John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I concur with Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin that tremendous progress has been made in Northern Ireland. I do not agree, however, with the derogatory remarks directed at political parties from those dredging and digging up the past for political gain or expediency. That is not the way forward. I have been in Northern Ireland on hundreds of occasions as a member of the Workers' Party and have my own opinions. I have met many people from both sides of the divide.

People should not be surprised that there is a degree of sectarianism in Northern Ireland. Many say the political institutions are built on sectarian division and segregation. Change will have to occur at that level. The full promise of the Good Friday Agreement has not been realised and one of the major failings is that we have not moved beyond the narrow and dangerous confines of unionism and nationalism. We must change the way Northern Ireland's political institutions are structured. We need to bring to an end designating MLAs as Unionist and Nationalist, which would be a great step forward. Perhaps the parties might examine this. Otherwise we are setting a trend in saying to the people that the MLAs are not members of Sinn Féin or another democratic party but are Nationalist or Unionist.

There is a myth that we can develop a society based on the notion of being separate but equal, an expression I have heard in Northern Ireland and the South. It cannot be perpetuated if we are to work seriously towards having an integrated society. In continuing to promote that policy people compound existing problems.

They are probably widening the community division.

The immediate basis for the development of an integrated and non-confrontational society would have to be a complete rejection of the philosophy of separate but equal, as there are very many people in the working class suffering the same problems in Northern Ireland from the divide. There should be a promotion of citizenship as an antidote to Unionism and Nationalism as a way forward, along with a robust and transparent programme for integrated housing, a commitment to introduce integrated education and teacher training in Northern Ireland and an accelerated programme to dismantle Northern Ireland's peace walls. I believe this would be a way forward.

Has the Executive failed to deliver a radical and social economic agenda required to provide quality of life? There are many people who would say that, although I am not here to criticise the individual parties in the Executive, and there are some very good members on both sides. This has resulted in a major disconnect between the citizens of Northern Ireland and the political parties there. One way to address that, on balance, is to explore ways in which civic society can be strengthened or empowered. To this end, there should be the introduction of a comprehensive bill of rights and reinstatement of the civic forum, which Sinn Féin has indicated it supports. The Good Friday Agreement acknowledged that a bill of rights should form part of the settlement. Although there is much more I would like to say on the matter, I do not have the time.

I will skip to the big issue of parades and flags. Everybody has a right to parade, protest and lawful assembly, and such rights should be available to all citizens and protected in law. The vast majority of parades in Northern Ireland pass off peacefully and without a problem, but there are difficulties in specific locations such as Ardoyne and Carrick Hill in Belfast, where it is less about the parade and invariably more about a chance to reverse localised underlying sectarian tensions, as can be seen with the violence that can take place after parades. The flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall is a case in point, as few if any people would even have noticed the flag flying before the decision to limit its presence was taken. People are aware of that.

One of the Labour Party Deputies stated that we should not forget our past, but I am not so sure about that. Somebody once said that we should not forget the past and our history but we should never be shackled by it. That is the way forward.

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