05/08/2011 BBC Newsline

Good evening. This is BBC Newsline. The headlines... House prices

continued to fall. The global financial markets take a dive. What

does it mean for us locally? Three men are charged to an

connection with rioting in Ballyclare last month.

Two men arrested in a suspected dissident republican operation

appear in court in Londonderry. The Dublin Horse Show is not the

only sporting attraction in town. I am live on the eve of the biggest

Gaelic football match this season so far.

And potential heavy downpours this weekend, but not everywhere, so

make sure you get the local weather House prices are still falling. New

car sales are down. Our biggest local bank is still losing money

because of the property crash. But it has been a day of gloomy

economic mood -- news against a backdrop of turmoil on the world's

financial markets. Still, what does this mean and how can it affect us?

Our correspondent Jim Fitzpatrick explains the huge levels of debt in

the economy. Shopping - it is what drives the

economy. Apparently, we are not consuming enough. Recently, if you

have reduced your use of the plastic, you may be surprised to

learn your debt bill is now be called that -- bigger than ever.

The Government has been on a spending spree with your money,

with all of our money. Let's take a look at the things we taxpayers now

own. Like this, at the back of Ulster.

They announced losses today or �566 million. We also own the old car

works here in Belfast. Taxpayers now owned 84 % of RBS, the parent

group of Ulster Bank, and that spending spree by Government has

been happening all over the world, and that has been fretting our

fragile economic recovery. Stock markets are falling because

come up -- companies think countries are to get written to

grow. This packaging company in Belfast's off thinks growth is

needed. A stimulus package would give

growth to foreign investment and indigenous business and help

balance the economy away from the public sector into the private

sector opportunities. This company is doing fine at

present, but to avoid recession, the UK Government may need to do

less cutting and more spending. The demand side of the UK economy

has collapsed totally. We're looking at consumption levels

equivalent to what it was back in the early 1980s. Very, very low. We

definitely need some sort of stainless because we cannot get the

deficit down unless we have growth. -- some sort of stimulus.

A we are not spending and the Government is cutting, so the

solution is in our -- their hands, not ours.

Looking closer at house prices, the latest survey shows value is

heading down and there has been another slight movement in sales.

The research by the Bank of Ireland and the University of Also is

considered one of the best guides to the state of affairs in Ireland,

and the average house price has fallen by more than 15% in the last

year. -- the University of Ulster. Buying or selling a house is not

what it used to be. The latest survey says prices are still

falling. In 2007 the average price was around �250,000, now that is

just under �130,000. In the last year, prices have fallen by 15%.

The good news is that lower prices have pushed up the number of sales

from 925 in one quarter to 1062 in the last quarter.

Then is always a difficulty in adjusting expectations,

particularly on the vendor or expectations who feel the property

is worth more than what the market as telling them. As far as the

typical resale value in Northern Ireland, the market is still pretty

subdued. Estate agent like this one in north

Belfast still have to sell houses, despite all the uncertainty amongst

buyers and the disappointment of sellers that they are not fetching

more. It is all a far cry from the boom times. It did not make

economic sense, but it happened for a variety of reasons - the banks

were lending left right and centre and the sort of thing was happening.

It did not make sense and we are now paying the price. I said at the

time, I wish this would stop, people were surprised because they

thought we were doing brilliantly, but we were killing the goose.

Up until 2007, the housing market was inflating like a balloon. For

some people times were very good indeed. Since then, rather a lot of

air has escaped. It is not getting out quite so quickly now, but with

the local and global economies so uncertain, the deflation is not

over yet. Our business and economic editor

Jim Fitzpatrick is with me now. A slight movement in sales, but there

are people owed their wanting to buy but they cannot get the loans

from the banks. -- there are people out there.

Yes, because banks were lending money to ease a lead they never

have to be careful. It has been to a full for people to borrow, and

with the value of houses falling banks cannot be so sure about the

value they are lending on. It is hard for people to get on that

ladder, and the mood and we are seeing is slight and at the bottom

end of the market. -- the movement we are seeing.

We have chatted about growth, minimal though it is to be for

Northern Ireland, and again that the banks are key to developing

growth in Northern Ireland. So many of them are hamstrung by these

awful depths. Look at the Ulster Bank today - �566 million losses.

