SO THAT’S it then. Apology accepted. Move on. All forgotten. Best of friends.

Except, publicly at least, there has been no apology. At least not from the main protagonist, GuernseyFinance’s chief executive.

And, up until now, the argument over Peter Niven’s scathing early-morning email to Deputy Gloria Dudley-Owen has been so very public, played out in full view of the States and even the world online.

Of course, there have been apologies. Three so far. One by proxy from the chairman of the island’s finance promoters, one to the States by the minister for Commerce and Employment (shareholder and, until recently, sole bankroller of the agency) and, now, one from the chairman directly.

But none from the man himself.

How many of the finance bosses he represents could get away with that? Insult an important customer then expect the chairman and chief shareholder to do your grovelling for you.

Of course, by refusing to answer to the deputies who backed Deputy Dudley-Owen in the States and say sorry, those looking on can draw only one conclusion: il ne regrette rien. While the email might have been harshly worded and the public furore regrettable, the sentiment behind it will not be retracted.

Which, effectively, makes all three apologies redundant.

Strangely, the statement from GuernseyFinance attempts to say sorry without making the slightest effort to admonish its chief executive. Not a gentle tap, let alone a slap on the wrist.

Instead, it places on record its strong support for him, reminds everyone how good a job he does building relations with the outside finance world and invests in him its full confidence.

Yet the chairman then apologises for what his CEO has done and says its own staff rules have been changed to make it harder for anyone else to make the same mistake.

Three senior apologies, a week in purdah for GuernseyFinance, one rule change; not a word of personal contrition.

It seems heels have dug in and the board has learned all too late the limit of its powers.