VIDEO: DUP peer slams Sinn Fein for 'hatred' of security forces as Tory Troubles amnesty bill gets renewed battering in House of Lords

Earlier in the debate, veteran Tory Lord Cormack has called for the House of Lords to reject the Troubles bill, saying that no amount of amendments could remove the “poison” at its heart.

Similarly Lord Dodds said that while politicians may find the technicalities of the government’s legacy bill interesting, it ultimately doesn’t matter because the whole notion of the bill is rejected by Troubles victims.

They were just some of many lords having their say on the bill – formally called the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill – as it makes its way through parliament tonight.

At its heart, the bill seeks to create an amnesty for Troubles-era crimes.

It was drawn up by Tory figures in the wake of concern among the party ranks about the prosecution of old soldiers for alleged crimes carried out during their tours of duty in Northern Ireland.

The amnesty would apply to all parties to the Troubles though, meaning paramilitaries would be the main beneficiaries.

As it stands, the bill calls for the setting up of an Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

This body “must grant a person immunity from prosecution” if the following conditions are met:

That person has requested the ICRIR to grant them immunity;

And an ‘immunity requests panel’ is satisfied that they have given an account of their role in the Troubles which is “true to the best of [their] knowledge and belief”.

Much of the debate so far this evening has centred on how to make sure the ICRIR is both independent of government influence, and is staffed by people who are sufficiently clued-in about the Troubles.

DUP peer Lord McCrea said that the independence of commissioners “must I agree be at the heart of any body".

"But how do we interpret the word ‘independent’?” he asked.

"Because the truth of the matter is that many outside Northern Ireland have little or no concept of what has happened in Northern Ireland over the past 50 years.”

Fellow DUP man Lord Dodds told the Lords that as far as victims and survivors are concerned, “whilst we discuss these amendments, and we debate independence and appointments and all of that… no matter what improvements we make to this bill, it is in their view – and certainly in my view and in our view – irredeemable in its fundamental aspects as a piece of legislation”.

He added “it cannot be right to have at the heart of government policy, and a piece of government legislation, the idea of immunity from prosecution [for] those who have committed crimes in the UK”.

– LORD CORMACK: BILL IS POISON AND MUST BE REJECTED –

Lord Cormack, a Tory MP for 40 years and a Tory lord for the last 13, used this analogy when it came to efforts at “fixing” the bill by adding on amendments.

"It's as if you're confronted with a cake made of poisonous fruit,” he said.

"Any amount of cream, any amount of icing, any amount of titillation will not make it anything other than a poisonous cake."

He condemned the government’s “combination of insensitivity and ignorance” saying it has “created a monster of a bill which has alienated every community in Northern Ireland”.

He continued: “And so there is really only one answer, and I've said this before: That is to go back to the drawing board.”

Referring to the long tradition of the House of Lords being seen as lacking the authority to kill off a bill from the elected House of Commons, former Labour MP Lord Hain said to him: “The problem is the house's role is not normally – if not ever – to reject a bill… we just have to do our best to make it less unacceptable”.

Lord Cormack replied: “The noble lord says we cannot reject a bill. We can. Of course we can. It's something that should be done very rarely.

"The Parliament Act has provision for it – the Parliament Act of 1912 and the Parliament Act of 1948…

"It's not something I'd ever lightly advocate. But I think we have to contemplate it in this particular case... this house has a duty to ask the Other Place to think again... clearly the obvious answer is to pause this bill... this bill really should not pass.”

– DODDS: PEOPLE ARE ACTING LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST ATTACK ON JUSTICE –

Speaking again in the debate, Lord Dodds complained that there are some people who are behaving like this bill is the first case of justice being undermined in Northern Ireland, apparently unaware of the Province’s recent history.

"It's as if it's the first time there's been any attack on the equality of justice,” he said.

"We hear from people in the US, we hear people who've defended the IRA, raised money for the IRA, complaining about this bill.

"We hear people in the Irish republic who provided a safe haven over many many years for terrorists, and wouldn't extradite them, complaining about the bill.”

He recalled “the letters of comfort, the royal pardons which we never had a proper explanation, and – let's be frank – the 1998 agreement itself”.

This deal “released after only two years some of the most hardened criminals who'd carried out some of the most obscene atrocities... that was a grievous body blow to to the victims”.

– LORD MCCREA TURNS FIRE ON SINN FEIN –

Lord McCrea recalled meeting countless people in the wake of Troubles violence, in his capacity as a Free Presbyterian minister.

"I can still see a boy standing at the side of a street, and everyone around this little child was crying – his father had been murdered,” he said

"And the words he said were this: Why is everybody crying?

"He didn't realise they were crying for him, because that father would never lift him again, cuddle him again, touch him again, kiss him again.”.

Such scenarios have “been replicated over and over and over again”, he said.

In particular he said “we must never forget the sacrifice” of security force members.

"I've heard a lot of people saying the whole of the Northern Ireland community are against this bill,” he said.

"Now, I can accept that – partially.

"But let me say this: I will not accept the total hypocrisy of Sinn Fein in this whole situation.

"Because make no mistake about it, Sinn Fein are quite happy to have legislation pass so their terrorist colleagues will escape justice. Very happy!

"The only reason why they'll come out with their words of condemnation of this is because they've a hatred against members of the security forces, the young soldier-lad who patrolled the streets of Northern Ireland.

"And you know that's why I can say every person who legitimately opposes terrorism can rightly say they demand justice, and this bill will not give them that justice.

"But let's not cover over the hypocrisy of those that caused over 30 years of murder and mayhem and do not, in reality, want justice to touch their loved ones, but they want them to be spared, while security force members are being pulled through the court.”

The bill will return to the house another day to continue its passage.

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