NATIONAL ARCHIVES
IRELAND
Reference Code: 2009/135/702 Creation Date(s): 7 December 1979 Extent and medium: 21 pages Creator(s): Department of the Taoiseach Access Conditions: Open Copyright: National Archives, Ireland. May only be reproduced with the written permission of the Director of the National Archives. Gm•crGOI'Clllllh mnc mlit in;ill; ;lt1/1... .. ,l!ivr:I!i,,r: ~ crvi("['Jn·it·cs Sd··bl." i... b},:,; :,,; 1'-,1(1;',' ·,tai · anCon Ria/taiJ,Ria/t 'r, Dub/,11f)uM,1! 2 fr,Ir!t !t.Jld I'd [fH,,;I, Jilc. -';/ ~If,, (, l!ir•!h:?r!',!!h :! 1 c!q,/w,c!qJ/1 PJ'E.SS CONFEP.E,,::· f·:-'10\Y 7 J)I ·'.Cl",Cl· "1C'q lCR }Q791 79 /"'" . . .. po] ':''-'Y 011 [.J'orU.er 1 1 r' ld! .... ? F'annul'i .. nn Fail.Fdll no.!.icylO~.j,Cy emcm _·,.rtL"art.!. 11:H. .trclar!d1 "eland .. s been quiteq\lilc -r clcu.rlycl &rly enuncintcdenunciator in t',C'th0 ];-;r;1 I I c ·clar 1here"'here m,y.:1 Y be,Le I oerhuPS,oerhaps, I am of(b. n yY a.t.s:l S Jo•.,r.1".0'..'. ThereT ere ·.dJl','i]1 he, rI think,thi!1.'·, :)erhcHlSl)CJ.h he w,s very much a Cor'man. But, subjects bje~t to thatthat. didifft.•unt f 1: 1 'n L levellc~v0l of0: em~"h~em~hc1sis si f:, r.erehere.- andCind t.h'3ret~ere ,I the thrust of our PoJicypolicy will\.,i.ll be the same ... the rcunificationreunification of our'-our ..:ountry untry bybv nI aeac ful rr... '<1nsnns ... theth Lrin~lillgl>r..1l~Ti!1g tOCTcthcrtccrethcr c[f the t.:rCld·~r2diU tj o,0, s iLin UtLe (' countrycc: untry...... and theth T)ursuanccoursuancc of the aim of u.lrvinau .i r.vin(~: th0th IIrish "iRh neoryle.ne0•)lc. Qn noDo you favou)'"fuvour. ·\g1·ccmcnt'\~)"C('I E'nt of Bl.:itishBritish withdl"m'H'IlvJi thdravh 1 from N "l iu.. ! {\ -: l:e] _i:'I '? 'I'he'l'hc l'ia'1:1u.I'ia:::"\!1<1 1'ail'~il 1 1975 do'do:.:UI:lcnt unent is ':~q 'lteJ.te specificspecif.i.c in thatLhat m.'ltm~ ttcr rand and l' ~uq~'lslsuqq.:.•sL rll;:rhansj">lhiiPS thcltthe t it ha,nhac;n l'tt hh··,en .n as cl ~elysely r"adrea~ .SJs it shouldshoulrl hnvehave b~en.been. It.It begbegins ins wiwith t.h a clcclay,tio:-".dcr.::1ar, tio .. ~!..hat, r. ~lC>·JC \lant\;ant Loto br.Lrabr.i..na ahouta'"Jout th:.!the unification of the count!"" b/ ucac( f1'l m~ans. \']eWL ,!~bho: ho .." violence. \'1\•lc COllc ttcMnrd:; )\J,\rl.; l.hi.t:hi end, "kwe woul'"!•-:oul~ like the- B~"iBritish tish to enter intointo'! " c,_C•,n,mit:ll nmi t ~'Col:'" "!_ lor) elisclisC.l :Wd!'TC .. dCIU fren~=.~Cf' ortherno ·ther:n Ir\;,;landIr\;;land iron.i1orr. h'shis countrycountt! .. 4...' , J • GOVCI"III7H'ntGm·cmmc:nt Ill!JnformGtion rmc.liOll .~Senriccs n'icf!s ScirhhisiSeirhhisi Eo!aisI.o/nis 1111nn Rialta::,Rialtais, Du/'/inDublin 2. irela/:JJrc/,u:d BailcBaile AAtha tl,{ ClializCli.llh 2 J'l'!cpJrTclcplz me 767511767 51 I TTelex c/ex 581JO5S JO IJAUGHEYHAUGHEY '1'\'10/T\·10/ .•••.• \ wLthw.i.t..h Mrs.~1rs . Thatcher and~nd your r>r""'dccessor11",Oc.ccssor .Mr~Ir . Lynch about the Border and2nd so on ...... ? 'I'hc'I'he.. sccurisecuri lv arrc.tn Q Could you stnt0 unLquivicallyuncquivically what is your attituecattitude to th·the Provisional)rovisional IJIRA? A? I condcnmcor denm the Provi~;ionalProvi~.i('mal IRA and all their activities . • ...... I ,.;antvlnnl to.... o mab·m2k(' it clenrclc;-,r that I have neverne 'Cl' done anythingc-nything elseelso. . Q You huvehave not previm·slypreviollsly conderrmcdcondcrncd the Provisional IRA. This is ththe first tin·time today,today , in two yAarsyears,, th~tthat you Lavehave condemned Uwmthc.m . It is lhcthe first timetiMe that I have b .enen asked in this position . UI"'Uf' to nC'HnC\-1 the resoon~,rcsnon. ...ibility bility for makinq Fianna!:'ianna FailFai] nartyr)arty statements in these mc.~ttersme tters belonged to another . Q You are regardedregard cl as&5 a highhioh green Tory and a man to be feared bv the Unio~istsUnionists in Northern'orthern IrelandIrelano. Do you takeb. ke any nleasurer)lcastlre in thut?thal? II dm notnol a Tory .. I1. r)robablJnrobably nmaIn tin?Ccltinged vofith'"i th green "· ------.