They are trying to sort that problem, and because of uncertainty

consumers are not spending and some businesses are not investing even

if they have the cash. It is a possible cycle would you have a

situation with people not spending, but this is not investing and the

economy find it more difficult to grow.

And it is something our politicians can do very little about.

Yes, we saw a representative saying earlier to cut corporation tax.

They could do that. They could cut rates, but at is limited. It is

down to the Chancellor - he needs to put a stimulus into the economy.

Will he do that, I am not sure. You are watching BBC News line.

Still to come to talk -- still to come...

We meet the artists trying to spend a living in the craft world.

And we will be behind the scenes with the County Down man at the

Dublin Horse Show. Three men have been in court

charged in connection with the rioting in Ballyclare last month.

The disturbances started after the police moved in to remove

paramilitary and Union flags close to a Catholic church, something

they later apologised for. Our district journalist has the report.

Violent scenes in Ballyclare. Police came under attack just two

days before the 12th of July celebrations after officers removed

flags from close to the Catholic Church on the edge of the loyalist

Grange estate. The trouble spread to parts of Newtonabbey and

Carrickfergus. The PSNI later apologised for their handling of

the issue, but in recent days nationalist politicians have

criticised them for not strenuous - - pursuing or loyalist rioters.

This morning, three member in court charged in connection with the

disturbances. They were 55-year-old Ronald Cowan, Ryan Charnley, 23,

and 21-year-old David Dowdy. They were arrested after raids in the

town yesterday. Each is charged with riotous Assembly. Ryan

Charnley, a forklift driver, is accused of having bricks and

masonry with intent to damage police vehicles. He and David Dowdy

were released on bail under strict conditions. They were told to stay

out of Ballyclare after a detective said he was worried tensions would

rise again because of the arrests. Ronald Cowan was remanded in

custody, and detectives said he believed him to beat an

orchestrator of the trouble. All three denied charges. They are

expected to appear again next month. The police are to invest -- be

investigate the murder of the 18- year-old student Gavin Brett, shot

dead by the UDA in Glengormley ten years ago. The gunmen opened fire

from a passing car on a group of teenagers standing near a GAA club.

It is believed the intended target was a Catholic. No one has been

prosecuted for the killing which came after weeks of tension in

Northern Ireland. The murder will now be investigated by detectives

from the Serious crime branch. They see inquiries are at an early stage.

Two men have appeared in court in Londonderry charged with having a

gun with intent to endanger life. They were arrested earlier this

week in a police operation against suspected dissident republican

activity. A man and 16-year-old boy who were also detained have been

released without charge. Security was tight around the court

house in Derry this morning as the two men went led handcuffed by

police into the building. 24-year- old Mark Kerr and 44-year-old Tony

Taylor are accused of possessing as 0.22 rifle with intent to endanger

life. Police said they found a rifle in a holdall of Mark Kerr's

boot. A detonator was also found after an extensive search. A

detective told the court that Mark Kerr claimed he was acting under

duress. During interview, the accused told the detectives, I am

not a member of any organisation, I was just told to drive. Tony Taylor

was arrested a short distance away and had rapping from the holdall in

his position. He told police he had earlier had a dispute with a man

who had thrown the plastic wrapping at him and he picked it up to look

at it. Three suspected coffee jar bombs were also found in the search.

As they were led away from the court supporters outside cheered.

A man has appeared in court in Craigavon charged with having 12

guns and counterfeit currency worth �2,500. William Andrews of

Portadown was released on bail. Part of the conditions included a

ban ongoing to car boot sales where it is understood he bought some of

their guns. He denied having counterfeit currency and criminal

damage. The police say a teenager seriously

assaulted in antrum was the victim of a sectarian attack. The 17-year-

old Catholic boy was set upon by three men in the early hours of

this morning on Station Road. He is in critical condition in hospital.

It seems the most fertile place for local artists and craftspeople may

be the answer peninsula. For the tenth year running, the narrow

finger of land is hosting an event into the secrets of her craft are

They say they never get good weather for craft in the square,

but this morning at least the sun shone. You often see these

beautiful bowls the sale, but it is not very often you get to see how

it gets to this stage. That is what is happening here today. What sort

of interest due having people watching you do this work? A lot, I

like passing on the scale, I like people watching. Sorry about the

noise. People are always interested when things are working. For the

next nine days, people can visit workshops dotted around the % --

the peninsula. There are 11 of us all contributing different shop so

-- different skills, jewellery making, painting. What makes this

such a vibrant place arts and crafts? I think it is just such a

beautiful environment are working. Spinning enough Lamb's will to make

a hat takes one-and-a-half hours before you even start knitting.

