Conditional Amnesties - Irish Times, August 8th, 2022, Irish News, August 12th, 2022
Sir
The barrenness of the proceedings at Stormont on Wednesday underline the growing disconnect between the political establishment and the electorate in Northern Ireland. Nowhere is this clearer than on the issue of how the legacy of the Troubles should be addressed.
The Irish Government and all of the political parties in Northern Ireland continue to set their faces against any form of conditional amnesties through which former combatants could provide information to victims and their families. Yet three opinion polls conducted by the Institute of Irish Studies at Liverpool University this year, the latest published in the Irish News last week, show that this is the preferred choice of 45.1% of those polled, compared with 18.2% who disagreed. Among Nationalist voters there was an outright majority, rising to 58.6% among Sinn Fein voters. Even among those who vote for the DUP 33.5% favoured such a policy, compared with 26% who disagreed.
Yet this proposal, which is essentially the one advocated by the Truth Recovery Process campaign, remains studiously ignored by the political parties and the Irish Government. The opposition of victims and survivors groups is understandable. For decades they have been told by politicians that they can only achieve ‘Truth and Justice’ through the courts.
Now some of these politicians privately admit that a conditional amnesty process is the best way forward for the vast majority of victims and their families, who can never hope for ‘Truth And Justice’ in the courts. Unfortunately, they feel unable to say so unless there are victims and survivors willing to come forward and take the lead on the issue.
This abdication of leadership, if it continues, will ensure that the bitter legacy of the Troubles will remain after the possibility of ‘Truth and Justice’ for victims and survivors is long gone and all people have left is the opportunity to mourn their loss and in some cases, understandably, nurse their grievances. Reconciliation will be the other victim.
Harry Donaghy, Joint Chair
John Green, Joint Chair
Mike Jennings
Liz McManus
David Picking
Andy Pollak
Padraig Yeates, Secretary
