Seanad debates
Wednesday, 23 October 2002
Northern Ireland: Statements.
In the Minister of State's speech I see criticism of Unionists and advances for the Nationalist position, which are all seen as positive. What is there for Unionists? Have we ever tried to enter the mind of the Unionist and discover what Northern unionism means? There is no doubt that Unionists are caught in a historical bind and that the end game of the process in which we are all involved is the ultimate extinction of unionism. Let us try to reverse this. If we were back at the beginning of the 20th century and the end game was the extinction of an infant Irish Republic and its reabsorption into the British Empire, how emotional do Members think we would all feel? Yet, there is nothing for Unionists in a speech which states for many Nationalists there is still a far too intrusive security presence and little evidence of visible reductions and that the IRA's initiative in this key area was not matched by parallel moves on the loyalist side. Is that so?
No comments