Speeches by Robinson.

“There is no refusal, because I started my answer by saying that these things cannot be dealt with in an à la carte way. That is my answer. My answer is that if you are going to have a discussion—”

“You have to hear, rather than assume.”

“I will answer your question. I think it is important that if you are interested in the views of the DUP, then you hear them, rather than hear what you wish to.”

“I have given you an answer not only once but twice now. If it is about strand 1, you cannot just cherry-pick. I have heard witnesses today suggest that they could improve the world if you change the designation of First Minister and Deputy First Minister, but I am suggesting to you, first, that that is fanciful; second…”

“You have heard me say in this Committee a number of times that I get frustrated when people talk about vetoes and blocks. Because that is the end of the process, when people have failed to engage or compromise, and want to inject majoritarianism in a system that by necessity requires consensus. If you take just this we…”

“I will answer your question. I think it is important that if you are interested in the views of the DUP, then you hear them, rather than hear what you wish to.”

“I do not think you can do this with an à la carte approach. The strand 1 protections—the strand 1 requirements about cross-community consent—are at the heart of our system. Setting aside the ability to bring the majority of both designations with you is not something that you should fear; it is something that should be…”

“First, I question that the good will is there. The lack of delivery that we have seen comes out of a lack of willingness to constructively work together or to recognise that the fact that we have a system that has protections built within it, but that should lead to engagement, consensus and agreement about what can be…”

“I am making the point to you, and you can accept it or not, that somebody wishing to change the law may wish to engage with colleagues, reach consensus and understand why there is resistance and, furthermore, challenge the attitude that infected this process, because a decision seemed to be reached that would get a maj…”

“You have heard me say in this Committee a number of times that I get frustrated when people talk about vetoes and blocks. Because that is the end of the process, when people have failed to engage or compromise, and want to inject majoritarianism in a system that by necessity requires consensus. If you take just this we…”

“I have already answered. This process is engaged with the Assembly and Executive Review Committee, and that process should continue.”

“I think about some of the reflections of the witnesses already. It is all too easy to forget that in Northern Ireland, we have an important system of government and a Government of necessity. If you were to compare and contrast it with Westminster, you would have a Cabinet with Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal De…”

“I am glad you corrected yourself—”

“Good morning, Chair; thank you for having me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give evidence to the Committee and for completing a bit of parliamentary trivia, as I am the first member of a Committee to give evidence twice over a decade. We have achieved something at least.”

“In the past.”

“My response to that is twofold, Chair. The first is that it will make no practical, material difference to the litany of issues that Jon Burrows outlined. It will not deliver water infrastructure in Ahoghill, so I think you need to be very careful about why it is being asked for. My second response is that we cannot ha…”

“No, I am sorry, Ms Hanna, but you have just confirmed your majoritarian approach to this.”

“There is no consensus that reform should happen. When you say that, you just confirm your majoritarian—”

“I am glad you corrected yourself—”

“There is no refusal, because I started my answer by saying that these things cannot be dealt with in an à la carte way. That is my answer. My answer is that if you are going to have a discussion—”