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Northern Ireland Bill

I will not, because some of my hon. Friends want to get in before the debate concludes. This has been a long journey, the beginning of which it would probably be difficult to find. In 1994, there was the first IRA ceasefire, moving through to the agreement in 1998. It has been a difficult and challenging time to be involved in politics in Northern Ireland. We have seen many false dawns, but the promise of peace remains and we want to reach out and grasp it. It is the hope of every sane, reasonable and law-abiding person in Northern Ireland that our generation realises the hope of peace and political stability. I echo the comments by my hon. Friend the Member for Strangford (Mrs. Robinson) that we want to move out beyond the cocoon of security and looking over our shoulders in which we have had to live for years. We want to look forward to a future that is free from violence and the organised criminality that we have seen all too often in the past. We have had the Assembly since 1998, and it has been suspended on at least four occasions. We have got to get it right this time, because if we re-establish the Assembly and get a fully functioning devolved Administration and it collapses again, it will be years before it is restored and the hopes of the people of Northern Ireland will be dashed. That is why my party is committed to getting it absolutely right. The Government talk of deadlines: we prefer to speak of acts of completion, as my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, North (Mr. Dodds) mentioned. He repeated what the Prime Minister said. We want completion and closure on what has become known as the troubles. I know that, for many people, closure is difficult. Their lives have been ruined and destroyed by acts of terrorism, on both sides of the community. However, from speaking to them, I know that it would give them some comfort to know that other families will not suffer what they have endured. Indeed, that is my objective. If I were asked what is the one thing that I want to achieve in my political career, it would be that no other family has to suffer what has been visited upon so many families in Northern Ireland over the past 35 years. If I can help to achieve that, I will feel that my political career has been fulfilled. That is my objective and I can say with honesty that it is the objective of all of my hon. Friends, and especially of my right hon. Friend the Member for North Antrim (Rev. Ian Paisley), the leader of our party. I know that he wants to see that happen, but we want to be sure that it is for real and for good. That objective is why the decisions that we have to take as a party will not be taken in isolation. We will take them in consultation with the community that we represent and the people who have mandated us to achieve a better future for them and for their children. Earlier this week, my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) made it clear in his contribution to the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body that, when the time comes that we feel that there is the potential to move forward to full devolution, we will consult and we will talk to the people whom we represent. We are not arrogant. We will not move so far ahead of our people that we do not bring them with us. It is crucial to achieving political stability in Northern Ireland that leaders bring their people with them. We have evidence in the past few years of the inability of some Unionist leaders to bring their people with them, and we know what happened to them. The results of that are very apparent on these Benches today. This party will not allow that to happen. Yes, we will provide leadership—it will be provided ably by my right hon. Friend the Member for North Antrim and my colleagues here—but we are determined to bring our people with us. If we do that, we have a better chance of making things work for the future. At the end of the day, it is the people who count. I say to the hon. Member for North Down that we have no fear of elections. We are prepared and ready for the elections in May 2007. Bring them on. This party will gain and benefit from those elections and we are prepared to go to the people and test our mandate again. I have no doubt that we will get a strong endorsement for that mandate. Earlier, the Secretary of State asked whether the Democratic Unionist party was committed to making this measure work. Many people have asked the same question. Are we committed to achieving the establishment of a devolved Administration in Northern Ireland that is based on inclusivity but underpinned by the fundamentals of democracy and the rule of law? Our answer is a resounding yes: we are absolutely committed to making this work, because we have fought so hard to get to where we are today and we want to complete the journey. We want to achieve the end that I have described, but we also want to make sure that it is absolutely right, because the future of the people whom we represent hangs on the decisions that we make. We will be careful and cautious, but courageous too, because that is what leadership is about. When we come to make those decisions, we will want to ensure that they are right, and that the people with whom we will be in government are committed to peace, democracy and the rule of law. As my hon. Friend the Member for South Antrim (Dr. McCrea) said, that must mean that a complete end is put to criminality and paramilitarism. We say that not because we want to put obstacles in people’s way, but because we want to encourage them to complete the journey. The strategy is working and has brought the results that are evident in today’s IMC report. We acknowledge the progress that has been made, but we also know that the journey is not yet complete. If I am not yet absolutely confident that the IRA has completed the journey, that it now supports the rule of law and that it will abide by the democratic rules, I believe that it is on its way to doing so. It is difficult to assess how far down the road it has come, but I believe that it has recognised that there is no going back to the bad old days. Yes, some IRA members may hark back to those times but most know that going back to the violence of the past, and to bombing, shooting and murder on the scale evident in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, would amount to political suicide. They are right. We want the Assembly established by the Bill to make progress towards the restoration of a full, devolved Administration in Northern Ireland. We are committed to achieving that objective, in the right time scale and based on an assessment that the violence, criminality and paramilitarism are over for good.I hope that people will take us at our word when we say that. Yesterday, I had the privilege of leading a delegation to meet the Secretary of State at Stormont to discuss the impact of industrial rates on our manufacturing sector. The delegation was made up of people from both sides of the community, both traditions, in Northern Ireland. They are all fine people, and they are making a massive contribution to rebuilding our economy after decades of destruction. The delegation was accompanied by an all-party group representing the main political parties in Northern Ireland. The group spoke with one voice when it asked the Government to freeze the industrial rates, because otherwise they would damage our manufacturing base and our ability to make a full economic recovery. I hope that the Secretary of State will listen to our message, because the Government have said consistently that that is what they will do if we can achieve a political consensus. Consensus is what the Assembly ought to be about, and we will seek to achieve it in respect of the other issues that will be referred to us. However, the Secretary of State must listen to what people are saying. I know that a big stick can be applied on a range of issues, although I accept that some carrots exist as well. However, when people reach agreement, it is incumbent on the Government to respond positively. That is the best and most encouraging way to help us along the road to the end of our journey. I hope that the result will be peace and stability for all the people of Northern Ireland.