02/03/2013

:00:19. > :00:24.And hello and welcome to the programmes. Today we have

:00:24. > :00:28.highlights from a gathering of the Alliance Party including David

:00:28. > :00:33.Ford's Aquino is speech. He will be taking to the podium at very

:00:33. > :00:43.shortly. It has been a difficult few months for the party following

:00:43. > :00:48.the decision at Belfast to only fly the Union flag on certain days. We

:00:48. > :00:54.can see Naomi Long addressing the conference live. She has of course

:00:54. > :00:59.faced a death threat. With me in studio is the political expert,

:00:59. > :01:05.Professor Rick Wilford and at the La Mon Hotel for us, our political

:01:05. > :01:10.editor, Mark Devenport. Give us a flavour of what has been happening

:01:10. > :01:14.out there so far this morning will stop there was a dinner last night

:01:14. > :01:19.and they have had a couple of interesting speakers so far? The

:01:19. > :01:23.yes, they had a dinner last night and their guest was the Labour

:01:23. > :01:27.business spokesmen and they have already heard from the Liberal

:01:27. > :01:33.Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes who introduced Naomi Long who is

:01:33. > :01:37.speaking right now. Simon Hughes paid tribute to Naomi Long and how

:01:37. > :01:41.she has handled the last few months and I would say the whole business

:01:41. > :01:49.of the flag dispute and the intimidation of the attacks are has

:01:49. > :01:54.not been hidden away in any way. It has been very much to the fore. The

:01:54. > :01:57.party president paid tribute to those who had faced intimidation

:01:57. > :02:01.and attacked in particular the two Unionist parties saying that the

:02:01. > :02:05.pressure they had brought to bear had demonstrated unsuitability to

:02:05. > :02:10.office. We have seen a whole series of references to that during the

:02:10. > :02:15.course of the morning. At an emotional Maire Hendron who is one

:02:15. > :02:19.of the Belfast City Council's who was involved in that decision to

:02:19. > :02:23.fly the flag on designated days, she was one of the first because

:02:23. > :02:33.this morning and she made an emotional speech and got a standing

:02:33. > :02:33.

:02:33. > :02:42.ovation? Yes, both her and other Belfast city councillors were

:02:42. > :02:46.defending their position and the two nationalist parties have been

:02:46. > :02:51.looking for the removal of the slide and the Unionists have been

:02:51. > :02:56.looking for it to be maintained at 3 and 65 days a year. The Alliance

:02:56. > :03:01.Party have stuck to their decision despite pressure. They will be

:03:01. > :03:05.hoping they will be able to move on to the electoral high-ground having

:03:05. > :03:10.occupied the moral high ground in the last few months. That is a more

:03:10. > :03:14.open question because we have yet to see an electoral test of what it

:03:14. > :03:20.will do in some of those Unionist areas where they have previously

:03:20. > :03:27.relied on support. What you think we can expect from David for it in

:03:27. > :03:31.his keynote speech? I think we will be hearing more of the same, a

:03:31. > :03:37.tribute to those who have been intimidated and also start defence

:03:37. > :03:47.of the party's plan for a shared future. On that topic, let us turn

:03:47. > :03:49.

:03:49. > :03:56.to one of the party's MLAs, Chris Lyttle. In East Belfast. What has

:03:56. > :04:04.it been like for you in recent weeks? We have an exceptional team

:04:04. > :04:09.in East Belfast so my colleagues Naomi Long, Judith Cochrane and I

:04:10. > :04:15.have focused on getting on with our job and our staff has shown great

:04:15. > :04:19.courage to get on with a job. attributes to those who faced

:04:19. > :04:23.intimidation here but there is a hard edge question - will it pay

:04:23. > :04:27.you electoral dividends or when you suffer? We're hearing from Naomi

:04:27. > :04:33.Long, some would say she only one that's the because she was able to

:04:33. > :04:37.gather support in loyalist areas and that now also disappear? I have

:04:37. > :04:41.no doubt we take our support from across the community and we will

:04:41. > :04:46.continue to do that. I have been an Alliance Party member since 2002

:04:46. > :04:51.and this is the most encouraging conference. Given the electoral

:04:51. > :04:56.maps, it is a predominantly Unionist seat. It is a cross-

:04:56. > :04:59.community seat, to be honest. Naomi Long drew support from across the

:04:59. > :05:03.Community and research all of the community. We have published a

:05:03. > :05:08.shared future strategy and there is a huge amount of people who want to

:05:08. > :05:11.see a political party that parrot houses building a shared future.

:05:11. > :05:15.The last week has seen the formation of a new party, we have

:05:15. > :05:20.yet to know its name but a Basil McCrea and John McAllister say they

:05:20. > :05:26.will create this Unionist Party, are you concerned this might appear

:05:26. > :05:30.to your supporters? In my opinion, the name of the party to build a

:05:30. > :05:33.shared policies is the Alliance Party and I stick to that. We have

:05:33. > :05:39.published our strategy, we want to go out and engage with people from

:05:39. > :05:47.all backgrounds who we think one to see our ideas going forward. We

:05:47. > :05:52.have over 70% of people who want to see integrated education, 44%

:05:52. > :05:57.people supported our slide flying decision. We need to move on and

:05:57. > :06:02.focus on the economy. As you come under more pressure, he would

:06:02. > :06:10.consider going into opposition? two ministers in the Executive are

:06:10. > :06:15.delivering a real change. I think we are affecting real change at

:06:15. > :06:25.this moment in time. We have to leave it there for now. That is a

:06:25. > :06:30.

:06:30. > :06:38.sense of what is going on here. Let us hear the views of my studio

:06:38. > :06:42.guest, Professor Rick Wilford. We are waiting to hear what the party

:06:42. > :06:47.leader has to say and we may hear a little of Naomi Long's comments in

:06:47. > :06:52.a moment or two but first of all, it has been a difficult few months

:06:52. > :06:57.for the Alliance Party on the flags issue so will there be a sense of

:06:57. > :07:04.getting together to try to show a purposeful face to the public at

:07:04. > :07:08.this? Absolutely, it has been a testing period for them and it will

:07:08. > :07:12.continue to be a testing period because this issue is not flagging,

:07:12. > :07:16.it is continuing. They will probably demonstrate that they have

:07:16. > :07:20.been resolute and a united and they were defending their position on

:07:20. > :07:25.designated days so that will feature, too, in what David Ford

:07:25. > :07:30.has to say. There has been his attempt to put them in a Nutcracker

:07:30. > :07:37.between the DUP and the UUP, trying to squeeze them and the longer term

