Carol Thatcher didn't apologise

Rightly or wrongly, Carol Thatcher didn't apologise; but if she did, we would have to ask what she was apologising for. The comment against her at the time that gave me the most pause for thought was from a black listener to Radio 4's Today programme, who stated that "gollywog" was a term of abuse shouted by white bullies at her across the street in the 70's, something she found very frightening. That comment has validity as it stands.

There is a clear difference, however, between shouting an abusive word at a stranger in the street and using the same word about someone you are watching on the Television screen. The first could be taken as a preliminary to violence, it will be humiliating to the person shouted at; the tennis player referred to by Thatcher would not have experienced this. He would never even have known about it, if the comment had not been reported to the authorities by the BBC employees who overheard it. Snitching with a possible view to ingratiate yourself to the authorities is pretty repulsive too.

In any case, the two speech acts have different contexts and intentions. So would Carol Thatcher be apologising for racially aggravated abuse or a slightly boorish comment?

She didn't apologise though; and I salute her courage. She stood up for herself rather than publicly recant at the behest of her politically correct inquisitors.