I watched the movie ‘The Death of Stalin’, which I’d recommend as funny and horrible at the same time. After Stalin’s death, there was much jockeying for position; but it was General Georgy Zhukov who cut through the arguments, had a few key people shot, and cleared a road for Krushchev to take power.

This morning’s news reports carry the words of another general, the new British chief of the defence staff, General Sir Nick Carter. He has vowed he will fight against “any sweeping moves” to prosecute British soldiers for what they did in Northern Ireland. He’s not saying people involved in wrong-doing should expect immunity – ho no. What he’s opposed to is veterans being pursued by people with “vexatious claims”, and he concludes in a brisk military manner: “That will not happen on my watch. Absolutely not”.

One of two things. Either the General knight is as thick as bear-poo or he thinks everyone else has had their brains decommissioned. He says that people involved in wrong-doing won’t be given immunity: fair enough. If he’d said the opposite – there’d be immunity for those who did wrong – that would have been worth reporting. But he then goes on to say his boys will not be pursued by people with “vexatious claims”. What dat? Presumably it means makey-up claims – claims without substance. OK – but who’s going to decide what is vexatious and what is a valid accusation of wrong-doing – the General knight? The prime minister? A judge? I think the last of those might be the best one to decide, providing he’s not in the pocket of the British establishment. The General knight claims with clipped military emphasis that no vexatious stuff will happen on his watch – “Absolutely not”. So is he going to step in and send a squadron to defend the famous retirement home in which such veterans, we are told, are spending their twilight years? Something tells me that mightn’t work.

In fact, the British soldiers being “pursued” for their actions several decades ago are soldiers who were involved in killing innocent people – in broad daylight, unarmed, frequently running away from the gunfire directed at them. So dear General Sir Nick- would you ever get a grip? If you want to make these stirring statements which mean nothing, save it for the officers’ mess. Your boys perpetrated crimes in our NEN that, had they happened in Britain, would have (I hope) led to the imprisonment of those responsible decades ago. As it is, the soldiers who slaughtered people in broad daylight in Ballymurphy and Derry, whose finger slipped o n the trigger and killed Aidan McAnespie – lies were told to defend these soldiers for decades, and I don’t think one of them has served time in prison for their deeds. Vexatious, General Sir Nick? Talk to the families of the people slaughtered – they’ll tell you what being vexed is all about. Meanwhile, save your breath for bawling orders at the unfortunates under your command.