Sinn Fein urged to reflect on role played by Provisional IRA during Troubles
It came during a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board on Thursday which focused on issues faced by police in their role dealing with legacy.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher outlined his concerns around the costs in terms of financial and staffing resources, but also reputational damage because they had not been funded sufficiently to deal with legacy.
He urged more resources as well as a focus on victims, and that an approach to dealing with the past be agreed.
Dealing with the past was not included in the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, and subsequent deals, including the Stormont House accord in 2014, were not progressed.
Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly responded to Mr Boutcher, hailing what he said seemed to be a 'new philosophy of approach' and potentially a 'watershed moment'.
'I have sat in front of many chief constables and you're the first chief constable who has said we need to change this in a radical way,' he said.
Mr Kelly also said that while 'nothing is perfect', the Stormont House Agreement saw most of the parties and the British and Irish governments in agreement.
He blamed the UK for 'pulling out' of that agreement.
But DUP MLA Trevor Clarke said many in the unionist community felt 'they were let down particularly by Sinn Fein and others', and in reference to the party's historic relationship with the Provisional IRA, said they were 'the biggest cause of victims in Northern Ireland'.
'It seems ironic listening to Gerry speak at the minute that there is no reflection on what part Sinn Fein and the IRA played during the Troubles,' he said.
'I know it's not Stormont, it's not a political debating chamber but I think it has to be said that if everyone is to be honest and everyone wants to be honest, then everyone should be honest and should all come to the table honest in terms of the parts that they played during the Troubles, as opposed to working on the small numbers that the security forces were involved in.
'I certainly want to put on record our party's concerns around the process, sympathies with police in how they deal with it, but there is a section of the community will never be satisfied unless the victim makers stand in the courts and actually own up to their part as well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Former Most Haunted Live! presenter David Bull named new chairman of Reform UK
The former television presenter and medical doctor was announced as the party's chairman at a press conference in Westminster, as leader Nigel Farage told reporters that his job would be to 'give leadership' and 'not to get involved with the admin'. The appointment of Dr Bull, who previously presented Watchdog, Tomorrow's World and Most Haunted Live!, comes after businessman Zia Yusuf resigned from the position last week following an internal row over the party's position on the burka. Speaking at the press conference, Mr Yusuf said he was 'hugely excited' that former MEP Dr Bull was taking the role. 'This party is no longer a start-up,' Mr Yusuf told reporters. 'I think it's gone to a scale-up phase … the reality is what we need now in a chairman is someone who is an incredible communicator, someone who's loved universally across the party … someone who's going to I think do a better job than me at energising volunteers on the front line.' 'I wholeheartedly congratulate him and I know he's going to do an incredible job for us,' he added. Mr Farage said Dr Bull would come to the chairman's role with 'terrific verve, energy, enthusiasm'. He described Dr Bull as a 'terrific communicator' and that his 'job is not to get involved with the admin, is not to get involved in the tech' but rather is to 'give leadership to that volunteer army out there of people'. Mr Farage also said it is 'very good' that the new chairman has television experience, telling reporters that 'message delivery and simplicity of message in politics is very important'. Mr Yusuf returned to Reform over the weekend, just 48 hours after he quit, saying he had made an 'error'. His departure followed an internal row, in which he described a question asked to the Prime Minister by the party's newest MP, Sarah Pochin, about banning the burka as 'dumb'. Mr Farage said on Tuesday he thinks the burka 'probably is anti-British' but that the issue is not going to be 'front line and centre' of their campaigning. Number 10 said on Tuesday that 'the Government just does not believe in mandating what people can and can't wear. It should be left up to people to make those decisions for themselves'. Mr Yusuf will now lead the party's plans to cut public spending – the so-called 'UK Doge', based on the US Department of Government Efficiency which was led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. He described the job on Tuesday as 'one of the most important missions this country will embark on since World War Two'. However, Mr Farage also said the party 'thought hard' about whether to keep the name Doge in the wake of Mr Musk's departure from the US administration, but polling suggested the idea was still popular. 'There was a UK name that we thought we'd use, and then what polling showed us is that one of the things that's wildly popular in the UK that's happening in America is the concept of Doge, and that Doge had seeped into public consciousness and that to attempt to rebrand that would be a hell of a difficult effort'. During the press conference Mr Farage was also asked about his party's position on the death penalty. He said he thought that the issue would be 'back within the next decade as an issue of major national debate' but described it as an issue 'of conscience' and that 'these things will not be party policy'. The Prime Minister's official spokesman later said: 'The Government is opposed to the death penalty as a matter of principle. I think it is a long-standing position of many governments of many colours and that position has not changed.' According to the latest figures from YouGov, Reform is polling at 29% when it comes to national voting intention, ahead of Labour on 23% and the Conservatives on 17%.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
The SNP must extract the digit and beat the independence drum
