New one. FAO MD Files just released by the National Archives show Margaret Thatcher took part in negotiations with the IRA during the 1981 Hunger Strikes, BBC investigative journalist Peter Taylor has said. The contacts took place through an MI6 officer and a secret back-channel to the IRA code-named Soon. Soon was Londonderry businessman Brendan Duddy. Mr Taylor said he was astonished when he saw the documents. "I think that they are revelatory and of genuine historical importance because they give lie to all sorts of assumptions that were made incorrectly about the Hunger Strikes and the relationship between the government and the IRA. "These documents spell it our large that Mrs Thatcher was involved in negotiations with the IRA," he said. The documents contain details of eight phone calls between the MI6 officer and Mr Duddy during the weekend from 4 July to 6 July 1981. Among the proposals coming from IRA prisoners was that senior republican Martin McGuinness, now Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, be allowed in to see them in the Maze. This was turned down by the government. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote This letter represents the government's final negotiating position," Mr Taylor said.” End Quote Peter Taylor Investigative journalist "That was all to do with the government's insistence, Mrs Thatcher's insistence, that she did not negotiate with terrorists, she did not and would not negotiate with the IRA. "The documents clearly indicate that that was nonsense, that was going on all the time behind the scene." In the the final call from Mr Duddy on Monday 6 July, he said the IRA endorsed their earlier demands and wanted to see a government response before it was made public. The government sent a statement straight away. "This letter represents the government's final negotiating position," Mr Taylor said. "Margaret Thatcher made changes to it in her own hand. Republicans were on hunger strike at the Maze prison "The issue of clothing is resolved, the issues of parcels and visits is resolved, but again, critically, the issues of work and association are not resolved. "It's Mrs Thatcher who crosses out the relevant parts of the document that indicate she, the British government, is not prepared to give in on work and association." At the end of the statement was a message. It read: "If we receive a satisfactory response to this proposal by 9am on Tuesday 7 July we shall be prepared to provide you with an advance text of the full statement. "If the reply is unsatisfactory and there is subsequently any public reference to this exchange we will deny it took place." Mrs Thatcher's former chief press secretary Sir Bernard Ingham said he was completely unaware of any negotiations involving the prime minister. "As far as I can see, there wasn't a great deal of negotiation here," he said of the newly released documents.
"As far as I can see, there wasn't a great deal of negotiation here," he said of the newly released documents. What a silly ****
I don't i quite enjoy the Irish, its just when you start harping on about that IRA ****e i get bored.
