Forming a national consensus
Sinn Féin Chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin told a packed public
meeting in the ATGWU Hall last Thursday night:
``Partition has failed and all who recognise that fact, unionist
and nationalist, are part of a de-facto political consensus. We
are pointing the way to an agreement that will in its time become
known as the National Consensus.''
He said that the unionist parties, within or outside the Talks,
remain determined to wreck the process. ``Both Governments must be
persuaded to make it absolutely clear to all of the political
parties, and indeed to the many sceptics, that this will not be
allowed to happen,'' he said.
``Current British government policy is a clear impediment to
establishing a historic agreement. David Trimble has publicly
made it clear that their engagement in the Stormont Talks is
purely tactical. He has spelt out his understanding that the
Downing Street Declaration formula on Consent means that he and
his party have a veto on political change. The current phase of
bilateral discussions between all of the parties and Senator
George Mitchell will demonstrate in the next few weeks whether he
is correct in that analysis or he his mistaken.''
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)