Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)

It is deeply disappointing that the previous speaker sought to demean the Taoiseach’s unblemished record on leadership. It is taken as read by every European leader that Ireland has led the way in terms of voicing concerns and fears in the context of what has been happening in Gaza.As a small nation in Europe, Ireland forced Europe to stand up. Ireland was the first voice to raise concerns in Europe and we brought many European nations with us. That was in large part due to the Taoiseach's efforts and the people know and understand the work he did to bring that about. I applaud him for that. Any effort to do otherwise is a sad indictment of this House. It is great to see a fledgling peace in the Middle East. If I have one concern, it is the way NATO has perhaps been sidelined in this process and we see no role for NATO in that in future, which is a deep concern.

The Taoiseach spoke about the changing of the world axis and how power is shifting. That is something Europe needs to try to address. Ireland will assume the EU Presidency next year. It is then that we will see the Taoiseach's leadership reach a pinnacle. It is a challenging time for Europe. A war has been raging on the border of Europe for three years. Again, we have been unwavering in our support for Ukraine but Europe, as a community, needs to take a position that this war will never be won and will probably rumble on forever, at a great cost for the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia and the wider EU community.

Europe needs to engage with Russia at this point. We need to be a force for change and bring the two sides together because this war is creating an untold cost for the European family. Europe needs to step up to the plate, as I do not see America doing so. I hope the Taoiseach can take a strong lead in this, especially during the EU Presidency, so we can be a strong voice. As a small nation that has seen the horrors of terrorism and aggression over many years, we need to stand up and say a negotiated settlement is needed for Ukraine. I would like to see Ireland be a strong voice on that.

The shared island initiative was mentioned. All of in this House aspire to a united Ireland in their lifetime. Some Senators are younger than me and probably will see a united Ireland. The shared island project is very close to the Taoiseach's heart, and one he has championed over many years. It includes a number of large capital projects. The first Cathaoirleach of this House was Lord Glenavy, who was a staunch unionist from the South. He was a former lord chancellor. The Seanad was put in place to show we can work as a community. We need to reach out to the unionist and loyalist communities. They are beleaguered, there is minimal investment in education or housing and they are being forgotten, in large part, by the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government. Senator McDowell referenced a changing of the guard in English politics. We should use the shared island initiative to invest in those unionist communities, especially in the area of education, and try to bring about a change in mindset.