Mr. Gerry Carlile:

I thank the committee for inviting me here today. We in Ireland's Future were very happy to make our written submission to the committee. We hope it is a worthwhile contribution to the broad conversation. We thank all those who have contributed to our work, many of whom are in this room today.

Last Saturday, 5,000 people attended the Ireland's Future event, Together We Can, in the 3Arena. Thousands of people paid €10 each to attend, which is significant in its own right. Ten political parties, five party leaders and leading voices from business, trade unions, agriculture, the LGBT community, the women's sector and many others participated in what was a seminal event that it is hoped will assist in advancing the seismic issue of a referendum and constitutional change in Ireland.

Mr. Andrew Clarke and Mr. Peter Adair featured, as did Reverend Karen Sethuraman and Mr. Ben Collins. These four people grew up in the unionist community, with unionist and British culture and tradition as part of their everyday lives. They are now strongly of the view that a new and united Ireland would be better for all of our people and would provide a better and brighter future for our children and grandchildren. Andrew, Peter, Karen and Mr. Trevor Lunn were also part of the working group that organised the event in the 3Arena. Trevor is a former MLA and former Chair of the Alliance Party, a former Mayor of Lisburn and former president of Lisburn Chamber of Commerce. Trevor's family background would be very much of an Orange persuasion. The actor, Jimmy Nesbitt, was the keynote speaker at the event. He remarked during his 20-minute speech that when he was younger, he played in his local flute band, and that he was proud of his Protestant culture. He, too, believes the time is right to have the conversation about what he called a "new union of Ireland".

Ireland's Future has worked hard to create the space for those who are not from the traditional pro-united Ireland community. We do this because it is the right thing to do. Where I live, the main 12 July parade passes just metres from my front door. Every year, I go out and watch the parade. I watch it because there are people in that parade who are my friends, work colleagues and neighbours. In my personal view, an early gesture from the Government in Dublin might be very well-received. It could be viewed as an investment in the future. Could 12 July become a public holiday across the entire island in advance of a referendum? What a positive signal that might send to many of our Orange and British neighbours and friends. This cuts both ways.

I coach my local underage Gaelic football team. One of the other coaches is from a unionist background. His son plays for our club. Last year's under-13 championship-winning football captain's father is from a unionist background. The man does not miss a game. I am sure there are others I do not even know about, which is probably the way it should be.

I have been in business for almost 20 years. I sat on the council of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry for three years. The business community in the North is pragmatic and knows the trajectory of travel. It needs long-term stability, however, and full re-entry to the European Union.

While the North has many positives such as excellent schools and universities, producing highly qualified graduates and young workers, a successful tourism and hospitality economy, a thriving technology sector, highly qualified healthcare staff and a growing cohort of successful entrepreneurs, what it really needs is long-term economic and societal stability.

I will finish on this point. When it is said, particularly by southern politicians, that the time is not right to talk about a referendum until relationships in the North improve, there is a potential risk of ensuring fraught relationships exist in perpetuity. It could be said that we incentivise and reward instability and disharmony by stifling the conversation on the national question.