Dr. Mawhinney :
I believe that the record will show that I said that it was the Secretary of
State's ultimate judgment that today was not the day on which to make the sort
of speech which I happily acknowledge that the right hon. Gentleman, along with
other hon. Members, wished to hear.
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of hosting a
reception in Parliament buildings in Belfast for a group of school children from
the constituency of the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley. Seven primary
schools in Lisburn had come together under "Education for Mutual
Understanding" and had produced an anthology of poetry, which is well worth
reading. The event attracted a certain amount of media attraction. A 10-year-old
boy from Largymore school--the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley will be aware
that it is a controlled school--was asked what "Education for Mutual
Understanding" meant to him. Most adults would find that question difficult
to answer, never mind a 10-year-old boy. He made three or four attempts to
answer and told a story which initially seemed to those who heard it to be a
diversion.
The boy told of a trip that his school and St.
Joseph's school had made to Canada, how good it had been and how much he had
enjoyed it. He said that the highlight of the trip was being allowed to get into
a kayak and row across a lake. He made it clear that after a little while they
learnt how to row straight across the lake. He told the interviewer, "There
were two of us from Largymore who were paddling on the left of the kayak, and
the two from St. Joseph's were paddling on the right. We eventually got it going
in a straight line." He paused and said to the interviewer, "Do you
know, if the two boys from St. Joseph's had got out of the kayak we would have
just gone round in circles."
From the mouth of a primary school boy in Northern
Ireland, that seems to sum up the overwhelming need of the Province--the ability
to combine together to make progress in a straight line.
I am conscious of the political realities of
Northern Ireland. I know of the significant difficulties that still must be
resolved and I am aware of the sensitivities, but equally
