Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for their time. First and foremost, I believe three things need to happen as we move through this process. First, on a point to Raymond McCord, we need a truth commission that will involve the security forces and the former terrorists on both sides. We need open and honest discussion and debate, and we need to know what happened in the area of collusion. I gave a speech to the UDR some years ago about collusion and its involvement in collusion. We need to have that open conversation.

The next thing is that moving towards a referendum for a united Ireland is too crude a question. Senator Currie made the point about this push for a border poll. It is something I would have serious difficulty with because I do not think we are ready for anything like that.

Leading on from what Senator McDowell has said, I want to put a bit of a mad notion on the table, like his own mad notion, and see what response we get here. I would favour two referendums. The first referendum would empower both sides of the Border to put together a structured team which would analyse the major issues that would confront both jurisdictions as we move from where we are.

For example, a very simple one is how we replicate the NHS. That may very well be the single issue that would bring down a Border poll or referendum on some sort of united Ireland. The team must be given time to explore all of the issues in order that it can then bring to the people the type of referendum Senator McDowell has just spoken about, namely, one that has dealt with all of the issues, in order that we are putting a serious proposal before people on both sides of the Border, rather than the notion of a crude 51:49 approach, as outlined by Senator O'Reilly, which simply will not work.

I will leave it at that. I thank the Cathaoirleach very much for letting me in. I should have congratulated him on putting this together. It is an excellent forum.