Browne apologises for allowing sailors to sell stories | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics
Monday, April 16, 2007
This government is as arrogant as it is incompetent. Challenged by his Shadow to apologise, Defence Secretary Des Browne said:
"If he wants me to say sorry then I am more than happy to say sorry."
How very gracious. One might have hoped, given the damage Browne has done to the reputation of the services for which he is politically responsible, that he might have thought to apologise unprompted. One might hope that as he has told two different versions of the events surrounding this debacle, only one of which could be true, that he would feel the need to apologise for his untruth.
Like the Government itself, he still seems more focussed on political survival than political responsibility.
This is quite sad. It's not enough that the military people may not have held up too well under the duress of their captivity; but then to allow for profit was a pretty daft decision.
As far as surviving politically is concerned he probably will survive; though like most he doesn't deserve it. If one can't make a simple decision like this one without possible ramifications we shouldn't be surprised by the actions of the "15 victims of a misunderstanding."
Posted by: blandly urbane | Monday, April 16, 2007 at 10:38 PM
...Like the Government itself, he still seems more focussed on political survival than political responsibility...
Or rushing to destroy as much as possible before the axe falls. I don;t ascribe this to their EU political masters but to tawdry party politics.
Posted by: jameshigham | Monday, April 16, 2007 at 07:18 PM
I have just caught this odious little man on TV grovelling, there is something very very wrong when people like this have wormed their way all the way up the greasy pole of politics to sit at the highest table in the land.
Posted by: Guthrum | Monday, April 16, 2007 at 06:50 PM