DEMOCRATIC Left accepted the constitutional position of Northern Ireland and argued that the Republic's Constitution should "reflect that reality", Mr P.J. McClea, the party chairman in Northern Ireland, said in Belfast yesterday, writes Deaglan de Breadun, Political Reporter.
Launching the party's manifesto for the Northern Ireland elections, Mr McClean said: "We further argue that the British state must recognise another reality. That reality is the presence of a significant population within Northern Ireland whose allegiance is to Irish nationhood."
The talks on June 10th offered the people of Northern Ireland a chance to break free from the divisions and conflict of the past, he said.
"The only way into talks was through an elective process, which will have the effect of refreshing the democratic mandate of all who participate."
The all party negotiations "must establish structures and new role models to suit the people's changing needs". A new politics must be created to deal with Northern Ireland society as it actually was "and to abandon the futile quest for sectarian utopias."
The search must begin for "new forms of governance suited to a new age." This search could be conducted only through open, honest dialogue and debate, free from violence and the threat of violence, Mr McClean said.