There were signs to be read:
"For the remainder of labour's stay in the office (until June of the following year), it proved possible to represent the cabinet's irish policy as a success story. And the Tories did show bi-partisanship. But one can't help feeling that there was more than a touch of symbolism about the manner in which Ted Heath, the Tory leader, came to the problem. He was taking part in the Fastnet yacht race, off the coast of Cork, when he was contacted by radio to discuss the statement which Quintin Hogg, the Tories' Northern ireland spokeman, intended to issue on the sending-in off the troups. The toing and froing over the wording of the statement used up so much power that the batteries of the yacht's engine went dead. Because of the sitting of the mast it proved impossible to get at the engine to recharge the batteries. Then the wind droped, leaving the Conservative leader helplessly adrift in Irish waters".
Tim Pat Coogan, The troubles, 1995, p. 93
No comments:
Post a Comment