An interesting example of cross-party unity at the American Ireland Fund dinner in Washington on March 16th appears in the house journal of the National Democratic Institute. When Ian Paisley Jr and Edwin Poots of the DUP rose at the start of the Taoiseach's
speech to shout anti-Sinn Fein slogans and wave their banner - "Keep Killers out of Government" - the first person to approach Paisley (and while not exactly wrestling him to the ground, wrest his banner from him), was Ivan Doherty, Leitrim man and former general secretary of Fine Gael, now with the NDI in Washington.
The journal states that the black-tied hero sprang to the defence of Bertie Ahern despite his long and senior association with the other crowd. Doherty asked Paisley to sit down. "Agitated, Paisley asked Ivan if he was throwing him out. No, said Ivan very politely, I am telling you to sit down and be quiet. Paisley replied that he wanted to be thrown out. The Secret Service quickly obliged." It resembled, the journal states, "James Carville jumping up to quiet some guy harassing George W. Bush. It just goes to show you that if you upset the decorum in Ivan's presence, even if you're twice his size and full of bluster, he'll defend propriety and civility to the end! To quote Ivan - "the Taoiseach is the Taoiseach and deserves to be treated with respect".
Doherty was in Indonesia this week promoting democracy for the NDI, a Democratic Party body. They could have done with him at the FF Ard Fheis three weeks ago.