Peace deals - A bitter pill that worked

Time and distance make it somewhat easier to accept this island’s difficult past, at least for those lucky enough not to have to endure the atrocities of terrorists’ of all hues.

For those who were directly affected — and their communities — it may be a very different story.

That British Prime Minister David Cameron had to appoint a judge to investigate the operation of a British government scheme to deal with on-the-run republicans after resignation threats from the North’s first minister Peter Robinson is a reminder of how raw the hurts of the past remain for some people.

Nevertheless it is an opportunity to glance in the rearview mirror and wonder if the unpalatable, viscerally challenging concessions to terror prisoners and fugitives were worthwhile. Though a very bitter pill to swallow today’s relative peace and harmony are an irrefutable argument for the policy.