:07:37. > :07:41.strategy here is to try and iced Naomi Long from the seat so that

:07:41. > :07:48.will figure in her speech. He is also going to celebrate, no doubt,

:07:48. > :07:52.that is achievements both as hen as justice minister and that of his

:07:52. > :07:56.colleague, Stephen Farry at employment and learning. We will

:07:56. > :08:04.get some celebratory remarks. The centrepiece of his speech is likely

:08:04. > :08:08.to be an attempt to apply it this particular fro they have consisted

:08:08. > :08:16.with for so long and that is that it is time for Northern Ireland to

:08:16. > :08:19.move away from a discreet, closed politics of identity, towards

:08:19. > :08:26.recognition. It is a cross- community party and design to be

:08:26. > :08:30.inclusive. It respects differences but it does not celebrate them to

:08:30. > :08:37.the point where it simply becomes an either or politics in Northern

:08:37. > :08:40.Ireland and that is why for every one document, this will be a

:08:40. > :08:48.centrepiece on what he has to talk about today. Mark Devenport touched

:08:48. > :08:53.on this matter of the new Unionist Party, that is something we might

:08:53. > :08:58.explore because it is intriguing. Is it possible that that party

:08:58. > :09:03.established by Basil McCrea and John McAllister, might begin to eat

:09:03. > :09:09.into natural Alliance Party territory? David Ford was asked

:09:09. > :09:15.about this and he said it was not possible to be a Liberal Unionist.

:09:15. > :09:24.In his world, you're not a liberal. I don't buy that distinction, you

:09:24. > :09:28.can be a liberal unionist. Liberalism means openness and

:09:28. > :09:32.respect for difference. That is not a contradiction in terms. But

:09:32. > :09:41.whether it will constitute a challenge is another matter. It is

:09:41. > :09:45.small, the other party that has no name, it is imperfectly formed both

:09:45. > :09:49.stop there was a document produced by Basil McCrea and John McAllister

:09:49. > :09:53.earlier in the week but there was no detailed and I think they

:09:53. > :09:58.probably have jumped too soon in the sense that they have not got a

:09:58. > :10:04.considers platform or even a label under which to canvas and Campion.

:10:04. > :10:07.It is very difficult to see that if Alliance has captured not so much

:10:08. > :10:14.the centre ground in Northern Ireland politics but maybe for what

:10:14. > :10:18.liberal-minded people is common ground, it will be difficult for

:10:18. > :10:22.Basil McCrae and John McAllister to nudge into that territory. What I

:10:22. > :10:27.thought was fascinating was that David Ford seemed to be suggesting

:10:27. > :10:33.that people who are members of the Alliance Party and people who vote

:10:33. > :10:39.for the Alliance Party are neither Unionist nor a nationalist, they

:10:39. > :10:45.would suggest that they are neither but is it THAT there must be people

:10:45. > :10:50.in that party who are comfortable to be Unionists and comfortable to

:10:50. > :10:55.be nationalists? Absolutely, it has always prided itself on its ability

:10:55. > :11:01.to transcend differences so there are bound to be people who are

:11:01. > :11:03.nationalists and Unionists and also from the senses we know there is a

:11:03. > :11:07.significant proportion of people in Northern Ireland who define

:11:07. > :11:12.themselves as Northern Irish, they do not define themselves as either

:11:12. > :11:18.unionist or nationalist and that growing number of people is clearly

:11:18. > :11:21.an national target for the Alliance Party. It will be something of a

:11:21. > :11:28.target for Basil McCrea and John McAllister also but when push comes

:11:28. > :11:32.to shove, there are going to beat people in the Alliance Party who

:11:32. > :11:39.will vote one way or the other four a border poll. Some people were

:11:39. > :11:45.saying it is the weakness of the Alliance Party, it is neither fish

:11:45. > :11:51.nor fowl but in fact on that issue, people in the Alliance Party will

:11:51. > :11:54.bought one way or the other but it seems to be able to contain both.

:11:54. > :11:59.We will hear more from you throughout the rest of the

:11:59. > :12:04.programmes. Let's cross now to the conference hall where Naomi Long is

:12:04. > :12:07.just finishing her address to the conference. The leader of the

:12:07. > :12:14.Alliance Party, David Ford, should be about to make his keynote

:12:14. > :12:20.address. He has been introduced by his deputy. He is asking for people

:12:20. > :12:24.to take their seats and as soon as he steps up, we will hear what he

:12:25. > :12:31.says. Thank you for your introduction and

:12:31. > :12:37.for what you do representing as in Westminster. You could have had no

:12:37. > :12:47.finer tribute than from Simon Hughes as someone who was in

:12:47. > :12:58.

:12:58. > :13:02.Westminster for 27 years. Can I welcome you all to the

:13:02. > :13:06.conference this morning. Welcome to those of you who suffered the

:13:06. > :13:11.intimidation, the threats and the attacks of recent weeks, because

:13:11. > :13:21.you have done what is right. Welcome and thank you to Naomi,

:13:21. > :13:21.

:13:21. > :13:26.Michael, Judith and the East Belfast team. Welcome to the

:13:26. > :13:36.Carrickfergus team who have also suffered significantly. And to the

:13:36. > :13:36.

:13:36. > :14:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds

:14:27. > :14:31.Welcome to all of you who have been Reception area. These last three

:14:31. > :14:36.months have certainly been a tough time for the alliance but I'm

:14:37. > :14:40.absolutely sure that will be the stronger for it. Literally, we have

:14:40. > :14:45.come through fire and not been found wanting. That strength is

:14:45. > :14:49.recognised by the media and the number of commentators who are not

:14:49. > :14:54.generally sympathetic. Are growing strength has been recognised by the

:14:54. > :14:59.other parties. On I first became party leader what they used to call

:14:59. > :15:05.the four main parties largely ignored us. Conference, they don't

:15:05. > :15:11.ignore us now. So why did the DUP and the UUP deliver all those late

:15:11. > :15:16.at an East Belfast targeting Naomi Long over the flag issue. She isn't

:15:16. > :15:22.a councillor any longer. She isn't a councillor any longer because she

:15:22. > :15:26.took East Belfast in the Westminster election, with the

:15:26. > :15:36.largest swing in any constituency in the United Kingdom. That is why

:15:36. > :15:47.