--~------.. • GO\'frlllllel/lGOI'l'rlllll(?llf ln/utJIIfu! llIaliollmatio11 SaServices vices Scirbhisi ColaisI::olais 01:an Riailais,Ria!tair, Dublin 2,2. Jr,lrdand tand lJaileD(1ile .l.1111G tlw CliathCIiatJ: 2 TelepholleTrh·plrone 76757176757 I TcletTeln: 5SOO5800 HAUGHEY THREE/ •••. . . What is your feelingfeeljng about the~he nursuilnursuit of terrorists acrossa ross the Border to the south? I bclibc.lieve ve vexy strongly that our lrmy and Garda Siochana are totallyto~ally capable of dealinadealin~ vlithwith security matters in so far as the territory ofo{ this state is concerned. Q Do(sDo s that mean then that~hat you would not sunport the idea of helicont.erheliconter overflightsoV2rflights from tl.et .. e North to the South in l)ursuitt>Ursui t of terrorists? OnlJOnly with permission.?ermission. Q l'lould~·ould thatthat.. "C?ermissiongermission be c:rranted0ranted in normal 'circumstances? It wouJdwould d yenapend on the circumstances . Let me make it abHolulelynbsolutcly cle,rcl"dr that I believe that the responsibilitv for the ?reservation9reservation of peace and s~curity within the territ..orybcrri lory of t:.tLis is sS · ate belongs to~o the Gardai and the Army of this country.cotm try. Q Could you qiveqiv~ us your priorities on taking over this administration? I would rcgarciregard ththe oeaceful unification of the oeooleocoole of IrelundIrel,nd as my nrirnaryorimary ooliti\_;alnolitical oriority . Naturally, alJalJiec1 .ied withwl th that,thd t, I haveh< vc a c)earcJ car r)rioril)riority ty to oromote the econoniceconomic develonmt.!ntdevelo~ment of the COU!country try in every way - toto ?rovidcprovide the best oossible social welfare arrangements for ouronr !)Conlepeonle and in relation to snecifics, I believebeU.eve that dealingne- lin<"] with\·],ilh enerqvCJ10rq' is qoinqsoiner to be a too nriorioriority ty of the reformccreformetl Fiannaj"ianna Fail government. .r .. • ~J .. • CV\'t'TlJI1IClltGovcmmc,a /11/'"/nf.wmation motion Sc1')cn'iccs \'ices Seirblzisi,)'eirblzfsi E%i«t:.:n/ai~ ann Ria/tais,rid/als, Dub/inDublin 2.2, IrelandIreland Baile AthaA tha CliathCliatlz 2 1Tel et' p!lone['hone 767571 Telex 5800 lIAUGIlEYHl\UC:llEY FOUn/l'OUH/ •.. Q What rremedies medies will't!.Lll you hc.veh2vc to qi'lc~TiVI'"! a boost andartd get ththe Irish economyecononN back on the riqhtright road aaain?a?ain? I wou1t1vlould ratherr.:1t.her !lotnot deal tli,iU tl. plilnspLms this evenjngevening because: that is.is a mattermatt~r for Govrrnment~"";overnment . Cl(} \'/hat\;That are our planspJ an s in r0.lationl"(!lation to the comooscOr!'loosit':'on i tion of your Cabinet . 'l'here'{'here are suggestionssuqqcst1ons that thereth re willvlill be major chanceschDnaes . Would you anticioatentjcicate those?t hose? I will~ill not answer that questionquestion.. That is a matter entirely for myself . Q .. . Whit~White Pa~erPacer due out n xt week.week . Will you be allowi1allowil y ss.. I ~)artiparticiJoled ci:)nled n the formul.:ltionformulation of that \-Jhi\1hile tc PnnerP",ner . Q H,B innth> th! cours12c ur~e of the nasto.sl few davs?days? Dono you reareallyl ly ~::: xneclx ect ..mee Loto tell vouyou .. Q On torthernJor-Lhern Irelun..tIl"elan~l again, wh.t1ht::t •' s your attitudettitude to the HHumphrcy MPhrei' Atkin s documentc!ocumen '.'lhichwhich is at nrcsentnresent the subjectsub;ect of discussions there? .... it hash s aalreadyl ready bceneen shmm~h(~vm toto be inddequateinadequate .. ,.,_...... r ------...' • GmGo\'c'fllli!Cill'i'lIlmelT! /111Jnjv10111 nralilm aJion Sl'nSen•icl'S'icl's St'irbh;siScirbhisi EEolaisolais an Ria/fRialtais,als, DllblinDub/ill ?2, Ireland BallcHaile ArJiaAtha ClialilCliath 2 Telcp/roneTdl'plimre 76757767571 J TelTelexex 5800 llAUGllEYHAUGHEY FIVE/,FIVE/ . ..• . Q In what rcsl?ccts?respects? I don't intend to deal \-lithvTi th thth<~ t at tIlt},ee moment.moment . That is stistill 11 the ren)onsibiresuonsibil 1i itv t v of JJack a cl< LvrLvr.ch.ch as 'f•raoiscach aoiseach and.and ~ichaclichael O'Krnnedv,O' Konncdy , ForeignForeign Affiirs.Affairs. They have outlilledoutl i11cd ourou1· T)O!,nos iti tion ion on011 lht.h2l t...... andDnd :.t.creU.ere is unanimousun~nimous pqrccncntaqrccMcnt on that.that . Q What is your attitude to oower sharinq anddnd the Irish dimension? The 1975 Fianna Fail nolicyoolicy document clearly indicat.esindicates that I, nenclingnending t.hethe w.i\Olithdrcl'.'lal Lhdrm·la 1 or disen9ag0mentdisengaqcment of Britain from Irish affairs, we should nursuepursue the neaceful comingcominq together of the CO'!Tl.TfiUnitiescommunities by meansneans of interim institutions - anv such interim institutions beingbeinq welcome. Q0 Bcfo.rcRc>fore agrcein_1agrcein t to SUl.lsu( . interim institutions,institut.ions I willI;1i11 you be demanding a<1 British ccccr~itment- mitment - in other words, whi.ch comes first? I am nutnot going Loto snellsncll out colicyoolicy at t!this is st~gcstcgc.. Policy will..,/ill bebe:- a matter for the neHne\Ol Government - TaoiscachTaoiseach , Minister for Foreign Aff~irsff 'rs,, cabinet co)colI 1 aguesagu s . You Wlllwlll for<_livcfO'give meIOC this aftcafternoon1 ~noon for just dealing(k~aling t,viwilh lh atattitudes, tit udcs, annro2hcesanoroahces and thinkinqthinkinq.. '(. -~------~-~~---~------.!...