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Divide and rule set to continue in N Ireland
Tories sink to a new low with their manipulative and incendiary tactics in the province, writes KEN LIVINGSTONE
NOT WORTH THE PAPER IT’S WRITTEN ON: John Teggart, son of Daniel Teggart killed in the Ballymurphy massacre with relatives of the other victims, holds a letter from Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, has said the government is 'truly sorry' for the events in Ballymurphy 50 years ago, in which 10 innocent people were killed

THIS is not the first time the Tories have cynically sought to utilise militant loyalism to try to strengthen their own negotiating hand.

As Labour MP Dawn Butler has bravely highlighted, telling the truth does not come naturally to Boris Johnson, but it is the best way to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated. Unfortunately, recent actions by the government, from its approach to the legacies of the Troubles to more recent issues arising from its own Brexit deal, signal its intention to do the opposite.

Last month, in this column, I wrote about the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre — 10 innocent people shot dead by members of the British Parachute Regiment in Belfast between 9 and 11 August 1971. The backdrop to those killings was the start of “Operation Demetrius” — the introduction of mass internment without trial — 50 years ago this week. 

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