:00:16. > :00:33.Hello and welcome to Spotlight's Special's European election debate.
:00:34. > :00:39.Our studio audience will have the qhans chance to put questions to the
:00:40. > :00:42.candidates. Our audience is made up of grass-roots political supporters
:00:43. > :00:46.of the ten parties in the race with a sprinkling of people who haven't
:00:47. > :00:51.made up their minds yet. You can follow us on Twitter. And we begin
:00:52. > :00:57.by allowing the candidates to set out their stalls individually. Each
:00:58. > :01:05.will have one minute to sell their wares, I shall interrupt them at the
:01:06. > :01:11.60 second mark. At the end of our debate, the candidates will have
:01:12. > :01:25.another chance to set out their debate. I invite, the Sinn Fein
:01:26. > :01:30.candidate, to come to the podium. Ireland's place is in Europe, but
:01:31. > :01:37.not part of the cosy, Conservative consensus in Europe. I was the only
:01:38. > :01:44.MEP who voted against the cuts, cuts to farmers, rural dwellers, cuts for
:01:45. > :01:50.businesses, cuts for SMEs, we need to draw down funding for small
:01:51. > :02:03.businesses through the competitive programme. We need to access the #
:02:04. > :02:11.80 billion. Sinn Fein has an alternative vision. Getting people
:02:12. > :02:14.back to work. Those in work. Supporting those out of work. We
:02:15. > :02:19.advance the peace process and we work to halt immigration. Sinn Fein
:02:20. > :02:26.is standing in every constituency in Ireland. If you want a strong, Sinn
:02:27. > :02:33.Fein voice then vote for us. APPLAUSE
:02:34. > :02:37.The candidates are appearing in the order deck tated by their first
:02:38. > :02:41.preference votes in the 2009 election. So next up, it is the
:02:42. > :02:50.DUP's Diane Dodds. APPLAUSE
:02:51. > :02:55.Good evening. Since I was elected to the European Parliament five years
:02:56. > :02:59.ago, I have been standing up for Northern Ireland. Statistics show
:03:00. > :03:03.that I'm the most active MEP in Northern Ireland. I'm proud that
:03:04. > :03:11.I've been able to help churches and communities. Access over 6 6 million
:03:12. > :03:15.of funding. That's make ago real difference to people's lives. This
:03:16. > :03:19.election is primarily about who can get the best deal for Northern
:03:20. > :03:25.Ireland. If elected, I will continue to work to get the most from Europe
:03:26. > :03:29.for our farmers, our fishermen, our businesses and our communities. To
:03:30. > :03:35.succeed, Northern Ireland needs its strongest voice in Europe. At this
:03:36. > :03:41.election, I don't want to see unionism split and divided. The DUP
:03:42. > :03:46.is the best party to make sure our voice is heard. On Thursday, I'm
:03:47. > :03:49.asking you to vote Diane Dodds number one and transfer to other
:03:50. > :03:54.Unionists. Your minute is up. Perfectly on
:03:55. > :04:05.time. Thank you. APPLAUSE
:04:06. > :04:09.Next up, the Ulster Unionist Party's Jim Nicholson.
:04:10. > :04:14.APPLAUSE Thank you, Noel. Europe needs to get
:04:15. > :04:19.real. The last few years have been difficult for Northern Ireland and
:04:20. > :04:26.confidence in the European Union is at an all time low. In this election
:04:27. > :04:30.people want to know who is best to defend and represent Northern
:04:31. > :04:35.Ireland in Europe. You need someone with a record of delivery, you need
:04:36. > :04:43.someone who has driven reform in Europe and you need someone with
:04:44. > :04:47.experience. I am your MEP and I have delivered ?2 billion in peace
:04:48. > :04:51.funding. I am your MEP who has campaigned for less Europe, but
:04:52. > :04:54.better Europe. I am your MEP with the influence and the clout and the
:04:55. > :04:59.experience to get the best deal for Northern Ireland. So I look to our
:05:00. > :05:03.future and I'm confident, confident that we can reform Europe and I'm
:05:04. > :05:10.confident that I am the right man for the job. Thank you.
:05:11. > :05:16.APPLAUSE Our next candidate is the SDLP's,
:05:17. > :05:22.Alex Attwood. APPLAUSE
:05:23. > :05:28.Good evening all. I have been four months on the campaign trail
:05:29. > :05:32.listening and learning, but it was a hustings event. 5017 and
:05:33. > :05:38.18-year-olds that captured why I'm running. When they we polled 49 of
:05:39. > :05:41.the 50 said they were for the European Union. They're right,
:05:42. > :05:46.whatever our concerns, withdrawal would be folly. Our farmers, our
:05:47. > :05:50.exporters and our businesses would lose out. But when polled about
:05:51. > :05:54.where their long-term future might be, they said that it would be for
:05:55. > :06:00.30% of them outside Northern Ireland. So after all their country
:06:01. > :06:03.suffered, and all our people have endured, that's what the current
:06:04. > :06:08.generation says and that should not be what the generation of the future
:06:09. > :06:13.says. So I ask of you three things. We need strength again in Europe. We
:06:14. > :06:17.need people and politicians who are tough, decisive and get things done
:06:18. > :06:22.and we need to take Northern Ireland in a hopeful and bold direction. If
:06:23. > :06:29.you vote on Thursday... Thank you very much indeed.
:06:30. > :06:36.APPLAUSE And now it is the turn of the TUV's
:06:37. > :06:39.Jim Allister. APPLAUSE
:06:40. > :06:45.Good evening. In this election you have a three-fold opportunity to
:06:46. > :06:49.make things better. First, you can improve your representation in
:06:50. > :06:56.Brussels. Secondly, you have a golden opportunity to pass your
:06:57. > :07:00.verdict on the dismal performance of Stormont where log jam and deadlock
:07:01. > :07:07.is causing it not to deliver for you. And then very importantly, at
:07:08. > :07:15.last, you have the opportunity to be heard on the constant pandering to
:07:16. > :07:21.IRA and Sinn Fein. The on-the-run scandal exposed the skullduggery at
:07:22. > :07:28.the heart of the peace process. Now, we've discovered that on more than
:07:29. > :07:33.300 occasions, royal prerogative of mercy was offered to terrorists who
:07:34. > :07:39.showed no mercy to their innocent victims. If you want to be heard in
:07:40. > :07:40.these issues, vote TUV. Jim Allister, thank you very much
:07:41. > :07:51.indeed. APPLAUSE
:07:52. > :08:01.Now, the Alliance Party's, Anna Lo. APPLAUSE
:08:02. > :08:05.Good evening. Northern Ireland is changing. We've become more open and
:08:06. > :08:12.diverse. There are many opportunities for us. But mup of our
:08:13. > :08:20.politics is divisive and inward looking. Change happens when people
:08:21. > :08:24.step forward. Now is the time to show Europe the new phase of -- new
:08:25. > :08:30.face of Northern Ireland. I have always been passionately pro-Europe.
:08:31. > :08:38.It makes economic sense to be part of a single market of 500 million
:08:39. > :08:44.customers. The EU has done a lot more than just about funding. As
:08:45. > :08:50.chair of the Environment Committee, I have seen directives that helped
:08:51. > :08:55.us protect our environment. As the founding chair of the all-party
:08:56. > :08:59.group in Stormont on human trafficking I have seen at first
:09:00. > :09:02.hand how member states working together can... Your minute is up.
:09:03. > :09:11.Thank you very much indeed. APPLAUSE
:09:12. > :09:13.Weren't they all well-behaved so far in the programme? Let's go to our
:09:14. > :09:19.first question from the studio audience. It comes from ruth Maxwell
:09:20. > :09:24.a chef in Belfast. Ruth. Has the free movement of people from across
:09:25. > :09:32.been good or bad for Northern Ireland? Well, imbrayings, of course
:09:33. > :09:35.-- immigration, of course has been a Ic.
