Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I wish to be associated with the tributes paid to Mr. John Hume MP and MEP, and I am pleased I can add a few words to them. It is fair to say that over the past ten to 15 years, the face of this island has changed. Some of my younger colleagues in the House would not be able to recollect fully the dramatic transformation of the island that has taken place since the late 1980s. More than any other individual, Mr. Hume has played a substantial role in bringing about that change. His role goes back further over the past 30 years. Mr. Hume was always prepared to take the road less travelled, whether it involved taking the peaceful route during the civil rights protests or adopting the same stance at Sunningdale. Most important was his willingness to engage in dialogue in the late 1980s and early 1990s with people to whom we felt indifferent and far removed.

Mr. Hume was the recipient of public odium at that time because of the lines of communication he opened with the republican movement. Members of the Oireachtas and others were critical of that, but how wrong we were. Mr. Hume was right to pursue that course and we are now beginning to see the fruits of his labour. His raw courage and common sense made us all realise that dialogue is the only way forward. The success of his mission can be seen in that we are now beginning to have a degree of normal political discourse in Northern Ireland. There is a long way to go before the type of arrangements we all aspire to for this island will be put in place, but the significant steps have been taken with Mr. Hume's assistance. For that we owe him a debt of gratitude.

As we move the political process forward, we must keep our minds open and ask ourselves if we are ready for the consequences that will flow from the type of political co-operation required to engage all sides in an overall solution. Generosity, which was always at the core of Mr. Hume's political arguments, demands that we should be prepared to reach agreement with people with whom we may not previously have been willing to talk. The lesson of Mr. Hume's work is not just one for politicians in Northern Ireland, but also one for politicians in the Republic.

History will record that at a time of great division and struggle on this island, people such as Mr. Hume proposed the principles of peace, justice and negotiation that enabled us to see some light in the darkness. We were thus able to move slowly but surely towards a better future for all the people of the island.