Senator John McGahon- speech from 24 Oct 2024

Thank you very much Laskier-Lock, I cycled from Dundalk this morning, no I didn't, anyway, just to go back to it, down below us at the minute Laskier-Hirlock there's a meeting going on between the members of the Good Friday Agreement Committee and the Northern Irish Secretary of State Hilary Benn and it's a very fruitful meeting so far and I just want to touch base on the kind of context of that English and Irish relationship in the last couple of years in particular, as a member of that committee I have met with various different elected officials in the Northern Ireland office, whether it was Lord Cain, whether it was Conor Burns, there were very fortright discussions but at every single time it was very difficult to put the Irish context and the Irish side of the argument across to our Conservative counterparts in government, particularly around the Rwanda Bill, particularly around legacy issues and legislation that the Conservative government were pushing through the House of Lords at the time, however, I'm really pleased now to see Hilary Benn in that office, I'm really pleased to see Laskier-Hirlock a potential reset in relationships between the Irish government and the United Kingdom. We, as our closest neighbours, have to have, and both societies are deeply entwined with one another, so we have to have as good a working relationship as possible. It is so important that both countries are on the same page, particularly when it comes to issues in Northern Ireland and at different stages, because of different Prime Ministers in recent years, that has been very, very difficult. I am hoping now for a very decent and good reset in Anglo-Irish relations, particularly with Hilary Benn in the Northern Irish office as Secretary of State. And when we look at Brexit and when we look at the issues that that country have had in the last number of years, I would just say at some stage in the future that the light is always on in the European Union, the light is always on for those 16.4 million people who voted to stay in the European Union. The light will always be on from this country and the European Union to the United Kingdom, if at any stage in maybe decades to come, that public perception of the European Union will change, that the benefits of the European Union will be realised to the general public in the UK, and the light is always on for those 16.4 million people should a referendum ever be held in the future. So finally, just to conclude, it's really good to see the Secretary of State here today. He's a series of meetings, as I said, he's meeting down below with the Good Friday Agreement Committee, and I'm looking very much forward to a reset in relations between our two great countries. Thank you.