:09:36. > :09:45.The Government wants if capped at 100,000 by 2015. Let's go to Martina
:09:46. > :09:48.Anderson. Has it been good for Northern Ireland or not? I think
:09:49. > :09:54.that the whole discussion around immigration is being learned by the
:09:55. > :09:58.UKIP agenda and the free movement of people across Europe is something
:09:59. > :10:03.that is crucially important to the European Union. When you consider
:10:04. > :10:08.the amount of our young people in this island alone and in many people
:10:09. > :10:13.who have left and gone elsewhere, and the contributions that they
:10:14. > :10:19.make, I would say that those households and almost 500,000 people
:10:20. > :10:24.have left since the banking crisis. We know their sons and daughters
:10:25. > :10:33.make a net contribution to the place wherever they have resided. And
:10:34. > :10:37.other EU countries? There are thousands, thousands across England,
:10:38. > :10:43.Scotland and Wales who reside in the EU countries. Particularly Spain. So
:10:44. > :10:48.there are many people who go to the EU and there are other people from
:10:49. > :10:53.the EU who come here. And it benefits us? They make a net
:10:54. > :10:59.contribution to our economy. Jim Allister? One of the things that the
:11:00. > :11:02.denotes an independent nation is the right to control their own borders
:11:03. > :11:05.and the right to set their own policies on such vital matters as I
:11:06. > :11:09.will gration. Sadly, one of the consequences of EU membership is
:11:10. > :11:15.that that has been stripped away from us and our sovereignty in that
:11:16. > :11:19.regard has been removed and we're at the mercy of open house immigration
:11:20. > :11:23.from across the EU. Has that been good? In some places, we have had
:11:24. > :11:27.some good, hard-working individuals who have come to make a life for
:11:28. > :11:35.themselves. In other cases, we've had benefit tourists who are sending
:11:36. > :11:38.back money to the rest of Europe. Child benefit being paid to the rest
:11:39. > :11:43.of Europe. We have to get to a situation where this nation, the
:11:44. > :11:47.United Kingdom, controls its own borders and another consequence of
:11:48. > :11:51.the open house... On balance, you say it has been a little bit good
:11:52. > :11:55.and a little bit bad. Would you say it is a positive thing for Northern
:11:56. > :11:58.Ireland It is a bad thing this nation lost control over its own
:11:59. > :12:04.borders. That's not really the question. Has it been a benefit to
:12:05. > :12:09.Northern Ireland? No. It has not. One of the consequences has been to
:12:10. > :12:14.drive down wages. It created a low page economy and I meet people
:12:15. > :12:18.constantly struggling on the minimum wage, who just cannot find enough
:12:19. > :12:26.hours to work to try and make ends meet. And one of the consequences of
:12:27. > :12:31.floodgate immigration is that it has driven down - it made us into a l
:12:32. > :12:36.pay economy. I think overall, it is a negative and fundamentally, this
:12:37. > :12:42.nation should control its own borders. Anna Lo. Thank you. I came
:12:43. > :12:45.here in 1974 when very few people wanted to come here to Northern
:12:46. > :12:51.Ireland, because of the troubles. Immigration is good for any
:12:52. > :12:55.countries. It brings diversity and it brings new skills and new ideas.
:12:56. > :13:01.At the height of the economic boom here, with the construction industry
:13:02. > :13:07.thriving, with the lack of workers, we went out to Poland to recruit
:13:08. > :13:12.people. We ended up with 60,000 Polish people working here in the
:13:13. > :13:17.construction sites and when the market fell about two-thirds of them
:13:18. > :13:26.left. Do the low wage workers force down wages as Jim Allister suggests?
:13:27. > :13:29.They are here to divide skills and we do not have enough of, like
:13:30. > :13:34.plumbers and electricians and carpenters. When the market
:13:35. > :13:39.collapsed, they went back and we have about 20,000 so this is a
:13:40. > :13:45.matter of supply and demand. A lot of people come here for jobs that we
:13:46. > :13:52.cannot fill. What we do not have the skills. -- or we do not. The recent
:13:53. > :13:58.example would be a very big project here, we required 60,000 people for
:13:59. > :14:11.an oil rig and we could only field, I think, 40%. 60%, we had to go to
:14:12. > :14:18.Scotland and other parts in the EU. Diane Dodds? There is no doubt that
:14:19. > :14:23.the European Union needs to be fundamentally reformed so that we
:14:24. > :14:30.can once again have control over our own borders. We have said that we
:14:31. > :14:37.want this as the key plank of the renegotiation that has been
:14:38. > :14:42.promised. Before the referendum. Having said that, Northern Ireland
:14:43. > :14:49.is a welcoming place and there are many people who have come here to
:14:50. > :14:52.live among us and to make a positive contribution to society and that is
:14:53. > :14:59.to be welcomed. You want to pick and choose? Every nation state needs to
:15:00. > :15:04.be able to control its own borders, that is a fundamental of any
:15:05. > :15:10.sovereign state but what we would like to see is immigration policy
:15:11. > :15:15.more directed at economic need and that is a fundamental building block
:15:16. > :15:22.of where economic policy should be. Let me also say, we are a welcoming
:15:23. > :15:28.people and those people who have come to live among us and make a
:15:29. > :15:32.positive contribution to assimilate into society are very welcome and
:15:33. > :15:38.the DUP has members from the Polish community. We have translated our
:15:39. > :15:43.election literature into as many as seven different languages. We want
:15:44. > :15:48.to see people here, we do not want to see the racist attacks that we
:15:49. > :15:54.have seen in recent days. Racism is wrong and the bears no part in
:15:55. > :16:00.society and we should not confuse the issue of immigration with the
:16:01. > :16:09.wrongful attacks on people because of either their collar or ethnicity.
:16:10. > :16:20.-- collar. It takes a long time for the leader of your party to condemn
:16:21. > :16:28.these incidents. -- colour. I would repudiate that absolutely, we say
:16:29. > :16:33.very clearly from the top of our party to the bottom and the members
:16:34. > :16:42.of the party, racism is wrong. Fundamentally wrong in society. We
:16:43. > :16:48.condemn it at all levels and we want those people who constructed those
:16:49. > :16:55.attacks to be dealt with by the law of the land, that is where any
:16:56. > :16:59.Democratic party stands. If you try to close borders, do you not send a
:17:00. > :17:04.message that migrants are not welcome? Which can lead to some of
:17:05. > :17:11.those attacks? There is a danger of that. I believe in the freedom of
:17:12. > :17:22.being able to work but not the freedom of movement to claim and we
:17:23. > :17:29.do need in the negotiations, that this will change. And that is an
:17:30. > :17:31.area whereby I certainly want sensible immigration policy and that
:17:32. > :17:42.is what the Ulster Unionist Party once. -- wants. When Tony Blair
:17:43. > :17:48.negotiated these border deals after 2005, they actually signed up to
:17:49. > :17:52.this. I think our own government needs to make sure that they have
:17:53. > :17:58.got it right and they get their own policy right. They are seeking to
:17:59. > :18:08.limit this to 100,000 died 2015. And that is to be welcomed. -- by 2015.
:18:09. > :18:12.Many people have left our own shores and have gone far away too many
:18:13. > :18:15.places throughout this world. If you look at Australia and the United
:18:16. > :18:22.States and New Zealand and many people here also work in Europe.
:18:23. > :18:26.Alex Attwood, the latest figures show we had more people leaving
:18:27. > :18:31.Northern Ireland and coming here by about 2000 so in that sense,
:18:32. > :18:35.referring back to the question, has this policy been a good thing for
:18:36. > :18:44.Northern Ireland? , make one comment, Jim said that immigration
:18:45. > :18:50.had an overall negative. -- can I make. It is a positive for society.
