Truth must take precedence

The British Government’s deliberate obstruction of the investigation by Mr Justice Barron into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings warrants a more proactive response than that displayed by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, yesterday.

When asked to comment on the British lack of co-operation, the Minister declined If his attitude reflects that of the Government, then political expediency will be the determinant of how further investigations, into the worst mass murder on this island, progress. The Barron report is now before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, and may be discussed in the Dáil before Christmas.

The imperative must be to uncover the truth of what happened on that fateful day in 1974, when 34 innocent people were slaughtered by loyalist paramilitaries.

The Barron report did not rule out collusion by members of the RUC, UDR or British Army and the evidence could lie in British archives.

If it does not, there was no reason on the part of the British authorities to delay nearly 18 months in accommodating the Barron investigation, and then only to provide a fraction of the information sought.