[Enchante]

Ferguson manages to work in some items which undermine the whole point of this “apology” exercise, such as that Keynes lusted for a prominent German banker at the time of the Versailles treaty and that attraction may have affected Keynes in his disdain for the Versailles Treaty.

There are certainly good reasons to criticize the Versailles Treaty and the idea of a punitive peace which did later help to give rise to Hitler and the Nazis. However, it is curious that Ferguson works in the point about Keynes and the German banker while supposedly “apologizing” for associating Keynes’ views with his homosexuality.

[Sherman Logan]

There are certainly good reasons to criticize the Versailles Treaty and the idea of a punitive peace

You bet.

Basic rule after winning a war. Either crush your enemies so thoroughly they will never be able to rise again, or make friends of them as best you can. The Romans were very good at both.

But for heaven's sake don't impose humiliating conditions without destroying their ability to take effective offense. Which of course is what the VT did.

[Zeta Beam]

Ferguson manages to work in some items which undermine the whole point of this “apology” exercise, such as that Keynes lusted for a prominent German banker at the time of the Versailles treaty and that attraction may have affected Keynes in his disdain for the Versailles Treaty.
There are certainly good reasons to criticize the Versailles Treaty and the idea of a punitive peace which did later help to give rise to Hitler and the Nazis. However, it is curious that Ferguson works in the point about Keynes and the German banker while supposedly “apologizing” for associating Keynes’ views with his homosexuality.

A classic example of the "I'm sorry that you're such a loser" variety of "apology".

[FredZarguna]

Keynes was known throughout the academic world as a homosexual; at Cambridge he was referred to as the "Queen of Kings." An observation that a childless homosexual might not care particularly about the next generation is not shocking, and it is clear that based on Keynes reply that whatever his motivations might have been, he did not indeed care about the next generation.

Keynes answer was glib, and like all glib answers was clever, meretricious, and intended to distract from actually answering a profound question. It parades the full silliness of liberalism, which, at its core is about stealing (money, talent, honor, ...) from others -- even those not yet born, if necessary. Apologizing for a statement that liberalism is hedonistic and liberal homosexuals are the most hedonistic of liberals is absurd.

He should not have apologized to begin with. He should stop apologizing now.