The findings of the Institute of Irish Studies-University of Liverpool/The Irish News poll published last week “shows an electorate seeking progress”, according to Professor Peter Shirlow, director of the Institute, but one lacking faith in Northern Ireland’s current political leadership. He points out that three quarters of those surveyed want “the next executive (to) prioritise jobs, health and welfare over constitutional issues” rather than the border or identity issues.
This is echoed inside in a passionate plea by Leona O’Neill, one of your regular columnists, (April 5) who asks “if Northern Ireland will ever change”. She says that her own experiences “mirror a sick society that has been festering for many years and needs help and support to get properly back on its feet. We’ve had 23 years now since the Good Friday Agreement to do that, but in the last few years it seems we have not only stalled but have been walking backwards”.
Yet in all the column inches of analysis in The Irish News one remarkable finding of the survey was not reported, let alone commented on. It was the response to the statement: “Regarding Legacy, we can only get truth for victims and survivors if we offer conditional amnesties to those who offer up the truth.” This is, to the best of my knowledge the first time that the question of conditional amnesties has been included in a major opinion poll on this island.
According to the poll, 12.7 per cent of unionists ‘strongly agreed’ with the proposal for conditional amnesties and a further 25.9 per cent ‘agreed’. This is 38.6 per cent of all unionists surveyed. The respective figures for nationalists were 18.9 per cent, 34.6 per cent and 53.5 per cent. Among respondents who did not identify as either unionists or nationalists, the respective figures were 8.3 per cent, 32.5 per cent and 40.8 per cent.
By comparison, only 29.1 per cent of unionists, 12.6 per cent of nationalists and 22.8 per cent of those who were non-aligned were opposed to conditional amnesties.
Although the Truth Recovery Process has been campaigning on this issue for over three years and we have always believed there was more support for it than was reflected in the political debate, even we are surprised at how much support there is for conditional amnesties as an option to the courts for dealing with the deeply divisive legacy of the conflict in Irish society, north and south.
Nowhere are these findings reflected in the debate between the major political parties, because to do so would dilute the identity politics which have served them well for decades, but have served society so badly. This silence has perpetuated ethnographic divisions every bit much as talk of border polls or the protocol, creating a deeply frustrated and alienated electorate in the process.
There are major concerns to be addressed concerning the rights of victims and survivors where any form of amnesty is concerned but so far the main political parties parrot each other in subscribing to the objectives of ‘Truth and Justice’ while coming up with no practical proposals for doing so. The British and Irish governments must also share a major part of the responsibility for this situation. But above all it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency by the public representatives on the part of our island where the poisonous legacy of the past has had the most corrosive effect on people’s lives. If we cannot agree on how to approach a shared past it doesn’t hold out much prospect for a shared future.
PADRAIG YEATES
Secretary, Truth Recovery Process, Portmarnock, Dublin
Evasive response
The Irish News (March 28) reported that the PSNI would “neither confirm nor deny” if alleged paedophile priest Malachy Finegan was a police informer. This evasive response is likely to accommodate more substantial rumours that he may have indeed been an RUC informer. If he had not been one would not the PSNI categorically confirm that this was not the case?
To “neither confirm nor deny” is surely to generate further conjecture about his possible dealings with the RUC.
The fact that Finegan was never prosecuted for his multiple crimes over four decades also points to further speculation – could it be surmised that the RUC may have been in possession of information pertaining to Finegan’s alleged crimes, and may have used this information as a bargaining chip to coerce him into being an informant?
If the PSNI were asked if they had information that could have brought criminal proceedings against Finegan would they respond with another “neither confirm nor deny” statement?
If so, that would undoubtedly raise more questions than answers.
Regarding the PSNI referring to the matter as being “the subject of legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment” – one could be forgiven for thinking that the more that legal proceedings attempt to get to the truth of this matter, the more the PSNI is likely to pull down the shutters and continue with the unhelpful tactical strategy of being and evasive.
The victims of Malachy Finegan need answers and closure on this – the PSNI needs to step up to the mark and come clean about what they have on their files and records. These people deserve it.
GERRY DEVLIN
Belfast BT7
Intelligent observations
Your letters correspondent – Edward Murphy (April 7) – made some cogent and intelligent observations about the war in Ukraine. It is a pity that the media, including yourselves, don’t offer some analysis of the situation instead of just repeating the facile outpourings of Nato, the EU, US and UK, all of whom are singing from the same hymn sheet.
PETER McCULLAGH
Omagh, Co Tyrone
Vital element of public safety
Recently I’ve become increasingly aware of how easy it would be to tip off fly-overs, in a moment of distraction, no matter what the cause.
Alcohol or friendly horseplay with mates or just misjudgment at the wrong moment.
We see it all over the place – tiny verandas on holiday lets or inexpensively built ‘luxury apartments’. It’s such a basic health and safety issue that we need to re-assess the height at which railings on balconies, public and private are considered safe.
I’m not all that tall and yet I shudder on flyovers in the Brookmount Road area in Omagh. We owe it to the public and to the unsuspecting drivers below, for us all to have peace of mind. Please consider this a vital element for public safety, in an era when all health and safety issues seem to be exclusively Covid related.
PATRICK STEWART
Omagh, Co Tyrone
