An In-Depth Look at Victims, Survivors and Legacy Issues from the Troubles
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VIEW An independent social affairs magazine www.viewdigital.org Issue 51, 2019 £2.95 Jennifer McNern, who lost both her legs in the Abercorn bomb, Belfast, in 1972. Read Jennifer’s story on page seven Neil Harrison 2018: copyright: WAVE Trauma Centre; Injured On That Day Photograpic Exhibition An in-depth look at victims, survivors and legacy issues from the Troubles VIEW, Issue 51, 2019 www.viewdigital.org Page 2 Victims’ story must be top of the news agenda overnment disregard for victims that the CAIN (Conflict Archive on the and survivors cannot be tolerated. Internet) archive on the Troubles should be GIt will be judged on its actions kept open and fully funded. following the public consultation on the Peter Heathwood, an injured group proposed new Troubles legacy institutions. member of the WAVE Trauma Centre – The media must make sure this is top of the grassroots charity offering care and the news agenda. support to people bereaved, injured and VIEW welcomes the new media traumatised as a result of the Troubles – guidelines on reporting conflict-related has diligently contributed to the issues. Paul Gallagher, chairman of the CAIN archive. Victims and Survivors Trust said that Journalists, along with film and theatre journalists have an “important part to play practitioners like Cahal McLaughlin and Jo in calling out injustice and have the power Egan can all contribute by working with to shine a bright light into the dark parts victims and survivors, to ensure their of our past”. By Una Murphy voices are heard. We back the Amnesty campaign to VIEWdigital co-founder And that Government inaction ends support journalists Trevor Birney and once and for all. [email protected] Barry McCaffrey, arrested under the Official Secrets Act after working colleague Martin O’Hagan was murdered • On behalf of VIEWdigital, I on the award-winning documentary for doing his job; other journalists were would also like to thank guest ‘No Stone Unturned’ which looked at the injured, physically and mentally, while editor Alan McBride and the 1994 Loughinisland massacre. covering the Troubles. Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Journalists were among those at the The first rough draft of history is whose support immensely helped scene following atrocities and one produced by journalists and we believe the production of this issue. Go to our website WWW.VIEWDIGITAL.ORG to read more stories and how to sign up to receive regular issues of VIEW magazine Become a VIEWdigital champion Contact Una Murphy at [email protected] if you enjoy our work and want to know more about becoming a VIEWdigital champion Contact VIEW editor Brian Pelan at [email protected] Contact VIEW deputy editor Kathryn Johnson at [email protected] Contact VIEW publisher Una Murphy at [email protected] Making a complaint to VIEWdigital – www.viewdigital.org/2018/08/08/making-a-complaint-to-viewdigital/ VIEW, Issue 51, 2019 www.viewdigital.org Page 3 VIEW, an independent social affairs Editorial magazine in Northern Ireland By guest editor Alan McBride, Manager, Wave Trauma Centre lost my wife 25 years ago at the hands over and invited me and Zoe to a of the IRA. At the time I worked as a barbeque at their house. I explained that Ibutcher on the Shankill Road in Belfast, we could go for a while but since it was just a block down from where she and the Eleventh Night I would have to leave nine others lost their lives. Despite the early to go round to the fires. trauma of that day I have tried to remain What happened next has stayed with optimistic about Northern Ireland and the Imagine how me for a long time and has served as a moves by some to bring the violence to reminder of the kind of Northern Ireland an end. society could be which I want to live in. When we arrived There have been undoubted highs, like ‘’ at their house they had built a small the IRA decommissioning their weapons, bonfire in their back garden, just for me. Sinn Fein signing up to policing and age-old transformed if There were no flags on this fire and no adversaries like Ian Paisley and Martin effigy to be burned. I sat around the fire, McGuinness sharing power. Sadly, there we tried to drinking beer and eating a burger. We have also been lows, like the 158 people talked about everything and anything as that have been murdered, the growing our kids laughed and played together in polarisation of politics and the collapse of please our the garden. the Northern Ireland Assembly. Later on as I stood watching an Irish It would appear to many that we are neighbours and Tricolour burn on another loyalist bonfire I