:15:47. > :15:51.Why did the DUP denied that there were responsible? When we put out

:15:51. > :15:58.leaflets we always put the imprint published by Alliance because we're

:15:58. > :16:02.not ashamed. Clearly the DUP was utterly ashamed of its actions. So

:16:02. > :16:07.we shame that an elected DUP councillor claimed he worked for a

:16:07. > :16:11.delivery company when he was caught on. So when Unionist politicians

:16:11. > :16:15.say that those who raised the flags issued me to accept the

:16:15. > :16:19.responsibility for what followed, they are right. They need to accept

:16:19. > :16:24.their responsibility for what they did. They need to recognise what

:16:24. > :16:28.happens when you stir up tension in a divided society and would you

:16:28. > :16:32.cannot even bring herself to call for an end to end legal actions

:16:32. > :16:37.without ambiguity. I believe that the past few months have taught us

:16:37. > :16:41.a lot but those of us who are capable of learning will be able to

:16:41. > :16:46.learn from them. We have learnt about this party, its strength and

:16:46. > :16:50.resilience, its unity of purpose and that support for those of us

:16:51. > :16:56.under attack. We have learnt about Northern Ireland, where we are as a

:16:56. > :17:00.community and where we need to be. How fragile the rule of law can be.

:17:00. > :17:05.We have seen the differences this - - between how our political parties

:17:05. > :17:09.look at the future, and particularly a shared future. In

:17:09. > :17:13.many respects, Northern Ireland is at an impasse with the DUP and Sinn

:17:13. > :17:20.Fein avoiding the difficult issues, avoiding the difficult issue that

:17:20. > :17:26.was the single quality build, slow progress on the RPA and ESA, no

:17:26. > :17:29.sign of progress on parades or a language is built. India simply

:17:29. > :17:36.failing to follow through and deliver. Worst of all, they had

:17:36. > :17:39.made no progress from reaching agreement about a shared future.

:17:39. > :17:47.And this must be the most pressing issue for Northern Ireland at this

:17:48. > :17:57.time. Contrast the feeling nature of the executive, and look at what

:17:58. > :17:58.

:17:58. > :18:03.can be achieved. And it was a real pleasure when Stephen Farry joined

:18:03. > :18:06.me to sit beside me at the executive table. If nothing else

:18:06. > :18:09.immense I could at least turn one way or pleasant conversation during

:18:09. > :18:17.the meeting. Would any other minister of employment and learning

:18:17. > :18:22.other than Stephen by a terse reducing barriers to labour

:18:22. > :18:26.mobility as assured future issue? Would anybody else begin Treacher

:18:26. > :18:30.training and toppled all the other work he has to do, on

:18:30. > :18:35.apprenticeships come on skills for those with less qualifications?

:18:35. > :18:39.Those are real issues that need to be addressed. It is the same and

:18:39. > :18:43.the Department of Justice will be a reforming prisons, improving access

:18:43. > :18:49.to justice, tackling legal aid and delivering the resources to police

:18:49. > :18:57.service needs. Our committee safety strategy is distinctively Alliance,

:18:57. > :18:59.about building safer shared confident communities. We have a

:18:59. > :19:03.realistic targets to remove interface structures and we're

:19:03. > :19:07.working on it, engaging with local people and we have seen real

:19:07. > :19:12.progress in a number of areas, especially in North Belfast. We are

:19:12. > :19:16.being held back socially, being denied the share future the people

:19:16. > :19:19.deserve due to deadlock between Unionists and nationalists. The

:19:19. > :19:24.five party working group on a shared future seemed destined to

:19:24. > :19:28.produce a report that was merely and the lowest common denominator

:19:28. > :19:34.between Unionism and nationalism. In the end, it didn't even achieve

:19:35. > :19:39.that. After Chris Whittle withdrew, it merely register deadlock, leaked

:19:39. > :19:43.paper showed that the group that failed to make any progress on key

:19:43. > :19:47.issues such as flags and parades and dealing with the past. Let's

:19:47. > :19:52.look at the flags issue as an example of how alliance than

:19:52. > :19:56.Stephanie. Here was the perfect opportunity to deliver change. To

:19:56. > :20:01.characterise and develop Belfast as a city of diversity were different

:20:01. > :20:06.identities are respected and cherished. On opportunity that has

:20:06. > :20:11.existed for years. We first proposed designated days a decade

:20:11. > :20:16.ago. Sinn Fein and the SDLP approach the issue without any

:20:16. > :20:21.regard for those who cherish the Unionist identity. The timing and a

:20:21. > :20:26.Freeman of the debates was a we win, you use argument was that their

:20:26. > :20:32.choosing. What of the Unionist parties? What was their motivation?

:20:32. > :20:39.Compare Belfast with Lisburn, with Craigavon, Ballymoney were Unionist

:20:39. > :20:43.dominated councils fly the Union flag on designated days. In Belfast,

:20:43. > :20:46.there was a deliberate premeditated campaign to with attentions, to

:20:46. > :20:50.generate fears of a loss of identity among those who perceive

:20:50. > :20:55.themselves as having little left to give and to go after the Alliance

:20:55. > :20:59.party and its elected representatives, especially to go

:20:59. > :21:04.after Naomi Long he wasn't even involved and the debate just to win

:21:04. > :21:08.votes. That is the long and short of that. All this has been about

:21:08. > :21:15.winning votes in East Belfast. I don't agree with the decision by

:21:15. > :21:18.Billy Hutchinson took the post designated days. But I do agree

:21:18. > :21:23.with this description of the Unionist Party's handling of the

:21:23. > :21:27.issue as a project, because it was a project to damage the alliance.

:21:27. > :21:34.Is it any wonder that the parties of Unionism and nationalism have

:21:34. > :21:37.reached stalemate in the working group? Two weeks ago I wrote to the

:21:37. > :21:40.First Minister proposing a new approach that I believed could see

:21:40. > :21:46.an effective shared future strategy. It is clear that the current

:21:46. > :21:49.process involving parties only has stalled. Of the First Minister and

:21:49. > :21:52.Deputy First Minister have managed to restart it, our fear is that it

:21:52. > :21:57.would either end in deadlock or in an agreed strategy that avoids the

:21:57. > :22:00.most difficult issues. That is why we have proposed a different

:22:00. > :22:08.approach, one that is more open and inclusive but we believe will make

:22:08. > :22:10.sure that the big issues are no longer docked. We have birds that

:22:10. > :22:16.First Minister and Deputy First Minister to open up a share future

:22:16. > :22:26.reference group with the political parties been joined by a

:22:26. > :22:27.

:22:27. > :22:30.representatives of civic society. The responses at the first

:22:30. > :22:33.ministers' attempts at this shared future strategy shows the level of

:22:33. > :22:37.expertise that exist in our community. We need to use their

:22:37. > :22:42.expertise to get it right. We cannot afford not to get it right.