Despite spending many hours at their craft, they could not make a

living for it. I did have a commercial pottery outfit, but they

closed at down. I get much more pleasure out of hand making.

this one you have to sell later on? Yes, if I can get it home in one

piece. But there is an economic purpose as well. The creative

industries are very important to Northern Ireland as a whole. It is

a wealth generator. It is also a tourism generator, because people

come to visit the studios. video -- the visitors today did not

all have to buy crafts. They could just dance to the music.

And there are plenty of people heading south this game. More on

that later, but first, our Dublin reporter Jennifer O'Leary is at

another big All-Ireland sporting occasion - the Dublin Horse Show.

Hello, Jennifer. It is all about having a horse in

the show, the prestige involved. You get a real sense of the love

and the time it that the owners give to their horses. You can tell

from their muscle tone and shiny coats. We spoke to one own earlier

this morning. The horses and ponies are competing over five days but

their owners have been working all year towards the event. It is one

of the oldest horse shows in the world. Today is the busiest day

when some 65 judges on their toes. Hard work goes on behind the scenes

to impress them. It is very competitive, but there is a real

buzz to stand there and reach that red rosette. Everybody wants that.

It is a strange feeling to get that. It doesn't matter how many you get,

if you get a red one, you are pleased. For him, it is not just a

hobby, it runs in his blood. family were always involved. I

think my father still holds the record of winning five years in

succession without a break. Some 1,500 horses compete over the five

days of the show. It has been a pretty good week so far. This week,

we have been lucky. We brought down four young horses and two nursing

false. Yesterday, we had three firsts, a third, and a champion

three-year-old. Not a red rosette, but a gift place. In the main arena,

eight professional teams vie to take home the nation's Cup trophy.

But for this man and his horse and hundreds of other competitors, the

magic of taking part in Dublin Horse Show will continue until

Sunday. Joining me is Michael Duffy, chief Executive of the Royal Dublin

Society. Michael, first of all, who and what is the Royal Dublin

Society? It was founded 280 years ago, to contribute to the economic

and cultural development of Ireland. It has a programme of agriculture,

arts, industries, science and equestrianism. Three those

different activities and commercial activities as well it hosts

something like 500 events and the economy benefits to the tune of 620

million. For people who know about showjumping they will be here, but

for those who don't, why should they visit? First, you will come to

a poor show which is in the top two in the world. But apart from that

we have tremendous additional features. There is a trade show

with over 300 stalls there, so that is fantastic shopping. We have so

many things to do. If you want to sit and watch the world go by, you

can do that as well. And it continues until Sunday, if you are

in the vicinity, it may be worth a visit.

Jayne Wisener may now be a top class actress who's starred

alongside Johnny Depp, but the Coleraine woman certainly hasn't

forgotten her roots. She's been back home for a break and took the

opportunity to pass on a few tips about the acting profession to up

and coming stars. There is some flash photography in this next

report, which is from our North- West reporter Keiron Tourish.

It was a welcome return to where it all started six years ago for

actress Jayne Wisener. He was singing the really high park?

were a few of us, we are top sopranos. This theatre group is

currently staging Sweeney Todd. It was on this very stage that Jayne

Wisener was spotted and she went on to us -- to score the role of

Joanna in the film version. I was lucky to get a break, because

sometimes people find it hard to get into the industry. I got my

agent through the film and it has really gone from where. He gets me

auditions and I now have representation in America which is

nice as well, because it means I can have fully open some doors over

there eventually. Over recent years, she has starred in a host of

productions, underlining the versatility. But he told us she has

one big production which undoubtedly will take centre stage

in the next year. I'm busy wedding planning at the minute for next

summer! That is taking up a lot of my time and energy. That will be

the big story of next year. Yes, for me! The young actors who took

part and then masterclass -- in the masterclass was certainly impressed.

She played the part brilliantly. She is a really big role model.

