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  • 3 months ago
Speaking to the Ulster Unionist conference, the party's justice spokesperson says he is worried about the government's legacy plans - and calls for investigations into those who directed terrorism during the Troubles.
Transcript
00:00It wasn't inevitable. There was an alternative. Murder, regardless of who committed it, was
00:10not justified, regardless who tries to spin another narrative. There is a difference between
00:20an innocent victim and a perpetrator. And those who try to tell you, me or anybody else
00:29that there is not, using some nonsense, nuanced formula, needs to really get a grip, because
00:37they are doing innocent victims a complete disservice.
00:47We as a party must stand by those very simple statements that I have just made. We should
00:54not be deviating from them in any shape or form. Because everything we do must be justice
01:01centred on legacy. Everything we do must be victim centred on legacy. Those responsible
01:09need to be held to account. And we're not just talking about those who pulled the trigger.
01:13We're not just talking about those who planted the ball. We're talking about those who sent
01:17them out to do it. It's about time we went after those who directed terrorism. And we're
01:24simply not doing it. And our NIO, our Northern Ireland office, our UK government are weak on
01:32this issue. We as a party should be absolutely proud of ourselves. Because where we have struggled
01:38as a country, the United Kingdom, to deal with legacy. And we've had various different iterations
01:45of legacy mechanisms. We as a party have stood strong and looked at them in detail. The Stormont
01:49House Agreement was absolutely and fundamentally flawed. We as a party, the only major party, stood
01:51alone to say no to the Stormont House Agreement. And I remember when Mike was a leader in 2016,
01:53and I was a justice spokesperson then, us arguing that we will never support the Stormont House
02:08Agreement. Why would we never support it? Because they created a parallel police force. Why would
02:14we not support it? Because if you had a desktop historical and environment team investigation,
02:25you would not get an investigation under the Stormont House Agreement. If you were left
02:29limbless, burned, blind, psychologically damaged, you would not get an investigation. If you were
02:36kidnapped in Northern Ireland, ticketed in the Irish Republic, tortured and murdered, you
02:41would not get an investigation. Amnesty is in every turn. And all of the other major parties
02:48says, we'll sign up to that. And we as a party said no. And we stood by that principle.
02:54And we did not support it. We now have new legacy mechanisms. And those new legacy mechanisms
03:01that we have to give time for the legislation to come out so we can see it in detail. But I
03:06am concerned. I am concerned. I am concerned when our Secretary of State keeps saying, we're
03:11going to go back to the principles of the Stormont House Agreement. And that doesn't
03:17bone me with any confidence whatsoever. But we will look at them. We will make a decision,
03:24and then we will come out to that decision. And if it works for victims, all victims, if it's
03:31just as centered, then we can support them. And if it's not, we will not.
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