When the chips were down, he just couldn’t bring himself to say it.
The letters sent by Gordon Brown to the individuals maligned by his henchmen – hand-written, bizarrely enough, with a black felt-tip pen – express “regret” and an understanding of the “embarrassment caused” and speak of the way the affair could “affect the reputation of our politics”.
Why, for heaven’s sake, can’t the Prime Minister understand the need for a full, unreserved, personal apology? Can’t he appreciate the enormous personal offence and distress his office’s conduct has caused, not only to the individuals maligned, but to the wider public looking on in disgust?
The point is that the buck stops with him. It is up to him to take full responsibility for this one and to demonstrate that he is taking real steps to cleanse the Augean stables that double for his private office. Expressions of “regret” and carefully drafted letters to the Cabinet Secretary won’t do.
On Sunday, Fraser Nelson speculated in Coffee House that McBride’s swift departure may have “closed down” the story. It hasn’t. Brown is in a huge hole, is carrying on digging, and the story’s not going away.
Under UK law, if I were to own dangerous attack dogs and they attacked someone, I would be responsible for the outcome. What is the difference? Gordon Brown knew what these guys were there for, he cannot simply walk away and say ‘nothing to do with me guv”, because no-one will accept that. Either way, this whole thing is damaging to politics in general, it is probably best all round if the matter is left to die down. The electorate has long memories for this type of thing and I suspect that GB and his mates will pay the price at the ballot box.