Orders of the Day — Northern Ireland Constitution (Amendment) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 13 Rhagfyr 1973.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mr Stan Orme Mr Stan Orme , Salford West 12:00, 13 Rhagfyr 1973

This has been a typical Irish debate. You, Mr. Speaker, said that you wanted to rule on the utterances in the debate, but it has been an honest debate in the sense that we have discussed issues frankly and openly. No other issue in British politics recently has had more discussion and airing before the operation of the proposals involved. We are still 13 days away from the activation of the Executive. The activation of the Council of Ireland proposals will flow only after the Executive has been set up, with the various commissions which will look into the many aspects.

As many hon. Members have said today, there is much ground to be covered. Many of the questions which have been asked about the Council of Ireland, not least by the hon. and gallant Member for Down, South (Captain Orr), the hon. Member for Antrim, North (Rev. Ian Paisley), the hon. Member for Mid-Ulster (Mrs. McAliskey) and the hon. Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Mr. McManus), while criticising the whole issue, the Assembly, the Executive and the Council of Ireland proposals, nevertheless have kept returning to the central points of criticism or suggestion.

The hon. Lady the Member for Mid-Ulster is very much in the same category as the hon. Member for Antrim, North. The hon. Lady wants in and she wants out at the same time. She has great ability and intelligence, but she cannot resist the temptation to take up points and examine them in detail, and, having examined them in detail, she keeps returning to the point that the whole idea is of no use.