Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept Brexit has had a very significant impact on this and attitudes, and that a majority of people in the North voted against Brexit. What is very interesting in the current discussions around the protocol is that nobody has told me they do not want to have continued access to the European Single Market, which is significant notwithstanding all the objections and opposition to the protocol. My genuine view at the time of Brexit was that it was the wrong time to draw up a border poll. We had our views on that. My view was that it would put people into the trenches and people would have strong views either way.

Probably one of the most important developments in my lifetime was the New Ireland Forum. I was not in politics at the time. I would have been an observer of politics. What the forum did to some extent was bring constitutional nationalism together to work out the best options for a unitary state. Options included joint sovereignty. We heard Margaret Thatcher say no, no, no to all three options. In retrospect, it was a good exercise.

The other one I thought was important was the Opsahl Commission which went through a range of scenarios regarding how to demilitarise the North. That was well in advance of the peace process. I do understand that point. The question is whether we do it in the Republic and just have our own rethink about where we are. What does that do? What impact does that have on unionism, loyalism and other traditions such as the new Irish? There is a centre ground view in the North. I think Andrew Trimble said on that programme that he sees himself as Northern Irish, so the Deputy is right in talking about all the traditions because there are many of them. I just do not think one would get buy-in to that in a citizens' assembly. Perhaps there is a case to be made for political opinion in the Republic. What do we mean? What are we talking about? One thing we do need to reflect on are the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

It seems we are in a very difficult space. Again, the institutions have been pulled down - wrongly, in my view. I think this is undermining the institutions in terms of public esteem and people's buy-in to those institutions. Whatever happens in the future must be grounded in the Good Friday Agreement foundations, which are three sets of relationships. They are that the British-Irish relationship would continue regardless of whatever evolution takes place. Other factors include the North-South relationship, the two traditions plus new traditions and parity of esteem between traditions. In my view, devolution in the North will be here for quite a while and should be engaged in. The Executive is another factor. These are only observations. I accept that these things need to be talked through but the issue is whether we do it in the most inclusive way possible or we do it just in the context of the Republic for the moment.