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Collusion, cover-ups, lies, documents and evidence going missing, brutal murders, no arrests.........

No, I’m not talking directly about the Birmingham pub bombings.

I’m actually refering to last week’s Panorama episode called Britain’s Secret Terror Deals.

The investigation by Darragh MacIntyre uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that the murders of scores of both Protestant and Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles were carried out by known paramilitary killers who were also informants for the British Security Services.

And because they were alleged informants they were allowed their liberty and never brought to justice.

It didn’t surprise any of us at Justice4the21, but it did disturb us.

Television became smellyvision for an hour - such was the stink from the corruption which this programme suggested our Government was involved in.

Our hearts go out to the innocent families of victims on both side of the political divide in Northern Ireland, who like us are searching for the truth about what went on in this dark, terrible period.

We believe there are important parallels with the Birmingham pub bombings, the botched original police investigation which saw the wrong men jailed and the subsequent investigations in the 1990s which we believe were flawed and contrived. Here are three:

*Some families there have been told there will not be inquests into the deaths of their loved ones until 2040.

We are currently waiting to hear from the Attorney General to see if he will re-open the inquests into the 21 who died in Birmingham on November 21, 1974 - for they were never properly concluded. And the Government has all important case documents under lock and key until 2069.

* Panorama suggested that much evidence in various cases in Northern Ireland had simply disappeared. This included an assault rifle used in the killing of five Catholics in Belfast in 1992.

Thirty-five pieces of evidence have disappeared in the case of the Birmingham pub bombings. West Midlands Police won’t even say what they are, but we know that one is the crucial third bomb which didn’t detonate on the night and which, we believe, could offer vital DNA evidence. But police say they can find no trace of it. Surprise, surprise.

* Because the informants which our security services were allegedly running were offering quality information, they were allowed their liberty, despite being involved in mass murder - shootings and bombings.

It has long been rumoured that one of the IRA team which targeted the Tavern in The Town and The Mulberry Bush - and very probably the ring leader - was in the employ of MI5.

I must, for the sake of fairness, acknowledge that many of the claims made by Panorama were refuted but I note, too, that Amnesty International has declared that the “truly disturbing” allegations made in the programme must be fully investigated.

I hope they are. In the meantime, Justice4the21 will never give up it’s search for truth and justice over what happened in Birmingham.

We are encouraged that the assault rifle used in the 1992 Belfast massacre, which police apparently said had been disposed of, actually ended up on display in the Imperial War Museum. Truly astonishing, don’t you think?

Perhaps that is where we should start hunting for the third bomb.

Julie Hambleton

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Justice4the21 are delighted that the Birmingham Mail’s coverage of our campaign and last year’s 40th anniversary events helped to earn it both the Website of the Year and The Digital Award in the Regional Media Awards.

We are so pleased that the whole team, and Andy Richards, in particular, won recognition.

Andy recreated the entire 24 hours of November 21 1974 in a docu-drama live blog which you can read at http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-pub-bombings-minute-minute-8053231

And the corresponding supplement called The 75-year Cover-Up featured his thoughts on how the British Security Services may have been involved. Given Panorama’s allegations they are well worth another look.

The Birmingham Mail often asks the awkward questions we would like to, but are simply unable to.

For instance, Prime Minister David Cameron says he is too busy to meet us, but visited the Birmingham Mail HQ in Fort Dunlop in the run-up to the General Election.

He wanted to talk about job creation - but the Mail wanted to talk about the Birmingham pub bombings and had no hesitation in putting him on the spot.

Mr Cameron took away the supplement and promised an investigation and a response.

Well, Prime Minister?

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