Mrs Thatcher says Paisley action is that of a “desperate man”
Mrs Margaret Thatcher yesterday ruled out the possibility of a bilateral defence treaty with the Irish Republic.
“The Republic of Ireland is neutral. If she wished to discuss defence it would, I imagine, be with a wider group of nations” , she said.
The reference will do little to placate the pro-neutrality lobby in the republic, who in a Dail debate on Tuesday will attempt to discover whether Mr Charles Haughey, the Prime Minister, is prepared to enter into a European defence agreement.
The fear of many leading Irish politicians is that the Prime Minister and Mr Haughey have discussed the possibility of Ireland entering a defence agreement in return for decisive action by Britain over Northern Ireland.
That fear is also at the heart of the campaign against Mrs Thatcher by the Rev Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, against whom she launched a scathing attack in Ulster last night.
Mr Paisley 's action in opposing her Dublin summit talks was that of a “desperate man” , she said.
Mr Paisley, MP for Antrim, North, with 300 supporters yesterday handed in a letter of protest, accusing her of treachery over her summit talks with Mr Haughey.
He said that his campaign would go on with even more vigour and accused Mrs Thatcher of “lying through her teeth” .
Mrs Thatcher said the protest was ridiculous. Mr Paisley 's remarks reflected on him rather than herself, she said.
She repeated that Ulster's constitutional future was guaranteed, and accused Mr Paisley of raising unnecessary fears.
“I shall not be intimidated from carrying on talks with our neighbours, the Republic of Ireland, by threats” , she said.
Mrs Thatcher's emphatic reassurance to the “loyalists” of Northern Ireland about their constitutional future will not especially please the Dublin Government, which has been happy to give the impression that the summit talks contained a secret formula for positive movement in Northern Ireland.
Mr Haughey regards what he calls the “unremitting, flat-footed guarantee” to the Ulster Unionists as the main obstacle to progress.
Mrs Thatcher, speaking shortly before leaving Northern Ireland after her two-day visit, said she came to the province partly to allay people's fears and to give reassurances about Ulster's position.
There have been few immediate public reactions from Ulster Unionists to her visit, other than by Mr Paisley, who in the early hours yesterday attempted to storm Hillsborough Castle, near Belfast, where Mrs Thatcher spent the night.
He headed a fleet of cars which tried to break through the security ring around the castle.
Eventually he guided the convoy, with horns blaring through the narrow country lanes to a Free Presbyterian church nearby. They sang two hymns and Mr Paisley read from the Bible and prayed for “guidance in the valley of darkness” .
After discussing tactics beneath the pulpit the convoy returned to the castle and continued to protests. After handing in the letter for Mrs Thatcher, Mr Paisley and four supporters shouted in unison: “No surrender” . [end p1]
Mrs Thatcher delivered a brief reply to Mr Paisley stating: “I have made my position absolutely clear in the speech I gave last night in the Parliament buildings at Stormont. I enclose a copy of it”
Her final day in Northern Ireland comprised a visit to two successful engineering firms and a helicopter tour of the border area around Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. She was briefed by officers about border security.
Mr John Hermon, Chief Constable of Northern Ireland, apologized to a delegation of Dublin civic leaders yesterday as they left Belfast after an official visit which was marred by clashes with Mr Paisley and his supporters on Thursday. The Lord Mayor of Dublin was kicked and pushed.