Public Money

[wordfromthewise]

Can anyone try to explain to me why even in the difficult context of 70s Northern Ireland how an enquiry into why 14 unnarmed men involved in a civil rights march were shot by the British Army should take place 26 years after the actual event and last for 12 years and cost nearly 200 million pounds?

With respect to the victims of this atrocity and their families and after what seems like a thoroughly predictable outcome with thoroughly predictable platitudinal apologies to follow, is someone going to address the underlying issue of why these types of enquiries are delayed for so long,take so long once they do start and cost such a ridiculous amount of money,half of which ends up in lawyers pockets.

There has to be a better way surely but I am just as sure that nothing will change.

[Pompete]

It is a shocking amount of money and has taken a shocking amount of time to produce but I do feel public enquires are in principle an important part of our democracy.

However, in my view, for them to work properly they should provide anonymity to the witnesses/those called if required and protection from any prosecution but only on the very strict basis that the truth, all of the truth is told and should this not be the case then very strict prison sentences should follow.

Of course, in some cases the protection from prosecution will ‘feel’ wrong but fundamentally this enquiry and the previous one on Bloody Sunday took so long because the British Army and State Agents lied or failed to provide all of the evidence at hand.

[Seven Towers]

Lawyers had a vested interest in making sure it took as long as possible as they would get paid as much as possible. Unfortunately as the last government was largely made up of ex-members of the legal profession they let them get away with it.

[Author]

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