Neil Burden says "sorry" to Cornwall's forced child migrants
Cornwall Council's cabinet member with responsibility for children's services, councillor Neil Burden, will be on BBC Radio Cornwall tomorrow morning apologising to scores of people who were once children in the care of Cornwall's social services, and who were forcibly sent to live in Australia, mainly in the 1950s and 60s although a handful of cases were still being recorded in the mid 1970s. Many of these children were beaten and abused and forced to work as little more than slaves, and for more than 20 years Cornwall continued with the deportations despite concern at the highest levels of government in the UK. Neil's apology took guts and determination to navigate the County Hall bureaucracy. Well done.
I'm BBC Radio Devon’s Graham Smith, blogging on news, views and some fresh insights into West Country life, particularly the way government works locally and nationally. 
Comment number 1.
At 10:36 6th Sep 2010, Andrew Jacks wrote:Neil Burden never sent anyone so what value can he bring by saying sorry?
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Comment number 2.
At 13:28 6th Sep 2010, P_Trembath wrote:Whilst Mr. Burden may or may not have participated in the forced emigration of vulnerable Cornish children to Australia and elsewhere, and no such apology can even partially make up for any suffering and/or abuse that occurred.
It is true to say that official apology's such as this, show an admittance that such events were wrong, and that, hopefully, we have all learned from them, and such events will never happen again.
That said, it would have been better if there was no need for the apology in the first place.
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Comment number 3.
At 17:47 6th Sep 2010, Tynegod wrote:I think it shows the victims of this abuse that, even after the passage of time, there is an admittance of wrong-doing. That much-used word "justice" is appropriate here.
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Comment number 4.
At 19:40 6th Sep 2010, Andrew Jacks wrote:A person can only be sorry if they committed the act. This smacks of brownie points and brings the word sorry into disrepute as people are using it to make other gains, at the worst moral gains, we know it was wrong and many people linked with this have already said sorry thus Neil Burden need not say it again
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Comment number 5.
At 20:45 6th Sep 2010, Tynegod wrote:Good P.R.
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Comment number 6.
At 22:29 6th Sep 2010, AccurateChronometer wrote:Far better done than not done.
As was Bishop Bill Ind's 2007 even longer overdue apology for the English massacre of 10% of the Cornish people in the course of the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 :
https://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/4233487
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Comment number 7.
At 08:22 7th Sep 2010, Tynegod wrote:"I am often asked about my attitude to the Prayerbook Rebellion and in my opinion, there is no doubt that the English Government behaved brutally and stupidly and killed many Cornish people. I don't think apologising for something that happened over 500 years ago helps, but I am sorry about what happened and I think it was an enormous mistake."
Was that an apology? Was it 10% of the population? Depends who you ask.
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Comment number 8.
At 09:01 7th Sep 2010, Peter Tregantle wrote:This has already been done by an unelected joker
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8531664.stm
The country
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/6577850/Australian-PM-Kevin-Rudd-issues-apology-to-British-child-migrants.html
The word band-wagon comes to mind but what I want to know is who is Neil Burden to think he speaks with any representation or powers?
If he wants awards I suggest he joins the girl guides
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Comment number 9.
At 19:37 7th Sep 2010, P_Trembath wrote:"The word band-wagon comes to mind"
Maybe!
"what I want to know is who is Neil Burden to think he speaks with any representation or powers?"
Would the fact that he is Cornwall Council's cabinet member with responsibility for children's services answer your question?
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Comment number 10.
At 23:00 7th Sep 2010, AccurateChronometer wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 11.
At 10:31 8th Sep 2010, Andrew Jacks wrote:"Girl guides"
Which badge was he working on Circus performer or Hostess Perhaps?
No offence intended, I think the Girl Guide movement offers more than Neil Burden to society, Peter summed this one perfectly
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Comment number 12.
At 22:11 11th Sep 2010, AccurateChronometer wrote:Neil Burden is a decent man doing the right and decent thing.
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