:18:51. > :18:56.That immigrants come here and work here. My children go to a school
:18:57. > :19:03.that has mixed faith, has mixed social economic background and has a
:19:04. > :19:12.mixed ethnic background and they are all the better for it. And myself
:19:13. > :19:17.and my wife are better for that. Remember, Jim Nicholson touched upon
:19:18. > :19:23.this, if we deny the immigrant and the stranger in our own country, we
:19:24. > :19:28.deny ourselves because so many of us currently and over the generations
:19:29. > :19:34.have been immigrants and strangers in other countries. If we deny them
:19:35. > :19:39.here, we deny the very nature of being from this part of the world.
:19:40. > :19:44.And let us recognise that when immigrants come here, the evidence
:19:45. > :19:49.is they have little or no impact on unemployment, the evidence is that
:19:50. > :19:57.they contribute more in taxes and pensions and benefits and let us
:19:58. > :20:03.recognise that 1.4 million of people from Britain and Northern Ireland
:20:04. > :20:09.live in the European Union. Letters have no language about this being a
:20:10. > :20:17.negative when it is conclusively a benefit to society in terms of
:20:18. > :20:24.adversity and the economy. -- diversity. There is such diverse
:20:25. > :20:30.views from the panel and I take the point on board that it is important
:20:31. > :20:34.that we do have control over the borders but at the same time, I
:20:35. > :20:43.agree with Diane Dodds that these racist attacks that are happening in
:20:44. > :20:52.East Belfast need to stop. Is it not true that whenever people raise this
:20:53. > :20:56.issue of immigration, that it is a certain type of immigration were
:20:57. > :21:00.talking about? They are quite comfortable with people coming here
:21:01. > :21:07.from America or Australia or countries like that, but whenever
:21:08. > :21:12.they are from somewhere else or possibly people of colour, that is
:21:13. > :21:19.when they get problems. That is when we get these questions. At the end
:21:20. > :21:26.of the day, you are talking about inherent racism. I do not think it
:21:27. > :21:31.is racist to fundamentally hold the line that it is London and not
:21:32. > :21:37.Brussels who should set immigration policy and that is all that I ask,
:21:38. > :21:42.that our nation sets its own policy. And it is a consequence of being
:21:43. > :21:46.within the EU that we cannot do that and I think that things are far
:21:47. > :21:51.better settled knowing the needs of individual nations by individual
:21:52. > :21:58.nations settling their own policies. That is not the point that he made.
:21:59. > :22:05.You said that in your view, these were the concluding remarks, but it
:22:06. > :22:11.was overall a negative in reply to the question about immigration into
:22:12. > :22:14.Northern Ireland. But our own government cannot decide our own
:22:15. > :22:23.policy. That is overwhelmingly negative. You went further than that
:22:24. > :22:30.and do not rewrite that. In direct response to the question, it is
:22:31. > :22:33.important that we condemn racism, it is fundamentally wrong. It is
:22:34. > :22:41.fundamentally wrong. You have said that. However, we should not shy
:22:42. > :22:47.away from talking about a policy issue which affects us as a
:22:48. > :22:55.sovereign state. We need to talk about these issues but we need to
:22:56. > :23:00.talk about this in a dignified way. Mr Allister, you are clearly racist,
:23:01. > :23:10.that is the image you are portraying. You said you would like
:23:11. > :23:16.London to make the decisions. Clearly, you would be opposed to the
:23:17. > :23:22.decisions London would want to make so I would be careful about using
:23:23. > :23:27.London as an example. London is the only government we have that works
:23:28. > :23:32.in Northern Ireland. Why is it parochial party going to make any
:23:33. > :23:40.headway if you admit decisions, from London? London is not voting on
:23:41. > :23:44.Thursday. With the exception of Sinn Fein, who can make headway in the
:23:45. > :23:53.Republic of Ireland, the rest of these parochial parties will make no
:23:54. > :23:59.headway at all. Through the chair. I was going to make the point that
:24:00. > :24:03.within the area of the rest of Europe, they have a massive problem
:24:04. > :24:08.with border control because there is no border control within mainland EU
:24:09. > :24:15.and it is only the UK and the Republic of Ireland who are not part
:24:16. > :24:19.of this because we have water between us and it is different. They
:24:20. > :24:24.have massive problems, especially in the South of Spain, speaking to
:24:25. > :24:28.Spanish and French members and Greek members, and you have seen it on
:24:29. > :24:33.television, people try to get in on those boats. They have a massive
:24:34. > :24:44.bubble. It is a massive problem for the EU, not just us. -- problem. I
:24:45. > :24:47.think at the heart of some of these comments we have had, particularly
:24:48. > :24:51.from the Unionist candidates, is that they do not want to be in
:24:52. > :24:56.Europe. And it strikes me as somewhat strange that they are
:24:57. > :25:07.putting themselves forward. There is only one party which says that, that
:25:08. > :25:21.is unfair. Over the campaign... Allow me to finish. Over the
:25:22. > :25:30.campaign... Like IRA bombers going across the border to avoid being
:25:31. > :25:34.arrested. Martina? Taking statistics about what has happened in the past
:25:35. > :25:38.is not going to get us very far in this. And we could both do that. But
:25:39. > :25:50.we will return to that if there is such a question. In relation to the
:25:51. > :25:55.issue of immigration, it is quite clear that the number of people that
:25:56. > :25:58.we have leaving the North, making a contribution, and the number of
:25:59. > :26:04.people leaving Ireland making a contribution, they are contributors
:26:05. > :26:07.so when we look at that free movement within Europe, along with
:26:08. > :26:13.the other contributions that we benefit from with being in Europe, I
:26:14. > :26:16.think they go hand in hand. And I think that is the kind of
:26:17. > :26:26.conversation we need to have. One more comment. As Mr Allister brought
:26:27. > :26:34.up issues of the past... We will talk about that later... I would
:26:35. > :26:38.like to say to Mr Allister, I am beginning to wonder, maybe I should
:26:39. > :26:54.vote for you! Because I would prefer to see you shipped off to Europe!
:26:55. > :26:59.Let us move on! Jonathan, who is a machine operator from Belfast. Given
:27:00. > :27:01.the recent comments made by the Catholic church suggesting that
:27:02. > :27:05.Catholics should vote for parties opposed to gay marriage and
:27:06. > :27:11.abortion, should religion stay out of politics? Bishop Noel Treanor
:27:12. > :27:15.made that pastoral reflection saying voters should act with informed
:27:16. > :27:20.conscience and he said that same-sex marriage and abortion were moral
:27:21. > :27:28.absolutes. I suppose that Martina Anderson, he is saying, Roman
:27:29. > :27:36.Catholic voters should vote for the SDLP, who are resolutely pro-life?
:27:37. > :27:44.This is an opportunity for myself, given that insinuation, to put the
:27:45. > :27:51.party position clearly. Tell us. I can back my claim. If you listen to
:27:52. > :27:59.me. Sinn Fein is against the extension of the 19 six to seven act
:28:00. > :28:01.and has voted so in the Assembly. We are consistent in our approach in
:28:02. > :28:09.the Assembly and in Dublin and in Europe. We do not have any policy of
:28:10. > :28:18.pro-choice but under the circumstances, when any woman's life
:28:19. > :28:25.is at risk, as was the case with the lady, if she had been my sister, I
:28:26. > :28:31.can figure no situation, where the part or the girl should have the
:28:32. > :28:36.right to choose. That is against the policy of the church? You talked
:28:37. > :28:44.about that issue and spoke about gay marriage. You see, as legislators,
:28:45. > :28:49.our responsibility is to develop and advance civil affairs. And we need
:28:50. > :28:56.to do so by treating people equally before the law. It is up to the
:28:57. > :29:00.church to define and decide who is married within their own grounds.
