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

I welcome the delegations to the committee and thank them for their excellent presentations. They highlighted the work that still needs to be done. I detect from this and previous contributions that there is a sense of a lack of confidence in the process. There is a sense that the peace process has been neglected politically, maybe at governmental level. I spoke to Ms Mary Montague at one of her organisation’s events about how many young people in the North do not vote and there was a cross-community aspect to it. There is a sense of disillusionment. We have much of that here where many young people do not vote. It could be because the political system is not reflective of the aims and aspirations of young people, either from a vision or from a practical point of view.

The point was made that the peace process needs to be revitalised. Will the delegations suggest how this could be done and the role the committee could have in driving that forward? It was stated that while there was a kind of utopian support for the peace process, in the most affected areas during the conflict one still has anti-peace process factions, such as paramilitary groups, working to try to destabilise it for their own ends which is not in the interest of their communities. What is the level of support for anti-peace process-dissident republicans, or whatever they like to call themselves, and those in loyalist communities? Is it secured through intimidation and fear in those communities? The one thing that comes across to those of us involved politically is the role of a hidden hand regarding what is being done in those areas in the so-called name of an ideology.

We have met with people from loyalist working-class communities, ex-combatants, former paramilitaries and so forth. One of those, Jackie McDonald, said that Sinn Féin has MEPs, councillors, TDs and MLAs but the loyalist working-class communities do not have representation. They are being represented by people who might espouse an entirely different economic ideology to what is suitable for their own communities. What is needed in working-class loyalist communities is working-class loyalist representation. This is necessary to bring about a situation where one can build a working-class rights movement. During the Troubles, most of the conflict took place in working-class areas. Those people were also the victims in the lead-up to the Troubles and they still are the victims, in terms of the proposed welfare cuts and so forth that are coming down the track.

We recently met a group of young people associated with one of the main loyalist groupings in working-class areas. They were talking about flags. I said to them there is an issue that affects republican and Nationalist working-class areas and loyalist working-class areas, namely, the proposed welfare cuts and how they will affect all of them. I said to them they should unite around this common issue that will affect all of them across the divide. Doing something like that can help build bridges and develop a struggle around rights and entitlements.

The lack of investment and resources going into those areas was also referred to. The consequence of that is the loss of jobs and significant unemployment and so forth. This has to be addressed by the Exchequer, or whoever is providing funding, and proactively pushed forward. Education is another aspect of this. Since I have been on this committee, I have been advocating very strongly for integrated education right across the communities. Most of what we are is what we learned. There is no difference between a black child and a white child, a Protestant and Catholic, or whatever. That has to be part of how one helps to erode the sectarianism that exists.