THE British Labour Party today rejects Conservative claims that it breached the agreed cross party consensus on the Northern peace process.
The shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, was accused after she said the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, contributed to the impasse at Drumcree last week.
She said his failure to be sufficiently pro-active was partly responsible for the lack of local agreement on solving the problem at Drumcree.
In today's New Slaesman magazine, Dr Mowlam says Labour has adopted a bipartisan approach to support the present initiative on the peace process "which we all know will be a long and difficult road.
"An important aspect of bipartisanship is that our support gives the [British] government maximum room to manoeuvre without being dependent on one side or the other in the peace process.
"Our support will continue to be constructively critical where necessary, as it has been throughout the past few years.
"On issues such as the marches, prison issues, policing, fair employment, a bill of rights, economic development and health (to name but a few), we will continue to point out the shortcomings in the government policy and highlight our own proposals.
"We are not breaking bipartisanship, but we will continue to state our views clearly", Dr Mowlam added.
Dr Mowlam warned. "A political vacuum has been generated by events in Northern Ireland over the past few weeks.
"The central task now is to fill it. Generalised activity is not a substitute either for real policy or for determined engagement with a politics of discussion and negotiation."
She said the "key focus" remains on the inter party talks.
The talks chairman, Senator George Mitchell, has the experience and talents needed to keep the talks going "if the parties themselves can begin to embrace compromise.
"They could do that now by making a commitment to tie up the procedural loose ends by the end of July, so the talks proper can start in earnest in September."
She says co-operation between the two governments is crucial, and they "must climb over their differences and address an agenda that includes not only parades and security but also the broader politics".
She said the "difficult questions" have not been answered about Drumcree. "What does it say about the authority of the state when the forces of law and order can be brushed aside by the forces of might and intimidation?
"We won't find the answer to this by heaping blame on the RUC Chief Constable.
The police were put in an impossible situation and their resources were overstretched by a co-ordinated show of hostile activity.
"The consent to comply with the rule of law did not exist with the Portadown Orange Lodge and it was not encouraged to comply by constitutional politicians.
Dr Mowlam said feelings during the Drumcree impasse had been "running high" at Westminster, and she stressed that criticism of the Orange Order and the Unionist politicians involved came from both sides of the House.
Attempts at local mediation failed at Portadown, she said. "But there was also a broader political failure. Part of the problem is that an exclusive emphasis on decisions based on public order can play into the hands of those who plan to maximise disorder.
"A horrible choice faces the police, based on which community threatens the greater `weight of force'.
"Politicians should set the framework to help prevent the police having to make such no win choices", she added.
Dr Mowlam said Labour had pressed the British government for more than a year to take the necessary action about the Garvaghy Road before matters came to a head.
Labour had also proposed an independent commission to address issues like new guidelines for the conduct of parades, "which respect tradition but eliminate intimidation and triumphalism".
Such a commission would also help to ensure fair and consistent decisions on parade routes and examine the effectiveness of the existing law on parades.
She noted the British government has not yet announced the details of its proposed review of parades, but said it needs to start work now for next year, to get the support of the parties and produce concrete recommendations to respond positively in advance "and not leave it to the last minute".
She also warned of the impending Apprentice Boys' parade in Derry on August 10th. She said local mediation efforts there were the best hope of stopping tensions boiling over. "A positive, power sharing council can help."