Good Friday Agreement 25th anniversary: Queen's University: Rishi Sunak speech

Good Friday Agreement 25th anniversary: Speeches at Queen's University Belfast; NORTHERN IRELAND: Belfast: Queen's University Belfast: INT Rishi Sunak MP (Prime Minister) speech SOT part 2 of 5 / cutaways of audience including Alastair Campbell (Tony Blair's press officer), Hillary Clinton (Former US First Lady), Bill Clinton (Former US President) . - "Instead, let us glorify moderation; romanticise respect; and make heroes of those with the courage to reject absolutes, not kill for them. Second, making peace required leaps of imagination. To conceive of a system for sharing power between traditions. To design an agreement with three strands of equal importance… To enshrine the principle of consent – so that Northern Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom for as long as its people wish… …while protecting the aspirations of those who seek a different future through peaceful means. And for the first time… …the people of North and South were both given the opportunity to support this deal… …and they did so, in overwhelming majorities. And let us never forget the crucial work after 1998 to build a broader consensus – helped by the leadership of Dr Ian Paisley. Third, the peace took extraordinary perseverance. In the aftermath of the Shankill bomb and Greysteel massacre in 1993, many thought the peace process was over… …but just two months later John Major and Albert Reynolds delivered the Downing Street Declaration. George Mitchell persuaded all parties to sign up to the principles of democracy and non-violence, without which the talks could not have begun. In the difficult final hours, President Clinton’s timely interventions helped get the deal done. And whenever people walked away, Tony Blair sought to bring them back… …always committed, always attuned to the concerns of all parts of the community. Together with Bertie Ahern, he showed us what’s possible when the UK and Irish governmen...