Courteous, principled man `prone to careless outbursts'

Although he tries manfully to suppress it, Ulster Unionist MP Ken Maginnis cannot hide a liking for David Andrews. "Basically, he's a decent, pleasant, courteous man . . ."

It's a summary common to many who know our man in Iveagh House. Stir in adjectives like civilised, patrician, urbane, engaging, add the constant references to his gilded upbringing, blond mane and elegantly-borne physical stature and what we have is a picture postcard image of a Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Yet he's only a couple of months in office and Ulster Unionists have already staged walk-outs, accused him of "coming out with a republican wish list" and hurled in his direction epithets such as "deliberately provocative", "mischievous", "macho" and "aggressive".

How does the personally well-disposed Ken Maginnis explain it?

"He's prone to careless outbursts that give offence, particularly to those who don't know him very well and don't know that underlying that person is a basically decent man," he replies.

Another unionist comments sorrowfully that "he doesn't appear to be on top of his brief. He came to us with a reputation for being lazy and that seems to be the case. At the first press conference, he had difficulty remembering the names of the loyalist parties." Something that still grates on all these speakers, however, is the contretemps over Articles 2 and 3 in October.

"It's something that encapsulates David Andrews's far-too-casual approach to politics", says Ken Maginnis. "He turned round to us and said: `Articles 2 and 3 in the Irish Constitution' - pause for effect - `The Irish Constitution has served me and my family well for many years and will do so for many years to come. There will be no tinkering with the Constitution'. "

They were not amused. The Minister's defenders claim that unionist outrage was entirely fabricated and that the more recent dust-up over the use of the word "government" was quickly defused by him in the form of a handsome retraction.

In fact, for a man whose parents were (separately) on the run as anti-Treaty activists in the Civil War, a - he is considered to be fairly moderate in his republican views. But the charge of being a little too relaxed in his approach to briefs and language is widespread.

"There are times when he's uncomfortable with the intensity of politics," says Ken Maginnis. That languid, patrician aura, which reportedly goes down a treat with the Fianna Fail organisation around the State, is interpreted rather more darkly by some colleagues who perceive shades of "superciliousness" or "arrogance".

"He's not inclined to have a cup of tea in the bar and when he does, there's a sense that he is bringing himself down to your level - though you might be twice as bright as he is," says one.

In one revealing interview with Kevin Dawson, he himself spoke of "a deep-lying shyness. . . I sometimes find it difficult to break into relationships with people." Yet his political history is the chronicle of a principled, courageous man willing to take a range of unfashionable stands at some personal cost. His ambition was always to attain cabinet rank.

"Minister for Dog Catching would have been enough, as long it meant cabinet," he said when he finally achieved full Cabinet status in 1992 at the age of 57.

In all the crucial Fianna Fail heaves over his 32 years in the Dail, he took a deeply unprofitable anti-Haughey line. His 13year period in the Siberia of Haughey's disfavour in the stuff of Dail legend.

But he staved off stagnation by pursuing his Bar career, campaigning for the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four and lobbying for the release of Brian Keenan. Even when he attained the plum post in Foreign Affairs under Albert Reynolds, he was obliged a year later to make way for Dick Spring and was moved to Defence and the Marine - or "Fish and Ships" as he called it disparagingly.

When the Iveagh House vacancy came up again last June, he was offered just a slice of it under Ray Burke and even that was withdrawn within the day when it proved to be unconstitutional. Three months later, he was back again at the job he loves, taking strong stands on the detention of Roisin McAliskey, on the Bloody Sunday controversy, and on prisoners' issues generally. Even while working hard to "mind" their man, sources in his Department are protective of him. He's not the backslapping type, they say approvingly, "but an admirable, honourable and independent-minded politician".