| Local Government Ombudsman Watch |
| FORGIVENESS? - by Gary Powell |
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For quite some time I have been conscious of the psychological harm caused to so many people, including a number of
our members, as a result of institutional injustice from the LGO-Council partnership. To experience a serious injustice
from a local authority is one thing; but then to have it compounded by the LGO, which was the very body that (falsely)
promised to investigate impartially and try to put the original injustice right, is quite another. The LGO institution, and the
people who support it whilst aware of how biased and unjust it is, have a great deal to answer for, and they deserve
severe legal and social penalties for the misery they cause or collude with.
However, chronic anger and resentment stop people getting on with their lives, and can cause both physical and
psychological harm. I put together the Powerpoint presentation below for a talk on Forgiveness I gave, and I hope that
some people might find it helpful.
Please do not imagine before viewing the presentation that I am suggesting you should absolve the people involved in
the injustice you have experienced from blame, or suggesting that they should be spared the negative consequences of
their actions that they deserve. Forgiveness does not mean pardoning, excusing, or saying what they did was actually
not so bad after all. It does not. However, it does perhaps mean being willing to let go of some of one’s anger towards the
individuals concerned for the sake of one’s own well-being, with an awareness that perhaps it is ultimately people’s
actions that are cruel and corrupt, as well as the culture in which they exist, rather than the deepest part of the
individuals themselves. However, this does not absolve the people responsible from blame or from meriting the deserved
negative consequences of their appalling actions.
Continuing to support LGOWatch will, I hope, present supporters with an opportunity to challenge hypocrisy and
corruption in a practical and effective way that allows them to move on to some degree from the personal hurt they have
suffered with all its associated detail.
Don’t get mad – get even! (But in a low-resentment, low-anger kind of way .....)
The presentation on forgiveness is at http://www.ombudsmanwatch.org/forgiveness.ppt
Gary Powell
our members, as a result of institutional injustice from the LGO-Council partnership. To experience a serious injustice
from a local authority is one thing; but then to have it compounded by the LGO, which was the very body that (falsely)
promised to investigate impartially and try to put the original injustice right, is quite another. The LGO institution, and the
people who support it whilst aware of how biased and unjust it is, have a great deal to answer for, and they deserve
severe legal and social penalties for the misery they cause or collude with.
However, chronic anger and resentment stop people getting on with their lives, and can cause both physical and
psychological harm. I put together the Powerpoint presentation below for a talk on Forgiveness I gave, and I hope that
some people might find it helpful.
Please do not imagine before viewing the presentation that I am suggesting you should absolve the people involved in
the injustice you have experienced from blame, or suggesting that they should be spared the negative consequences of
their actions that they deserve. Forgiveness does not mean pardoning, excusing, or saying what they did was actually
not so bad after all. It does not. However, it does perhaps mean being willing to let go of some of one’s anger towards the
individuals concerned for the sake of one’s own well-being, with an awareness that perhaps it is ultimately people’s
actions that are cruel and corrupt, as well as the culture in which they exist, rather than the deepest part of the
individuals themselves. However, this does not absolve the people responsible from blame or from meriting the deserved
negative consequences of their appalling actions.
Continuing to support LGOWatch will, I hope, present supporters with an opportunity to challenge hypocrisy and
corruption in a practical and effective way that allows them to move on to some degree from the personal hurt they have
suffered with all its associated detail.
Don’t get mad – get even! (But in a low-resentment, low-anger kind of way .....)
The presentation on forgiveness is at http://www.ombudsmanwatch.org/forgiveness.ppt
Gary Powell