~--- • GOI'l:mlllell(Gorcmment Informationln/ormr.tivn SerricesScn•ices Seirbhisi l~olais/io!ais an Rialtr.is,R.ia/trJs, Dublin 2, IrelalldInland lJcileBaile IfA ,1:0 rl:a Cliath 2 TelCfTrlcplwJZc /zone 76757176757! Telex 58015800 IlAUGHEYHAUGHEY EICIl'rjEl\.ll'l'/ ...• .. <.10 \.oJhat\\'hat L;is the Dossibilitynossibi 1 i ty of strstructura lctural 1 changesch · ngcs ,. AOdrtAnart fl'omfrom the aueslquestJon ion of personaloersonal chanqes,chanoes, might you change the resoonsibility of ministers? Yes. ~ldfu1d we will certainlv h.vh ve leqi~lative changeschdnges.. Q h'hat\'Vhat aboutabouL the internal T)os'tionl)OSi L.i.on of FinnnaF lunna Fail . AlthouahAlthoucrh elected , there is obvjouslyobviously a very'ery large bodyhody of l)eonlcneonle inin the l)nrtvnartv - c1c!=luties~e~uties - who orcfcrredoreferred somebodysor.1cbody else . Hov1HO\·, do you bind the oartyoal-ty together? That will be one of mynw major taskstasks.. ItI t vlwill i 1.1 callc a 11 for a 0reatgreat dealdC:ll of :nymv time.tine. I am heartened, very J • considcrab)considerably y heartenedhC'artcncd and encouraged by the co-ope.rationo-operation of m'!m.v colleagues,colleaques, narticularlyoartlcularly as I m0nt-ioncdment.ioned today,today , o[of myMy old school friend,friend , GeoraeGeorg Colle_·,Colley, ..,.,howho HasVIas mv onnonenton onent in the election. ItIt's • s quite c!earclear thdtthat thethc partypart is equally divided beb:eenbetl-en usu~ as to Hhichwhich of us tLeythey rcqdrdreqard as betterb tter fifitted·ttcd to 1 thehe ledden.hi'1.leaderl::.hi'). But...ut this oarticulart?articular conr;ontcst test .. UlinkLhinJ~ most of my cocolleagues lleaaues herehey-c wi,,;ill 11 bear this out, waswaS oneonc of the n~stmost intense electoral contests I have ever oarticinatednarticinated in - but it was the mostMost fri ndly - thereLh~rc ·..;asWdS no cl€'mcntcl m nt of personalities .. We had a very close and intense contest but it was carried t.hrou~.ththl.'Olll.lh~ "''wi i th the rnaximummaxirnum of croodwi("foodltrill. 11 .. I wishvli 5h you had seen 11s'IS this morning atdL our narty1')Clrty meetingmeeLing vihereItlh re youvou would havehav'> seen thethe veryvery efficient ">roceedi.ngsn-oceedings c<.rri.edc<.rried throuohlhrou<]h \·lith\lith the maximum of goodwill.g-ood"rill. ~---~~~------,l '. • Gm't:fllfllCIl(Govt!rnmcnt IIl/orlllClliollInformation Sl'nSC'rviccs ices .I.;eirbhisiSeirblzisi Ev/aisEv!ais (man Rialtais,Rial/ais, DublinDubli~t 2,2, Irelandlrdand !lai!cBailc: .Arha f tl!a Cliath 2 Tc/t'plronel'rtepirollf! 767571767 571 T to:;,·x 5800 HAl]GHEYH.l\eGHEY SIX/ ...•.• () \,lil1\'iill vouyou bbe nskinqas}~j n<;l for an i:nrr,ec.iateimrr.cc.iate IT,rr~~ctinq .ctinq •t~ithtlit.h ~ . - MrsNrs.. 'l'hntcherThatcher to discuss thpthe auestionC'uesl ioa of Northern Ireland - as soon as vouyou Laketake over as Taoiseach?Taoiscach? I have no such ~lans.~lans . Q \.YouJdnWouldn't' t it fit ini n with your'OUr olansclans for tiethe nr unun.i.fi if i calioncnLl on of IIreland rclu.nd and Bri tish 'di',·lithdrawal? t hdrawa J? ILIt would obviously be of irn,ortanceimportance that I and thetl e British Prime Minister·:inister ,r or a~ve v of mym' cabinet colleagues shoulsl ould . Mdintainrndintain the qreatestoreatest noss1blepossible level of contact with our British colleaguescolleagues.. Q WilJWill. you be maintaining overall resnonsibilityresponsibility in narticularuarlicular for the GovcGov~rnmcntls nment • s Northern t>olicy?~olicy? I shall~hal1 hebe tcllincrtcllinq you all that on TuesdayTuesday.. I shallshdll b'b announcingallnouncing thatthu.t on Tuesd.::lyTuesday ,I alonsa lons 'lith·lith the fo~rnalionfOlmation of the GovPrnF~nt.Govern~ .nt. ______...-----c..