Dealing with the Past – Page 12 – Slugger O'Toole

Is Villiers’ warning to OTRs the cue to launch a whole new search for fresh evidence?

Brian Walker on March 7, 2014, 6:08 pm | Readers 53

Theresa Villiers has delivered her solemn warning to recipients that their comfort letters are not get out of jail cards. They will not protect you from arrest or from prosecution and if the police can gather sufficient evidence, you will be subject to all the due processes of law, just like anybody else. The letters do not amount to any immunity, exemption or amnesty something that could only ever be granted by legislation passed by Parliament. They were statements of …

Ford accuses Peter Hain of telling “something less than the complete truth…”

Mick Fealty on March 3, 2014, 9:57 am | Readers 74

David Ford: The system is full of anomalies mostly because the way that the peace process was addressed by the British government making concessions and side deals with whoever was most difficult at the time so that lesser value in our living with those anomalies people like me try to actually get the justice system to work properly today. Mark Carruthers: You can understand how unionists are pretty angry that they can what they perceived the IRA potential people involved …

If the DUP overdo their anti-OTR campaign, they risk losing more face

Brian Walker on March 1, 2014, 12:14 pm | Readers 68

Now where are we? On the basis of Mick’s posts and other comment let’s try to find out. On the face of it the terms of the inquiry are broadly drawn. The aim of the inquiry is to: To produce a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for ‘On the Runs’ (OTRs) To determine whether any letters sent through the scheme contained errors To make recommendations as necessary on this or related matters that are …

More than ever, the “crisis” shows the need to face up honestly to the end of Troubles prosecutions

Brian Walker on February 27, 2014, 11:40 am | Readers 69

Fair enough. There are genuine grounds for shock and anger but there is a good deal of grandstanding too. The pity of it is, the growing recognition among unionists of the case for limited immunity tied to truth recovery will be set back. Taking the optimistic view (somebody has to), the full extent of de facto amnesty will emerge a lot more clearly and can no longer be denied. The pretence should end, that “ justice” is attainable were it …

Downey case and the uncomfortable facts of our Peace Process re-emerge in a different light

Mick Fealty on February 26, 2014, 9:50 am | Readers 81

Well, like others, I’m keeping my powder dry on all of this Downey affair. There’s a couple of pieces which are worth noting quickly. One, the vixens have dusted down their copy of jonathan Powell’s Great Hatred Little Room to bring us this: And The Pensive Quill has this on why the PSNI may have made the mistake: In a report, Acting Det Chief Insp Neal Graham told his superior, Det Chief Supt Howard [sic] Baxter, that Mr Downey was …

Victim-Centred Justice: Beyond the Rhetoric

Soapbox on February 12, 2014, 9:23 am | Readers 294

By Luke Moffett and Kieran McEvoy INTRODUCTION There has been much said about victims in recent months in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to the Haass negotiations on flags, parades, and dealing with the past. Perhaps the phrase most used is that any process to deal with the past in Northern Ireland has to be ‘victim-centred’. Although the view that the process should be ‘victim-centred’ is laudable, there has been little said as to what this will mean in practice. …

Smithwick debate: “it calls into question Sinn Féin’s professed commitment to open and transparent truth-telling”

Mick Fealty on January 22, 2014, 4:20 pm | Readers 95

A minor detail from yesterday’s debate on the Smithwick Tribunal worth rescuing from the NI’s political press spike. It’s the SDLP’s Patsy McGlone speaking in favour of his party’s amendment (defeated BTW) : Sinn Féin is alone in its denial of the findings of the Smithwick tribunal, but that denial echoes the denials of those who have rejected findings of collusion in the North by elements of the RUC, the UDR, and the British Army and its agencies. There are many victims of collusion, …

What about some ‘hothouse political talks’ around NI’s social and economic future?

Mick Fealty on January 22, 2014, 1:23 pm | Readers 46

Brendan Mulgrew makes a point worth repeating: When has there been a hothouse political talks process around, for example, the economy, or education or health? Aren’t parents whose 11-year-old children are forced to sit four consecutive Saturdays of transfer exams entitled to have that core issue put under a similar political spotlight? Shouldn’t the search for a so-called peace dividend around tax breaks, enterprise zones or corporation tax have received the same dedicated amount of concentrated effort as that spent …

When Mallie Meets Paisley [over the next two Mondays]

Mick Fealty on January 10, 2014, 2:03 pm | Readers 50

It’s not the first time Ian Paisley has surprised pundits, but apparently for the next two Mondays Ian Paisley Senior makes his last public television appearance in a long interview with Eamonn Mallie, formerly of this parish. Some fragmentary detail is already emerging from those who’ve seen it. Dan Keenan notes: Dr Paisley said: “It wasn’t fair. A fair government is that every man has the same power to vote for what he wants. No, it wasn’t justice at all.” But …

“So in a sense, these resignations were expected.”

