Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I am a member of the board of the Food Marketing Institute in the United States and, immediately after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, was asked to explain to my colleagues in Chicago what it was all about. I found it comparatively easy to explain in 1998. Last Tuesday, however, I was in New York at a similar meeting where I was asked to explain the third suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly. My colleagues in America wanted to know how it could have happened. An article in The New York Times last Tuesday did its best to explain that things were better in Northern Ireland, as Senator Maurice Hayes mentioned in dramatic terms. He has said his children can now go out to a pub at night and one does not hear of policemen being killed.

The Minister mentioned how the successful working of the Northern Ireland Executive had shown beyond question that partnership government worked to the benefit of all. I found it difficult to explain, however, the reason the Agreement had collapsed. The danger is that voters in Northern Ireland will say to the politicians, "A plague on all your houses". In that case, we would again lose control. It is important for this House to remind people of the goals that can be achieved. We should also remind them of the horror of failure.