---~- - l • GOI'CrJlfIIClltGovcmmcnt /lIformllliollInformation Scn'iC('sSen ices SeirbhisiScirbl:isi Eo/aisEolais GlIOJZ RiaJlais,Riallais, .I ])ublinDublin 2, 'rdcndlrdand 11ailcIJailc Atha/ tha Cliat;'Clialh 2 TclcpJzOl!eTelephone 767571 Telex 5800 1.,\UGHEYl!, \UGHEY NINE/ ••• Q Wasn't\\lasn • t it true that the contest drewclrc·,.; a definitedefi1.ite line betweenbetvJCen the members of the CovernmentC:overnment and thetf c back- benchers?bcnchers? (another ququestion stion - inaudible)inaurlible) As soon as this confer~nceconfer0nce is over, I am-m goinggoinq to the TaoiscachTaois0ach ' s office wherevlhere I intend to have a briefing session \'lith\·Jith himhiw andcmd thc.ttthdt \1iwill 11 be of enonnousenormous '- benbenefit 'fi.t andClnd assistanceassistnnce to me . Further questions in Irish fol]followed O;"/ed : You mentionedm~nLioned the supnort which1hich ~rPr . Colley expressrdexoressc>d fo1~fOl~ you this rnorninCTmornina . ldi\'1i11 ll l,1rz~or . ColleyC011ey be a membermenher of your Government? ThntThat is a ~attermatter to hebe decideddecided.. I can't make any comment and I think you knmlkno•:1 the precedentprececent and the protocol to be involved in these matters.matters . It would be very innorJrO'!)riateinaporopriate ofo[ me to0 make any statement as ~oto who will or will not be in thetl e GovernmentGovernment.. We ' re a Fianna Fail governmentgovcrnmunt and we'rewe1re all grc2.tgrc~t friends . Q Will you hebe invitjng Mr~r .. . eil Blaney back into the party? That '' ss entirelventirely a matter for the oartvarty and there's noLhingnothing on that on th~ aqendaagenda at thethe moment ...... therethere •' s5 no question of invitinginvi ting t_,eo:,lc~)eoplc into Fianna Fail -- !)CODleT)eoDle joinjoin I'iannaFianna FaiFail 1 inin the normal procedureprocedure.. ____ ...... ·------, '( ' •' G'OI'l'rllnrCII(Gol'emnrcnt in/, lnf trmrzlioll>rmalion Sen'ic{'s Scn·ices SeirbhiriSeirbhisi Eolais Hniais all an Rillitais. Ria/tab.·, VuulillDublin 2. 2, IrelandIreland TJaileUaifc Arha AthrJ Cliath Cliath 2 2 Td.·p/rvT1CTdl'phonc 767571 767571 TelexTelex 581)0 5800 HAUC~HEYHAUGHEY 'l'EN/'I'EN/ .•. ... QQ ',~lv . LJ.l11 youyou bebe t.:lll'~ingtalking toto ,Ir.l"r. nlL!l1ey?Blaney? rl alwaysalways talktalk toto Mr.Mr . Blaney.Blaney . II talktalk toto allall mymy pnrliamentHryparliamentary colleaquescolleagues inin thisthis House,HousP. QQ WjllWill youyou bebe meetingmeetinq thethe SDLPS~LP oror anyany ofo~ thethe otherother politicalpolitical partiesyartics irii~ thethe North?North? II havehave metmet thethe SDLPSDL!:> onon manymany occasions.occasions . Many of themthem are closecJosc friends of mine.r:~inc. I will keeokee? up my contactscontacts \'lithvrith thef'"ltht n cert.ainly.ccrtainl;r. Q Frank Q Frank CluskeyCluskev of the Labour PartvParty has refused,inJ:'efused,i~ a statement, statement , to extend tot.o vou whatwl at he callsc~lls the~he nornalnormal courtesies to a Taoiseach designatedesiqnate and he says that your ~)oliticall)olitical ohilosonhynhilosonhy isis anathema toto thet.lle Ir.iIrish sh !>eoplepeople.. Ho~HO\'l • dodo youyou ansv;erans\..;er him?him? I don ' t intend to . I don't intend to. DrDr.. JohnJohn O'ConnellCIConnell hashas extendedextended hishis v:armwarm congr.atulut.i.onscongr.at.ulations ~ot.o me.me. QQ Wl'~hcn en youyou •.vere',-Tere MLnister~1inister forfor rinanceFinance vouyou \·lere\'lerc extraordinarilycxtraordinarily qcne:t:ousgenerous toto thethe l\rts~rts andand youyou introducedintroduced variousvarious imagimaginative ·native sc-hemesschemes forfor thethe ArtsArts.. CouldCould v1ewc exoectexoect .vour.your administrationadministration toto gogo onon inin thisthis field?field? I regar.d Cl I reqard a coherentcoherent \-Jell-planned\vell-planned cultun1.lcult.urnl policypolicy asas anan essentialessential elementelement inin IrelandIreland.. L--~~~ -- ,I .' , ' Go\'~rll1n(,lltGol'emmcnt 1Informatio/1nformation S~n'icesServices Seirbh!s!Seirbhfs! EolaisEo!ais an Rialtais, Dublin 2.2, Irelandlr land !JaileHaile AAtha fha Cliath 2 TclrplumcTelephone 767571 Te/('Telex;r 5800.5800 HAUGHEYHAUC;HEY ELEVE.'ELEVEN/ / •.•.•. Q Your selection as TaoisTaoiscEch och designate has already been internretedintcrDreted in sections of the British media as a triumuhtrium!?h fO).:for a republican tenc1encvtenc1cncv ':lithinHithin Fianna FailFail.. In <]Cneral<]eneral terms, is thatthvt (1nan imoressionimoressicn that youvou \·:ouldwould be at painsnains to remove? I would discount it completely. We in Fianna Fail went lhrounh a oerfect.loer~ectlv '. · democratic nrocessprocess this .""'.--' . .