Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

Yesterday was an historic day. I joined my party partly because of our policies on Northern Ireland which was the reunification of our country by peaceful means and with the consent of the majority in Northern Ireland. That was at a time when some in Fianna Fáil wrestled with the whole area of peaceful means and constitutional politics, whether it was right or not. The area of consent certainly was heresy at that time. That is why I believe yesterday was an historic day. We heard a Fianna Fáil Taoiseach speak of respecting the traditions of each area of the country and living in peace and harmony on this island.