Seanad debates

Thursday, 8 May 2003

Northern Ireland: Statements.

 

There was also frustration about David Trimble among the people I met. They felt he was not working the Agreement as he should. Many middle ground Unionists want the Agreement to work and are frustrated at the lack of leadership he has shown to his party at times. I concur with this. That balance has to be struck in all our remarks. Mr. Trimble has to lead his party in selling the benefits of the Agreement to Unionists as well as Nationalists. He has shown great courage in sitting down with Sinn Féin in government, something we will not do, on all sides. However, he has to sell the tangible benefits of the Agreement to his community, namely, that Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution have been diluted to such an extent that they express the principle of consent which is at the heart of the Agreement; that devolution had been restored to Northern Ireland; that he is the only Unionist leader who ever managed to get concessions from republicans, particularly the IRA, in terms of decommissioning, albeit two small acts. He has to sell this message in the same way that we, as democrats, in this assembly have to say clearly to Sinn Féin and the IRA that the IRA's days are numbered.

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