-· morning electing a leader of our cartyt,)arty , nothing moreDore or less than Ltthdt. at . Q You think that sections of the British media may have seen a significance in your selection? vell, I am afraidafr and in so far as we can do so, \·lewe wwill i 11 make every efforte fort to counteract those false im~ressions to give the right image of Ireland to everybodyeverybodv in Britain includinqincluding the media . ~Q How d1clcHd you ST?Cndspend your time in the politicalT)olitical wilderness followingfollo\ving your dismissal? I don '' t everever recollect beingheing irtill the Vlildcrness-lilderness .. Q Your dismii ssalssa l from the Taoiseach '' s cabinet in 1970 and your apoearancca9pearancc inin Court - do you regardreqard that now as - if I can mixmi x the metmeta~hors anhors Sir - 'daterwater under the bridge or a skeleton on your cunboard?cunhoard? 'l'hcy'l'hey arc very much now a matter for history. II am leavingleaving it toto thethe historians.historians . ------.--- , ' GO\,Cfl/l1Iell(Govcmmcnt /r;jormaliolTI nfonnation Sen'icesScn·ices Seirbhisi Eolais an Waltais.Rialtais, DublinDub!ill 2.2, IrelalldIreland l1aifeHaile ..A {fha rlw ClialhCliaJ!z 2 TclcpllOfll.!Telephone 767571 TelexTdex 5800 llAUGIIEYill\UGHEY T~"ELVE/T\'lELVE/ II I II Q Will you helDhel~ the historians? I'I • 11 wwr.i r it tc e mvmy own.ovm. Q Can Hewe take it then that you are not going to oursue an radically different line from that pursued by the T ~ursuedpursued by Fianna Fail? 'rhcrcThere is only oneonc sensihlesensible l'neline to oursuenursue .. .. . and that is to use everyeverv means at our disposaldisoosal . ..a. to concentrateconcentrato on bringing the oeo?1eneoule of this island together in harmony and in co-operation ... . . i1ndand the way that can he achieved is for policy ...... socllodSQp.ll~d out byhy the Party from day to dayday.. Q Do you tit.hink J.nk thattha" the eventscv nts of ten years ago arearc a )iabilityliability to you nersonallynersonallv in an attem~tingattemoting to lead the partyoart: in thatthat. directiondi.rection ..... a and the anti~athyantinathy of you by UnionistUnionist. 1)oliticians?noliticians? I1 am of Northern extraction(>xtraction.. I have enormous contacts all over NortheLnNorthel.n Ireland on every·every' side of the fence .. Ir will~ill mamaintaini ntain these contacts .. I nro:)oseDrO?OSe to ensure that every personalt)ersonal effort on my behalf is utilised to bring ~Joutabout state of affairs .. FurtherFurt} er questjons in ~rishTrish ----~----~,..,...... ,..,. ------""r" -~------, ' ScirMrisi Eolai.Holais an duns, G01','rmllcnlGm•emllzent JJnfarmalionnfarlllGI ion ServicesSen·iccs Sdr!Jirisi an riRialtais, D"b1illJ)ublin 2, IrclmrdIreland Hni!cUni!c A fhat/1(1 Cliath 2 Tdc/lllOltcTelephone 76757l767571 Telex 58QIJ5800 HAUGHEY 'rIll'rHIE'l'EEN/ R'I'BEN / ••... . Q YonYou have been Cl;,1:eda~ked if you \·li\.,.i 11 talk to the SDIJP.SDI,P. Nill\hll you tr.yt1:y to contact the Unionists andclnd members of the I)UPDUP nerhnpsnerhaps in oroerorder to achieve this peaceful united In!landIrL!land vouyou s:)eaks~,eak of? T.I think ,11mJim CdllaqhanCaU my door vTivlill.ll certainly be oncnonen to an~ bodvhodv.. Q Do you th1nkthink with your background, Sir, that you can hhe .... ve\le any mean.in9fulmeaningful dialoguedialoque vd\·ll th Unionists? What\-Jhat background are you talkingtalkinq about?ahout? Q WeWc refer to 1970lQ70.. Certainly whatever heha,pened ?pcned in those yearsy~ars,, a renutation attached itself to you. I havehav' a list of personal rclationshi~srclationshirys with a largelar~e number of Unionistsl'nionists right acrossacros~ the st;)ectrums?cctr1.1rn of NNorLhern rthern IrelandIreland.. Q You would talk to Rev .. Ian Paisley? 11 certainlycertail1ly wouldwould,, of course . Q You think you wouldvlOuld have anything to saysay?? I thinkthink we v10uldwould have a lot toto say to each otherother,, but whetherwhether we 'ldd listen to each other or not ...... -- -- .....- ·~·---...-.-.------.-~- -~ - ·- -· ~----~--~------~-·-.. ----·~ --_.....---_.....-- , ' GOl'cmmentGovernment lnfornuuionJI1!urmation Services .CO'irbhis;.c ·irbhisi EolaisEo/ais annn 1'ialtai:,I' ialtai:;, J)ublillJ)r~blin 2. lrclul/d!rt•!and BU(,aile IfAtha !.I/O Clia!