We had it with Mr B.Johnson, with (Sir!) Gavin Willamson the former Secretary of State for Education and we had it with Elizabeth Truss whose prime-ministerial reign lasted little more than a month. Underneath it all, somebody else was always to blame. Never them.
And now we have got it in relation to the former Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary - Dominic Raab. There was a meticulous, independent enquiry into Raab's behaviour as a minister and it was concluded that he was essentially a bully who caused a lot of upset where ever he went. Civil servants who work closely with leading politicians are tough cookies and will accept a range of personal styles, knowing about the stresses of government. However, why should they accept tyrants who have little idea how to work with people and to bring out the best in them? Bullying is horrible where ever you find it.
Instead of taking the findings on the chin, Raab's instinct was to criticise the process and to imply that The Palace of Westminster is haunted by unionised and sinister arms of the civil service who hinder ministers like him.
This is utter nonsense and it reminds me somewhat of Trump over in America. Like a child in a playpen, if he didn't like particular rulings, he threw his toys over the side and proceeded to sow seeds of disrespect for legal procedures, denigrating those who legitimately stand on the side of justice.
Raab talks quietly to camera, disguising the fact that in his offices he was skilled in belittlement and other forms of unpleasantness. He was caught out in the full glare of the headlights but he still could not bring himself to utter a meaningful "Sorry". It's clear that though he resigned, he scorned the report about him. More evidence that in his mind he still believes that the right way is The Raab Way just as it probably seemed when he was a child like Mr B.Johnson - attending fee-paying schools and living a privileged life.
But even the report found it was only a little bit of bullying.
ReplyDeleteOh that's okay then. Just a little bit of bullying. Like a little bit of larcency, a little bit of burglary or a little bit of terrorism.
DeleteI work with a nurse, or two now, who won't take responsibility for their mistakes. We all make mistakes, admit it, apologize and learn from it. Except many people won't do this and my own workplace is just a microsocm for the rest of the world. It boggles the mind and makes me wonder how any good can come from large bureaucracies, given that these people excist everywhere.
ReplyDeleteTo say sorry and to mean it - without qualification - is a rare phenomenon these days.
DeleteJust a slight correction, trump does not have a mind. Only ego.
ReplyDeleteYes you are right Carolyn. Thanks for pointing out my factual error.
DeletePoliticians and governments find it very easy to apologize but as you ask, do they mean anything.
ReplyDeleteThey maybe learn how to play around with "sorry" at politicians' training school.
DeleteI fear if any politician anywhere gave a sincere apology for wrongdoings the earth might stand still in shock and we'd all fall off.
ReplyDeleteMaybe "sorry" is a signal of weakness.
DeleteRaab's behaviour reminds me very much of Trump's. If they were just two little boys throwing a tantrum, firmness combined with kindness and consequence could work wonders for them. But I'm afraid it is way too late for them to change.
ReplyDeleteAnd the whole thing about not accepting responsibility for one's own mistakes is as old as humanity. Even Adam pointed to Eve when God held him accountable for having taken what was not his to take. "The woman you gave me - she gave me the fruit," he said, ultimately blaming God for his own wrongdoing. I know it's an allegory, but one that was as true back when it was first written as it is now.
You make a good point there Meike. Mostly when people say "sorry" they add something else in mitigation.
DeleteThe political arena seems to attract this type of personality. They consider themselves God's gift to society, and as we've found out so often lately, well above the law.
ReplyDeleteAs Raab or Truss or Johnson might well have said, "I am sorry that you feel that way Carol!" In other words, you are to blame!
DeleteYet people still vote for them.
ReplyDeletePerhaps some mistake this arrogance for toughness.
DeleteI think apologizing has come to be seen as weakness, and modern politicians are loath to admit any weakness. It's so ingrained in them to never give an inch that they just can't muster the words "I'm sorry." Especially when they think the apology has been coerced from them by public pressure.
ReplyDeleteI have a strong suspicion that Barack Obama will have said "sorry" sometimes and meant it.
DeleteOh I detest all of the Tory party. I remember when if a politician was caught out - in whatever - they would resign.
ReplyDelete