Sorry we killed your son, but ....

What is a qualified apology worth, from the murderers of your child?

The Parry family may be pondering this question after Gerry Adams’ platitudes at Canary Wharf on Wednesday evening. Adams’ was apologising for the death of their 12 year old son, Tim, in the Warrington bomb back in 1993.

Nick Robinson raises Adams’ abject failure to provide any rationale for his organisation leaving two bombs in a busy shopping area. The Sinn Féin leader extended his apologies for the death of the Parrys’ son, whilst couching this apology in familiar republican doublespeak. The Parrys receive an apology because their son was a “non combatant” and his killing was a “mistake”.

The supposedly contrite Adams then delivered a lengthy apologia for republican violence; including the manifestly contradictory notions that “whilst (he) never thought a military solution was possible” he nonetheless still believes steadfastly that the IRA’s violence was necessary.

It seems that whilst Sinn Féin and the republican movement are a long way from showing true remorse for their actions and from acknowledging the nihilistic futility of their campaign.

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