Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

To the barracks, of course.

I do not often agree with my colleague Senator Ó Donnghaile, but Sinn Féin had a tremendous win in the Northern election. In my lifetime, we now have a situation where a nationalist group should be in control in the North of Ireland. Due to the Good Friday Agreement, which is respected by all, there is a shared responsibility. In that context, it is extremely distressing to see the undemocratic actions of the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP. This is not just the case for me, but for people who are contacting me from the nationalist and unionist sides of society in Northern Ireland because they are deeply upset by the actions of the DUP. The party has turned out now to be the tail that wags the dog, and not just in Northern Ireland but right across the UK.

It is simply not good enough that a minority group is able to stifle democracy in Northern Ireland. People there are waiting on key payments and various other things that must be issued. It is simply not good enough that this is the situation. I cannot disagree with one word my colleague said today, including about the amnesties. I do not agree with any of what is going on in this regard. The bottom line here is that we have a Prime Minister in the UK who is playing fast and loose not only with democracy but with the damage that could be done to the Good Friday Agreement. I call on our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, to immediately contact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK and tell its representatives that we are not up for this.