Lord Tebbit was right not to do the programme but still wrong not to forgive

There were times that I both laughed and swore, the same way you do at the television set, for example, when Question Time is on, upon reading "Tebbit refuses to meet the Brighton bomber" by Lord Tebbit.

I was interested in this comment, on Iain Dale's Diary on the same subject, by Jonathan Sheppard said...

When I interviewed Tebbit a while ago and asked him if there was one thing he would change in his political career his answer was quite touching.

He would have left Brighton a day earlier as he had originally intended.

On the other hand, Roy Walsh has said he regretted the loss of life but if he could turn the clock back two decades, he would still activate the timer which triggered the deadly bomb.

Tebbit would have got on his bike (possibly a tandem) and pedalled out of there a day earlier on his time machine leaving the others to their fate. Roy was still prepared, when all is said and done, to go in where angels fear to tread.

Interestingly, Roy went onto say, "Some day I may be able to forgive myself. Although I still stand by my actions, I will always carry the burden that I harmed other human beings. I'm not seeking forgiveness". It's a heavy burden to carry. Heavier than the backpack of a SAS soldier during a training exercise. And, his conscience weighs heavy, unable to forgive himself, not the mind of a cold-bloodied killer. A freedom fighter who knows that there are sacrifices and a price to pay.

I listened to the Radio 4 programme, which was on for 45 minutes, and not the half hour, as stated by Lord Tebbit. I thought that the programme presented by Sue MacGregor was very good. Certainly not a love-in as suggested by Lord Tebbit. Roy Walsh is not low-grade, but high quality, and not a hitman in the normal sense of the word, and whether he is terrorist or freedom fighter is a subjective opinion. Roy did not make fools of his victims, in fact two of them, Harvey Thomas and Jo Berry took part in the programme. I think that Lord Tebbit was right not to take part as it could have lowered the level of discussion if he dominated it with his quest for revenge.

Lord Tebbit with his lets all live in the past mentality is clearly one of the hang em and flog em brigade. He conveniently twists his view of the law and lawyers to suit his warped mind, and harps on about his desire to extract retribution from Roy Walsh and in so doing conveniently forgets that retribution was satisfied in the eyes of the law and justice when Roy Walsh was released from prison. Roy Walsh was not sprung from jail like Ronnie Biggs, but released through due process. He blames Mo Mowlam and Tony Blair for appeasing Sinn Fein, when it was under the Tory's that the whole peace process was started and Labour merely continued with it when they came to power. Lord Tebbit blames the BBC as though they were guilty of forcing Harvey Thomas, Jo Berry, and Douglas Hurd to sit around a table with Roy Walsh. On the contrary, they were all willing participants. They didn't all agree with each other on all of the points, but it was nice that any disagreements were not fed by anger and bitterness. And, it was unfair of Lord Tebbit to suggest that it was a pity that Harold Shipman was dead, as the BBC could have done another show with his victims as Lord Tebbit thought that this might be informative and entertaining.

Lord Tebbit stated "I am weary of explaining that forgiveness is not a one-way street. The transgressor cannot be forgiven unless he acknowledges the evil of what he has done, and shows remorse and repentance". Says Lord Tebbit driving up the wrong way on his one-way street with his mental eye sight blinded by the red mist. He talks the religious talk but is not prepared to walk the religious walk. Harvey Thomas said that he forgives Roy Walsh because it is the Christian thing to do. Lord Tebbit reminds me of the Reverend Ian Paisley who very selectively quotes text from the Bible. Would he sit at the table and talk with this terrorist?

It is unreasonable for Lord Tebbit to base his idea of forgiveness on the basis that Roy Walsh should have turned police informant and given Queen's Evidence on the IRA High Command. At least Lord Tebbit believes that Roy Walsh will one day meet God and not the Devil. Although he does wish him dead sooner rather than later. It's not nice to wish anybody that they were dead, unless that person wishes it also themselves, for example, somebody suffering from terminal illness. And, to wish that the naval seamen had died rather than survive in captivity to be released, does indicate that Lord Tebbit is distanced from reality. "As ever the weakness of the victim will enlarge the appetite of the terrorist", he states, whereas Jo Berry refused to play the sympathy vote and said she did not want to remain a victim or lose her humanity. Bitterness eats away at you. And this parting shot from Lord Tebbit is laughable, "As we said during the Second World War: "Careless talk costs lives."". Norman Tebbit did not sign up for National Service until after the Second World War had ended because he was too young at the time. How about thoughtless words only cause more pain?