Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Green Party, I extend a very warm welcome to Seanad Éireann to Lord McFall of Alcluith. He is a reforming voice in his own House and, in many respects, his quest for reform of the House of Lords mirrors an appetite for real reform of Seanad Éireann. For instance, he is on record as saying that he would like to see the House of Lords as a vibrant outward-facing legislature that reaches out as widely as possible. He has described himself as a change agent. We could do with more change agents in this jurisdiction. I was interested in another comment of his in which he said that muscular unionism does not work and has to adapt. In respect of adapting, I would say to those who have legitimate concerns that the basis of the protocol is to avoid a hard border, a situation that is unavoidable where an EU frontier meets the frontier of a third country outside of the customs union and the Single Market. Brexit has caused us to peer under the bandage of the healing and precious peace process on the island. What we now see is not likely to have been envisaged at the time of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the emergence of a new third force in Irish politics North of the Border, an identity that is neither unionist nor nationalist but that is comfortable being Irish, British and European. This is an ideology grounded in a politics that is more interested in bread-and-butter issues than in the division of identity politics. I believe this is the future.

The protocol gives Northern Ireland a unique place in the three universes it inhabits. First, it is unique in the United Kingdom in that it has full access to the joint European market and its citizens, by reason of their Irish identity, have full rights to EU citizenship. Second, it is unique in the European Union in that it has full access to the British market and that its citizens, by reason of their British identity, have full rights to British citizenship. Third, it is unique on the island of Ireland in that it has the best of both worlds, something that people in the South do not enjoy to the same extent.

I was struck by the comments of Sorcha Eastwood MLA of the Alliance Party, which had a very good election North of the Border. Shortly after her election in Lagan Valley, she is reported to have said that only two people mentioned concerns about the protocol on the doorsteps. As a member of an all-island party, the Green Party, I am personally unaware of any person mentioning it to a canvasser on the doorsteps. That is not to say it is not a very serious issue for some. It clearly is but I call for the required perspective. I note that, over the weekend, one of the Lord Speaker's successors in the Northern Ireland Office, Steve Baker MP, apologised, saying that he was really sorry that relations with Ireland are not where they should be. It takes a brave person to apologise. I believe this apology should be accepted at face value and that we should all move on together with genuine intent and accelerated urgency.

I commend the leaders of Scottish nationalism and of Irish nationalism and republicanism on the respectful way they conducted themselves on the occasion of the recent passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. They are proud, confident and dignified in their beliefs but the respectful way they conducted themselves at the time of what many on the island found to be a very sad loss portrayed them in a very positive light to a global audience. In acting in this way, I believe they advanced their causes. Lord McFall of Alcluith's presence here today advances the cause of better Anglo-Irish relations at this critically important time. I thank him for visiting us today and addressing Seanad Éireann.