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<\/p>\nSir John Major said being \u201cshouted at\u201d by an Irish Justice minister was like \u201cbeing in the House of Commons\u201d, according to state documents which show that Padraig Flynn took UK officials to task on co-operation over Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
In September 1992, Mr Flynn was exercised by a range of security issues as well as a lack of clarity from Mr Major\u2019s government on the place of Northern Ireland in the Irish Constitution.<\/p>\n
The dispute has been revealed in a confidential note on a meeting in London which has been made public as part of the annual release from the National Archives of Ireland.<\/p>\n
In a meeting with the Prime Minister and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mayhew as well as Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, Mr Flynn expressed concern that there had been an escalation of Loyalist paramilitary violence in the absence of meetings of the Anglo-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference.<\/p>\n
Prior to this meeting, Mr Major had held an hour-long tete-a-tete with Mr Reynolds where the Prime Minister had contended that co-operation on security matters had been better than it had ever been.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, that assessment was challenged when Mr Flynn and Mr Mayhew joined the leaders.<\/p>\n
The Justice Minister raised several issues including the closure of cross-border roads, the rebuilding of a British military watchtower near Cloghogue school, and a preference for mobile patrols over permanent vehicle checkpoints.<\/p>\n
In a record by an Irish civil servant which is not meant to be considered verbatim, Mr Flynn said he did not wish to \u201cintrude a discordant note\u201d but contended that cooperation with the Anglo-Irish Secretariat had decreased due to the break of meetings in the Conference.<\/p>\n
Mr Major told him not to worry about being discordant and assured him matters would be looked at.<\/p>\n
Mr Mayhew said that his officials had been \u201ctied up\u201d in talks with Northern Ireland political parties, but said there \u201cwill be no lack of co-operation\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister joked that this meant officials who had been working 16 hours a day would now be working 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n
On the checkpoints and closure of roads, Mr Mayhew said the official advice was that they were all necessary for security purposes.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Mr Major asked Mr Mayhew if he wanted to get his \u201cown back\u201d towards Mr Flynn, to which the Northern Ireland Secretary replied: \u201cNo, Prime Minister \u2013 not long ago I would have wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Justice Minister said the talks with Northern Ireland political parties were \u201csniffing around the mulberry bush\u201d but \u201cgoing nowhere\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said DUP leader Ian Paisley had previously absented himself from the talks but still reserved the right to return to negotiations for the purpose of insisting on a change in the Irish Constitution\u2019s territorial claim to the whole island of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Mr Major said he did not want to see the talks derailed: \u201cYou have to deal with the Unionists in these talks but I deal with them every day. We must not lose sight of what you and I want to see come out of these talks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Flynn said \u201cit is not helpful when Her Majesty\u2019s Government says that the Irish Constitution must be changed\u201d and said there had been a hope that Mr Mayhew would have been able to use influence to pressure unionists on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us not get into double speak here. Let us be clear: If the Unionists feel comfort from your or that a change in the Constitution is possible, there will be misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Northern Ireland Secretary said he wished it was true that he had influence over unionists, contending that they only hang on his words because they feel they are about to be betrayed.<\/p>\n
This sentiment was shared by Mr Major who told Mr Flynn that he may feel the UK Government has \u201cmore control over the Unionists than we have\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Justice Minister said he, along with his Fianna Fail party and founder Eamon de Valera, had \u201cbeen insulted\u201d during the party talks and sought a commitment to a strong Government-to-Government foundation on the matters of the constitution.<\/p>\n
Mr Major reiterated his Government\u2019s sincerity and attempted the resolve the row amicably: \u201cI don\u2019t mind being shouted at \u2013 it is quite like the House of Commons.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us agree we are going to do this \u2013 but you must not go away with suspicions about us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Apparently still in good humour, the Prime Minister ended that meeting by saying they would now \u201cgo meet the reptiles\u201d \u2013 in reference to the press gathered in the courtyard outside.<\/p>\n
\u2013 This article is based on documents contained in the file labelled 2023\/50\/204 in the National Archives of Ireland.<\/p>\n
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