Conor Murphy is the first member of Sinn Fein to take part in a Conservative party conference almost 21 years after the IRA attempted to kill large numbers of the then Tory government Cabinet. Nevertheless, the Tories remain implacably opposed to any concessions towards the OTRs. David Liddington:Shadow Secretary of State, David Liddington:
“First, on-the-runs. If the legislation you bring forward this autumn does not contain a proper judicial process that involves those returning to Northern Ireland appearing in court and being held accountable for their crimes in the normal way – we will oppose the legislation.
“Second, policing. We will not be party to any arrangement that effectively hands over the policing of republican or loyalist areas to those who have been active in paramilitary organisations.”
Although it seems likely that any deal concerning these two sensitive issues will likely have been concluded long before his party regain government power.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty