Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will revisit the trust issue between the British Government and the European Union. This was made much worse by the British Government's unilateral action on the grace periods. Enough voice has been given to removing barnacles and sandpapering the Irish protocol. I accept what the Minister said, that there is a read on it that it is Boris Johnson saying we need to streamline the Irish protocol and make it work, and nobody has a difficulty with this, but it also sells to another crowd, which is, I assume, is the reason he says some of what he does. It is very hard to have trust when we do not have consistency. When we are dealing with a British Government it depends where or why it is going where it is, because sometimes we fear it is a negotiation gambit, even with regard to dealing with these sorts of issues in the protocol, and sometimes we believe it is selling to its own Brexiteer wing. We are never quite clear. The only positive thing I take from this is that I do not think unionists can necessarily bank what Boris Johnson says regarding there being no referendum on Irish unity and that the union is safe. They can put that alongside all commentary from British Prime Ministers and the Tory party over the years.

What facilities do we have in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement? The Minister speaks about the EU-British Partnership Council and the 23 committees. We have what now sounds somewhat positive, which is the relationship and communication between Commissioner Šefovi and David Frost. I add my comments on the necessity of the North-South Ministerial Council, particularly what Deputy Richmond said about the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference being placed on the calendar, if that were at all possible, and, as the Minister would say, removing the drama from it. This would be an absolute necessity. The other difficulty with this is that it takes two to tango. The Irish Government needs to ensure this can happen.

We have already had comment on the DUP and an element of panic politics. We have seen it internally and externally. Politics should deliver for people, and I suppose this is through job and educational attainment, as opposed to circling the wagons and playing the orange card. There has been commentary, even in recent days, on the Northern economy. I do not expect the Minister to comment on this but my view is that the jobs dividend and the economic dividend the North requires will only come through Irish unity.

We can also accept that unionism is not what it was. The demographics have changed and the world has changed. We have seen the recent violence and none of it is welcome. Protests with people standing on bins is a far remove from Jim Molyneux and Ian Paisley and the huge monster rallies against the Anglo-Irish Agreement which, at the end of the day, also failed.

I welcome what the Minister said on his interaction with the business community and others. This is the start of a process. I would like information on what qualms they had. The Minister offered solutions and spoke about the positives of the Irish protocol for Northern businesses to deliver some of these jobs and an economic stimulus. How did he find the people when he engaged in the conversation? I imagine it is a very different conversation when it is removed from political considerations, particularly at the minute.