Phillip Johnston raises an interesting question upon reading, in Jonathan Powell’s book on the Peace Process™, that Martin McGuinness never understood why the British ever initiated the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday: ie, what on earth was it for if the current Deputy First Minister believes an apology would have sufficed. So who’s big (£181.2m) idea was it? Answer: the Irish Government. Powell:
“The inquiry … has failed to give satisfaction to either side. The nadir for me was when Martin McGuinness said to me in a private conversation some years later that he didn’t know why we had done it: he thought an apology would have been quite sufficient.”
Yet, it is hardly surprising that McGuinness (who had been an IRA commander in the city at the time) was no enthusiast of this particular inquiry, since he refused to give detailed answer surrounding a number of accusations himself.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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