How Much Collusion from those who sit in Government?
17 October 2011
North Antrim MLA Jim Allister made the following comments during a discussion on the Pat Finucane case this morning in the Assembly:
“The murder of Pat Finucane was indisputably wrong, as was every murder. However, the point needs to be made, which some would like to forget, that the Finucane family had the offer of a judicial inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, which they rejected. Many other families never had such an offer. Some families — the Nelson family and the Wright family — had such offers, which they accepted and had their inquiries. If the Finucane family had not been so insatiable in their demands, they would also have had their judicial inquiry by now. Something about the matter is self-inflicted in that regard.
“Many people love to talk about collusion in the context only of the British Government authorities. However, collusion has more than one side. I could well ask: how much collusion was there from some who now sit in government in the House in the murder of soldiers, policemen and civilians such as Pasty Gillespie, Frank Hegarty and Joanne Mathers, a census worker? Those are unanswered questions about which I hear no calls for inquiries and no apologies, yet they go to the very core of probity in government right here in Northern Ireland, never mind Westminster. When we reflect on collusion, perhaps this place should begin by putting its own house in order.”
