As this is my final time speaking, I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the staff in the Oireachtas, including the ushers in particular who take such good care of us and everybody who makes this place work so well, for all that they have done. I hope that they get a good and well-deserved break. It is possible, perhaps even hopeful, in my lifetime that we will see a united Ireland and the end of partition on this island. I sincerely hope that we do in a way that benefits all people of all communities, traditions and backgrounds. We have a long way to go to achieve that vision and to achieve the vision of a republic of equals that we have not achieved here in Ireland. It is worthy that one of the starting points of that discussion will be the fiscal make-up of a united Ireland. In a united Ireland, the Six Counties' economic future should be a prosperous one, and in that it has to be properly supported and transformed. I hope we might be able to extend the economic model of the Republic in such a way that our prosperity is shared, with good jobs in multinationals and SMEs, a strong and balanced regional industrial strategy for the 21st century and entrepreneurial supports that underpin a strong indigenous economy. Ireland will have to lead the way in this, as it has not happened under either a Westminster Government or many Northern Ireland Executives. Financial arrangements will have to be agreed, as will trans-Border tax arrangements. Supply chains will have to be reimagined. In that vision, we will have to give people in the Twenty-six Counties and in the six the confidence that a united Ireland will work for all against poverty, unemployment and deprivation, and that we will challenge these scourges that are felt regardless of community or background, for poverty has no religion, unemployment no flag and exclusion no anthem. The social protection system will have to play a key role in this and will have to lead with principle. It seems only proper that this new united social protection system would do the following from a principled way: establish a shared prosperity and proper social protection supports to underpin a properly functioning economy and society; ensure that no individual is worse off in a united Ireland than they were under partition; and ensure that no individual in identical socio-economic circumstances is treated substantively differently. It would stand to reason then that, particularly in respect of social insurance funds and pension schemes for individuals who contributed to such schemes during their working lives, these contributions would, at the vest least, be recognised in a transitional financial arrangement between Ireland and Britain. There are challenges in these principles, challenges of politics and reconciliation most of all, but there are practical considerations as well. The UK's universal credit system has had very mixed results, at best, and has resulted in many receiving smaller social protection payments than they would receive in the Republic, sometimes by as must as 20% to 30%. Of course, the UK provides a universal healthcare system and we do not, and has other social supports, but it should not be lost on us that the challenge of merging these systems in a way that sustains livelihoods and the social floor through which no one should fall is a significant one. While the project of integrating these systems will be significant, it is imperative that we take the opportunities to create a better life for all, North and South, where people do not just survive but are given the means to thrive and contribute, and where a system of public services supports that. The work on that must begin now and I welcome any person who shares this vision of an island where every person is valued not just as an economic unit, but with a socially inclusive place for each person.

Sentiment score: 0.52