Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that this island is facing some very serious challenges as a result of the triggering of Article 50. A coherent voice will be missing from the discussions because the institutions are not in place in the North. There is no doubt that the North is the most exposed part of the United Kingdom. The institutions will not be there to fight the corner of people who identify as loyalist-Unionist, Nationalist-republican, Green Party, or Alliance Party and those who describe themselves as coming from across the spectrum. Those voices will be absent. Northern Ireland already has a small enough voice but it will be tiny if direct rule is imposed. The latter was not ruled out yesterday by James Brokenshire.

I remember the day we joined the European Union. I also remember the Border. I remember the different shops when one crossed the Border and the different laws and standards. I remember the differences between the two communities. I remember travelling through Derry on a bus as a schoolchild on the way to the Gaeltacht in 1969 and seeing the windows broken and the mayhem. I did not learn much Irish as has been demonstrated here on numerous occasions but that is another matter.

We have to remember that 1 January 1973 was preceded by the most awful year in the North. That awful year included direct rule. The Northern Ireland parliament was suspended and direct rule was introduced early in the year. That year, a vacuum was filled by the awfulness of Bloody Sunday, the Europa Hotel bombing, Bloody Friday and the Claudy bombing. It is also when the Shankill Butchers began their reign of terror. Overall, in 1972 479 people were killed, including 130 British soldiers, and 4,876 people were injured. It was the bloodiest year of the Troubles. It preceded our involvement in the European Union where we shared sovereignty. I am quite critical of what the European Union is about. I am not sure what its project is and it lacks social cohesion, vision and solidarity. I could not be more critical of that. It is part of the reason British people voted in their droves to leave the Union. They were fed incorrect information and a whole lot of other things but that is the position. The last thing we want to do is allow a vacuum that can be filled by what we saw in 1972. The only way that can happen is if all sides come to the table in Northern Ireland and show respect for each other.

The issue of the Irish language and its importance is misunderstood. It does not equate to Scots Gaelic. There is dishonesty about how that is presented. It is a small but important issue in the overall scheme of things. There is a concern that there will be a vacuum. There are two concerns for Northern Ireland. The first is how we deal with and negotiate a new relationship in the context of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union because there is no doubt that the latter underpins the Good Friday Agreement. It is the basis for an equality that was provided by virtue of our common membership. It is hard to see how the Good Friday Agreement can remain as it stands in the absence of that arrangement. That matter needs to be considered in detail in its own right. It has to be part of the negotiations on Brexit. The common travel area and the hard Border are big issues.

One of the biggest issues, which we cannot lose sight of, is maintaining the normality of politics with all its failings. A vacuum will be left in the absence of an institution to provide that normality. Under no circumstances can there be a situation where there is a return to direct rule. It leaves the most awful of vacuums at a time when there is already a serious problem for the Brexit negotiations which will no doubt dent confidence and make people feel very exposed in Northern Ireland. If there is a situation where there is a degree of uncertainty, those kinds of uncertainties can be doubly exploited. Apart from urging people to get back to the table to earnestly find ways to avoid the loss of the institutions, I do not know what to suggest but there is no doubt that absolute urgency is required.

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