Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs and John Finucane, MP for Belfast North, to the Chamber. I was delighted to sign and co-sponsor thus motion on behalf of the Green Party presence in the Republic of Ireland. The Green Party leader in Northern Ireland, Clare Bailey MLA, signed the equivalent motion in Northern Ireland along with the three other party leaders.

I agree with Senator Bacik that, while my heart goes out to the immediate family, this debate is especially poignant for me as a fellow lawyer. The term "human rights lawyer" is sometimes overused, but it can certainly be applied to Pat Finucane. The gunning down of a lawyer is a despicable act and a threat to the democratic system and rule of law.

This motion is about Pat Finucane, but I would also like to mention another lawyer, Rosemary Nelson. A decade later the culture had not changed. It was found that the security forces did not adequately protect her, assaulted and verbally abused her and, in a sense, made her a legitimate target. My heart also goes out to Rosemary Nelson, the human rights lawyer from Lurgan, and her children.

It would seem compelling that a sworn public inquiry should follow the different findings, from those of Judge Cory right through. The British Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, and the Belfast courts have spoken on this. It is so compelling that it is axiomatic. There was a finding of collusion. A public sworn inquiry ought to follow.

Only yesterday a constituent of mine, who is a well-known respected businessman in County Kildare and a native of Belfast, told me that he was stopped by a checkpoint 20 minutes before the fatal bullets were fired. He went back to his home as a neighbour and heard the ring of fire. With a finding of collusion, we cannot help but have a full inquiry. What was that checkpoint doing there on that evening? Who issued the command to set up a checkpoint so close to Fortwilliam where this happened? The person to whom I refer is not a Sinn Féin supporter, but he will happily co-operate with any public sworn inquiry. What I love about the motion is that we are all united.

I will not go through ground which has been so well and articulately covered, but I will not let this debate pass without expressing disappointment that the leaders of the two parties of unionism in this country did not sign the document signed by the Alliance Party, the SDLP, Sinn Féin and the Green Party. That is disappointing and tells me that while we have peace in this country, we certainly do not have normality.

We need healing and truth. The biblical phrase, "The truth shall set you free", applies, and it is only through truth and healing that we will truly have reconciliation. The Seanad was a divided House last week. It was quite hot and heavy at times, but today we are united. It is the little things in life that create difficulties and divisions. It is in the big things of life that we, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and whoever, are one. We should use our might as a respected country that boxes way above its weight to insist on a sworn public inquiry. I am not without hope as we look for reconciliation.I know that when the camera was not on people, Dr. Ian Paisley was very good to nationalist Catholic members of his constituency. I know that members of the RUC, when it came to a doctor or a lawyer, often went to one with a nationalist background. That is why what happened is so appalling. As a barrister, the cab rank rule applies and one is obliged to represent whoever comes in the door. In fact, it is a compliment if one is on one side of the argument one day and, the next day, someone who one thought would never ask to brief one makes such a request. That is the ultimate satisfying moment for a lawyer. We are objective and an objective man was gunned down that evening.

If there is one hero, one scintilla of comfort and one inspiring moment I take from all of this, it concerns someone I have never had the pleasure of meeting, namely, Mrs. Geraldine Finucane, who was injured on the night. The way she has conducted herself with dignity is inspiring, as is her resilience.

I am not without hope. We cheered on Northern Ireland in 1982 and 1986, with Gerry Armstrong and Billy Hamilton in the World Cup. Our unionist brothers and sisters came down to Croke Park and Lansdowne Road and they are welcomed. There are complexities in the relationship and those complexities should be cleared up on the island of Ireland and with Britain, as well. Our former rugby captain, Brian O'Driscoll, used the Lambeg drum once. That was symbolic and he got a lot of criticism for what he did.

Britain is not too big to fail. Britain is a proud nation which did the right thing for the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four. It can do the right thing again. It will be stronger as a result of this. They have nothing to lose and all to gain. No one should fear the truth, which will set people free and start reconciliation between North and South and between east and west. It is never too late to do it. Britain should realise that the Finucane family are going nowhere and, after the Finucanes, there will be hundreds of Finucanes who will insist on a public sworn inquiry. We will bang that drum until it happens.