Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. I have been saying for a while that we need to talk and that it is good to talk. They have been talking and I have learned a great deal in this short interaction.

Something I admire about the unionist community is the intellectual rigour of asking to be shown the detail and told the facts. Irish people characterise ourselves as being rebellious and radical, but we are not. We are the most compliant people in Europe. We have complied with austerity and all sorts of nonsense in this Republic over the past 20 years. In that time, I have seen the dismantling of all of the things that our parents and grandparents worked for and the commodification of housing, education and health. From listening to the witnesses, their community would never have tolerated that. A little bit of "Ulster says "No"" would have played very well here in the Republic. I was struck by Mr. Graham's comments when he spoke about his background, including his degree in electronic engineering and his masters degree from Harvard. He is not going to be sold a pig in a poke. He wants to hear what it is we have to say. He repeatedly said that we should not just listen to the witnesses, but also hear them. I wish to thank him for his contribution. We are all listening, and I hope that we can continue this process.

I thank the witnesses. I have learned a great deal. I hope we can continue this dialogue and engagement just to get to know one another better.