1:50:33 > 1:50:38I am delighted to declare Naomi Long MLA elected as party leader.
1:50:38 > 1:50:40APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
1:50:40 > 1:50:42Alliance have a new leader.
1:50:46 > 1:50:49What unites us and what makes us strong are our shared beliefs
1:50:49 > 1:50:51and our common values,
1:50:51 > 1:50:54a shared belief that our society can thrive...
1:50:54 > 1:50:58Naomi Long promises to renew the Alliance Party.
1:50:58 > 1:51:01But can she transform the fortunes of a small party
1:51:01 > 1:51:05that's outside the Executive and outside the official opposition?
1:51:06 > 1:51:09I followed Naomi Long in the run-up to her election,
1:51:09 > 1:51:11unopposed, as leader.
1:51:11 > 1:51:15Alliance normally attracts your middle of the road, do-gooder types,
1:51:15 > 1:51:18maybe a wee bit dull, and there's one thing about Naomi Long -
1:51:18 > 1:51:20she isn't wishy-washy.
1:51:22 > 1:51:27Four years ago, she was under death threat from Loyalist paramilitaries,
1:51:27 > 1:51:29targeted after Alliance backed a vote
1:51:29 > 1:51:34to restrict the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall.
1:51:34 > 1:51:37No surrender!
1:51:37 > 1:51:40Tonight, Naomi Long lays the blame for the violence
1:51:40 > 1:51:43that engulfed her and her party over the flag protests
1:51:43 > 1:51:48firmly with the DUP and the UUP.
1:51:48 > 1:51:49They whipped it up to a point
1:51:49 > 1:51:51where it was then beyond their control to stop it.
1:51:53 > 1:51:56She unveils her alternative vision to Unionism.
1:51:58 > 1:52:01You've said you're not a Unionist, but do you care about the union?
1:52:01 > 1:52:05Would it make life easier for me if I pretended I was a Unionist?
1:52:05 > 1:52:07Maybe it would, but it's not who I am.
1:52:08 > 1:52:10And she talks for the first time
1:52:10 > 1:52:12about a major health scare she suffered
1:52:12 > 1:52:15while under death threat from the UVF.
1:52:15 > 1:52:17Whatever threats people can make,
1:52:17 > 1:52:19there's nothing quite as frightening
1:52:19 > 1:52:22as when your own body is working against you.
1:52:42 > 1:52:45The new Alliance leader was born 44 years ago
1:52:45 > 1:52:48into the Mersey Street area of East Belfast.
1:52:49 > 1:52:51Home was a two-up two-down house
1:52:51 > 1:52:54in a traditional working-class Unionist community
1:52:54 > 1:52:57in the shadow of the Harland & Wolff cranes.
1:52:59 > 1:53:02She was the only child of Emily and James Johnston.
1:53:03 > 1:53:06Emily was a Presbyterian Sunday school teacher.
1:53:08 > 1:53:11James was an engineer in the shipyard.
1:53:11 > 1:53:15The school that I went to and indeed that my parents went to behind me,
1:53:15 > 1:53:18kind of diagonally opposite, is Mersey Street Presbyterian Church.
1:53:18 > 1:53:20That's where I went to Guides and Rangers
1:53:20 > 1:53:22and that's where I went to youth fellowship.
1:53:22 > 1:53:26What is now Oval Court, but you can see those two houses,
1:53:26 > 1:53:28there was a row of about... Well, there was a street there,
1:53:28 > 1:53:31Downpatrick Street and I grew up in number 17.
1:53:31 > 1:53:34It was all in this area, kind of right in the shadow
1:53:34 > 1:53:37of Samson and Goliath and right beside the Oval.
1:53:40 > 1:53:44Young Naomi was surrounded by flags and emblems.
1:53:44 > 1:53:47Her dad was in the Orange Order and the Royal Black Preceptory.
1:53:47 > 1:53:51He was master of the local lodge, and she remembers bands
1:53:51 > 1:53:55marching off from the front of their home on the 12th of July.
1:53:55 > 1:53:58We had the 12th left our house, I think, twice,
1:53:58 > 1:54:00while I was growing up.
1:54:00 > 1:54:02They used to head up to Templemore Avenue
1:54:02 > 1:54:06and to District Six to join with the rest of the parade up there.
1:54:08 > 1:54:11- So this is where you went to school? - It is.- Mersey Street.
1:54:11 > 1:54:13It is, Mersey Street Primary School.
1:54:13 > 1:54:16These were some of our primary photographs.
1:54:16 > 1:54:21Our class photos. That was me in P3.
1:54:21 > 1:54:24Mrs Little, one of my favourite teachers.
1:54:24 > 1:54:26This is where the headmaster's office kind of was,
1:54:26 > 1:54:30in this corridor. There was a school office. Headmaster's office.
