British Occupied Ireland Peace Process on the Brink: Sinn Fein call for Army prosecutions while holding get out of jail free cards
Sinn Fein double talk
7Comments
7Comments
The Downey case could end up breaking the relationship between Sinn Feinand the DUP. If the fallout is allowed to bring down the power sharing administration then Mr Downey will have done more damage by getting on the plane to London for a private visit than he did in all his years as an IRA activist.
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Former IRA man John Downey: Embarrassing error raises questions over justice for victims
Sinn Fein needs to understand how bad this looks.
They appear to have an inside track to the British government for their activists, and to give nothing in return.
The treatment of John Downey, freed on a technicality as a result of a political deal, undermines any credibility they have in demanding repeated public inquiries into security force misdeeds.
If a bomber who allegedly killed soldiers can have the fear of arrest lifted from his shoulders, then why not soldiers who allegedly killed civilians or republicans?
David Ford, the Justice Minister, is right when he says there is need for an open and transparent process for dealing with the On the Runs (OTRs) and other legacies of the Troubles.
There are already signs that things are moving in the direction of crisis and the slide needs to be halted.
Gregory Campbell has said that if the DUP had known about the deal with Mr Downey and other OTRs, it would not have agreed to share power with Sinn Fein. Jim Allister of the TUV goaded him that since the DUP knew now, they should pull out now.
Nigel Dodds, the DUP deputy leader, then warned that devolution was at risk. That was the signal for Peter Robinson, the first minister, to say that he would resign unless there is a full judicial inquiry into the OTRs issue – who knew what, and when.
Theresa Villiers, the Secretary of State, won't like a gun being held to her head, but she would be wise to agree and halt the drift.
As she admitted, 38 letters have been issued to OTRs since the last General Election in 2010, the same year that justice powers were devolved to Stormont.
Withholding information about who received letters and why will only lead to further tension and speculation. It is a politically volatile moment, in the run-up to European and local government elections, a time when our politicians find it notoriously difficult to bite their tongues.
In return, there needs to be a frank admission that the system of letters telling OTRs they were not liable to be charged was public knowledge when the DUP formed their power-sharing coalition with Sinn Fein.
The Downey judgment records that, following press reports, a statement was issued announcing that the PSNI was reviewing the OTR cases "to determine whether there remains a lawful basis for arrest, having regard to current human rights legislation".
It was also known that Sinn Fein could forward names for consideration and receive letters back saying whether or not an individual was wanted.
In March 2008, just a year after the administration was set up, Jonathan Powell (Tony Blair's chief of staff) outlined the deal in a book. He wrote about providing "letters that Sinn Fein could use to reassure the individuals concerned, that they could return to the UK without fear of arrest".
It was one of these very letters which proved to be Mr Downey's get out of jail free card.
The PSNI had overlooked a warrant in London and the court held that, even though the letter was apparently issued in error by the NIO, it must be honoured.
Sinn Fein would leave the argument there – existing letters should be honoured, and more should be written if needed. "They should stick to that, they should not try and unpick, despite what the electioneering unionists are at now," Gerry Kelly, who ran the scheme for Sinn Fein, maintained.
Things are not that simple.
We now know that letters had been issued up to winter 2012 under devolution, but neither the justice minister nor the first minister were consulted. That makes a mockery of democracy.
It is extraordinary in any administration that an offender should be able to write to the government to ask if there was any evidence against him, and get a comforting answer.
In Mr Downey's case, we know from court papers that he was suspected of the most serious offences. Besides the Hyde Park massacre, these included the murder of two UDR soldiers in a bomb attack in Enniskillen in 1972, which was still being investigated by the Historical Enquiries Team as late as 2008.
Sinn Fein wants such cases to be handled by a quick review of the evidence behind closed doors, but when it comes to offences allegedly committed by the security forces, suspects should be pursued to the ends of the earth and the end of their lives.
Take the Bloody Sunday soldiers. A £200m inquiry found insufficient evidence to prosecute them, but Sinn Fein demands reinvestigation. It is the same with cases like that of Pat Finucane, a despicable murder which has been the subject of numerous inquiries, in which collusion has been admitted and for which one of the gun gang, Ken Barrett, has already been jailed.
