Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Green Party also supports the legislation. On behalf of the Green Party I thank the Minister for his sterling efforts. It was a time for diplomacy and calm heads and he demonstrated these in bucketfuls. There was a temptation to go down the road of Brit bashing and we would have lost heavily if we had fallen for that temptation. I am glad to say we have not done so.

I concur with Senator Warfield's remarks in making education as accessible as possible. Education sets one free to choose, to think and to create. It is through this environment, particularly on the island of Ireland, that further reconciliation takes place. I saw it first hand.I am one of the many in the Upper House who were student union leaders in a past life. I passionately believe education is a key to solidifying peace, healing, truth and reconciliation. Senator Garvey, my fellow Green Party Senator, covered much of the territory, as did other Senators, so I will try to stay on different topics. It is great to have the Minister in the House this evening.

There is a golden opportunity, not necessarily in the Bill, to capitalise on our newfound status as an English-speaking common law jurisdiction in the EU. What exactly will we do to capitalise on that? I believe investment is already moving into the Republic of Ireland. I would love to hear the Minister's plans in relation to that and on having a task force. It will be a whole new world.

On a sad point, we are all aware of the response yesterday of the British Government to the call for an independent public sworn inquiry. It is obviously a despicable and reprehensible act to gun down a lawyer, be it Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson or Edgar Graham, or any loss of life for that matter. With Britain outside the European Union, does the Minister believe we will have a greater influence on Britain and will the British listen to us? Notwithstanding the might of the EU and America, Britain did not listen to them on an issue as serious as the Pat Finucane case. What is the Minister's approach, apart from his diplomatic skill set, which is to be admired? What do we do in cases and times of challenge and crisis? There should be much more bilateral communication.

We have a special relationship with Great Britain, as two English-speaking countries. The UK is our nearest neighbour. There will be a practical working out of the new post-Brexit world which will not be in the Bill before us. Our new North-South arrangement will have to intensify. Citizens in Northern Ireland will not have an elected representative in the European Parliament. Can we not strive to give them a voice in the Seanad or work harder for the people in the Six Counties, who will hopefully have the best of both worlds? They do not have a voice in the European Parliament. Perhaps we should make arrangements in the Seanad so that voice is heard in the Republic of Ireland. There is an opportunity to intensify east-west relations. How will do that in a post-Brexit world? The British are our nearest neighbours. We want to work closely and positively with them, as best we can.

Is the Minister satisfied that, given the unique relationship by which we are inextricably linked, North-South and east-west, we got enough special concessions? The Northern Ireland protocol is the best of both worlds and brilliant if it happens but have we secured derogations, dispensations, call them what one likes, for the Republic of Ireland? Our culture and agriculture are inextricably linked. Consider going to the mart or horse racing. So often in Downpatrick or Down Royal one hears accents from the Republic of Ireland. Likewise, at equestrian sports and horse racing in the Republic of Ireland, is it not lovely to hear a strong Ulster accent? How welcome people from the North are to inject support into in the Republic of Ireland. It is a mutual arrangement.

I am concerned about the special arrangement. I believe much of this is around the corner and we cannot see it yet. It is unforeseen and one would need 20-20 vision. A simple example is the Bosman ruling in football. Mr. Bosman is best known for the court case rather than his football skills. The ruling relates to freedom of labour and how, when professional soccer players are out of contract, they can move on. In Northern Ireland, we have Derry City, and we have teams in the Republic of Ireland. George Best once graced the League of Ireland. Dennis Tueart, the Manchester City centre forward, played a few games for Derry City in the Brandywell. This is a micro-example. Will we get special allowances for our inextricably close sporting and cultural ties? Will the EU be generous, as I think the UK will be, on so many challenges and opportunities were there are cross-sections?

I will give my own opinion but I am not the only person who holds it. I believe the killing and maiming of people put back possibility of a united Ireland by decades upon decades. Ironically, Brexit, be it a hard crash-out or a soft Brexit, could lead to the people of Ireland getting on better. There is an opportunity to turn a disadvantage into an advantage, a challenge into an incredible prospect where the people of Ireland become closer and get on better, economically and culturally, than ever before.

A former Taoiseach, now deceased, said he would not see a united Ireland in his lifetime. The Minister is a proud Fine Gael Party member. His president and party leader occasionally speaks about a united Ireland. Sometimes Fine Gael is called the UIP or United Ireland Party. There are so many initials. There is the UUP, the Ulster Unionist Party, and the UIP, United Ireland Party - by peaceful means, of course. The violence was counterproductive. Is the Minister ready to seize an opportunity which will fast forward healing, reconciliation and truth and bring this island closer together, respecting the different traditions? Maybe one day, and I say this as a constitutional republican, they will come together in the form of a united Ireland. That is not in the Bill, which we are giving a Second Reading today. Peter Barry is a respected member of the school of constitutional nationalism and might be a hero of the Minister's from the rebel county. There are good nationalists and republicans within the Fine Gael family. The Green Party, North and South, supports this legislation. Clare Bailey, MLA, said the Green Party is an all-Ireland party and we understand how critically important it is to get on together on this small island. Part of that will be the mutually beneficial intensification of the relationship with Great Britain. I would love to hear the Minister's views and responses on some of the issues I have raised.