Mr. Niall Murphy:

We are absolutely open to working with anybody who is content to discuss the future constitutional well-being of this island. However, I want to correct immediately the assertion that the Senator has now made in this public forum that Ireland's Future is connected to a political party. I took time to prepare the detailed literature we have published to allow it to be circulated to the members of the committee in advance of this meeting. I am not sure if Senator Blaney received that literature in time or if he had the opportunity to read and reflect on it. All our public pronouncements, made on the public record, make crystal clear that we have no affiliation to any political party.

It will be appreciated, however, that our focus is on the constitutional future of the island and in so far as that is the case, we will of course consult political parties. We have consulted Sinn Féin, as we have consulted the SDLP, the Alliance Party and Fine Gael. I had an exceptional couple of hours in Belfast two years ago with a delegation of ten members from Fine Gael. I have not had the opportunity to speak with representatives of Fianna Fáil on that same basis and I would welcome the opportunity to do so. If Senator Blaney is able to pull together a delegation for me to meet, I will come to the South. As a Donegal man, the Senator is from the north.