It is true that there are unanswered and disturbing questions about such cases, but there are also unanswered questions about many other Troubles killings, the majority carried out by the IRA.
Most aren't solved.
Victims of the Hyde Park bombing or the dead of Bloody Friday are left wondering who knew what and when, just as much as the victims of Bloody Sunday or the Ballymurphy massacre.
It is not easy to say what should happen in every case, but we need a more coherent and level-headed approach. If it's right for Mr Downey and at least 186 other OTRs to get letters saying there aren't warrants, and to walk free then, why are other cases pursued regardless of cost or prospect of success? The Haass process provided one possible solution, with its once and for all re-investigation, followed by a truth recovery process if victims wished it. The example of John Downey, and the secret system that he benefited from, show that the alternative to an agreed approach is unsatisfactory.
Mr Downey has been a supporter of the peace process but, apart from that, society as a whole gained nothing by lifting the fear of arrest from his shoulders.
He told us nothing, no doubt on legal advice, as he walked free.
There was no recovery of information and no holding to account. This should encourage unionists to move forward on the Haass process or agree a better way. The status quo does not serve society's interests and produces regular crises.
Barra McGrory, the director of Public prosecutions, acted as solicitor for the OTRs before taking up his current office with strong cross-party support in 2011.
A spokesperson makes it clear that he has not dealt with OTRs since then but, having seen both sides of the process, he is uniquely placed to make suggestions on how we might deal with the past in a holistic and consistent way.
Sinn Fein needs to understand how bad this looks.
They appear to have an inside track to the British government for their activists, and to give nothing in return.
The treatment of John Downey, freed on a technicality as a result of a political deal, undermines any credibility they have in demanding repeated public inquiries into security force misdeeds.
If a bomber who allegedly killed soldiers can have the fear of arrest lifted from his shoulders, then why not soldiers who allegedly killed civilians or republicans?
David Ford, the Justice Minister, is right when he says there is need for an open and transparent process for dealing with the On the Runs (OTRs) and other legacies of the Troubles.
There are already signs that things are moving in the direction of crisis and the slide needs to be halted.
Gregory Campbell has said that if the DUP had known about the deal with Mr Downey and other OTRs, it would not have agreed to share power with Sinn Fein. Jim Allister of the TUV goaded him that since the DUP knew now, they should pull out now.
Nigel Dodds, the DUP deputy leader, then warned that devolution was at risk. That was the signal for Peter Robinson, the first minister, to say that he would resign unless there is a full judicial inquiry into the OTRs issue – who knew what, and when.
Theresa Villiers, the Secretary of State, won't like a gun being held to her head, but she would be wise to agree and halt the drift.
As she admitted, 38 letters have been issued to OTRs since the last General Election in 2010, the same year that justice powers were devolved to Stormont.
Withholding information about who received letters and why will only lead to further tension and speculation. It is a politically volatile moment, in the run-up to European and local government elections, a time when our politicians find it notoriously difficult to bite their tongues.
In return, there needs to be a frank admission that the system of letters telling OTRs they were not liable to be charged was public knowledge when the DUP formed their power-sharing coalition with Sinn Fein.
The Downey judgment records that, following press reports, a statement was issued announcing that the PSNI was reviewing the OTR cases "to determine whether there remains a lawful basis for arrest, having regard to current human rights legislation".
It was also known that Sinn Fein could forward names for consideration and receive letters back saying whether or not an individual was wanted.
In March 2008, just a year after the administration was set up, Jonathan Powell (Tony Blair's chief of staff) outlined the deal in a book. He wrote about providing "letters that Sinn Fein could use to reassure the individuals concerned, that they could return to the UK without fear of arrest".
It was one of these very letters which proved to be Mr Downey's get out of jail free card.
The PSNI had overlooked a warrant in London and the court held that, even though the letter was apparently issued in error by the NIO, it must be honoured.
