News Brown apologises for Turing's treatment

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2009/09/11/brown-apologises-for-turings-treatment/1

Gordon Brown has issued an apology to the memory of Alan Turing, war hero and one of the fathers of modern computing, for the chemical castration that lead to his death.

 

the only two words i want to hear from browns fat trap are GOOD and BYE

 

Dont forget "Sorry" and "here, have my pension and costs back"

 

Registered to say:

I've never understood retrospective apologies from people entirely unconnected with the thing they're apologising for. What did GB do that he feels he needs to apologise for? Of course it's pretty nasty that Turing was subjected to experimental chemical castration, but it wasn't Gordo's fault.

 

Gunsmith & Sim0n

This thread shouldn't be about your feelings for Gordon Brown, it should be about the memory of Turing and what may have well been the most important influence in claiming victory in the European theatre during the second world war.

Turing and his team saved thousands of lives through their work cracking and undermining the German communications network and laid the foundations for computing as we know it today.

The man should have been treated as a national treasure, not villified for his sexuality.

 

I believe he had to give a 'personal' apology as he couldn't give an 'official' one as this has to be given to descendants of the person in question - and Turing has none. In this capacity he is apologising on behalf of the British Government rather than as himself

 

Exactly, an official apology is basically a pardoning. Effectively his crimes have now been ruled unlawful. Gordon's just the spokesman for the establishment, so naturally it would be him to deliver the apology. It's not Gordon personally saying he is sorry.

 

Good stuff. Brown seems to actually react to petitions like this and listen to people, I'm glad. While it makes no real difference, it at least goes some way to the UK recognising a great man who saved many lives and advanced technology a great deal in his life time.

 

Hear hear. Glad to see he got the pardon he deserved.

 

This isn't actually going to change anything, I don't really understand the point. I learnt about Turing in Computing, amazing guy, didn't deserve anything he got at all, but such is life.

 

Actually it is going to change something. Not for Alan Turing, or for us, but for the history books and generations to come who will be taught from these: that a scientist was key in defeating a fascist empire and that him happening to be gay is casual trivia rather than a cause for persecution. it worked for Oscar Wilde: once society got past homosexuality it started seeing him as the great literary figure that he was.

One day perhaps people will be appreciated for their unique talents rather than judged on dumb prejudice.

 

The UK has a lot more to apologize for than just Turing's wrongful death...

 

Nah, not really. That's pretty much everything.

 

Wonderful, I'd be much happier about this if I didn't feel like he was just being populist.

Now can we save Bletchley park?

 

That guy had a pretty cool hair cut. Seriously, I wish more people wore theirs like that these days.

 

If the man will do and say anything to get re-elected in the next nine months, why shouldn't it?

Last time I checked people could say what they wanted on this site and it would be the mods that would decide what was objectionable.

 

lol

 

+1

 

Well he isn't, but it's like Tony Blair apologising for slavery, I cringed when I heard about that. He had nothing to do with it, and the people demanding an apology were not involved except it being the reason why they were in England at this time.

Slavery was terrible, we all know that, but the British aren't the only people responsible, while they're at it, why don't they demand public apologies from the tribes that willingly gave up their own people to be slaves in return for money/goods.

I recently heard about this guy being imprisoned for being gay and while people are free to believe what they think about homosexuality, to imprison some one for something they are, where they practise in the security of their own home with other consensual adults shouldn't have anything to do with those who aren't involved.

Gordon Brow's apology effectively means nothing, the same as if he hadn't said anything at all to be honest.

It goes without saying that it was an unlawful act what happened to this man, to apologise for it such a long time later is almost patronising and utterly pathetic.

Shouldn't the government be worrying about more important things?

 

What you say this apology is important for, seems to have apparently already happened.

It goes without saying that this was a big wrong, an apology changes nothing though.

What do you think will actually be remembered? The reason this man died, or Gordon's apology for it which by rights he shouldn't be able to make?

The King of Spain has just as much reason to apologise for this. (none at all)