Allister responds to Secretary of State u-turn
25 February 2009
Watch Jim Allister speak on this issue:
“The decision by the Secretary of Sate to pull the £12,000 payment is a direct result of pressure from innocent victims. Those who made it clear that they would not accept a payment which would imply that they see no difference between those who suffered from terrorism and those who perpetrated it are to be congratulated for their principled stand.
“I deeply regret that the insensitive proposal put forward by Eames/Bradley have opened up old wounds and caused deep hurt among innocent victims.
“It would, however, have been much better if the Secretary of Sate had announced that the payment would only be made to innocent victims. This would have demonstrated Her Majesty’s Government sees a distinction between the butchered and the butcher.
“It is now vital that any attempt to salvage the rest of the Report is steadfastly resisted. It contains a whole raft of dangerous proposals alongside the £12,000 payment – many of which equate innocent victims with terrorists. I am particularly concerned about the Report’s attempts to move us away from the criminal justice system to an information recovery exercise. Republicans are highly unlikely to cooperate with such a process, choosing instead, like McGuinness at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, to hide behind their so-called “code of honour”.
