Emma Little Penngelly: The News Letter talks about a unionist moral collapse on legacy - the real moral collapse would be to support an amnesty

The recent editorial (‘The unionist and UK moral collapse on legacy,’ August 8, see link below) vents understandable frustration at a disproportionate focus on the actions of the state and the near absence of any focus on the role played by the Irish state during the troubles. However, in doing so it appears to tacitly endorse the government’s current proposals offering an amnesty.

Whilst the editorial makes the accusation of a “moral collapse”, we are left to wonder what views would be expressed by this newspaper or the wider public in Northern Ireland had unionists supported the government’s proposals? Those proposals remove access to justice for innocent victims, and whilst victims are realistic about the challenges such investigations face, they at least know the perpetrators of crime have not had the threat of being held accountable for their crime officially lifted from them.

A real moral collapse would be to support amnesty proposals that rob victims of any opportunity for justice, and which draw a dangerous equivalence between those who engaged in terrorism and those who stood in uniform in defence of law and order.The disproportionate focus of current investigations, including through the inquest system and its associated “lawfare”, is a very valid concern, and it is one we also share. That is why, whilst opposing the government’s amnesty plans, DUP peers voted against an amendment in the House of Lords that would have led to the continuance of that one element alone.

This would have inevitably led to increased imbalance and further injustice in the types of investigations carried out. Unfortunately their stance received more criticism from those who opposed it than support from those, such as the News Letter, who recognise the problem.

Like our wider stance on legacy however, we do not take a position because it will attract either praise or criticism. The stance is not influenced either by looking to who else may happen to agree with our position, or the “nationalist critics of London” as the editorial phrased it. Whether it was our opposition to prisoner releases, letters of comfort to ‘On the Runs’ or the government’s current proposals for amnesty, our position has not been driven by populism, but by doing what is right for victims and for justice.

Emma Little Pengelly MLA, DUP, Lagan Valley

Editorial: The unionist and UK moral collapse on the legacy of terrorism