Soldier trials are just one small part of the legacy scandal

Unionist politicians are asking why prosecutors brought charges against elderly soldiers for Troubles killings, then had to abandon them.

This is an important question, which deserves answers. But there are much bigger questions to be asked about the legacy scandal, in which our security forces have been betrayed.

How did Northern Ireland ever end up in a situation in which there was such an investigative focus on state forces who prevented civil war? Legacy inquests, at great expense, are almost all into security force killings and yet have barely begun.

How is it that so few IRA leaders faced serious terrorist criminal charges commensurate with the murder and mayhem? Yet the bloodshed inflicted by Martin McGuinness and his allies was well known to the authorities.

Sammy Wilson MP is right to make the points he does about the soldier trials. But he has influence within the DUP and we trust that he is using it to help shape these rapid legacy talks, at the behest of Simon Coveney.

The idea that Dublin can slightly increase its co-operating over massacres such as Kingsmill and that will come close to providing balance on legacy is laughable. Deep scrutiny of Ireland’s role as a terrorist safe haven is just one of the things that is urgently needed to bring balance on legacy and scrutiny of by far the biggest killers, the IRA, and their many, sly helpers.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

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