THE British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, yesterday shrugged off a threat by MP Terry Dicks to wipe out his Commons majority by resigning the Conservative whip in protest at Mr George Mitchell's appointment as Independent chairman of the talks process.
Mr Major expressed confidence that "when Terry sees what is happening the problem will fall away." But another Tory MP, Mr Nicholas Budgen, added his voice to Tory protests over the direction of British policy on Northern Ireland.
Mr Budgen said. "I think most Conservatives and Unionists are very sceptical as to whether these talks can produce a binding, lasting solution to the problems of Northern Ireland.
However, Mr Major who will formally launch the all party negotiations with the Taoiseach Mr Bruton, on Monday was in buoyant form.
He said. "The peace talks are operating on the back of the Mitchell report. Everyone agrees we will have to assert that they accept the Mitchell report at the outset of the discussions. Who better to be certain that the Mitchell report is kept than the author, and he is there as chairman of the plenary."
Speaking in his constituency, Mr Major said. "The important thing is that the decisions are going to be made by the participating parties, and we have reached a circumstance that nobody believed we could reach a few months ago. Nobody believed we could actually get through to sit down to begin to talk, and now we are doing that."
Mr Major said progress would be made whether or not Sinn Fein is at the negotiating table. "Of course, progress is going to be made," he said. "The option is there for Sinn Fein if they want to join the talks. There has to be a comprehensive, clear cut ceasefire. They know that, and if they are not prepared to have a ceasefire they can't join the talks.".
Mr Major continued. "There's no point in expecting the other political parties to sit around the table and talk to Sinn Fein if Sinn Fein are likely to get up, shrug their shoulders, and say we don't know what's happening and the IRA go back to the bomb and the gun. That is not acceptable.".
Mr Dicks was said to be considering his position last night.