1:54:30 > 1:54:34So you were only here if there was kind of bad news
1:54:34 > 1:54:38- or you were really bad. - Were you ever bad?- Not really.
1:54:38 > 1:54:39I was never sent here for anything bad.
1:54:39 > 1:54:42The only time I was sent to the headmaster's office,
1:54:42 > 1:54:44it was bad news. And it was that my dad had taken ill
1:54:44 > 1:54:46and was taken into hospital. He had a stroke.
1:54:51 > 1:54:54James Johnston never worked again.
1:54:54 > 1:54:56Two years later, he died of a heart attack
1:54:56 > 1:54:58on the street outside their home.
1:55:00 > 1:55:03After her dad's death, she says an incident happened
1:55:03 > 1:55:05that affected her deeply,
1:55:05 > 1:55:10a defining moment that would help shape her political beliefs.
1:55:10 > 1:55:13Her mum, Emily, an outspoken woman,
1:55:13 > 1:55:17stood up to Loyalists who she believed were trying bully her.
1:55:19 > 1:55:23When workers from the Irish Republic arrived in Mersey Street
1:55:23 > 1:55:27to build Housing Executive flats, she disagreed with Loyalist plans
1:55:27 > 1:55:30to paint the kerbs red, white and blue
1:55:30 > 1:55:33and she refused to help pay for it.
1:55:33 > 1:55:36They came round to do a collection to get money
1:55:36 > 1:55:38to paint the kerbs and my mum said no.
1:55:38 > 1:55:40She also wasn't happy because she knew it was being done
1:55:40 > 1:55:42because of the workmen.
1:55:42 > 1:55:45And the next morning when she got up and lifted the blind,
1:55:45 > 1:55:48there was a massive Union flag painted outside the house
1:55:48 > 1:55:52with "No surrender, remember 1690" on it, you know.
1:55:52 > 1:55:54And that was the message, I guess to her, you know,
1:55:54 > 1:55:58that you don't express your opinions unless they're in agreement
1:55:58 > 1:56:01with everyone else. It did shake her.
1:56:01 > 1:56:05You know, internally, she was nervous about what had happened,
1:56:05 > 1:56:09but she was determined to stand up for herself.
1:56:09 > 1:56:13It wasn't that she minded the flag, it wasn't that she was anti-flag,
1:56:13 > 1:56:15it wasn't anything like that.
1:56:15 > 1:56:19It was just she didn't like it being abused to try and exert control
1:56:19 > 1:56:23and that has, I guess...
1:56:23 > 1:56:26That has been something that's very deep in me, too.
1:56:29 > 1:56:32Emily Johnston's stand would lay the groundwork
1:56:32 > 1:56:35for her daughter's political vision,
1:56:35 > 1:56:39and challenge her to seek out an alternative to mainstream Unionism.
1:56:43 > 1:56:46Naomi Long joined the Alliance Party while studying engineering
1:56:46 > 1:56:49as a student at Queen's University.
1:56:49 > 1:56:54She became MLA for her home constituency in 2003.
1:56:55 > 1:56:58Thank you very much. It was lovely.
1:56:58 > 1:57:02But her most significant, show-stopping moment came in 2010,
1:57:02 > 1:57:05when she sensationally defeated Peter Robinson
1:57:05 > 1:57:09in the Westminster election, becoming the first non-Unionist MP
1:57:09 > 1:57:12to represent East Belfast.
1:57:13 > 1:57:16And I declare that Naomi Long has been elected to serve in Parliament,
1:57:16 > 1:57:20- for the East Belfast constituency. - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:57:23 > 1:57:26It was an extraordinary victory for her
1:57:26 > 1:57:28and a massive defeat for Unionism.
1:57:30 > 1:57:35Peter Robinson had held the safe seat for over 30 years.
1:57:35 > 1:57:39From that moment, Naomi Long was the target of Unionists
1:57:39 > 1:57:40determined to win it back.
1:57:43 > 1:57:46That scared Unionism, which had spent the past 50 years
1:57:46 > 1:57:49telling people you must vote for this person.
1:57:49 > 1:57:50This person is a Unionist,
1:57:50 > 1:57:53this person believes in the flag and suddenly, out of nowhere,
1:57:53 > 1:57:56in 2010, an Alliance candidate,
1:57:56 > 1:57:58someone like Naomi Long,
1:57:58 > 1:57:59a woman, for goodness' sake!
1:57:59 > 1:58:01Instead of these parties going, "Why did we lose?"
1:58:01 > 1:58:05which is the real thing you do when you lose an election,
1:58:05 > 1:58:06it was a, "Well, it's her fault,
1:58:06 > 1:58:10"she's part of a bigger conspiracy, we must get together to stop this."
