Marion's Blog

It's been over 20 years since Paul Gascoigne, once considered the most talented footballer in the UK, shed his famous tears on the pitch after winning a major victory. It seems to have been a turning point not only in his career, which has been in decline every since, but also in the world of the "new man". Looking back on it now, I think I would rather we all went back to the time before and got those "old men" back!

Just this week, I seem to have been listening to one after the other polticians and bankers offering their apologies to the world for their role in the credit crisis. On Monday of this week, as I was on my way to a dinner engagement with a group of financially very astute people, I heard on the radio that the chairman of the board of van Lanschot bank, a dutch private bank, was apologising for not having spoken up earlier about his misgivings on some banking practices. His apology made me very angry. What is it about todays time that people feel they need to apologise in public, on their own for something that a much larger group is to be blamed for? What are they actually looking to achieve? To me it seems that apologising now, as an individual, is rather pointless. It seems an act not of true sincerity, but of an enormous egotism. If he really had felt that strongly - he should have done something. And if he didn't do anything and now genuinely feels that he should have - there are consequences to draw from his actions and he should probably consider resigning. Then you can apologise. But to simply say "sorry" and then hope it all washes over, is the most insincere and egotistical act possible. It's like a child, scuffling his feet, knowing it has done something wrong as he stands in front of his angry mother - head bowed, saying he won't do it again. But you know with kids that given half a chance they will do it again, the only difference being that they will be rather more careful the next time not to get caught.

All this so called "apology" has no real foundation or value. It might have had some strength to it, if a large group of Board Members of major banks would have joined together and publicly posted an apology. That would have been more valuable, as it showed a joint acceptance of the trouble caused. But to come out on your own, to say sorry, is a sign of weakness, and more focused on "look how good I am for saying sorry" then actually meaning any of it at all.

So I would say to any other politician or banker that is considering sharing his "apology" with the world - don't even think about it, buck up, save those crocodile tears and just get your shoulders under the job to be done, or shut up and resign. There's no valour in anything in between, and no value to the world in crying about it now... let's get back to a world where you don't share all your emotions, but you act in the best interest of your audience. Be it poltics, banking or on the football field - that's what you are being paid to do!

Marion