But it leaves unresolved why nurses in Liverpool have to deal with the problem created in Belfast. Perhaps the most distasteful aspect of the debate was the number of anti-abortion speakers who welcomed the opportunity to find common cause with representatives of the other religious tradition. It was as though denying rights to women was a positive contribution to the process of healing and reconciliation. And how those who have pledged to wreck the Assembly because it weakens the British link enjoyed using it to pursue their objective of keeping Northern Ireland a place apart. It seems that rather than producing a new climate of tolerance, the agreement and the Assembly it provided for will act to ossify Northern Ireland society.
Peace comes at a price.