No end of Troubles

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, has outlined plans to introduce a statute of limitations to end prosecutions related to the Troubles.

The statute will apply to both British army veterans and Republican paramilitaries and relate to incidents before 1998, when the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

Crucially, the plans put a stop to legacy inquests and civil actions. While there have been just nine Troubles-era prosecutions in the last six years, there are 36 inquests due to be heard and over 1,000 civil claims lodged against British state agencies.

At least part of the justification seems to have been pragmatic. Lewis said the 1,200 deaths the Northern Ireland police service was considering would take 20 years to investigate.

It’s a sweeping attempt to “draw a line” under the conflict. Ever since the 1994 ceasefires, politicians have been grappling with the issue of unsolved crimes and demands for justice from victims’ families – known as “legacy issues” in Northern Ireland.

The package announced by Lewis also includes a major “oral history” initiative and a new independent body tasked with gathering information and establishing the truth about incidents that happened decades ago.

Critics are saying that this is no substitute for justice. Labour, the Irish government, the five main Northern Ireland parties and several victims’ groups have objected to what they see as a blanket amnesty for crimes committed.

The announcement comes the day after SDLP MP Colum Eastwood used parliamentary privilege to name Soldier F, a former British soldier facing murder charges for his actions on Bloody Sunday, when British soldiers killed 13 civil rights protestors in January 1972. This despite a judge ruling that there was a real risk to Soldier F’s life if his identity became known. Eastwood is the MP for the area where the killings took place. 

The fact that the trial – one of the Troubles’ most evocative – is still making headlines nearly 50 years after the events in question suggests that, far from drawing a line under the conflict, the government’s plan looks set to rekindle a debate that will never fully extinguish.
 
Muddled mask messaging
 
Messaging over masks has become even messier after Sadiq Khan admitted his proposal to make face coverings a condition of travel on the Tube after Covid restrictions lift next week is “imperfect” because of the lack of national backing.

In line with Number 10’s new each-to-their-own mentality, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said he supported Khan’s stance despite the government’s decision to scrap mandatory mask-wearing on 19 July.

Khan’s decision is at odds with Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, who has said that masks will only be “strongly encouraged” on public transport.

Rail companies have said they would only ask passengers to wear masks on busy services but will not make it compulsory. Shops are still deciding what advice to give customers.

Khan’s comments come as Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales, says he will copy Nicola Sturgeon in retaining mandatory mask-wearing in Wales beyond 19 July. All this makes for a patchwork of regulations across the UK as we head into the autumn.
 
The hardening of No 10’s language on mask-wearing in recent weeks and the conflicting personal attitudes of ministers is being painted, not unfairly, as a sign that the government’s thinking on masks is confused.

But the fretting over the need for uniformity in the rules is also part of the withdrawal from an addiction to state control by a petrified public. A recent Ipsos MORI poll shows that nearly 40 per cent of Brits want to see face masks made compulsory in shops and on public transport… forever.

SA death toll mounts

The death toll from a week of widespread violence across South Africa has risen to at least 72 after rioting and looting erupted following the jailing of former president, Jacob Zuma.

It is the worst unrest the country has experienced since before the end of apartheid rule. More than 1,200 people have been arrested and hundreds of businesses have been ruined. See Caitlin’s Allen’s Reaction briefing below for more.

Mattie Brignal,
News Editor