Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Following the publication of the communiqué last Friday, Sinn Féin warned that the devil would be in the detail and in recent days, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Taoiseach have had to reject British Government efforts to water down the implications of that communiqué. The issue of whether it is legally binding or simply a statement of intent is still not resolved. I appreciate the difficulties the Irish Government has had in this negotiation. Sinn Féin's experience over many years of negotiating with British Governments and, if I may say so, with Irish Governments, is that agreements reached do not always translate into actions or subsequent legislation. For example, after almost 20 years, with the Good Friday Agreement turning 20 years old next year, there is still no bill of rights for the North or charter of rights for the island. This issue of rights is at the heart of the current difficulties. The refusal by the British Government and by the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, to embrace rights is at the heart of the ongoing difficulties in the Northern Assembly, contrary to the Fianna Fáil leader's untruthful claims about two problem parties.

The letter recently sent by over 200 citizens from civic society in the North, mainly nationalists, to the Taoiseach, identifies these issues and concerns. The human rights lawyer, Niall Murphy, one of the signatories, identified rights as critical to the future stability of institutions in the North. He asked why there should be a right in Donegal and not the same right in Derry. The communiqué sheds no light on the future role of the European Court of Justice and in particular the right of European citizens in the North to have access to the courts in the EU. I first asked this question on Monday a few weeks ago, after the aborted press conference, and the Taoiseach did not answer it. Will he tell us how he squares the circle of the British Government saying it is going to end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, to withdraw from the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and to repeal the Human Rights Act when that threatens the very human rights elements and safeguards of the Good Friday Agreement?

Finally, I dislike the term "Northern nationalist". One never hears of western, southern or eastern nationalists but I welcome the Taoiseach's assertion that no Irish Government will ever leave Northern nationalists behind again, not least because it acknowledges since partition the reality of life for most nationalists in the North.

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