Visit by McCartneys brings out rare unity

Dail Sketch: For some time now there have been rumours of tension between the hardliners and moderates. Enda Kenny went so far yesterday as to mention "a split".

But back in the House after a trip to Brussels, Bertie Ahern insisted there was complete unity in his Cabinet on dealings with the republican movement.

"There are no differences between the Minister for Justice and me on this issue whatsoever," he said.

Demanding again that the Government speak with "one voice", the Opposition set an example during Question Time, when a single subject dominated the agenda.

In fact, the unanimity was such that when Joe Higgins spoke, his comments drew approving nods from Michael McDowell and shouts of "hear, hear" from the Fianna Fáil benches.

Normally, this is the sort of thing that would force the Socialist Party TD to re-examine his conscience. But the visit to Dublin of the McCartney sisters had focused minds, and the usual differences were cast aside.

Reflecting on Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin's comments of the day before, Pat Rabbitte suggested that Sinn Féin and all other political parties lived on "two different planets". He was setting Mr Ó Caoláin's rejection of criminality - welcome in itself - against the core republican belief that volunteers acting on orders are never committing crime. He wondered what credibility could the Government attach to such a statement.

But if Sinn Féiners are from Mars (which might explain why Gen de Chastelain's probes have so far failed to send back pictures), Bertie Ahern is from Venus. His patience is apparently bottomless. So in the measured tones that Gerry Adams likes everybody to use, he said the Government was "listening very closely" to Sinn Féin's words while waiting for the deeds that would prove them serious.

Sinn Féin did not have a slot in Leaders' Questions yesterday. Everyone who did agreed that, in Mr Rabbitte's words, the "acid test" of Mr Ó Caoláin's Tuesday statement would be the willingness of the party "to instruct its members to turn in the killers of Robert McCartney".

Mr Higgins did not expect it to pass that test, however. He compared the "vacuous double-speak" of SF's northern leaders with the "screaming silence of the 50 witnesses who are terrified to speak out".

He noted Gerry Kelly's refusal (according to the family) "to call a public meeting in the Short Strand to give the community confidence". So instead he urged "the real power in Northern Ireland - the salt of the earth working class people - to mobilise independently" and secure justice for the McCartneys.

By doing this they could lay the basis "for an alternative society where their real needs are met rather than being subjected to sectarian monsters."

It was with these comments that Mr Higgins won unprecedented approval. Mr Rabbitte nodded, Mr McDowell nodded, and there were no dissenting voices. It was a historic moment. On one issue at least, the republican movement had achieved a united Ireland.