Mark Carruthers talks to Richard Haass

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I had a moment of despondency yesterday,  followed later by a cheering-up moment. Yes I know life’s like that, but yesterday was so stark in its contrast that I felt it worth noting.

The first was a conversation with a young woman who asked me what I thought of the aftermath of the Haass talks. Before I could get round to answering she responded to her own question: “What a shower our politicians are!”  she said. “They could agree on nothing. Useless”.  Or word to that effect.

I found that dispiriting because I think our politicians come in all shapes and sizes, all levels of stupidity and intelligence, all degrees of stuck-in-the-mudness and forward thinking. To lump them together like that seemed to me too easy and too sweeping, while understandable in the light of the Haass talks failure. And the position expressed by this young woman is not uncommon. In fact I’d say it’s a view held by a near-majority of people here.  Cue frowny face.

The second incident came later that evening, when I watched Richard Haass, safely back in the US, being interviewed by Mark Carruthers. Under a series of good questions, Haass cut through a lot of the fog.

  1. He made it clear that the document produced had not been his document so much as the document of the parties: he was responding to their concerns and aiming to reach a compromise. So for politicians here to attack it was, in a sense, to attack themselves.
  2. He made it clear that the document, having gone through seven versions over a six-month period, should now be acted on. OK, there might be the occasional small tweak as recommendations become law but this was a document for legislation, not further negotiation.
  3. He and Meagan O’Sullivan had returned just before New Year because they had been led to believe that the parties were on the brink of agreement and simply needed that extra little nudge. In this they had been led astray, it now seems.
  4. Those who say that, having negotiated, it’s now time to implement, are in the right. Those who say that this document is something to work on, the material for further discussion and negotiation, are wrong.
  5. In the light of the above, and while Dr Haass didn’t name names, he made it quite clear that his view was very much that of the Deputy First Minister, who is in favour of implementation and legislation,  and that his veiw was very much not that of the First Minister or the leader of the UUP or, for that matter, Alliance,  who essentially reject their own document.

I know that programme should have filled me with despondency too but it didn’t. Because for once the BBC didn’t opt for the usual a-plague-on-all-your-houses line. When they talked to Mark  Carruthers  after the Haass interview , Mark Devenport, Fionnuala O’Connor and Alex Kane were unanimous if polite in identifying unionist intransigence as the stumbling block. Not only the stumbling block now, but the stumbling block for the foreseeable future. If the British and Irish governments were waiting for their cue to appear on-stage to manage things, that time is now.

6 Responses to Mark Carruthers talks to Richard Haass

  1. philip kelly January 10, 2014 at 11:46 am #

    what is it in the past that the unionist are afraid of i would hassard a guess that its their involvement in the dirty war with the RUC/UDR /UVF/LVF the glenaan farm in south armagh.do many remember REV MCCREA DUP MP and billy wright sharing a platform in portadown and claimed him to be a patriot and great ulster man in defence of the ulster people yes he murdered unarmed Catholics in collusion with UDR/RUC .
    what is the connection with the uvf and the orange order on north belfast what is in the Historical enquiries team files that spooks them why did the uup give Willie Frazier the details of the talks what information has he got on unionist politicians that spooked them.
    the sad thing is that what happened with hass will leave a very bad taste in the mouth of american politicians and and the goodwill generated over the past 15 years has gone up the chimney and it will have a serious effect on future investments in northern ireland this leaves me with the impression that its fear of the past and an independent assessment of the past is the last thing they want all the rest marches etc are a smoke screen to hide the real problem for the unionist their past and after what Hass said last night he saw it and called it and are now internationally exposed

    • Baxter h January 11, 2014 at 1:15 am #

      Excellent critique

    • jess January 11, 2014 at 9:50 am #

      If an independant enquiry were allowed to do its job, if it showed the state were active combatants in the war and approved actions such as dublin monaghan bombings, if the army provided the explosives and handling training for example to a certain uvf leader in mid ulster called the jackal who may have organised the two bombings.

      I doubt Dr Paisley would condemn bloody sunday which was proven unsanctioned and then condone the worst bomb attack of the whole of the troubles without good reason.

      Or imagine if it revealed the RUC actively aided uvf actions, perhaps escorting people like billy wright a protege of the jackal in the back of landrovers, or if there were phone call records from RUC stations to bars were people like billy wright received information.

      Unionists are terrified of the consequences of such revalations, much more than they care about future peace, economics, health or education here.

      The British state will back them and the ROI puppet Dail will keep out of it.

  2. Pointis January 10, 2014 at 6:45 pm #

    Unfortunately people living here are not at all surprised by the failure of politicians to agree a way forward for everyone here. Mr Hass has done nothing other than to shine a light on the “not an inch” and “what we have we hold” attitude of unionist politicians and the orange order.

    The debate will continue as to whether this attitude is driven by their legendary intransigence of more dishearteningly by good old fashioned sectarian hatred.

  3. jess January 11, 2014 at 9:31 am #

    At least it has allowed Alliances true colours be seen.

    Perhaps a new slogan is in order.

    “Allianced Worked, until it was put to the test.”

    New name, UK Alliance Party or UKAP

  4. Pointis January 11, 2014 at 9:52 am #

    The position taken by Alliance is peculiar in the extreme. At least most people can understand the line taken by the other 4 parties, whether you agree with them or not!