The former SDLP leader, Gerry Fitt (who died in 2005) failed to turn up at a dinner party at Stormont 30 years ago because he was embarrassed over a highly public gaffe concerning the SAS. This is revealed in confidential files just released in Belfast.
The story is contained in a report of a dinner party at Stormont House, attended by the leading SDLP figures, John Hume, Austin Currie and Paddy Devlin, and the Northern Secretary of State, Merlyn Rees, on January 8, 1976. On their arrival, Mr Currie apologised for the absence of Fitt who was, he said, depressed about recent developments and particularly unhappy with the British government's decision to put the SAS into Armagh. According to Mr Currie, Fitt interpreted this decision as having been taken in the light of threats made by the loyalist paramilitaries at their meeting with Mr Rees two days earlier.
According to the report of the dinner table discussion recorded by Robert Ramsay, a government official, the SDLP were generally pessimistic about the political climate in the aftermath of the Co Armagh shootings though they urged the Secretary of State not to be unduly impressed by the UUUC's recent hardline stance on both security and the impossibility of accepting the SDLP into government. They reminded Mr Rees that such "sabre-rattling" always preceded a major set-piece government statement. The SDLP feared that the combined influence of Dr Paisley and Mr Ernest Baird (both of whom were essentially religious bigots first and politicians second), would make it extremely difficult to bring the Convention to a constructive conclusion.
The visitors said that from their point of view it was essential that they succeeded in delivery power-sharing, if the Catholic community were not to move towards the militant Republican element. Mr Hume, the SDLP deputy leader, was attracted to the point that the 1973 Act could be amended to remove the Secretary of State's king-making powers, leaving the local politicians to work out their own 'power-sharing in Cabinet arrangement'. The official thought it significant that the SDLP had made no mention of the Irish dimension.
On security, Messrs Hume, Currie and Devlin were fearful lest the present wave of sectarian killings should escalate suddenly, perhaps breaking out in other areas. They viewed the decision to deploy the SAS as a mistake.
On policing, the SDLP said their policy about support for the RUC was greatly misunderstood, especially by the Protestant population. Their party position was that they encouraged the population to help the police, with information, to put down all categories of crime; however, support - in terms of encouraging recruitment - in the ultimate sense of the word would only come from the Catholic community when that community could identify with the institutions of the state and its government. That was a fact of life.
In private conversation with Mr Ramsay after dinner, Mr Hume shed interesting light on Gerry Fitt's surprising absence from the function. 'Mr Hume said that the real reason for Mr Fitt's absence from the dinner was that he was licking his wounds after his statement comparing the SAS to the CIA. This had brought ridicule from outside down upon the party and many of their own supporters had been complaining that they could not take this statement seriously.'