Legacy issues in Northern Ireland regarding killings during the Troubles are showing double standards. There is justice for some, or at least some acknowledgement of wrong, after long arduous fights to get justice. But now legislation is on the way to close the door on other prosecutions. The Veterans Association see it as a ‘witch-hunt’ – however, cases have proven that excessive use of force was committed by security forces. Most of the voices which cry for justice have been from the victims of the Troubles and not from Sinn Féin and there are reasons for that silence. Sinn Féin have never been a knight in shining armour for killings committed during the Troubles, only the ones done by the security forces. No loud protests from a party with intrinsic links to the IRA in trying to get justice, just in case anyone should remind them of the glass house they are in. This is one of the major reasons why victims stand alone in their fight for justice. There are interesting parallels also between the British government’s hardened attitude to prosecuting any more former soldiers for killings during the Troubles and Sinn Féin’s attitude, which like to also give protection to their soldiers – though a proscribed terrorist organisation. Sinn Féin has viewed murders during the Troubles as political in character demanding special treatment for prisoners and amnesties – just like the British government may be seen to be doing for army veterans of the Troubles who have killed. This makes it impossible for both of them to champion the cause of non–combatant victims of the Troubles and will be no good to those seeking justice for terrorist or security force killings. Sinn Féin is also regularly criticised for not condemning murders and saying “there was no alternative”. The British government may also take a similar view in dealing with particular security situations and thus victims stand in a cold lonely place seeking lady justice from combatants of the Troubles. Conflicts of interests are profound when it comes to justice for legacy killings and there has hardly been a day in NI when the administration of justice has not had a political edge. Hopefully, one day, the Troubles will be completely over and there will be some element of justice for those seeking it, even if it is the Troubles pension. However, it may never happen for a lot of people as long as Stormont, which is now powerless to make decisions,, gives power back to London for what can be unpopular decisions which may not be in the best interests of Northern Ireland.
MAURICE FITZGERALD
Shanbally, Co Cork
Democracy must be allowed to function
J effrey Donaldson, and indeed all the members of the DUP, including their peers, MPs, MLAs, councillors and the general dog bodies, want these wee six counties treated like all the other parts of the United Kingdom, or so they say. Well Jeffrey, one question immediately raises its head above the safety of the parapet and that is, why are you and your elected representatives preventing this from happening?
I’m sure the DUP are aware that Scotland and Wales both have devolved institutions which are up and running and delivering local government to all their people. However, here in this outpost of the United Kingdom, Jeffrey Donaldson and his somewhat dysfunctional party are preventing exactly this from happening. In other words, the DUP are preventing the north from being treated like the other parts of the UK by preventing devolved government from operating here and while doing this he complains that the Northern Ireland Protocol is doing exactly what he and his party are doing. How on earth do you square this circle?
The DUP are, by keeping devolved government down, making sure that this part of the UK is indeed treated differently from the other parts of the UK. This obviously brings the DUP’s whole policy over the protocol and their objections to it on the grounds that it means the north of Ireland is being treated differently from the other constituent parts of the UK into question. On the basis of this it is necessary to take a more in-depth examination as to why exactly the DUP are refusing to form an executive and a functioning assembly.
When the protocol was first brought to the attention of the public the then leader of the DUP, Arlene Foster, hailed it as providing the north with the best of both worlds. Then, within days, the DUP did a complete turnaround and claimed that the protocol weakened the position of the north in the UK and was unacceptable. Their response then was to declare that they would not go into government with Sinn Féin until it was sorted to their satisfaction.
Nationalists were immediately aware that something appeared to be just not right, and it didn’t take a political scientist to quickly arrive at the only possible conclusion.
Sinn Féin had just become the largest party in the recent elections and, as such, were entitled to hold the post of first minister in the new executive. It was obvious to all who were looking on that the DUP could not envisage themselves in government with a republican, nationalist first minister. This was some 25 years after real power-sharing was supposed to have been delivered.
This is still, unfortunately, the consensus of opinion among the nationalist community and neither Jeffrey nor the DUP have done nor said anything to make them think any differently. However, the democratic process has taken place and the electorate has voted, and democracy must be allowed to function freely and fully. To this extent, the institutions must be created and Sinn Féin’s deputy leader, Michelle O’Neill, must take her place as first minister. The days of sectarianism and unionist hegemony have gone – and they are not coming back.
SEAN SEELEY
Craigavon, Co Armagh
Excess deaths another taboo subject
Authorities all over the world don’t seem too concerned about excess deaths. More people are dying across the world than we would expect. Most of the deaths are not attributable to Covid-19. Since the pandemic began there have been over 30,000 excess deaths involving heart disease in the UK alone. On average that’s 230 additional deaths per week (British Heart Foundation, 2nd November, 2022). A big drama was enacted in 2020 (the dress rehearsal being Event 201 in 2019) focused on saving lives, keeping people safe, developing vaccines, and then eventually vaccinating everybody. Saving lives seemed to be the top priority in all this palaver and making the large shareholders of selected biopharmaceutical companies extravagantly wealthy. But now we have all these excess deaths all over the world and there doesn’t seem to be even a debate going on. Is it because dealing with this latest real-time emergency isn’t going to create the profits that the vaccine roll out created, as it would involve paying ordinary medical staff and statistical analysts etc, rather than making the very wealthy even more wealthy?
LOUIS SHAWCROSS
Hillsborough, Co Down
