Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have tabled as amendment as follows:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:

"notes that:

-- the Good Friday Agreement marked a seminal moment in Anglo-Irish relations and vindication of the efforts of constitutional nationalism after decades of bloody conflict; and

-- the aspirations of the Agreement were the achievement of a real substantive peace and reconciliation, not simply the absence of violence on this island;

calls on:

-- the Government to provide a renewed impetus to relations with the Northern Ireland Executive, North/South bodies and British government in a sustained effort to fully pursue the objectives and aspirations of the Good Friday Agreement;

-- the Northern Ireland Executive to re-assess the failed approach of divided politics and focus its political energies on maximising the full benefits of the Good Friday Agreement settlement; and

-- all parties to the conflict to provide a full and accurate account of their role in the violence that scarred this island as part of the process of reconciliation and understanding for all those who have suffered and lost loved ones including the families of the disappeared; and

recognises the immense potential for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement to provide a real peace dividend across all communities who share this island."

Everyone in this House will remember the remarkable sense of optimism and hope across this island on Good Friday 1998. The bitter and bloody feud of so many years, which had claimed so many lives, was at last coming to an end. The dark chapter in Irish history was being closed, opening a new era of inter-communal and Anglo-Irish relations. It was the culmination of tireless and courageous work by a generation of constitutional Nationalists whose commitment to a peaceful settlement never wavered. I commend all who contributed to the achievement of the Good Friday Agreement.

Fifteen years on from that special moment in Irish history, we are left with the thwarted ambition of a divided Executive, as is evident in commentary from politicians and political analysts in Northern Ireland, the spectacle of a parties dividing the spoils and putting up walls around them and complacent Governments. There is, unfortunately, an overarching sense of lost opportunity seeping into Northern society. This sentiment needs to be addressed very quickly because peace was too hard won and is too fragile to be taken for granted.

The Northern Ireland - indeed, the entire island - envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement was not simply about the absence of violence but about achieving a real substantive peace on this island. The work towards a genuine reconciliation between the communities who share this country has not been realised by the Northern Executive and the necessary programme of work has not been progressed adequately. The failure of the Northern Executive to move on sufficiently from the failed and divided politics of the past and focus on the bread and butter issues that impact upon the people of Northern Ireland is disappointing, to say the least. The sight of disillusioned loyalists embarking on a leaderless show of anger in the recent flag protests that crippled Belfast and affected other towns is symptomatic of a malaise that runs deep in Northern politics and must be removed. The various Ministries seem content to divide up the spoils of office, rather than genuinely co-operate to address the profound challenges Northern Ireland faces.

Deputy Crowe referred earlier to the meetings we had with many communities, particularly those in loyalist areas. The members of these communities are of the view that they have not benefited from a peace dividend. The level of educational attainment in the communities to which I refer is very low and the standard of public services provided to them is inadequate. All of these issues have an impact on the communities involved and they must be addressed. That to which I refer was not what the Good Friday Agreement promised in the spring of 1998. Sinn Féin knows that, and the people of Northern Ireland are only too well aware of it. Those to whom I refer seem all too happy with politics as usual and they conveniently blame those on the other side or, when it suits, perfidious Albion, while never living up to the responsibility of office and the challenge of policy. As the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, stated earlier, there are responsibilities that come with holding office. In addition, there is always the challenge presented by policy. The prospect of truth and reconciliation and a wholehearted acknowledgement and understanding of the suffering endured by all sides during the brutal years of conflict remains distant. The historical gymnastics of some high-profile members of Sinn Féin in respect of their past would make members of the old Soviet Politburo blush.

The campaign for the truth does not seem to extend to the families of those who were disappeared by the IRA during the Troubles. No less than any victims of British aggression or loyalist collusion, these families deserve the truth. At a minimum, all victims deserve the truth. In that context, the failure of the British Government to hold a public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane is not acceptable. The British Government is actually breaking an international agreement in this regard.

In our jurisdiction, a dispiriting development has also occurred. The focus, energy and commitment which previous Governments displayed in respect of the peace process have not been shown by this Administration. I am aware, from cross-Border and constituency work, that one member of the Cabinet who is actively engaged in this is the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan. In the early 1990s, he and I served on the then British-Irish Interparliamentary Body. At that stage, when relations between Members of the Houses of Parliament at Westminster and Members of the Oireachtas were extremely bad, no one was very optimistic about the prospect of achieving something like the Good Friday Agreement. Thankfully, much progress has been made in the meantime. All of us who are involved in politics cannot fail to acknowledge the peace process or the Agreement reached in 1998, which was overwhelmingly endorsed by all the people on this island. On 22 May 1998, we had the privilege of voting in a 32-county context on the same question. We were the first generation since 1918 to have this opportunity.

The Government must provide the leadership required to restore momentum that is much-needed. No one expects there to be the same type of intensive contact that existed when the Agreement was being negotiated. However, diligence and effort are required. The Tánaiste and Taoiseach can refer to the number of set-piece meetings that have taken place. Such meetings, the communiqués relating to which are prepared in advance, do not provide a complete picture in respect of ongoing activity and engagement. I accept, however, that these meetings have a critical role to play. The Government must take up the challenge of the peace process and fully re-engage with the various parties, the Northern Ireland Executive and the British Government. The peace process needs new momentum. The Government must re-engage, consistently and constantly, in respect of both Northern Ireland and all-Ireland issues, maximise the potential of existing North-South bodies - a matter to which the Minister, Deputy Deenihan referred - and expand the important agenda of all-island economic development.

I welcome the opportunity to make a short contribution to the debate on this issue. Our party leader, Deputy Martin, has constantly raised such issues during the past 18 months. He has also referred to the workings of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive. We cannot afford to take risks in respect of this matter. All of us who remember the sense of opportunity and hope on Good Friday in 1998 should feel ourselves being pushed by the hand of history into not squandering the achievement reached on that day. We have the opportunity to derive maximum advantage from an agreement that can benefit everyone on this island. There is no substitute for hard work and direct engagement with all the parties in the North in order to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement delivers on its potential for all the people who live on this island.

A small but important initiative in respect of this matter could be undertaken by the Government. The latter's failure to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in any meaningful way shows its partisan reluctance to acknowledge any achievement that reflects well on others - there were many people who made noble contributions to the achievement of the Agreement - and is in contrast to the actions of wider civil society, which used the 15th anniversary to reflect on where the Agreement has worked and on the areas in respect of which it has, as yet, failed to deliver. The Government missed the opportunity presented by the 15th anniversary to explore how the Agreement can still deliver real change for people in their daily lives. However, it is not too late. The Good Friday Agreement was truly a national milestone. The greater the focus placed on it in the political sphere and in civil society, the better will be our chances of progressing all outstanding issues.

This island cannot afford to allow the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly not to focus on the issues that are of concern to people - jobs, health and education - on a daily basis. Reinforcing suspicion, division and confrontation will only promote disillusionment among people rather than fulfilling the promise of peace and reconciliation and the resultant benefits. There is no doubt that benefits have been realised and progress achieved since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998. However, it behoves everyone, particularly the parties in power in the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government in this jurisdiction, to work with all political interests to ensure that we derive for our people all the opportunities presented by and realise the full potential of the Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement is critical for everyone on this entire island.

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