Bertie Ahern told British prime minister Tony Blair that he thought there were surveillance bugs everywhere in China during his visit there in September 1998.
In a telephone call with Blair the following month, Ahern shared his suspicion of his room being bugged. Blair had just returned from a visit.
“How was China? Did you like that accommodation, that nice country house that they had,” he asked Blair, before continuing: “I can tell you, I’d say there’s bugs everywhere. We have a very funny experience because I couldn’t work the TV, you see, so we were talking about trying to work this TV.
“So we went out and said nothing to nobody. We came back and this guy was in there helping us to operate the TV,” he said.
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It is not known how Blair replied as Ahern was speaking on a mobile phone to the British prime minister while travelling in his car, and only his side of the conversation was recorded.
During his visit to China, Ahern met with president Jiang Zemin and premier Zhu Rongji.
The transcript of the conversation between the two leaders is contained in confidential records from 1991 to 1998 held by the Department of an Taoiseach which have now been transferred to the National Archive for public viewing.
The relationship between Ahern and Blair was a warm one and they had frequent conversations by telephone and in person, during 1998, a crucial year for the peace process. The frequent conversations reflect a closeness between the leaders that was not evident in any of their predecessors. It was, perhaps, the strongest political relationship of any British prime minister and Irish taoiseach since the foundation of the State.
‘Torrential rain’
In a conversation with a senior Downing Street official towards the end of 1998, SDLP deputy leader Séamus Mallon was told Blair’s relationship with Ahern was his biggest asset when it came to Northern Irish politics.
The conversations between the two leaders also touched on holidays, the weather, and their views of other politicians during 1998.
In a telephone call at the end of July, Blair said: “I’m desperate for my holiday. And we haven’t had a summer here at all.”
Ahern replied: “It’s absolutely disastrous this week. It’s just been torrential rain here and it’s lashing rain now and the weather of the next four or five days is rainy.”
Blair then said: “We have not had a summer at all. It’s terrible, I think they’re blaming it on the government.”
Ahern riposted: “Well it’s natural we get blamed anyway.”
He told Blair that he had a Plan B for holidays to “beat the rain” if the weather did not improve. The taoiseach said he was planning to go to the west of Ireland on holidays.
“I could always come down and see you,” suggested Blair.
“That would be perfect. We could meet somewhere in the west, in a hotel in the west,” replied Ahern.
‘Not a bother’
Inclement weather also provided the opening for another telephone conversation in January.
Ahern said he was “in great form, not a bother, other than the depressing weather, but I am not worried about that”.
In another conversation, Ahern compared the negotiations styles of Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams. “You can see the difference between Adams and McGuinness,” he told Blair. “McGuinness speaks far straighter where Adams goes around the houses and back, you know.”
Talking of the Northern parties and the interminable delays over progressing the executive, assembly and North-South institutions, Ahern also said: “You and I would have a hundred things done while they’re still wondering about the words on the first thing.”
(Archive ref: 2021/100/1, 2021/100/15)