:22:42. > :22:46.I asked the First and Deputy First Minister has to publish the draft

:22:46. > :22:52.strategy for a new shirt future reference group, to take evidence

:22:52. > :22:55.from the public. It would make recommendations by June of this

:22:55. > :23:00.year and the First Minister and Deputy First Minister would bring a

:23:00. > :23:05.final strategy to do it executive after the summer. After 18 months

:23:05. > :23:09.of private discussions the party's only approach had simply failed.

:23:10. > :23:13.Given the importance of this issue, we believe the public has a right

:23:13. > :23:19.to voice their opinion on the record in an open forum and the

:23:19. > :23:22.response to my suggestion? And an accurate representation of this is

:23:22. > :23:27.abdicating the responsibility of elected politicians and handed over

:23:27. > :23:31.the process to outsiders. They couldn't see that a partnership

:23:31. > :23:37.approach could actually help make progress, or maybe they could and

:23:37. > :23:41.feared it. 19 years since the ceasefires, 15 years since the Good

:23:41. > :23:44.Friday Agreement and after 10 years of devolved government no effective

:23:44. > :23:50.strategy to move or community be on the ending of violence has been

:23:50. > :23:54.produced. We simply have to get on with it. Let's remember, as if we

:23:54. > :23:59.could ever forget, what has been happening on the streets recently.

:23:59. > :24:03.Is there any clear demonstration of the need to build a shared future

:24:03. > :24:08.for all citizens? The lives and livelihoods of so many are being

:24:09. > :24:18.disrupted by minority. A minority hell bent on causing destruction

:24:19. > :24:21.

:24:21. > :24:24.without any thought to the effects of their actions. Yet again, the

:24:25. > :24:28.problems of the society are being played it on the streets and

:24:29. > :24:32.putting enormous pressure on the police service. In my position I am

:24:32. > :24:38.not going to second guess the difficult decisions that

:24:38. > :24:43.operational commanders have to take in response to street disorder. I

:24:43. > :24:46.know that there will be support in this hall and across the Community

:24:46. > :24:50.for resolute action against those who continue to disrupt society,

:24:50. > :25:00.including the resolute action being taken against those who have been

:25:00. > :25:10.

:25:10. > :25:14.organising illegal street protests. I sincerely hope that those who

:25:14. > :25:19.have taken part in a legal protest will recognise the damage they're

:25:19. > :25:24.doing and call of those protests. If they don't, I hope there will be

:25:24. > :25:29.united political boys supporting the PSNI as the deal those protests.

:25:29. > :25:34.A united voice supporting the rule of lot, not the weasel words we

:25:34. > :25:39.heard from Unionists. A united voice, not the complaints we hear

:25:39. > :25:43.from nationalist try to put pressure on the police, including

:25:43. > :25:47.talk yesterday political policing. There ought to be a united voice

:25:47. > :25:51.supporting the rule of law from every party, but somehow I doubt it

:25:51. > :25:54.because too many politicians and the society are unprepared to

:25:54. > :25:59.support the pleas of it means confronting their own supporters.

:25:59. > :26:03.Alliance politicians don't they can choose. We don't decide which was

:26:03. > :26:06.toppled, which police action to support depending on whether they

:26:06. > :26:16.are perceived to be for our side with the other side. Alliance has

:26:16. > :26:23.

:26:23. > :26:26.always stood for the rule of law Of course, differences between

:26:26. > :26:31.Unionists and nationalists on policing are mirrored by their

:26:31. > :26:36.views and a shared future. The union this to mean some kind of

:26:37. > :26:40.society where everyone is supposed to field Unionist, to accept what

:26:40. > :26:45.Peter Robinson called the settle status quo with the Union flag

:26:45. > :26:52.flies ever were 265 busy year with the Irish language received no

:26:52. > :26:59.official recognition, with the terms the Queen's highway is

:26:59. > :27:03.allowed to excludes a whole section of society. Or the Parades

:27:03. > :27:08.Commission he supported only when it takes the right decisions for

:27:08. > :27:13.Unionists. For nationalist a shared future seems to be at version of

:27:13. > :27:19.Sheard parity of esteem. Were the public demand for integrated

:27:19. > :27:24.education goes unheeded. Where are elected representatives will

:27:24. > :27:28.forever have to be designated to turn out whether there us with them.

:27:28. > :27:32.Or playgrounds convenient that to terrorists because it is only

:27:32. > :27:36.national as children who play and then. For both sides it means deals

:27:36. > :27:40.such as those Rusol over the barracks site, supported by both

:27:40. > :27:46.the Unionist parties and the nationalist parties or

:27:46. > :27:51.opportunities to radically develop integration was sacrificed on the

:27:51. > :27:56.culture of one for my side, one for you aside politics. The very nature

:27:56. > :28:00.of the politics that those parties espouse depends upon the

:28:00. > :28:10.continuation of this kind of politics. They rely on the oldest -

:28:10. > :28:17.

:28:17. > :28:23.- bit old -- the old traditions. They focus on proceeds threats to

:28:23. > :28:26.their identity and culture. After 10 years of devolution we have to

:28:26. > :28:30.accept that many communities haven't seen the progress that they

:28:30. > :28:36.deserve. Too many kids are not doing well enough at school, too

:28:36. > :28:40.few job opportunities. Is it any wonder the DUP and Sinn Fein rely

:28:41. > :28:45.on sham fights to draw attention away from their failure to deliver

:28:45. > :28:50.a effectively on the big issues that would really make addition --

:28:50. > :28:55.make a difference to people's everyday lives? It seems to make --

:28:55. > :28:59.it seems to sit unionism better to focus on flags rather than focus on

:28:59. > :29:04.the fact that their children are leaving school without the

:29:04. > :29:08.qualifications they need? For nationalists, maybe it is better to

:29:08. > :29:12.think about a boarder Paul but will not realistically happen with the

:29:12. > :29:16.foreseeable future rather than focusing on the fact that 43 % of

:29:16. > :29:19.children going up and West Belfast are in poverty. Mike Nesbitt will

:29:19. > :29:24.probably insist that by misrepresenting his party and

:29:24. > :29:34.politics. He likes to portray himself as a moderate, yet he leads

:29:34. > :29:48.

:29:48. > :29:51.He insisted that people always have and class and that people always

:29:51. > :29:57.will be ancient green. This was a man who was elected leader because

:29:57. > :30:02.of his ability to communicate a purpose for the UUP. From what I

:30:02. > :30:12.have seen over the years, Mike Nesbitt has much experience from an

:30:12. > :30:21.