Pete Baker on January 8, 2014, 1:57 pm | Readers 85

In the absence of agreement between the political parties on what happens next, the continuing uncertainty about what new arrangements will be put in place to deal with the past is having, what should have been, an anticipated effect. As the BBC report, “HET: Four officers leave specialist police team“. BBC Northern Ireland Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney said a question mark hangs over the future of the HET following the inspection report. He said the four officers who left had been …

Arkiv: “in the real world pre-existing themes will skew the integrity of investigation, putting ideology before history”

Pete Baker on January 6, 2014, 2:45 pm | Readers 67

In an early critique of the Haass proposals (version 7), Brian identified, as a potential problem, the “role [] envisaged for academics and experts especially historians”. A great role is envisaged for academics and experts especially historians, reporting to an Implementation and Reconciliation Group of political nominees . However the academics are naively treated as an on tap resource to be tasked like school pupils for a project . These proposals would need to be redrawn for any hope of implementation. [added emphasis] The Arkiv …

Haass had basic flaws. It’s time for the two governments to step up to the plate

Brian Walker on December 31, 2013, 4:29 pm | Readers 59

It was in its way encouraging that the Assembly parties themselves launched the Haass process but they seem to have bitten off more than they could chew. They appear to have gone into the high pressure phase without clear ideas of how to reach goals other than muddling through. So far we haven’t heard of any back channels or talks on the margin where so often deals get done, or arm twisting from big brothers or sisters. Pressured negotiations worked before, on Good Friday and at St Andrews, …

#Haass talks D-Day-No Agreement

David McCann on December 30, 2013, 7:31 pm | Readers 66

Well it’s nearly over. After three months of talks and attempted deal Dr. Haass and Prof. O’Sullivan will end their talks on flags, parades and the past. At the moment we are looking at an announcement of a deal or failure to agree at around midnight. It may well be the latter as Tracey Magee from UTV tweeted just a moment ago these comments from Jeffrey Donaldson DUPs Jeffrey Donaldson says he’s not sure there is a basis for agreement. Leaving …

Haass Round Table talks pushed back until later this evening…

Mick Fealty on December 23, 2013, 5:08 pm | Readers 55

So the latest time for the convening of roundtable talks has been being put back all day. Right now, Mark Devenport says 8.30. And Tommie Gorman of RTE has suggested that Haass may be back immediately after Christmas (he’s going back to the States tomorrow) to finalise any deal before the end of the month. In the meantime, Jeffrey Donaldson gave a lot of detail on Stephen Nolan this morning on what already seems to be agreed on investigating the …

Kevin Conway murder: “Local Sinn Fein Councillor John O’Dowd was under no illusions…”

Pete Baker on December 19, 2013, 5:29 pm | Readers 1684

Arrested in a hotel in Birmingham on Monday, following “a review of the original murder investigation by detectives attached to Serious Crime Branch”, a 45-year-old man from Lurgan, Gary Marshall, has been charged at Craigavon court, and released on bail, for the murder of Kevin Conway in 1998. The News Letter report notes Marshall, from Ennis Green in Lurgan, is accused of murdering 30-year-old Kevin Conway on a date unknown between February 16-19, 1998. Having been kidnapped from his Lurgan home, the …

On dealing with the past, a hard sell on immunity should not rule out cooperation with historians.

Brian Walker on December 19, 2013, 1:44 am | Readers 63

I’ve belatedly come across a Queen’s Blog which is the submission legal academics Professor Kieran McEvoy Dr Louise Mallinder Prof Gordon Anthony and Luke Moffett have presented to Haass. It’s a hard sell of a powerful case but with a couple of flaws I’ll come to later. I would have blogged about this in preference to my previous post had I seen it in time. In essence it updates the McEvoy account of how immunity from prosecution has often featured in our …

“The parties were told not to bring in any phones or other communication devices, nor to leave with any copies of the draft.”

Pete Baker on December 16, 2013, 11:48 pm | Readers 52

Richard Haass’ attempt to ensure confidentiality during the on-going talks between the five Northern Ireland Executive parties – on the past, parades, and flags – failed to survive first contact with Sinn Féin. Today the Haass team presented their first, complete, draft proposals to the parties. The BBC report notes his latest attempt at ensuring confidentiality. While the parties examined the proposals at Stormont, talks chairman Dr Haass had travelled to London to meet the Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers and …

“Is there anyone in SF telling Gerry Adams what he needs to hear?”

Mick Fealty on December 9, 2013, 2:09 pm | Readers 93

If you read no one else on the fall for Sinn Fein over it’s reaction to the Smithwick Tribunal, then try Eilis O’Hanlon. Eilis ‘gets’ the north since she comes from the heart of Republican west Belfast. But (unusually for any Irish commentator) she also ‘gets’ the south: Adams commits no crime when he repeatedly makes crass and offensive comments about some of the worst atrocities of the Troubles, but if politics is the art of avoiding blunders, then it’s …

After Liam Adams: “the very warped sense of loyalty that people had to different causes”

Mick Fealty on December 4, 2013, 4:30 pm | Readers 155

There was plenty of stuff to talk about on last night’s Spotlight Special, and we will be coming back to other parts of the programme. But this piece from Naomi Long was direct and to the point when invited to talk about Gerry Adams post the Liam Adams child rape trial: I think what it does show is just how sordid things were in Northern Ireland, and not just in terms of what one community did to other community but …

Judge Smithwick finds there was indirect evidence of collusion between Garda(i) and the IRA

Mick Fealty on December 3, 2013, 8:08 pm | Readers 111

So, Judge Smithwick resisted any political pressures to wind up his inquiry early. The BBC provide a summary of his conclusions: Collusion: Peter Smithwick said that while there had been no “smoking gun” he was “satisfied” that there had been collusion by one or more Garda officers in the murders Former garda sergeant Owen Corrigan: “I also find that what may have started out as a professional relationship with subversives for the legitimate purpose of intelligence-gathering ultimately developed into a …