The DUP had a chance to demand compensation for victims of Libya-IRA

A letter from A Magowan:
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Anyone who has followed the, so far, fruitless campaign for compensation by the victims of Libyan sponsored terrorism will no doubt have been unsurprised by the attitude of the UK government and the recent announcement that they still won’t lift a finger to help.

The shameful abandonment of these innocent victims by successive British governments is widely known, what may not be so widely known is the failure of the DUP on this matter.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I was somewhat amused by the DUP puffing out their chests for the cameras by demanding the release of the Shawcross report and that interest generated by the frozen Libyan assets be used to compensate the victims.

The government, of course, declined to do both of these things.

At this point it is worth remembering that in 2017 the DUP had the Conservative government over a barrel, and they knew it.

In exchange for signing a ‘confidence and supply agreement’, the DUP were able to extract a number of concessions from the government.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The DUP was in a position to exert real influence and help the victims, who by this stage had been fighting for well over a decade against a government who by this stage had ceased to even feign interest in their case.

However, for whatever reason, they chose not to. Many have spoken of the grubby deal in the desert between Tony Blair and Muammar Gaddafi, perhaps it’s time to start talking about the deal done between Arlene Foster and Theresa May.

On July 18 2017 the News Letter carried a story stating that, following a meeting with Jeffrey Donaldson regarding the deal done between the DUP and the Conservatives, one of the victims of the Canary Wharf bomb, Jonathan Ganesh, was “reassured” following assurances given to him by the DUP.

One wonders whether, nearly four years later, Mr Ganesh is still “reassured”.

A Magowan, Belfast BT4

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Related topics: