London has shown that it is trying to resolve legacy of the Troubles to the satisfaction of Dublin

The contrast between a weak British government on legacy and a pushy Irish one is apparent in the statements they have released on the secret Lambeth Palace talks on legacy.

Dublin has for years been criticising the UK over its failure to move forward with structures to deal with outstanding issues from the Troubles.

Not once has London been critical in return, despite Ireland’s own unanswered questions on the past. Now, in an alarming development, it has emerged that legacy has been discussed at meetings convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The UK government is involved, via the Northern Ireland Office which said, meekly, it was “committed with our Irish partners to seek a way forward”.

Ireland’s Department for Foreign Affairs in Dublin, in contrast, again implicitly criticised the UK and said that it “remains the government’s firm position that legacy issues must be addressed through the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement framework”.

The Stormont House structures have been rejected by a range of critical voices in the legacy debate, from Innocent Victims United, the largest group dealing with victims of terror, to the Retired Police Officers Association.

The grim reality of these talks is that the UK is trying to resolve legacy to the satisfaction of Ireland. Opponents of this process now need to make clear it is not being done in the name of victims, as has been claimed.

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