Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach recently spoke of the responsibility of all politicians to fulfil the promise of the Good Friday Agreement not only in the area of peace but also when it comes to reconciliation. I do not for a moment disagree with that assertion but I will add that, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the agreement, we have much to do when it comes to the implementation of the goals contained in the accords. Much of the discussion will rightly focus on the fact that we are on the sixth collapse of the Stormont Assembly in 25 years, resulting in a cumulative total of ten years during which the people of the North have gone without a sitting Parliament.

In addition to having no functioning Government at present, the people of the North of Ireland still have no bill of rights and no anti-poverty strategy and have some of the lowest educational attainment levels in Europe. The Taoiseach speaks of reconciliation while at the same time the cruel so-called legacy bill, which will obliterate the calls for truth, is being pushed through Westminster. Even now, 25 years later, we have communities divided by peace walls that have no prospect of being taken down. As we celebrate it in a couple of weeks, how can we also analyse the Good Friday Agreement - its successes, failures and implementation?

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