:29:01. > :29:06.And if they will acknowledge whether a couple is married. But when, in
:29:07. > :29:11.terms of equal marriage, giving a couple access to equal rights before
:29:12. > :29:17.the law, that is what we have to do. And we have to separate church and
:29:18. > :29:22.state. Are you saying to the church butt out? I'm saying to the church
:29:23. > :29:26.that we have got a responsibility as legislators to advance civil affairs
:29:27. > :29:31.and the church has a responsibility to do what it does. But the church
:29:32. > :29:43.should also look at the fact that it has the position for instance on
:29:44. > :29:51.contraceptives. I know a lot of people. I have a lot of friends
:29:52. > :29:55.within the LGA community and I will stand up for their rights that they
:29:56. > :29:59.should be getting access to equal marriage before the law. Diane
:30:00. > :30:04.Dodds... APPLAUSE
:30:05. > :30:10.Of course, the church has every right to make its position known and
:30:11. > :30:17.to contribute to the public debate in our community. I, as an MEP...
:30:18. > :30:23.Does that mean they can say you should not vote for candidate A
:30:24. > :30:32.because candidate A doesn't agree with church teaching? They are
:30:33. > :30:40.saying you should examine what each andidate stands for. As, assen MEP,
:30:41. > :30:45.I -- I as an MEP, I meet lobby groups from all over the spectrum, I
:30:46. > :30:49.meet all kinds of people who come to me and they contribute to the public
:30:50. > :30:53.debate on the issues of concern to them. So of course, the church has
:30:54. > :30:57.the right to actually contribute to the public debate. Not just the
:30:58. > :31:00.Catholic Church, any of our churches and our communities right across
:31:01. > :31:05.Northern Ireland. That is very important. And then, people have the
:31:06. > :31:10.right to question candidates on their record and to make up their
:31:11. > :31:15.mind based on their record as to how they will actually vote. When I am
:31:16. > :31:22.looking at these issues, I stand on a record of being pro-life and
:31:23. > :31:27.pro-marriage. That is a fundamental for me. I have been consistent in my
:31:28. > :31:31.voting record, in the European Parliament, on all of those issues.
:31:32. > :31:34.I am not like Sinn Fein that takes a different stance in Europe, compared
:31:35. > :31:39.to the stance that they actually take here in Northern Ireland...
:31:40. > :31:45.That's not true. Martina Anderson voted to keep a report within the
:31:46. > :31:49.Parliament that actually wanted abortion to be treated as a
:31:50. > :31:58.fundamental Human Right. That is fact. Do you want to answer that?
:31:59. > :32:02.You must let her answer that. The report was not voted on. The report
:32:03. > :32:14.is the report that Diane is referring to and the good things in
:32:15. > :32:17.the Stella Report, female genital mutilation. On these issues, I
:32:18. > :32:21.wanted to put Sinn Fein's position on the record as if I had of got the
:32:22. > :32:25.opportunity to vote which none of us did, I would have put it on the
:32:26. > :32:31.record that Sinn Fein did not support what was in that report
:32:32. > :32:38.about abortion. We would not have supported that. That is clear. Let
:32:39. > :32:41.us be absolutely clear what happened in the European Parliament. The
:32:42. > :32:45.report was brought before the Parliament. I voted to have the
:32:46. > :32:57.report taken back. Sinn Fein voted to keep the report. That's not in
:32:58. > :33:01.voting in support. That's a different emphasis. The church and
:33:02. > :33:06.its influence on politics? Well, I remember a conversation Noel, on one
:33:07. > :33:09.of the quieter days in the Haass process with Richard Haass where I
:33:10. > :33:14.said to him in my view the most interesting person in the world in
:33:15. > :33:20.the last 20 years wag Pope Francis and Haass replied that he agreed. So
:33:21. > :33:24.I think we are in this very fertile moment potentially around churches
:33:25. > :33:29.including the Catholic Church where they can show leadership in the
:33:30. > :33:32.world in a way that images the Catholic Church and the Christian
:33:33. > :33:38.faith at the service of the poor. That's a very powerful thing. I
:33:39. > :33:43.think... Same-sex marriage and abortion are not issues of economic
:33:44. > :33:48.levels. It is very important that the church takes leadership
:33:49. > :33:54.positions even if I, as a person, of faith and coming from the Catholic
:33:55. > :33:58.tradition, and the tradition that Bishop Noel Trainor is from, even on
:33:59. > :34:04.the issue of equal marriage, I differ with him. So that's why the
:34:05. > :34:08.SDLP on three occasions in the Assembly voted in favour of equal
:34:09. > :34:14.marriage. But recognising that this is an issue of conscious, our
:34:15. > :34:17.morals, our values, for even our members, we have tid Said to our
:34:18. > :34:21.people f it is a matter of conscience then you don't have to
:34:22. > :34:26.vote in favour of the policy of the party in terms of equal marriage. I
:34:27. > :34:31.believe that policy in terms of building an inclusive and respectful
:34:32. > :34:35.society, one that they are crying out for, I think that is the right
:34:36. > :34:39.approach and when to comes to abortion, the SDLP policy has been
:34:40. > :34:44.since the day and the hour the party was formed is to be opposed to
:34:45. > :34:53.abortion and like other parties, not to see the introduction of the 67
:34:54. > :34:56.Abortion Act introduced into our circumstances in Northern Ireland.
:34:57. > :35:06.Jim Allister? Jim Nicholson? Most of them are
:35:07. > :35:10.conscience issues as far as the party is concerned and we have
:35:11. > :35:14.members within the party with differing points of view, and I
:35:15. > :35:17.don't believe it is an issue for Europe. I don't think it is the
:35:18. > :35:22.responsibility of Europe and it should come down to regions within
:35:23. > :35:26.the memb states so they can make their own decisions and it is the
:35:27. > :35:31.right of any church... But to make an issue which is recognised in one
:35:32. > :35:36.country, recognised by all countries. If you got married in
:35:37. > :35:39.Spain, a same-sex marriage in Spain, that you would have to be recognised
:35:40. > :35:41.by the Government of the United Kingdom? Well, this is one of the
:35:42. > :35:46.difficulties in Europe quite frankly where they want to make one suit fit
:35:47. > :35:49.everybody and it doesn't work because different people have
:35:50. > :35:54.different traditions, different backgrounds and different beliefs,
:35:55. > :35:59.but on this issue I have to say on abortion, I have to say, I think
:36:00. > :36:03.probably there is maybe too many men give their view on this and I would
:36:04. > :36:11.hate to have to be the one to decide between the life of a female and the
:36:12. > :36:16.unborn child if there was danger. But you are a legislator, you are
:36:17. > :36:20.paid. Yes, we are paid. But that is a very, very difficult decision to
:36:21. > :36:28.have to take and if I had to take it... The bishop? He can speak for
:36:29. > :36:38.himself. I'm not going to criticise Catholic... The Bishop of Cork spoke
:36:39. > :36:41.out about this, he is looking forward to seeing same-sex marriage
:36:42. > :36:49.recognised in the church? On gay marriage, I am not in favour and I
:36:50. > :36:55.would not be in favour on abortion to extend the present Abortion Act.
:36:56. > :37:00.Should churches get involved? It is right the church should have a view
:37:01. > :37:03.on moral issues. I don't think churches should seek to tell any
:37:04. > :37:08.individual how to vote, but it is legitimate for him to set out the
:37:09. > :37:15.church position on moral issues. The same thing though, isn't it? No, it
:37:16. > :37:24.is not. You are saying don't vote for anyone who doesn't agree with
:37:25. > :37:32.us? Fundamentally, I am unashamedly pro-life, against abortion on
:37:33. > :37:36.demand. I unashamedly protraditional marriage and against sex marriage.
:37:37. > :37:39.There is no Human Right anywhere in the European Convention on Human
:37:40. > :37:44.Rights in relation to same-sex marriage. It is, of course, a per
:37:45. > :37:51.version of marriage and I remember being in the European Parliament
:37:52. > :37:57.when Bairbre de B did vote for a report demanding abortion on demand
:37:58. > :38:03.and Sinn Fein do play fast and loose with this issue. In Brussels they
:38:04. > :38:07.are openly overtly pro-abortion. In Stormont, because they know it
:38:08. > :38:12.wouldn't play too well, they try and tone down...
