Lindy McDowell: What's really the Troubles with Hillary's peace claims

Lindy McDowell

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The comedian Spike Milligan once published an autobiographical work about his Army service in World War II entitled Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall. Spike, it goes without saying, was playing for laughs.

Not so Hillary Clinton, who as part of her current campaign for the Democratic nomination in the US has staked her own claim to fame in the always contentious field of foreign conflict resolution.

The Northern Ireland Troubles: My Part in Sorting Out That Lot.

As Hillary herself put it during a recent interview on CNN: "I helped to bring peace to Northern Ireland."

Beat that Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton - Ireland's Dalai O'Lama.

The role Hillary played in our peace process was, it seems, low-key, so low-key, in fact, that David Trimble, who jointly won the Nobel Prize for, er, helping bring peace to Northern Ireland can't quite remember it.

Lord Trimble, as he now is, says that frankly she had no direct role in the process and that she is a "wee bit silly" for exaggerating her input.

Scathingly he adds: "She visited when things were happening, saw what was going on, she can certainly say it was part of her experience. I don't want to rain on the thing for her but being a cheerleader for something is slightly different from being a principal player."

Ouch!

In fairness, it should be pointed out that Lord Trimble's fellow Nobel winner John Hume has countered: "She played a positive role for over a decade in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland. She visited Northern Ireland, met with very many people and gave very decisive support to the peace process." The thing is - "visiting Northern Ireland", "meeting with very many people" and giving "very decisive support" - just about every touring celeb and his or her granny could claim that.

In fact, I can't recall a single visiting head of state, spouse of visiting head of state, pop singer, actress, potential investor or fading soap star who dropped in during that period, who did not show 'very decisive support' for peace. Let's face it, they were unlikely to argue against it.

Hillary, however, would seem to infer she went a bit beyond mere cheerleading.

In her autobiography she describes a meeting at a cafe on the Lower Ormeau hosted by the late Joyce McCartan and attended by representatives from women's groups from both sides of the community.

Nothing new there, of course. Contacts between such groups have long been the norm here. Although an outsider mightn't guess that, the way Hillary tells it €

"I remember a meeting that I pulled together in Belfast, in the town hall there, bringing together for the first time Catholics and Protestants from both traditions, having them sitting a room where they had never been before with each other ... "

I know. Don't laugh.

I remember the visit to the cafe (town hall!) well. It was what's known in the business as a photo opportunity. Something to keep the presidential spouse occupied while the actual office bearer was getting down to business.

It was a short, staged event 'pulled together' by local organisers. Amid all the security men and Press photographers it was hardly conducive to real business.

Instead, a bit like David Beckham's recent trip to Africa to play footie with small children thus raising the awareness of UNICEF's role there, the point of the cafe visit was to underline the good work already being done here. Cheerleading just about sums it up.

Ironically, drawing attention to past Clinton visits, only raises the spectre of an episode Hillary might prefer to forget.

When Bill arrived here in 1998 it was claimed in some quarters that the trip had rather conveniently helped him escape media attention back in the US where L'Affaire Lewinsky was then at its height.

If she's what really drove him here, shouldn't Monica also be eligible for peace-processing honours?

It's no less tenuous than Mrs Clinton's claim for credit.

Your piece in our peace?

As the intern might have said, you were close Hillary €

But no cigar.