Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A major anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement has just passed. A wonderful commemorative event took place last week when marvellous speeches were made by people like Mr. Seamus Mallon, Mr. David Trimble and my neighbour, Mr. Dick Spring. The late Albert Reynolds was, of course, notable by his absence. It was a great and joyous occasion but also an extremely sad one. Most of us thought when the Agreement was signed that we would see a shift in behaviour and politics in the North of Ireland that would bring the two communities closer together and see a dismantling of the walls of bitterness and division between nationalist and unionist, Catholic and Protestant, but the sad news is that we have actually gone into reverse. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire, is today introducing in the House of Commons a budget for Northern Ireland. There will not be a single Irish nationalist voice taking part in that debate, which is a huge backward step. The proud tradition of nationalist parliamentary involvement in the House of Commons dates back to the time of Daniel O'Connell and includes the great Parnell, Redmond, Dillon and all of the other parliamentarians who engaged in a constant grind to achieve more independence, including Home Rule, for the Irish, but now it has come to a shuddering halt. Is it only a matter of time before we see a Cabinet of British Ministers appointed to administer matters in Northern Ireland? It seems inevitable, unless politicians on all sides in the North - I am pointing the finger at no one - see sense and work together to tear down the so-called peace walls, come out of their ghettos, engage with each other and behave as elective representatives are meant to do to get good deals for the people who voted them into power. The two major parties have huge mandates, but it seems those mandates are not being respected.All of us here in the Irish nationalist tradition have a lot to be worried about today as we have seen ourselves moving from an ever-constant grinding down of British rule and British authority on this island being dramatically reversed while all the good work of those great people I have mentioned looks it is turning to ashes. I am from Kerry, which is a long way from the North but I have as much feeling for the North of Ireland as anybody in this country. I appeal from my heart to the politicians in the North to get together and to work out a deal, like Martin McGuinness or Peter Robinson were able to do. It is not beyond them.