1:58:10 > 1:58:15The opportunity to stop Naomi Long arose two years later,
1:58:15 > 1:58:19when a dispute over a proposal to restrict the flying
1:58:19 > 1:58:23of the Union flag over Belfast City Hall to designated days,
1:58:23 > 1:58:28enabled the DUP and UUP to portray her and the Alliance Party
1:58:28 > 1:58:30as enemies of the union.
1:58:33 > 1:58:35Weeks before the crucial vote,
1:58:35 > 1:58:39thousands of leaflets were distributed across the city.
1:58:39 > 1:58:42They were produced by the DUP and UUP.
1:58:42 > 1:58:45DUP counsellors helped to pay for and distribute them.
1:58:47 > 1:58:50A perfectly legitimate factual leaflet was put out
1:58:50 > 1:58:54by the Unionist representatives in Belfast City Council.
1:58:54 > 1:58:56The leaflet was about awareness raising
1:58:56 > 1:58:58in the hope that people would go to those
1:58:58 > 1:59:00who had the casting votes, the Alliance Party,
1:59:00 > 1:59:03and persuade them to support the flying of the flag.
1:59:03 > 1:59:06The leaflet, printed in yellow - Alliance's colours -
1:59:06 > 1:59:11listed contact details for the party headquarters and Naomi Long.
1:59:11 > 1:59:14She believes it was a clear attempt to lay political blame
1:59:14 > 1:59:17over the flag issue at her feet,
1:59:17 > 1:59:19even though she was not on Belfast City Council
1:59:19 > 1:59:21and didn't have a vote.
1:59:23 > 1:59:27I think the leaflet was about making me a figure of hate
1:59:27 > 1:59:29for Unionists in East Belfast
1:59:29 > 1:59:34in order that I would lose the seat in Westminster,
1:59:34 > 1:59:37or leave the seat in Westminster,
1:59:37 > 1:59:41and I don't think they cared too much either way which it was.
1:59:41 > 1:59:44But I think it was completely politically motivated.
1:59:44 > 1:59:46I don't think it was about the flag.
1:59:48 > 1:59:49The DUP have denied
1:59:49 > 1:59:52that they produced the leaflet to damage her.
1:59:53 > 1:59:56They dismiss suggestions that the campaign was focused
1:59:56 > 1:59:58on East Belfast as nonsense.
2:00:00 > 2:00:03Contact details for all Alliance offices in Belfast
2:00:03 > 2:00:05were given out, they say.
2:00:07 > 2:00:12But in 2012, there were only two Alliance offices in the city.
2:00:12 > 2:00:15Party HQ in South Belfast
2:00:15 > 2:00:18and Naomi Long's East Belfast constituency office.
2:00:18 > 2:00:24The DUP say they provided publicly available details for both offices,
2:00:24 > 2:00:27not for individual representatives.
2:00:27 > 2:00:32But they did single out Naomi Long, who was the only Alliance member
2:00:32 > 2:00:33named in the leaflet.
2:00:33 > 2:00:38While it urges respect, it also accuses her and her party
2:00:38 > 2:00:41of wanting to rip and tear down the Union flag
2:00:41 > 2:00:43on all but a few days.
2:00:48 > 2:00:50When the motion was passed at City Hall,
2:00:50 > 2:00:53violence erupted within minutes.
2:00:53 > 2:00:55SIRENS AND YELLING
2:00:57 > 2:01:00No surrender!
2:01:01 > 2:01:03It continued to escalate.
2:01:06 > 2:01:10Naomi Long was one of those who bore the brunt of Loyalist anger.
2:01:12 > 2:01:16She received her first death threat days after the vote.
2:01:16 > 2:01:19I had just gone to bed and we got a rap on the door
2:01:19 > 2:01:20from the police.
2:01:21 > 2:01:25And they told me that... Very bluntly, that a threat
2:01:25 > 2:01:30had been issued, that if I returned to my office or stayed at my home,
2:01:30 > 2:01:31I would be shot.
2:01:31 > 2:01:35And that it had come from a paramilitary organisation
2:01:35 > 2:01:37with recognised codewords.
2:01:37 > 2:01:40Between 2012 and 2013,
2:01:40 > 2:01:43the MP for East Belfast received five death threats.
2:01:43 > 2:01:46Police confirmed some of them were from the UVF.
2:01:46 > 2:01:49Alliance offices were picketed and petrol bombed
2:01:49 > 2:01:50and staff assaulted.
2:01:51 > 2:01:54It was almost impossible for them at times to function
2:01:54 > 2:01:57because of protesters outside and yet she didn't back down.
2:01:59 > 2:02:02A PSNI officer on duty outside Naomi Long's office
2:02:02 > 2:02:06was almost killed when a bomb was thrown through the window
2:02:06 > 2:02:07of a police car.
