What's Up?

February 11, 2025

Introduction

This is our third political post since we launched 5 days ago.

Every morning the Team at Deception Detection Lab Ltd scour various news and current affairs websites for 'choice' words, and every morning we easily identify words used by numerous politicians that don’t mean what you and I think they mean.

We’ll leave it to you to decide why this might be the case.

Second Labour MP apologises over WhatsApp Group Comments 

Burnley MP Oliver Ryan, now suspended from The Labour Party, said in a statement that comments he made in the group "were completely unacceptable" and that he regretted "not speaking out at the time".

In his statement, Ryan said: "I did not see every message, but I accept responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging what was said.”

Ryan is seeking to distance himself from the WhatsApp Group. In doing so his priority is to say that he did not see every message and is to accept responsibility for not being proactive in challenging the messages that he did see over and above the comments he made.

Everyone in the Group was sent every message, therefore we only have his word that he ‘didn’t see every message.’ Is he trying to align himself with only the positive messages which he did see, and not the vile ones, which he now claims he did not see?

"I also made some comments myself which I deeply regret and would not make today and for that, I wholeheartedly apologise.”

His use of ‘also’ confirms that at least one other person made potentially completely unacceptable comments. We would question why Ryan would not make those comments today, yet he was happy to do so at the time. What changed? Is it because he was caught, and this has caused him deep regret? He does not say he was wrong.

When is an apology not an apology?

What is Ryan ‘wholeheartedly’ apologising for? It could be the timing of the comments which he not only would not make today, but he then goes on to minimise them by referring to them simply as ‘comments’. Previously they were ‘completely unacceptable comments’.

This appears to be an admission and not a confession. 

Article Reference: Second Labour MP apologises over WhatsApp comments - BBC News.

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All blog subjects are identified, validated and written by the DDL Team.