Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach and like other colleagues I welcome Mr. Adams back to the Oireachtas. In his opening remarks he referred to the Sunningdale Agreement of December 1973, the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 and the Downing Street Declaration, and we might recall that the Downing Street Declaration was signed on this day 29 years ago between the late Mr. Albert Reynolds and Mr. John Major. He stated that those agreements were about defending and protecting the status quo. I would have thought that the Downing Street Declaration was the first time the British Government affirmed the right of the people of Ireland to self-determination. It also referred strongly to the principle of consent and that the people of the island of Ireland had exclusive rights to solve those issues. I thought that was a stepping stone for the Good Friday Agreement subsequently, so particularly the statement where the British side had agreed they had no long-term selfish strategic interest in this country was an important sentence and part of the Downing Street Declaration.

With regard to time constraints, Mr. Adams mentioned about democracy working and spoke on his view of a citizens' assembly on the future constitutional configuration on this island. He also mentioned a series of such assemblies. I assume he has in mind dialogue on sectoral issues, be they education, inequality, economics, European policy, social protection, climate issues or whatever. Is Mr. Adams thinking of having specialist assemblies with people with specialist knowledge to meet in regard to specific issues? Some work is under way in that respect at academic level in various institutes and third level colleges that is funded by the Government.

Mr. Adams quite rightly stated that we need to have the Good Friday Agreement fully implemented. One of the huge issues or legacy issues that is not being dealt with and time is going on is families never getting the truth about the loss of their loved ones. I presume Mr Adams would agree, as all political opinion has, in outright opposition to the British Government's recent proposals in regard to dealing with legacy issues, because in effect those proposals will give an amnesty to murderers, whether those murderers were from British state forces or from paramilitary organisations, and they could in effect grant themselves an amnesty in relation to the most heinous crimes. That is not acceptable to the Irish people, and those proposals at the moment are flying absolutely in the face of the progress we need to make on so many issues that are still outstanding from the Good Friday Agreement and that are especially important for so many individuals and families as time goes by.