2:02:08 > 2:02:09Did you, at any time,
2:02:09 > 2:02:12think, "Something might happen, I could get shot here?"
2:02:12 > 2:02:16Yes, I did. I don't think I'm invincible.
2:02:16 > 2:02:17Erm, but...
2:02:19 > 2:02:22At the end of the day, I have a strong faith.
2:02:22 > 2:02:25If something's going to happen, it's going to happen.
2:02:25 > 2:02:31There isn't anything that I can do to change that, by a day or an hour,
2:02:31 > 2:02:33it's not in my gift.
2:02:33 > 2:02:36She says she recognised faces in the mob.
2:02:36 > 2:02:39She was being attacked by some of her old neighbours
2:02:39 > 2:02:42and people she went to school with.
2:02:42 > 2:02:44That was an odd experience.
2:02:44 > 2:02:47Because they weren't just faceless people,
2:02:47 > 2:02:49they were people that I knew.
2:02:49 > 2:02:52- How do you deal with that? - I didn't feel afraid of them,
2:02:52 > 2:02:56because they weren't scary people - they were angry people.
2:02:56 > 2:02:59And I don't entirely blame the people in the protest
2:02:59 > 2:03:02for that anger, but I do blame those who whipped it up.
2:03:02 > 2:03:08The DUP and UUP leaders appealed for the protest to stop.
2:03:08 > 2:03:11Anyone who attacks a police officer,
2:03:11 > 2:03:13anyone who attacks an elected politician,
2:03:13 > 2:03:15anyone who attacks any individual,
2:03:15 > 2:03:22fails to understand the values that encapsulate the Union flag.
2:03:22 > 2:03:25There is no rationale. How do you call yourself a Loyalist
2:03:25 > 2:03:27and then throw a petrol bomb into the back of a police car?
2:03:27 > 2:03:29I mean, it is absurd.
2:03:29 > 2:03:34But Naomi Long says those appeals came too late for her and her party.
2:03:35 > 2:03:40Do you think they anticipated the violence that happened?
2:03:40 > 2:03:44Erm... Probably... Probably not.
2:03:44 > 2:03:47But I don't know that they really cared one way or the other
2:03:47 > 2:03:49when they delivered the leaflets.
2:03:50 > 2:03:53I mean, the leaflets were written in such a way
2:03:53 > 2:03:56that they were designed to wind people up.
2:03:56 > 2:04:02Both the UUP and DUP have categorically denied any attempt
2:04:02 > 2:04:03to whip up hatred.
2:04:03 > 2:04:06No-one was out on the streets after that leaflet was put out.
2:04:06 > 2:04:07No-one was out on the streets.
2:04:07 > 2:04:09It wasn't until the vote was taken
2:04:09 > 2:04:13and parties decided that they wanted to alter the status quo
2:04:13 > 2:04:14that people came on the streets.
2:04:14 > 2:04:16The leaflet campaign, the awareness campaign, failed,
2:04:16 > 2:04:18but it didn't provoke the violence.
2:04:18 > 2:04:22It was the result of the vote that provoked the violence.
2:04:22 > 2:04:26There are those who accuse Naomi Long of being a hypocrite.
2:04:26 > 2:04:28She condemned Loyalist demonstrations,
2:04:28 > 2:04:32but had been happy to reap the benefits of a Loyalist protest vote
2:04:32 > 2:04:35against Peter Robinson in 2010.
2:04:35 > 2:04:40Today, it's widely accepted that the PUP, historically linked to the UVF,
2:04:40 > 2:04:44then led by Dawn Purvis, encouraged members to support her,
2:04:44 > 2:04:46rather than the DUP.
2:04:46 > 2:04:50Well, I mean, it is levelled constantly, and it's a lie.
2:04:50 > 2:04:53If individual members of those organisations vote for me,
2:04:53 > 2:04:55I can't do anything about that.
2:04:55 > 2:04:57If they think that I'm providing representation
2:04:57 > 2:04:59that's good for them and their community,
2:04:59 > 2:05:02there's nothing I can or would want to change about that,
2:05:02 > 2:05:05but I have never sought their support,
2:05:05 > 2:05:09I have never had any kind of arrangements with them.
2:05:09 > 2:05:14Did you canvas with Dawn Purvis in 2010 in East Belfast?
2:05:14 > 2:05:19No! I didn't canvas with Dawn Purvis in any election anywhere.
2:05:19 > 2:05:23This is another piece of the "UVF supporting Alliance" myth.
2:05:23 > 2:05:27Today, Naomi Long's home is still ringed with security sensors
2:05:27 > 2:05:30and has bombproof windows and doors.
2:05:30 > 2:05:34She shares her home with her husband, Michael, a dentist.