:30:21. > :30:25.autocue but it is Peter Robinson he is writing his script! No doubt

:30:25. > :30:30.there are those on board sides they will reject this description of

:30:30. > :30:33.them, they see themselves as moderate Unionists or moderate

:30:33. > :30:43.nationalists or even liberal versions. But I say to them, as

:30:43. > :30:46.long as you are part of the problem, the problem will continue. To MLAs

:30:46. > :30:50.are in the process of setting up another Unionist Party. I

:30:50. > :30:56.acknowledge it is an attempt to move Unionism for it but it will

:30:56. > :30:58.achieve nothing. Change will only happen when we build a strong

:30:58. > :31:03.radical centre-ground in total contrast to both Unionism and

:31:03. > :31:06.nationalism. Otherwise it seems this society goes on locked in this

:31:06. > :31:11.old politics were either nothing happens for fear that one side will

:31:11. > :31:16.get more than the other or a little it happens but only on the basis of

:31:16. > :31:18.one for you, one for me. The old politics, the politics of the past

:31:18. > :31:23.is like a millstone around the neck of the political system, holding us

:31:23. > :31:28.back, preventing us from developing a politics are today and holding us

:31:28. > :31:31.back from the future we want to create. To many of our politicians

:31:31. > :31:35.allow the shadow of that past to present themselves from moving

:31:35. > :31:39.forward, always holding on to the perceived security that comes from

:31:39. > :31:47.the old labels. Only this party has been brave enough and bold enough

:31:47. > :31:53.to make the leap, to free itself of that old politics to focus purely

:31:53. > :31:57.on how to unite our committee through different politics. For

:31:57. > :32:02.years, our politics was frozen as attempt after attempt to break the

:32:02. > :32:05.deadlock over institutions that would bring an end to violence. 15

:32:05. > :32:10.years after that deadlock was broken on Good Friday, we find

:32:10. > :32:13.ourselves in a different deadlock, a political stalemate within the

:32:13. > :32:17.institutions holding us back from the future that a committee

:32:17. > :32:20.deserves. With the constitutional question effectively settled for

:32:20. > :32:24.now by the agreement, this should have been a moment for maximum

:32:24. > :32:31.transformation, an opportunity to take dramatic steps forward towards

:32:31. > :32:41.a future that is very different from the past. To use the end of

:32:41. > :32:43.

:32:43. > :32:49.violence to allow committees to be integrated. As recently written on

:32:49. > :32:53.an Ulster Unionist blog, promises of new beginnings and dedicated to

:32:53. > :32:58.the achievement of Torrance and Jenny Dawe Trust, all signed in a

:32:58. > :33:01.spurt of Concorde, binding commitments were given, not only to

:33:01. > :33:07.purely democratic and peaceful means but to oppose any use or

:33:07. > :33:10.threat of force by others for any political purpose. Every signatory

:33:10. > :33:14.pledged to work to ensure the success of each and every one of

:33:14. > :33:20.the arrangements and signed up to complex but clear constitutional

:33:20. > :33:24.arrangements. Yet despite this, the Executive so far has utterly failed

:33:25. > :33:30.to face the need to make real progress towards a shared society

:33:30. > :33:34.in which sectarianism, fear and threat along only in the past.

:33:34. > :33:38.Politicians have worked to find a political settlement that allows

:33:38. > :33:42.Northern Ireland to be governed but they feel to use it to prioritise

:33:42. > :33:46.the building of a genuinely shared society. The longer we fail to do

:33:46. > :33:50.so, the more our talk of building an economy becomes unrealistic and

:33:50. > :33:56.delusional. The last few weeks events had shown that it can be put

:33:56. > :34:00.off no longer. This is the challenge for us in the Alliance

:34:00. > :34:03.Party this year he. To work to break this new form of deadlock,

:34:03. > :34:07.the deadlock in which we will be stuck as long as the old politics

:34:07. > :34:12.dominates, for all of us in public life who want a better, different

:34:12. > :34:16.shared future for our community, the challenge is to break the

:34:16. > :34:20.dominance of that and move to a new politics. We will not waste the

:34:20. > :34:25.opportunities that have been given to us so we have to put ideas

:34:25. > :34:31.forward the the people to see clearly and unambiguously. That is

:34:31. > :34:35.why two years ago for the Assembly election, we published a manifesto,

:34:35. > :34:43.probably the most comprehensive for a Northern Ireland election. A few

:34:43. > :34:47.weeks ago, we published for everyone, we have set out policies

:34:47. > :34:52.for every department that will help us build a shared future for all

:34:52. > :34:57.our people. We went to see a shares and into go society, free from

:34:57. > :35:00.intimidation and discrimination and fear, or every member is safe, has

:35:00. > :35:06.Upper sureties to contribute and to participate, is treated fairly and

:35:06. > :35:10.with respect, a civic society underpinned by the shared values of

:35:10. > :35:14.equality, respect for diversity and a celebration of our

:35:14. > :35:21.interdependence. For everyone sets out practical policies to deliver

:35:21. > :35:25.that. I am a firm supporter of integrated education. We're not

:35:25. > :35:29.suggesting it is the solution to all our problems but it is part of

:35:30. > :35:32.the solution. Critics accuse of us of social engineering, pushing

:35:32. > :35:38.children together against their parents will and the truth,

:35:38. > :35:42.revealed this week in a poll in the Belfast Telegraph, a 79% of the

:35:42. > :35:46.population would like to see their children at's school becoming

:35:46. > :35:52.integrated. At school for everyone in the local community. The target

:35:52. > :35:55.we have set of 20% of children in integrated schools by 2020 is

:35:55. > :35:59.reasonable, practical and in line with the wishes of the large

:35:59. > :36:04.majority. The problem of flags and parades are being played out on the

:36:04. > :36:08.streets with serious effects on all of us yet they are just sentence of

:36:08. > :36:16.what goes deeper so we have set out how we can make sure that all

:36:16. > :36:23.public space is for all. Let us nail the lie before unionists

:36:23. > :36:31.repeated any more, the Alliance Party respects everybody's right to

:36:31. > :36:41.fly flags but nobody has the right to use flagpoles -- lamp-posts like

:36:41. > :36:50.

:36:50. > :36:58.a dog barking out territory. Up -- at dog marking out his territory.

