Early day motion 960

That this House welcomes the unanimous report of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland; congratulates the Right honourable Chris Patten for his skilful stewardship in conducting a consultation of exceptional thoroughness, for bringing the Commission to a conclusion so closely aligned with the letter and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement in seeking a new beginning to policing in Northern Ireland with a police service capable of attracting and sustaining support from the community as a whole, and recognising consent as a critical principle for operational effectiveness; notes the Irish Post newspaper poll of Irish in Britain found 90 per cent. supporting implementation of the Patten reforms; regrets the disinformation campaign against the Patten reforms launched by the Daily Telegraph newspaper in covert alliance with the intransigent Friends of the Union grouping and sections of the Orange Order; and is angered by the newspaper's cynical use of disabled officers and its exploitation of the memory of officers who have fallen victim to terrorism and its manipulation of the grief of their relatives in order to boost their dead-end campaign to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.

leave out from 'Ireland' to end and add 'as a basis for an informed discussion on the future of policing in Northern Ireland for which the Government has announced a consultation period; recognises that the establishment of this commission was part of the Good Friday Agreement,which was overwhelmingly endorsed by the people of Northern Ireland and of the Republic of Ireland in the 1998 referendum;further recognises,however,that the Commission's detailed report itself was not voted on in the referendum and that the report is capable of being taken in part as a whole by those who have the right to express concern over the contents or the political context of the report's 175 specific proposals; and regrets suggestions that those who express such legitimate concerns from a republican, nationalist, unionist or other perspective should be accused of seeking to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.'.

leave out from 'House' to end and add 'considers the Patten Report deeply flawed and objectionable to the greater number of people in Northern Ireland; commends the Daily Telegraph for its efforts in support of the Defend The RUC Campaign which has attracted widespread backing in all regions of the United Kingdom and beyond; salutes the bravery of the men and women of the Royal Ulster Constabulary over the last 30 years and,in particular,the 302 officers who have lost their lives and the more than 9,000 officers who have been maimed or injured at the hands of terrorists; condemns the actions of Republican paramilitary organisations aimed at intimidating potential Catholic recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary; and calls on Her Majesty's Government not to accept those politically motivated parts of the Patten Report which,if approved,would endanger good policing in Northern Ireland and insult the memory of those former officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.'.