Trimble says Orangemen conspired to wreck peace process

Former Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has accused elements within the Orange Order leadership of conspiring to damage the peace process.

Speaking at a book launch last night, Mr Trimble, himself an Orangeman, said some unionists had entered a pact with elements in the Orange Order to try and wreck the Good Friday Agreement.

The former UUP leader was launching The Orange Order: A Tradition Betrayed, which was written by long-standing Orangeman Rev Brian Kennaway.

The book claims that the loyalist order has inflicted serious damage on itself by turning a blind eye to paramilitarism and violence in its own ranks.

It says sectarian murderers have escaped expulsion and sash-wearing members have openly attacked the security forces without redress.