Sinn Fein would leave the argument there – existing letters should be honoured, and more should be written if needed. "They should stick to that, they should not try and unpick, despite what the electioneering unionists are at now," Gerry Kelly, who ran the scheme for Sinn Fein, maintained.
Things are not that simple.
We now know that letters had been issued up to winter 2012 under devolution, but neither the justice minister nor the first minister were consulted. That makes a mockery of democracy.
It is extraordinary in any administration that an offender should be able to write to the government to ask if there was any evidence against him, and get a comforting answer.
In Mr Downey's case, we know from court papers that he was suspected of the most serious offences. Besides the Hyde Park massacre, these included the murder of two UDR soldiers in a bomb attack in Enniskillen in 1972, which was still being investigated by the Historical Enquiries Team as late as 2008.
Sinn Fein wants such cases to be handled by a quick review of the evidence behind closed doors, but when it comes to offences allegedly committed by the security forces, suspects should be pursued to the ends of the earth and the end of their lives.
Take the Bloody Sunday soldiers. A £200m inquiry found insufficient evidence to prosecute them, but Sinn Fein demands reinvestigation. It is the same with cases like that of Pat Finucane, a despicable murder which has been the subject of numerous inquiries, in which collusion has been admitted and for which one of the gun gang, Ken Barrett, has already been jailed.
It is true that there are unanswered and disturbing questions about such cases, but there are also unanswered questions about many other Troubles killings, the majority carried out by the IRA.
Most aren't solved.
Victims of the Hyde Park bombing or the dead of Bloody Friday are left wondering who knew what and when, just as much as the victims of Bloody Sunday or the Ballymurphy massacre.
It is not easy to say what should happen in every case, but we need a more coherent and level-headed approach. If it's right for Mr Downey and at least 186 other OTRs to get letters saying there aren't warrants, and to walk free then, why are other cases pursued regardless of cost or prospect of success? The Haass process provided one possible solution, with its once and for all re-investigation, followed by a truth recovery process if victims wished it. The example of John Downey, and the secret system that he benefited from, show that the alternative to an agreed approach is unsatisfactory.
Mr Downey has been a supporter of the peace process but, apart from that, society as a whole gained nothing by lifting the fear of arrest from his shoulders.
He told us nothing, no doubt on legal advice, as he walked free.
There was no recovery of information and no holding to account. This should encourage unionists to move forward on the Haass process or agree a better way. The status quo does not serve society's interests and produces regular crises.
Barra McGrory, the director of Public prosecutions, acted as solicitor for the OTRs before taking up his current office with strong cross-party support in 2011.
A spokesperson makes it clear that he has not dealt with OTRs since then but, having seen both sides of the process, he is uniquely placed to make suggestions on how we might deal with the past in a holistic and consistent way.
Robinson and his mob should suck it up ! Defined in the Urban Dictionary as follows, "suck it up
To endure a period of mental, physical, or emotional hardship with no complaining.
I don't care if you're sad, get out there, suck it up and deal with it!
suck it up
To cope with something unpleasant without complaining--usually because you have no choice.
Supposed to be pilot slang. If you vomit into your mask, you'd better suck it up. Otherwise, you can inhale it and die. Bob's car needed a new engine. He couldn't afford an new one, so he had to suck it up.
suck it up
Quit whining, suck it up and drive on. Military slang meaning to just deal with it and quit complaining
suck it up private we have 10 more miles to go!
Suck it up
A term most commonly used by amateur doctors to relieve themselves of the work required to cure injured patients.
Patient: Help me Doc! I'm having a heart attack!
Doctor: Suck it up!
Patient: Its not helping.
suck it up
A harsh term friends say to their friends so that they can feel superior and get their fragile friends to do whatever they're told. This is extremely annoying and hurts people deep down inside so it shouldn't be used unless you know it doesnt hurt them.
girl: Hey
Evil: why are you crying?
Girl: My life is falling apart, my boyfriend dumped me, my grades are falling and my parents hate me.
Evil: Stop being emo and suck it up, jeesh, you're depressing me.
