Irish Examiner view: Innocent verdict was a long time coming

Ballymurphy inquest rules soldiers used disproportionate force in 1971 attack

A mural on a wall in West Belfast remembering the Ballymurphy Massacre of 1971.

One of the recurring themes in the North’s cycles of violence and injustice is the refusal of one British government after another, no matter which persuasion, to administer justice in a way that suggests they recognise the entity as a modern state rather than a troublesome protectorate afflicted by troublesome natives.

Tuesday's ruling from Belfast Coroner’s Court adds another sorry chapter in that anthology.