Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Let me start on a positive. It is my very strong view that all of these issues can be worked out with political will. It is my strong view that, whatever about the delays, convolutions and distractions, all of these matters will be worked out. The Taoiseach raised the question of whether I was placing restrictions on the Deputy First Minister. Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party. That means we believe in citizens' rights. If one wants to judge any society, one should judge it by the way it treats its poor, its sick, its elderly and its disadvantaged. This is why we are against austerity. It is not a geographical or political piece of manoeuvring. We are against it, sin é, regardless of whether it comes from the Taoiseach's Government or the Government in London.

As a member of an Irish republican party, I am an active united Irelander. I do not see it as just an aspiration or a piece of rhetoric. I think it is an achievable mission. Of course, we must get the Unionists comfortable, as it has to be a united Ireland in which they can feel secure and have ownership. That is what we are working on.

I outlined certain business in my remarks and asked questions on it. The Taoiseach, as is his wont sometimes, ignored those questions about the convergence of different events. But let us recognise this - at the core of some of the opposition is downright bigotry. It is not just anti-North-Southery. It is anti-Catholic, anti-sectarian and anti-Presbyterian. It is in there and it is something we must face up to. This summer has seen a series of little nasty events in downtown Belfast and other places, racist attacks on the increase and nasty business. Thankfully, no one has been killed, but there are those out there who want to exploit any process of change for their own very narrow advantage.

Folks should know what they are talking about. I was at Hillsborough. We made an agreement with the DUP. Teachta Martin knows this. The DUP brought it to the Orange Order, but the Orange Order rejected it because the UUP was playing party politics. That is the truth of it.

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