大象传媒

Reporter John Humphrys interviews Brian Faulkner, the Unionist prime minister of Northern Ireland, who 48 hours before introduced internment without trial. Faulkner says internment is his government鈥檚 response to escalating IRA (Irish Republican Army) violence. He doesn鈥檛 believe internment will lead to an increase in sectarian violence.

He is surprised at Taoiseach Jack Lynch鈥檚 (Irish prime minister) negative reaction to internment because in January (that year) his deputy, Erskine Childers, issued a statement which suggested that if internment were introduced in the Republic it would not only be favourably received but it would be a success. Faulkner hopes Dr Patrick Hillery, the Irish Foreign Minister, who is meeting the Home Secretary Reginald Maudling in London today will condemn the IRA.

He wants consensus politics in Northern Ireland and refers to an offer he made to nationalist politicians on 22 June that they would be given Chairmanships of Parliamentary Committees. They gave a guarded welcome but have since walked away from the negotiating table. The SDLP walked away because Faulkner鈥檚 government would not investigate the killing of two Catholic teenagers (Desmond Beattie and Seamus Cusack) who were shot dead by the army in Londonderry on 8 July 1971. The nationalist politicians subsequently set up their own Assembly in Dungiven.

Faulkner is reluctant to say he will engage in tripartite talks involving London, Dublin and Belfast and claims his view that peace must come before talks is supported by the British Prime Minister Edward Heath, the Foreign Minister Lord Carrington and Home Secretary Reginald Maudling. He discussed the issue with them in London last Thursday.

Post script: Tripartite talks took place (in the absence of peace) at Chequers on 28 September 1971.

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