Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Today is not a day for me to engage in self-celebration or self-congratulation for this party because we have among us an exceptional political figure of this generation, as has been graciously acknowledged not only domestically but abroad. There have been a few occasions — Deputy Kenny referred to them — when the hair stood on the back of the head because of the sense of achievement and pride one felt in working with someone who achieves great things.

I recall the Taoiseach coming home from the Good Friday negotiations, doing that deal, showing that generosity and making the political calls which are the responsibility of politicians, despite the welcome and important advices we receive. Having the real courage to make those calls is something I was particularly proud of as I met him when he returned to Dublin Airport from Belfast after those marathon negotiations, which finally resulted in the Good Friday Agreement. I could see that this was a person who was not constrained by the ideas of an outdated ideology but who had a present and future idea of idealism in Ireland in the 21st century and our capacity to rise above the constraints of our history to make our own history. This generation is making its own history rather than being victims of a previous history when mistakes were made. That is the magnitude of the Taoiseach's achievement today.

When we encapsulate and look back on the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern's role in the establishment of social partnership and what that means, this was a person who did not articulate in a philosophical way what he believed in or what he was about but who escaped, and helped us escape, from the confrontational 1960s style industrial relations which we imported from a neighbouring island that itself was not competitive with Europe, on the basis that we did not intend to allow the same to happen here again. We understood and advised that the Republic we were trying to build is not simply about dealing with workers and the narrow confines of labour and capital, but that workers are entitled to be involved as stakeholders in the way we devise our social policy, increase participation in education, improve our health services and ensure the generational disadvantage of the past is not replicated because of our ability to sit around the table and provide a real stakeholding for all the constituent partners that make up the social partnership today, and to do it in the most difficult of consequences. Perhaps people now wish to make a virtue out of necessity in hindsight. It was one of the most difficult collective decisions ever taken. Every stakeholder, including the trade union movement, employers, Government and farmers, can and should take a bow for their ability to go beyond their constituent interest and recognise that the national interest determined that we had to take certain very difficult decisions. They were shared by Alan Dukes in his leadership of Fine Gael at the time and we were able to proceed along that basis.

We will continue to have democratic contests but that occasion should be recognised by everyone in this House. The person beside me was one of the architects, not the sole architect, but we all know the particular chemistry he could create, the leadership he could provide and the bona fides he could establish, uniquely, because of the political skills he has were a key determining factor not only in making the process a success for then, but a real continuous possibility of success for this country as the 2016 ten-year framework agreement provides for us. We are facing those talks now. This has been a lesson for all of us to learn and perhaps he is not the sole teacher. However, he has provided for us in the way he has discharged his responsibilities in that context and in the context of Northern Ireland.

I return to the point of the pride I have had in sitting beside him when he acted for this country. I have never spoken about my next memory publicly. I will never forget the final negotiations for the draft constitutional treaty, when 26 other Heads of Government and State, as well as their delegations, stood in applause of the Irish Presidency. They knew in their heart of hearts there was not another politician in the room with the capacity to ensure the deal was done in the coherent way it was.

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