratic Republic of the Congo
2 Liberia
3 Zimbabwe
4 Burundi
5 Eritrea
6 Central African Republic
7 Niger
8 Sierra Leone
9 Malawi
10 Togo
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Today’s banner:
Dornoch by night
by Islay McLeod
Some teenagers have barely been into the city centre
Photograph by Islay McLeod
Not so long ago, the Labour Party had the appearance of being Scotland’s political establishment. When I first got involved with the party as a student, in the early 1990s, it had 49 out of 72 MPs and a virtual monopoly of local government. Those days are gone. The Scottish Parliament is now the centre of Scotland’s political life and the SNP has made it its natural home.
As Alasdair McKillop noted in last week’s Scottish Review (20 September) the past few days have seen a clear-out of senior officials in John Smith House. But the most damning accusation flung at Scottish Labour is that it is dull and boring. The SNP has been winning the battle for ideas, as well as votes at the ballot box.
The charge has moved me to action. Here are five policy ideas that could help make Scottish Labour interesting again. Maybe other readers could write in with more:
1. Publish a white paper on more powers for the Scottish Parliament