Unionists deny inconsistency on victims' report
CLAIMS that some leading unionists have been "almost duplicitous" in their dealings with the Consultative Group on the Past (CGP) and their reaction to the Eames-Bradley report have been rejected by the DUP.
The Ulster Unionists have called for anyone who spoke to the reporting team to come clean on what they told them.
Panel member Jarlath Burns accused some senior unionist politicians of saying one thing when speaking to the panel confidentially and another in public.
The teacher and former Tyrone GAA captain said some unionists seemed to have changed their views once the report on the legacy of the Troubles was published.
Mr Burns made his comments on BBC Radio on Sunday.
He said politicians had been able to speak to the report team confidentially, but that afterwards some people had done a complete backflip.
He claimed it was "a bit dishonest and almost duplicitous, some comments from people who had actually told us privately completely different things".
When he was asked to whom he was referring Mr Burns confirmed that he was talking about senior unionist polticians.
"A lot of our politicians came up with a lot of the ideas which we had, but felt that they couldn't really present them publicly or couldn't support us publicly," he added.
"One or two politicians said: 'I know and I understand what you are doing in this report but I can't support this publicly because I'd take a tremendous hit for it'.
"Individually, we found politicians very helpful, but once they get into this thing called the political party very often they have to hide behind the policies and rhetoric of that party."
DUP MP David Simpson said his party has a very consistent policy that there can be no blurring of the lines between terrorists and innocent victims.
He added: "The people of Northern Ireland have been outraged by the Eames-Bradley report, which has at its centre an objective to treat everyone who was killed in the Troubles the same.
"There is certainly no duplicity on the part of the Democratic Unionist Party. The Shankill Butchers cannot be placed on the same level as their innocent victims, nor can the Shankill bomber be placed on the same level as those whom he killed. That has always been our position.”
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said if people were saying one thing in private and another in public, they should come clean.
“I first heard rumours of this last week – that people had said things to them privately and then different things in public.
“Whoever they were they should own up and tell people what it was they said.”
Sir Reg said he felt that what Mr Burns was saying had a ring of truth to it.
“If a member of the team is motivated to come out and say that, then it means they are upset about the difference between what they were told privately and what is now being said in public.”
Sir Reg said he couldn’t speculate as to whom Mr Burns might be referring.
“I don’t know who went to see them, but I presume it shouldn’t be too hard to find out,” he added.
Victims’ campaigner Willie Frazer said he had no reason to doubt what Mr Burns is saying.
“He’s one of the people on the panel I would have some respect for, despite his republican background.
“What he said would add up to what we had been hearing.
“We intend to find out the truth because we believe some of our politicians have misled us and are misleading us.
“This may only be a job to some of these people, but it is our lives and our loved ones’ lives that they are playing about with.”
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
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