Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Murphy for her valuable contribution. The idea of an independent facilitator is something at which we should look as a committee in making a recommendation. The entire peace process was built on the principle that nothing was agreed until everything was agreed. During the Brexit negotiations the parties must agree what they can and what they cannot agree must be left to one side because the European Union is not going to listen to different parties with different thoughts on what is to be done if they do not come up with a common position.

In terms of conflict transformation and a negative peace, Brexit is going to change the status quo in Northern Ireland. If Brexit had not happened, we could have continued on in trying to move from a negative peace and with a conflict transformation zone.

The SDLP is now talking about a Border poll and we see Sinn Féin's policy on a Border poll, the objectives of the political parties here and Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution which relate to the unionist community on top of Brexit. The unionist community's constitutional status with Northern Ireland is then under question. That has an effect on the issue of conflict transformation. How does Dr. Murphy see that playing out? I know that they are talking about the process here, but that is not in isolation from the longer term issue or what will happen if the SDLP's policy on a Border poll takes place immediately after Brexit, which is in less than two years time. What is that going to do? Does Dr. Murphy see a referendum being held and how far away is it? What should the academic and political establishment here be doing in that respect because they are parallel issues in some senses? Brexit is a stand-alone problem and needs a stand-alone solution, but it has changed the status quo. What should we be doing in that respect?