Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
GERMAN REUNIFICATION, IRA semtex caches and the Birmingham Six were just some of the topics of discussion for Charlie Haughey and Margaret Thatcher when the two met in Strasbourg in 1989.
Secret State documents released after 30 years show, once again, how opposed Thatcher was to German reunification and that she told Haughey how she worried about the hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops which had been stationed in East Germany.
Thatcher and Haughey always had what was described by political historians as a troubled relationship. However, the minutes from their meeting appear to show a complex discussion about the German political landscape just months out from the eventual reunification on 3 October 1990. It has long been known that Thatcher feared Germany would become the dominant force in Europe if reunification occurred.
On the topic, Thatcher said at their meeting: “It is vital that Germany be anchored in the community [EC]. With unity, it could be bigger than France, Italy, Spain together. I am sorry for Gorbachev. He doesn’t want German unity. Neither do I. Even as things are, Germany has a balance of trade surplus with every country in the community.”
The two then spoke about the potential for violent incidents in the region and that tensions were heightening, especially on the German border.
Thatcher said: “There are incursions into the Russian camps. There are records that within the last 48 hours, Soviet military bases have been invaded. There was hell in Dresden recently.”
Previous papers released in the UK have highlighted how British diplomats were exasperated by their PM’s stance because it was causing ‘growing resentment’ among Germans.
IRA campaign
Away from European issues, the two leaders also spoke about IRA campaigns against the UK and Thatcher said she had been disappointed with “a lack of successes” for the security forces.
The two leaders had the previous year exchanged terse words in relation to IRA activity.
At a meeting in 1988, Haughey suggested to Thatcher that a priest suspected of IRA crimes could be put behind bars in Ireland rather than extraditing him to the UK, much to the annoyance of the British Prime Minister.
At a 55-minute European Council meeting in Rhodes, Greece on 3 December 1988, Thatcher got “straight to the point” with Haughey, criticising the Belgian court’s decision to extradite Fr Patrick Ryan to Dublin and not to London.
“Ryan is a really bad egg,” Thatcher told Haughey before reading from an official memo.
She said he was “largely responsible for the Libyan money” and that “very large sums” had been traced to Ryan’s account. (Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi supported IRA activity throughout the 1980s.)
“He has also been caught with bombing devices of the sort that were nearly used on 11 of our seaside towns,” says Thatcher.
“We stopped that. That was one of our successes.”
Thatcher herself was nearly killed in the Brighton Bombing in October 1984 when the IRA targeted the Conservative Party conference.
At the meeting in 1989, the minutes state that Thatcher said she was not satisfied with the current situation in the North.
She said that they had to “continue the battle on security – there have not been many successes recently”. She added that “we can’t ever be satisfied while terrorism continues. The terrorists seem to have access to colossal amounts of explosives.”
The Taoiseach responded and said “they had got a big consignment of Semtex from somewhere a while ago”. He then asked if Thatcher knew of talks between paramilitary groups. This may be nothing more than “talks to delineate their respective territories”, he added.
Thatcher agreed. She added: “They want to carve up their areas of violence. We must do everything we can to improve the situation before another 10 or 15 persons are murdered.
“The Anglo-Irish Agreement seems to be alright. We are to have a go at devolution once again. The politicians are alright around the table. They will talk forever. But when you come to a point of action they disappear and the whole thing breaks down.”
Birmingham Six
A year prior to their 1989 meeting, State papers showed how Haughey was urged to “keep the pressure on the British” as part of numerous letters he received about the Birmingham Six .
The documents showed that the government of the day was keen to inform campaigners that it was “very active” due to the possibility that the cases constituted a miscarriage of justice.
Six men were wrongly imprisoned for carrying out IRA bombings. The Birmingham Six were released in 1991.
Three years beforehand, in 1988, the British Court of Appeal had ruled that the convictions in the case of the Birmingham Six were safe and that a full appeal was not needed.
Following this decision, the Irish government released a statement emphasising its “great regret and disappointment”.
Thatcher was not for moving, according to the papers.
“The Prime Minister said that it had been before the Court of Appeal and had been the subject of a very extensive judgement, every word of which she had read. They could not interfere with the courts. The Taoiseach said that he knew the British position but felt at the same time there must be some way in which the case could be dealt with to everybody’s satisfaction.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Reunification was a choice for the German people and nobody else, just as Irish reunification will be a choice for the Irish people and nobody else.
@Ebeneezer Goode: Captain Obvious strikes again!!
@Clifford Brennan: haha
@Ebeneezer Goode: there’s a few hundred thousand British people in NI who will have a say.
@SF Knee Knockers: A minority.
@Ebeneezer Goode: And if they agree which is unlikely then it’s over to the people in the Republic to vote and I for one don’t want a bar if it.
@Ebeneezer Goode: so not just the Irish?
@Ebeneezer Goode: we weren’t told what Haughey said in relation to German unification, but when reading that one got the impression Thatcher was talking to someone who was of a similar view to hers on the various discussions mentioned there.
@SF Knee Knockers: They’re all Irish, even the ones who think they’re British.
@SF Knee Knockers: Jesus dude you troll every single article. Get out and meet people.
They showed the execution of Saddam live to the world yet plenty out there who would have loved to see Thatchers passing. A truly horrible human being who enjoyed the suffering of others.
@Kev: Still, large bowls of jelly and ice cream were enjoyed that day!
@Kev: I think you remember that wrong. It wasn’t shown live to the world but someone sneaked a phone in and the phone footage was widely reported and shown on TV.