:36:58. > :37:03.So we will work only make sure that planning policies take account of

:37:03. > :37:07.shared future considerations and we set realistic targets and engage

:37:07. > :37:11.with local communities to build the confidence that will see barriers

:37:11. > :37:14.come down. The Executive has to recognise that the shared housing

:37:14. > :37:19.strategy is now essential so we can meet real housing needs without

:37:19. > :37:23.continuing segregation of. When his party was founded, the challenge

:37:23. > :37:27.was their employment. The challenge for this generation is to build on

:37:27. > :37:31.that achievement and build a shared future in every respect. We will

:37:31. > :37:34.also press both governments to accept their role alongside other

:37:34. > :37:38.parties in finding an inclusive way of dealing with the issues of the

:37:38. > :37:43.past, not one that is with a few people but a comprehensive system

:37:43. > :37:46.for everyone. Too often we have seen short-term decisions

:37:46. > :37:50.satisfying one need at a time rather than dealing with problems

:37:50. > :37:56.at a way that bills are long-term shared future. Make no mistake,

:37:56. > :37:59.this is not Alliance wish-list as some people have claimed, this is

:37:59. > :38:03.vitally important in our society is to prosper economically and

:38:03. > :38:09.maximise our chances of investment as the UK emerges from the

:38:09. > :38:12.recession. We will not attract the investment we need with local or

:38:12. > :38:15.external unless we are seen to be creating conditions have shared

:38:15. > :38:20.future that will allow us to maximise our economic opportunities.

:38:20. > :38:24.The challenge for this generation, for the lifetime of the youngest

:38:24. > :38:29.person in this room, is to break out of that cycle of short-term

:38:29. > :38:33.actions, to find a way to break the stranglehold that the old politics

:38:33. > :38:38.still has over this community's future, to fight a new political

:38:38. > :38:48.battle, not the ancient and outdated Battle of Unionists purses

:38:48. > :38:50.

:38:50. > :38:55.nationalists, between old politics and a new politics. Between a zero

:38:55. > :38:59.sum politics and when when the politics. Between politics for our

:38:59. > :39:03.side and politics for everyone. Let us be clear, Alliance is the force

:39:03. > :39:13.by which we will do so, only a Mayans occupies the Shared Ground

:39:13. > :39:18.

:39:18. > :39:22.where we will have to build a shared future. -- alliance.

:39:22. > :39:26.Remember what President Kennedy said in the early 1960s about the

:39:26. > :39:30.Apollo space programme, which used to do these things in this decade

:39:30. > :39:35.not because they are easy but because they are hard. That goal

:39:35. > :39:39.will serve to organise and measured the best of our energies and skills.

:39:39. > :39:44.The challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are

:39:44. > :39:47.unwilling to postpone and one which we intend to win. With an alliance,

:39:47. > :39:51.we're the party that is clear about our committee's future and what it

:39:51. > :39:55.could and should look like and how that could be achieved. We are the

:39:55. > :40:00.party that is very clear about where our priority lies, but the

:40:00. > :40:04.biggest single challenge facing our committee and its Executive is the

:40:04. > :40:06.challenge of creating a genuinely shared future. We are the party

:40:06. > :40:10.that is utterly committed to overcoming that challenge and

:40:10. > :40:15.bridging the deadlock of the old politics. While other parties

:40:15. > :40:18.continue to pursue old political agendas, generating and sustaining

:40:18. > :40:22.stagnation and deadlock when in the face of that deadlock they retreat

:40:22. > :40:27.back to their familiar obsession with identity and the constitution,

:40:27. > :40:32.there will be no retreat by alliance. Let me remind you of

:40:32. > :40:36.another statement of Hope by President Kennedy's Robert.

:40:36. > :40:41.Speaking in set Africa, he said this - each time a man stands up

:40:41. > :40:45.for an ideal or axe to improve a lot of others or strikes Out

:40:45. > :40:51.Against injustice, he sense for a tiny ripple of hope and crossing

:40:51. > :40:55.each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those

:40:55. > :40:58.reports build at current that could sweep down the mightiest walls of

:40:58. > :41:02.oppression and resistance. Alliance has come through the fire of recent

:41:02. > :41:07.years, we have come through a particular fire in recent weeks, we

:41:07. > :41:11.have been tested and we have not failed. In Northern Ireland, we are

:41:11. > :41:15.at the change, that change that Robert Kennedy spoke of. We can

:41:15. > :41:20.break down those walls, everyone of us is one of those ripples of which

:41:20. > :41:24.he spoke. Youth and old members together, all our actions combine

:41:24. > :41:29.to make waves that will sweep away those walls of prejudice and

:41:29. > :41:33.intolerance. The momentum or continue to build, our movement for

:41:33. > :41:37.change will grow at whatever is thrown at us, metaphorically and

:41:37. > :41:42.literally, we will work relentlessly, we will strive for

:41:42. > :41:46.change, we will lead changed and we will deliver change for the society.

:41:46. > :41:56.We will create a new and better Northern Ireland based on a new and

:41:56. > :42:09.

:42:09. > :42:14.better kind of politics. Our politics for everyone.

:42:14. > :42:24.David Ford getting a standing ovation for his speech. I make it

:42:24. > :42:34.about 31 minutes that he spoke for. That is his wife giving him a hug.

:42:34. > :42:36.

:42:36. > :42:41.Stuart Dickson, Judith Cochrane from East Belfast. He makes his way

:42:41. > :42:44.through the hall and I suppose it is no great surprise that he should

:42:44. > :42:54.get enthusiastic response like this. He did not really pull any punches,

:42:54. > :42:55.

:42:55. > :43:01.he was determined he was going to make that point that the Austrians

:43:01. > :43:06.and Sinn Fein represent the past. He had a significant pop at Mike

:43:06. > :43:10.Nesbitt. I don't know if you recall his speech, he was very backward

:43:10. > :43:14.looking, very little that was progressive. David is basically

:43:14. > :43:19.saying, the party has weathered the storm, we have been buffeted by

:43:20. > :43:23.waves from within the Unionist parties so I suppose is no surprise

:43:23. > :43:27.that he paid particular attention but in that respect there was

:43:27. > :43:33.something of an unbalanced there because he named Peter Robinson and

:43:33. > :43:37.Mike Nesbitt and even Billy Hutchison. There was no naming a

:43:37. > :43:42.any nationalist politicians. don't think he mentioned the SDLP

:43:42. > :43:48.at all. Only in passing. One probably needs to read into that

:43:48. > :43:52.that this was an assault on the other major parties because they

:43:52. > :44:00.are entrenched in either or policies and that really he was

:44:00. > :44:03.saying, this is the party that will bridge the divisions so it can be

:44:03. > :44:07.no surprise per instance that he picked out the Belfast Telegraph

:44:07. > :44:12.poll this week that showed that four out of five adults are in

:44:13. > :44:22.favour of integrated education. In that respect, the party is running

:44:23. > :44:28.

