Restraint, truth and restorative justice needed

The implications of potential criminal charges against Gerry Adams for the future of peace in Northern Ireland draw timely attention to the loose ends that have as yet not been woven into the peace process.

In fact the process, if it is to be complete, must be one of justice, in so far as the demands of justice can be satisfied within the delicate equilibrium of political peace. If not, it will be a festering ground for the seeds of future strife. History shows that very often it is in the unfinished business of settlements and treaties that future conflicts are bred.

For the ideologically intransigent foot soldiers of Republicanism watching their leaders supping with Queen Elizabeth recently must have been like that unforgettable moment in Animal Farm when the animals peer through the window and see the pigs feasting with humans.