Everybody was so excited to see her. They wanted to hear about

everything she has done. We were getting her autograph and photos.

This version of Sweeney Todd runs until Saturday night.

From stars of the stage to sport, and tomorrow would be a good time

to sparkle if you're playing in the quarter-final of the All-Ireland

football championship between Tyrone and Dublin. Austin

O'Callaghan has all the news on that.

It would...although don't expect to see any make-up on the Croke Park

stage tomorrow. For the fourth time in seven years, Tyrone and Dublin

go head-to-head in the last eight of the championship. The winners

will play Donegal in the All- Ireland semi-final at the end of

the month. Live now to our reporter Thomas Kane who's in Dublin.

Yes, his huge crowds are attending the Horse Show but we are attending

the biggest attendance of the season as we go head to head for a

place in the last four of the All- Ireland Championships. Such is the

excitement are many Tyrone fans a gathering at an event this evening.

Any time you play Dublin will always be special. Yes, it is

championship third ball, it is Dublin, a does not get much bigger

than that. When you think of Dublin against to Rome, you think about

2005. You are looking for repeat performance tomorrow? Yes, that

would do. To Wren seemed to be getting better and better as the

summer goes on. Yes, they are, but we are quietly confident. Give us a

prediction. Tyrone. I'm not going to ask these young fans who they

support, I think it is pretty obvious. Coverage starts at 645.

The new Carling Premiership soccer season kicks off tomorrow. While

the likes of Linfield, Glentoran and Crusaders will have designs on

winning silverware, other clubs are just happy to have a seat at the

top table of local football, as This is a good time for a new team

to join the big boys. A salary cap from layers -- player's wages has

balanced things out. I don't think we will win the league. It is

massive for the club and massive for the town as well. Great to be

back in the top fleet of Irish football. It showed how much it

meant to everybody when we won last year. This is the team they are

chasing - title-holders Linfield. Every club in the league will have

to challenge on a budget. Even the budget I was given was well, well

below what our wage cap would be. We are working well within our

league -- within our means. It is part of Irish football now, you

have to do your homework and balance things up because the wages

cap has been put on. And everybody is feeling the pinch. Glentoran

have resigned one of the highest played fade -- players in football.

He has taken a substantial pay cut to play for his old club. In

financially tough times, it seems it is more about passion. Full

coverage on BBC Radio Ulster. Ireland step up their preparations

for rugby's World Cup in New Zealand next month with a match

against Scotland in Edinburgh tomorrow afternoon. This is the

first of four warm-up internationals. No Brian O'Driscoll

or Gordon Darcy involved. So, with several big names missing, it's a

key opportunity for other squad members to prove to coach Declan

Kidney that they deserve to be in the 30-man World Cup squad.

Certainly there are so many quality players in Irish rugby right now.

It just keeps everyone on their toes. So many lads are hungry to

get on the plane to New Zealand. Live coverage across the BBC

tomorrow afternoon from 2.15pm. Now, whatever you're doing this

weekend, we are praying for some sunshine. Let us get the latest on

You have not been praying hard enough, obviously! Hopefully it

will not be all bad but it won't be great. Today was a bit of a

nondescript date. Early sunshine faded pretty fast and cloud has

been rolling in. In nice summer's day in the Irish Sea if you happen

to be sailing. Unfortunately that was not the case over land. Still

quite cloudy, one or two little showers around. Fairly dry in most

places, not to warm, not too cold. Temperatures about 12 degrees

although towards morning showers will develop more widely. Many of

us will start wet tomorrow. I can't hide that weekend headline there,

heavy showers. I don't know if that is why these sea gulls had decided

to take fight, because they saw what the forecast was, but this is

not the end of summer! It will be disappointing tomorrow, a cloudy

start with showery rain. Not much in the way of brightness. And there

is some potential in the east or downpours. Temperatures, look at

that - 16 degrees. Still some showers in the West. Probably not

quite as heavy. But it is not a complete washout. Later in the

afternoon, showers start to fade, and a bit of the evening sunshine

will pop through. If you plan on doing something outdoors tomorrow

evening, hopefully the grass will not be too soggy. The festival of

light is on a Newcastle, the Red Arrows will hopefully get away in

the afternoon. More sunshine to come on Sunday.