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Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

We can all learn from our mistakes. I have learnt from mine. That is why I am here: otherwise I would still be digging coal to keep the lights on. Since I came to the House, I have been closely involved in most of the debates on issues involving Northern Ireland. I lobbied hard to become a member of both the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and the Northern Ireland Grand Committee. I did that because for many years I had worked with people on the ground in Northern Ireland—good, hard-working people who were trying to find a resolution to end years of misery and strife that, as always, hit the least well off worst. I am talking about public sector workers, great folk, people who were on the front line in every sense, people who really knew what the word ““interface”” meant. During many of the debates that we have had over the past 10 months, I have continued to observe and understand the deep-seated feelings that have been expressed today by Members throughout the Chamber. I also understand that we must try to move forward, and the Bill may well constitute a big step in that direction. We cannot pull back at this stage. The Bill removes many legislative barriers to progress. It introduces a more transparent and accountable electoral process; it gives people and politicians the tools with which to do the job; it gives us a chance once again to give direct control of day-to-day life to the people who really matter; it gives us a chance to build on the process that was apparent during the short time in which the Assembly sat during the final days of the last millennium; and it gives us a chance to show the good work that was done when the Assembly reconvened after the suspension in 2000. One of the things that kept me going throughout the debates when the devolution process broke down was being told by colleagues that, during the time when the Assembly sat, they were amazed at how well people worked across community and cultural barriers. I believe that that was because people were directly accountable. No longer were they dealing with representatives who were remote; their representatives could stand up and speak on their behalf, and affect their lives in a way that had not been possible before. That is the pressure that real accountability puts on politicians. If they are one step removed, they can always blame someone else, but when they have the power, the responsibility and the means to deliver for people, it certainly focuses their minds. The time has come for us to re-engage with that accountability. We owe it to the people of Northern Ireland and to the people of Great Britain. Any ideological or structural objections need to be sorted out and removed. This is the way forward, and we can move forward by supporting the Bill.