color Eastwood thank you madam Deputy speaker and I promise to be brief because we've heard um a lot over the last number of days we've heard a lot uh repeated as well over the last number of days um this bill clearly blatantly breaks international law it breaks an agreement that this government made with the European uh Union uh and trumpeted to the electorate as a fantastic deal I I think this particular bill will end up going uh the same way uh of the as the Prime Minister um I I no I won't actually I won't I I will not so um this pill is a shop this bill is a shop for the dup uh and it is a campaigning Tool uh for the foreign secretary and the leadership election of the conservative um party and it is if it is uh continued if it is driven through um now the likely outcome the only likely outcome is a trade dispute with the European Union well good luck to the next prime minister who wants to go into the general election with prices going even higher than they already are I've heard a lot a lot um from some interesting people about the Good Friday agreement well I've always supported the Good Friday agreement I'm delighted that so many people uh support it now there is a nonsense at the heart of the argument that says the Good Friday agreement is based on consensus it is not it is not possible I I I sat in the northern assembly from almost nine years there was very little consensus in that place things got done things got voted on majorities made uh decisions the reality uh for all those people who say they care about the people of Northern Ireland people of Northern Ireland do not want this build they're elected representatives do not want this bill the representatives of the business groups that have been uh we've been told so much about do not want this belt and everybody with any sense knows that this is a blatant uh breaking of international law we've also Madam Deputy speaker had an awful lot about the union well I think some people in this place who talk about the union a lot but have acted in a certain way around this brexit first since 2016 will come to regret it there will be statues erected in the New Ireland to Boris Johnson and some of the members of the dup because that's the road you have taken us down I fully Respect by the way the principle of consent um uh and it was my predecessor who uh who made sure it wasn't a good Friday agreement the Constitutional possession of Northern Ireland whatever anyone says and however much I want to change it cannot be changed until the people of Northern Ireland and their people of the Republic of Ireland vote to change it to say anything else is just not true so I I I I I want to end but I'm Deputy speaker with a with an Ask of the dup because we've been told uh over the last number of months that the northern assembly can't meet unless this piece of legislation goes through well the this piece of legislation is just about to go through the House of Commons will the dup now take the opportunity to go back and to storm it to live up to the responsibilities as democratically elected leaders in Northern Ireland and do the job that people are crying out for them to do if they don't the sdlp will put a recall motion into the 99 assembly uh tonight asking them to come back in to nominate a speaker in the northern assembly and to nominate a deputy first Minister I hope will be uh the radar honorable member uh for Lagan Valley we have to get back despite all the talk of the Good Friday agreement we have to get back to working together to working the Common Ground they're dealing with the issues in our Health Service and our economy and all those issues of people say they care about we will not be able to do that if we stay out of government for months upon months upon months because that's how long this bill is going to take to get uh Royal Ascent so that's my appeal and I appeal to the government there is no option to unilaterally rip up an agreement the only way that you can do these things these sensitive difficult things is to sit down with your partners and negotiate I met Lord Frost many many times when he was in that position I did not get this answer that was a man determined to find accommodation and compromise I would appeal to this government now whatever it may look like in September to sit down with the European Union and stop using Northern Ireland as a political football