13 May 1999 Edition
Taylor's Finucane accusations slated
Ulster Unionist MP John Taylor sheltered behind parliamentary privilege during a debate on the murder of Pat Finucane in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 5 May, to make allegations about the solicitor and his family. He had to be warned by the Deputy Speaker of the House and by Northern Ireland Minister Adam Ingram about the nature of the language he was using.
During the debate, Taylor said that ``everyone in Northern Ireland knows, the Finucane family is a strong republican family'', to which Adam Ingram responded that this fact ``does not justify the murder of a member of that family'', adding; ``When we put labels on people, we must be careful about the possible consequences.''
Taylor then went even further, arguing that ``what I am saying is that the family are one of the strongest republican families in Northern Ireland, who despise all police, whether they are RUC or English police''. He was challenged by John McDonnell MP, who said:
``A statement has been made in the House about a certain family despising the police, but no evidence has been presented in the Chamber. When statements were made about the Finucane family 10 years ago, Patrick Finucane's life was put at risk and he eventually lost it. I believe that we should caution Members to be careful with their words when we are dealing with such matters.''
Taylor was then warned by the Deputy Speaker that all members ``should take care about the language that they use in debates such as this.''
The debate was initiated by John McDonnell, who urged the government to set up an independent inquiry into Pat Finucane's murder and the accusations of collusion which surround it. He told the house that:
``As a solicitor, he represented Catholic and Protestant alike. However, there is no doubt that he gained a reputation for his highly professional competence in representing members of the nationalist community seeking protection in law from human rights abuses; nor is there any doubt that Patrick and fellow lawyers representing clients seeking to secure their rights in law were resented by certain groups among the authorities. ``Less than four weeks before Patrick's murder, Douglas Hogg said that, in Northern Ireland, there were `a number of solicitors' who were `unduly sympathetic' to the cause of the IRA. He added that statement was made on the basis of `advice' from people `dealing with these matters'.
``I know of no more dangerous a statement to the House from a Minister of the Crown. The statement, in effect, was a declaration to some elements in the loyalist organisations that human rights lawyers in Northern Ireland were legitimate targets. For Patrick Finucane, it was the pronouncement of a sentence of death.
``The nationalist community have been battered by the deaths of so many of those who stood up for human rights, including Patrick Finucane and, more recently, Rosemary Nelson. The Irish community have been offended by last week's failure to prosecute anyone for the killing of Diarmuid O'Neill and by the long-standing refusal to reach for truth in the case of Patrick Finucane by way of a full public inquiry. Today, I urge the Government to act, not only to secure prosecutions, but to ensure that we arrive at a full and thorough understanding of what happened to Patrick Finucane.''
During the debate, Taylor said that ``everyone in Northern Ireland knows, the Finucane family is a strong republican family'', to which Adam Ingram responded that this fact ``does not justify the murder of a member of that family'', adding; ``When we put labels on people, we must be careful about the possible consequences.''
Taylor then went even further, arguing that ``what I am saying is that the family are one of the strongest republican families in Northern Ireland, who despise all police, whether they are RUC or English police''. He was challenged by John McDonnell MP, who said:
``A statement has been made in the House about a certain family despising the police, but no evidence has been presented in the Chamber. When statements were made about the Finucane family 10 years ago, Patrick Finucane's life was put at risk and he eventually lost it. I believe that we should caution Members to be careful with their words when we are dealing with such matters.''
Taylor was then warned by the Deputy Speaker that all members ``should take care about the language that they use in debates such as this.''
The debate was initiated by John McDonnell, who urged the government to set up an independent inquiry into Pat Finucane's murder and the accusations of collusion which surround it. He told the house that:
``As a solicitor, he represented Catholic and Protestant alike. However, there is no doubt that he gained a reputation for his highly professional competence in representing members of the nationalist community seeking protection in law from human rights abuses; nor is there any doubt that Patrick and fellow lawyers representing clients seeking to secure their rights in law were resented by certain groups among the authorities. ``Less than four weeks before Patrick's murder, Douglas Hogg said that, in Northern Ireland, there were `a number of solicitors' who were `unduly sympathetic' to the cause of the IRA. He added that statement was made on the basis of `advice' from people `dealing with these matters'.
``I know of no more dangerous a statement to the House from a Minister of the Crown. The statement, in effect, was a declaration to some elements in the loyalist organisations that human rights lawyers in Northern Ireland were legitimate targets. For Patrick Finucane, it was the pronouncement of a sentence of death.
``The nationalist community have been battered by the deaths of so many of those who stood up for human rights, including Patrick Finucane and, more recently, Rosemary Nelson. The Irish community have been offended by last week's failure to prosecute anyone for the killing of Diarmuid O'Neill and by the long-standing refusal to reach for truth in the case of Patrick Finucane by way of a full public inquiry. Today, I urge the Government to act, not only to secure prosecutions, but to ensure that we arrive at a full and thorough understanding of what happened to Patrick Finucane.''