We hear a lot of waffle about a referendum that is not going to be granted and nothing about how to get around that. What do we get to put fire into the Scots? Again, not much –nathin tae mak us heize aff oor dowps. The door is slammed against cooperation with others – stupidity personified. There is a majority for independence now; it has to be utilised. The Scottish Government must push the boundaries and see what the English government will do about it, hoping for a silly, over-the-top reaction that will light the fuse. A bit of civil disobedience would be no bad thing. READ MORE: James Dornan: Tell voters we will hold new indyref no matter what Westminster says Beat the independence drum and the gains that independence can bring. Make sure people understand why the English government is so desperate to hold on to us; they need us, we do not need them. Hammer the electricity scandal. When ferries are mentioned, retaliate with the vastly more expensive disasters south of the Border, for instance, vastly overdue and over-budget fighting vehicles and a silly unnecessary railway line. All this is easy for me to say; I am 87 with a number of ailments to go with it. Stickers in the car and on the house are the best I can do. Please, oh please, SNP, extract the digit and stop playing by Southern rules. R Mill Irving Gifford, East Lothian THE recent result must be telling the party that people are just getting fed up with the constant avoidance of the one detail that all members and its adherents are wanting. DO SOMETHING. Stop talking the talk and WALK THE WALK! The rhetoric about what is being done; the spiels that pour from ministers and officials about how the government is saving the Scots from Labour, Reform et al just isn't working any more. Folks just aren't voting! The apathy of the people of Scotland should surely be addressed by more positive action than banging drums, pipes and banners awash (all worthy ventures by the people). Knocking doors, leaflets and sound and video bites (party tactics) ain't pulling them to the polling booths. Mandatory voting is an obvious solution, but if mentioned it all goes quiet and the subject is changed, despite the evidence of poor turnouts at elections. READ MORE: Jonathon Shafi: The referendum didn't just spook the British establishment Are you feart that a compulsory vote would end forever the dream of independence, or is is that your jobs might evaporate and a new team take over ... or is it more that you might just have to deliver? There are groups working their tails off to move the independence debate on ... and the sound of silence from Holyrood is deafening. Time to bite the bullet and own up to why ... excuses galore I can hear already. If the party do not honour their claim to seek independence, their voters will totally vanish like snow off a dyke and you will be the dream that never was! E Ahern East Kilbride THE front page of Monday's National featured a large image of First Minister John Swinney and a bold headline featuring his recent statement 'WE MUST TURN INDY SUPPORT INTO REAL POLITICAL ACTION'. I would suggest that John's cart is firmly in front of his horse. His statement should have read 'WE MUST TURN REAL POLITICAL ACTION INTO INDY SUPPORT'. Time is short, as May 2026 is less than a year away and approaching fast. Unless we see real and meaningful action, and reaction, from the Scottish Government we may sadly see a change in the political party forming that government for the next five years and the removal of independence from any and all political agendas until, at the very least, 2031. READ MORE: SNP must turn support for independence into 'real political action', says Swinney If the Hamilton by-election result (44% turnout and 13% of the electorate voting SNP) has proved anything, it is that many of the claimed 54% indy supporters are staying in their homes waiting for a lead from John and the rest of the SNP leadership. From deleted Covid WhatsApp messages to a failure to establish the promised Scottish national power company (something that would have transformed the energy market in Scotland), the perception of incompetence in government has finally caught up with the SNP. From ferries failures and NHS waiting lists to the basic refusal to define what a woman actually is have raised doubts and fears in the public's mind. Use of iPads and taking ministerial cars to football matches are relatively small issues but they register large in the concerns of individual voters. The public also cannot fail to see the multiple, costly court cases which have been raised, fought and eventually lost. There are fewer than 8000 hours until the polling stations open and voting to choose a new a new Scottish Parliament begins. 8000 hours to save our independence dreams. Glenda Burns Glasgow
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
When is the spending review 2025 and what will it announce?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The NHS, schools and defence are rumoured to be the biggest winners of Rachel Reeves' spending review when she makes her announcement later on this week. The Chancellor is expected to outline a £113 billion funding boost to schools, the NHS, transport, defence and the police in her upcoming spending plan. The review is very different from the budget as Reeves won't be announcing any changes to how the Treasury raises cash. She can only allocate the cash it has, or knows it is going to get. The government sets out its spending plans every few years at spending reviews, with the most recent review taking place at 2021. Reeves will make the spending announcement on Wednesday, June 11 at about 12.30pm from the House of Commons shortly after the weekly Prime Minister's Questions. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sign up here. The NHS, the police, defence, science and tech, education, transport and local government are all said to be the topics that Reeves will outline how much cash has been allocated towards tomorrow. Earlier today, it was report the Home Office was the last department to agree on a budget. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It came after two senior government watchdogs wrote to the Prime Minister and urged for more funding to be allocated if the government wants to achieve its promise to cut violence against women and girls in half. More Trending Police chiefs have put pressure on the government, saying talking about being 'tough on crime' is not 'enough.' 'There must be funding to match,' Police Superintendents' Association Nick Smart, and Tiff Lynch, acting national chairman for the Police Federation of England and Wales, said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said: 'The spending review is settled, we will be focused on investing in Britain's renewal so that all working people are better off. 'The first job of the Government was to stabilise the British economy and the public finances, and now we move into a new chapter to deliver the promise and change.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Sizewell C nuclear plant gets £14,200,000,000 green light from government MORE: Government finally reveals who will get winter fuel payout after U-turn MORE: Rachel Reeves reveals £15,000,000,000 transport projects – here's what we know
