There is much vital work for Danny Kinahan to do as veteran commissioner

It sometimes seems that there are so many such officials and administrative bodies that there is not much room left for politics. After all, if the multiple recommendations and reports were all acted upon, there would be no decisions for politicians to take.

There are important long term questions to be asked and answered about whether this is the best way to run a society.

There are also serious questions that ought to be asked (but are not being) as to whether these sorts of semi governmental processes are ever likely to be ultimately sympathetic to a unionist or British world view, let alone such an agenda.

Soon one of the most powerful such commissioners will be appointed: a lobbyist for an Irish language that is spoken to an advanced level by a tiny percentage of people in Ulster.

But whether we like it or not, in the short term at least, Northern Ireland is set to have a plethora of commissioners.

That being so, it is most welcome now to see a commissioner for veterans. It is all the more satisfying to see it being held by Danny Kinahan, the former MP for South Antrim.

Mr Kinahan was the sort of public representative who helped anyone who came to his door. He took a special interest in the welfare of veterans. After all, he is one himself.

The mental health challenges facing veterans are, as he says “incredibly important”. And full implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in NI is, as he further says, vital too.

Will nationalist Ireland ever allow the latter to happen? We can only hope that it does, and push for it to come about.

Society owes a huge debt to people who put themselves at risk for everyone else’s safety. Getting recognition of that is a huge challenge in a country where, scandalously, the army was not made to feel welcome in helping during a pandemic.

Good luck to Mr Kinahan in his new role.

His In Tray is already full.

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