Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for their presentations. I do not like to make a complex situation even more complex, but there are two additional factors that should be taken into account. Dr. Mason has mentioned that the war is over, but we are making a poor job of winning the peace. Is it not more the case that the politicians and former combatants have won institutional power? Is there a sense in which people, instead of addressing the real hurt that is felt, are dancing around it because they are concerned that to do otherwise might damage the institutions of peace, which include not just Stormont but also the institutions that flow from it? In other words, is there a sense that containment of anger is better than dealing with it because we do not know which way it will go if it is opened up?

Second, there has been a great deal of work done within the political system and at the military level, but the real problems are closer to the ground. Certain people got to sit around tables and have discussions and had, therefore, at least some control over their own future. On the other hand, the people who were learning from them and were inspired by them had no such input. The key question then is about the type of people and organisations that should be assuming leadership of the process. In other words, is it good enough to fall back on political leaders and former military leaders or should we be looking to other types of people to lead change?