A fact-finding visit to south Armagh by the Conservative Party spokesman on the North degenerated into farce and a diplomatic disaster yesterday with the SDLP describing the visit as "John Wayne coming to clean up Dodge City".
Mr Quentin Davis's SDLP hosts rounded on him over a press release from Tory HQ which claimed it was to be the first visit to Crossmaglen by a senior party member for 30 years and was designed to prove that politicians can "walk freely in any part of the UK".
A clearly livid Mr Seamus Mallon criticised the trip as "grossly insensitive and insulting" to his Newry and Armagh constituents. "The purpose of this visit," he added "was for Mr Davis to hear the views of the people, not to involve in jingoism." Mr Mallon became aware of the Tory HQ statement during the morning as a series of meetings hosted by the SDLP for Mr Davis got under way in Newry, Co Down.
Plans for Mr John Fee, a south Armagh Assembly member and Councillor John Feehan to accompany Mr Davis to Bessbrook and Crossmaglen to meet the people were promptly cancelled amid claims of a breach of faith. "Conservative Central Office was spinning this visit in such a way that we hadn't anticipated," said Mr Fee. With arrangements heavily subject to change following the SDLP boycott, Mr Davis headed for Crossmaglen undaunted.
Asked in Cardinal O'Fiach Square under the flutter of tricolours and incessant helicopter flights about the controversial press release, Mr Davis denied authorising the words ascribed to him by his office and knowledge of the angry SDLP response. But the SDLP said he had apologised to them about the same words an hour earlier.
Mr Fee said he had tried to make amends but added: "Unless there is a complete, public retraction and apology and the damage is very comprehensively repaired then there's no way we can lend our endorsement to this sort of visit." Mr Feehan said "a triumphalist" Mr Davis still looked on south Armagh in "bandit-country" terms.
Mr Mallon's allegedly insulted constituents, most of whom said they didn't know who their visitor was and why he was there, nonetheless voiced their opinions when approached by Mr Davis who was now clearly having a bad afternoon.
Mrs Eilis Quinn, a resident, protested gently about the helicopter flights and politely returned the political handshake. She muttered afterwards to the media entourage: "Why doesn't he go walkabout somewhere else?" Mr Tom McKay of the self-help organisation Regeneration of South Armagh and a member of Crossmaglen Rangers football club said the British army had "occupied" GAA property for years, stunting development of facilities in the town. Mr Davis nodded but declined the challenge.
A young flour-covered employee from McNamee's bakery - "the best in the county" - chatted to the Northern Secretary-in-waiting about the employment situation. Asked if he was impressed by his VIP inquisitor, he simply said "No".