IT was a case of preaching what practise rather than the other way round. Last week, the commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Condon, called in more than a dozen leading British editors for a briefing on the IRA threat and how it should be handled. Firstly, he said, these people were terrorists and criminals and they should not be given military credibility by the use of command structures. Secondly, the media should avoid being hysterical; the Irish community in Britain comprised many decent upstanding citizens who should not be vilified.
Sir Paul then went on to discuss the actual threat itself and the recent bombs in London. He continually referred to IRA active service units. Then he referred to Irish people as Paddy, as in "this is what Paddy will do next".
The whole performance reminded one editor of the story about Samuel Beckett of whom it is said that he disliked going to London because one day, having won the Nobel Prize for Literature and feeling particularly proud he gave a taxi driver a big tip. The driver replied: "Thanks, Paddy."