LOCAL politicians and civil servants have been pushed to the side by Whitehall in the arrangements for today's "blink-of-an-eye" visit to Belfast by President Joe Biden, it's been claimed.
Efforts by pro-Agreement political leaders to invite the US President to Stormont where he could forcibly call for the DUP to return to government were stymied by Number 10, as were suggestions that he widen his visit to include a visit to areas of Belfast which suffered most during the conflict.
“The BBC? I’m Irish.”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to President Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/MEtNJKktyk
— Matt Hill (@MattHill46) March 17, 2021
Instead, the President will spend less than 24 hours on the ground in Belfast in what one insider described as a "blink-of-the-eye" visit before returning to Air Force One at Aldergrove for the short hop to Dublin.
"The British are treating the visit of the most powerful politician on earth like a hot potato," said one source close to Stormont Castle, home to the North's most senior civil servants. "I can't think of any other area on the planet where they would encourage the US President to get off the premises in less than 24 hours. It's like a game of pass the parcel. They are going through the motions in regard to the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement but they see President Biden as much too sympathetic to the majority here who wish to see those very same Good Friday Agreement institutions revived. Their attitude is partly informed by their animus towards the most Irish American President since JFK but it's also part of their coddling of the DUP who view Biden in a dimmer light than the Pope."
We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit.
Any trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period. https://t.co/Ecu9jPrcHL
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 16, 2020
Arriving in Belfast International Airport this evening, President Biden will stay overnight at the Grand Central Hotel before his major engagement on Wednesday – the opening of the new Ulster University campus on York Street.
The British Government has viewed the US support for the peace process with suspicion since President Bill Clinton granted a 48-hour visa to Gerry Adams, over British objections, to enable him to enter the US in 1994 before the IRA called its ceasefire.
President Biden NI visit - a postage stamp would be too big for Mr Biden’s Belfast itinerary. Downing Street has some explaining to do. ‘Dropping in here’ is risible given the scale and scope of the President’s trip to ROI.
— Eamonn Mallie (@EamonnMallie) April 8, 2023
I doubt if this is what Washington wanted. https://t.co/Mw9FqVYtKq
President Biden's deep pride in his Irish ancestry and his oft-stated love of all things Irish have only widened the gulf between Whitehall and the White House. Relations reached a nadir when President Biden warned then PM Boris Johnson not to re-impose a hard border in Ireland as part of the Brexit deal.
25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace.
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability.
I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the U.S. commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 10, 2023
"They can't abide Biden and will want him off the premises as soon as possible," said our source. "What could have been a momentous two- or three-day celebration of the peace process will instead be reduced to a photo-shoot at Ulster University. It's shameful but shows that, in the absence of a functioning Executive, the British call the shots."
