Eventually Tom says sorry, to some, for his "scum" remarks

The art of leadership is not just knowing that you are right, but also knowing when you are wrong. On Monday the Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliot certainly didn't realise the second was the case, as I blogged, and tried to maintain strangely that he still was the former. All of this despite the furore over the weekend since he let the word scum slip from his mouth about political opponents.

It has taken him another 2 days and another round of disgust for his to finally say sorry. Although it sorry only to those he offendede not for being 'provocated' to say it in the first place. The apology is still somewhat half-hearted and still in my opinion not one you'd expect to find of someone that is leading the first Unionist party to really accept that we need a shared future that acknowledges but does not dwell on our past.

Here's what he actually told the BBC Northern Ireland Politics Show:

"I will certainly apologise to all those good nationalists, republicans, even Sinn Fein voters who felt offended by it.

"It was certainly not directed at them so if they took offence at it, yes I regret that to them.

"For those people who do not regret the murders that they may have carried out in the past, I have to say that if they come to regret what they have done, then I think we could move forward much quicker."

Listening to the clip on the link  it seems almost like a forced apology even by Tom Elliot's standards. While Tom himself is not talking of resigning I still think he days are numbered.