Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
I add my voice to those that have said that Brexit has been a disaster for the whole United Kingdom and, in very particular ways, for Northern Ireland. The protocol and the Windsor framework are attempts to manage, mitigate and soften the blow of Brexit on our part of the world. We live in a complex place, and there…
Today's democratic consent motion is one of the most significant issues that the Assembly has debated or will ever debate. At one level, it is a complex and complicated matter, but, at another level, it comes down to this very simple question: does the Assembly wish to give away powers and responsibilities that were…
Thank you very much, Mr Brooks, for giving way. I will just pull you up on a point. You talked about "both communities". In the House, there is recognition that there are unionists, nationalists and others. I ask you to consider changing your language to be inclusive in the House.
Thanks to the comprehensiveness of my two colleagues who have spoken, I suspect that my speech might be only about two thirds the length of Jonny Buckley's contribution. I suspect that I will also go over some of the same stuff, but, whilst I have the list of issues that was read out earlier, the Chamber can be…
Thank you very much. Thank you very much indeed to the Minister for looking at one of our substantial issues, in particular, the agriculture piece. The Minister will be aware that, admittedly, it is under the Hungarian presidency, but the European Commission recently looked at its negotiating position in reference to…
I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. In doing so, I know that a number of the issues raised inside and outside the Chamber today and previously will soon, hopefully, be addressed by an ambitious and comprehensive UK-EU SPS veterinary agreement, which I now refer to as an "agri-food and drink agreement",…
I genuinely appreciate the deputy First Minister's giving way as a sign that she is willing to have a serious debate. Could she give me an example of any jurisdiction in the world that operates the kind of mutual enforcement that she would like to see on the island of Ireland?
I thank the Member for giving way and for her passionate articulation of facts. Does the Member agree that, whilst there is sneering from some Benches about mutual enforcement, the genesis of the suggestion came from the EU itself?
On a point of guidance, the Member will find a paper that mentions all of those things on the Ulster Unionist Party website. I would be delighted if everyone read it, because it contains a method for moving ahead.
I hesitate to get into the detail of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998, but I am sure that the Member is fully aware that all key decisions — indeed, all decisions — of the House are subject to a petition of concern, and, ergo, a cross-community vote could have been triggered in…
I appreciate the deputy First Minister giving way. I and others have dealt with the point about cross-community voting. Will she acknowledge that, prior to the debate, we voted on carbon budgets, which most people would say are a pretty big deal? They are such a big deal that her party forced a Division and voted…
I thank the Member for giving way. We all had to engage with Boris Johnson when he was Prime Minister. That was the inevitable consequence of his position. However, we did not all champion him when he was running for prime ministership. We did not all invite him to our party conferences and cosy up to him. Some…
I am glad to have the opportunity to speak from the Back Bench in this important debate. We are discussing a matter of fundamental import. It is a serious matter, and it has an impact, particularly on many thousands of businesses, throughout Northern Ireland. It affects trade and our economy but also the very…
It is always worth reminding ourselves that the majority of people here in the North voted against Brexit and to remain part of the EU. The people whom we represent in the North did not consent to Brexit and certainly not to the hard Brexit that has transpired. People understood the threat that was posed by Brexit and…
I am well aware that there are businesses in East Belfast looking into wind turbines and so on. I do not think that Harland and Wolff's previous venture into that space was particularly successful. Nevertheless, far more businesses in East Belfast rely on our biggest market, which is GB. Unfortunately, when you talk…
Sorry, allow me to finish without interrupting, please. You have given me an opportunity to speak, and I am trying to answer your point. The question has to be this: what would give us a stronger negotiating hand? If the Assembly, as a whole, said, "With this, we will not put up", would that not be a much stronger…