Ben Lowry: A welcome but belated statement from Hilary Benn on legacy, that the security forces are not equivalent to terrorists

(To read Ben Lowry’s main column about noise pollution from buskers in Belfast city pollution click here)​

It is worth quoting Mr Benn at length. He wrote: "... It has been clear, however, that we must do more through the legislation to safeguard our veterans community. It is vital that those who served the state, to whom we owe so much and to whom we have a particular duty of care, are able to have confidence in the legislation. In recent months I, along with the prime minister, the defence secretary, the attorney general and the armed forces minister, have been consulting widely on the legislation, including with veterans, on potential improvements that might be made …

"The result of these deliberations is that the government will bring forward a substantial package of amendments designed to improve the process for victims and families, further safeguard our Operation Banner veterans and ensure oversight of their protections, and clearly differentiate between the role played during the Troubles by our brave security forces and the actions of paramilitary terrorists ..."

This is excellent. But really. How has it taken so long?

We have been pointing out for more than 10 years how legacy processes have allowed republicans to escape scrutiny and imply not merely an equivalence between state and terrorist, but that the security forces were worse.

Ben Lowry (@Benlowry2) is News Letter editor