Sunday, February 05, 2006

Paisley comments too hot for RTE?

RTE's website contains a partial report on comments by Ian Paisley at his party's conference yesterday and the reaction to them:

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach has said it was deeply regrettable that the leader of the DUP, Rev Ian Paisley, made remarks about the President yesterday. In unscripted comments to his party conference, Dr Paisley said he does not like the President of the Irish Republic. 'I don't like her because she is dishonest,' he said. 'She pretends to love this province and she hates it.'

He went on to make a series of allegations about the President's security arrangements when she travels to the North.


But no detail on the actual allegations, which do appear in the online transcript of Paisley's speech:

The President of the Irish Republic who refuses to enter a police station in Northern Ireland should respect the police of Northern Ireland. She should only enter Northern Ireland under the same terms as every other visiting head of state and she should cease attacking Northern Ireland.

Which seems to imply that Mary McAleese maintains only her own security detail in Northern Ireland, but also refused to visit PSNI facilities. Paisley's allegations put the Irish government in an awkward bind, since the President essentially can only speak with the permission of the government. Bertie may have to take a position -- something he hates to do in any context -- on Mary's travelling arrangements.

UPDATE: Another RTE story on Monday about the fallout from Paisley's comments. But read the story and try to figure out what he said.

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