Editorial: A contemptible report from the Council of Europe adopts a republican analysis on Gaelic and attacks plans for an Ulster British commissioner

The Council of Europe (CoE) describes itself as Europe's leading human rights organisation, most of whose members are EU states. Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, had attacked UK government plans for a Troubles 'amnesty'. Our story reported a scathing letter to Ms Mijatović from the human rights activist Jeff Dudgeon who listed various formal or de facto amnesties given to terrorists. He wrote that "I am not aware of the CoE condemning the 1998 prisoner release amnesty or any of these other later arrangements”.

Mr Dudgeon was highlighting the concern of the CoE when it seemed UK state forces might get an amnesty with its failure to express the same over previous terrorist amnesties.

Now the CoE has weighed in with more contemptible interference in Northern Ireland. A report says that a planned commissioner for the ‘Ulster British tradition’ could contribute to sectarianism. The report also said that a CoE advisory committee on languages says "bilingualism in signposts should be promoted as it conveys the message that a given territory is shared".

The committee said a "comprehensive Irish language act is still necessary". Then, having endorsed an Irish republican outlook on the needs for an aggressive approach to Gaelic, and the laughable notion that such tribal signage is a sign of shared territory, the report denounced plans for an Ulster British commissioner.

The real problem with such a commissioner is that it is too nebulous to counter the sectarian onslaught that could come from an Irish language act.

The CoE is discredited in its dealings in NI.