[Klug-general] Alan Turing Pardon Petition

[James Blake]

On 1 Sep 2009, at 11:33, dan attwood wrote:

>
> Out of interest if you do suceed in getting a pardon for Turing, what
> then? Who else do we then need to appologise to?
> I sometimes feel it seems fruitless making people apologise for the
> past, you can't change the past only learn from it and hope it doesn't
> happen again

I think the whole point is for the recognition of what happened will,  
hopefully, help educate people of today towards tolerance of others.   
This is one way of reflecting back and drawing a line under it, until  
then it remains a dark part of British history.

Also I think that the British government hasn't really been an  
advocate for the very important role Turing played in artificial  
intelligence, the development of the computer or his war effort.  Part  
of this is that it is trying to avoid the awkwardness of its role in  
his death - by apologies it opens the possibility of the country  
finally embracing one of its heroes.

An American billionaire had to pay for the statue of Turing at  
Bletchley Park as the government wouldn't :(

Regards


James