Remorse in politics: false confessions in political dramaturgy

Abstract

This article focuses on the meaning that politicians give to the regrets that they verbalize in their writings or their interviews. The public expression of this speech act can be considered as a demonstration of weakness or, on the contrary, as one of strength, thereby uplifting the image of the speaker. It is therefore an assertion that conveys three speech acts: the act of assuming a fault, the act of offering an atonement, and the act of courage derived from the public avowal of the fault. The politician’s regret is considered a discursive strategy of power which allows the speaker to repair his damaged image. In this strategic elaboration the politician tries to appear sincere and to minimize or justify the importance of the fault. To illustrate, the author interprets the meanings that can be attributed to different examples of verbalized regrets taken from the French public sphere.