The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, ahead of the inauguration of the British-Irish Council in London today, has spoken of the growing confidence and maturity in the relationship between the people of these islands, and within unionism itself. The Ulster Unionist Party, in a document setting out how the new Anglo-Irish structure might operate, has also opened up the possibility of the council helping to bring World Cup soccer fixtures to Dublin and Belfast.
Five ministers from the Northern Assembly, including Mr Trimble and the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, are attending today's ceremony in London, but the DUP is not going because the Sinn Fein Minister, Ms Bairbre de Brun, will be there. Mr Trimble said the establishment of the council was a "revolutionary political development and an historic occasion for these islands". It was a "very positive and healthy development" that saw an end to the attempt by some nationalist elements to persuade the Republic to "turn its back on the modern world".
"The relationships between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom have never been better. It is just a matter of improving relationships and providing for friendly co-operation. This relationship does not in any way dilute the Republic's sovereignty," he said yesterday.
"I think the modern, self-confident Republic is capable of coming to a close relationship with others without in any way feeling abashed," he added. "I know that there are some unionists who are fearful of contacts with others, but I think that modern, confident unionism is perfectly capable of dealing with others, whether it's in the BIC [British-Irish Council], the NSMC [North-South Ministerial Council], Europe, or wherever," he said.
The UUP has compiled a 20-page document setting out recommendations and suggestions on how the council might function. It suggests that if England were awarded the World Cup for 2006, some of the games could be played in the Republic and Belfast. The UUP Sports Minister, Mr Michael McGimpsey, said when the council was up and running, and when experiences were being shared, various possibilities presented themselves. These included World Cup games being played in Dublin and Belfast.
However, while the idea is intriguing, realistically the prospects of it happening in 2006 are remote. Football sources in England were dismissive of the idea. "To put this as politely as possible, there is absolutely no chance of it happening," said one.
Nonetheless, if the idea takes root there is a possibility of British-Irish bids for future Worlds Cups or European championships. Again, however, such applications would depend on the Republic and Northern Ireland having stadiums capable of holding major international fixtures.
The UUP document also suggests co-operation in areas such as transport, tourism, agriculture, the environment, policing and crime prevention, the arts, and EU matters.
