Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to interject in the debate at this stage. I am extremely grateful to the proposer and seconder for tabling this timely debate. I responded to a similar debate in Dáil Éireann a fortnight ago.

Commitment to the unification of the island of Ireland is a founding principle for all parties of this Government. This Government holds that aspiration to a united Ireland in common with the Opposition. That is why we are not today opposing this motion, notwithstanding some of the political differences between our positions.

As referenced by Senator Kelleher, this matter is of sincere personal interest to me and I am grateful to Ireland's Future and its chair, my dear friend, Senator Black, for offering me the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing conversation. I acknowledge the presence of Professor Colin Harvey from Queen's University Belfast, who has played a major role in furthering this conversation. I am not sure whether it is appropriate, but it would be remiss of me not to cite the Cathaoirleach's influence and work on this, particularly when we were both Senators and he commissioned the first report on the future reunification of our country. I joined him on a few flights and I could not believe he managed to get a copy on the plane with how heavy it was. He was definitely over some baggage allowances. However, in all seriousness, that is the sort of level of discussion, debate and contribution we should all expect.

I will address some of the points raised in due course, but it is important to lay out the Government's position in detail before this debate continues. Every Irish Government must be guided by Article 3 of the Constitution, which states:

It is the firm will of the Irish nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions,

Article 3 recognises that Irish unity can only come about in accordance with the principle of consent. That constitutional amendment came as part of a reimagining of relationships on this island and across these islands. It is an essential part of the delicate balances that made the historic settlement possible. The spirit of harmony and friendship it speaks about, and its commitment to a unity that respects the diversity of the people of this island, are descriptions of our destination. After more than 27 years, the Good Friday Agreement remains our guiding principle. The agreement recognises the legitimacy of whatever choice is freely exercised by a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, whether that is to remain in the union or unify our nation.

If there is to be a border poll, the constitutional future of the island will be decided by a simple majority vote, 50% plus one. That is what the agreement says and despite what some people may argue is needed, that is the legal definition and it is important we maintain that clarity in the debate. That was part of the bargain in 1998: the promise of an end to violence, replaced by a commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means to answer the constitutional question.

All of us in government, and I know in this Chamber, are committed to enduring peace on this island and to the unity of its people. However, despite the monumental progress that has been made, it is important we recognise that challenges still exist. Communities remain further apart than we envisaged and hoped when the agreement was signed. This is not to say a perfectly reconciled society or island is a precondition to constitutional change. Such perfection is beyond us, but we can, and will aim to, do better. That work requires leadership from every part of society, including politicians, educators and civic and church leaders. It requires generosity of spirit in dealing with those from backgrounds different from ours.

The programme for Government states our position clearly. We are committed to the unity of the Irish people, and we believe that we will only achieve that through a sustained focus on, and investment in, reconciliation. That is financial as well as emotional investment. We are committed to enhancing co-operation, connections and engagement with all communities and traditions to build a shared future. We are hard at work preparing for this shared future, whatever shape it takes, as well as building a better Ireland today.

The Ireland Senator Andrews described is unrecognisable to me and different from the Ireland I lived and grew up in. The progress that has been made since the foundation of the Irish Free State has been monumental and we should recognise that advancement and the role society as a whole has played in much of that economic and social advancement. We are quite clear we have an ambitious agenda that is delivering tangible results for the people of this island and we will continue with it. We continue to capitalise on the window of opportunity offered to us by the reset in Ireland-UK relations. In fact, the British-Irish Council, which is meeting this week, is focusing on creative industries, which are important to our cultural and economic lives. This biannual meeting established by the Good Friday Agreement continues to bring together the Governments and Administrations of these islands to explore how we can continue to build prosperity for our people. The UK-Ireland joint statement agreed in March at the UK-Ireland summit makes clear that the reset in our relations will only be meaningful if it includes and delivers for the people of Northern Ireland. Senator Blaney referenced quite eloquently the real obstacles to prosperity and reconciliation that have come from political quarters in the past decade or two. We must acknowledge that and ensure those obstacles are not allowed to crop up again in the debate.

