The task of improving community relations following the collapse of the IRA ceasefire and the disturbances of the summer marching season was now "awesome", according to Mr Jonathan Bardon, chairman of the Community Relations Council in the North.
Mr Bardon, in the CRC's annual report, published today, said: "It would he entirely self deceptive not to admit that community relations in Northern Ireland are as bad as anyone can remember ...
He said, however, that despite the problems the work of the council did not "shudder to a halt". Some projects aimed at improving the cross-climate had been put on hold, but very few had been abandoned.
