Unionists call on McAleese to apologise

UNIONISTS yesterday demanded an apology from President Mary McAleese for linking a visit by Queen Elizabeth II to the Republic to the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Stormont power-sharing executive.

After meeting the queen in Belfast on Wednesday, President McAleese said: “I think the day [of the first visit by a monarch] is significantly closer.

“We know that it is dependent on the completion of devolution, which hopefully will not be too far away. That means the return of policing and criminal justice responsibility to the executive in the north.

“We had hoped that would be May. Now we are not entirely sure what the timescale is. We hope it will keep closely to the timetable.

“When that is done, when devolution is completed, I think then anything is possible.”

But her comments were described as “deeply damaging” by Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell, whose party is resisting the transfer of policing and justice powers to the Stormont executive.

“Up until now no one to my knowledge has linked a possible visit by her majesty to the Irish Republic to the devolution of policing and justice,” the East Derry MP said. “It is highly inappropriate for her to play politics with the Queen’s visit. She has been prone to gaffes in the past. We have had previous foot-in-mouth episodes.

“However this has gone down very badly and all this does is make unionists in favour of transferring powers respond that they will not be bounced into doing what she and Sinn Féin are demanding. She really ought to clarify her position.”

In Armagh yesterday, the queen’s visit provoked a unique show of religious solidarity when she distributed Maundy money.

It was the first time the centuries-old colourful ceremony had been held in Ireland and leaders of the four main churches joined together in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral. The Catholic Primate, Cardinal Seán Brady, joined the Duke of Edinburgh in giving a reading.

Making it a truly inclusive occasion, representatives of the Jewish, Hindu and Muslim faiths also attended the service.

It is understood the queen herself expressed a wish for the Maundy service to be held in Armagh, the ecclesiastic capital of Ireland.

It was the first time the service has been held outside England and Wales.

Security remained tight throughout the ceremony.