Inquests will worsen the legacy bias against UK state forces

On Monday you reported about a raft of new legacy inquests into Troubles deaths that are due (‘Thirteen Troubles inquests coming, Dec 26).

There are scores of such inquests in the pipelines, almost all of which into killings in which there are allegations against the security forces.

When these latest inquests are completed, about half the 50 outstanding (re-opened) Troubles inquests will be over before the Legacy Bill, that is passing through Westminster, can even begin to bite.

That legislation seeks to end the imbalance in legacy investigations into deaths in which there are allegations against the UK state, at the expense of investigations into terrorist killings, who carried out the great bulk of Troubles killings.

Some of the remaining 20 planned inquests will also have reached a key stage before the legislation comes in, meaning they will not be stopped by the act although legacy practitioners are presumably working up more, especially ones that allege collusion against the security forces.

The news in 2023 will thus continue to be predominantly about one type of killings during the Troubles and for younger people it will mean that history is rewritten to justify the IRA.

Re-investigation is a one way track.

Certain victims' organisations, politicians, the News Letter (alone in the media) and the Malone House Group, which I convene, will continue to present a balanced view and offer alternatives to lawfare against the security forces, which seeks to justify Irish republican terrorism, and to academic bias, here and in Strasbourg.

Jeffrey Dudgeon, Belfast BT9