Are the Irish Troubles over Once and For All?

A proposal by the United Kingdom government to prevent further prosecutions surrounding events that occurred during the Irish Troubles could mean a fresh start for Northern Ireland, with that horrendous period of history put firmly behind them. However, not all people in the country agree with this step and believe that retribution for the families of people killed during this period should be available for much longer.

British soldiers drag ringleaders from a rock throwing mob and beat them severely in Londonderry.

Photo by Ian Berry.

In order to understand the significance of this proposal, you must first understand what The Troubles were, and how much of an impact they have had on Northern Ireland, as well as Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The Troubles were a civil war that took place in Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1998. It was caused by a rift between the Protestant unionists who wished Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the Catholic nationalists who wanted Northern Ireland to join with The Republic of Ireland. Around 3,600 people died, and more than 30,000 were wounded. Northern Ireland was a very unsafe place to be, and there were areas of the country that would be fatal if you supported the wrong side. Most people have their own opinion surrounding who was the villain during the conflict, but both the British army and the terrorist group the Irish Republican Army (IRA) committed atrocities that were often indiscriminate of the victims’ age or intentions.

The Troubles finally came to an end in 1998, and the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, was signed by both the British and Irish governments. This was a peace agreement between the two countries, where they promised to respect the freedom of citizens of Northern Ireland to choose for themselves whether they are British or Irish, and never to use violence and force as a tool to further their political agendas again.

This new proposal comes seven years after the Stormont House Agreement was signed in 2014, which set out a plan to improve the financial and cultural future of Northern Ireland, with an emphasis on reconciliation between the Protestant and Catholic factions in the country, who are still mostly segregated.

This new policy paper, entitled ‘Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past’ was published on July 14, 2021, and was written by Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary. It explains that the current system of criminal proceedings for cases related to The Troubles does not work, and that “the intense focus on divisive legal processes continues to drive wedges between communities and undermine public confidence in the police as they go about their work today.” If Northern Ireland is to move on from its past, the publication claims, a new tactic needs to be adopted, and “a bold, but difficult, step is required in order to provide information, certainty, acknowledgement, and reconciliation, for all those directly affected by The Troubles and wider NI society.”

21 July 1972 became known as Bloody Friday after at least 20 bombs were planted and detonated by the IRA’s Belfast brigade. Nine people were killed and more than 130 injured in the attacks. Photo by the BBC.

No policies have been put in place yet, but the paper proposes that the system that should be followed would include a new independent body being created “to enable individuals and family members to seek and receive information about Troubles-related deaths and injuries.” This will help families to get information and closure about what happened to their loved ones, and all parties, including the British police and armed forces, will be expected to fully disclose any relevant information to this new body.

The second step in this new system would be a major oral history initiative, which would present the first-hand experiences of people who suffered during The Troubles. This would be made up of online and physical resources from people of all walks of life and both sides of the conflict, so that people, especially those too young to have experienced The Troubles themselves, can access an unbiased account of the events. This is especially important for the reconciliation between communities in Northern Ireland, since, as the policy paper states, “the trauma of the past is passed down to generations with no direct experience of those horrors, reinforcing and renewing division between communities.”

The last, and most controversial, step in this process, will be the introduction of a statute of limitations that will apply to all Troubles-related incidents. This will mean a blanket ban on pursuing any criminal cases surrounding the conflict, and the hope is that this would not only draw a line under that horrible part of history, but also increase faith in the new information body, therefore encouraging survivors and family-members to contribute evidence to it.

The proposal was brought in front of the U.K. parliament, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already confirmed that they plan to go ahead with the ideas put forward in it. Not everybody in Northern Ireland agrees with this course of action.

A “peace wall”, erected by the British authorities, separates Catholics (left) from Protestants. Vast areas of these walls still stand in Belfast.

Photo by A. Abba.

Amnesty, a charity that supports victims of human rights abuse, rejects the proposal. Grainne Teggart, their Northern Ireland Campaign Manager, stated that “the U.K. government is showing an appalling and offensive disregard for victims; grossly dismissing their suffering and rights to truth, justice and accountability”, and believes that a statute of limitations will be much in favor of the British government, and will let soldiers and police officers who were meant to be keeping the peace get away with committing unthinkable atrocities.

Likewise, Louise Haigh, the shadow Northern Ireland Secretary says that the U.K. government promised to give answers to the families of people who were hurt or killed during The Troubles and “to tear up that pledge would be insulting, and to do so without the faintest hint of consultation with those who lost loved ones would be staggeringly insensitive.”

Undoubtedly, the debate about whether this is the right course of action will continue long after the government puts new legislation in place and will split citizens of the U.K. and the wider world in terms of their allegiance, as does every issue surrounding The Troubles. However, the hope is that this is a big step towards The Troubles becoming just another part of history, and one which no longer shapes the society of an entire country.