The honourable Gentleman makes an important point…
Over at Conservative Home Owen Patterson asks whether the Saville Inquiry should be capped and timetabled…
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The Written World
Here’s something to keep you occupied over the weekend. [Will there be a quiz? - Ed] Possibly… The BBC magazine has an short and interesting, but un-embeddable, audio slide-show of Melvyn Bragg’s Radio 4 five-parter, In Our Time: The Written World. The British Library has more online information about the texts and technology featured in each [...] read our review » -
What has The Third Man got to say about Northern Ireland?
Short answer: very little, other than he enjoyed the environs of Hillsborough Castle, enjoyed working with the local politicians, and has Gerry Adams to thank for Bobby his dog. Peter Mandelson’s book The Third Man has captured media headlines in recent weeks as the Times serialised the most juicy bits. But what did he have [...] read our review »
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Risk of going beyond either/or…
This is article was first published in Fortnight magazine back in February 2003. Chris Farrington is now a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Although the circumstances it describes has changed radically and [...] read our review »
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Owen Paterson asks why the Bloody Sunday Inquiry has taken so long
Silly man. Doesn’t he know its’ because it’s been a cash cow for m’learned friends? They could spin this out for ever.
The only way to cap this all would have been to cap the lawyers fees. It was enquiring into a dreadful and important matter, but has become a laughing stock.
Even when (if ) he publishes, wait for the fresh round of very very expensive new legal challenges and appeals from all sides.
Still,these days Gordon does talk a lot about pumping money into the economy and for over 10 years this has proved one of the most efficient ways of doing that, so perhaps it has just been ahead of its time.
All the expense would have been avoided had Widgery conducted a fair inquiry, not predicated on one particular outcome, the exoneration of the British Establishment from the murder of unarmed British citizens.
Even more recently it could have been avoided had the British government merely apologised for what happened on Bloody Sunday and, perhaps, set up a truth forum to give the relatives some closure.
As the Inquiry was underway, the expense would have been cut to a minimum had the British Ministry of Defence co-operated fully with the Inquiry rather than blocking it at every turn, destroying evidence etc.
If the MOD hadn’t frustrated the inquiry with continual legal challenges – insisting on screening, relocating to London where they doubtless had to pay huge rents for the Hall in Westminster instead of Derry’s Guildhall, which was already set up – might have something to do with the delays.
The only sensible reason that I have heard from anybody about the cost and length of the Saville inquiry is that after this no goverment is going to put up the money for further inquiries and therefore a lot of sticky and smelly stuff can be brushed conveniently under some nice thick piled carpets.
It’s beginning to look like NOT shooting innocent civilians might be the way to go. Are we learning?
“the expense would have been avoided had Widgery conducted a fair inquiry, not predicated on one particular outcome, the exoneration of the British Establishment from the murder of unarmed British citizens.”
Concubhar
Given that you have already made up your mind, what was the point of any Inquiry?
I’ve my mind made up, of course. It’s for the British State to admit their role in the murder of British citizens. I suspect the whole idea of the inquiries was to muddy the water and to get the Establishment off the hook. And to make lawyers shed loads of money. But it was never meant to get at the truth. Everyone knows the truth in its essence. That is: British soldiers murdered British citizens engaged in an unarmed peaceful march.
The whole Saville enquiry has been a farce from start to Finish (Whenever that will be)and to think that the only possible outcome will be what most people predict, ”Sorry for what happened old chaps,wont happen again, Cant really decide what happened on the day, so lets just leave it and move on eh”? Anything but the truth!!
While the only people smiling at the end of it will be the Lawyers.