Official title: The comments made by Douglas Hogg MP
In brief
- Hogg's remark rested on an RUC briefing that did not substantiate the claims made about the solicitors.
- De Silva found it could increase defence solicitors' vulnerability but that Hogg did not intend to encourage an attack.
What this chapter covers
On 17 January 1989, less than four weeks before the murder, the Home Office minister Douglas Hogg told the House of Commons that there were "a number of solicitors" in Northern Ireland who were "unduly sympathetic to the cause of the IRA". Chapter 14 examines where that remark came from and what effect it had.
Key findings
- Hogg had been briefed by senior RUC officers during a visit to Northern Ireland in November 1988, and was later given RUC profiles of two solicitors, one of whom was Pat Finucane.
- De Silva found that the material did not substantiate a claim that either solicitor was in the pocket of terrorists. He agreed with Lord Stevens that Hogg had been "compromised" by the information he was given.
- He found that the remarks could increase the vulnerability of defence solicitors and that the evidence suggested the UDA regarded them as significant.
- He found no basis for any claim that Hogg intended his comments to encourage an attack on a solicitor.
- The briefing, de Silva concluded, reflected a mindset in the RUC that was predisposed against solicitors who represented republican clients.
Why it matters
The remark is often cited in discussions of how political language about lawyers can put them at risk. When quoting this chapter, keep the two findings together: the remark increased vulnerability, and there was no intent to incite.