OxBlog

Thursday, April 17, 2003

# Posted 11:42 AM by Patrick Belton  

A SAD DAY FOR BRITAIN: This morning Sir John Stevens releases the third report of an official investigation into collusion between loyalist terrorists in Northern Ireland and rogue elements within UK military intelligence and the RUC's Special Branch (see BBC article here). The report finds that rogue government employees - apparently including a currently serving Brigadier and British military attache - aided and abetted UDA paramilitary henchmen in the 1989 murder of Catholic solicitor Pat Finucane and the 1987 killing of Protestant student Adam Lambert (which is thought to be a case of mistaken identity), and also subsequently obstructed the efforts of official inquiries up to the present.

This news is sad, and even sadder when considered against the history of collaboration between London and Dublin against operations of both republican and loyalist terrorists in troubled Ulster. The record of the two governments in jointly combating all forms of terrorism in the province is perhaps not spotless, but it is strong nevertheless. However, if currently serving figures in the Army and police conspired in the recent past to turn the world's oldest democracy into a state sponsor of terror, then they will justly deserve every punishment and ignominy incumbent upon them under the law.
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