Since the collapse of the case against Mohammed Haneef, Australian government ministers have been firm in their refusal to apologise or admit that the Minister of Immigration Kevin Andrews (who pulled Haneef's visa to effectively over-rule a court decision granting him bail) or the Australian Federal Police (who committed perjury) might have done anything wrong. This culimated in yesterday's disparaging comments from Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who asked
What do you expect them to do - fall on the ground and grovel, eat dirt?
Actually, that would suit me just fine (and ditto for most Australians, who quite like seeing politicians humiliated). But failing that, a simple apology would suffice.
Unfortunately, for John Howard's government, sorry seems to be the hardest word.