/:Cliath 2 Tc!eplwllcTelephone 76757767571 J TelexTc/('X 5800 HAUGHEY FOURTgEN/FOUHTEEN/ ••• Q Are you concerned with the fact that the sources of yourour obvious wealt.hwealth have neve!.""never been disclosed.disc]osed. Would youvou consider disclosing your business connections? I think y Irish question on Udaras na Gaeilge.Gaeilge . Q nidDid you knmvknow ~Iaing~loing into the meeting this mornin9morning thatt.hat you were goinqgoing to win it? My!-1y colleagues say I was. Q Did you talk to Michael O'KE'nnedyO'Konnedy yesterday?yest~rdDY? CertainlyCcrtainlv. I1 talk to Michael O'' Kennedy every day of lhcthe week .... and GeorqeCeorge Colley and .Gene~Gne FitzgeraldFitzgcrald and anyone else .. Q 'l'o'ro your best knm·!ledgeknolt/ledge,, did you get the supports...tpport of any other member of the cabinetCabinet besides yourself?yourse.1f? The votingvoting paners were burned unfortunately .. - - ~ ------~~- GOI'ell/mentGol'crmnt'llf InformatiollInformation Sen'iccsScn•ices Seirbhi~;Seirbhf.,[ Eolais an Rialtais.Rialtai.:;, Dublin 2.2, IrelalldIrchmd Eaileflr.ilc Atirha rha Cliath ?2 TdcpliollcTelephone 767571 Tell'xTc[,,x 5800 BAllGIlEYHAUGHEY FIF'l'EEN/ ..••.• Q You ~moke~mokc somet.imesometime uqoago nboutnboul 10<:1ile'!i lative changes in the industrial relations fieldfield.. Are you oroposinqnroposinq to introduce any restrictions on the rights of the IC'l'U?ICTU? (trade unions) We\\]e have proposed legislative changes in mindmiTld for some timetime.. Pcrhaos ',',Te'o~:e mlghtmight pursue those more urgently.urgently . Q HO'dHow do you thinkth,ink your rerelationshio lati onsh io is \-1ithTt~i th the trade unions? ...... !_)er.hapspC'rhaps I·I }:nowknm,,, the TransoortTransport Union better because it just so hanoenshaoocns that it has close connections with my part of the city but i have the best of relationshi9relationshio with thethe unions. Q'1 How do you resoonclresoond lot.o criticisms of the 1977 election manifesto - the strategy set un in that manifesto for hebe economy? Will vou revie•.vreview thatstrategy in mid-term? It'sIl's alrearlyalready under review. The fundamental changes taking olaceplace on the Horld,",orId scene narticularly necessitate reviewsx~views of economic strateqy.strate0Y. Q Can you behe more s~ecificspecific on that? Not at lhisthis stage.stcge . •c '------~- -- -- ..\ I I • I Gol'l:mmcntGal'cmmcllt InformationIIl/OrmaJioll Scn·icesSen'ices SeirbhisiSeirbhisi /;'u!aisEo!ais anan Ria/tais,Rialtais, DublinDublill 2,2. lrclcmdlrclcmci naileflailc ArizaArlra CliathCliaJlz 22 Tclcplrm:rTclrp/wl1l' 707571767571 TelexTelex 58005800 II7\UGHEYllAUGIIEY SIXTEEN/SIX'rr:ENj •••.•. Q HaveHave you an oncnonen mind aboutahout tLetLr> next. election -- thethe timingtimin~T of thethe nextne;.:t election?elect ion? It won't be before Christmas. Q NilJNill your GovernmentGovcrnmellt go ahead (nc3and publish the \1hiteWhite PanerPaper that's due out this 'deckweek or ne.:t.next. Yes. Q It has been said that over the nastpast two and a half years, you were never really hanpyhanpv with,·;ith the direction of Government economic ?Olicies.90l icie5. What sort of ch.:mgcschnngcs arenre you likely to make?mR:~e? Q Again, it would be 9remature?remature of me to talk about ppolicyolic1 at this stage.st.aqe. I should point out that the policies pursuedpur'ued so far were collective economic policies. I, uSas any other Minister,~inister, made my contribution to the Cabinet.Cabinet table on the formulation of those uolicios.uoli.cies . But, once they are Dublished,nublished, ththey y area~e collective Government noliciespolicies .. •. 00. . some of them haven't s~cceeded,succeeded, we'~.-Je all recognise thatthat ... changing circumstances, external factorsfactor5 and targetstargets have not been reached. ------. - \ GOI'Cml1l£'lItGol'l!mment III/ormatio/lInformation .\'cn'iccs,\'cn·ices SeirbhisiSeirbltfsi EolaisF:olais allan Ria!taiRialtais, , J)lIMillDublin 2, irc/andlrclmul HaileBaile ..fthnAtl:a CIi':/iatlz III 2 TelcpholleTelephone 767571 Telex 58005SOO llAUGlIEYHAUGHEY SEVESEVEN'l'EEN/ l'l'EEN/ .•.... Q During the tenstension ion o~o'- the pnstaRt fewfev: days, were you tem?tedtempted to have ~ cigarette?ci0arcttc? Never again. I am fifteen yearsyenrs off ciqarettescigarettes andcnd I would never consider smokingsmcking again. the HeolthHenlth Education Bureau 'Ni11\vill very shortly nOy7nm-1 be startinCTstarLinCT a camoaionc-amoaion v!hi\•Jhich ch viiwill 11 be specifically •~.,,;.J ..., • ..J ..