As some of the Omagh families, this week, celebrated a court victory over those they feel are responsible for the deaths of their loved ones, there remains the great tragedy of the Omagh bombing. That some people feel it is acceptable to pursue political ends by means of carnage and the destruction of the innocent unfortunately cannot be addressed in the courts. This is a moral failing, a failing of values in which half thought-out political ideologies take precedence over the sacredness of human life. Nothing that either the civil or criminal courts could do can alter the mindset of people who have bought into the doctrine of political violence. Sadly too, the families of the victims had to take on the burden of the responsibility to get some modicum of justice which they have every right to expect.
Many people in politics know more about the tragedy than has been made public, and the families rightly feel, that there may have been machinations behind the scenes which meant that a preventable incident was not prevented. After the fact, there were a host of incidents which suggest that the investigation was not simply compromised but sabotaged from within.
The courage and tenacity of the Omagh families has to be admired for, as the authorities, for their reasons, have tried to sweep Omagh under the carpet, the families have striven to learn the truth. That same courage and tenacity may yet see them succeed in their demands for a cross-border public inquiry. There is no good legal or moral reason to resist such a move and yet both governments are resisting it. However, with the winds of change that are now blowing through politics as a result of the global economic crisis, and the expenses scandals, it may not be long before the older more secretive political orders are replaced by those who dare not try to keep the people in the dark.
Those who bombed Omagh, those who plotted, and those who assisted seem to have quickly forgiven themselves for mass murder. They would consider themselves men and women of principle - patriots.
But having realised that they murdered innocent men women and children they were not moved to take their punishment.
