Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Its tactics are mistaken for at least two reasons. First, as regards Irish unity, as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has stated, I too am a supporter. Partition has been disastrous for this country, on both sides of the Border. It generated two dysfunctional and confessional entities which at times were almost mirror images of each other. As the events of last week have demonstrated all too clearly, in this Parliament we still struggle with the ugly aftermath of three quarters of a century of clerical supremacy.

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