Mr. Francie Molloy:

Okay, I will go again. First of all, the witnesses are very welcome and I thank them for coming and making the presentation.

As they state, the Good Friday Agreement provides for many of the things that we are talking about and many of the things that are missing and we are part of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Unfortunately, both governments seem to ignore that it has not been fully implemented yet and no efforts barely have been made to do it. The constant danger is we will keep founding new organisations to do the job that an original organisation was supposed to do and did not.

The opportunity for a future civic forum under the Good Friday Agreement, including the all-Ireland civic forum, is a very important aspect that I hope will emerge from the discussions that are happening. I hope it will be developed. The intergovernmental forum exists but is not fulfilling its role. Many of these organisations were supposed to step in when there was a crisis. Instead of stepping in during crises, they were seen as developing them. They did not do anything. It is important, therefore, that the grass roots have a say to ensure everything is happening. The development of the civic forum is one aspect.

We are talking about women's organisations but, assuming the common charter is covering a wider aspect than women’s organisations, which I hope is the case because men are starting to feel isolated, it is important that we recognise the cross-Border dimension. The studies that have been done, in various ways, are co-ordinated to try to maximise the discussion right across the board. People are feeling isolated. The Scottish experience is worth noting from our point of view because it sheds light on all the fears in the community as regards a Border poll or referendum on Irish unity. The Scottish experience, implying one can have a referendum on independence, comes and goes. The Scots might have another one. How does one allay some of the fears in the community such that, instead of having people say there is a problem or fear, we open up and try to manage the change that is happening and will happen right across the board? Working within the common chapter is a good way to proceed. I hope the two Governments and the Assembly, which I hope will be re-established in the near future, will develop that and exist as a testing pool for the views and ideas that exist. I hope individuals such as the witnesses will become a challenge to the Assembly and also to councils. Much good work goes on in all the new councils, which have just been re-elected. Resources exist to try to develop with the councils new ideas on how to manage the change. If the councils can do it, it is sometimes easier for the other organisations and structures to do so.

Some of the structures in place were covered. Unfortunately, there are many talking shops in Northern Ireland and many intergovernmental meetings that do not seem to have delivered very much in the past 20 years. I accept people are meeting, which is good in itself. At this stage however, we need to deliver. We should not be talking at this stage about the issues that existed at the time of the Good Friday Agreement but about how we move beyond the agreement. I am grateful for the initiative. I hope we can tie in with it at local level.