Omagh Town based Ulster Unionist Councillor Ross Hussey has joined in the debate as to whether or not the ’Troubles’ should be defined as a ’War’.

Having watched the recent television programmes based on the beginning of he Troubles in Londonderry and the so called ’Battle of the Bogside’ despite biased reporting we can see the beginnings of the insurrection that was to become the fuse for the eruption of violence.  The residents of the Bogside were calmly explaining to the programme makers that there was a production line established for the manufacture of petrol bombs.  In my naievety I assumed that to make a petrol bomb all that was required was a milk bottle, petrol and a wick however I have never been involved in the manufacture of bombs and when it was explained that the ingredients were petrol sugar and flour you begin to realise that these petrol bombs were not being used solely for protection these weapons were for attack.  The sugar or flour was o ensure that the substance stuck to their target and in this case the ’target’ was the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

To define the Troubles as a war is an attempt by some to justify their actions as those of soldiers involved in a struggle against oppression or whatever.  Not one of these terrorists had the guts to face down their enemy in uniform, they hid behind ditches, walls and murdered people in cold blood.  Cars were booby trapped, police officers, soldiers and their families, civilians working for the Government were targetted and shot at their homes, in their workplace and at their place of worship.  These were not the actions of soldiers.

The Geneva Convention has a clear defined protocol for the treatment of prisoners, for the treatment of bodies, for the running of courts all of these were disregarded by loyalist and republican terror groups.  There are clear examples of service personnel and police officers being murdered and their bodies booby trapped, civilians being tied into vehicles and blown to pieces as they approached army barracks and security installations, civilians ’disappearing’, the La Mon House Hotel attrocity, the Miami Showband Massacre, the Kingsmill Massacre et al.  Are the perpertrators of these events going to face a War Crimes Panel.  I doubt it.

I wore the uniform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC for 26 years, I would be ashamed if my service were to be equated to that of a UDA or IRA murderer.