Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Osborne for his presentation and welcome him. The key to the success of reconciliation is leadership from a political and electoral side, from local government, business leaders, churches – given that the North is a very sectarian society – and sporting bodies, which can be sectarian and can be manipulated to be sectarian. Leadership must come from the ground up in communities. Mr. Osborne mentioned the absence of trust. The question is how to structure leadership to build trust across communities. Much of the progress that was made happened early in the process, because it was driven politically by both Governments and, significantly, by the US Government, the EU and the Nationalist and Unionist leadership. Both Governments took it for granted early on that this was irreversible and, therefore, it went off their radar. This has delayed the building of the trust and reconciliation and the achievement of a more secular, pluralist society.

Mr. Osborne’s presentation is an indictment of everybody. Over 90% of children are educated in separate schools. Reconciliation will not happen overnight but must be long term. It has been a hobby horse of mine that a major part of reconciliation is to break down the sectarian divisions, and when sectarian divisions begin at kindergarten, we have a problem. Mr. Osborne mentioned the City of Culture year and it is an example of how leadership can bring communities together. The PSNI band played at the Derry Fleadh Cheoil. It is very significant that it happened in a city with a huge Nationalist majority, whereas in places where there are significant Unionist or loyalist majorities there does not appear to be the same good will towards building reconciliation. I say this with disappointment and a sense of a challenge. What must we do to promote reconciliation? Dissident republicans are probably more active in Derry than in other parts of the Six Counties, yet there is a progression towards reconciliation in the wider community. I put this down to community leadership.

Mr. Osborne mentioned a cultural war being talked into existence and referred to unemployment, lack of education, particularly among young Protestant boys compared with Roman Catholics, a lack of jobs and a sense of latching onto any issue that will give an identity in opposition to another identity. It is all part of the equation and while I hope it changes, I am disappointed it has never been dealt with. A significant positive statement - I do not want to use the word “gesture” - towards the other community came from Martin McGuinness when he met the English Queen, shook her hand and went to Buckingham Palace. He was reaching out to Unionism, and it was very courageous, knowing where Republicans are coming from. It was right to send the statement out. The Nationalist leaders condemned the attacks on the PSNI. It is in contrast with what happened around the flags issue and the riots, when similar political leadership did not come from the other side. I am very strongly of the opinion that the only way we will get a more progressive approach from Unionist leaders is for the British Government to drive it, just as it drove the Good Friday Agreement by persuading Unionists it was the way to go. The Unionist leaders went to a place they did not want to go but were compelled to because the British Government persuaded them it was the proper way to go, in the interests of peace and reconciliation.

When one examines it, one sees the challenges ahead and the disappointment that we are not where we should be. However, we are also in a far better place than we were 20 years ago. We have come a long way. We have come out of a mist of political violence, struggle and war - whatever people want to call it - to a situation in which we can talk about it and try to address it. Part of reconciliation and addressing the reasons for conflict in the past comes from communities reaching out to each other, accepting each other's existence on an equal footing. Deputy Smith mentioned a bill of rights. A bill of rights is for everybody, not just one community. It is about the obligation on powerful governments and structures such as the EU to ensure it happens. It will not happen in five, ten, 15 or 20 years, but will be generational because we must move from a situation where many of us were part of conflict in the past, were born into it and lived through it. We must wait until the next generation comes through. We must put the foundation stones there for the next generation to be able to move into a normal environment. This is a major challenge to us all.

Much depends on funding for community groups and activists on the ground. We sat here with people such as Jackie McDonald who are doing very good work in their constituencies to build peace and reconciliation with other communities, but they are strapped for funding. It is very small money for big structures to contribute towards building reconciliation. There is a moral obligation on them to do it, as there is on us as political leaders or representatives of our section of the community to help build the reconciliation by addressing the problems of the past and building a foundation for the future.

Central to all of that is to break down the barriers of sectarianism, which comes about at kindergarten height. There is an obligation politically, religiously through the religious institutions and through businesses about employment. A person from one area of a particular religious persuasion will have a better opportunity of employment than someone coming from a minority area and vice versa. That needs to be dealt with.
I mentioned sporting bodies. Every aspect of society that is part of the wider community has a role to play. If there such a thing as a structure, it means bringing all of that together. It comes back to both Governments. Both Governments have a moral obligation to deliver what they said they would deliver in the Good Friday Agreement, the St. Andrews Agreement and all the talks that took place prior to that and subsequent to that to bring that about.