6 February 1997 Edition
Truth - not apologies
The efforts by the relatives of those killed on Bloody Sunday to force the British government to open a new inquiry into the events of that day have made significant progress.
No-one would have expected the News Letter or Ken Maginnis to call on the British government to issue an apology to the relatives but that is what they have done this week. While the tone of the News Letter's call - in a leading article - is welcome, Ken Maginnis excused the Paras - calling them ``young, untrained soldiers'' - and rejected calls for an inquiry.
What must be stressed is that the relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims are not asking for an apology. In a statement two weeks ago, John Kelly, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, said, ``Let there be no half-baked apologies from any government ministers. We are not campaigning for apologies - the time for apologies has come and gone. No-one should ask for one on our behalf. We demand the truth. It's as simple as that.''
The truth can only come from an independent public inquiry. And this week the British government formally rejected a new inquiry as well as refusing to apologise and Andrew Hunter MP, Chairman of the Conservative Northern Ireland Committee, backed his government's position: ```Bloody Sunday' was orchestrated confrontation and the ensuing tragedy has been shamelessly exploited by evil men,'' he wrote in a letter to The Times.
Their positions are untenable in the face of growing evidence and the growing determination of the relatives and the people of Derry to have the truth. That determination was proved was proved by the massive turnout at the march in Derry.last Sunday. The search for the truth will go on.
The British government's response to the North Report on parades follows a similar line to its response to the Mitchell Report in January last year. Both were binned to appease Unionists in Westminster. And both were binned in order to avoid dialogue as a means of resolving conflict.
It is not difficult to understand the motivation of the Unionists in rejecting the North report. Why would they want an independent commission to decide on parades when they know that a repeat of their behaviour of last year will enable them to march wherever they want? And, moreover, they can do so with the backing of the RUC and the British government.
The motivation of the British government is, if anything, more cynical. It is clear that they care for nothing but their diminishing chances of political survival.
Meanwhile, communities under threat from Orange bigotry must seek a solution based on equality and genuine dialogue. They can expect no support from a government which has no moral right to impose its anti-democratic rule.
No-one would have expected the News Letter or Ken Maginnis to call on the British government to issue an apology to the relatives but that is what they have done this week. While the tone of the News Letter's call - in a leading article - is welcome, Ken Maginnis excused the Paras - calling them ``young, untrained soldiers'' - and rejected calls for an inquiry.
What must be stressed is that the relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims are not asking for an apology. In a statement two weeks ago, John Kelly, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, said, ``Let there be no half-baked apologies from any government ministers. We are not campaigning for apologies - the time for apologies has come and gone. No-one should ask for one on our behalf. We demand the truth. It's as simple as that.''
The truth can only come from an independent public inquiry. And this week the British government formally rejected a new inquiry as well as refusing to apologise and Andrew Hunter MP, Chairman of the Conservative Northern Ireland Committee, backed his government's position: ```Bloody Sunday' was orchestrated confrontation and the ensuing tragedy has been shamelessly exploited by evil men,'' he wrote in a letter to The Times.
Their positions are untenable in the face of growing evidence and the growing determination of the relatives and the people of Derry to have the truth. That determination was proved was proved by the massive turnout at the march in Derry.last Sunday. The search for the truth will go on.
Mayhew bins North
The British government's response to the North Report on parades follows a similar line to its response to the Mitchell Report in January last year. Both were binned to appease Unionists in Westminster. And both were binned in order to avoid dialogue as a means of resolving conflict.
It is not difficult to understand the motivation of the Unionists in rejecting the North report. Why would they want an independent commission to decide on parades when they know that a repeat of their behaviour of last year will enable them to march wherever they want? And, moreover, they can do so with the backing of the RUC and the British government.
The motivation of the British government is, if anything, more cynical. It is clear that they care for nothing but their diminishing chances of political survival.
Meanwhile, communities under threat from Orange bigotry must seek a solution based on equality and genuine dialogue. They can expect no support from a government which has no moral right to impose its anti-democratic rule.