Anyone who has been paying attention to events in Britain over the past number of years will have become accustomed to different sections of the political establishment using the North of Ireland as a pawn in their own political battles. Indeed, this has been the reality for more than a century.

True to form, Boris Johnson’s Tory administration has recently thrown two hand grenades into the middle of Northern Ireland’s political process, both designed to bolster the fortunes of a beleaguered prime minister. First came the announcement that the British government will replace plans for a blanket amnesty for Troubles-related offenses with conditional immunity for those who cooperate with truth-recovery investigations.

Government officials presented this move as achieving “balance” between the needs of victims and former combatants. However, it lacks support from the North’s main political parties and victims campaigners, who warn that it will “close down paths to justice” and “shield perpetrators.” Indeed, the main purpose of the tweaked legislation remains the same as the original: to whitewash imperial crimes and shore up support for Johnson’s government among old empire fanatics.