Dublin Report Maginnis’s careless words reveal a hardening line

By John Kelly

They’re not walking; they’re still talking. That’s the upbeat message that continues to be broadcast by the indefatigable Mo Mowlam, Britain’s Northern Ireland secretary. Probably we should all be grateful, but the optimism begs the question, what they are still talking about — especially with only 65 days to go before a potential explosion of violence at Drumcree.

While the British and Irish governments insist that there is no intention of "parking" the Good Friday peace agreement, official announcements avoid any mention of the Hillsborough Declaration, which emphasized the importance of arms decommissioning as a prerequisite for admission to the assembly.