Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before going back to the witnesses I commend them on their helpful work. When we consider the absolutes inherent in the dirty war for 30 years, as people had a fixed position and one group was right and another was wrong, bar stool conversations meant everybody had a fixed opinion. We have had many groups before us and some want justice, others want truth and yet others want acknowledgement. Some groups want closure but others disagree with that term. It is such a complex issue and people are not having the conversation around absolutes in dealing with the past. How can we marry the conversation when people have a fixed position on how to deal with the past and when there is a complex mix of opinions? The witnesses may not be able to answer the question specifically but in coming together we are highlighting the need for a mechanism to deal with the past.