Why Scrapping Mercer’s Legacy Act Betrays Our Veterans

Former Parachute Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Simon Barry pulls no punches in the latest One More Mission podcast from justiceforveterans.uk.

Former Parachute Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Simon Barry defends Johnny Mercer’s Northern Ireland Legacy Act as the least bad fix for an intractable problem, warning that its demolition will unleash a “gravy train” of lawfare against ageing soldiers while letting IRA killers off the hook​

Labour’s Two-Tier Betrayal

Barry dismantles the narrative that the Legacy Act was fundamentally flawed.

“It was an imperfect piece of an imperfect solution to a really imperfect problem,” he says. “Far from perfect, but far better than any of the other options.”

The Act drew flak from one judge on human rights grounds, yet the government treats that single opinion as infallible — rushing a remedial order to revive civil claims that will “make life very unpleasant for those of us who did our duty without fear or favour.”​

This isn’t closure; it’s a windfall for Sinn Féin’s legal machine, funded by British taxpayers.

“It’s going to cost hundreds of millions more—money that could arguably be better spent looking after veterans than going into lawyers’ pockets,” Barry argues.

Veterans face repeated courtroom ordeals — “old men dragged to court in Belfast” — while IRA records vanished long ago, along with forensic evidence destroyed in targeted bombings like the 1992 forensic labs attack​

Process Trumps Justice

At the heart of Barry’s critique is a “tilted playing field.”

Soldiers’ actions are minutely documented; terrorists kept no records and benefited from Good Friday deal sweeteners like untestable weapons and early releases.

“It’s like saying the Kray twins are equal to the superintendent in Scotland Yard. It’s nonsense.”​

The ECHR, dismissed as “pie in the sky” during the Troubles, now applies retrospectively via unelected Strasbourg judges.

“Once again, we are seeing process trump justice,” Barry says, contrasting it with the clear rules of armed conflict that every soldier knows.

Labour’s six “safeguards”?

“Exactly the same as the terrorists are getting... a bit of a con job.”​

Starmer’s Shadow and Political Posturing

Barry links this to Keir Starmer’s tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions, where he pushed Iraq cases alongside disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner — pouring public money into 200 futile prosecutions.

“He didn’t do anything for nothing unless he wanted to do it,” says Barry.

Politicians don camouflage for photo ops, then vote to undermine those they claim to back: “Words are cheap... Battlefields aren’t football grounds or shopping malls.”​

Salt in Sectarian Wounds

Repeal entrenches division, Barry warns, playing into Sinn Féin’s hands and inviting Irish meddling. Dublin, once a haven for IRA ops fueled by Gaddafi’s Semtex, now poses as investigator-in-chief.

“Do you really think that’s going to aid the healing process? Certainly not. It’s going to be pouring salt onto those wounds.,” Barry says.

He detects a Labour ideological push for a united Ireland, selling out unionists and risking a “rerun of the Curragh mutiny: “ Veterans aren’t seeking impunity—just “a fair crack of the whip” and natural justice​

Veterans’ Fightback: Bottom-Up Resolve

Barry calls for calm mobilisation: lobby MPs, hit local media, leverage family pride in working-class heartlands.

“There’s a fantastic group of people who do not need total control... They’ve got skin in the game,” he says, adding Justiceforveterans.uk arms them with the tools​

What veterans fought for was justice. That’s all. This government is conniving against it​

Listen to the full podcast at justiceforveterans.uk. The views expressed are Simon Barry’s own, rooted in decades of service.