Victims won’t attend talks unless they’re restructured: campaigner
A VICTIMS’ campaigner has said he will not be attending any future talks hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace without large changes.
Kenny Donaldson, who represents the advocacy group Innocent Victims United, made the comments after a second meeting due to be held yesterday was postponed following criticism from victims’ groups.
Mr Donaldson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show that he took “no joy” from the talks being postponed and said he would not attend any future meetings without a major reconfiguration of the structure.
“What we are saying to people very clearly now is that there needs to be openness and transparency around these issues,” the campaigner explained.
“The construct of that meeting and the people who were there meant the process was thwarted from the start.”
The first meeting, which took place at Lambeth Palace on November 2, was described by organisers as “a seminar”.
It was attended by government officials, academics, senior republican Sean Murray, high-profile loyalist Winston Irvine and former Bedfordshire Assistant Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, who is heading the Operation Kenova legacy investigation.
Asked if he would attend any future talks, Mr Donaldson told the Nolan Show: “No. There (would need to be) a significant amount of reconfiguration of that process if we were to agree to consider that.
“I think that is true of other victims’ groups also.
“These guys need to start ploughing the long hours instead of putting it together and presenting it as fait accompli and expecting victims on the sidelines to clap (their hands) and say thank you. I won’t have it.”
Mr Donaldson said he was due to meet Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis today to discuss the talks.
Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie told the BBC that victims’ groups were right to be angry about the discussions.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, Jim Roddy and Harold Good (the organisers) were not doing this for anything other than good reasons, but the execution of that was extremely poor,” he added.
“The cast of people invited to that, the manner in which it was convened, the less than open manner in which we all found out about it and the follow-up about what was discussed and how the invites were issued created more confusion.
“If I am honest, the reason it is not taking place is that many of those who attended the first meeting in November will not be attending the one today (Thursday), so they had to cancel it.”
The two men behind the talks, Londonderry city centre manager Mr Roddy and the Rev Good, the former president of Ireland’s Methodist Church, said they wanted to include victims’ groups in future discussions.
“We have heard the criticism that we should have done more to include a broader range of victims’ voices in the conversation,” they explained in a statement released to the media.
“We have decided to reschedule our follow-up discussions.
“In the time remaining between now and Christmas and immediately after, we and our other stakeholders plan to engage in wider discussions with the victims’ sector and others.”