Paul GallagherAs we approach the 10thSeptember deadline set by the Northern Ireland Office into its open consultation aimed at “Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past”, it is important to set out the various reasons why we all, as a society, should contribute to this call. This consultation relates to the various mechanisms set out in the Stormont House Agreement in late 2014.
As someone who was severely injured during our long conflict, I approach this consultation, on the one hand, with a degree of hope that something will finally be done to deal with the human legacy of this violent period in our history, and on the other hand, with a sense of disappointment and disgust that certain aspects of the SHA have been excluded, namely the proposed Pension for the Severely Injured. This reality means that I have a dog in this fight. I want the Pension included in any final settlement on these issues. The current consultation really matters to me and to people like me.
Over the years I have come to know many people who have been directly affected by violent conflict. People from across the community who have been harmed in various ways by all of the various groups involved. This has given me an insight into how they have been affected and what they say they need. It has helped me to empathise with them, to understand them and for them to understand me and my needs. This is something we all should be doing.
When we think about what is proposed we first have to ask: who is this for? I would respond that, first and foremost, it should be for those who were most affected by the violence: the victims and survivors. Their loss, their grief, their pain, their trauma and their suffering should not be ignored any longer. It must be dealt with now. This is the last chance.
Second, we have to take any attempt to deal with the past in the wider sense: it is for all of us in this society and therefore all citizens should have their say in how it will be shaped. It is no longer tenable for those who say they were not directly affected by the conflict to ignore the after-effects of it. The legacy of violence permeates through this society and has done for centuries in the form of sectarianism, bitterness, fear, resentment and apathy. Our body politic is crippled by this legacy, our daily lives blighted by segregation in our schools and in our services. This has costs for us all and needs to be tackled.
These proposals, while not perfect, could form the basis and structures of something that may give many victims and survivors the chance to achieve some sense of truth, justice, accountability and understanding about what happened to their loved ones. This is why it is important to give these proposals a fair chance of succeeding. By giving up a little bit of our time now we can help to alleviate the trauma and suffering. We probably all know someone who was affected by the conflict in some way or another. Do something for them.
This is not to say that everyone will get what they want from these proposals but if what comes out at the other end is a sense that those in authority have done all they can to help then I, for one, would be satisfied with this. It may be good enough for many others too and that is worth the effort. If the process is seen as fair and independent, focused on the victims and survivors, then the final outcome, however unsatisfactory for some, may be acceptable to the vast majority. That is all we can ask.
There are many voices out there who would rather that a line be drawn under the past, that we should all just forget about all those troubles and just move on. This approach may, on the face of it, seem reasonable but it has not worked to now and will not work in the future. Families who have been looking for answers about the events surrounding the killings of their loved ones have been at this for years. Many have died waiting but the next generation fights on.
This do-nothing approach is cruel to the victims and counter-productive to a society that truly wants to move on. The injustice felt by these families and the communities in which they live means that they cannot move on. Not until the truth is known and justice, not always criminal justice, is served. Not until they get answers. Not until the stigma is lifted and the names of their loved ones are cleared. This is what many struggle for. Who are we to deny this?
The mechanisms agreed upon in the SHA comprise a separate investigative body with full police powers – The Historical Investigations Unit (HIU); a ‘truth recovery’ body – The Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR); an Oral History Archive (OHA); and the Implementation and Reconciliation Group (IRG). The first two are aimed at the pillars of justice and truth and deal exclusively with deaths. The OHA is something that all of us can contribute to. Many of us will have our stories to tell about our experiences at that time whether we were directly affected or not. This is open to everyone.
Even the current generation, those born after the violence subdued, can contribute and speak to how they feel about the after-effects of it all on their lives today. This is the place where our voices can be heard. The IRG is where all of the voices, all of the investigations and all of the truth-telling is to be submitted in the hope that themes and patterns could emerge to give us the basis for building reconciliation and the potential transformation of our society.
Noble aims, I know, but what choice do we have? Do we continue with what we have been doing up to now? Churning people through the various piecemeal mechanisms we have in place at the minute. Or do we try to find another way? The politicians gave us these proposals back in 2014. They follow on from a succession of previous attempts over the years including Bloomfield (1998),Consultative Group on the Past – Eames/Bradley (2009) and Haass/O’Sullivan (2013) and not much has changed within them. This is because many of the victims and survivors themselves have asked the politicians for them. It is time for society to have their say on what they have given us.
These are the most important questions that have been asked of this population since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Take the time to look through the consultation and say something about it. If you don’t contribute then please don’t complain as these issues keep seeping out like the proverbial blood under the door for many years into the future.