Payment Plan for Northern Ireland Reconciliation Provokes Outrage

Katy Greene
January 30th, 2009

On Wednesday, Robin Eames, the former Anglican archbishop of Northern Ireland, and Denis Bradley, a former Catholic priest who is currently vice chairman of Northern Ireland's police board, proposed a reconciliation plan for Northern Ireland. This plan outraged many, due to a provision that would provide payments for the families of those who were killed during the nearly 30 years of violence.
Many people gathered to protest this idea, and to show that the hostility between the two groups in Northern Ireland is still rampant. Many of those who attended the conference had lost family members during the conflicts, and were outraged that those from the other side, who they consider murderers, would recieve any financial consolation. The majority of protestors were those who had lost loved ones in the I.R.A. attacks.
The two authors of the peace proposals seemed shocked that their ideas had provoked so many people. They had been appointed by the British government to come up with a plan to help Northern Ireland achieve a lasting peace. Their plan was partially based on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation panel, which helped heal the country by investigating murders that had never been resolved.
I think that the only way for Northern Ireland to achieve a lasting peace is for both sides to understand the situation fully, and to recognize that both sides were at fault. Although there is no excusing the terrorist actions of the I.R.A., the parlimentaries also committed many violent acts. However, the situation is obviously still a very sensitive subject for those involved, and perhaps things should have been handled more delicately.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/world/europe/29ireland.html?scp=2&sq=Ireland&st=cse