What signal does it send out to our brave armed forces?

We cannot yet know for certain whether charges will indeed be brought against the four ex-paras who were at Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972. But if it is true – as seems very likely – that on March 14 they are charged with a number of offences, including murder, then I believe there will be a storm of utter fury from the public. And as that storm rages, some objections to the prosecution will be good; some will be frankly less good. It is important, therefore, to focus on what is truly nauseating in this affair.

Yes, it is incredible that we are on the verge of putting these old men on trial for crimes that are alleged to have been committed 47 years ago – and yet that is not the worst feature of the business, and certainly no reason, in principle, for stopping the trial. You could point out – and I would agree – that the mere lapse of time should be no protection for anyone guilty of a serious offence.

We pursue war criminals to the ends of the earth. Only the other day it was announced that an ex-Labour peer is to appear in court later this month charged for sex offences he is alleged to have committed in the 1970s. I have no idea as to the strength of the case against him – but if he was guilty then he is guilty now. No one should escape justice – where the offence is grave - just because it was all so long ago. And I am afraid that rule must apply to British soldiers as much as to anyone else.