Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to recognise my colleagues. Senator Blaney has had a deep commitment to Northern Ireland and Senator McGahon, has equally pointed out the things that he sees that need to be done. Senator Martin made a point about representation for Northern Ireland in Europe, which would be a massive step forward by the Republic if it looked for it, albeit that representative would have to be elected to a constituency in the South. That would be an amazing step forward. I cannot speak without mentioning Senator Black. Her work in Northern Ireland is incredible and she is to be commended on that. I spent last Saturday evening in the Raven Social Club in Belfast at a play about David Ervine. If ever we needed a David Ervine, we need one now. Northern Ireland is in freefall.

I recognise our Department of Foreign Affairs people, who work in Northern Ireland and who do an incredible job. Nobody sees them out banging a drum; they just do their work and get on with it and they need to be commended on what they do. Deputy Micheál Martin's work as Minister for Foreign Affairs since his appointment to that portfolio has changed the environment I experience when I go to Northern Ireland and I commend him on that. I mainly mix with members of the unionist community when I go up there and by and large, they are just like you, me and anybody else. They want a peaceful life and coexistence and they want to see their Assembly up and running. They are deeply concerned about the way things are going. I hate to say this but people are saying that maybe it is time we looked at the Good Friday Agreement again and that the veto that Senator Martin was talking about needs to be examined to see where we will go. It is just wrong that the tail is wagging the dog and that needs to stop.

On the legacy legislation, it is no secret in this House that I am veteran of two military organisations, the Defence Forces and the Royal Irish Rangers. As a veteran I can say that none of the veterans I know who served in the British forces have an appetite for shielding murderers or those who did wrong. Those who did wrong must be brought before the courts. The families that suffered as a result of those who did wrong need their day in court. I do not just say this here; I have given a speech to the Ulster Defence Regiment Association in Northern Ireland where I addressed the issue of collusion and I am not afraid to address that with veterans in the North of Ireland. It was a dirty war; nobody had clean hands coming out of it. We need to confront those issues and be honest with one another.

We talk about the Good Friday Agreement and God knows, Senator Black has been talking about it for the last nine or ten years since we first met. We got the Good Friday Agreement over the line and we all stopped and clapped ourselves on the back. We said we are all living in harmony now and it is great that you can drive North and South with no border checks or anything and we said that everybody was happy. If we are being totally honest about it we did not work hard enough at it and we did not bring the communities, particularly the unionist communities in Northern Ireland, forward as much as we should have. When I say "We", I include the leadership of the unionist community. The nationalists educated themselves. They brought forward education programmes and they raised the expectation levels for their communities. Sadly some of the unionist leadership did not do that. We have to try to understand why that happened. What I like about today's debate is that I have not heard anybody stand up, bang the drum and say to hell with them all and that it is our way or the highway.

On a border poll, I am a democrat. I know that a small group among the unionist community would not be happy with a 50% plus one majority but we are democrats and if that is the outcome then that is the outcome. If we want to have a border poll then the first thing we should do - and I am asking everybody here to do it, particularly my colleagues in Sinn Féin - is have greater engagement. We must meet and talk to people and let them know there is nothing to be afraid of. One of the questions I was asked in Northern Ireland after the speech I gave on collusion was "What about our land?" I asked this person what they were talking about and they said they were talking about the land that was given to them when they were planted. Another guy asked me if they would be interned in the event of a united Ireland. These are genuine fears expressed by people, albeit they may seem ridiculous to you and me.

I will leave it at that. I want to compliment our Department of Foreign Affairs and drive the Tánaiste forward. We are doing a good job at trying to build bridges.