THERE is an irony in the timing of Sir John Stevens's report which concludes that the British establishment colluded with Loyalist gunmen over murders in the 1980s.

The report comes at a time when Britain is striving to lay the foundations for democracy, human rights and civil justice in a foreign country, having removed an unacceptable regime.

If those foundations can be laid with the United Nations playing a fundamental role, it will be something in which Tony Blair can take justifiable pride.

But while taking the moral high ground over the rule of law in a far-off land, Mr Blair must demonstrate that democracy, human rights and civil justice mean just as much in his own backyard.

Sir John's report is sinister enough, even though only a small summary has been opened up to public scrutiny. It shows that security forces plotted with terrorists and one of the unanswered questions is: How far up the political chain of command did the collusion go?

Yes, a dirty war was being fought in the 1980s when the "preventable" killings of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane and Protestant student Brian Lambert were carried out. And yes, Sir John's damning evidence must be seen in that shadowy, ugly context.

But two wrongs never made a right and the fact remains that the state was involved in the murders of innocent people.

If, therefore, Britain believes it has the right to tell another country how to run its affairs, it must accept that it has a responsibility to put its own house in order, no matter how painful that may be.

The present Government has a track record of resisting full public inquiries on the grounds of excessive cost.

But Britain's most senior police officer has confirmed that members of the security forces helped to take innocent lives. If that is not the basis for a full public inquiry, on what grounds would the Government ever call one again?