At the heart of our role is as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement; our shared responsibility for peace and reconciliation across these islands. The Government, through the shared island initiative, is putting a sustained focus on building a shared, reconciled future for all communities on the island. It has supported large infrastructure projects such as the upgrading of the Dublin-Belfast rail link to an hourly service and the construction of the Narrow Water bridge. Senator Conor Murphy will have been able to take advantage of at least one of those. This will be the first bridge connecting North and South since partition and, when complete, it will be a boon to tourism in the Carlingford Lough area and a symbol of peace and connection in the locality and on this island. That kind of symbolic and practical connectivity is hugely significant in terms of reconciliation and how we can better and more productively share this island.

The shared island initiative it is not limited to large infrastructure projects, however. It also supports media, the arts, emergency planning, the environment, entrepreneurship and many other sectors. On 18 November last, the Cabinet approved ten new shared island fund allocations of up to €56 million, including €2 million for the introduction of a Dublin-Derry public service obligation, PSO, air route; €5.9 million for cross-Border emergency-management capacity building; and €6 million for the new shared home place programme, to mention but a few. We continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive through the North-South Ministerial Council, one of the cornerstones of cross-Border political co-operation.

I remember fondly that when he was the economy Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive and I was a Minister of State in the Department of enterprise, one of my first meetings was with Senator Conor Murphy. We made some commitments on a ministerial level that have borne fruit, such as joint trade missions to Singapore and greater co-operation between Invest Northern Ireland, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. We must maintain that level of commitment, and I hope the Senator keeps watch on his successors in office to make sure they do because it is important.

At the most recent plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council on 17 October last, among the issues discussed was co-operation on emergency planning and preparedness between the two jurisdictions. Supported by the shared island initiative, fire and emergency services from both sides of the Border are deepening their co-operation to enhance capacity and training on management of flooding events and on technical search and rescue operations. Sadly, in the past calendar year, there have been many events, particularly extreme weather events, that have recognised no artificial Border on this island and it behoves us all to have the level of co-operation that, at times of great peril, have brought out the best in our communities. Now, from a political and leadership point of view, we must make sure they are practical and resourced because these practical examples of co-operation can only serve to enhance the lives of all of us who are lucky enough to live on this island.

As I said earlier, the Good Friday Agreement further states that an essential aspect of the reconciliation process is the promotion of a culture of tolerance at every level of society.These practical initiatives I have just highlighted are an important part of building our shared future, but more is required. We must also be ready for challenging conversations to create a more reconciled society.

It is no great mystery - I come from the minority religious tradition. I am the grandson of an Orangeman. The Cathaoirleach and I have visited unionist and loyalist communities together as proud republicans who are united Irelanders. I must say, in the presidential election campaign, a level of vile sectarianism was unleashed that I thought had died off. Heather Humpreys is a friend of mine. Regardless of any politics or electoral things, what she was subjected to and what her husband was subjected to online and in person was so disgusting. It reminded me of growing up in the late 1980s and 1990s, going to visit family in Ballynahinch or Banbridge with red, white and blue bunting everywhere and being really worried about where we would bring our southern registration car. I definitely could not wear my “Jack the lad” t-shirt and tricolour shorts. Without being glib, that has been released and we are starting to see it creep back in with a level of acceptance. I welcome Senator Murphy’s comments in particular on the need for reconciliation but I would invite all Members of this Chamber to vehemently condemn that level of returning sectarian abuse. We cannot have that come back into our Republic. We are better than that. I really hope the sort of abuse that my late parents would have grown up with in Dublin, or lived with in Dublin, at the height of the Troubles for being part of the minority community and being othered or seen as lesser citizens because of our religious background should be gone. It is a brutal form of prejudice. We see it more widely in society and we rightly condemn racism, homophobia and hatred that, unfortunately, is unleashed online but I do not think we have been loud enough in our very clear and unequivocal condemnation. We must continue that and look at it again.