What the papers say

Journalist Malachi O'Doherty takes a look at what is making the headlines in Tuesday's morning newspapers.

The split in the Ulster Unionist Party makes most Irish front pages, though slipping to a low position in the Irish Independent and relegated to page ten in the Irish News.

It depends on how gravely they view it.

For the Independent, the more shocking story is that the rust bucket ship carrying the equivalent of an atom bomb in explosives, boarded by Greek forces in the Baltic Sea on Monday, was registered in Ireland.

The News Letter describes the split in unionism in large type as a 'Fight to the death'.

It says that David Trimble will move to have Jeffrey Donaldson and Martin Smyth sacked from their party posts, to free the party to complete its historic endeavour.

The editorial there calls on David Trimble to define his position and challenge those professional members who have declined to be active, or go on having narrow victories until he loses outright.

'OUT OUT OUT' is the headline in the Mirror, over a story that says David Trimble has demanded the heads of party rebels.

Trimble 'on the offensive'

In less giddy terms, the Irish Times leads with the same story.

Gerry Moriarty says that David Trimble is going on the offensive against Jeffrey Donaldson to safeguard his leadership of the UUP, while the taoiseach hopes to revive the assembly elections.

Frank Millar inside says that "Trimble, stung by yesterday's resignations of the party whip, has opted for a final confrontation and a bloodletting".

He says Trimble no longer regards Burnside and Donaldson as candidates for election to an assembly since they were selected on the basis of a commitment to accept party discipline.

It's a page ten story in the Irish News but it warrants an editorial.

The editorial describes the move by unionist dissidents as "less than earth shattering".

Bemused nationalists, says the paper, can only wait and wonder.

The front page leads with a call from Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, David Blakey, for police to be guided on how to deal with murders, by on-the-run paramilitaries, who will be seeking effective amnesty under the terms of the joint declaration.

Church credibility

It's the looming split in the Church of England that engages the London broadsheets.

The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph both lead with the efforts by the archbishop of Canterbury to retrieve the credibility of the church.

The Telegraph sees this as an effort to evade the substance of the issue - can an openly gay man be a bishop?

The Guardian sees it as a more assertive breaking of cover and appeal for calm.

The Independent leads on the trial awaiting Alistair Campbell as he faces a Foreign Affairs select committee to explain his role in dossiers about alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Inside, Patrick Cockburn sees the US getting bogged down in Iraq, making blunders like appointing a Sunni governor in the Shia south, a bit, he says, like invading the Vatican and putting a Protestant in charge.

Max Davidson in the Mirror marks the start of Wimbledon and the day in the British calendar when forlorn hope suddenly takes over from reason and we start to imagine that Tim Henman has a cat in hell's chance of winning.