I doubt a truth and reconciliation process will occur in Northern Ireland, because all sides at senior levels do not want the truth to come out about what they did. In South Africa it was mainly individuals who testified who had been part of the repression by the former aprtheid regime. That regime no longer existed and I think its leaders and politicians were by that point largely out of power. The IRA, Sein Fein, the UK Govt., civil service, Army and Intelligence Services still exist, and senior people who were in those organisations are still in positions of power. A T&R process would threaten them and the 'establishment' that exists on each side.
A T&R process would need to include not just the foot soldiers involved in the various incidents, but the leaders as well. Soldier F may have pulled the trigger, but a great deal of responsibility lies with others: Lieutenant Colonel Wilford disobeyed orders when he sent those men into that part of the Bogside, the senior officers made it clear that they wanted soldiers to be 'aggressive' in dealing with the march and rioters, and the Parachute Regiment was arguably a very bad choice for such duties, and the politicians who sent the army into NI knew that it was fraught with risk.
Moreover, whilst for Bloody Sunday Soldier F might be a scapegoat acceptable to the UK Govt. and the army, there were other incidents where the Govt. and army could not simply blame some junior soldier losing control. A T&R process would include the activities of the likes of the
MRF and the
FRU, which would be extremely embarrassing for the UK Govt. and army.
Moreover, whereas I think the SA T&R process was very one sided, because the ANC was not a very effective military/insurgency organisation, in NI the other sides have probably as much, if not more, that they don't want publicised.
As for the victims, I think the characterisation of them as baying for revenge is in many cases deeply offensive to them. I think what matters most to many people who have lost family members in such situations is that there is acknowledgment and recognition of what happened, whether that be in a court of law or in a T&R process. When
Robert McCartney was murdered by IRA members, his sisters turned down an offer from the IRA to execute those responsible. They did not want revenge; they wanted justice and for it to be public.
If there were to be a T&R process in NI, then it would need to be for the benefit of the victims and their families. Many of the calls for such a process seem instead to be more concerned about such a process providing immunity for the perpetrators on both sides.
