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Ivan Lewis MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in a speech to Labour’s Annual Conference 2014 in Manchester, said:

Conference, it’s great to be here in my home city of Manchester. 


A transformed global city at the heart of Greater Manchester which is at the cutting edge of innovation, enterprise and social justice. 


But also home to three institutions in serious decline. 


The Tory party, the Lib Dems and Manchester United.



These days it’s wonderful to be a lifelong Mancunian, lifelong Labour activist and a lifelong supporter of Manchester City!


As you can tell conference as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland I always try to avoid tribal sectarianism!


Conference, I want to talk to you this afternoon about the distance Northern Ireland has travelled, the challenges of today and our vision for the future.


When people tell you politics can’t change anything, politicians don’t make a difference, give them a two word answer, Northern Ireland. 


Tell them it was this party against all the odds working with others which brought the violence and brutality of 30 years of the troubles to an end. 


When history is written it will record that our movement created the NHS, the welfare state and the minimum wage. 



But alongside those monumental achievements should always be peace in Northern Ireland. 




Conference, it is one of the greatest historical achievements of our movement, and we should never forget it.



We have a special responsibility to nurture the reconciliation and mutual respect which are central to building a shared future. 



That is why I’m proud to be Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and proud of my team, the one and only Stephen Pound, Tommy McAvoy, Tom Blenkinsop and Emma Lewell-Buck.


I thank them for their support and commitment.



Conference, Northern Ireland has come a long way over the past fifteen years.



In the past two years alone hosting the G8, the World Police and Fire Games and the UK’s first ever City of Culture in Derry-Londonderry.



The past ten years have seen a dramatic fall in all forms of sectarian violence. 


However, an upsurge in dissident republican activity over the past two years should act as a wake up call against any complacency. 




We should take every opportunity to support the highly professional work of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and intelligence services who do an excellent job in keeping the people of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom safe.



Despite so much progress, the political situation in Northern Ireland is at its most fragile for many years. 



Peter Robinson and Martin McGuiness have done an impressive job in promoting Northern Ireland globally and attracting significant inward investment. 


However, the Executive has failed to make political progress on legacy issues, such as flags, parades and the past. 



The unionist parties withdrawal from talks, their threat of a graduated response to a disputed parades commission decision together with Sinn Fein and SDLP’s unwillingness to move forward on welfare reform have fuelled mistrust and growing public dissatisfaction. 




Treasury penalties for the non-implementation of welfare reform will cost Northern Ireland £87 million this year, rising to £114 million next year, and with other financial pressures threaten deep cuts to frontline services.



All of this has taken place against a background of the Government’s political disengagement from Northern Ireland. 



Today, I call on the Prime Minister to work intensively to end the current stalemate. 

Where appropriate working with the Irish Government supported by the US administration. 



The UK and Irish Governments should consider providing a framework for talks, to break the stalemate on all contentious issues. 



If necessary, nominating a chair acceptable to all parties. 

We will offer our full support to the Government should they take these steps.




Of course, Northern Ireland’s political leaders must also face up to their responsibilities. 


There is middle ground to be found on accountability for the organisation and conduct of parades and the basis on which the union flag, which must remain sovereign, could be complimented by a new Northern Ireland flag.



It would be disingenuous to suggest the wounds or trauma of the past can be healed easily. 



But putting the needs of victims and their loved ones centre stage is the right starting point.



Protocols surely can be agreed to deliver a process which reflects the fact that state wrongdoing must be exposed but the vast majority of killings were committed by paramilitary organisations.



On welfare reform I support all Northern Ireland’s political parties in refusing to implement the pernicious bedroom tax. 



I am proud of the fact that this will be scrapped by an incoming Labour Government.



However, refusing to implement any reform despite the terms of devolution cannot be right and runs the risk of precipitating a financial and political crisis.



Conference, my message to Northern Ireland’s political leaders is clear. Individually and collectively you have done so much to move Northern Ireland forward it would be a tragedy if you allowed three successive years of elections to cause gridlock. 



In post conflict situations standing still means going backwards, leaving a vacuum too often filled by extremists. 



Working in partnership does not require friendship or even forgiveness for past wrongs, but it does require mutual respect and a willingness to build trust.



Good leadership is about mobilising your supporters and delivering on bread and butter issues. 


Great leadership requires you to sometimes walk in the shoes of your former foes and say difficult things to your own base about the need for compromise, Northern Ireland’s peace process urgently needs great leadership from all parties in the Executive.



This leadership will be tested even further in the debate about the nature of devolution across the UK in the aftermath of the Scottish referendum.

This will undoubtedly have profound implications for Northern Ireland.

We are committed to ensuring the voices of the people of Northern Ireland are heard in that debate.

Conference, someone famously said “it’s the economy stupid” and for many in Northern Ireland life is tough. 



The mainstream majority are at the frontline of the cost of living crisis, which has taken root across the UK.




Northern Ireland has had the highest rate of benefit claimants in the 12 UK regions for 49 consecutive months. 



Growth still lags behind most of the UK, inequality is above average and the private sector needs rapid growth. 



Too many are trapped in worklessness and the victims of intergenerational poverty. 



Youth unemployment is worse today than in the early years of the peace process.



The global banking crisis and consequential austerity have undermined the economic peace dividend people were promised. 



In both communities there is too much alienation caused by a lack of opportunity and aspiration. 



This is not unique to Northern Ireland but the stakes are higher as people are at risk of exploitation by paramilitary organisations and political extremists.



Peace and stability will only endure as the anchor to building a shared future if we can offer people the training, jobs and personal support for a better future.



So today I am delighted to announce that we are establishing an independent commission, with a remit to improve opportunities for those who currently have no stake in the economy and are at the margins of their communities. 

It will consider how an incoming Labour Government can most effectively make a difference working in partnership with The Northern Ireland Executive.



The Heenan Anderson commission will be co chaired by Professor Deirdre Heenan, Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Ulster and Colin Anderson OBE, the CEO of ASG in Belfast. 



They will be supported by a panel of experts and produce a final report by the end of February with recommendations to help shape our plans for Government.



Conference, Northern Ireland is at a crossroads. 


It is time for the voices of progress to be heard. 



Faith leaders, civil society, business leaders and trade unionists have a duty to speak up with one voice and demand an end to stagnation.



If we are elected next May we will continue to play an active role in helping to move Northern Ireland forward. 



The Executive must show leadership but others must play their part in helping to build a shared future.



Northern Ireland has travelled a long way.



The challenge for us together is to move forward again and rediscover the spirit and hope that made peace possible. 



It’s time for this generation to fulfill its responsibilities to the next.



It’s time to begin the journey from a cold peace to a warm peace.



It’s time for the shared future that the people of Northern Ireland so richly deserve.

Ends