‘Sunlight is the best disinfectant’

The urgent need for open disclosure and a comprehensive Truth Recovery Process.

Hilary Benn’s written Ministerial response to the recent Court of Appeal judgement of Dillon and Others in the House of Commons is welcome and means that the Legacy can of worms is now open for discussion –  yet again.

https://www.truthrecoveryprocess.ie/newsupdates/written-statement-to-parliament-by-hillary-benn-on-plans-to-reform-tory-legacy-legislation-1

Meanwhile, victims, survivors and former participants continue to batter their heads against a brick wall in their search for truth.

Not least of them, the victims and survivors of the Kincora boys’ home, where there are longstanding allegations of MI5 involvement in a paedophile blackmail ring involving prominent politicians and loyalist paramilitaries in the 1970s.

Highly sensitive documents on the Kincora scandal are still locked away in Northern Ireland’s official archives for decades to come – in one case until 2085 at the earliest.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/secret-kincora-boys-

home-files-will-not-be-released-for-66-years/38500415.html

And these victims are far from unique.

Every one of the tragedies of the Troubles deserve truth recovery.

I am a proud member of the National Union of Journalists. I am particularly proud of my union’s recent call for a public inquiry into the 2001 murder of Martin O’Hagan.

Many, many years ago I asked a very senior former police officer for his explanation of the failure to bring to justice those involved. He said, ‘The reason for the inertia in the Martin O’Hagan case is intelligence driven’.

https://www.truthrecoveryprocess.ie/newsupdates/british-govt-pressed-by-nuj-for-

inquiry-into-killing-of-leading-investigative-journalist-martin-ohagan-in-2001

And last week’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the Royal Courts of Justice in London into police surveillance on Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney and their film about the Loughinisland atrocity, ‘No Stone Unturned’, was marked by appalling disclosures.

https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj-sets-record-straight-as-ipt-hearing-draws-to-a-

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Earlier this year there were calls for a public inquiry into the affair.

In a telling statement, McCaffrey and Birney said, “Only a full public inquiry with the power to compel witnesses will enable us to find out the full, ugly truth of what the PSNI has been doing in the dark.” As they said this May, ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant.’

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/sunlight-is-the-best-disinfectant-

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But not everyone who wants disclosure can benefit from a full sworn public inquiry with the power to compel witnesses.

Long before 2085, all those who so desperately need to find out the truth are crying out for the truth.

What these islands so desperately need now is urgent public discussion on a truth recovery process.

Let Hilary Benn’s statement mark the start of full and frank debate - now.