Girl: (sniffle) sorry....
suck it up
This is a alcohol drinking game, which requires two things, a in n out water cup (with the lines around it) and alcohol(preferably goldschlager) So you pour your alcohol in the cup. and amongst your friends you play rock paper scissors to see who has to suck it up. For every line on the cup the losing person takes that much alcohol, and for the big ones then the loser gets ****ed. Chase it down with french fries, water, and soda.
That ***** sure is good at suck it up."
Robinson and his mob should suck it up ! Defined in the Urban Dictionary as follows, "suck it up
To endure a period of mental, physical, or emotional hardship with no complaining.
I don't care if you're sad, get out there, suck it up and deal with it!
suck it up
To cope with something unpleasant without complaining--usually because you have no choice.
Supposed to be pilot slang. If you vomit into your mask, you'd better suck it up. Otherwise, you can inhale it and die. Bob's car needed a new engine. He couldn't afford an new one, so he had to suck it up.
suck it up
Quit whining, suck it up and drive on. Military slang meaning to just deal with it and quit complaining
suck it up private we have 10 more miles to go!
Suck it up
A term most commonly used by amateur doctors to relieve themselves of the work required to cure injured patients.
Patient: Help me Doc! I'm having a heart attack!
Doctor: Suck it up!
Patient: Its not helping.
suck it up
A harsh term friends say to their friends so that they can feel superior and get their fragile friends to do whatever they're told. This is extremely annoying and hurts people deep down inside so it shouldn't be used unless you know it doesnt hurt them.
girl: Hey
Evil: why are you crying?
Girl: My life is falling apart, my boyfriend dumped me, my grades are falling and my parents hate me.
Evil: Stop being emo and suck it up, jeesh, you're depressing me.
Girl: (sniffle) sorry....
suck it up
This is a alcohol drinking game, which requires two things, a in n out water cup (with the lines around it) and alcohol(preferably goldschlager) So you pour your alcohol in the cup. and amongst your friends you play rock paper scissors to see who has to suck it up. For every line on the cup the losing person takes that much alcohol, and for the big ones then the loser gets ****ed. Chase it down with french fries, water, and soda.
That ***** sure is good at suck it up."
To endure a period of mental, physical, or emotional hardship with no complaining.
I don't care if you're sad, get out there, suck it up and deal with it!
suck it up
To cope with something unpleasant without complaining--usually because you have no choice.
Supposed to be pilot slang. If you vomit into your mask, you'd better suck it up. Otherwise, you can inhale it and die. Bob's car needed a new engine. He couldn't afford an new one, so he had to suck it up.
suck it up
Quit whining, suck it up and drive on. Military slang meaning to just deal with it and quit complaining
suck it up private we have 10 more miles to go!
Suck it up
A term most commonly used by amateur doctors to relieve themselves of the work required to cure injured patients.
Patient: Help me Doc! I'm having a heart attack!
Doctor: Suck it up!
Patient: Its not helping.
suck it up
A harsh term friends say to their friends so that they can feel superior and get their fragile friends to do whatever they're told. This is extremely annoying and hurts people deep down inside so it shouldn't be used unless you know it doesnt hurt them.
girl: Hey
Evil: why are you crying?
Girl: My life is falling apart, my boyfriend dumped me, my grades are falling and my parents hate me.
Evil: Stop being emo and suck it up, jeesh, you're depressing me.
Girl: (sniffle) sorry....
suck it up
This is a alcohol drinking game, which requires two things, a in n out water cup (with the lines around it) and alcohol(preferably goldschlager) So you pour your alcohol in the cup. and amongst your friends you play rock paper scissors to see who has to suck it up. For every line on the cup the losing person takes that much alcohol, and for the big ones then the loser gets ****ed. Chase it down with french fries, water, and soda.
That ***** sure is good at suck it up."
I'm getting the feeling that this is one massive back room staged political agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP and maybe other Political Parties. Surely the DUP must have known and if not, then they have been played as fools.
Will the final outcome be a pardon for all across the board and for to finally put the past where it belongs. If so than maybe this "might" be a good thing.
