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Northern Ireland Bill

No. I have only a short time in which to make my speech. Can anyone imagine the howls from the community if it were suggested that such people should be put on the Front Bench of Her Majesty’s Government or Opposition? If they were, they would be run out of this House and society would disgrace them completely, and rightly so. A few statements from those who are still linked to activities such as money laundering, fuel laundering, extortion, tax evasion and smuggling are not going to whitewash their compliance in what has been going on. Where is the £20 million linked to the IRA? Where are the disappeared—those who may have been murdered, whose families are still waiting for them to come home? Are we closing our eyes to all this? Are we closing our ears to the cry from such families that these issues must be faced up to? We must have consistency, integrity and honesty. Neither I nor any of my colleagues is going to mislead the people. The right hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) stated today—it is on the record of this House—that, although the IMC report acknowledges that progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, which is factual: there is still a long way to go. We must ensure that our democracy has integrity. When we set up a Government of Northern Ireland, they have to be based solely and completely on democratic lines. There can be no equivocation or trying to move the goalposts. We cannot have those who are democrats by day and terrorists by night—that day has long passed. There were those in the past who accepted such people into government, but this party will not. Sinn Fein-IRA stand at a crossroads: they must make the choice and come up to the mark. If they do not take that decision, true democrats—such as Members representing the Social, Democratic and Labour party, my own party and others—who want to move forward should do so together. Northern Ireland should not be crucified because of terrorists or those who want to play along with terrorism. We want a democratic process and democratic government, and by the grace of God, that we will have.