Astonishing, bold, the biggest gamble of her career, but warning notes: the decision by Dr Mo Mowlam to visit loyalist prisoners in the Maze won both praise and rebuke from the British media.
The Sun - which had largely ignored the debate so far - yesterday described the Northern Ireland Secretary's move as a "dramatic bid" to save the peace process. The Daily Mail, in a broader reference to the "unprecedented" nature of a meeting between a cabinet minister and convicted terrorists, offered a blow-by-blow profile of some of the "most notorious killers in loyalist history".
"The Anglo-Irish establishment has tried to claim that matters in Ulster are far better than they appear. However, matters there are worse than they appear, almost entirely because of the `peace process' that is that establishment's creation," the Daily Telegraph said, while the Times shifted the focus from Dr Mowlam's Maze visit to the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair. He was urged to address the concerns about the direction of the talks explicitly.
Ignoring the gloomier assessments of its broadsheet colleagues, the Guardian's editorial proclaimed Dr Mowlam's decision "bold, risky and worth it".