I began, in the context of preparing for this debate, to reflect upon the anniversaries that have taken place this year. Great play has been made of the fact that Ireland will have been a member of the European Union for 30 years on 1 January. However, if we cast our minds back, we will remember that 1972 was an annus horribilis as far as Northern Ireland was concerned. Death and mayhem visited the streets of that jurisdiction in 1972 and the effects were also felt in the South. The excellent contribution of the Minister, Deputy Cowen, contained phrases such as "sectarian murders", "vicious sectarian attacks", "pipe bomb attacks", "punishment beatings" and "shootings" and one could be forgiven for thinking it was 1972 all over again. The sad reality is that in the interface areas of Belfast and other Nationalist areas of the North, such attacks, beatings and shootings are everyday occurrences.