The clearest timeline on the vexed question of photographic proof of IRA disarmament has been provided by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams.

He says the British and Irish Governments raised the idea with him in the week before the Leeds Castle talks. Those talks took place between 16-18 September.

Mr Adams says he made it clear at this stage that the demand was unrealisable.

He then says the idea appeared again in a draft of a government paper on 17 November and the government was again told that it could not be delivered.

The ‘ timeline is rather different. Downing Street says photographs have been on the agenda for the past two years, since David Trimble raised them as a possibility.

The Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern seemed to support this when he indicated that the republican rejection of photographic evidence had not been as categoric as Sinn Fein has implied

In public, Tony Blair has been at pains not to accuse republicans of “bad faith”.

But questioned about Gerry Adams’s account, one government source told me “these issues have been negotiated on, debated and discussed. They have been at the heart of the negotiations for months”.

The source suggested it was simply “not plausible” to suggest that the government would have included specific suggestions for photographs in its draft statement for General John De Chastelain in the face of such absolute denials.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern seemed to support this when he indicated that the republican rejection of photographic evidence had not been as categoric as Sinn Fein has implied.

Mr Ahern said the governments thought the difficulty was about the publication of the images, not the photographs per se.

‘Object lesson’

The latest IRA statement says photographs were never possible.

This introduces an intriguing twist to the story of how the deal died. Republicans have been happy for the blame to be attached to Ian Paisley’s now notorious “sackcloth and ashes” speech.

The DUP leader delivered this speech to a meeting in Ballymena on 27 November.

Ian Paisley delivered notorious “sackcloth and ashes” speech

According to the former Sinn Fein publicity director Danny Morrison, this was when “Paisley blew it”.

There is no doubt that demanding the IRA’s humiliation was not exactly an object lesson in conflict resolution.

Perhaps Dr Paisley should attend Relate’s marriage guidance classes for a few political tips.

But he was not the first to talk about the photographs as “humiliation”. That honour goes to Sinn Fein’s Mitchel McLaughlin who accused the DUP of trying to humiliate the IRA over visual decommissioning on the BBC’s Inside Politics programme back on 23 October.

Moreover, if as the IRA says, photos were never possible, would it have made any difference if Ian Paisley had gone on the TV every day in November to reiterate his long held view that the IRA are ” monsters”?

Would Sinn Fein negotiators really have ruled out something the government wanted at a time when they were happy to seek on, say, demilitarisation?

All of this is so much history, but does it help us to decide how things might move forward?

If the governments secretly believe photographs are achievable, they may return to trying to push the “post-dated cheque” idea.

Perhaps the date of publication could be stretched so it becomes more a matter of historical interest rather than the cause of painful humiliation.

But if officials really are convinced photographs are off the agenda, will they have to consider either persuading the DUP to settle for less or pursuing a side deal with republicans?

‘Climbing a mountain’

A few thoughts spring to mind. This kind of ambiguity is part and parcel of the way these negotiations work where many issues are being discussed in parallel, not consecutively.

Would Sinn Fein negotiators really have ruled out something the government wanted at a time when they were happy to seek concessions on, say, demilitarisation?

Ultimately the “back channel” laid the groundwork for the breakthrough in 1994, something from which the governments might take some heart at this time of angry recrimination

Or would they have left things up in the air until they had chalked off all the items on their shopping list?

Moreover, if the DUP feel misled then they must - in part - blame their own policy of refusing to engage in dialogue with Sinn Fein.

Instead, they are reliant on go-betweens - the British and Irish Governments - who have a clear interest in putting as positive a spin as possible on anything they hear from either side.

Tony Blair talked of “climbing a mountain”. For anyone following this process, memories of “the Mountain Climber” come to mind - the MI6 agent - later named as Michael Oatley - who acted as a “back channel” between the IRA and the government in the 1970s and 1990s.

After the “Mountain Climber” retired, the “back channel” fell apart, with republicans claiming a message saying “the conflict is over” had never been sent by the IRA.

But ultimately the “back channel” laid the groundwork for the breakthrough in 1994, something from which the governments might take some heart at this time of angry recrimination.

