Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Calling on people to vote by religion and get one over on the other side is sectarianism pure and simple, and Sinn Féin should stop trying to find excuses for it. The failure of political leadership to assist properly in the fight against sectarianism and to promote a genuine spirit of equality was demonstrated in Deputy Adams’s disgraceful comments last year when he talked about “breaking the bastards” and said equality is “the Trojan horse of the entire republican strategy”. He can do his usual twisting and turning, claiming that black is white and vice versa, but his words are on the record.

Equality is not a strategy and it is not something to be exploited. It is the fundamental and core foundation of the entire strategy of the people of Ireland. When a party of government in Northern Ireland speaks so cynically about equality, it is inevitable that the others will continue to resist it. The equality agenda remains essential and needs the Governments to insist on the implementation of past agreements.

Addressing issues of the past should not be an option; it is essential. So far, the Irish Government, due to initiatives taken by past Governments, is the only party to the process that has been willing to be fully open and honest about its failings. Everyone else has been taking the position of demanding openness from others while protecting their own.

The evidence of state collusion with loyalists in grotesque sectarian crimes is overwhelming. It must be investigated independently and the families of victims must be given the right to know what happened and who was responsible. Equally, collusion with elements of the Provisional IRA must be investigated. Significant collusion between state security forces and elements within the Provisional IRA did happen. Many people were murdered, wrongly, as a result of that. There are cases being pursued in this regard to the present day.

The Dáil has called for a full investigation into the revelations about the ongoing protection by the Provisional IRA of its own members when accused of child abuse. This is a problem that Deputy Adams has admitted was known about. While Sinn Féin did its usual trick of calling for co-operation with the justice system, yet again no one has come forward. Sinn Féin has been able to expel people for wanting to deselect a Deputy but cannot find anyone to take action against in regard to the systematic covering up of child abuse within the provisional movement.

Of course, there are limits to what can be done but our Government has a duty to demand a proper independent inquiry so that victims North and South can come forward and begin a process of healing, which must start with accountability for those who abused them and those who worked to prevent justice being done.

The Parliament promised Mairia Cahill, Paudie McGahon and other brave victims that we would not rest until their abusers were held to account, and we must honour this promise.

The increasingly dysfunctional political situation in Stormont needs to be tackled. Growing detachment and disengagement from politics is the direct and inevitable outcome of how the DUP and Sinn Féin are controlling the Assembly and Executive. They are focused on obtaining as much party political advantage as possible. Other parties are routinely excluded from discussions and the system is milked for party advantage. Northern Ireland has half the population of Wales but its leaders have twice the number of publicly funded political advisers. Ministers of both ruling parties have been found to favour their own in decisions, with a Sinn Féin Minister, Mr. Conor Murphy, found by a court to have made a major appointment on a sectarian basis.

Through the tenacity of journalists, a large-scale abuse of political funding has been revealed. None of this would be possible under the legislation in operation here for nearly two decades.

Deputy Adams never sat a day in Westminster but took over €1 million in expenses during the last decade. BBC’s “Spotlight” found that over €1 million had been funnelled by Sinn Féin MLAs to Research Services Ireland Ltd, but was unable to find details of any research work carried out by the company. This is on top of the money funnelled by Sinn Féin to fictitious cultural organisations. There is an urgent need for the Governments to demand a tightening of the controls on public funding of politics and for the establishment of controls along the lines of those operated here, which would make such abuses illegal.

The revelations in regard to Cerberus and the NAMA portfolio have rightly led to concerns about political involvement. The memorandum of understanding between the Northern Ireland Executive and Pimco illustrates an incredible degree of political engagement and official involvement in the sale of the Northern Ireland loan book of NAMA. It is incredible that Sinn Féin would not have understood or would not have been fully aware of what was going on throughout the entire saga.

In the referendums of 1998, the people of this island chose to support a new way forward. They acknowledged our shared future and set all parties a challenge of working together for the common good. Too often, they have failed. Unless we see new energy and commitment, we will continue with the cycle of ongoing crises, and profound problems will be left to fester. We need renewed engagement by the Governments. We need a new vision for the economic and social development of the North and the Border region in general. We need a concerted effort to challenge sectarianism, starting with the casual sectarianism of political parties. We need a determined effort to sort out a dysfunctional and deeply cynical approach by the dominant parties. The peace process was and remains a great victory for constitutional republicans on this island, who did everything possible and many things thought impossible to get the paramilitaries to put down their guns and end their illegitimate campaign. However, the work is not over. Much more is required, and unless we are willing to commit to this effort we could make an error of genuinely historic proportions.

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