I echo other colleagues in commending Senator Ian Marshall on the screening of "Lost Lives" last night. I was very sorry I could not get to it myself but I have heard how powerful it was. I am impressed that the Tánaiste was there throughout, which is worthy of note. I commend all those involved.

Yesterday, Senators Norris and Gavan spoke very eloquently about the British general election. I want to add my own voice to say that I very much hope that, as a result of the vote today in Britain and Northern Ireland, we will see a change of Government in Britain, see the Labour Party in Britain entering office and see a change of policies and the introduction of Labour's socialist policies that emphasise equality for all and that would reverse the Tory cutbacks that have caused such hardship and poverty across Britain. I hope that in Northern Ireland we will see really good, pro-remain people elected, particularly Claire Hanna in south Belfast, who I know well and who is a really admirable candidate. I wish her and remain candidates generally the very best of luck. I hope that we will have an opportunity in the new year to debate the impact in this jurisdiction of whatever outcome transpires in the British general election. I, for one, very much hope it will be a Labour victory and that we will see a second referendum which will reverse the decision relating to Brexit. No doubt we will have a chance to debate that in the New Year.

I want to ask the Leader to arrange a debate on climate change in the new year. We are due to have debates with different Ministers on the various impacts of the Government's climate action plan. I draw colleagues' attention to an email many of us received this week from Mia Treacy on behalf of the school council of Coláiste Éinde girls secondary school in Galway, putting forward a novel but brilliant idea from that school community for a Foraoise na bPáistí, a Government plan to plant a tree for every schoolchild in Ireland as a Christmas present. I thought it was a lovely plan and a very practical way to implement a measure to tackle the climate crisis. The school points out that there are over 800,000 primary and secondary school pupils in Ireland. While there may not be time to plant a tree for each at them this Christmas, it would be nice to incorporate this plan into our discussions on climate action in the new year and to urge the Government to take on board this novel but very positive suggestion. Clearly, the Government, through Coillte, owns a great deal of forested land but we need to see more reforesting. This proposal for over 800,000 trees to be planted, which is symbolically one for every child in Ireland, given how schoolchildren have led so proactively and brilliantly in terms of the climate change movement across the world, would be a really fitting gesture. I am delighted Time magazine has named Greta Thunberg as its international person of the year. That is very fitting and, again, it is great to see the huge initiative of schoolchildren being marked in this important way.

I want to pick up on the first point Senator Bacik made regarding the election happening in Great Britain and Northern Ireland today. The Seanad committee on Brexit will be launching a report on Tuesday next. The committee, on which Senators Craughwell, Marshall and I sit, will be placing a motion before the House and we very much look forward to debating what will be the committee's final report in due course.

Rather than seeking a debate on an update on Brexit and relations with the UK next year, as Senator Bacik suggested, I think it is far more urgent than that. I am instead calling on the Leader to see if we can find time next week to debate that. UK politics moves far more swiftly than our politics in terms of the formation of a government. We will have a much clearer idea by Tuesday or Wednesday what the next government in the UK will be. It is crucially important to Ireland, probably more so than with any previous UK election, that we debate that and look at what lies ahead for the next month or beyond for this island. I call on the Leader to see if the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade could facilitate that as early as next week. I will not go into individual candidates or parties, far from it, but the issues at stake that affect this island and this country are so important that we urgently need to have that debate.

Today is a monumental day in UK and Northern Irish politics. We are all aware of the significance of the vote today. There will be change. We all know that sometimes change is a good thing so we will have some change of personnel. It is important to note that this gives Northern Ireland a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate leadership. When there is a bit of a shuffle and shake up, it provides the people with a chance to shine and show that leadership. Whatever happens in Great Britain today and whatever happens with regard to Brexit, it is important to note that the sky will not fall in. The relationship between Dublin and London is very important and needs to be maintained. As Senator Richmond said, there has been a lot of work behind the scenes and credit must be given to those people who have tried to prepare Ireland and Northern Ireland for a potential Brexit.

To echo what was said by Senators Craughwell and Conway-Walsh, I extend my sincere thanks to all Senators and Deputies who attended the screening of "Lost Lives" last night. It was my second time to watch the film and I thought naively that it would be an easier watch the second time around but it was equally powerful. I am told by people that no matter how many times one watches it, it is a very powerful piece of cinematography. In particular, I thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for taking time out of a very busy schedule. Not only did he come in advance of the screening, he stayed for the duration and participated in the question-and-answer session afterwards. I am very grateful for that. He did add to that conversation. One word that really summed up what we witnessed last night is "futility" - the futility of the conflict and what happened and the pain, loss and suffering that very often we did not see on the television news reports. I mean this completely respectfully but it was a side that many people in this House did not see. It was something that happened up there - something in the distance - and it was horrible but we did not really understand it. The film must serve as a reminder that we can never allow ourselves to go back to that situation because it was a horrible time. My family and I lived through it and like the book, the film triggered memories and horrible images of what happened. It was the pain, the hurt and broken people. The point was well made last night by the Tánaiste that this was not about 3,700 people; it was about tens of thousands of people's lives that were impacted by this. These people would never get over the pain and suffering.

Due to the significance of today with the UK general election, it is worth noting that the role of the Tánaiste in the talks on getting the institutions in the North up and running is critical. I would like everybody in this House to give as much support as possible to getting those institutions up and running because we must give credit to the people living and working in Northern Ireland every day - the politicians who are still there albeit without an Executive. That work is still being done. People are working tirelessly behind the scenes. There are loyalists and republicans who are working very hard to make sure that the institutions are up and running to give a degree of normality back to Northern Ireland. Unlike some of the negativity reported through the media, a lot of positive things are happening in Northern Ireland and there is a good opportunity to move the conversation forward.

Today is a very big day for the UK but also for the island of Ireland. No matter what happens today, I hope the island of Ireland, particularly Northern Ireland, will not be forgotten because it was forgotten about when the Brexit referendum took place. We are now working twice as hard to undo the difficulties that have occurred since the referendum. I attended that screening of "Lost Lives" last night. I thank Senator Marshall and the Tánaiste for attending. I became aware of the book "Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles" about two or three years ago through a newspaper article. I remember going into Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street to buy it. First of all, it was not on sale, although I see that it costs nearly €300 on Amazon. This book is a masterpiece by David McKittrick and four other authors. The film last night did huge justice to this masterpiece - a horrific masterpiece.

Of all the stories of horrific killings, of which there were over 3,700, one really touched me. It was the story of a man called Billy Giles, a UVF volunteer who abducted and shot a Catholic friend in 1982. He served time in prison and on his release weeks after the Good Friday Agreement, he hung himself. In his note, he said that he was a victim of the Troubles, that the environment in which he lived turned him into a killer and that he wanted new generations to know the regret and remorse he felt. I say this because when I went into the Oireachtas Library to get that book three years ago, it had been out on loan with a Member for four years so none of the 250 Deputies and Senators and research staff had looked for that book. This film will be broadcast on the BBC but it should be shown in every school, church and facility around this country. Senator Marshall is right. We turned our backs on the people of the North. It should be compulsory for any of these keyboard warriors who talk about this, that and the other to read this book because the lives of 3,700 people were taken and we need to look at that. During the discussion after the screening of the film, one of the contributors said that we need to love the people of the North much more. We need to show that we are interested. If we are to have an agreed Ireland, we must make huge sacrifices ourselves. It is not a one-way street. It is a two-way street and we need to dig deep and show that we care because sometimes talk or emotion will not solve it. We must be able to dig deep and show that we really care and really want to show the love to the people of the North, who are good people.