THE PROPOSED visit by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth to the Republic would also assist the process of reconciliation between the communities in the North, newly-appointed Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, Hugo Swire MP, said on a visit to Dublin yesterday.
The schedule for his visit included meetings with Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, Opposition leader Enda Kenny, Labour’s justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte, Trevor Sargent TD of the Greens, and Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy. Asked if British policy on Northern Ireland would change under the new, Tory-led government, Mr Swire, who is Conservative MP for East Devon, said: “The prime minister is very, very keen that we move to what he would regard as normality.”
He said it was “very positive and heartening” that, when Taoiseach Brian Cowen met prime minister Cameron in Downing Street recently, the emphasis was on the global economic situation and their relations with Europe rather than security issues.
“I think relations going forward between Ireland and the United Kingdom are going to be very positive, on a different level,” he said.
Describing how his own role as Minister of State and that of Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson had changed, he said: “We are in new territory because we’ve come in post-election and post the last round of devolution, that being policing and justice.
“Now, we retain competence for other issues within Northern Ireland but it is certainly not the role that previous ministers and secretaries of state would have.
“The line we’ve got to tread is to be there, to make sure that Northern Ireland is properly represented at Westminster, and yet not behave as if devolution hasn’t taken place, and that requires a certain degree of footwork but it’s working to date.” On the political situation at Stormont, he said: “The executive is bedded in well.”
But he cautioned that, in economic terms, “the idea that any part of the United Kingdom is not going to be included in looking at reducing costs, is wishful thinking.” Assessing future prospects, the minister said: “We are in new, uncharted waters. Devolution has taken place, it’s working.
What we now need to do is just work out how Northern Ireland, going forward, can become less dependent on the state, how we can get new businesses starting up, how we can have some of the economic dividends of the peace that is now in Northern Ireland and I think that’s hugely exciting for people.”
