When the new Northern Secretary, John Reid, addressed the parliamentary press gallery lunch in the House of Commons recently, he admitted he didn't have a great deal to say about the North, as he was still coming to terms with it. Instead, much to the relief of some present, he embarked on a witty anecdotal speech, somewhat related to his new portfolio. During a conversation with the President Mrs McAleese, he said, she had been talking about her upbringing in Ardoyne. But, he told her that if he had moved from Bellshill in Strathclyde to the Ardoyne, he would have been accused of social climbing.
On his surprise appointment to the NIO, Reid told the hacks it was said of him that he combined the sophistication of Peter (Mandelson) with the delicacy of Mo (Mowlam). In an early exchange with one Northern unionist, Reid said he was asked if he knew the difference between Peter Brooke, yet another former Northern Secretary, and the Godfather. No, said Reid. Well, said the unionist, Brooke used to make us offers we didn't understand.