John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

My colleague Senator Dardis has outlined the views of the Progressive Democrats so I will avoid duplication. I extend congratulations to the Taoiseach on his statement in the House today and on the role he has played in bringing the process to its present stage. The announcement of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning that it has overseen the completion of IRA decommissioning is welcome and I add my voice to expressions of gratitude to General de Chastelain and his team. I am as relieved as anyone that the IRA has put its vast array of weaponry beyond use. I accept the word of the IICD and of the independent witnesses, Reverend Harold Good and Fr. Alec Reid. The scepticism from some quarters, if somewhat disappointing, is not unexpected. I will focus on two specific points, decommissioning as a political weapon and the decommissioning of mindsets. I will be pilloried for homing in on these two issues, for being a naysayer, ignoring the silver lining and staying under the cloud. These weapons should not have been there in the first place. I will not celebrate and congratulate people on this issue, and I will not forget or ignore.

Decommissioning is a political weapon, and a temptation remains to lose sight of disturbing events and allow the relief from decommissioning to numb our senses. This is understandable but it is, to a degree, a deliberate trap set by the so-called republican movement. The entire process has been exploited by Sinn Féin from the beginning. Before the ceasefire the arms of the IRA were used in anger to attempt to force democratic parties in Governments to meet Sinn Féin's demands. When that strategy failed, the arms of the IRA were used as the ultimate bargaining chip to ensure that Sinn Féin could maintain a veto on progress and undermine the central ground on both sides of the political divide.

Decommissioning is even now being used by the so-called republican movement in two ways. First, in the North we see decommissioning celebrated in Nationalist areas to a greater extent than in Unionist areas. In some cases, we see decommissioning celebrated to a greater extent in Nationalist areas than was the ceasefire of 1994, with flag-waving, the beeping of horns and victory parades. Mr. Adams proclaimed on the day that the IRA's courageous decision was the correct thing to do. However, the group should not be congratulated for doing what it did. Sinn Féin will exploit what they can, when they can and where they can. Decommissioning was the party's largest chip, and it had to ensure it received the maximum benefit from it. Selling it as a victory in the North was one part of this, and it was sold as what was good for Nationalists must be bad for Unionists.

The second way that decommissioning is being used is evident in this State. The welcome move on arms is being exploited to its full potential in this jurisdiction. I would be first in acknowledging the effort being put into bringing the IRA to this point, and such effort should not be without political reward for those brave and sensible enough to make it happen. The reward for the effort should only go so far, however, and should not be stretched to conceal criminal behaviour, thuggery, racketeering, paramilitary beatings of teenagers, bank jobs, the slaughter of Robert McCartney, or the cold-blooded murder of Joseph Rafferty.

I will conclude on the decommissioning of mindsets. At the time of the tragic hunger strikes, black mourning flags on homes and lamp posts became commonplace across the country. We witnessed marches with hundreds of protesters carrying black flags silently in mourning. Just 24 hours before details of the IRA decommissioning emerged, some 3,000 people attended a carnival in Dublin city centre. Sinn Féin representatives acted as masters of ceremonies on the stage outside the GPO, introducing musical acts and theatrical performances. A number of poets and musical acts were also present, and children posed with people in paramilitary garb with fake machine guns and balloons.

We require a decommissioning of mindsets, as how much more appropriate would it have been if so-called republicans had marched with 3,000 black flags to mark decommissioning and the end of physical force republicanism? How much more appropriate would it have been for the memories of 3,523 people killed during the Troubles and the 1,706 people killed with IRA weapons?