AS the Secretary of State heads over to South Africa to learn from their experiences of truth and reconciliation, Brian Walker fears that Tony Blair’s “war on international terrorism clashes directly with his aim of finding closure in Northern Ireland”.
Walker continues: “Despite encouraging gestures of openness to the Hutton inquiry, the signs are that the gates have now slammed shut.
“I suspect Blair is now a lot less likely to set an Irish precedent that could force disclosure of the roles of MI5 and MI6 in Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and Belmarsh closer to home.
“In the only serious set of party proposals so far, the SDLP’s radical case for “exposing all wrongdoing, be it paramilitaries, paratroopers, police or politicians,” raises as many questions as it does answers.
“Security files should be opened up to victims and survivors, they argue.
“What, all of them, and with what protection for the human rights of those named? And could any system cope with an avalanche of demand, when one in seven of us regards him or herself as a victim of violence?”
Tough questions for the Government, and with the PSNI seeking gagging orders on information about controversial killings, and others not holding out any hope that the paramilitaries will be any more forthcoming, might it not be an exercise in the worst kind of tokenism? And if both the state and those who once fought it are reluctant to have their dirty washing aired in public, should we expect much from Paul Murphy when he returns? For all we know, a deal between the Government and Sinn Fein to severely limit the remit of any future commission has already been done.
I doubt if either will ever admit just how dirty their hands were.
It seems that many people trust neither the state, nor those who opposed it – hardly a recipe for a successful move from a conflict to a more normal society.
And politicians wonder why the public is so apathetic about politics…
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