A Belfast city councillor, Mr Chris McGimpsey of the Ulster Unionist Party, has criticised Wednesday's deadline for the Northern talks as "absolutely ridiculous".
"Deadlines have worked in principle in the past, but I feel this particular deadline is absolutely ridiculous, and is being held like a gun to people's heads by Tony Blair. I think he needs to decommission this gun," he said.
At the Byrne Perry Summer School in Gorey, Co Wexford, Mr McGimpsey said the deadline came at the worst possible time for the North, due to the tension surrounding the Drumcree march.
"I can think of 51 other weeks in the year which would have been more suitable for it," he said.
Mr McGimpsey was taking the place of the UK Unionist MP, Mr Robert McCartney, at the summer school, the theme of which was the 1800 Act of Union.
Speaking on "How stands the Union today?" Mr McGimpsey said the Union was evolving in response to changing political views, rather than being lost, and that moves such as Scottish and Welsh devolution were to be welcomed.
"We in the UUP have always supported devolution for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and even parts of England if it was so desired. Devolution is not about the end of the Union, or of nationalism; it is just the bringing of the decision-making process closer to the people who will be affected by those decisions," he said.
Other speakers in the debate were a Scottish Nationalist Party MP, Ms Roseanna Cunningham, and Prof Terry Eagleton of the department of English at the University of Oxford, The chairman was Prof Ronan Fanning of the department of modern history at UCD.
The Byrne Perry Summer School was officially opened on Friday by the Minister at the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr Seamus Brennan. The Gordon Wilson Memorial Lecture was given that night by a Northern Assembly member, Mr Alban Maginness of the SDLP.
They were taking the places of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Deputy First Minister in the Northern Assembly, Mr Seamus Mallon, who could not attend because of the Northern talks.