A sorry state of affairs: offence was given – or was it taken? – thanks to PM’s failure to foresee the effect of his choice of words
“Never apologise, never explain” (according to one source consulted by Point of Order scribes) was the infamous dictum of former Bank of England governor Montagu Norman and epitomised the British take on central bank communication.
But maybe not. An article in the New Yorker said “Never apologize, never explain” is often attributed to the nineteenth-century Oxford scholar Benjamin Jowett, who supposedly added, “Get it over with and let them howl.”
The New Yorker article proceeded to note that, at that time in the US, there had been a lot of howling amid a rash of public apologies, many of them botched.
There has been a lot of howling in this country after the Luxon Government ignored the dictum (either from Norman, Jowett or whoever) and delivered a formal apology to the estimated 200,000 children, young people and adults who were abused in state and faith-based care institutions.
There has been a lot of legislative activity, too, and a gush of press statements.
Some of those were recorded in the Buzz from the Beehive column yesterday.
There have been more today, along with the speech delivered by Karen Chhour as the Minister for Children when the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill was given its first reading.
Yes, other things are happening besides apologising and rectifying.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to further details of a new system to regulate online casino gambling.
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says an “innovative” Government trial will tailor support to people with a diverse range of complex needs to move out of emergency housing and into more permanent housing.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard is encouraging us to take steps to be ready for the possible arrival of bird flu.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has explained that a two-year ban on the take of kuku/mussels from Ōhiwa Harbour in eastern Bay of Plenty will support local efforts to restore mussel beds in the area.
Agriculture Minhisters Todd McClay and Andrew Hoggard have announced the awards of scholarships to six tertiary students as part of efforts to boost on-the-ground support for farmers and growers.
Inland Revenue, Revenue Minister Simon Watts has drawn attention to a new Tax and Social Policy Work Programme for Inland Revenue.
There has been a lot of howling in this country after the Luxon Government ignored the dictum (either from Norman, Jowett or whoever) and delivered a formal apology to the estimated 200,000 children, young people and adults who were abused in state and faith-based care institutions.
There has been a lot of legislative activity, too, and a gush of press statements.
Some of those were recorded in the Buzz from the Beehive column yesterday.
There have been more today, along with the speech delivered by Karen Chhour as the Minister for Children when the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill was given its first reading.
Yes, other things are happening besides apologising and rectifying.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to further details of a new system to regulate online casino gambling.
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says an “innovative” Government trial will tailor support to people with a diverse range of complex needs to move out of emergency housing and into more permanent housing.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard is encouraging us to take steps to be ready for the possible arrival of bird flu.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has explained that a two-year ban on the take of kuku/mussels from Ōhiwa Harbour in eastern Bay of Plenty will support local efforts to restore mussel beds in the area.
Agriculture Minhisters Todd McClay and Andrew Hoggard have announced the awards of scholarships to six tertiary students as part of efforts to boost on-the-ground support for farmers and growers.
Inland Revenue, Revenue Minister Simon Watts has drawn attention to a new Tax and Social Policy Work Programme for Inland Revenue.
Latest from the Beehive
13 November 2024
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to further details of a new system to regulate online casino gambling.
An innovative Government trial will tailor support to people with a diverse range of complex needs to move out of emergency housing and into more permanent housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard is encouraging New Zealanders to take steps to be ready for the possible arrival of bird flu.
A two-year ban on the take of kuku/mussels from Ōhiwa Harbour in eastern Bay of Plenty will support local efforts to restore mussel beds in the area, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says.
The coalition Government has awarded scholarships to six tertiary students as part of efforts to boost on-the-ground support for farmers and growers.
Rebuilding the economy and improving fiscal sustainability is the key focus of the Government’s new Tax and Social Policy Work Programme for Inland Revenue, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says.
Speech
12 November 2024
Mr Speaker, as the Minister for Children, it is my priority to ensure that children and young people in the care system are safe.
The Government is amending the Crimes Act to ensure the protection of disabled people in care is made more explicit, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
Changes to the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 included in an Omnibus Bill are long overdue and a positive step in the right direction, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says.
But the apology has generated an outpouring of gripes.
These include a demand for an apology for the apology, because offence has been taken at the government’s acknowledgement that a blind eye had been turned to the abuse identified by the royal commission of inquiry.
A friend of PoO spotted the press statement and asked if it was a joke.
Maybe. We suspect not..
It was headed:
A fellow named Jonathan Mosen was responsible for this demand for Luxon to again say “sorry”.
The press statement describes Mosen as a long-standing leader in the disability sector and a survivor of abuse in state care. He
… has expressed his hurt, disappointment, and anger at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s use of an ableist, pejorative phrase at an event which should have been a safe space for disabled survivors.
Jonathan, who is blind, says the use of the phrase “turned a blind eye” to describe the State’s response to abuse was insensitive and inappropriate under the circumstances.
“The phrase “turn a blind eye” is an inherently ableist expression that wrongly equates blindness with ignorance, neglect, or deliberate stupidity. This phrase, like many others, reinforces the dangerous and outdated stereotype that blind people are less perceptive, capable, or engaged than their sighted counterparts,” says Jonathan.
“Such language is not only unfair and untrue, but it also serves to dehumanise and marginalise those who are blind by implying that blindness represents a fundamental flaw or lack of awareness. It is abusive in and of itself”
“I am all too aware that people can know that abuse is taking place, whether they are blind or not. These sorts of phrases belittle and undervalue blind people, and to hear it being used at such an historic moment is disgraceful. And it is not the first time the Prime Minister has used the phrase. He also used it at the tabling of the Report of the Royal Commission, causing equal offense”.
“I have no doubt that the text of this speech underwent extensive drafting,” Jonathan says. “Every word, every phrase, would have been carefully considered. And that just goes to show how marginalised disabled people are in New Zealand. If a disabled person had been anywhere near the drafting process, they would have told the Prime Minister in no uncertain terms that the use of this phrase, particularly in this context at this time, is just as egregious as saying something sexist or racist.”
Jonathan is calling on the Prime Minister to apologise to disabled people for the use of an ableist slur.
“For the rest of my life, I will regret not standing up in the public gallery and calling him out on the spot,” Jonathan says. “This is not OK, and I wish I hadn’t attended.”
We were tempted to shout “hear, hear” in enthusiastic support. But we thought better of it.
Other gripes about the government’s apology recorded on the Scoop website include –
Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 6:58 pm | Save The Children
Today’s vision shared of New Zealand is of an Aotearoa where every child has their rights understood, respected and upheld ensuring they live good lives now and have a bright future to look forward to. More >>
Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 5:02 pm | VOYCE Whakarongo Mai
The apologies seemed sincere, but amongst those listening there was disappointment that there is still no redress system; and a sense that unless the apology is followed by action the words will seem hollow. More >>
Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 4:11 pm | Ara Taiohi
We must build back better, build a system with rangatahi at its very centre. The legacy of this government will be measured by their ability to respond appropriately, to create a physically safe and emotionally nurturing environment for children and … More >>
Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 3:52 pm | Cooper Legal
Today, the Government had an historic and monumental opportunity to start righting decades of wrongs against survivors. Unfortunately, the Government has yet again let down survivors who placed their trust in it. More >>
Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 1:31 pm | TOAH-NNEST
The national network says the government should have chosen direct engagement at the flaxroots outlining concrete, meaningful actions for survivor restoration and systemic prevention to ensure this never happens again. More >>
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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