Because when is referencing Elton John songs not a good idea :)
I saw this yesterday. A lot of people I've talked to seem a little dismissive of this speech at the opening of the Australian parliament.
Whether or not you think we in the present are responsible for the atrocities commited by past generations undoubtably almost all of us have profited from our ancestors collusion and in some cases persecution of minorities. However far back you delve into a countries past there are dirty little secrets (and not so secret) And the more successful the country partly in the colonial sphere the larger and more geographically widespread the mistakes.
I think the Australian government have done a great thing. Really what they are saying is:
1) This happened
2) It was not OK that it did
3) And we as representative of the electorate are saying sorry
4) In the future we will try to bridge the widespread economic, educational, and social gap to make recompense for the mistakes of the past.
Don't hold your breath for the English parliament doing anything similar anytime soon
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