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Haughey rebuked British ambassador after Thatcher questioned Ireland’s will to defeat IRA
An Irish official relayed that ambassador Sir Nicholas Fenn explained Thatcher had been speaking with a “certain sense of exasperation”. By Press Association Sunday 27 Dec 2020, 5:02 PM Dec 27th 2020, 5:02 PM 35,576 Views 32 Comments
Charles Haughey and Margaret Thatcher in April 1990.
Image: DPA/PA Images
Image: DPA/PA Images
THE UK’S AMBASSADOR in Ireland received a governmental rebuke after then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher questioned the state’s commitment to defeating the IRA.
National archive papers revealed Taoiseach Charles Haughey ordered a senior official to make clear to the ambassador his displeasure at Thatcher’s remarks.
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00:33, 27 DEC 2020
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Far-sighted Irish officials realised a landmark statement by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Brooke, about Britain having no selfish economic or strategic interest in the province, offered a strategic opportunity to end 20 years of bloodshed.
Confidential papers released as part of the 1990 State Archive revealed Irish politicians, civil servants and academics recognised the statement as marking a critical change in British policy.
It transpired that the Brooke statement underpinned major elements of the subsequent Northern Ireland peace process.
Furthermore, a briefing paper stated that the overthrow of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a Conservative Party power struggle offered an opportunity for progress on a peace settlement.