Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Our objective in all of this, as the Minister and Senator Mansergh rightly said, is to arrive at a point where there is agreement going forward. We must come to terms with the many people who regard themselves as exclusively British or Irish, or British-Irish. That is why I always felt that Articles 2 and 3 were repugnant to the very notion of reconciliation that should logically exist on the island of Ireland. That was shown to be the case when the McGimpsey brothers brought their case and the constitutional imperative argument was put to them by the Supreme Court. Most people in the Republic did not realise there was a constitutional imperative about reuniting both parts of the island because they knew it was unenforceable, impossible and illegal. That was reflected ultimately in the settlement arrived at after Good Friday.