Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support the remarks of the Taoiseach and my previous party leader, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, whom I commend for the work he did in his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and, in particular, in dealing with problems in Northern Ireland.

There are so many things we still need to address in the context of Northern Ireland. There are still the historical drags on us, including issues the British Government have not dealt with such as the situation affecting the people from Ballymurphy who were in the Visitors Gallery earlier today or collusion with loyalists. I could give a longer list. The same is to be seen on the Nationalist side in the issues Sinn Féin still needs to address. Similarly, on the Unionist side we see an unwillingness in many respects to address their role in the conflict and how they contributed to its development. The result is one in extremis; unfortunately, the extremes have quite a pull on what is happening and people are still trapped in their own minds. In that regard, I can think of two examples.

I remember talking to some of the loyalists involved in the stand-off at Twaddell Avenue in north Belfast. When I pointed out to them that they were playing into the hands of extreme Republicans, as well as risking people's lives in staying there, they acknowledged this to be true but insisted on their right to march, even though it was dragging society back. It could also be seen on the other side when people canvassing in Newry were asked on the doorstep not about health services or the economy but their attitude to the naming of Raymond McCreesh Park. Unfortunately, on both sides, these mindsets drag us back a great deal, which is to be regretted.

As the Taoiseach and Deputy Éamon Gilmore said, it is really important that those who control the political levers, whether they be Northern Ireland parties, parties in the Republic or Britain, do their utmost to bring Northern Ireland forward economically and socially in the context of the impact on the whole island, North and South, because ní neart go cur le chéile. There is strength in unity. We should be able to do this while at the same time respecting our different traditions.

I see myself as very much coming from the Protestant-republican tradition that began with Tone and has been followed through the generations. It is a thin tradition without a great deal of support. In saying this I also reckon there is a very great Unionist tradition in my background. While I do not share that tradition, I recognise its right to exist and prosper. As someone who has lived all of his life in the Republic, I appeal to people on both sides and throughout the island to see what it is we share and drive forward and make the island a better place for all of us on which to live, North and South.

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