Left to itself, the oligarchy that we are supposed to be so pleased is now running Northern Ireland would have gone ahead with its proposed "compensation" of terrorists.
Thankfully, there is still a Secretary of State at Westminster to stop such things.
I think you miss the bigger picture and bigger scandal.
ReplyDeleteThe compensation element "onl" amonts to £30 million.
A further budget of nearly £300 million is set aside for the "Victims Industry" a flourishing and lucrative industry in Belfast.
The Victims families have ALREADY received compensation. Some have even received the Truth (something they all seem to want and not readily offered).
My experience of victims is that there is no real single voice.
Is it the late Mrs McCartan a woman who lost two sons to loyalist kllers and worked tirelessly for Peace. Is it Mr McBride who lost his wife and child to the Republican killers in the Shankill Bomb. Likewise instrumental in Peace campaigns.
Is it Willie Fraser (he prolly has a Blog somewhere) rejected by the Electorate for shroud waving that the DUP were selling out?
Is it Mrs O'Hara the moyther of a hunger striker who waved a shroud at Sinn Féins sell out and was also rejected.
My own modest proposal is that each adult alive in "Northern Ireland" today receive £100 for every adult year 1968-1998 which gives me £2,400 and my wife a slighlty smaller amount.
Much more cost effective than paying out £12,000 to other "victims"
This isn't all that bad an idea, actually.
ReplyDeleteIts a brilliant idea :)
ReplyDeleteAs most people are probably under 25 and therefore not adult in 1998,they dont qualify for anything. And as the people who were say 70 in 1968 are all dead, they dont qualify either.
Thus only a minority of people qualify and not everyone qualifies for EVERY year.
Thus the Compo Bill is much less than the £300 million designated for the Victims Industry.
This will disappoint the wonderfully named Institute for Conflict Resolution at Queens University, Belfast which is looking forward to getting their snouts in this very deep trough.
Anything that puts money into my account while depriving the accounts of the good folk at Queens meets with my approval.
Ooops ..it seems I unwittingly posted anonymously. I never do that so I should confirm that Post #3 is indeed mine..........a follow up to the first post I made.
ReplyDeleteNever let it be said that I could not put my name to a piece critical of an august body like the QUB Conflict Resolution Institute. If the good folks at QUB cannot have a budget to meet and greet people in conflict from Iraq, Afghanistan etc.....they would never know that conflicts can be easily resolved by saying we are "all right and all wrong". Its that easy.
JohnJGMooney