John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. Since Gladstone, really. Gladstone and Tony Blair are the two Prime Ministers who really focused on it.

I have two further questions. Mr. Powell talked abut the political advantage. I am very friendly with a guy Mr. Powell may remember, Andy Reid, who was a Member of Parliament for Loughborough from 1997 to 2010. I had dinner with him here recently. I remember talking to him about being a new MP in the 1997 intake. Mr. Powell is quite right there was zero political advantage for Tony Blair in even getting involved in Northern Ireland. Was that also the view of backbench Labour MPs or was the parliamentary party very much behind Tony Blair with regard to his direction on Northern Ireland?