In order to advance the process to where it is now, republicans had to make hard choices. The magnitude of these should not be underestimated or undervalued. Thirty years of war was the consequence of all that passed after Ireland was partitioned. Those who waged the conflict have a special responsibility but as we have all acknowledged by now, those who acquiesced to or sustained, tolerated or ignored the political conditions in which conflict endured, cannot absolve themselves of responsibility. The absence of peace is caused by the presence of injustice, inequality, and a lack of democracy.
Conflict arises when people feel they have no alternative way to influence the situation.
That is what the peace process is about. The Good Friday agreement is a product of that process. That is what it is about also. It is about the management of change. Our future depends on how that change is managed.