Plenty of apologies have hit the headlines in 2014 - which is a shame given how many people didn't apologise for things they really should have.
The Huffington Post UK looks back at 12 months of people saying or doing something and either not apologising at all, apologising with a few too many self-justifying caveats or "explaining" their behaviour without actually saying sorry to anyone.
Things People Really Should Have Apologised For In 2014
Asking a disabled person if they're Richard III(01 of07)
After a debate in Oxford about immigration, former Ukip MEP and walking controversy factory Godfrey Bloom asked a disabled student if he was Richard III, the monarch famously associated with being a hunchback.
Bloom asked the question after the student, who was described as being "lame in one leg", spoke against his position during the debate.
"It was an awful moment. I thought the student’s speech misguided and wrong. But why anybody, let alone an elected politician, would taunt him for his disability is beyond me," wrote Spectator blogger Douglas Murray, who was also present.
Bloom denied the student was offended, saying: "We enjoyed a good drink and a laugh until one o’clock in the morning on the strength of it.”
Bloom stood down as an MEP in May, so 2014 will likely be the last year we'll hear about his controversial comments. Presumably he will keep making them in private though. (credit:Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive)
Bloom asked the question after the student, who was described as being "lame in one leg", spoke against his position during the debate.
"It was an awful moment. I thought the student’s speech misguided and wrong. But why anybody, let alone an elected politician, would taunt him for his disability is beyond me," wrote Spectator blogger Douglas Murray, who was also present.
Bloom denied the student was offended, saying: "We enjoyed a good drink and a laugh until one o’clock in the morning on the strength of it.”
Bloom stood down as an MEP in May, so 2014 will likely be the last year we'll hear about his controversial comments. Presumably he will keep making them in private though. (credit:Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive)
Creepily winking when a potential voter says she works for a sex line(02 of07)
In his defence, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott did say he shouldn't have winked to his phone-in show co-host when the caller he was talking to revealed she worked on a sex line.
But he didn't say sorry. “Look, I was looking at Jon Faine, he was smiling at me and I winked back at him. I shouldn’t have done it.
“I should’ve been more focused on the caller and more focused on the interview. I was attempting to do that. I was momentarily distracted by the interviewer.” (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
But he didn't say sorry. “Look, I was looking at Jon Faine, he was smiling at me and I winked back at him. I shouldn’t have done it.
“I should’ve been more focused on the caller and more focused on the interview. I was attempting to do that. I was momentarily distracted by the interviewer.” (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Saying people of a certain nationality aren't welcome in your town(03 of07)
George Galloway had a quiet year in terms of gaffes. He didn't tell the woman accusing Julian Assange of rape that they were "already in the sex game" and weren't raped (again). But he did get carried away talking about the Middle East when he boasted Bradford, where he is an MP, has become "an Israel free zone".
“We have declared Bradford an Israel free zone. We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college," he said.
"We don’t even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford, if any of them had thought of doing so. We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel. And you have to do the same.”
After millions of Israeli tourists presumably cancelled summer holiday plans to visit Yorkshire, Galloway was interviewed by police over the comments but no action was taken. (credit:Lewis Whyld/PA Wire)
“We have declared Bradford an Israel free zone. We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college," he said.
"We don’t even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford, if any of them had thought of doing so. We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel. And you have to do the same.”
After millions of Israeli tourists presumably cancelled summer holiday plans to visit Yorkshire, Galloway was interviewed by police over the comments but no action was taken. (credit:Lewis Whyld/PA Wire)
Being pretty blatantly racist(04 of07)
Pity poor Katie Hopkins. Every time she wakes up she sighs and asks herself: "What outrageous thing do I have to say today to sing for my supper?"
Or maybe don't pity her. If you make controversy your career, you dance with the one that brought you.
In November, the Bullshit Controversy Algorithm that Hopkins perfected and then set up to run her Twitter account tweeted that Palestinians were "filthy rodents".
Weeks later, it still sits there undeleted, like some twisted monument to how the internet affected famous peoples' brains.
Or maybe don't pity her. If you make controversy your career, you dance with the one that brought you.
In November, the Bullshit Controversy Algorithm that Hopkins perfected and then set up to run her Twitter account tweeted that Palestinians were "filthy rodents".
Weeks later, it still sits there undeleted, like some twisted monument to how the internet affected famous peoples' brains.
Palestinians busy knifing Israelis. 2 state solution my arse. Filthy rodents burrowing beneath Israel. Time to restart the bombing campaign
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) November 10, 2014Demanding someone in a wheelchair 'stand up'(05 of07)
Kanye West asked his audience to stand up. When one didn't because he was in a wheelchair, he said: "This is the longest I've had to wait to do a song, it's unbelievable," he said, before realising why the audience member wasn't standing.
Rather than apologising, West said: "He is in a wheelchair? It's fine!"
Kim Kardashian later defended him, saying he had only asked people to stand unless they were in a wheelchair.
Still, he did single the fan out when they didn't stand, saying: "This is the longest I've had to wait to do a song, it's unbelievable." (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Rather than apologising, West said: "He is in a wheelchair? It's fine!"
Kim Kardashian later defended him, saying he had only asked people to stand unless they were in a wheelchair.
Still, he did single the fan out when they didn't stand, saying: "This is the longest I've had to wait to do a song, it's unbelievable." (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Being rude to a police officer(06 of07)
The Plebgate ruling was good news for PC Toby Rowland. The court decided, on the balance of probabilities, former chief whip Andrew Mitchell did call him "a fucking pleb" as he had always claimed.
But the judge who ruled that Mitchell was appallingly rude to PC Rowland was himself pretty rude to the officer.
Mr Justice Mitting called him "not the sort of man who would have had the wit, imagination or inclination to invent on the spur of the moment". Nice.
"I wondered how it felt for Rowland, his vindication over one insult from a public schoolboy sealed with an insult from another one," Archie Bland wrote in The Guardian. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
But the judge who ruled that Mitchell was appallingly rude to PC Rowland was himself pretty rude to the officer.
Mr Justice Mitting called him "not the sort of man who would have had the wit, imagination or inclination to invent on the spur of the moment". Nice.
"I wondered how it felt for Rowland, his vindication over one insult from a public schoolboy sealed with an insult from another one," Archie Bland wrote in The Guardian. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Saying people from other countries cause traffic in this one(07 of07)
Nigel Farage blamed his failure to get to a reception on time on M4 traffic which, in turn, he blamed on immigrants.
"It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four," he said. "That is nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a population that is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be."
The OBR later hit back, saying his remarks "didn't get very far". (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
"It took me six hours and 15 minutes to get here - it should have taken three-and-a-half to four," he said. "That is nothing to do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a population that is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be."
The OBR later hit back, saying his remarks "didn't get very far". (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)