Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Northern Ireland, PM’s Times Interview, European Council, ID Cards and Iraq.
Northern Ireland
Asked about the Prime Minister’s meeting today with the Taoiseach, David Trimble and Gerry Adams, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that today was a day for assessment rather than making decisions. He pointed out that this summer had been the quietest in Northern Ireland for many years. There had also been the most intensive period of negotiations between some of the parties since the Good Friday Agreement had been drawn up, both in terms of the quality of the discussions, as well as the quantity. Yesterday, we had also seen the first meeting - in shadow form - of the Independent Monitoring Commission which had been set up to ensure that all the parties met their commitments. The building blocks were clearly there for a possible deal which would allow us to go into an election in a positive frame of mind. However, the work had not yet been completed. Today was about assessing where we were and how far along the road we had travelled. That said, the context was a positive one and we were clearly looking to build on it.
Questioned as to whether an agreement would have to be reached this week were a mid-November election to be a distinct possibility, the PMOS noted that deadlines in Northern Ireland tended to be more flexible in their interpretation than perhaps they were elsewhere. Obviously it would not be helpful to get drawn into a discussion at this stage about exact timescales. Suffice to say that everyone was aware that time was short and that we didn’t have too much longer to play around with. Put to him that four weeks’ notice was required under electoral law, the PMOS said that the precise interpretation of electoral law was a matter for the lawyers, not him. That said, he did not think it would be casting aspersions on anyone to suggest that there was a degree of flexibility which could be applied. We would have to wait and see how things panned out. In the meantime, the important thing was the substance in this case - and this was being presented against a positive backdrop.
PM’s Times Interview
Asked to comment on the ‘growing and evident tension’ between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor over tax, as reported in today’s Times, the PMOS said that he had read the Prime Minister’s interview several times this morning, and on each occasion had been unable to make the connection between the headline and the interview. In fact, from his reading of it, the Prime Minister fully supported the Chancellor and they were clearly at one in terms of policy. Thus, he did not recognise the headline, nor the premise of the question that had just been asked.
Asked if the Prime Minister categorically ruled out a referendum on the European Constitution, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister’s words spoke for themselves. He had made clear repeatedly why he did not believe a referendum was appropriate. Put to him that the Prime Minister’s argument was ‘untenable’ as Prime Minister Raffarin of France had made clear, the PMOS said that M. Raffarin was Prime Minister of France. Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the UK. There were different traditions in different countries. As the Prime Minister had pointed out in his interview, the majority of European countries were not intending to hold a referendum on this matter. Put to him that the Prime Minister had indicated in the past that he would hold a referendum if the EU Constitution was fundamentally changed, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister did not believe that would happen. He would be arguing his case at the IGC meeting this week and in subsequent negotiations to reinforce that point.
European Council
Questioned about the Prime Minister’s position on the European Constitution at the European Council later this week, the PMOS said that this was obviously a rolling negotiation. We had set out our position on the IGC many times, so it was clearly well known both domestically and in Europe. We wanted to make sure that this position was not only protected but also enhanced as the negotiations continued.
Asked if the Prime Minister would use the European Council as an opportunity to raise the issue of Iraqi funding and reconstruction, the PMOS said that discussions about these matters were continuing on a separate track. In the meantime, our position was becoming clear and we were waiting for other countries to follow suit.
ID Cards
Asked the Prime Minister’s current thinking on ID cards, the PMOS said that as the Prime Minister had spelled out a couple of weeks ago, this was an idea which had to be seriously examined in an era of mass migration. A detailed examination into the costs, logistics and other important aspects which had to be considered was currently taking place. It was important to allow that to happen before jumping to premature conclusions. Asked if the Prime Minister was deliberately staying neutral on the possible outcome of the examination, the PMOS said that if an investigation was launched, it made more sense to await the outcome rather than pre-judge it. Asked when the outcome would be announced, the PMOS declined to get drawn into a speculative discussion about timescales. Put to him that the logistics and costs of ID cards must be already be known, the PMOS said that as anyone who had looked into the issue would agree, it was clearly a very complex area. Obviously that was not in any way to preclude the conclusions of the exercise. However, he repeated that it was important for people to allow all aspects to be examined rather than jump to unhelpful conclusions. Asked if the issue might be resolved before the Queen’s Speech, the PMOS said that the contents of the Queen’s Speech would be announced at the appropriate time. He had no intention of pre-empting it.
Iraq
Asked about the security situation in Iraq following the suicide bomb attack over the weekend, the PMOS said that the security situation in Iraq was being monitored very carefully, as you would expect, and the appropriate security responses would be made. Equally, however, it was important not to lose sight of the real progress we had seen in Iraq over the past few months. For example, the country’s infrastructure was being repaired. This included restoring electricity supplies to pre-war levels - and improving even on that. Schools were also reopening, as were universities and hospitals. A new currency was also about to be launched. There was obviously a balance to be struck in terms of assessing how far down the road back to normality - and beyond - we were. It was important for people to remember that pre-war Iraq had not been a safe place for many of its citizens and that the position today was far, far better than it had been.
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