Lord Hain criticises an amnesty yet the prime minister for whom he worked, Tony Blair, agreed one
A letter from William Spence:
In yesterday’s News Letter former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Lord Hain is reported as describing, in the House of Lord’s debate, the government’s Troubles Amnesty as ... “legally dubious, constitutionally dangerous and morally corrupt” (‘Hain slams corrupt Troubles amnesty plan,’ November 30, see link below).
Is not this the same secretary of state who underhandedly connived with the former Prime Minster Tony Blair and the Sinn Fein/IRA leadership in arranging and issuing ‘letters of comfort’ for the On The Runs (OTRs).
In essence creating ... “a legally dubious, constitutionally dangerous and morally corrupt amnesty” ... for hundreds of wanted republican terrorist bombers and murderers.
A secret deal which only came to light in 2014, during the failed trial of John Downey, wanted for the cowardly Hyde Park killings which claimed the lives of four soldiers and their mounts in July 1982.
I note that the silence, in challenging Lord Hain on his comments was, not surprisingly, deafening from the noble lords and ladies on the unionist benches.
William Spence, Belfast BT13
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