Much has been made in the media about Ken Maginnis
calling Gerry Adams a ``fucking murderer''.at the talks
in Lancaster House in London.
Gerry Adams was asked about it by the media who had
been tipped off by someone else. He told them:
``In the plenary session Ken McGuinness went on a rant,
a long and personal invective against Martin McGuinness
and myself. He was not acknowledging at all the very
real anger there is in the community about the recent
murders, or reflecting on it at all. Afterwards, when I
went over I just very quietly said that his remarks
were a disgrace and at a time when people are being
killed we we need to start talking and inject some
sense of urgency into the negotiations in the interests
of peace. He called me a fucking murderer and walked
off.''
What remained unsaid by the media is that Major Ken of
the UDR (among whose members were many a murderer)
speaks regularly to murderers. Take Billy Hutchinson
(PUP) and John White (UDP), both convicted of sectarian
killings. Or, even more pertinent - Ken was part of the
delegation of Ulster Unionists which visited UDA
prisoners in Long Kesh earlier this month. Among the
prisoners were a number of well-known murderers. Maybe
Ken didn't notice.
I'm worried about David Trimble. Watching him live on
Sky News this week as he faced the press at the talks
at Lancaster House it was clear that he needs to chill
out.
The first signs were when he was filmed within twenty
yards of a Shinner. David would go rigid and amid signs
of panic, skip about looking for an exit. Very strange.
Then there was the famous document ripping press
conference on Tuesday. When Jeffrey Donaldson started
speaking, David began drinking from a glass of water.
Suddenly, Jeffrey went into overdrive and ripped up the
Framework Document. David nearly swallowed his glass,
then his first reaction was to reach out to stop
Jeffrey from doing any more damage. Thinking better of
that, he was about to speak himself. He stopped. Then
he began to laugh. What emerged was an embarrassed
titter. Very, very strange.
When he later did one-on-one interviews, David's
control had gone completely. It's not hard to see when
he's under pressure. Remember Drumcree when he went
haywire, walking up and down in a frenzy? The man needs
to calm down.
The big film of the moment is, of course, Titanic and
even it doesn't escape the dangerous icebergs of Irish
politics.
This came to light when I met a friend who spends his
well-earned retirement being entertained in the courts
and cinemas. In between the murder trials he sees all
the latest releases.
``What did you think of Titanic?'' I asked. ``I wouldn't
go near it,'' he told me before describing how, when the
ship sailed out of Harland and Wolff shipyard in
Belfast, it was festooned with anti-Catholic graffitti
and its ship's number represented the words ``No Pope''.
It was a story I had heard as a child. Is it an urban
myth that the number of the Titanic was 3909 ON, which,
when reflected in the icy ocean, read NO POPE? Write
and let me know.
Titanic has been criticised in both the Guardian and
the Daily Telegraph (where would I be without the Daily
Telegraph?). Their gripe is that all the goodies in the
film are Irish and all the baddies are English. Of
course it should be the other way round.
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