Tony Blair is sorry. Not for the Iraq war. Not for the disastrous part privatisation of the London Underground. Or cash for honours. No, he's dreadfully sorry about slavery.
This is gesture politics of the worst kind. It confirms what we all suspect: that politicians don't understand the meaning and significance of the word 'sorry'. Properly meant, it reveals something of our true character. We feel better about someone who says "Sorry, I got that wrong." But modern politicians fear ridicule in admitting an error and so presume infallibility. So Blair will never admit that his government falsely stated the case for invading Iraq and then mismanaged the aftermath. But he offers a meaningless apology for events 200 years ago.
The prime minister could spend his remaining months in office doing nothing but saying sorry for the sins of the past. What about a grovelling apology for the way the English tried to wipe out the Welsh language? A tear-stained expression of regret for the concentration camps the British set up during the Boer war?
That's not to deny that slavery was an affront to humanity. But I'd rather world leaders devoted their efforts to tackle modern day evils rather than indulge in pointless posturing about events in the distant past.
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