Mistakes were made: it’s a classic construct, dating back to at least 1876, used by Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and many others.
Liz Truss, Prime Minister of the UK, is making an impressive effort to overtake her American rivals for the all-time records. Soon after she became PM, her Chancellor of the Exchequer (that’s English for “money dude”) came out with a mini-budget including tax cuts at the top end. She sacked him, despite having advocated the very measures he announced.
“There were mistakes,” said her new money dude. Liz herself has used the classic combination of the m-word and the passive voice.
Post has been written. That’s it from me. What is thought by you?
The lack of apology, the failure to , in contrast to the John Wayne character in Yellow Ribbon, Capt Nathan Brittles (was the clue in the character’s name?) “Never apologize, mister, it’s a sign of weakness.” is often a sign of weakness, of having failed
The converse, only the strong apologise, is also not true
In UK govt, “the money dude” is considered the second in command, the controller of the money and the PM’s enforcer, to the extent of living in the house next door, #11 Downing Street, with connecting corridors. In recent history, there have been strong, long lasting, partnerships between PM and CoE, Blair and Brown, Cameron and Osborne
Even Johnson knew his CoE was the last domino to fall before they came for him
There is also a history of Chancellors taking down their masters with their resignations. Sir Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech set in motion the end of Margaret Thatcher.
Rishi Sunak’s resignation triggered the end for Johnson
Sacking the chancellor is always a big step. Sacking one after 38 days, having destroyed what was left of the UK’s international reputation, signals perhaps, just possibly, the nadir of the brexit episode, the point at which the scales fall from the eyes of those who believed that the UK’s problems stemmed from the EU