Engagements

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister – in the House of Commons at 1:46 pm on 9 July 1997.

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Photo of Tony Blair Tony Blair Prime Minister 1:46, 9 July 1997

We treat, and have treated, both communities in an even-handed way. It was an extremely difficult decision. The advice that was given by the head of the Army in Northern Ireland, Sir Rupert Smith, and by the head of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, was to the effect that the march should go ahead. If my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had disagreed with that advice and overturned it, she would have been subject to even more criticism. Those are difficult—actually, impossible—decisions to make in a way that satisfies everybody.

People must keep their minds focused on what is important—the wider process leading to a lasting political settlement. It is appalling that intransigence on both sides obscures the fact that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland want and deserve the chance of a lasting peace there. It could be done if people would understand that, if it is to be achieved, it requires their commitment all the way through.