"I'm pround to be a scab, it doesn't matter what I did, I'm proud to be a scab, it doesn't matter what I did..."
Repeat - over and over and over again, and you might eventually convince yourself. But you'll never convince anyone else - except similarly-spotted leopards.
Ever.
It's like saying: "Saddam Hussein? Oh, yes, he did terrible thigs, but it was fourteen years ago, so let's forget it and put it all behind us." Simply doesn't cut it for those who were affected by what you 'sensible' people did.