Turn legacy issues over to London and Dublin, say victims
NORTHERN Ireland’s political parties are incapable of dealing with legacy issues, it has been claimed.
Denis Bradley, co-author of a report into the legacy of the Troubles with Archbishop Robin Eames, said responsibility should be given to the British and Irish governments.
Mr Bradley was speaking at the opening of an exhibition by the Wave Trauma Centre victims’ group in Londonderry.
The exhibition, which features 10 people from across Northern Ireland left with severe life-changing and life-limiting injuries, is part of Wave’s pension campaign.
The organisation is seeking a small pension for around 500 of the most disabled Troubles victims — a move that would cost the Government approximately £5m per year.
Mr Bradley, former vice-chairman of the Policing Board and a former priest, said the collapse of Stormont offered the group its best chance of success over the pensions.
He explained: “There has never been a better time to solve this. The reason for that is that in our report we said our local politicians could not deal with the past — the only people to deal with the past were the (British and Irish) governments.
“The two governments didn’t ask our politicians to deal with policing — they dealt with it. They didn’t ask the local politicians to deal with decommission- ing — they dealt with it. They should never have asked our local political parties to deal with the past. They cannot do it.
“They will fight this to kingdom come and they will cry about all the compassion they have for people in wheelchairs, but they will not solve it.
“This is the moment to solve it. Karen Bradley, go to her, petition her, fight her. Simon Coveney, go to him, fight him.
“This is the moment to challenge both governments and to solve this and solve it as soon as possible.
“Forget our local political parties. Our local political parties will say, ‘Thank God for that’.”
Alan McBride, a spokesman for the Wave victims, said he also believed the Secretary of State could bring their campaign to a satisfactory end.
“We have been asking the Government now for the past seven years to make this pension a reality,” he said.
“We didn’t fare that well when the Assembly was up and running.
“Everyone supported the pension, but they couldn’t make it happen because of the eligibility issues around Sinn Fein and the DUP.
“There is an opportunity now for Westminster to do something the Assembly couldn’t do.
“We are asking Karen Bradley to take this away from our politicians and to do it now that the Assembly is down.
“Now is the time to make this pension become a reality. We are hopeful it will happen.”