THE WAR ON TERROR

In the latest episode of Labour appeasement of the IRA, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Peter Hain, announced plans that allow approximately 100 IRA terrorists to avoid prison.

In a new bill, which the House of Commons passed by 48 votes, terrorists wanted by the police for offences pre-dating the Good Friday Agreement will be able to appear before a special tribunal. Even if convicted they will be released on licence immediately and will not spend a single day in jail.

This includes the killers who bombed Enniskillen and Warrington.

The bill is the result of a secret deal Labour struck with the Sinn Fein/IRA in 2001.

Although Mr Hain denied that he had caved in to threats from the IRA to start a new bombing campaign, he said:

‘I think there would have been no guarantee at all that we would have seen an end to the IRA’s terror campaign. That is the point.’

Mr Hain compared the move to events in South Africa at the end of apartheid.

Mr Hain had to apologise for referring to IRA killers as ‘political prisoners’ during a radio interview before the debate.

Of course Northern Ireland is a democracy. South Africa was not as blacks were denied the vote. Mr Hain’s comparison with South Africa is therefore specious.

There is no justification for terrorism at any time, and certainly none in a democracy. Just because a group loses a vote does not entitle them to commit murder.

The appeasement of the IRA and the manner in which Labour have been prepared to tolerate IRA racketeering and bank robbing, is a further affront to democracy. In the long run, appeasement does not work.