Mayhew gaffe threatens hopes of Ulster talks: Minister apologises after opera joke over Belfast bombing
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A FLIPPANT remark at the opera led to an apology last night from Sir Patrick Mayhew, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, after he appeared to joke about a Belfast bombing.
The throwaway line at a champagne reception before the opera attended by the Prime Minister angered opposition MPs and left John Major's government looking more accident-prone than ever.
Sir Patrick, who has patiently sought to piece together a political consensus on Ulster, was asked by a BBC journalist at the gala event on Saturday for a comment on a grenade explosion which had injured marchers in an Orange Order parade. The Ulster Secretary refused, saying he was going to the opera. The interviewer said: 'Thirty people injured.'
Sir Patrick replied: 'Well, nobody dead. At the end of this opera (Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor) everybody's dead.' When his words met a crashing silence, he quickly added: 'It was a very bad thing. It's not a thing to joke about at all. It's a very serious thing from what I hear. I'm not joking about it in the slightest degree . . .'
Downing Street and the Northern Ireland office played down the affair as a storm in a tea-cup last night. But the high-tension atmosphere in Northern Ireland does not allow for such slips.
Peter Brooke, Sir Patrick's predecessor, was pilloried and is believed to have offered to resign after offending Loyalists by singing 'My darling Clementine' on a television chat show in the Republic on the same day that eight Protestants were killed by the IRA in Northern Ireland.
An apology was demanded in the Commons yesterday by Bill O'Brien, a Labour spokesman on Northern Ireland, who accused Sir Patrick of being unfeeling.
Peter Robinson, the DUP MP, said: 'He realised what he said after he said it. But this Secretary of State makes gaffe after gaffe after gaffe.'
Last night, Sir Patrick said that he very much regretted the incident. It is unlikely to cost him his job, but, in spite of his apology, his slip of the tongue will undermine hopes of restarting the talks process.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments