I was first alerted to the possibility that Barra McGrory might resign as Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland at 2:24 pm, New York time or 7:24 pm, Dublin time.
Don’t forget I am in New York, 3,000 miles away.
About thirty minutes later, the BBC’s website in Northern Ireland carried confirmation of the rumour.
It is now 5:21 pm in New York or 10:21 pm in Dublin and still The Irish Times website has not caught up with news that is decidedly important, given that Mr McGrory is an advocate of prosecuting British soldiers accused of murder, especially during the 1970’s and in the process has attracted the fury of the Tory Right in England, not to mention Unionists in the North.
His resignation/retirement raises obvious questions, particularly this one: was he pushed? Others include: did the government in London play a part in his decision? What happens now to legacy cases in Northern Ireland and what will the implications of his resignation be for the resurrection of the power-sharing Assembly in Belfast? Will Bloody Sunday soldiers now escape prosecution, or will the powers-that-be grasp this opportunity to draw a line under the past?
It is now 10:31 pm in Dublin and still The Irish Times doesn’t have the story.
Why do they bother?
The Broken Elbow 