- directed to you unfortunate lotlot. vl~,o\'1ho arc stistill 11 smoking designed to help you stopstoo smoking . Watch out for the HEBlatestHEBlaLest announcement . Q As party leader,lender , do you see yourselfvourself imnosing stiffer party c1isciDline on DailDai1 members? Not oarticular1yparticularly . Q Do you seesce yourself allmvinqallowinq the mechanism vlhichwhich l,.,~s'vU<:> designed for J'.1r. ~r . Gibbons during the Family Planning Dill affair to continue? 'I'hat'I'hat mechanismmechan ism hasn '' t yet beenbe 11 hrous;htbroucJ'ht forward. Q Therefore it doesn'tdoesn ' t exist in your view? \·~eWe havenhavl!n •' t broughtbrougl t it forward.forvlard. Q Do you see yourself having many oroblemsp r oblems managing an R282 memberme~)er DailDnil uarty?oarty? 82 problemsprcillems approximately - no 81Sl! ~ ~- - .. .. GOI'crl/mcnfGow~mmcnt /1I/0rmaliollInformatioll ScrvicesServices Scirbhis:Seirbhis: Eo/aisEolais allan RiaJlais.Rialtais, Dub/illDublin 2, IrrlmuJIreland BailcBaile AlhaArlw Clial"Cliatlz 2 1'c'lt,Tdephone p!zone 76757176757 I TelexTcfex 5800580J HAUGHEY EIGHTEEN/ •... .. Q 1l. know you can'tcan ' t commentc:orrunent on the-he shaT)esha~e of your Cabinet - but in terms of the Constitution,Constitution , you are limited to 15 - will you qive sonesome considera~ionconsideration tot.o chanqin9chanqi.ng the roles and reshanin~;reshaoinq some of the Deoartments - and am,amalaamc1tir.q lqc1mtltinq some ·-_. creating new Departments?Denartments? 'fhatThat Idillwill hebe a matter in timelime,, not immediately. 1I don'tdon ' t think "dewe have much . tim_time at the moment. WePe I,vehave aCl lot of very very urgent things to do, financial business and other urge"urge· t matt~rsmatt~rs.. Q Will you taketnke over t.hethe broadbronc direction of the economy yourself? No. The Taoiseach has cnou~h to do with the ov rallra11 manetgcmentmanagement without\'lithouL takingtak in9 over any particular sector and making it his o-.mmm 9rivate?rivate concernconcern.. Q Do1.)0 you intend to keep PorthernNorthern Ireland as part of your own area of resoonsibility?l:esnonsibility? The traditiotraditionn in the Party is that the North of Ireland po;)olicyl icy isi.s restricted,restricted , in majormaj or announcements on North of Irelan(]1re1,1110 mattersmatters,, to the ForeignI'oreign HinisterMinister and thethe 1'aoiseach.'l'aoiseach. vle\'1e willvlill orobahlyt.;>robahly continue thatthat.. --- ""'1"---...... -- ~--....--.. --~- ...... ,.,_ ,,____ , \\ Gm·cmmcntGOI'cmmCIII JnformalionInformation Sen·icesSen'icl's SeirbhisiScirbhisi EolaisEolais anan Rialtais,Riaitais. DublinDublill 2,2. lrdandlrr/al/d Jlailr.lI(lilc ,ftlw,flha CliathCliath 22 TelephoneTelcp/tone 76757767571 I TelexTelex 58005800 HAUGHEYHAUGHEY NINETEEN/NINETEE_/ ...... QQ IfIf you arc<1rc notnot ~roinggoing toto amal0amatcamal~lrunate D.nyany DeQartments,Deoartments I might youyou abolishabolish one? In timeLime uerha~soerha~s .. II justjUSL wantwent toto saysay therethere that the problemsprobl.ems und<1nu thethe urgenciesurgel1cies and the priorities of the situation.si tuation are C0"!1StantJyCOflstantly changinq,cLanging I c111dand thth ·rc·re arcare twotvlO cas s in.in noint.noinL EverybodyEveryhody now realises thattl <1t energy and industrial relations nownoy] assume aC\ role in our affairs that they didn't five years ago. So I thin}~ in theset.hese circumstances it is only logical that the - . structure of Government for dealing with particularpnrticular as9ectsas~ects of the life of the n,tion would hebe changed from time to time . And that would involve oerhansPerhans amalgamatinq or changing or starting newnevJ DeoartmentsDepartments.. Q Since your return to the Front BenchBench,, have you been to Northern Ireland many times? Several. My granny liveslives inin Northern IrelandIreland.. I havehave 52 first cousins livingliving inin Northern IrelandIreland.. SomeSome timetime ago one of thethe most tragictragic thingsthings II did wwas s that IwalkedIwalkcd thethe streetsstreets ofof DerryDerry withwith JohnJohn HumeHumc andand lookedlooked a'-a- thethe terribleterrible destructiondestruction ofof ',vhat.,.,hat waswas onceaoncea veryvery beautifulbeautiful citycity whichwhich II knewknew whenwhen II waswa~ youngyoung,, whenwhen II waswas aa child.child. QQ DoDo youyou expectex~ect toto bebe goin"goinq therethere severalseveral timestimes inin Lhethe nearnear future?future? AsAs oftenoften asas necessary,necessary, yesyes.. I ' ••.. .._.._...... , ______ - .' , . \ GOI'Cr/l/I/ClltGow·nzment lll/urmationln/urmation Sen'Sen·icy•s ices SeirbhisiSeirbhfsi EolaisEo!ais allan Riallnis.Riallais, DublinDu/Jlin 2.2, Jrcllllldlrclmul lJaileUaite ArhaA rlza ClilltliC/iatl: 2 T.:lcphoHcT d('p/ronc 767571767 571 Telex 5800 HAUG!lEYHAUGHEY 'r\·mTHEN'l'Y/ l'I'V/ ••..