Mary White (Fianna Fail)

It is insulting to everybody here. We are not worth anything. A technocrat talks about "abolition of the Seanad". We all want reform of the Seanad and have called for it for many years.

I am privileged to be on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and on the 1916 commemoration committee. On the latter committee, we will be working with people in the North, including Unionists and loyalists, to commemorate their events. Under the Good Friday Agreement, I was asked by President McAleese to include Northern Ireland in the Gaisce award process and, against all the odds, I drove that. I would have walked barefoot to achieve it. The Nationalists and republicans who did not want to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award were eventually, due to my initiative and work on the ground, able to participate in the Gaisce award. President McAleese was able to come to Northern Ireland and award the Irish President's award to Nationalists and republicans.

I was able to do that under the Good Friday Agreement. On my own initiative, I then set up an All-Ireland Inspirational Life Award for older people. I initiated this two years ago, and many people from the North have been thrilled to come to Leinster House to receive my award and acknowledge our participation. One man from Derry has a picture on his bedroom wall of his meeting in Leinster House. The man, who is a republican and a Nationalist, was so moved. These people, if I can say it again, look to us as their legitimate Government. This is their home. Unfortunately, we have turned our backs on them for too long.

I see this as a good idea. Politics should be about vision and changing society, not boring, slow movement only when it is appropriate. I will take the opportunity to say again that Albert Reynolds had the courage to put the screws on the British Government and he was fully supported by President Clinton. If Albert Reynolds had not driven it, we would not have had a peace process.