Michael Moore's solution to North crisis

Controversial American film maker and author Michael Moore today repeated his solution to the problems of Northern Ireland – all Protestants should immediately convert to Catholicism.

Mr Moore, who was giving a talk at the West Belfast festival said he believed Ulster Protestants would flock to the Catholic church if they were informed of the benefits.

“Catholics have more sex – who wouldn’t want that, “ he asked.

“All our Holy days would be holidays. If you offered more days off to the Protestants of Northern Ireland just by switching to Catholicism I think they would go for it.”

In a lively question and answer session before the main talk at the Festivals marquee the maker of hip documentary Bowling for Columbine and author of best seller Stupid White Men said his remarks were not meant to be taken seriously.

“What I said in the book (Stupid White Men) was actually something I thought would bring people together. Didn’t the Irish invent this form of humour? Wasn’t Swift Irish?”

He added “I like a lot of Protestants, actually some of my best friends are Protestants.”

Mr Moore, wearing his trade mark baseball cap and baggy jeans, was asked to give a talk at the festival after the organisers learned that he was spending a week touring the north west of Ireland.

He said: “I am here because my daughter wanted to come here. She graduated from college in June.

“We asked her where would she like to go and she said Belfast and Derry.”

Known for his fervent opposition to the Presidency of George W Bush Mr Moore said he believed the President had no interest in the peace process in Northern Ireland.

“I don’t think its anywhere on his radar. I don’t think he thinks about it as he’s driving around his ranch, it is very sad,” he said.

But despite his frequent attacks on the US government in film and print he did not believe his life was in danger.

“My best protection is that they believe that there’s just a small group of people reading the book. It doesn’t help when the book has been on the New York Times best sellers list for 58 weeks.”

He revealed that he was currently making a new film called Fahrenheit 911 about the events leading up to the attack on the twin towers in New York. He said it would focus on how the Bush administration had used the deaths of more than 3,000 people as a cover to enact their Right Wing agenda.

But Mr Moore did not reserve his criticism for Right Wing Republicans in the US, accusing the Left Wing of being jealous of his success.

He has been attacked in Left Wing magazines for presenting a comic view of the issues.

He said “That is actually true I have completely let the Left down. The Left likes to talk to itself, it likes to lose.

“It loves humanity but hates people.”

He added: “I think that some people on the Left are jealous because they have not enjoyed this kind of success.”

Mr Moore has been criticised in Britain in the past for his support for Sinn Fein. But he called for all groups in Northern Ireland to get rid of their weapons – including the IRA.

“I am opposed to the use of any violence and guns aren’t a good thing to have around. I oppose all forms of violence and especially think violence perpetrated by the state is perhaps the most evil form.”

Asked if he would support the immediate decommissioning of paramilitary weapons he said: “Absolutely. Both sides should immediately decommission their weapons and the British forces should leave this country immediately, that would go a long way to solving the problem.”