•. Q In rCSf?Cctrespect of the grov/ina9ro·t~ing unrest.unrest of the PAYE sector, ullcll~ at prioritynrioritv will you give to it?i~? Notot Dn:marer1prepared to'0 discuss it nO/.no·.-1. Q You seem ?tat timest.i.mesto ~o almostal~ost glor! 'l'hat'!'hat vle\.'c are a modern, vibrant nation vliwith' th ·a a basically ve1·yvery sound economy - with\vith a well educated young population)opulation.. I think we have a greatgr at placeDlaee in Europe and the worl1.,Jor) ri. 0Q 'l'hoscThose , as you knowknow,, arc not the grounds on vlhichwhich thet.hc British press!ress usually attacks you or indeed IrelandIre land .. HoHBm-1 will\-.'i 11 you correct that? To projectl)roj ect imase?jmage? I am not sure of the thrust of thethe question .. It is the function of any nation to endeavo~Lendeavo~£ to portray itselfit.clf in the best nossiblenossjble light on the \lOrJd\Jer) Cl scene . IJ think j tt (British(Bri t.i~)h nressnrcss)) has several misguided orcconcentions?rcconcentiens of us .. ''(. \ GOl'cmll/clI1Government I"tormaliollInformation Services SeirlJ/lisiSeir!Jhisi 1~'olaisJ::olais an Rialtais, DublillDub/ill 2, IrelalldIreland BailcBaile IfA thafha CliaJhCliaJiz 2 TelcphoncTelephone 76757767571 J Tc/exTelex 5800 HAUGHEY 'I'NBNTYT\vEN'l'Y O~ONE/ El .•••.. Q IIm>JHow \'.'Orrieclvwrried are you uboutabout this? In so far as they inhibit'nhibit our 1elationshiosrelationshios - fruitful, co-ooeratj,veco-m?eratj.ve hurmonioushu.rnonious relationshiQsreJ alionships - I deplore them. Earlier you condemnedconc'lemned the ProvisionProvisional a] I'P-A.IRA . ''~hatrlhut is your attitudeattituc'le to demands for an amnesty for prisoners Hhowho claim political status? ...... matter of policy Q An ooenoeen mind on the question? No. Thank you very much foror your attendance. No'0 doubtdoubt. we\le will\oIill be Ineetinqmeetinq again . You \·:ill\·,'ill understand that my nositionposition this evening is restricted and I aoolo~iscaDolo~isc for that. I am stillfitill MinisterHinister for HealthH 'a1th and Social WelfareNelfare and different merrbersmembers of the Cabinet occtmyOCCUDY their own responsibilities.resoonsibilitics . Jack Lynch is still our Taoiseach.Taoiscach . And I do not think '·1JeHe should denegrade him by thetl.e pre-emptorypre- emotory assuming of his !)Owerspowers or nosition.I?OS ition. So that, to that extent,extent , I'llI ' ll have toto restrict my answers to a number of suestions,questions , but I'llI ' ll alw0ysalways be glad to comecone back to these issues from timetime to time as it appearsa?pears to you and to me to be necessary. ~ay~av I say in conclusion, that today is a day of very mixed feelings for me. It is a day of enormous feeling of responsibility.responsibility . I thinkthink iti.t is only slmvlvslowlv beginning to oermeate throug-hthroush to me what\>lhal an enoDnousf~normous and difficuldiffieul tasktask II am undertaking.underlaking . But as II have said ;·r;or &"TTant greatly encouraged by a number of factorsfactors 't.~. ------/ ... \ " - \\ Gol'cmmcntGOl'Cl'IllllCm lnformationIllformation Scn·iccsServices ScirbhisiScirbhisi r::olaisEo/ai.; ann Waltais,J'ialtais, Dubli11Dublill 2,2, IrelandIreland Bailellailc A.1 tJ:a [Jut CliathCliath 22 TclrplroneTcl('p/rolle 76757767571 I TelexTelrx 5800 HAUGHEYHAUGBEY 'l'\'JEN'rY'nlEN'ry T\•lO/rnm/ ....• . JI am grc~LJgl7cuLly. y ancour~ge~cncouruged hybv the fact tl-!-Lat at wewc have a great country - great little countrvcountry as England and theth .... Americans call itit; i that viC\olC have aCl basicallybusically sound economy;economVi 'dewc have a votmc:,ryounCJ PO!?ulatpOT)ulution, ion , bright vJall\llell educatededucuted young peoolepeoT>le.. I think withr".7ith leadership nndand visio~vi sion we'It!E' can 6chi~veachieve greatgrent thingsthings.. I am particularly reinforced by the loyalty and suJportsupport which\>.7hich I am getting,get ting, first of all, from Jack Lynch who is hu.ndinghanding over to me,rnc , and GeorgeGeorqe Colley and all my otherot:her colleagues and my ;Jarliamentaryryarliamentary l?urty.party. ... :;•