THE BBC television documentary on the 1983 IRA Maze prison escape, screened on Monday night, has not been helpful to the Northern Ireland political process which at present is in crisis with the stand-off between the DUP and Sinn Fein.
The 'Breakout' documentary may have featured the recollections of a brave prison officer, who, unlike a Maze colleague who was murdered, survived a gun attack by the fleeing IRA gang, but the storyline was very heavily laced with republican propagand
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The main Provisional IRA players in the escape of 38 hardened prisoners from the Maze H-blocks had a prominent role in the documentary, including Gerry Kelly, who now occupies the position of a Sinn Fein junior minister in the devolved power-sharing Northern Ireland government.
Minister Kelly showed absolutely no remorse for his role in this murderous escapade and the insensitivity that he displayed in coldly recalling what he and his terrrorist compatriots were getting up to has seriously damaged any credibility he might have as a politician.
The Maze Prison escape occurred during a dark and dangerous period in this Province and, even after 25 years, the terrible scars that were left by the ruthless IRA campaign are still very raw and hurting with a significant section of our society.
Unionist concerns over devolvement of policing and justice involving Sinn Fein were justified by the sight of convicted terrorist now public representative Gerry Kelly justifying his senior involvement in a vile, squalid terrorist onslaught against decent law-abiding citizens.
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