:44:28. > :44:36.We will talk about shirt future again in a moment. He took a tough

:44:36. > :44:42.line on the flags issue. He was crystal-clear. He reiterated today

:44:42. > :44:47.that everything that happens as far as the Alliance party was treated

:44:47. > :44:55.by other parties, particularly the DUP, was about targeting Naomi Long

:44:55. > :45:05.to get that seed back for the DUP. That is the key motive, to unsteady

:45:05. > :45:10.her, to unsettle the electorate. I am surprised that he didn't refer

:45:10. > :45:14.to the Lib Dems holding their seed any sleep. They had a party that

:45:14. > :45:19.was being assaulted from the left than the right, yet with good

:45:19. > :45:23.organisation they held the seat. It may well be that if they have got

:45:23. > :45:33.good organisation underground and East Belfast she can hold onto the

:45:33. > :45:39.seat. Bets go back to the conference hall and hear from Mark

:45:39. > :45:44.Devenport. You have a couple of guests. What did you make up what

:45:44. > :45:50.David Ford had to say? The I thought it was a confident and

:45:50. > :45:58.fairly logical speech in terms of his line of argument. He was going

:45:58. > :46:02.to take That's Union flag dispute and they were built on that. In

:46:02. > :46:08.terms of actual name checks, it was clear that most of his criticism

:46:08. > :46:13.was directed at the Unionists. He did direct some you -- he did

:46:13. > :46:18.direct some criticism at nationalists, Senedd Sidhu halt

:46:18. > :46:24.they had no regard for the Ulster Unionists cherishing their own

:46:24. > :46:30.identity. There was no name to assaults. The rhetoric was all

:46:30. > :46:33.about Peter Robinson, Mike Nesbitt and so on. That probably has been

:46:33. > :46:42.because whilst alliance would see themselves as being different from

:46:42. > :46:46.both sides, the battlegrounds has been in areas like East Belfast,

:46:46. > :46:54.Carrickfergus, in the Unionist areas or alliance was making such

:46:54. > :47:04.large advances. Still, he you going to sample

:47:04. > :47:06.

:47:06. > :47:12.opinion from? We have got one guest for you, but we are promised

:47:12. > :47:19.another. This might be one of these bits of life TV or you see people

:47:19. > :47:27.charging on on air. We will have Naomi Long in a minute, but here is

:47:27. > :47:31.Stephen Farry. What did you think of what's was being said, whilst

:47:31. > :47:38.there was criticism of other parties and how they went about it,

:47:38. > :47:43.your main argument seems to be with the Unionists? Our main argument is

:47:43. > :47:48.about building a shared future for everyone. There has been an attack

:47:48. > :47:52.upon the party, a very personalised attack on Naomi Long. What we were

:47:52. > :47:59.doing today and what David was setting out was a vision for the

:47:59. > :48:05.future of Northern Ireland's. Talking about hope, aspiration,

:48:05. > :48:09.giving young people a stake in the society. Integrated education,

:48:09. > :48:13.shared space are the keys to delivering that. No doubt the

:48:13. > :48:17.Unionists would say, they were various parts to this dispute in

:48:17. > :48:21.Belfast and Sinn Fein had been pushed under what they had done the

:48:21. > :48:27.Unionists would not have responded. The alliance seems to be pitched

:48:27. > :48:33.all the criticism on the Unionists. What happened at Belfast City Hall

:48:33. > :48:37.was a compromise from the alliance. We took what was a very balanced

:48:37. > :48:47.measured approach in the interests of the entire community. The two

:48:47. > :48:48.

:48:48. > :48:52.nationalist parties have the chance to buy into that kind of approach.

:48:52. > :48:57.Unionist did not have that vision. They were shooting from the

:48:57. > :49:02.trenches and got into a very destructive cycle. We are still

:49:02. > :49:06.dealing with the consequences of that. Will come back to how you're

:49:06. > :49:11.trying to the press with their shared future. Naomi Long has just

:49:11. > :49:16.joined us. What did you make of your leader's speech? He had to

:49:16. > :49:20.tackle the flags dispute, didn't he? We had no alternative to day

:49:20. > :49:25.but to do that. I don't think his speech was even predominantly about

:49:25. > :49:28.the flights dispute. A figure was about the exposure of that dispute

:49:28. > :49:33.at the deep sectarian divisions that exist in our society and about

:49:33. > :49:41.our response so bad in terms of wanting to build a more stable

:49:41. > :49:44.society going forward. Unless we build that shared future we will

:49:44. > :49:48.continue to go along this road with huge risk attached everything that

:49:48. > :49:52.we do. We need to start getting the groundwork done out in order that

:49:52. > :49:56.we don't hit another bomb than the road in six months' time. I don't

:49:56. > :50:03.think that is fair on the family's thumb on the businesses and that is

:50:03. > :50:07.not fair on the people who have fought for the future. Opposite

:50:07. > :50:10.there have been developments. We do want to get into the business of

:50:10. > :50:14.charges in the courts and so one cannot but it seems that there has

:50:14. > :50:19.been more of a police crackdown. How is life for yourself, have been

:50:19. > :50:23.settled down or is it still a constant threats? The threat hasn't

:50:23. > :50:28.been removed so why have to live my life as if that threat is a live

:50:28. > :50:34.issue. I have to be careful with my personal security. But is not what

:50:34. > :50:40.drives me to get out of bed and the morning. That is building the

:50:40. > :50:43.shared future. I am there to represent everyone in our community.

:50:43. > :50:47.I was elected to do that in the full knowledge that Northern

:50:47. > :50:52.Ireland politics can be very bruising. It doesn't make it

:50:52. > :50:56.acceptable, but I understand that the Saudis. Things are not

:50:56. > :51:01.completely died down, but at the same time we're try to find ways of

:51:01. > :51:08.being resilient in terms of our practices so we continue to deliver

:51:08. > :51:12.the service that my constituents deserve. The question that is still

:51:12. > :51:17.out there is whether alliance can retain the East Belfast seed in the

:51:17. > :51:24.future. You did enjoy a series of events, you got support within

:51:24. > :51:29.loyalist areas, there was a backlash against Peter Robinson. Do

:51:29. > :51:33.you think when you take out all the business of the morality of this,

:51:33. > :51:40.is the electoral fact that there will be hard to retain its come the

:51:40. > :51:48.next election? I was asked difficult questions in the run-up

:51:48. > :51:51.to the last election about how alliance could win that seat. The

:51:51. > :51:56.night duty is to represent my constituents in the capacity that I

:51:56. > :52:01.have. It is to do that to the best of my ability. My election or not

:52:01. > :52:05.that the next elections is a matter for my constituents. That is not

:52:05. > :52:11.something that I can influence other than by my own hard work

:52:11. > :52:18.about the work that the party does and by continuing to show integrity.