The importance of the UK’s history and its legacy is taken for granted by many Brits. When they occasionally get frustrated by the tourist crowds in London, Edinburgh, Bath or wherever, they console themselves in the knowledge that the rest of the world seems to find their country so desirable.

But a six-year hunt to find the seven modern wonders could deliver a blow to that confidence.

TOP 7 NEW WONDERS (SO FAR) Great Wall, China 11.2% Potala Palace, Tibet 8.6% Taj Mahal, India 7.2% Colosseum, Italy 7.1% Pyramids of Chichen Itza, Mexico 6.4% Statues of Easter Island, Chile 6.1% Tower of Pisa, Italy 6.1% SOURCE: new7wonders

The poll by a Swiss group, New 7 Wonders Society, claims already to have attracted 17 million votes in the quest to find the most loved man-made constructions on the planet.

With the final line-up being announced in January 2006, there are two months to go before a 21-strong shortlist is drawn up. Currently there are no British sites on the list, which is topped by the Great Wall of China, followed by the Potala Palace in Tibet and the Colosseum in Rome.

The Tower of London and the Greenwich Observatory have been nominated but have not attracted enough votes to register a percentage.

Eden lost

The seriousness of the deficit could be questioned because voters around the world have tended to support their own national monuments and there has been little publicity in the UK so far.

VISIT BRITAIN’S TIPS Tower of London Edinburgh Castle London Eye Great Western Railway Hadrian’s Wall Offa’s Dyke Roman baths in Bath Durham Cathedral Falkirk wheel Cornwall’s Minack Theatre

“For a poll that’s been going four years, it’s the first we’ve heard of it and I don’t think the British public are aware of it yet either,” says Visit Britain’s Elliott Frisby. “Once they start voting we’ll see a number of contenders in Britain like the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle and the London Eye.”

He added sites like the Great Western Railway, Hadrian’s Wall, Offa’s Dyke, the Roman baths in Bath, Durham Cathedral, the Falkirk Wheel and Cornwall’s Minack Theatre were also worthy of inclusion, although he said it was a pity the Eden Project was not finished in time to qualify by the 2000 cut-off date.

Is St Pancras station sometimes overlooked?

Visitor numbers suggest Britain is losing none of its global allure, in fact quite the opposite. In June to August 2004, the number of visitors rose by 8% on that period last year. And it was the sixth most visited country in the world in 2003.

Despite the current fashion for bold buildings, such as Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge or London’s Gherkin, there’s a feeling that the UK’s best years in building world-famous monuments could be behind it.

“We can certainly hold our own but the shame is that our fabulous year was the 19th Century,” says Simon Calder, travel editor of The Independent. “We lost it in the 20th Century and we’re not doing it in the 21st, whereas France had a great 19th Century and 20th Century and no doubt will continue in the 21st.

VOTE Choose your favourite or add your own on the form at the bottom of the page St Pancras station Stonehenge Royal Pavilion, Brighton Offa’s Dyke Edinburgh Castle Roman Baths, Bath Forth Bridges Houses of Parliament London Eye Tower of London Results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion

“We’ve lost the knack of building world-class things. It’s just a terrible shame if our one ‘grand projet’ is the Dome. We need a visionary government that’s going to say it’s really important to build these things to make us feel proud of what we have. But we haven’t had those governments and there’s a lack of imagination.”

He says there should be public investment in impressive and interesting buildings such as St Pancras station - “the finest building in Christendom” - and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton - “the finest palace in Europe”. He also rates the Forth Bridges, the Settle-Carlisle railway and the British Museum.

“Greenwich Observatory is important as part of the Greenwich ensemble but without the park and the Maritime Museum it’s a little eccentric. But the Grand Union Canal does what it says on the label. It might not be spectacular but it was very important to the development of Britain and the world.”

English Heritage disagrees Britain’s best building days are behind it. “There are many post-war listed buildings of exceptional architectural merit,” says a spokeswoman.

For a more impartial view about the global reputation of Britain’s heritage, it’s necessary to ask abroad.

VISITORS 2003 France 75.0m Spain 52.4m US 40.3m Italy 39.6m China 33m UK 24.7m Austria 19.1m Mexico 18.6m Germany 18.4m Canada 17.5m Hungary 15.7m SOURCE: World Tourism Organisation

Rok Klancnik of the World Tourism Organisation says: “The icons are certainly Big Ben, Stonehenge, castles, imperial architecture of London, Oxford, Stratford upon Avon, also the Scottish Highlands etc. And there are many more, which could not be considered as physical monuments but of culture.”

