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Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) (No. 2) Bill

My Lords, I simply want to express my hope—against my judgment in many ways—that the new system of what I cannot call ““power sharing”” but I would call ““power division””, which we see coming into force in Northern Ireland, will deliver a peaceful and prosperous future to that province. It deserves it. The noble Lord, Lord Trimble, said that he could not quite put his finger on the moment when the IRA/Sinn Fein endorsed the Good Friday agreement. Nor can I. I am not sure that the finger has yet been found that could be put on that moment. Perhaps it is in the future. We will hope so. It is a pity that we now expect to see those who should have been tried for conspiracy to murder taking office as Ministers in a Government in this United Kingdom. But, as the House knows, I hold some curious, old-fashioned opinions about these matters, and I hope I will be forgiven for that. So tonight, I suppose, with those words, I am the ghost at the feast. I devoutly hope that I will be seen as the ghost of Ulster past and not of Ulster to come.