[Archived] Saville Report

[philipl]

Whatever the rights and wrongs, the loss of so many young lives was a tragedy.

This insight into the sort of people who were in the Paras at that time hopefully will balance the view of those who see Saville as selling out on Britain.

This American editorial sums up my feelings exactly.

Despite the horrors reported on, it makes me feel proud to be British this morning that we live in democracy that is big enough to look into the past this way and be unequivocal. I just hope the current Iraq enquiry has the same robust approach to brushing aside a previous whitewash masquerading as a judicial enquiry.

[SouthAussieRover]

Whatever the rights and wrongs, the loss of so many young lives was a tragedy.

This insight into the sort of people who were in the Paras at that time hopefully will balance the view of those who see Saville as selling out on Britain.

This American editorial sums up my feelings exactly.

Despite the horrors reported on, it makes me feel proud to be British this morning that we live in democracy that is big enough to look into the past this way and be unequivocal. I just hope the current Iraq enquiry has the same robust approach to brushing aside a previous whitewash masquerading as a judicial enquiry.

Do you get off on posting/creating this sort of thread?

I'll leave it at this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/northern_ireland/10325283.stm

[jim mk2]

Irish nationalists and their thuggish political supporters will no doubt be celebrating today but then the Irish do love have to have a grievance and this one has been festering for 40 years. Now can we have a report into the atrocities committed by the IRA in Manchester, Guildford, Birmingham and elsewhere in mainland Britian and an apology from the Irish nationalist terrorist movement for all the young British soldiers they murdered during "the Troubles".

[koi]

Having a t'other 'alf who is from NI I am only too aware of the feelings the people of NI people. I thought I had a grasp on the subject until I met 'er indoors and the family, friends etc (of which there are people on both sides and have been active). Believe me, unless you have experience of this you cannot begin to imagine how it has effected everyone in NI.

[thenodrog]

We live in a blame culture. Bloody Sunday was not a good day all around but if the people of Northern Ireland want to apportion blame conclusively they only need to look in a mirror.

[Ozz]

Is the first sentence in it....Now then, now then, now then?

[tashor]

The conclusions of this report could've been compiled from cut and pasting wikipedia - and yet lawyers have pocketed the best part of £200,000,000 for "uncovering" the bleedin' obvious and some hereabouts think Jimmy's flatulence is a good thing !!! Blair's mates with their rich snouts in the trough AGAIN!! Did his wife get her share??

Why not just give the families of each victim £10m and put the rest to good causes??..............

Saville's report is only the start of it,

Class action lawsuit and now you’re a part of it,

Now he's done it,

Jim has fixed it for you,

And you and you.....( etc. 14 times...)

There must be someone

That you always wanted to sue,

The bloody Paras are those that you wanted to,

Now you can do it,

Jim has fixed it for you,

And you and you......( repeat 14 times...............)

[BiggusLaddus]

Let them have a celebration, give them someone to blame and then draw a line under the whole thing. The first enquiry was a whitewash in the Army's favour and this appears to be a very expensive reversal. That's fine, lets move on.

There should not be any prosecutions or naming of soldiers as a result of this enquiry or we will be dragged back 30yrs. Massive allowances were given in the Good Friday agreement that should now be reciprocated to show the world that things really have changed.

[47er]

Typical stuff from the Establishment. Set up a sham enquiry immediately, then give in eventually and set up a real one. Ensure it takes 30 years and then say "too long ago, let's move on".

Just remember these atrocities were committed in our name and are a stain on our nation.The fact that the IRA and splinter groups are just as appalling is no excuse. Its the ordinary people of Derry that were affected in a PEACEFUL march. Think how you would feel if you lost your son/husband /daughter etc in such abominable circumstances.

Members of the paras didn't just fire on unarmed protesters, they subsequently lied to official enquires about it. One soldier alone is known to have committed 4 murders on his own-Soldier F if you're interested. People were shot in the back trying to escape, others were shot trying to crawl away because they were already injured. But "our country right or wrong" eh?

[mac]

Will these murderer's be punished?

[thenodrog]

Just remember these atrocities were committed in our name and are a stain on our nation.

I can live with it.

Like Jimmk2 I can rem the other side of the coin too. Atrocities committed by the Irish on innocent people who were neither marching nor protesting, men women and children who were not throwing bricks and petrol bombs at soldiers but were on a night out or shopping or simply attending a Remembrance day service.

his report albeit from Wiki illustrates the events in Northern Ireland in the months leading up to Bloody Sunday and possibly illustrates the mood of the British Army at that time.

"there was disorder across Northern Ireland following the introduction of internment, with 21 people being killed in three days of rioting.[16] On 10 August Bombardier Paul Challenor became the first soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA in Derry, when he was shot by a sniper on the Creggan estate.[14] A further six soldiers had been killed in Derry by mid-December 1971.[17] 1,932 rounds were fired at the British Army, who also faced 211 explosions and 180 nail bombs[17] and who fired 364 rounds in return. Provisional IRA activity also increased across Northern Ireland with thirty British soldiers being killed in the remaining months of 1971, in contrast to the ten soldiers killed during the pre-internment period of the year.[16] Both the Official IRA and Provisional IRA had established "no-go" areas for the British Army and RUC in Derry through the use of barricades.[18] By the end of 1971, 29 barricades were in place to prevent access to what was known as Free Derry, 16 of them impassable even to the British Army's one-ton armoured vehicles.[18] IRA members openly mounted roadblocks in front of the media, and daily clashes took place between nationalist youths and the British Army at a spot known as "aggro corner".[18] Due to rioting and damage to shops caused by incendiary devices, an estimated total of £4 million worth of damage had been done to local businesses.[18]

In January 1972 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association intended, despite the ban, to organise a march in Derry to protest against internment. The authorities who knew of the proposed march decided to allow it to proceed in the nationalist areas of the city, but to stop it from reaching Guildhall Square, as planned by the organisers. Major General Robert Ford, then Commander of Land Forces in Northern Ireland, ordered that 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (1 PARA) should travel to Derry to be used to arrest possible rioters during the march.[19]"/i]

Has the Saville report brought any of these dead back to life? Thought not. ###### happens. Get over it and move on. There are far more important events and far worse atrocities in history to reflect on than the rioting following following the march on 30/01/72.

[Al]

Will these murderer's be punished?

It's not easy to justify but I can understand how the paras felt after so many fellow soldiers lost their lives because of the IRA.

[thenodrog]

Will these murderer's be punished?

mac I've just looked at your profile. You were 2 in 1971. You can remember nothing about events at that time. If they had to punish every Irish murderer by hanging there wouldn't be enough rope and the population of NI would probably fit in Ewood Park.

[broadsword]

Let's put all the IRA bomb-planters back in prison first. They hardly served sentences. Then we'll talk about whether the para's should be put away for "murder".

Technically, they can't be prosecuted for it anyway.