The £195 million spend on the Saville Report into the Bloody Sunday events has, at last we can confidently assume, got to the truth of what happened on that awful day. 14 entirely innocent people were gunned down by soldiers who fired the first shots. The Army then lied about their actions. Most of the people killed were either fleeing or going to help the injured.
The facts are shockingly stark, and the Prime Minister is to be praised for the frankness and clarity of the messages spelled out – and the apology which accompanied his statement. He said his government and the country were “deeply sorry”. The report by former High Court judge Lord Saville of Newdigate marks a turning point in public communication.
There is no hint of spin or obfuscation – it is clear, brutally honest, and unequivocal. This must be not only right, but also surely a marker for the future. The masters of spin have had their day.
But we must also live with the consequences of plain unadorned truth. There will almost certainly be unrest in Northern Ireland in the days ahead. The deep seated grievance in the nationalist community at the unimaginable cost in human lives of a civil rights demonstration will be as fresh in their minds today as it was nearly forty years ago. We now have to wait, and see if the direct honesty displayed by the UK authorities, the open admission of fault and blame, and the refusal to play down the awfulness of the evidence, will be enough to make all sides accept that the future for peace in Northern Ireland is being handled in good faith.
Tags: Bloody Sunday, Northern Ireland, Saville
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