Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I agree with what Senator Harris said. I was invited to speak at the Belfast Film Festival last Saturday as part of a debate entitled "Dealing with the Past: Conflict and Consensus". I was not the only person present at the debate who detected the audience's extraordinary concern about the increase in support for dissident republican groups, particularly within certain areas of nationalism that have not enjoyed the benefits of the peace dividend. It is something we need to discuss. Senator Harris put his finger on it when he argued that the competition between the two main parties on either side of the divide is retarding progress towards a more normalised society. The interesting debate in Belfast certainly served as a warning sign.

While it is right that we should challenge views with which we disagree, such as those expressed by the IBEC man today or the ICTU man yesterday, there is no need to introduce personal and vitriolic invective into the debate.