2:05:34 > 2:05:36They've been together since they were 14.
2:05:36 > 2:05:38You're both in the Alliance Party.
2:05:38 > 2:05:42Obviously, you're a councillor. Is there ever any friction there?
2:05:42 > 2:05:45Not really. We both got elected at the same time about 15 years ago
2:05:45 > 2:05:48and my trajectory has kind of gone like that
2:05:48 > 2:05:50and Naomi's has kind of gone like that!
2:05:50 > 2:05:53So... Yeah, I mean, you know,
2:05:53 > 2:05:58Naomi has a lot of talents as a politician and, erm...
2:05:58 > 2:06:00I know my place, don't I?
2:06:00 > 2:06:03Not at all! Everybody assumes that I'm the feisty one
2:06:03 > 2:06:07but anybody who has seen him in the chamber,
2:06:07 > 2:06:10I can tell you, he's feisty enough when it suits him.
2:06:10 > 2:06:12Do you ever get a word in edgeways?
2:06:12 > 2:06:14Oh, yeah! Sometimes, when she's sleeping.
2:06:14 > 2:06:16THEY LAUGH
2:06:18 > 2:06:21The couple were deeply affected by the flag protests.
2:06:21 > 2:06:26But Naomi Long says she would take the same stand again.
2:06:26 > 2:06:27Do you understand why people would say,
2:06:27 > 2:06:31"Representative for East Belfast, how could you not have known
2:06:31 > 2:06:35"that people would have been genuinely distressed, offended,
2:06:35 > 2:06:38"by any attempt to remove the flag?"
2:06:38 > 2:06:41Because it wasn't an attempt to remove the flag
2:06:41 > 2:06:44and that's the fundamental lie in all of this.
2:06:44 > 2:06:47The attempt to remove the flag was Sinn Fein's proposal,
2:06:47 > 2:06:49that the flag should not fly.
2:06:49 > 2:06:53Alliance didn't support that proposal.
2:06:53 > 2:06:58Alliance supported a proposal to fly the flag in the same way
2:06:58 > 2:07:00as it's flown at the majority of council buildings
2:07:00 > 2:07:01across the rest of the UK.
2:07:04 > 2:07:08But four years on, the deep hurt and anger of those people
2:07:08 > 2:07:11who felt betrayed by her stance has not diminished.
2:07:13 > 2:07:17The Alliance leader grew up yards from Glentoran football ground.
2:07:17 > 2:07:21Today, many fans bristle at the very mention of her name,
2:07:21 > 2:07:25including those who were not involved in the flag protests.
2:07:25 > 2:07:28I think she's a traitor to this area, to East Belfast.
2:07:28 > 2:07:30And why do you think she's a traitor to this area?
2:07:30 > 2:07:31Well, people elected her and she didn't do
2:07:31 > 2:07:34- what she said she was going to do. - What did you want her to do?
2:07:34 > 2:07:37I wanted her to support the people of East Belfast.
2:07:37 > 2:07:39I just think she's following the Sinn Fein agenda.
2:07:39 > 2:07:41She's not pro-Unionist at all.
2:07:41 > 2:07:44Do you think a non-Unionist
2:07:44 > 2:07:46can represent the people of East Belfast?
2:07:46 > 2:07:50- Some people in Alliance could do, but not Naomi.- Why not Naomi?
2:07:50 > 2:07:53Because - just her views. She's just anti-Unionist.
2:07:53 > 2:07:54Do you agree with her politics?
2:07:54 > 2:07:58- No, I do not.- Why not? - She's all one-sided.
2:07:59 > 2:08:02Others believe Naomi Long does represent Unionists
2:08:02 > 2:08:03in East Belfast.
2:08:03 > 2:08:06She's hard-working, she comes from this area
2:08:06 > 2:08:08and she's the right type of person.
2:08:08 > 2:08:12And what did you make of her stance on the flag protests?
2:08:12 > 2:08:17Well... what's the difference? Was that not the policy in Stormont?
2:08:17 > 2:08:18Designated days.
2:08:18 > 2:08:21Why isn't it designated days for everywhere in this country?
2:08:24 > 2:08:28At the very height of the violence around the flag protests,
2:08:28 > 2:08:32Naomi Long had to deal with another threat, a major health scare.
2:08:32 > 2:08:35A mole on her wrist was skin cancer.
2:08:35 > 2:08:37Can you remember where you were when they said,
2:08:37 > 2:08:40"Look, you've got cancer?"
2:08:40 > 2:08:46I was in my living room, because the person who had looked at my wrist
2:08:46 > 2:08:52was a friend as well as my doctor and had come to tell me at home...
2:08:52 > 2:08:56Erm... What it was. But I knew.
