I move:
That Dáil Éireann unites in its condemnation of last night's IRA mortar bomb attack at Heathrow Airport, which could have resulted in serious loss of life and substantial damage to property, and calls on everybody to now commit themselves to the peace process clearly and unambiguously.
I and all the elected representatives of the Irish people in this House condemn the foolish and criminally irresponsible IRA mortar bomb attack at Heathrow Airport. I have no idea what were the intentions of those who authorised and perpetrated this attack, but they know, as well as everybody else, that a certain number of such attacks go horribly wrong and result not merely in damage to property but in human carnage with random victims.
I do not think our anger should be any less on this occasion because, fortunately, there was no loss of life. How often have we heard the leaders of related organisations profess deep regret on such occasions when there is loss of innocent life and try to pass the blame onto the civil authorities? Persistence in such attacks, when the risks and the probabilities are well known, make such expressions of regret utterly hollow. The only test of sincerity is for all such attacks to stop forthwith.
Each day 2,500 Aer Lingus passengers pass through Heathrow Airport and there are other passengers on other flights to and from Irish airports, also including a comparable number on the shuttle to and from Belfast. Hundreds of thousands of people of all nationalities and all ages also pass through Heathrow each day. The loss of human life, regardless of nationality, does nothing whatever to advance any political cause, indeed it tends to dishonour it in the eyes of the world. The vast majority of the Irish people want nothing whatever to do with this manner of making a political argument and regard such actions as utterly repugnant. It is time that the people concerned listened to the voice of Irish democracy if they ever wish to be accepted as a true part of it.
In political terms such actions as last night's are not merely criminal; they are also stupid and politically naive. Many people, for example, have very legitimate criticisms of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which was renewed last night. Actions like last night's simply cut the ground from under those making the case for reform. Actions like last night's have no contribution to make to moving forward the broader peace process. They simply make attitudes more rigid and reinforce a common determination that democratic society will not yield in any way to violence.
Let there be no illusions. There is a place at the negotiating table only when violence ceases for good, not before. That applies both to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation and to participation in all-party negotiation. In any case, none of the political problems of Northern Ireland can be resolved bilaterally between the British Government and Sinn Féin to the exclusion of the Irish Government and the other democratic parties in the North.
The chairman of Sinn Féin, Mr. Tom Hartley, yesterday called for gestures of goodwill to move forward the peace process. What sort of goodwill gesture was the bomb attack at Heathrow? Where is the evidence of Republican goodwill? This House utterly rejects attempts at political blackmail. Those who talk at great length about their commitment to peace must demonstrate their bona fides by deeds as well as words.
The Joint Peace Declaration of 15 December 1993 has removed the last semblance of justification for political violence. It has removed any conceivable justifiable cause for continued armed conflict. The only reminder that the bombs last night provide unfortunately are further evidence for the widespread belief that the continued activities of the IRA are one of the main causes of the continued conflict.
A fair and honourable framework for a democratic resolution of the problem of Northern Ireland without coercion and without physical force vetoes on any side has been laid out in the declaration. In the tree months I have heard no coherent case made against the declaration. Nor do I believe there is any genuine failure to grasp or understand its implications, some of which may be disliked. Its terms have been amply clarified by both Governments at this stage. We in this House do not recognise that there is any valid electoral or any other sort of mandate North or South for continued violence. People cannot expect full recognition of their democratic role when they are associated with, or involved in justifying, anti-democratic activities like the bomb attack on Heathrow. The time has come for a clear decision on peace to be made and for an end to prevarication and procrastination.
Democracy is indivisible. If parties want to play a full part in the democratic process and to take part in direct negotiations, armed struggle by associated organisations must be definitively disowned and ended clearly and unambiguously. That is the unanimous will of this House, representing two-thirds of the Irish people on this island.
The two Governments remain fully committed to the peace process and to the Joint Declaration which will not be changed or discarded. I remain confident that peace will sooner or later be embraced by all as I do not believe there is any real alternative. It can be clearly seen that violence is the biggest cul de sac of them all. In the meantime, we are continuing to work with the British Government to speed up progress in the talks process and to enable their full-scale resumption.
The declaration will remain the basis for peace and for finding a political settlement in Northern Ireland. I call on everyone to recognise the utter futility of attacks such as last night's and to join in addressing the real and difficult challenge of making progress by political means and by democratic persuasion.