DUP Leader meets Secretary of State over Eames-Bradley

DUP Leader Rt. Hon. Peter Robinson MP MLA has told the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that compensation proposals contained in the Eames Bradley Report which make no distinction between the terrorist and the terrorised are fomenting division in the community and hurt among victims and should be disregarded by the Government. Commenting after an hour long meeting with Shaun Woodward the East Belfast MP said,
“This was a very useful meeting where I was able to convey the strong opposition to proposals which make no distinction between the terrorist and those people who they terrorised.
The Eames Bradley Report, though not yet published, is irreparably damaged as a result of this offensive payment proposal which would view those such as the Shankill bombers in the same light as their innocent victims. Such a suggestion is grossly offensive. There can be no equivalence between those who went out with the clear intention of murdering and those men and women who were slaughtered as they went about their daily business.
The manner in which the consultative group allowed information to be selectively published has also damaged and undermined the totality of its work. The issue of victims and dealing with the past is contentious and must be dealt with in a sensitive and sensible way. However, the Group’s one-size-fits-all approach totally disregards these sensitivities.
It is abundantly clear that the Eames Bradley report has failed to garner the consensus on dealing with the past which it originally set out to achieve. The Secretary of State is now fully aware that the Democratic Unionist Party does not consider such an outcome as set out in the Eames Bradley group as offering any basis for dealing with the Troubles from which we have emerged. Their approach not only blurs the line between victims and perpetrators but also ignores the tens of thousands who were seriously injured.
The Report is also replete with a duplication of functions and roles which overlap, in many instances, with matters already within the purview of, and best left to, the Victims Commissioners.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *