Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to talk to the Taoiseach about the North and about his Government's recent briefings to the media. Last week, press reports attributed to briefings from the Government said that Sinn Féin's leader in the North, Michelle O'Neill, did a deal with the DUP to restore the Executive but that she was blocked by senior members of the party. Michelle is a senior member of the party. In fact, she is the party's nominee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister when we get the institutions back in place. These briefings on the part of the Taoiseach's Government were untruthful, malicious and shameful. They were in line with his remarks to Teachta McDonald a few weeks ago. He said then that it is no wonder the people of Northern Ireland do not have an Executive "because this is the attitude of Sinn Féin. They are constantly hectoring and making smart aleck remarks. There is a lack of temperance, a lack of respect for other people and an inability to listen or to compromise." These were the Taoiseach's words, which reflect the attitude that underpinned last week's briefings and the claims that there was a basis for a deal and that Michelle O'Neill and Conor Murphy have been hung out to dry. None of this is true. In fairness to the DUP, Arlene Foster contradicted the spin to the effect that a deal was imminent last week.

Let me say again for the record that Sinn Féin's endeavour is to have the institutions reestablished and functioning properly as quickly as possible. I was in Stormont yesterday, on Monday and last week. I dealt with these issues this morning and will do so again later. I know that the process is slow. That is because of the resistance to change within elements of political unionism. These stubborn elements are being humoured by the British Government in denying citizens their rights, and the Taoiseach is tolerating it. These talks are essentially about implementing existing agreements that have been broken.

Equality, identity and rights are central to this. These are rights to which citizens are entitled in every other part of these islands. These are rights contained in the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements. Perhaps the Taoiseach would advise me on which of these rights citizens in the North should give up. Perhaps he would also advise the Dáil on how he discharged his responsibilities and how he approached the British Prime Minister in respect of these fundamental matters. It is no coincidence that the Government's briefings ran parallel with briefings from the British Government, although theirs were much more temperate. On reflection, why would this not be so, when they have the Taoiseach's shiny new communications unit to do the nasty briefings? Will the Taoiseach tell the Dáil and the people of this island the purpose of the briefings? What exactly was he trying to achieve?

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