By putting the past behind us and signing off on all inquiries, will I know, hurt deeply many families who have been bereaved or injured. However how long must we keep hurting each other with this continual "blame game"
Will the final outcome be a pardon for all across the board and for to finally put the past where it belongs. If so than maybe this "might" be a good thing.
By putting the past behind us and signing off on all inquiries, will I know, hurt deeply many families who have been bereaved or injured. However how long must we keep hurting each other with this continual "blame game"
I get the feeling you have given an accurate assessment here
Perhaps any advocacy for inquiries or investigations should be taken from the hands of the politicians full stop. Behind Sinn Fein's calls for investigation into state killings and DUP/UUP calls for inquiry into IRA atrocities are are human beings who have suffered losses. The posturing of our politicians and the way they seem to appropriate the victims cause only seems to muddy any legitimate arguments from those seeking some form of 'truth' or 'justice'. Each party is willing to 'go to the ends of the earth' for their own political agenda and at the same time eschew the other side's needs and concerns. The association with one party or the other instantly colours that victims' campaign to wider society, and leaves it open to being written off as a political issue.
It shouldn't be a political issue, it should be a human one. Lost in all this uncertainty following the on-the-run revelation is that there are people for whom knowledge about the loss of loved ones hangs in the balance, and for whatever intention the politicians have in taking part in their advocacy, it's the people who continue to suffer.
It shouldn't be a political issue, it should be a human one. Lost in all this uncertainty following the on-the-run revelation is that there are people for whom knowledge about the loss of loved ones hangs in the balance, and for whatever intention the politicians have in taking part in their advocacy, it's the people who continue to suffer.
"The Downey case could end up breaking the relationship between Sinn Fein and the DUP" - are you being sarcastic here? The only relationship that exists between these two parties is a bad one.
Secondly, "Sinn Fein needs to understand how bad this looks. They appear to have an inside track to the British government for their activists, and to give nothing in return." Now I'm no fan of Seinn Feinn but I think they have given quite a bit i.e. stopped their campaign, got Irish constitution amended, loyalist paramilitaries were let out of jail also etc.. I mean what exactly have the DUP or Unionist community given up? They have given up their dominance over the catholic community here, a dominance they imposed for decades. They might say that they had to go into government with terrorists - the simple fact is its no more palpable for nationalists to see Robinson, Paisley etc.. in power on the hill than it is the other way around.
If these people were given pardons then yes I believe that British soldiers, RUC men and loyalist paramilitaries should be given the same. Bloody Sunday inquiries should stop - innocent people died there as in many other places from both side did here.
At the end of every conflict in history - people and combatants from both sides have had to make difficult, agonizing decisions and make unsavory deals. This is the place we are now guys. We can keep looking back or we can move on.
Secondly, "Sinn Fein needs to understand how bad this looks. They appear to have an inside track to the British government for their activists, and to give nothing in return." Now I'm no fan of Seinn Feinn but I think they have given quite a bit i.e. stopped their campaign, got Irish constitution amended, loyalist paramilitaries were let out of jail also etc.. I mean what exactly have the DUP or Unionist community given up? They have given up their dominance over the catholic community here, a dominance they imposed for decades. They might say that they had to go into government with terrorists - the simple fact is its no more palpable for nationalists to see Robinson, Paisley etc.. in power on the hill than it is the other way around.
If these people were given pardons then yes I believe that British soldiers, RUC men and loyalist paramilitaries should be given the same. Bloody Sunday inquiries should stop - innocent people died there as in many other places from both side did here.
At the end of every conflict in history - people and combatants from both sides have had to make difficult, agonizing decisions and make unsavory deals. This is the place we are now guys. We can keep looking back or we can move on.
Sorry Mr Clarke but this will only solidify the nationalist vote with Sinn Fein and also take a few from the SDLP. Sinn Fein have found a way to have their cake and eat it too.
Does the same not apply to the UUP, the TUP, the PUP and the DUP, as they have never wanted the Bloody Sunday soldiers prosecuted, nor any member of the security forces.
what can you expect from a Party which has so many Ex Terrorists among their number.....
