Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am. Over the past 13 months, Sinn Féin has been involved in negotiations to implement previous agreements, secure the rights of citizens and re-establish the power-sharing Executive on the basis of equality and respect. We engaged in good faith at all times. We were proactive and we stretched ourselves in search of a positive outcome. We reached a draft agreement with the DUP leadership. We were disappointed the DUP decided to walk away from this draft agreement, as a result of which it collapsed the talks process. If the DUP leadership had stayed the course, the Executive would have been re-established to implement the agreement, set a budget and work to deliver for all. Tuigim gur aontaigh an Rialtas go raibh bunús réitigh ann, agus ba mhaith liom aitheantas a thabhairt don mhéid a bhí déanta ag an Tánaiste agus ag a oifigigh agus iad i mbun na hoibre seo. Tá muidne i Sinn Féin iontach buíoch dóibh as a gcuidiú. The rights we advocated are not Sinn Féin issues; they are the people's issues. They are rights for a whole society. As Michelle O'Neill said, and it cannot be repeated enough, what we win now, we win for everybody. This has been Sinn Féin's guiding mantra in our efforts to restore the political institutions.

I am aware that this Government is aware of the changes in society and the attitudes of Irish citizens living in the North. As the Minister mentioned, he recently met representatives of civic nationalism who have made the case for the Irish Government to act, to protect rights and to build an inclusive society. Ba chóir dom an mhuintir ó Thuaidh agus ó Dheas a mholadh de bharr na tacaíochta atá á thabhairt acu don tionscnamh seo. Tá athrú mór tagtha ar an tsochaí agus, mar atá a fhios againn, agus tá sí ag athrú go fóill. Níl an DUP sásta aghaidh a thabhairt ar an fhírinne seo. Gaeilgeoirí want rights. LGBT citizens want their rights. Citizens waiting for the truth about what happened to their loved ones want their rights. No matter how hard the leadership of the DUP might wish it were otherwise, this changed society will not disappear simply because the DUP refuses to share power on the basis of integrity, respect and equality. Likewise, republicanism is not going anywhere. This is the social and political landscape with which the DUP must get to grips.

This regressive approach also dominates the DUP's approach to the issue of Brexit. The DUP has hitched itself to the Tory Brexiteer wagon. We note that the European Union, in its draft withdrawal treaty, has recognised the need for special arrangements for the North, this including remaining within the customs union. This is welcome progress. The DUP and Tory wrecking agenda cannot prevail, and it is the job of the Government to defend Irish interests against that agenda. The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, in our view, must be convened as a matter of urgency. It is important that I say I do not believe that the regressive attitudes and approach of the DUP are shared throughout all of unionism. I genuinely believe that many people from the unionist community want to live in a shared rights-based society, want the political institutions working on the basis of equality, are in favour of marriage equality, recognise the importance and the value of the Irish language and its promotion, seek reconciliation and respect their nationalist neighbours. They have no truck with those who still hold a candle to the days of the old Orange state and they do not want to see a return to a harder border.

I welcome the recent letter from members of Civic Unionism, which laid out the need for the diverse voices of unionism to be heard.

Recently, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill met the British Prime Minister in London. It is clear that the British Government has no plan to move things forward, save to say we need a period of reflection. I am not entirely sure what that means to Mrs. May, but to us it means inertia. To me, it means the very dangerous prospect of a vacuum opening up and rather than things getting better things becoming more entrenched. I have to say that for the head of the British Government not to have a thought out, proactive position hand in hand with Dublin is to me alarming.

I am also mindful of the fact that the Tory government is propped up by the support of the DUP. This robs the government of even the pretence of impartiality in the minds of many. My party has a concern that the Prime Minister, Theresa May, is seeking to put things on the long finger in order to protect that arrangement. For our part, we made it clear that the collapse of the talks by the DUP cannot be an excuse for the continued denial of rights to citizens in the North and the refusal to implement previous agreements. Sinn Féin is a party of dialogue and we want to be involved in dialogue. Of course, we remain open to discussing avenues for progress with all parties and both Governments. However, let me repeat what we have said time and again. We cannot have a never-ending cycle of negotiations and impasse because one party has decided that certain people must remain sitting at the back of the bus. That simply cannot happen.

Ní fiú cainteanna ar mhaithe le cainteanna amháin. Ba cheart go soláthródh idirbheartaíocht torthaí dearfacha agus follasacha do shaoránaigh. Thug muid gealltanas nach dtig linn dul ar ais chuig an status quo, agus tá tiomantas daingean againn don ghealltanas sin.

A way forward must be found and this House should play a part in finding it. Hurling from the ditch, sadly the approach so often taken by the leader of Fianna Fáil, is not going to solve anything. No matter what happens in the North, the default position of Deputy Micheál Martin is to criticise Sinn Féin in order to score cheap political points and he did it again tonight with his single transferable speech. He continues to refuse to acknowledge that he himself called for the suspension of the institutions a number of years ago.

See this speech in context