Labour And British Legacy Cover-Up
It is remarkable that the British Labour Party regime has so thoroughly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on legacy justice, by adopting the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery Commission left behind by Conservatives. Labour merely had to honor its “repeal and replace” pledge, to secure the good will of victims, six county political parties and the Irish government. Instead, Labour embraced the ICRIR, the centerpiece of the Conservative Legacy Act, and with it the blame for decisions like denying Sean Brown’s widow the public inquiry ordered by the Court.
It was fitting that the Legacy Act featured in a Queen’s Speech, the same day as the Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest verdict. That inquest exemplified what Conservatives wanted ended. Why should Britain allow former British troopers to be summoned to a Belfast courtroom, merely because 10 Irish victims, including a Catholic priest and a grandmother, had been shot down without justification? Why allow inquests, Ombudsman Reports and civil lawsuits to ‘perniciously counter’ rose-colored British versions of events with findings of collusive behavior or unjustified killings?
So before leaving office, the Conservatives shut down mechanisms that were drip-feeding justice. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act took away inquests and ombudsman reports, granted an Amnesty with British troopers in mind, sidelined solicitors and human rights groups and funneled everything into an ICRIR Commission confidently expected to deliver better results for Britain.
Victims’ families slammed the measure. The north’s political parties united in opposition. The Irish government filed a European Court challenge. Labour, meanwhile, was congratulated for its manifesto pledge to “repeal” the act not least of all by American Congressmen and the AOH.
The word ‘repeal’ means to revoke or annul a law. We had every reason to expect after Keir Starmer’s election last July, that his appointed Secretary for the north, Hilary Benn, would present a bill to revoke or annul the Legacy Act, restore what had been taken away, and begin talks with the Irish government on an agreed way forward.
Instead, Labour speaks of repeal and replace but means to retain and repair the irreparable ICRIR commission created by the ousted Conservatives on their way out. Already the Belfast High Court and Court of Appeals have struck down key provisions of the Legacy Act and said that it does not comply with European Law on victims’ representation or disclosure. In order to keep the ICRIR, Hilary Benn must fight these decisions.
The latest example is the case of Sean Brown. On May 12, 1997, Sean Brown, the chairman of Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA Club, was locking the gates to the training ground when he was ambushed by loyalist paramilitaries. He was abducted, beaten, and shot six times in the head. His body was found next to his burning car the following day. More than 25 British state agents were involved in the murder. The inquest judge ordered that the Brown family were entitled to a Public Inquiry.
Hilary Benn lamented that the Brown family had waited so long for the truth. He then refused a public inquiry, which will mean more heartbreaking delays and new court battles for the Brown family. More cases like Sean Brown’s will inevitably follow. Labour Party Secretary Hilary Benn has become the public face of the Conservative Party’s legacy cover-up.