:38:13. > :38:21.APPLAUSE You are saying that's not true? It
:38:22. > :38:24.is not true. We will leave at that. Anna Lo. I have always said that
:38:25. > :38:26.politicians should leave their bible at the door when they come into
:38:27. > :38:36.Stormont. APPLAUSE
:38:37. > :38:44.Think -- I think it is a politician mixing religion with politics. For
:38:45. > :38:49.example our ban on blood donation by the DUP Health Minister. That is out
:38:50. > :38:54.of line what rest of the UK -- with the rest of the UK. In terms of
:38:55. > :38:57.abortion, our party, the Alliance Party has no set policy on this. It
:38:58. > :39:04.is a matter of conscience, but I'm one of the only two politicians here
:39:05. > :39:09.in Northern Ireland who support pro-choice. I believe and this is
:39:10. > :39:14.coming from my experience of working as a community worker, and a social
:39:15. > :39:20.worker for many years, working with women, with families, and women when
:39:21. > :39:25.they are faced with a crisis pregnancy and I think she has the
:39:26. > :39:30.right, she must have the right to decide what to do with her own body.
:39:31. > :39:34.The question being, Anna Lo, it is not about politicians bringing their
:39:35. > :39:44.religion into Parliament, it is about churchmen bringing their moral
:39:45. > :39:55.precepts into politics? But this is church dictating to us. Do they have
:39:56. > :40:01.the right to do that? In terms of same-sex marriage, the Alliance
:40:02. > :40:07.Party has a strong policy in support of same-sex marriage. I believe...
:40:08. > :40:08.APPLAUSE I believe if a couple, whether it is
:40:09. > :40:16.two men, two women, I believe if a couple, whether it is
:40:17. > :40:17.want to spend the rest of their lives together... What about a man
:40:18. > :40:27.and two women, do you support that as well? I'll not ask that question.
:40:28. > :40:31.Jonathan, what do you think? I still think that some parties or maybe the
:40:32. > :40:35.individual members of the parties let their religion dictate the
:40:36. > :40:41.policies and agendas rather than what would be for the benefit of
:40:42. > :41:00.society as a whole. Let's move on to our third question. It is from Clive
:41:01. > :41:09.Henderson who is from Irvinestown? If UK left the EU what would happen
:41:10. > :41:14.the single farm payments? Jim Allister, I better put that to you,
:41:15. > :41:19.would the Government replace that money? That vast amount of money is
:41:20. > :41:29.a return of some of our own money because we pay in ?17 billion every
:41:30. > :41:38.year into Brussels. We get back less than half so the net cost is ?23.6
:41:39. > :41:47.million per day. ?1 million for every hour. So what we're getting
:41:48. > :41:54.back from Europe a portion of our own money. If we weren't in the EU,
:41:55. > :41:59.we would have ?17 billion to spend on our own farmers and our own
:42:00. > :42:03.fishermen. We know the Health Service is in bad condition and the
:42:04. > :42:08.welfare budget is costing millions and people are getting older and
:42:09. > :42:11.they need more pensions? The Common Agricultural Policy doesn't just
:42:12. > :42:18.apply to Northern Ireland, it applies across the United Kingdom,
:42:19. > :42:22.the requirement of the agriculture and agri food industry particularly
:42:23. > :42:27.at a time when world food production needs to rise, when there is a
:42:28. > :42:30.rising population, it is perhaps the one industry that has great growth
:42:31. > :42:35.opportunities. Any Government in its right mind would want to encourage
:42:36. > :42:39.it, to grow it, because it can be our greatest exporter. I have
:42:40. > :42:44.confident that any Government that wanted to have a competitive
:42:45. > :42:48.industry in agriculture and I think all would, would recognise the
:42:49. > :42:53.necessity of sustaining and supporting that industry. Would
:42:54. > :42:57.there not be some Governments who would say if this industry can't
:42:58. > :43:03.stand on its own two feet, let's give it up? I think the reality is
:43:04. > :43:08.when you have an industry so central to food, as food production, which
:43:09. > :43:12.is what keeps us all alive then no Government in it's right mind is
:43:13. > :43:21.ever going to turn its back on that industry. And this nonsense that we
:43:22. > :43:27.must cravely cling to Brussels and say, "Oh, we're so grateful that for
:43:28. > :43:39.every ?20 we give you, you give us back ?10. How grateful we are." We
:43:40. > :43:41.must really get over that attitude. APPLAUSE
:43:42. > :43:46.This is an issue that goes to the heart of what the future is going to
:43:47. > :43:49.be. If you look at the situation in the agricultural industry and you
:43:50. > :43:54.have to realise that the farmers in Northern Ireland are simply, but the
:43:55. > :44:01.first link in the food chain that is one of the most progressive,
:44:02. > :44:04.creating jobs, and wealth and stability in Northern Ireland. It is
:44:05. > :44:09.the one area that stood firm against that economic downturn. So I can
:44:10. > :44:14.tell you one thing - before I would ever agree to leaving Europe, I
:44:15. > :44:18.would not only want that renegotiation to take place between
:44:19. > :44:24.London and Brussels, but I would want a negotiation between Belfast
:44:25. > :44:28.and London to guarantee to me that the money that this ?17 million that
:44:29. > :44:34.Jim talks about, would actually, we would get a portion of that for the
:44:35. > :44:38.agricultural industry. So you don't have the confidence that he would
:44:39. > :44:41.has that that would be automatic? Well, I have seen a lot of
:44:42. > :44:48.governments come and go and I have never seen one want to send us extra
:44:49. > :44:55.money. As far as I am concerned... They send us 10 approximately 0
:44:56. > :45:00.billion a year, but they would have to send us more. The single farm
:45:01. > :45:08.payment is more than 52% of every farm income in Northern Ireland.
:45:09. > :45:13.That is what is needed to sustain that and can you imagine where this
:45:14. > :45:18.country would be every lost jobs through farming and the food
:45:19. > :45:23.industry that. There. And we have this challenge with the reform and
:45:24. > :45:30.the biggest danger that we face is not from Brussels, and the CMP, it
:45:31. > :45:34.is because Stormont cannot make up their mind about what to do before
:45:35. > :45:42.August on high that Bonnie will be distributed. -- how that money. As
:45:43. > :45:49.someone who has spent 25 years as a mEP, I have never once politicised
:45:50. > :45:54.agriculture and it is a shame to those parties who have and if they
:45:55. > :45:58.destroy this business, they will be held responsible by the people of
:45:59. > :46:04.Northern Ireland. He is pointing the finger at you, Martina Anderson? I
:46:05. > :46:12.would like to respond to the question because the couple and
:46:13. > :46:16.farming is the exclusive competency of Europe sold you would not get
:46:17. > :46:23.that replaced by any other government. -- so you would not.
:46:24. > :46:26.That is where farmers have real concern in regards to the common
:46:27. > :46:33.agricultural policy. This is about such a referendum and it is decided
:46:34. > :46:37.that Britain should leave, we are of the opinion, as I said in my
:46:38. > :46:41.opening, that the place of Ireland is in Europe and that is one of the
:46:42. > :46:47.reasons that we look at this, we look at funding for cap and funding
:46:48. > :46:53.for structural business and I would say to all of those groups, farmers
:46:54. > :46:56.big and small, do not listen to the nonsense you will hear about us
:46:57. > :47:02.being better out of Europe because there is no mission that the British
:47:03. > :47:15.government will replace that funding for you here. It is actually Sinn
:47:16. > :47:23.Fein? Politicising the single farm payment. Trying to even it out? That
:47:24. > :47:29.is seen by some as taking money away from the most reductive farmers.
:47:30. > :47:32.There are thousands of farmers in severely disadvantaged areas and
:47:33. > :47:39.they are getting below the average payment. Because they are producing
:47:40. > :47:46.below. This is about the rights for those farmers. People who produce
:47:47. > :47:51.more should not get more subsidy? This is an income support model, not
:47:52. > :48:00.for production. What would get better production is growth and that
:48:01. > :48:04.is with the Minister, sitting in the Executive and the DUP blocked that.