2:08:56 > 2:08:58I guess a cancer diagnosis
2:08:58 > 2:09:01kind of puts a bullet in the post in perspective.
2:09:01 > 2:09:04Because, you know, whatever politics can do to you,
2:09:04 > 2:09:07whatever threats people can make, there's nothing quite as frightening
2:09:07 > 2:09:10as when your own body is working against you.
2:09:11 > 2:09:17It was just...pure devastation to find out that this is what it was.
2:09:17 > 2:09:21It was malignant melanoma and...
2:09:21 > 2:09:23Just that it wasn't...
2:09:23 > 2:09:24It had been there for a wee while,
2:09:24 > 2:09:29and obviously that was of real concern. And...
2:09:30 > 2:09:32..really, I think, at that stage, you're just wondering
2:09:32 > 2:09:34what was coming next, to be honest with you,
2:09:34 > 2:09:38between the flag stuff and everything else.
2:09:38 > 2:09:40I had to go back for further surgery
2:09:40 > 2:09:45where I had an additional part of my skin
2:09:45 > 2:09:47on my wrist removed around it, a sort of safe zone.
2:09:49 > 2:09:52And my arm then had to be reflected back and put in a cast
2:09:52 > 2:09:55to avoid me having a skin graft.
2:09:55 > 2:09:57Once the cancer was cut out,
2:09:57 > 2:09:59there was no need for further treatment,
2:09:59 > 2:10:03but there would be more health scares in the coming months.
2:10:03 > 2:10:05I think it was within about six months
2:10:05 > 2:10:10that there was another kind of lesion was found. And...
2:10:10 > 2:10:13I think that just really knocked us for six at that point,
2:10:13 > 2:10:17because we kind of thought you were getting over it a bit,
2:10:17 > 2:10:20and then this happened again.
2:10:22 > 2:10:25Where are you now with your diagnosis?
2:10:25 > 2:10:28Three and a half years clear. And feeling good.
2:10:28 > 2:10:30I've had two other moles removed which were fine,
2:10:30 > 2:10:33but I'm obviously really cautious now,
2:10:33 > 2:10:36so anything at all that gives me any trouble,
2:10:36 > 2:10:40I get it looked at immediately and preferably removed.
2:10:41 > 2:10:43She says she's talking about it now
2:10:43 > 2:10:45to help raise awareness about skin cancer.
2:10:46 > 2:10:48If I had talked about it then,
2:10:48 > 2:10:50it would have been portrayed as me wishing to be a victim.
2:10:50 > 2:10:52And I'm nobody's victim.
2:10:52 > 2:10:56I didn't want anyone to think I was seeking sympathy.
2:10:56 > 2:10:59She was determined, she says, to keep going,
2:10:59 > 2:11:04but Unionists were determined that she wouldn't be back at Westminster.
2:11:04 > 2:11:09In 2015, they joined forces, forming a pact
2:11:09 > 2:11:12to ensure Gavin Robinson of the DUP
2:11:12 > 2:11:15could win back the East Belfast seat for Unionism.
2:11:16 > 2:11:20The DUP and Ulster Unionists unveiled an electoral pact
2:11:20 > 2:11:23covering four general election constituencies.
2:11:23 > 2:11:26The DUP did not field candidates
2:11:26 > 2:11:30in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and Newry and Armagh.
2:11:30 > 2:11:33The UUP gave the DUP a clear run at Westminster
2:11:33 > 2:11:36in North and East Belfast.
2:11:36 > 2:11:38East Belfast, once one of the electoral
2:11:38 > 2:11:41jewels of Unionism's crown.
2:11:41 > 2:11:43She had made it an unsafe seat for Unionism.
2:11:43 > 2:11:47They had to do a pact to make sure they could win the seat back.
2:11:48 > 2:11:51The strength of the animosity that existed
2:11:51 > 2:11:53between the DUP and Naomi Long
2:11:53 > 2:11:57was evident in Gavin Robinson's acceptance speech.
2:11:57 > 2:12:03Ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted the last five long years are over.
2:12:03 > 2:12:05CHEERING
2:12:10 > 2:12:14With the Unionist vote united around one candidate,
2:12:14 > 2:12:19Naomi Long was defeated, even though she increased her vote by 4,000.
2:12:20 > 2:12:24After her defeat, Naomi Long and her husband took six months out
2:12:24 > 2:12:26to travel the world.
2:12:26 > 2:12:29She considered leaving politics for good.
2:12:29 > 2:12:32I didn't go to any meetings, any political meetings,
2:12:32 > 2:12:37I didn't watch political television. I switched off completely.
2:12:37 > 2:12:42But, she says, in the end she realised her future lay in politics.
2:12:42 > 2:12:46I just felt that for me, it was the right thing to be doing,
2:12:46 > 2:12:48it was something that I really enjoy.
