The politics of apology

Kevin Rudd has taken full responsibility for the failure of the home insulation scheme. He is ‘disappointed’ in himself for not asking more questions, he said. Yet, had he asked more questions, he may have been accused of not trusting his own minister – a minister, who is an ‘excellent minister’ and a ‘very genuine person’. Rudd apologised to the home insulation industry. He said sorry again. We are, therefore, back in the realm of apology – a new phenomenon which has enveloped left wing governments of the entire western world over the past few years. Yet the geography of apology is another country. It is a country, thus far, unknown to any politics. Yet authentic, genuine apology is well recorded as transformative. 

Probably the most widely known and accepted program of apology was developed by the ‘Oxford Group’ ( a Christian group of the 1920 and 30’s) and which became well known as The Twelve Steps, used by Alcoholics Anonymous and many other programs addressing addiction…