Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Whatever about the politics, what really matters is that the Agreement entrenches a deeply damaging approach to public services and social protection in Northern Ireland. Everyone now agrees that Northern Ireland is still dealing with the legacy of paramilitarism and cross-Border criminality that is undermining its society and economy. It has the worst poverty rates on these islands and ever-increasing rates of dangerous marginalisation. It is well behind in terms of the UN development index.

Northern Ireland desperately needs an investment plan, and the failure to deliver this is the most important failure of this Agreement. While the British Government’s refusal to see the need for investment is more significant, we have to note the Taoiseach’s refusal to set an example or to show that delivering peace and progress through development is something to which his Government is committed.

The financial commitment made by our Government is considerably down on what was previously envisaged. More important, there is a continued refusal to fund important North-South projects.

In this agreement, the Government says it will again review or remains committed to the Narrow Water Bridge project. We should not be reviewing the project; we should be building it. Even 20 years ago, how much would we have given if communities North and South had come looking to build permanent connections and a vision of joint development? They came looking and the Government has left them there.

This is a deeply flawed agreement which nonetheless deserves to be supported for two reasons. First, it puts off the immediate threat to the long-term position of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive and it promises a means of addressing the destabilising and criminal paramilitarism which should by now have disappeared.

See this speech in context