Tomorrow [d.v.] I will celebrate the twenty fifth birthday without my parents. I try not to feel sorry for myself because [as they taught me to think] there are people worse off than I.

Many children lost a parent at a far earlier age. I think in particular of Louis Johnston, son of R/Con David Johnston. David was murdered by a hero of the republican movement who shot him from behind on 16th June 1997, thus advancing the cause of Mother Ireland.  Louis, who was at primary school, was photographed at the funeral and those who have seen that photo could only be moved by it. I had the privilege of hearing Louis speak at St Anne’s Cathedral on 20th March 2011. He is a credit to his father.

To those who are seeking justice and truth I  urge you not to give up. Don’t accept the first , second or third response from the state. They will lie to you. You must box them into a corner by pressure and the force of your argument.

Look at the excellent work done by Ciaran MacArt in his research for his book on the bombing of McGurk’s bar. He has exposed the state’s deceit. It is important for unionists to realise that the state is not their friend either.

There is a wealth of intelligence which the state won’t release to you, yet.

PIRA was honeycombed by informants. The structure remains intact, though. This is a favourite British tactic when dealing with terrorists. They prefer to deal with the established top team. Therefore they do not disrupt it by killings , arrests or prosecutions. Their experience has shown that if you do, the new lot are an unknown kettle of fish and may be more extreme. Hence good old granda McGuinness.But the state is nothing if not pragmatic. If it suits its purpose it will ditch this policy. That is what I am aiming for. As if by magic Marty will become the devil incarnate. That is why he was so  unnerved by Adams’ arrest and spoke of dark forces.

I am  coming for you McGuinness!