going backwards with an apparent inability thought about what had just happened in by even the most forward-thinking make them feel my neighbours’ house and wondered why politicians to stop the slide. That said, the it couldn’t be like that all the time. That’s thing that bothers me the most is that the kind of Northern Ireland I voted for in those who could really make a difference, welcome rather 1998. It’s still the kind of Northern Ireland perhaps the only ones who could make a I want to be part of in 2019. difference, don’t seem to care. than please Imagine how society could be This thought came home to me as I transformed if we tried to please our listened to a radio show a few weeks ago. neighbours and make them feel welcome The Assembly being down was thrashed ourselves? rather than please ourselves? An Irish about by politicians from the two big Language act? No problem. An act that parties, but rather than trying to fix the unmoved by it, but it is my view that the protects the culture of Unionists and problem this morning’s guests were once mechanisms for dealing with the past, Loyalists? No problem. These things don’t again playing the blame game. contained in the Stormont House have to be contradictory or cost the earth It didn’t matter what the issue was as Agreement, have the potential to bring and be delivered at the cost of education they smugly argued the size of their much needed redress to victims and or health. mandates as justification for the stance survivors. Society owes them nothing less, The cost of not doing it is costing us they have taken and the resulting and (if implemented) could lead to so much more in terms of missed stalemate. How long will the electorate let the fresh start so many of them are opportunities and the ability to steer our them get away with this? looking for. own course. How long will those in power I would like to appeal for a different I made my own fresh start when continue to play hardball before the penny kind of politics. It’s time to put the past Sharon died by moving out of my Loyalist drops? We need all our politicians working behind us and to start and deliver the kind estate into a mixed area. I wanted my together to deliver the kind of Northern of Northern Ireland I and so many people daughter to grow up with friends from Ireland envisaged in the Belfast Agreement. like me voted for in the Good Friday all sides of the community and it The agreement didn’t have much to Agreement. That said, the past won’t worked. Zoe got to be friends with a say on victims, but it did say that ‘the simply disappear. It’s for this reason that a couple of little Catholic girls from across achievement of a peaceful and just society process has been put forward to allow the street and I got to be friends with would be the true memorial to the victims society to deal with the past in a their parents. of violence’. way that doesn’t cast a shadow over One Eleventh Night I was getting I believe that’s still the goal and this the future. ready to go round the bonfires, something year I want those that could be in power It isn’t perfect and there will always be I had done since I was a child. My Catholic to climb down off their high horses and those who have suffered that will remain neighbours from across the street called deliver it. VIEW, Issue 51, 2019 www.viewdigital.org Page 4 the BIG interview VIEW editor Brian Pelan talks to Judith Thompson, the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors in Northern Ireland, about the work of her post, the lack of a pension scheme for the most severely disabled victims of the Troubles and other outstanding legacy issues uestion: When do you expect to a victim doing anything. Qthe findings from The Northern Ireland Office Q: What's your definition of a consultation ‘Addressing the victim? Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past’ to be released? A: I work absolutely within the law. The law I work absolutely says a victim is anybody who has been Answer: The consultation closed last injured, anybody who has been bereaved, October with 18,000 responses. We would within the law. The anyone who has been traumatised with expect to know what the findings are in significant attention to first responders the next few weeks. law says a victim is (medics, fire and rescue), anyone who is a carer. Q: Are you hopeful the anybody‘ who’ has consultation will significantly help Q: Do you think people who were to address what you have been injured, anybody injured whilst engaged in violent previously described as “a lack activities can considered to be a of progress”? who has been ‘victim’? A: The outcome of the consultation has to bereaved, anyone A: Under our law they clearly are.