Home Page tbc banner
Richard Littledale

Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: May 2010

previous month | index | next month

eyeline

The hardest word…

Years ago a journalist wrote that "apologies are the old tyres that are hung over the sides of huge egos to prevent damage when they rub up against each other". It's a wonderful image, and not too far from the truth.

In the past few weeks politicians have been tripping over themselves to apologise harder and more sincerely than the next man on every possible occasion. They have apologised for the expenses scandal, they have apologised for other corruptions, they have apologised for legislations unstarted or unfinished, and even apologised for not apologising enough! One particular apology took more than 40 minutes over a private cup of tea in Rochdale! (See the BBC website report.)

The trouble is, saying sorry really is very easy. It might be humiliating and awkward, but apart from that it actually costs us very little. In Jesus' day there were plenty of people who had elevated the art of apologising and doing penance to an art form. They came up with increasingly inventive ways to make themselves suffer physically on the outside in order to show how sorry they were on the inside. Far from being taken in by this, Jesus cut through the spiritual showmanship and demanded that they should show "fruit in keeping with repentance".

What would such fruit look like in the political arena, I wonder? Would it bring a new fragrance and flavour to our national life? With some fruit the smell is so fresh and appealing that you feel better for it whether you eat it or not. Newly cut lemon or lime fills the air with a scent of freshness which lifts the spirits straight away, or at least it does for me.

So, new men and women of Westminster, let's smell some freshness about the corridors of power, please. Enough apologising and breast-beating. Break out the fruit of repentance, and let's all start a healthier political diet.

rjl signature
eyeline
Home Page
This page is maintained by Colin Hicks; Comments by e-mail are welcome;
Return to the TBC Home Page;   Copyright information;