Who’s sorry now? No idea...
I USED to think I understood what an apology was. Now I’m not so sure. After a police investigation into her property deals was dropped, former Nationalist MP Michelle Thomson has been on a media tour, and appears to be chasing apologies.
She would like one from the First Minister, for failing to give her the chance to present her side of the story. She also wants one from the BBC, for ambiguous wording on a news headline.
No apology so far from Miss Sturgeon. The BBC is also silent. Hardly the response Mrs Thomson was hoping for.
But what about Michelle’s own apology to those in financial need, who sold their homes to her company for less than their market value, then saw their desperation converted into profits for Mrs Thomson within hours? Mrs Thomson offered regrets if they felt ‘aggrieved’, accompanied by some caveat emptor blaming about sellers being alerted to the risks. And anyway, she didn’t meet them herself. And loads of people were doing these deals.
Benjamin Franklin once said that one should never ruin an apology with an excuse. Mrs Thomson prefers to argue that whilst she was in the room, she did not pull the trigger.
The rest of us know that real contrition has three parts; ‘I’m sorry’, ‘It’s my fault and I won’t do it again’, and ‘How can I make things better?’ The last part is the most important.