N Emerson and the Sean Graham betting shop commemoration

Newton Emerson (pipe down, Virginia) recently executed a little victory dance column in The Irish Times. It was in honour of the fact that two policeman had been disciplined for unlawfully detaining a man at a memorial event for those killed at Sean Graham’s betting shop on the Ormeau Road in 1992. The fact that the man they arrested was one of those wounded in 1992 didn’t deter the PSNI from arresting him for breaching Covid rules – or something like that. Anyway, Newt has happily reported that a High Court judge has said the PSNI had ‘unlawfully disciplined’ the two policemen involved. Newt sees this as part of the efforts by the PSNI to keep both republicans and loyalists satisfied. He says that there was a “disastrous fall in morale” in the PSNI ranks at the disciplining of the two officers. No, he doesn’t say how he knows that. Bud sure isn’t he right? What else would you do with a victim of the murderous attack on the Ormeau Road but arrest him? Newt goes on to say that the PSNI allowed the Bobby Storey funeral, which was in breach of both Covid and parading rules. This, Newt says, antagonised loyalists. No,  he doesb’t say how he knows that. But sure why wouldn’t they feel antagonised? Imagine, large groups of men marching in broad daylight. You wouldn’t get the Orange Order up to the likes of that.

Gerry Kelly  of Sinn Féin complained about a loyalist show of strength a few days earlier, but Newt notes that this was “a different scenario”. When republicans ask how it is that 25 years after the GFA, Loyalist paramilitaries are tolerated, this is because “the PSNI has to operate within the carrot-and-stick approach to paramilitary ‘transitions’ “. That’s what Newt says.

But when I consider the Newt column in its entirety, I  find myself saying “Strewth!” Among other words. Because the core of Newt’s column is that “pandering to republicans to maintain their support for policing is a confused reading of history.” Well, I suppose if you’re the official unionist columnist of the Irish Times, you do have to come up with the odd cartload of steaming horse manure. But to speak about a confused reading of history, and not see the PSNI arrest of a victim of the Sean Graham betting shop attack in the wake of a commemorative event  – isn’t that maybe a wee bit muddled too? And no, Virginia, I don’t know how much he gets paid for delivering these daft cart-loads.