@Squiddley Diddley: I think those who believe one could sneak a phone into such a room are forgetting what room it is. Also, why would the Americans not film it and have a decade of conspiracy theories as to Saddam’s whereabouts
@Ebeneezer Goode: Drank a Brandy on the day ….sweet day .
@Kev: remind me, when did Thatcher gas her own people?
(In no way condoning the invasion of Iraq)
The true definition of evil. It’s a shame she didn’t suffer more in her passing.
@Martin M: many world leaders had similar concerns of reuniting Germany; and while they were wrong, for 200 years Germany uniting itself lead to great wars – what’s that saying about those who forget history?
@Martin M: That’s not a nice thing to say about any Human Being.
For a woman who showed such hate and disregard to her own people, this hardly makes for surprising reading. Though disappointing nonetheless.
Sad to think the very people who she let down as the ones that won the majority for Boris.
@I Crow: let down are the ones*
@I Crow: the Labour Party has let them down for the past three decades.
Hard to hold the old grudge when you’re being gouged by your “ally” …
Vradkar and Miceal Martin are against Irish reunification. So they are just Male versions of that horrible woman.
@DaMoons: they’ll have to do far far worse to be anywhere near the ballpark of thatcher. Neither of them have started a war, destroyed working class villages to the point of a year long Strikes and bring about horrific anti LGBT laws. They aren’t great but they aren’t that bad
@DaMoons: Both of them are in favour of a united Ireland! They are realists though unlike you
@Ben: somehow I don’t think that’s true as there’s a strong possibility FFG will be in opposition after reunification. Nevermind the fact you have Irish Unionists in both parties.
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: Who do you think will be in government then?
@Ben: Is it realist to say you are in favour of Irish unification – while at the same time refusing to hold or encourage the necessary discussion in advance of calling a poll on the matter? They are not realists – but are two scared shitless party leaders who fear their parties positions of power will be lost by the prospect of a new all-Ireland.
@Angela McCarthy: Neither of them get to call a poll on the matter The Northern Ireland secretary does and it wouldn’t have a hope of being carried so he is not going to call one End of story
@Ben: Why would anyone up north want to be part of this corrupt banana republic? They’re way better off as they are. A United Ireland will only work if it’s run by Belfast. You couldn’t have anyone involved in how things are done in the Republic given power in a United Ireland.
@james dimaggio: Well sure that would amount to British rule all over again because they haven’t had their own government their for years and the brits are running things there again
All the chukkies on here will love you
@Angela McCarthy: Gwan the Dubs..6 in a Row!
@james dimaggio: Ha, ha., ha, Arlene would make a great Taoiseach, or maybe Ian óg. Afterall, both remain corruption virgin.
Yours is the best post of the week. LOL.
@Teresa Ryan: Yes they would be the best choice really They haven’t robbed cash in transit vans killing Gardaí in the process Harboured paedophiles, robbed banks smuggled diesel or cigarettes’ Of the crowd up there they are the best of a bad lot really are they not?
@Ben: Ben, I don’t think even you believe your own waffle. Sure they both can influence and start the process of discussion and persuading all the Irish people to begin the debate of what a future Ireland might look like after a successful poll.
Sure the time might be a bit a way for the Poll date, but the longer the discussion isn’t started and the preparations aren’t made- the longer they and likeminded unionists can and will continue to argue that the time isn’t right to hold a poll. In other words – the poll will put off indefinitely and will never happen.
there is only so long that they can keep that delaying process going though, and more and more ordinary people will and can already see through that.
I tell you what I find interesting. Only two days after Leo and Micky Martin met to agree an extension for their little government support deal – Leo suddenly emerges with this statement about a border poll delay. I’m just wondering if it was one of Micky’s and FF’s demands in return for their continued support?
@Angela McCarthy: The 2 sides up there can’t agree to get back into Stormount so an all Ireland parliament is light years away.
And anyway people are going to want to see what trade deal pans out with the uk and eu and the status of Northern Ireland in it before they will want to vote to stay in or not surely?
@Ben: So what you are saying Ben is – because people aren’t in agreement about something now, is the reason we should make sure they shouldn’t try to talk and agree in future?
Or maybe – the real reason why you wouldn’t want people talking about a future agreed Ireland, is because that is something YOU don’t want!
@Angela McCarthy: I have said from the start. Like most Irish people I would love to see a united Ireland. I’m a realist though and know there wont be a vote on it until a majority of the people in the north want it and that is, although much closer than it was, not going to happen any time soon. Leo and Miceal know this as well I’d say
You are obviously a shinner and obviously too by your comments don’t share my opinion so here is what you should do.
In that great democratic party of yours have a border poll vote on top of the shinner election manifesto in the election in a few months time.
Everyone will be so delighted and disgusted with Leo and Miceal that they will forget all the reasons they hate the shinners and will vote shinner Mary Lou will be Taoiseach and there will be a border poll and Arlene will come down and Mary Lou and Arlene will go for a ride on a big spaceship and everybody lives happily ever after
i still hate thatcher
@☘: you should use slates instead.
@☘: what a see you next Tuesday
@☘: I’m a true Christian, Sorry, hate is not for me!
Here’s Maggie Thatcher
Throw her up and catch her
Squish squash squish squash
There’s Maggie Thatcher
RIH.
@Dermot Foley: don’t give up the day job.
@Dermot Foley: I’d seriously doubt he’s ever had one. Don’t worry Dermot the social will look after you, rest your lil head. Free gaf yaaaw
@Ger: lol ragin!
have your say