Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Recently when the people of Iraq voted in elections and expressed their democratic preferences, we rightly lauded them. Likewise, we should laud people in Northern Ireland who voted and expressed their democratic choices. Although we may not like the results on one side or the other, the message for us is that we must listen carefully. Why do people vote for one side or another in an election in Northern Ireland unless there are severe and extreme concerns? The peace process has gone through a rough patch. A number of commentators say that was due to pre-election nerves, which may be part of the reason but, at this stage, we should comment in a more balanced and helpful way.

One difficulty arising from a vacuum is that people make comments or take up a position that will cause problems in achieving a solution later. That is always the difficulty but there are outstanding difficulties on every side, a number of which I have raised in the House. The Pat Finucane case is outstanding. We were all shocked by the new legislation brought through the British Parliament to ensure a fudge in that case. I refer to the Robert Hamill case. The RUC looked on as he was beaten to death and did not intervene. Rosemary Nelson who was a good legal representative was blown up by a bomb. We all need to step back a little and not always apportion blame only to one side. It might have been a good time to debate Northern Ireland issues prior to the elections but it would be helpful if we had such a debate in the coming weeks.