:48:05. > :48:08.That is what we need to look at if we're going for the growth strategy
:48:09. > :48:16.and that is what we're going to do to enhance production. You are
:48:17. > :48:20.blocking progress? I am glad to see I be culture at the top of the
:48:21. > :48:27.agenda. The single farm payment is important to farmers, it is a
:48:28. > :48:33.lifeline. -- agriculture. As the farmer's friend, the DUP has stood
:48:34. > :48:41.up for farmers over and over again in Europe and in Stormont. We will
:48:42. > :48:47.ensure that, no matter what happens in any renegotiation, we will ensure
:48:48. > :48:51.that there is direct support. I want to say that even the most advanced
:48:52. > :48:58.economy, free-market economy, in the world, the USA, supports farmers and
:48:59. > :49:04.it is absolutely vital that we categorically state that no matter
:49:05. > :49:11.what we do, support for farmers is absolutely important. And did you
:49:12. > :49:16.block that growth strategy? It is important because Northern Ireland
:49:17. > :49:20.agriculture is important to the economy, 52% of all manufacturing
:49:21. > :49:27.sales are from this sector. It is absolutely vital to grow this sector
:49:28. > :49:34.and we continue to support sustainable farming. The DUP stands
:49:35. > :49:39.up for these farmers and that is why in December, when my colleague,
:49:40. > :49:46.Simon Hamilton, to the Sinn Fein minister to court, we ensured there
:49:47. > :49:53.was an extra 137 macro and euros in the pot for the single farm payment.
:49:54. > :50:09.-- 137 macro. We are standing up for farmers. -- ?137 million. Growing
:50:10. > :50:12.for growth is the agreed road map between the industry and the
:50:13. > :50:17.government to take Northern Ireland farming into the future. Mike
:50:18. > :50:26.Holding, Arlene Foster, is already delivering on this. What we need to
:50:27. > :50:36.do... The DUP has blocked it. Through the chair. Anna Lo? Just to
:50:37. > :50:39.follow up about that the buckle in December of two different ministers
:50:40. > :50:45.going to court because they could not agree on how to spend both lots
:50:46. > :50:49.of money. One part is for single farm payments by their partner that
:50:50. > :51:02.can be transferred. To help with protecting the environment. -- but
:51:03. > :51:07.part of that. Simon Hamilton scuppered that amount of money. We
:51:08. > :51:12.had flexibility to move from the single farm payment to that
:51:13. > :51:17.agri-food scheme, to help with infrastructure and new developments
:51:18. > :51:22.and research. This is a movement happening in other countries? In
:51:23. > :51:31.other parts of the UK, England, 90% transfer. 14% from Scotland, 12%
:51:32. > :51:37.from Wales. We are getting into too much detail! I want you to respond
:51:38. > :51:45.to the question, do you think that this money would come to farmers if
:51:46. > :51:51.we left the EU? Absolutely not. It is crazy to think that. The same
:51:52. > :52:00.Alliance Party wanted us to join the euro. That shows us the value of
:52:01. > :52:07.their judgement. The last, from Jim Allister is strange, on one hand...
:52:08. > :52:14.You also wanted us to join the EU! Do not trust London when it comes to
:52:15. > :52:19.on the run prisoners but trust them with agriculture payments. You
:52:20. > :52:25.cannot have this both ways. What would happen if there was withdrawal
:52:26. > :52:29.from the European Union for the farmers? You can draw a conclusion
:52:30. > :52:34.about what Londoners saying, too many welfare claimants, sink
:52:35. > :52:43.awesome. That is what they would say here. -- sink or swim. There can be
:52:44. > :52:45.no doubt, why? Many reasons but not least because the profile of the
:52:46. > :52:50.farming industry here is very different from what it is in many
:52:51. > :52:56.parts of Britain because we have 25,000 farmers here and they farm a
:52:57. > :53:02.greater percentage of the land and so on. Jim Allister is also wrong.
:53:03. > :53:07.He is a encounter. He measures what is paid over to Europe and what
:53:08. > :53:13.comes back in European payments. It happens to be our own money. What he
:53:14. > :53:20.completely ignores is what the CBI says and what it says is that the
:53:21. > :53:25.GDP boost to Britain and Northern Ireland from membership of the
:53:26. > :53:33.European Union, to use their word, towards the membership fee. Why? --
:53:34. > :53:39.dwarfs. When you look at these export opportunities here and in
:53:40. > :53:44.Britain into the EU, the average benefit to any citizen in these
:53:45. > :53:50.parts of the world is over ?1200 every year. And the average net
:53:51. > :53:58.payment by those citizens into the European Treasury is... Lady in the
:53:59. > :54:03.front row? It is great to see that even the -- even if you disagree,
:54:04. > :54:07.you support farmers. I am involved in the anti-fracking campaign and
:54:08. > :54:13.farmers in Australia and America and Canada are crying out for help to
:54:14. > :54:19.keep fracking away from farmland. I am hoping you will stand with us. We
:54:20. > :54:26.will have no special lobbying! What are your views? I would not be sure
:54:27. > :54:30.that the government would back the farming sector as well as it is at
:54:31. > :54:34.present because of the income from the single farm payment and that
:54:35. > :54:40.needs to be in place if you want cheap, safe food. Question number
:54:41. > :54:45.four, from Gareth Brown, a public affairs manager from Randalstown.
:54:46. > :54:49.Does the panel believe that the membership of the EU is important
:54:50. > :54:52.for Northern Ireland and germs of dealing with difficult issues of the
:54:53. > :55:06.past? And if so, could be explained by? -- could they explain why. Money
:55:07. > :55:10.that was supposed to reconcile communities and contribute to shared
:55:11. > :55:16.society, Alex Attwood? The answer is yes. Europe helps in so many ways,
:55:17. > :55:22.some of which we do not recognise. Through the piece money, over the
:55:23. > :55:27.last number of years. And there will be another in place by the end of
:55:28. > :55:31.this year and into next year. We need to speed up the process because
:55:32. > :55:41.lots of organisations are in jeopardy. -- peace. It also helps
:55:42. > :55:45.because they have created a rights -based approach to society and
:55:46. > :55:50.public policy. If there is anything we can learn from those years of
:55:51. > :55:57.terror and conflict in the society, it is that when we deny rights, you
:55:58. > :56:01.create instability. Therefore, this approach in the European Union and
:56:02. > :56:05.across Europe generally, not least with the European Convention, is a
:56:06. > :56:12.mechanism to inform us about how we should conduct politics and society
:56:13. > :56:16.in the future and also, Europe has demonstrated and the world has
:56:17. > :56:19.demonstrated that through international justice mechanisms,
:56:20. > :56:24.you should not deny citizens and countries the rights of justice for
:56:25. > :56:28.those who have suffered at the hands of those who have been involved in
:56:29. > :56:34.conflict. If you look at this across the funding mechanism, justice and
:56:35. > :56:37.that rights -based approach, Europe has much to teach us but,
:56:38. > :56:42.critically, we must learn from that by having an approach to the past
:56:43. > :56:50.and stealing without immediately. Anna Lo? We have not been able to
:56:51. > :56:58.agree amongst ourselves and the EU would, I am sure, you have us a hand
:56:59. > :57:05.and help us. The peace money came since 1995 and we have got 2 billion
:57:06. > :57:10.euros out of this. I would hope in the next round, we would have 140
:57:11. > :57:17.million going towards building a shared future. Specifically,
:57:18. > :57:20.building community relations, having more shared spaces and shared
:57:21. > :57:32.housing and integrated education for all of us to learn to live and go up
:57:33. > :57:37.with our children to learn together. I think that Europe has done a lot
:57:38. > :57:43.in keeping the peace since the last world war, World War II. And it has
:57:44. > :57:48.helped in breaking down barriers between member states as well. I
:57:49. > :57:53.think we can learn a lot from them but we can contribute a lot also, in
:57:54. > :58:00.the Assembly there is great recognition that we have done well
:58:01. > :58:06.in the peace process. We can have opportunities with other member
:58:07. > :58:09.states to share learning. And we have received so much political
:58:10. > :58:13.support and money from people and I think there is a moral obligation
:58:14. > :58:24.for us to share that experience with others as well. And it is ?2 billion
:58:25. > :58:32.since 1995. European money would have gone to support the Maze prison
:58:33. > :58:36.project? What has happened to that? It has been redistributed and
:58:37. > :58:42.firstly, can I say that peace funding... Let me... It has been
:58:43. > :58:48.redistributed to a range of projects, one of which is the shared
:58:49. > :58:52.site at the leisure centre in Newtownabbey, over ?4 million.
