Professor Christopher McCrudden:

One of the reasons for the success of the Belfast Agreement is that it operated in a situation where the economy was improving, in particular in its early days. Not a lot is written about this but it was clearly the case that it was an improving market, in particular in areas of confidence-building, for example, employment. The fact there was an expanding employment market made it a lot easier for greater equality between Catholics and Protestants in employment to come about, which in turn increased the likelihood of the political arrangements being more successful because some of the tensions otherwise in the community had been reduced. I would argue that the notion of splitting the terrorism stuff off from the economic stuff is a mistake. There is a crucial requirement that Northern Ireland, in order to remain peaceful and supportive of the Good Friday Agreement, is going to have to be economically successful, and that if one has an economic basket case on one's Border, that is in itself destabilising. It is destabilising for the Republic and it is going to be destabilising for us. With respect to the Senator, the economics here cannot be hived off. It is an intimate part of the question as a whole. I would resist the notion that it should be separated off in the way that, perhaps as devil's advocate, Senator Daly has been suggesting.