He said he personally thought the UK was more famous for its man-made monuments than its natural beauty and dismissed the significance of the poll as one of many of its kind.

“Monuments are considered to be a marketing advantage of every destination, they may be big or small, but one cannot say which ones are the most beautiful. They are different and what is beautiful for some may not necessarily be interesting for others.”

Here is a selection of your favourite British sites:

York Minster. What engineering! The foundations were completed in the 1970s - some years after construction!!
George, UK

It is not the culture of this country to indulge is grand gestures or monuments. Instead, we look to the cumulative effect of the small-scale and the ordinary to create a wonderful whole. Like Bath and many other of our wonderful towns.
Chris Garrand, UK

It will have to be (when its complete) the new Wembley Stadium and its impressive arch. You can see it for miles!!
Craig Whitthread, London, England

Lincoln Cathedral, the most overlooked building in the UK. Impressive from miles away across the flat fens to the city and freqently by-passed by tourists on the way from Cambridge to York. But so tall it stands nearly as high as the great pyramid…..and at one thousand years - is worth seeing.
Stuart Moore, Macau China

St Georges Hall Liverpool. A totally unique great building with one of the most famous mosaic floors in the world. Part Of the World Heritage Site. Loved by Charles Dickens amongst others.
A Reynolds, UK

The Neasden Temple
Shyamala Rajan-Vince, England

Durham Cathedral is a great building both architecturally and , representing The North’s stance against Henry VIII getting rid of Catholicism.
Helen Lamb, UK

Strange that your vote seems to be southern biased. Durham Cathedral and Castle have been part of a UNESCO world heritage site since 1986 and Durham Cathedral was voted as Britain’s best building on Radio 4 last year. Surely it is worth a mention, even though it’s in the north!
Alex Easton, UK

Not entirely sure why this building is not on the list, but surely St Paul’s Cathedral deserves at least a mention!
Tom, UK

I nominate the Channel Tunnel. Just because it’s invisible doesn’t deny it the fact of being a huge masterpiece of engineering. As for the rest of the UK’s buildings? Well as long as we keep building cheap and temporary buildings like the millenium tent, we are never going to have a wonder are we?
Mark King, UK

The Iron Bridge in - a structure which kickstarted (and symbolises) the Industrial Revolution more than anything else, in my view, in the world.
Andrew, UK

My favourite site in Great Britain is the waterfront of Tobermory Harbour on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish county of Argyll. Also I would like to add that Edinburgh castle is not the prettiest or most impressive of Scottish castles. It merely happens to be in the capital. I think that Stirling Castle is a much better example of a proper castle. Edinburgh just has a better press!
John Drake, United Kingdom

The new Selfridges building at Birmingham’s Bullring is an incredible building, there is nothing like it anywhere!
Jon Welch, UK

Callanish Stones, Isle of Lewis.
SM, Scotland

Why have you included both the Royal Pavilion and Stonehenge on your list? In my opinion they are both really ugly and out of place. There are many more beautiful buildings / monuments in the UK that deserve inclusion over these two monstrosities!!
Mark Richardson, Bermuda

The reason Stonehenge is included is not because of its appearance but because of the great engineering feats that had to be undertaken by ancient tribesmen who had no access to the industrial might we are so familiar with in today’s society.
Nick Payne, UK

Beehive Mill, Jersey Street, Ancoats, Manchester. While not a geat world moument or glittering palace, Ancoats was the worlds first industrial suburb. Beehive Mill was therefore one of the worlds first industrials mills a feat that has influenced and change the world more than any other in history.
Paul Entwistle, UK

Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
Tracy Atkinson, England

The new Great Court of the British Museum. A fantastic mix of the existing Reading Room, and the new roof of the Court.
Ben Evans, UK

The world’s first Iron Bridge - Ironbridge, Shropshire
Peter, UK

If the Dome had been a tourist success, then we would all be cheering for it’s inclusion. It is a brilliant feat of engineering, project management and redevelopment.
Ed, UK