2:12:52 > 2:12:56As Alliance Leader, Naomi Long's biggest challenge
2:12:56 > 2:12:58will be to carve out a significant role,
2:12:58 > 2:13:03a relevant voice for a small party that's not in government,
2:13:03 > 2:13:07not in opposition, and that still struggles to be heard
2:13:07 > 2:13:11outside its power base of greater Belfast.
2:13:12 > 2:13:17If we're talking about our strength as a society being diversity...
2:13:17 > 2:13:21But Naomi Long is confident that she can attract new voters.
2:13:22 > 2:13:26We have a challenge in terms of integrating communities.
2:13:26 > 2:13:31People with different sexualities who feel excluded from society.
2:13:31 > 2:13:34We have people who come here from other places
2:13:34 > 2:13:37and from ethnic minority backgrounds,
2:13:37 > 2:13:39who often keep their head down in politics.
2:13:39 > 2:13:43My vision for the Alliance Party is to build on the diversity
2:13:43 > 2:13:45that we have as a party.
2:13:45 > 2:13:47But how much appeal will that vision have
2:13:47 > 2:13:50with voters across Northern Ireland?
2:13:50 > 2:13:53She did attract votes from all across the political spectrum
2:13:53 > 2:13:56in East Belfast, but they were very specific circumstances
2:13:56 > 2:13:59and there was a lot of sympathy towards Naomi Long.
2:13:59 > 2:14:03Can she do it across Northern Ireland? That remains to be seen.
2:14:03 > 2:14:06I think she's in for a very tough time in terms of attracting voters
2:14:06 > 2:14:07to Alliance west of the Bann.
2:14:07 > 2:14:11I don't think Alliance's agenda necessarily appeals there.
2:14:11 > 2:14:13And in working-class Catholic areas,
2:14:13 > 2:14:17I really can't see Alliance breaking through.
2:14:17 > 2:14:19Naomi Long has a strong Christian faith
2:14:19 > 2:14:23but she says that doesn't constrain her vision
2:14:23 > 2:14:25of a progressive, liberal society.
2:14:25 > 2:14:29But her liberal views have already caused tension
2:14:29 > 2:14:32with more conservative Christians within her church.
2:14:33 > 2:14:35I think if she was an atheist, if she was agnostic,
2:14:35 > 2:14:37she would be easier to deal with,
2:14:37 > 2:14:39because this woman does go to church on a Sunday
2:14:39 > 2:14:41and yet holds these liberal views.
2:14:41 > 2:14:44So it's very, very hard to put her down as being anti-God
2:14:44 > 2:14:47or some kind of dangerous radical.
2:14:49 > 2:14:53The new Alliance leader has made legalisation of same-sex marriage
2:14:53 > 2:14:58and abortion in cases of rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormality
2:14:58 > 2:15:01her priorities, but her liberal social agenda
2:15:01 > 2:15:04does not appeal to everyone.
2:15:04 > 2:15:05I think she needs to be careful,
2:15:05 > 2:15:07first of all in assuming that all her party back her.
2:15:07 > 2:15:11There is probably quite a sizeable section of the Alliance vote
2:15:11 > 2:15:14which would be uncomfortable with same-sex marriage.
2:15:14 > 2:15:16Many of them would also be uncomfortable
2:15:16 > 2:15:18with the abortion changes.
2:15:18 > 2:15:20I'm simply saying because you take a position
2:15:20 > 2:15:24on the socio-moral ground, again that may not necessarily translate
2:15:24 > 2:15:26into votes at a later stage.
2:15:26 > 2:15:29Same-sex marriage has already caused a public disagreement
2:15:29 > 2:15:33between the Presbyterian Church and the Alliance party.
2:15:33 > 2:15:38Justice Minister David Ford has been removed from his role as an elder
2:15:38 > 2:15:40in his local Presbyterian church.
2:15:41 > 2:15:44Naomi Long is a member of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church
2:15:44 > 2:15:46in East Belfast.
2:15:46 > 2:15:50Her minister, Dr Frank Sellar, is the Presbyterian Moderator.
2:15:50 > 2:15:54He agreed to talk to me as her minister and says he admires
2:15:54 > 2:15:56her public expression of faith.
2:15:56 > 2:15:59Simply because somebody is a Christian doesn't mean to say
2:15:59 > 2:16:02they have to hide that under a bush.
2:16:02 > 2:16:06So it is right that politicians should express their Christian faith
2:16:06 > 2:16:07in whatever way they can.
2:16:07 > 2:16:10But he says they have repeatedly clashed
2:16:10 > 2:16:12on the issue of same-sex marriage.
2:16:13 > 2:16:17Well, Naomi and I have had robust conversations.
2:16:17 > 2:16:19They really have been quite upfront.
