Bradley’s ignorance on the Troubles shows double-think

IRELAND should never publicly opine on British cabinet appointments. The Northern Ireland secretary is often an English person (supposedly for ‘partiality’) – but they have often in the past displayed scant knowledge of the niceties of NI.

Mo Mowlam in that position engaged heroically in spite of health problems to facilitate the eventual Good Friday Agreement (GFA).

The Irish and British governments are, if you like, ‘guardians’ for that GFA (even if the Brexiteer wing doesn’t seem too burdened by that responsibility). Granted it is an ‘intricate’, complex posting and it’s hard to expect any outsider to ever fully ‘get’ all the little nuances.

However, I think indirectly, through confidential diplomatic channels, our Government should be expressing shock at either Karen Bradley’s lack of knowledge or, worse again, lack of concern.

The Troubles weren’t really a ‘war’ per se, but a 30-year-long, dirty, tragic stain with lots of spies, betrayal, double-agents, ordinary criminals, shoot-to-kill policies, state collusion with certain terrorists and whatever you’re having yourself.

Ms Bradley seems to favour the Trumpian/ dystopian “the only one who can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” line.

In her black and white world, ‘our’ guys in uniforms always equal ‘good’. ‘Their’ guys are terrorists in plain clothes and are ‘evil’.

She quotes dubious stats that “under 10pc” of deaths in the Troubles were caused by ‘our good guys’ and because they’re both ours and good, none of those could be considered crimes.

David Cameron apologised unreservedly for the “unjustifiable” crimes of the British army on Bloody Sunday in 1972 in Derry. Maybe she doesn’t know about that, but it seems Ms Bradley now thinks he shouldn’t have apologised because they were just ‘our’ good guys shooting bad guys – just as part of their job.

Tom Richardson

Co Tipperary