Can politicians say sorry too often?

It’s an oft-repeated mantra that politicians never apologise. One reason many mistrust the political classes is the belief that they always refuse responsibility and will not ever own up when they do wrong.

In fact this is largely untrue. Quite often politicians and other people in public life will say sorry if they make some sort of mistake. However these apologies are usually forgotten either because people are still angry or media stories really only continue when an apology isn’t forthcoming.

For much of the current Scottish Government’s time in power they have been criticised for arrogance and other charges of never admitting when they get something wrong or fail to deliver on some form of pledge. However this certainly cannot be said of the past few days.

From a government previously accused of refusing to apologise has come so many ‘sorrys’ and regrets that it’s been hard to keep up. First Finance Minister John Swinney apologised for allowing the Parliament’s tax powers to subside, a mea culpa quickly supported by the First Minister too.

Now this week we had Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson apologising for the travel chaos caused by snow and ice on the roads and railways, a repentance echoed by the First Minister. This is a good example of a story dragging on until the minister was prepared to apologise for his department’s perceived shortcomings.

We also had a half-apology with John Swinney - or at least a reversed decision - as he changed his mind over his previous decision to only provide one year of spending plans to Parliament, rather than the usual three.

An apology can be a powerful thing. Used wisely it can disarm a potentially serious and explosive political issue and end the need for inquiries or resignations. In short – as noted above – it can often kill stories stone dead, which is why the public often fail to remember when such acts of contrition are made.

However is it possible to do this too often? A government which is forced to give a large number of apologies or change its mind on a diverse range of issues in a short period of time is clearly one which is facing numerous challenges and problems.

A successful and strong government will ride effortlessly over the waves caused by problems; the fact that they appear so dominant is what carries them through. However if this government loses its way and no longer has the success and momentum it once did, seemingly small stories can cause them untold woe.

It’s not that the public really cares either way. If you have faced some problems because of the government (or at least believe it’s because of them) an apology is really going to resolve your issue, merely perhaps make you feel a bit better. Apologies are really ways of preventing ongoing attacks from your opponents or the media.

Nevertheless where repeated apologies might influence public opinion is simply when the belief begins to arise that a government is struggling and possibly running out of ideas. When the SNP were first elected and for long after they were seen as almost untouchable and in real command of the country; opinion polls suggest this is no longer the case,

There may of course be numerous reasons. Most obviously perhaps it’s in part due to issues such as the recession leading to unavoidable public spending cuts, something which is obviously never popular. However the growing number of apologies that ministers feel the need to make will not help recreate any sense of momentum or success.

As above, apologies are an important part of political and public life, and whatever the public or media might believe, they do often happen when someone has made some form of error, or at least appears to have done so. But their use has to be rationed to be truly effective.

People making apologies day-after-day will achieve two things. Firstly, and obviously, the give an appearance of incompetence if so many mistakes are being made. Secondly however they suggest an administration which has lost its momentum and so is being swamped by negative issues they cannot bat away.

A West Wing-ism is that in politics if you’re not on the offence you’re on the defence; in other words if you’re not out there positively selling your record or putting your opponents under pressure, then it means you must be the one under pressure and attack.

Governments that can get themselves out of this position get re-elected. Governments that can’t, don’t. That’s the simple and stark challenge now facing the SNP.