:58:53. > :58:57.Communities will access and benefit from that. I am very happy to have
:58:58. > :59:05.helped the council and communities are to actually access that. That is
:59:06. > :59:11.a very important issue. Piece money has been important for Northern
:59:12. > :59:16.Ireland. -- peace. The part will be around ?240 million. And I have
:59:17. > :59:22.clearly said that I would like to see funding directed at young people
:59:23. > :59:25.and those who are in danger of being drawn back into violence and I would
:59:26. > :59:30.like us to really direct that, in giving young people a stake in
:59:31. > :59:35.society and the future in Northern Ireland going forward. Yes, funding
:59:36. > :59:41.has been important for Northern Ireland. Can the EU make peace in
:59:42. > :59:47.Northern Ireland? No, fundamentally, peace in Northern Ireland will be
:59:48. > :59:51.made here. And that will be based on truth and justice. And I do a lot of
:59:52. > :59:55.work with the innocent victims of terrorism, both in the European
:59:56. > :00:03.Parliament and in Northern Ireland, and they tell me that going forward,
:00:04. > :00:08.we need to see truth and justice. And the prospect of justice for each
:00:09. > :00:12.and every one of them as they go forward. And that is where it is
:00:13. > :00:20.important. We can start this process. We can start it. I actually
:00:21. > :00:23.looking at some of the issues that are important to give victims. One
:00:24. > :00:29.of the issues that Israeli important is the issue of a definition of
:00:30. > :00:34.victim. You know, we have... As you say jurp can't help us with --
:00:35. > :00:37.Europe can't help us with that? We need a definition of a victim that
:00:38. > :00:44.excludes the perpetrators of violence and I invite those parties
:00:45. > :00:48.here, particularly the SDLP to join with us.
:00:49. > :00:54.APPLAUSE What is your party's view on peace
:00:55. > :01:04.money being used to redevelop the Mazi site and what -- Maze and what
:01:05. > :01:09.are your feelings on a shrine to terrorism being built there? The
:01:10. > :01:12.lady there? The only comment I have to make is to the parties regarding
:01:13. > :01:17.funding coming out of Europe. It seems to be directed at innovative
:01:18. > :01:19.projects which seem to have a time limit. There is a lot of good work
:01:20. > :01:25.going on within the communities at present time for all sorts of
:01:26. > :01:32.issues, be it victims, or whatever, with this money coming to us,
:01:33. > :01:37.hopefully in 2014/2015, can the MEPs give us any guarantees that there
:01:38. > :01:44.could be funding to sustain current projects because the projects we
:01:45. > :01:52.have seem to die at a specific time? Jim Allister, it wasn't Europe's
:01:53. > :01:58.fault Jim Allister that the Maze project collapsed. President Barroso
:01:59. > :02:06.said he was impressed by Northern Ireland for developing a centre for
:02:07. > :02:13.conflict resolution The Maze project typified the folly to go down that
:02:14. > :02:20.road and what stopped the waste of ?20 million on the Maze project was
:02:21. > :02:27.not the mighty DUP, what stopped the waste of that money was an uprising
:02:28. > :02:30.of innocent victims who saw... APPLAUSE
:02:31. > :02:36.Who saw that project for what it was, a glorification of the
:02:37. > :02:41.victim-makers and sadly for five years, Mrs Dodds in Brussels never
:02:42. > :02:47.spoke out about the Maze project, she stuck with the party line to
:02:48. > :02:53.deliver the Sinn Fein agenda at the Maze and it took the innocent
:02:54. > :02:59.victims to force the DUP U-turn on the Maze and I'm glad this party
:03:00. > :03:03.played some small part in doing it. Martina Anderson? Our peace process
:03:04. > :03:12.shines like a beacon light and gives a lot of hope to a lot of areas that
:03:13. > :03:16.are trying to emerge from conflict. And Europe supports the Good Friday
:03:17. > :03:19.agreement. And I think it is crucially important that we look at
:03:20. > :03:28.the opportunities that the peace funding has brought here. 22,000
:03:29. > :03:33.projects. 900,000 participants and as you have mentioned, there has
:03:34. > :03:38.been sterling work which has been done in communities across the two
:03:39. > :03:44.traditions here in the north and in the border corridors. I think we
:03:45. > :03:50.need to look at the opportunities that we have to give something to
:03:51. > :03:55.Europe in terms of hope and also for us to be able to get from Europe,
:03:56. > :04:03.not just in terms of funding, but the peace centre in the Kerb would
:04:04. > :04:08.have been -- Kesh would have been such a statement beyond Ireland to
:04:09. > :04:13.peek who were trying to -- people who were trying to emerge from
:04:14. > :04:17.conflict. Conflict is a terrible thing. It is how we are able to get
:04:18. > :04:27.out of it and we were able to use that funding for that benefit.
:04:28. > :04:38.APPLAUSE Can I go now? Yes, please. I was
:04:39. > :04:42.involved in this from Peace One. On many occasion, there has been plenty
:04:43. > :04:46.troubles on the way and it is far from perfect, but it did make a
:04:47. > :04:51.valuable contribution in the early years to the two communities in
:04:52. > :04:59.Northern Ireland. And I have to say, you know, many people say to me in
:05:00. > :05:09.Brussels, that was 1994 when Ian Paisley and John Hume and I went
:05:10. > :05:17.through the door. 20 years ago since that first peace one was formed.
:05:18. > :05:19.Many people I know in Brussels say to me, "Jim, how long does it take
:05:20. > :05:25.you to make peace in Northern Ireland?" We know the many problems
:05:26. > :05:33.we have here, but Europe has been very good in that it has tried to
:05:34. > :05:36.always stay above on many, many occasions the differences and the
:05:37. > :05:41.disagreements that we have. But I have to say, where I agree with Jim,
:05:42. > :05:45.because Jim was the MEP at the when he and I were locked out of any
:05:46. > :05:48.discussions taking place at that time. We were not part of and for
:05:49. > :05:55.the first time in all the time thave been an MEP that we were not part or
:05:56. > :06:00.contributing to the Barroso taskforce. Even though we told them
:06:01. > :06:02.that wouldn't happen... We're going to have to take a couple of
:06:03. > :06:10.questions from the floor and then we've got to move on. We have no
:06:11. > :06:16.time left. The January Ja gentleman in the black shirt. I'm assuming Jim
:06:17. > :06:27.and Diane are talking about victim makers and terrorism and talking
:06:28. > :06:31.about a collusion and terrorism. I would like to ask the panel what
:06:32. > :06:42.have you and your party done to oppose the IRA shrine at the Maze?
:06:43. > :06:46.Can I answer on two points? No, too many. The DUP said there will be no
:06:47. > :06:52.shrine at the Maze and there will be no shrine at the Maze. It is off the
:06:53. > :06:56.table. Can I say? We're not a one-man band. I don't have to speak
:06:57. > :07:04.on everything... One last question. Time is running out for us. Jim, you
:07:05. > :07:09.are the one-man band. APPLAUSE
:07:10. > :07:16.Chris Jordan. If elected, what will you miss most while in Brussels?
