Debate contribution: St Andrews Agreement: 20 Years On

Debate contribution by Mr Pat Sheehan on 13 October 2026.

MLA: Mr Pat Sheehan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 13 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Opposition Business
Heading: St Andrews Agreement: 20 Years On
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5789498

Text

Twenty-eight years ago, the Good Friday Agreement transformed politics on the island. It was built on the principles of equality, mutual respect, power-sharing and protection of rights. Those principles are as important today as they were in 1998. They must remain the foundation of any reform of our political institutions. However, a fault line runs through the institutions here. I respect the position of the Opposition party, which frequently uses the narrative that the two big parties are the problem, but that is no excuse for a flawed analysis of where the problem — the fault line — actually lies. We know that the party opposite has never bought into the Good Friday Agreement. It does not agree with power-sharing. We have heard its Ministers frequently say that they do not work in partnership with other members of the Executive. The leader of the Opposition talked about the 'good jobs' Bill. The reason why it has not come out of the Executive is that the DUP is blocking it.
I know that you said it; I am not criticising you on that. However, that is where the fault line lies: with a party that has never bought into power-sharing or the Good Friday Agreement and retains the mindset that it is whatever unionism wants that counts in these institutions. The difficulty in all of this is that there is a fault line. We can reform the institutions here. Sinn Féin has proposed a comprehensive set of reforms for the Assembly, and I will go through them. However, again, when it comes to reform, the question is this: where is the opposition to reform? The opposition to reform is coming from the party that also opposes the Good Friday Agreement. Protecting the Good Friday Agreement does not for one minute mean that our institutions cannot be improved: they can be improved. Too often, political instability has disrupted government, delayed progress and undermined public confidence in our institutions. That is why meaningful reform is necessary. No political party should have the power to hold our institutions, our public services or the people whom we represent to ransom. That is why Sinn Féin has put forward a series of practical and meaningful proposals for reform. We propose ending the veto that allows a single party to prevent the formation of an Executive. The largest nationalist and unionist parties would retain their right to nominate the First Minister and deputy First Minister, but, if either refused that opportunity, it would pass to other parties. Power-sharing must be protected, but no party should have a veto over whether government can function. We also propose removing the veto over the election of the Assembly Speaker, ensuring that the Assembly can continue its legislative and scrutiny functions. We want greater transparency and accountability in the decisions of the Speaker, fairer treatment for MLAs who designate as "Other" and the appointment of the Justice Minister brought into line with other ministerial appointments. Those are sensible, practical reforms that would strengthen democracy, improve accountability and make our institutions more resilient. Crucially, they could be delivered while protecting the fundamental safeguards of the Good Friday Agreement. Those safeguards matter beyond the walls of the Chamber, and I take the opportunity to express my solidarity with the residents of the Garvaghy Road. Twenty-eight years after the Good Friday Agreement, those residents should not still have to defend their right to live in peace, free from sectarian harassment, intimidation and the supremacist attitudes of the Orange Order.
We recognise that institutional reform alone will not resolve every challenge that we face, particularly the chronic underfunding of our public services by the British Government. That is why we remain firmly committed to building a new, united Ireland, as provided for in the Good Friday Agreement. However, in the here and now, we have a responsibility to make these institutions work, to deliver for workers and families and to ensure that political instability never again becomes an excuse for denying people the Government whom they elected. The Good Friday Agreement must be protected and our institutions must be strengthened —
— so that no single party can bring them down. That is the approach that —
— Sinn Féin will continue to advance.

709 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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