Mr. Samuel Beckton:

As the Cathaoirleach pointed out, passports and citizenship would have to be extended across the island of Ireland. In a united Ireland, if that right of the Good Friday Agreement just stayed in the North, then there would be a double standard in place, whereby if someone were in the North it is fine but if they were in the South it is not. If that was extended throughout the island of Ireland it would at least allow for all cultures to be accepted across this island.

We have been talking about the future. Opinion polls are changing but I have to caution the committee. The next decade of centenaries that is coming in 20 years, in 2039 to 2049, will be another time of historical reflection around the Second World War and the creation of the Irish Republic. At that time, divides will be felt again, particularly as the North participated in the Second World War but the South did not. All the policies and the suffering the North went through, especially the Belfast blitz, will be remembered again and those in the South will not be able to understand the suffering they went through. Some in the South did come up to help, such as the brave firemen of the Dublin Fire Brigade who helped with the Belfast blitz. Many others joined the British or Allied armed forces and when they went back South at the end of the war they were treated horribly. We have had recollections of that but how do we commemorate those events in a united Ireland? Will the North be allowed to commemorate such events while the South stays quiet? Sometimes we really need to look at history.

It is the same when we talk about unionists in the Seanad. It is important for all views to be recognised but we should remember the likes of William Sheldon or John Copeland Cole from the Border counties. Though they could not contest their seats because of changes in the 1961 electoral Act, they were allowed for a few electoral seasons to be Members of this fine House, the Seanad. There is a problem in that there is an element of tokenism there that can take away communities' idea of self-respect. Here is a question. How long will that go on for in a united Ireland? Will unionists have a token seat in ten years, 20 years, and so on? How long will people be allowed to have that right before it is gone? That happened with the unionist seats when Ireland was first established and unionists were in the Seanad, before it was abolished in the 1930s. While history is a far different cry, it does have a tendency to accidentally repeat itself if we do not learn from it properly.