:07:17. > :07:21.Anna, what would you miss? What would I miss here? I wouldn't
:07:22. > :07:26.miss the bickering that's been going on all night. What would I miss? I
:07:27. > :07:32.would miss the nice people here. I would miss the hospitalality and the
:07:33. > :07:40.warmth. My sister is over from Hong Kong and she couldn't get over...
:07:41. > :07:43.How nice we are? Yes. I would miss my wife, my family and my two girls,
:07:44. > :07:50.they are seven and five. I've missed a bit of their lives so far. It
:07:51. > :07:54.won't be easy to miss a bit more. I will miss the people of Northern
:07:55. > :07:56.Ireland on the days I'm over there because the strength and the
:07:57. > :08:06.character and the capacity and the innovation... Flattery! Jim
:08:07. > :08:11.Nicholson, you have practically forgotten Northern Ireland you have
:08:12. > :08:18.been gone so long. Even for you Noel, that's pretty low! I can say a
:08:19. > :08:22.lot of things. I do apologise? Not at all. It goes with the territory.
:08:23. > :08:28.Probably the thing I mist the most is a good plate of Irish stew.
:08:29. > :08:36.Martina Anderson, you have had two years out there, what have -- what
:08:37. > :08:41.do you miss? I miss my mother. My hother has at zim -- mother has
:08:42. > :08:45.Alzheimer's of the there is nothing that brightens up my day when I come
:08:46. > :08:54.back from Europe particularly a journey from Strasbourg and walking
:08:55. > :08:59.in to see my mummy. Jim Allister, what did you miss most? Being apart
:09:00. > :09:04.from family is a sacrifice that everyone makes. Politically, would I
:09:05. > :09:08.miss being a thorn in the flesh of Sinn Fein, DUP in Stormont? Well,
:09:09. > :09:13.happily, well happily I would have someone to be that northern and I --
:09:14. > :09:20.thorn and I would have a bigger mandate from across the province to
:09:21. > :09:23.add to that thorn. Diane? Well, I would miss the people of Northern
:09:24. > :09:26.Ireland. It is a privilege to represent Northern Ireland in the
:09:27. > :09:31.European Parliament, but most of all, you know, you miss your family
:09:32. > :09:42.and that's very significant and of course, nothing beats coming home to
:09:43. > :09:48.a slice of Wheatan bread. I will give you 40 seconds to sum-up what
:09:49. > :09:54.we have heard today. Who knows, we might find our debate changed views.
:09:55. > :09:56.Martina Anderson. Well, if you are against austerity and want
:09:57. > :09:59.leadership and you want someone that's going to stand up for you,
:10:00. > :10:05.you want someone who is going to stand up against cuts and make sure
:10:06. > :10:10.that we get and maximise the opportunities in Europe. If you want
:10:11. > :10:14.team Sinn Fein, then you should vote for Sinn Fein councillors and myself
:10:15. > :10:22.throughout Ireland and particularly here in the north.
:10:23. > :10:24.Diane Dodds? APPLAUSE
:10:25. > :10:29.This Thursday I'm asking you for a mandate to continue to represent
:10:30. > :10:33.Northern Ireland in Europe. While the Unionist candidates agree on
:10:34. > :10:39.many issues, the reality is that only one, the DUP, has the ability
:10:40. > :10:43.to deliver. While some others just carp and criticise and have nothing
:10:44. > :10:52.positive to offer, we are the party that stands up for Northern Ireland.
:10:53. > :10:56.Division weakens Unionism. Splits votes mean lost power and influence.
:10:57. > :10:59.I want to get the best deal for Northern Ireland and that's why on
:11:00. > :11:03.Thursday, I'm asking you to vote to strengthen unionism and our voice in
:11:04. > :11:10.the European Parliament. So I'm asking you to vote number one, DUP
:11:11. > :11:17.and then transfer. Thank you very much indeed. Jim Nicholson? Thank
:11:18. > :11:22.you, Noel. Can I thank the audience? I began this debate by saying Europe
:11:23. > :11:27.needs to get real. And from what we've been saying, there is no doubt
:11:28. > :11:30.about that and we have seen here tonight that it is obvious to all of
:11:31. > :11:37.us that some of the candidates also need a reality check as well. We
:11:38. > :11:41.must not take local differences we have witnessed here to Europe
:11:42. > :11:49.because they will not understand our argument. I will not politicise
:11:50. > :11:52.agriculture. I will stop the EU's to destroy o jobs and I will not lead
:11:53. > :11:57.Northern Ireland over a cliff edge. I will continue to do what I have
:11:58. > :12:00.done for 25 years and that's to proudly work on behalf of everyone
:12:01. > :12:08.in Northern Ireland. Thank you very much indeed. Alex Attwood? Well,
:12:09. > :12:11.thank you Noel and I thank the audience. I think this debate, I
:12:12. > :12:17.think the politics of the last number of months and years
:12:18. > :12:21.demonstrates that we have to move Northern Ireland in a hopeful and
:12:22. > :12:27.bold direction. That we cannot continue to let people down. As I
:12:28. > :12:32.said earlier, all of that happens or doesn't happen if people vote or
:12:33. > :12:37.they do not vote. I have said all along in this election campaign that
:12:38. > :12:43.this is no ordinary election and a poll and the papers are now saying
:12:44. > :12:49.that there can be no ordinary outcome. That's powerful your votes
:12:50. > :12:53.tonight are. That's why I ask you to vote for me.
:12:54. > :12:56.Jim Allister. Over the years many unionist and democrats in Northern
:12:57. > :13:00.Ireland feel they have been robbed of things that matter to them. We've
:13:01. > :13:04.reached the stage where you can't even vote a party out of Government.
:13:05. > :13:07.You are not allowed to change your Government and you are in the
:13:08. > :13:11.allowed to have an opposition. Well, the one thing that can't be taken
:13:12. > :13:17.from you is your vote. That is your secret weapon. So come out on
:13:18. > :13:22.Thursday. Let's shake things up. Let's vote TUV to make a difference
:13:23. > :13:27.on all these issues. Do not be distracted by the self serving
:13:28. > :13:35.nonsense about splitting the vote. You cannot split a vote in a PR
:13:36. > :13:39.election providing you use your transfers within the unionist family
:13:40. > :13:45.and that's what everyone should do. Anna Lo? Yes, on Thursday you have
:13:46. > :13:52.the opportunity to step forward, to make changes. If you don't want the
:13:53. > :13:59.us and them old politics, you vote for the Alliance Party. We work for
:14:00. > :14:05.everyone. We can present a new modern progressive and inclusive
:14:06. > :14:11.image of Northern Ireland to Europe, to the world. I am ambitious for
:14:12. > :14:16.Northern Ireland. I am ambitious, I will be very active in Europe to
:14:17. > :14:19.work for everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very
:14:20. > :14:25.much indeed. There are four other candidates running in the European
:14:26. > :14:32.election. Ross Brown of the Green Party, ma Tina McKenzie. There will
:14:33. > :14:36.be a report on their response on Talk Back tomorrow and on BBC
:14:37. > :14:42.Newsline on BBC One. A full list of candidates is on the BBC's election
:14:43. > :14:47.website. The result of the euro polls should be known on Monday
:14:48. > :14:50.afternoon. May the best teams win. Thank you to our candidates and to
:14:51. > :14:54.our studio audience and to you at home for watching. Goodbye.
:14:55. > :15:17.APPLAUSE with candidates standing in our 11
:15:18. > :15:22.new council districts, and it's time for you to choose who will be
:15:23. > :15:26.our representatives in Europe. BBC News NI will bring you
:15:27. > :15:29.the results as they come in, with live coverage
:15:30. > :15:31.from all the count centres. We'll have reaction,
:15:32. > :15:34.expert analysis, and, of course, a chance for you
:15:35. > :15:38.to have your say across TV,