Editorial: ​A muted unionist reaction to a very bad legacy deal in which the UK has given an Ireland that is suing it joint control of how we handle the past

​Both the DUP and Ulster Unionist Party vowed to study the proposals.

Gavin Robinson’s language was markedly milder than it was in an interview with him reported on these pages the day before, in which he rightly described the joint approach with Ireland as “outrageous” and rightly said that the Irish government “do not have an equal say in how we, as a sovereign nation, deal with the legacy of our past”.

Yesterday his softer wording was that it was “regrettable” that the deal was “presented as a joint framework between the UK and Irish governments” and that it “is our view that the government should not be deferring” to Dublin.

The UUP statement referred to its past and justified (and we would say excellent) criticisms of the disastrous Stormont House 2014 legacy deal, yet included this remarkable line: “Every party must now put their differences aside and work with integrity, holding both the Irish government and the UK government to account for their continued failures.”

That sounds as if the UK state, which prevented civil war yet has been hounded for its handling of terrorism here, and Ireland, which harboured terrorists yet has faced no scrutiny, are equally answerable.

Only Jim Allister’s statement showed the outrage that this saga deserves: “Other unionist leaders should equally stand strong against this betrayal.”

There is little sign of that. But there is still time to examine the plan, which is an appropriate thing to to, and then to work together against a process that a hypocritical Irish state has brought about by threatening to suing the UK on legacy in Strasbourg while being allowed to avoid all scrutiny of its past. Something that this deal, incredibly, continues to allow.