The British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, has been warned by Portadown Orangemen "to be careful that Drumcree doesn't become his Bloody Sunday". Speaking last night Mr David Jones, spokesman for the Portadown District Lodge, asked Mr Blair to keep in mind that the Orangemen at Drumcree were "on their way from church service. They have no petrol bombs, guns, or rifles."
He asked that the British government remember this should it consider sending in the Parachute Regiment to disperse crowds from the field at Drumcree. The consequences "of an army onslaught don't bear thinking about", he said. He also asked why so many baton rounds were fired "against an unarmed crowd" by police on Thursday night.
Mr Jones said no one had, as of then, been in contact with the Portadown District concerning proximity talks. All he knew of this latest Blair initiative was what he had picked up from the media.
Nor was he aware that the Orange Order at Grand Lodge level had welcomed the British Prime Minister's suggestion. "Good for them," was his reaction, indicating that the matter was really one for the Portadown District.
Although there was a smaller crowd last night at Drumcree church than on previous nights, those present were taking a much harder line. There were fewer children and the older Orangemen stayed up by the church in a sombre mood, with some saying prayers.
Down at the front line, loyalists had very definite views about Tony Blair's talks initiative. The echo everywhere was "no deal, no sell-out, no compromise, no surrender".
Mr Jones agreed that, with just 16 marshals, it was difficult for the Portadown District to control the great crowds who have been gathering at Drumcree. Particularly these past two nights when repeated appeals over the public address system for people to come back from the trench and the barrier had been ignored.
Orangemen were not being encouraged to go to Drumcree, he said. "They want to be there. It is their own particular choice." Nor has the Portadown District considered actively discouraging people from going there.
He agreed that prospects for the weekend were not good, unless a solution was found. Traditionally, many people in the North take two weeks holidays beginning this weekend. All would have already received their holiday pay, either yesterday or on Thursday. Mr Jones felt this would mean even larger crowds at Drumcree, with many more than have been there so far.
His fear now was that, even should there be a successful outcome (a continuation of the parade) to Mr Blair's initiative, many thousands more Orangemen would be at Drumcree even though it was expected that only members of the Portadown District would be allowed parade down the Garvaghy Road.
He believes that those many others "will still be angry that we were kept from doing so (walking the Garvaghy Road) for so many days".
Mr Jones also said members of the Portadown District will, as they did last Sunday, be attending the 11.30 a.m. service at the Church of the Ascension in Drumcree tomorrow, should they still be there.