OTR (On The Ropes)

Sinn Féin has rejected the British government's On-The-Runs legislation.

You almost feel sorry for Tony Blur's government. Yes, the man who brought us 'constructive ambiguity' and, as a poorly disguised sop to the IRA, passed legislation through the Commons to let all terrorist murderers off without spending a single day in jail has just been dealt the ultimate humiliation by the very party whose nether regions he was tongue-probing.

If it wasn't so sick, it'd be funny.

The reason for Pat Doherty's rejection? He's insisting that, whilst terrorist murderers go unpunished, British crown forces who abused their power to kill terrorists should not be let off the hook in the same way. He's saying that a soldier who kills members of an active IRA unit about to murder policemen in Loughgall should go to jail, but a paramilitary who shot a police reservist dead on his doorstep in front of his 5-year-old daughter should go free.

Do I think Doherty is right to reject the OTR legislation? Actually, yes. I've explained here why I think the legislation is morally wrong and against human rights. It compromises every principle of justice I know. My reasoning is defensible, but Doherty's is just sick.

The negotiating strategy is interesting: Sinn Féin knows that the government, having cajoled the law through the Commons, will not now suffer the humiliation of withdrawing it. So, barring rejection in the Lords and (possibly) Strasbourg, it'll go onto the statute books, thereby giving Republican terrorists all the benefits they originally pressed so hard for. By stating its dissatisfaction at this late stage, however, SF permits itself to retain the issue as a gripe and so help stem alienation of its hardline electorate.

It just goes to show what a mess you get yourself into when you starting compromising basic principles, and if Tony's on the ropes pending a knock-out, that's fine by me because the man simply isn't fit to govern.

The Big thing: devolve full governmental powers to Ulster, and let all our parties govern us. They'd do a better job, especially now that all those spies are out of the way. Allegedly.