:52:18. > :52:22.I will not get into the analysis of If decision in the City Hall good

:52:22. > :52:25.effect things. The same people you're crying that the Alliance

:52:25. > :52:32.party was going to be wiped out nowt said you're going to be wiped

:52:32. > :52:42.out then. I ignore or those people and get on with doing my job.

:52:42. > :52:46.

:52:46. > :52:50.Little Democrats introduced Naomi Long around employment tax. There

:52:50. > :52:59.are a wide range of thing so we can do for our economy. But we don't

:52:59. > :53:05.get Corporation Tax there are a lot of things that we can do. Building

:53:05. > :53:09.a shared future is itself important to the economy. A law level of

:53:09. > :53:13.corporation tax could make a big difference. That bike goes on. The

:53:13. > :53:18.executive was not given up on not that gelled -- the executive has

:53:18. > :53:26.not given up on that challenge and we will continue to lobby. We will

:53:26. > :53:36.keep pushing. Stephen Farry, Naomi Long, banks are much for joining us.

:53:36. > :53:37.

:53:37. > :53:39.There we must leave it. Thank you. The deputy leader of the

:53:39. > :53:45.Liberal-Democrats, Simon Hughes, addressed a conference earlier

:53:45. > :53:49.today. He praised Naomi Long for holding the line during a very

:53:49. > :53:55.difficult time. Mark Devenport got up with them earlier this morning.

:53:55. > :53:59.It has been very fraught for the Alliance party and we have felt for

:53:59. > :54:07.Naomi Long. She has kept us fully informed. She has gone to a

:54:07. > :54:12.terrible time, not just her better offers staff and colleagues. We are

:54:12. > :54:17.grateful that her colleagues have been brave enough to hold the line.

:54:17. > :54:22.And during the Ian Bell will be vindicated. My Member -- my message

:54:22. > :54:29.to the wider audience in Northern Ireland if you don't win the

:54:30. > :54:35.arguments by throwing stones. You win arguments by discussion. Of the

:54:35. > :54:38.war audience probably wouldn't be aware of it, you have a personal

:54:38. > :54:41.sense of what she has gone through because some years ago you got

:54:41. > :54:48.involved in a gangland murder case and you were under death threats.

:54:48. > :54:51.It is a hard road to travel, isn't it? You're right. I give evidence

:54:51. > :54:56.in and encouraged other people to give evidence in a murder trial. I

:54:56. > :54:58.knew it was the right thing to do. You have to make this political

:54:58. > :55:01.judgments and they know how difficult the politics of Northern

:55:01. > :55:04.Ireland has been. The rest of Britain are willing Northern

:55:05. > :55:10.Ireland to come to the set of future that everybody would give

:55:10. > :55:14.the potential to this country. Everybody understands that we have

:55:14. > :55:19.the GAA it coming so it is a great shop window. We had the UK City of

:55:19. > :55:24.Culture in Northern Ireland's here for the first time. The future is

:55:24. > :55:27.really dudes, but it's requires double to show the best face of

:55:27. > :55:32.Northern Ireland. Isn't that the case that the Liberal-Democrat have

:55:32. > :55:37.been very hands-off when it comes to Northern Ireland. I don't think

:55:37. > :55:43.that's the case. We have kept very strong links. We are in regular

:55:43. > :55:52.discussion with John Aldred eyes, Naomi Long. She didn't sit in your

:55:52. > :55:57.garden Westminster. She chose understandably that she retained

:55:57. > :56:00.her independence as an opposition MP. The coalition deal was between

:56:00. > :56:05.the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. There was no

:56:05. > :56:09.necessity for her to join us. We do take their regular interest.

:56:09. > :56:13.Stephen Lloyd ISTAR spokesperson on Northern Ireland. The one to make

:56:13. > :56:17.sure that the Government is seen to be on the side of Northern

:56:17. > :56:23.Ireland's every day. Be the interests of open as I should

:56:23. > :56:29.disclose that you used to be my landlord, so you can confirm that I

:56:29. > :56:39.am a good tenants. I will write you a reference if you need it! Thank

:56:39. > :56:40.

:56:40. > :56:47.you very much. Mark Devenport introducing his

:56:48. > :56:53.former landlord, there! Rick, it is amazing what these programmes can

:56:53. > :56:58.throw up. Let's go back to David Ford's speech. Again, and attack

:56:58. > :57:01.and the other parties, particularly Sinn Fein about the

:57:01. > :57:05.misrepresentation office plans for civic involvement in trying to move

:57:05. > :57:09.the process forward daughter shared future. Again, a very clear message

:57:09. > :57:16.that he was sending out about the way in which he things other

:57:16. > :57:20.politicians are having a go at the alliance. Indeed. He was castigated

:57:20. > :57:28.for trying to delegate responsibility. We know that both

:57:28. > :57:32.Sinn Fein and the DUP have done nothing to try... What the Alliance

:57:32. > :57:37.party has been suggesting is that they need to re-engage,

:57:37. > :57:42.particularly at the time when a lot of the electorate is not bothering

:57:42. > :57:48.to turn out and vote. There is a real need to engage with civic

:57:48. > :57:53.society. One way to do would be to try and embrace a shared future

:57:53. > :58:00.strategy. Partnership is the big word for David Ford, isn't it?

:58:00. > :58:10.Kiddies. Not just a set of partnerships within the executive,

:58:10. > :58:16.will have -- but between the executive and the assembly. I think

:58:16. > :58:20.he has at principal point about engaging in society. There is this

:58:20. > :58:24.abortion amendment which will be a big issue for David Ford as the

:58:24. > :58:27.Justice Minister. This is the attempt to add and a member to the

:58:27. > :58:34.Criminal Justice Bill which is a very complicated piece of

:58:34. > :58:38.legislation. There is this very late attempt to graft this on to

:58:38. > :58:46.the bill. He is opposed to it because it is such an important

:58:46. > :58:51.bill. Will be interesting to see if Sinn Fein supporter petition of