The DUP pressure on Dublin over legacy is welcome but it is belated and could lead to a real trap

The letter Arlene Foster is reported to have sent Micheal Martin on legacy is a step forward.

The DUP leader is said to have said there must be a “fresh examination” into allegations of collusion between Irish state authorities and the IRA.

Northern Ireland’s first minister is also understood to have said Dublin should seek urgently to supply the necessary documentation in massacres such as Kingsmill.

But there is a real trap in this approach. It is that the Republic of Ireland becomes somewhat more proactive in assisting such cases, and then legacy proceeds largely as before.

It would be relatively easy for the Irish government to somewhat up its game in such co-operation, in return for which the UK’s reputation would continue to be destroyed by legacy plans that on every level leave the security forces more vulnerable to examination than the terrorists who carried out 90% of the killings. Instead, root and branch reform is needed to rectify the scandal in how the legacy of the Troubles is being handled.

When it comes to Ireland’s role in violence, there needs to be a major study into its extradition policy, and the way that the IRA was able to use its territory so easily as a base. There needs to be an official estimate of the impact of that policy on isolated Protestants, and scrutiny of why Irish security co-operation did not improve after the Anglo Irish Agreement.

Actual instances of pre-meditated Irish involvement in specific murders, although clearly present in cases such as the murder of Lord Gibson (which did not get an inquiry), are few, in the same way as active UK collusion in specific loyalist murders are few. But the wider culture in the Republic of ambivalence to IRA terrorism had a massive impact.

The DUP will be central to any coming legacy plan. The party is right to begin apply (very belated) pressure on the Republic of Ireland. It also now needs to make clear it will not accept in any shape or form any proposals from such a lop-sided group as took part in the Lambeth House talks.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor