Tony Blair “apologized” for the Irish Famine on the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine. He was applauded and hailed as an important moment in the British-Irish relationship at that time, but the assistants hurriedly wrote it down because they could not contact him. Approved, the newly released confidential documents are displayed.
The actor Gabriel Byrne read the Prime Minister’s words at a televised commemorative event in County Cork, condemning: “The people in power in London at that time failed their people by standing by. And the crop failure has become a huge human tragedy.”
The Irish media considered this to be a long-term pursuit of the previous British government’s refusal to apologize, and Taoist John Bruton said: “The thought and care shown by the Prime Minister in the statement is commendable.”
However, Blair’s chief personal secretary John Holmes (John Holmes) gave Blair a note from National Archives, Indicates that Blair could not be contacted when the deadline for sending the message was approaching.
“I tried to clarify this principle with you over the phone this afternoon, but you were not there at the time. Therefore, in order to meet the organizer’s deadline and avoid the impression of being left out, I personally approved the attached text and gave it to us Embassy in Dublin,” Holmes wrote.
“The key sentence in your message is to admit that the British government at the time could have done more to prevent the tragedy from happening. This is just a statement of fact, far from apologizing, but the British government has been reluctant to talk about it in the past. ,” Holmes added, saying he had verified with “everyone”, including the press secretary Alastair Campbell It is correct to make such a reference.
“I hope this will not cause you any problems. It should get along well with the Irish. I can’t see anyone here or in the north. Ireland Seriously opposed. “
The text was honed from a draft by the 10th assistant Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe implicit apology is exactly what the hospitable Irish media interpreted it as an attempt to inject new goodwill into the relationship between Britain and Ireland and encourage the peace process.
“In all cases, things can’t get better than this. The statement focuses on the undeniable facts and is widely regarded as the apology that many Irish people have long sought,” the British ambassador to Ireland Veronica Suther Veronica Sutherland wrote in a subsequent telegram. Bruton said: “Although the statement is honest about the past, it does so in a way that heals the future.”
After the first year of the famine, the British government refused to provide large-scale food aid because it would cost too much and hurt the prices of agricultural products.
A briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged that commemorating the Irish famine has always been a “difficult issue on the surface” and that the “voice minority” of the Republic of Ireland and the United States “are determined to discredit the British government.” Time and put it in the context of continuing British crimes against Ireland, adding: “This is not a battle we can win.”
