Comments on: An apology for what? http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/ Thoughts about economics, politics and life in general Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:05:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Thomarse http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-119 Thomarse Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:21:23 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-119 Well, hopefully and maybe better, solid spending on better housing then education & health. All done with lots of prior consultation with each community which is where the NT Intervention errs. I was never impressed with Jenny Macklin before but She did a shitload of consultation and really needs a full share of the credit for the apology. Hope it keeps going like that. A customer later that day, when I mentioned the apology, said he had not been a Labor fan said he was very moved by the Apology and now saw the need of it. Think lots of small-l Liberals looking much more kindly on Rudd & the ALP. Well, hopefully and maybe better, solid spending on better housing then education & health. All done with lots of prior consultation with each community which is where the NT Intervention errs. I was never impressed with Jenny Macklin before but She did a shitload of consultation and really needs a full share of the credit for the apology. Hope it keeps going like that.

A customer later that day, when I mentioned the apology, said he had not been a Labor fan said he was very moved by the Apology and now saw the need of it. Think lots of small-l Liberals looking much more kindly on Rudd & the ALP.

]]> By: John Barrdear http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-112 John Barrdear Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:41:40 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-112 Thomarse, Thanks for the comment. I recognise the contemporary nature of the consequences of the stolen generations and I am glad that you found the speech moving. As I mention in my later posts (<a href="http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/on-the-necessity-of-an-apology/" rel="nofollow">#2</a> and <a href="http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/tyranny-and-the-ethical-removal-of-children/" rel="nofollow">#3</a>), I believe that if an apology is to be given, it must be a sincere one, probably backed with remuneration. Thomarse,

Thanks for the comment.

I recognise the contemporary nature of the consequences of the stolen generations and I am glad that you found the speech moving. As I mention in my later posts (#2 and #3), I believe that if an apology is to be given, it must be a sincere one, probably backed with remuneration.

]]> By: Thomarse http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-114 Thomarse Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:32:46 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-114 A lot of the Stolen Generation are still with us, people born all the way back to the 1920's, so are their children, so are some of the people responsible for doing the brutal, forced separation of children from parents, so are some lawmakers who did not stop the practice--e.g. J.W. Howard entered Parliament while this awful practice still went on. I watched Rudd's whole speech this morning, as did an early customer, and was moved to tears at times. A lot of the Stolen Generation are still with us, people born all the way back to the 1920’s, so are their children, so are some of the people responsible for doing the brutal, forced separation of children from parents, so are some lawmakers who did not stop the practice–e.g. J.W. Howard entered Parliament while this awful practice still went on.

I watched Rudd’s whole speech this morning, as did an early customer, and was moved to tears at times.

]]> By: John Barrdear http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-113 John Barrdear Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:15:25 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-113 I commented further on this here: "<a href="http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/tyranny-and-the-ethical-removal-of-children/" rel="nofollow">Tyranny and the ethical removal of children</a>" I commented further on this here: “Tyranny and the ethical removal of children“

]]> By: Tyranny and the ethical removal of children at John Barrdear http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-115 Tyranny and the ethical removal of children at John Barrdear Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:02:16 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-115 [...] be my last post on the whole apology business for a while. In response to my entry, “An apology for what?“, Cam Riley posted this comment: Tyranny is tyranny - and removing children from their [...] [...] be my last post on the whole apology business for a while. In response to my entry, “An apology for what?“, Cam Riley posted this comment: Tyranny is tyranny - and removing children from their [...]

]]> By: John Barrdear http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-116 John Barrdear Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:17:02 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-116 I'm not denying that it was an act of tyranny (in the sense of oppression, not in the sense of a single ruler), only that the word "tyranny" is one with massive emotional and judgemental baggage in the same way as "genocide". Its use may be justified in a literal sense, but it will rarely serve to improve the situation in a world of real politik. In any event, I accept <a href="http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/on-the-necessity-of-an-apology/" rel="nofollow">the pragmatic necessity of an apology</a> even if I do not fully accept the <em>moral</em> obligation to apologise today for something that was honestly believed to be just at the time. I’m not denying that it was an act of tyranny (in the sense of oppression, not in the sense of a single ruler), only that the word “tyranny” is one with massive emotional and judgemental baggage in the same way as “genocide”. Its use may be justified in a literal sense, but it will rarely serve to improve the situation in a world of real politik.

In any event, I accept the pragmatic necessity of an apology even if I do not fully accept the moral obligation to apologise today for something that was honestly believed to be just at the time.

]]> By: cam http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-117 cam Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:09:25 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-117 Tyranny is tyranny - and removing children from their parents due to their skin colour is a tyrannous act. The goal of republican government is to remove all tyranny from the system. Consequently past tyrannous acts need to be recognized as such. Tyranny is tyranny - and removing children from their parents due to their skin colour is a tyrannous act.

The goal of republican government is to remove all tyranny from the system. Consequently past tyrannous acts need to be recognized as such.

]]> By: On the necessity of an apology at John Barrdear http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-118 On the necessity of an apology at John Barrdear Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:44:42 +0000 http://barrdear.com/john/2008/02/12/an-apology-for-what/#comment-118 [...] Register « An apology for what? [...] [...] Register « An apology for what? [...]

]]>