The TJI is delighted to note that the Eames-Bradley report on dealing with Northern Ireland's past cites the published work of several University of Ulster scholars.  These include (in alphabetical order):

• Colm Campbell and Catherine Turner (2008 Legal Studies)
• Brandon Hamber et al (several)
• Lundy et al., ‘Ardoyne: The Untold Truth’, (2002)
• Fionnuala Ni Aolaín and Catherine Turner (2007 UCLA Women’s Law Journal )
• Bill Rolston et al. ‘The Burden of Memory’.

In particular, we bring to your attention that the Campbell and Turner article was developed from the submission made by both scholars to the Eames-Bradley Group. The submission and the article in Legal Studies suggested that:

• Investigations on the model of those carried out by the Police Ombudsman provided a template for a unit to be established under a new Truth Commission. This offered a better route than public inquiries to dealing with a contentious past.
• This Truth Commission should develop a special mechanism for looking at patterns of violations, including violations by paramilitary groups
• The Commission could be established under a British-Irish Agreement, with legislation in both jurisdictions
• The Truth Commission could also have an ‘Open Forum’ with a possibility of addressing issues not covered by the other two mechanisms.

The Eames-Bradley Report recommends that:

• Investigations by a new ‘Review and Investigation Unit’ on the model of those carried out by the Police Ombudsman and the Historical Enquiries Team should be established as part of a new Legacy Commission. This mechanism offered a better route than public inquiries to dealing with a contentious past.
• This Legacy Commission should develop a special mechanism for looking at patterns of violations, including violations by paramilitary groups
• The Commission could be legally empowered under a British-Irish Agreement with legislation in both jurisdictions.
• A ‘Reconciliation Forum’ should also be established

The TJI reiterates its commitment to a local-global interchange, and to a praxis that brings academic scholarship at the highest level to bear on real world problems.