Robinson call for apology ‘impertinent’

What incredible impertinence from Peter Robinson in calling for the government to apologise for its ‘role’ in the emergence of the IRA.

Dublin governments have always condemned the organisation and have co-operated in anti-terrorist legislation.

Is Robinson totally airbrushing out of history an infinitely more important factor — the abuse of power by the old unionist Stormont regime, which systematically discriminated against Catholics when it came to the most basic rights in employment, housing and voting?

The Civil Rights Association reasonably and peacefully protested against this, and were beaten off the streets and boreens for their trouble. The revival of the IRA came about initially for defensive purposes — after Catholics were attacked by security forces and loyalists in Derry and Belfast in 1969.

After the Tories handed over control of the British Army to Stormont in 1970, the war escalated.

For the record, the first civilian assassinations (in 1966), the first bombing and even the first RUC killing of the recent troubles, were all carried out by loyalists.

Judy Peddle

Charleville

Co Cork