2:16:19 > 2:16:22She knows the position, the historic position
2:16:22 > 2:16:24of the Christian church,
2:16:24 > 2:16:27that marriage is between one man and one woman.
2:16:27 > 2:16:31And just because this, as it were, is the flavour of the month,
2:16:31 > 2:16:34doesn't mean to say that the historic position of the church
2:16:34 > 2:16:36is going to change on that matter.
2:16:36 > 2:16:39People may or may not accept it.
2:16:39 > 2:16:42We don't... We're are not in the business of being popular.
2:16:42 > 2:16:45Naomi Long says her minister's views
2:16:45 > 2:16:49won't deter her from promoting same-sex marriage.
2:16:49 > 2:16:53He is entitled to a view, he is entitled to express it, as am I.
2:16:55 > 2:17:00But for many, however successful her liberal vision may or may not be,
2:17:00 > 2:17:05as leader, it's her attitude to the union that really matters.
2:17:05 > 2:17:09It always comes back to the issue, where do you stand on the union?
2:17:09 > 2:17:12And it doesn't matter what other vision you have,
2:17:12 > 2:17:14an economic vision, moral vision, social vision,
2:17:14 > 2:17:15none of that really matters
2:17:15 > 2:17:18if people say, "Well, actually, I'm with you on that,
2:17:18 > 2:17:21"but my priority is you making sure that Northern Ireland
2:17:21 > 2:17:24"either stays in the UK or we pave a path to a united Ireland."
2:17:24 > 2:17:28Because the voters care one way or the other.
2:17:28 > 2:17:32But the union simply isn't a priority for Naomi Long.
2:17:33 > 2:17:38You've said you're not a Unionist but do you care about the union?
2:17:38 > 2:17:40Well, I care about Northern Ireland and its future
2:17:40 > 2:17:44and I care about the people who live here.
2:17:44 > 2:17:47- And the end of the day... - Do you care about the union?
2:17:47 > 2:17:49Does it get me out of bed in the morning?
2:17:49 > 2:17:54Would it drive me to stay in politics when I was deciding last...
2:17:54 > 2:17:56December, what I was going to do with my future,
2:17:56 > 2:18:00was the union at the forefront of my decision making? No, it wasn't.
2:18:00 > 2:18:03It was society in Northern Ireland and what it could be like.
2:18:03 > 2:18:07I'm not going to say that I am something that I'm not.
2:18:07 > 2:18:09I'm going to be the person that I am and be honest about it.
2:18:09 > 2:18:12So, yes, would it make life easier for me
2:18:12 > 2:18:13if I pretended I was a Unionist?
2:18:13 > 2:18:18Maybe it would. But it's not who I am. It wouldn't be honest.
2:18:18 > 2:18:21Her position on the union is in stark contrast
2:18:21 > 2:18:24to that of the First Minister, who, like Naomi Long,
2:18:24 > 2:18:27is the first woman to lead her party.
2:18:27 > 2:18:30She says she is surprised by Arlene Foster's leadership style.
2:18:32 > 2:18:35Take the stuff around the All-Ireland Brexit Forum.
2:18:35 > 2:18:37You know, you'd expect the First Minister,
2:18:37 > 2:18:39if they weren't going to participate,
2:18:39 > 2:18:42to simply decline politely, you know,
2:18:42 > 2:18:48not to call it a sort of a forum for "Remoaners".
2:18:48 > 2:18:53I find that approach probably in some ways less pragmatic
2:18:53 > 2:18:58and at times slightly less finessed than her predecessor,
2:18:58 > 2:19:02and I never thought I would be in a position where I thought that.
2:19:04 > 2:19:07Observers say their contrasting approaches
2:19:07 > 2:19:11will make the next five years at Stormont particularly interesting.
2:19:13 > 2:19:16In some ways Naomi Long and Arlene Foster are very, very alike.
2:19:16 > 2:19:19They're both strong women, they both have a bit of a temper.
2:19:19 > 2:19:22And they're both head and shoulders above the men in their own parties.
2:19:22 > 2:19:25Now, their politics are very different.
2:19:25 > 2:19:26Naomi is liberal and progressive
2:19:26 > 2:19:29and Arlene, even though she isn't a traditional woman,
2:19:29 > 2:19:32has traditional politics.
2:19:32 > 2:19:34Are they going to clash? I think so.
2:19:34 > 2:19:37Will there be ding-dong battles in Stormont? Yes.
2:19:38 > 2:19:41But the most formidable challenge for Naomi Long
2:19:41 > 2:19:44will be outside Stormont -
2:19:44 > 2:19:46to win more votes for a vision of politics
2:19:46 > 2:19:50not dominated by flags and the Constitution.
2:19:50 > 2:19:54And in Northern Ireland, that continues to be an uphill battle.