7:49:48 > 7:49:51Hello and welcome to Sunday Politics in Northern Ireland.
7:49:51 > 7:49:53The posters are up and the candidates are smiling,
7:49:53 > 7:49:55but the gloves are well and truly off
7:49:55 > 7:49:58in the battle for seats in next month's Assembly election.
7:49:58 > 7:50:01We'll hear from the Alliance Party's deputy leader, Naomi Long.
7:50:01 > 7:50:04Plus Kevin Magee looks at some of the electoral alternatives
7:50:04 > 7:50:06to Stormont's big five.
7:50:06 > 7:50:08In the last Assembly election, for example,
7:50:08 > 7:50:1214 different political parties fielded candidates
7:50:12 > 7:50:15and 15 independents stood for election,
7:50:15 > 7:50:18all trying to take a seat up there.
7:50:18 > 7:50:20And with their thoughts on a busy week in politics,
7:50:20 > 7:50:23my guests of the day are commentators
7:50:23 > 7:50:25Patricia MacBride and Newton Emerson.
7:50:30 > 7:50:33So it's just under a month to the Assembly election.
7:50:33 > 7:50:36This day in four weeks, it'll all be over.
7:50:36 > 7:50:38Naomi Long is back in the fray.
7:50:38 > 7:50:40She's trying to win back her seat in East Belfast,
7:50:40 > 7:50:42and she's with me now in the studio.
7:50:42 > 7:50:44- Morning to you.- Good morning. - Thanks very much for joining us.
7:50:44 > 7:50:47The party launched its CANDIDATES this week...
7:50:47 > 7:50:49The manifesto launch comes in a couple of weeks' time...
7:50:49 > 7:50:52The message of your campaign seems to be about
7:50:52 > 7:50:55fast-forwarding to a fresh new start,
7:50:55 > 7:50:56an optimistic message at a time
7:50:56 > 7:51:00when a lot of voters are not, frankly, hugely positive
7:51:00 > 7:51:01about local politics.
7:51:01 > 7:51:02Well, I think it's really important.
7:51:02 > 7:51:04I mean, today, for example,
7:51:04 > 7:51:06is the date at which the Good Friday Agreement
7:51:06 > 7:51:08was signed 18 years ago,
7:51:08 > 7:51:11and I think as an, if you like, adult institution,
7:51:11 > 7:51:14what we now need to see is real mature politics develop
7:51:14 > 7:51:15within those institutions.
7:51:15 > 7:51:18I don't think anyone would argue that the Assembly hasn't made
7:51:18 > 7:51:20a contribution to Northern Ireland's society
7:51:20 > 7:51:22in terms of stability in the peace process,
7:51:22 > 7:51:24but I think the public are increasingly feeling
7:51:24 > 7:51:26that they're disjointed and disconnected
7:51:26 > 7:51:28from those institutions as a means of delivering change.
7:51:28 > 7:51:32We want to break through that because we share that frustration.
7:51:32 > 7:51:33We want to offer people better politics,
7:51:33 > 7:51:37but we also want to offer people really difficult decisions
7:51:37 > 7:51:39in many cases that will need to be taken if we're going to make
7:51:39 > 7:51:43Northern Ireland fit for purpose for the next 18 years and beyond.
7:51:43 > 7:51:45It's a message that we've heard before from the party,
7:51:45 > 7:51:48and the party's been around for a very long time, many decades,
7:51:48 > 7:51:50but it's never really broken through, though,
7:51:50 > 7:51:51into the absolute front line.
7:51:51 > 7:51:53One of the main five? Yes.
7:51:53 > 7:51:57One of the main two or three? No, and probably not this time either.
7:51:57 > 7:52:00You're likely to end up the fifth-largest party on May 6th
7:52:00 > 7:52:03and, even if you meet your highest ambitions of seat gains,
7:52:03 > 7:52:04you'd only be nipping at the heels
7:52:04 > 7:52:06of the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP,
7:52:06 > 7:52:08so people could be forgiven for thinking
7:52:08 > 7:52:12that backing the Alliance Party, no matter how positive you might be,
7:52:12 > 7:52:13is a waste of time.
7:52:13 > 7:52:16Well, clearly it isn't, because we have made breakthroughs.
7:52:16 > 7:52:19For example, in Belfast, we're the third-largest party
7:52:19 > 7:52:22in the city council, so it's not fair to say...
7:52:22 > 7:52:25And I think you actually underestimate what we could achieve.
7:52:25 > 7:52:27If we hit our high-water mark in terms of our target for seats,
7:52:27 > 7:52:29we could well overtake the SDLP,
7:52:29 > 7:52:32rather than simply be nipping at their heels.
7:52:32 > 7:52:35So I think it's wrong to write a party off in an electoral cycle.
7:52:35 > 7:52:37It's up to the public how many elected representatives
7:52:37 > 7:52:40we're going to have, but what we are doing in this campaign
7:52:40 > 7:52:42is taking a positive message to the public.
7:52:42 > 7:52:45We're showing them what we would do differently to the other parties.
7:52:45 > 7:52:48If people want to see progress, they've got to vote for it,
7:52:48 > 7:52:50because, if they vote for what they voted for last time,
7:52:50 > 7:52:53they will get what they got last time.
7:52:53 > 7:52:54It's that simple.
7:52:54 > 7:52:56If they want change, they've got to back change.
7:52:56 > 7:52:58So what is your potential high-water mark?
7:52:58 > 7:53:00Because David Ford said a couple of weeks ago
7:53:00 > 7:53:02that there are half a dozen potential new seats.
7:53:02 > 7:53:04You've got 8. That would make 14.
7:53:04 > 7:53:06You wouldn't surpass the SDLP,
7:53:06 > 7:53:07because the SDLP's got 14 at the moment.
7:53:07 > 7:53:10- At the moment.- The Ulster Unionists currently have 13...- At the moment.
7:53:10 > 7:53:14Well, let's be honest here, if we take additional seats, someone's losing them somewhere.
7:53:14 > 7:53:17So we could easily overtake other parties in that context.
7:53:17 > 7:53:19Yeah, but it would be a seat here or a seat there -
7:53:19 > 7:53:22it's not going to be a huge sea change. That's the point.
7:53:22 > 7:53:23But it's not just about numbers.
7:53:23 > 7:53:26It is also about influence and ideas.
7:53:26 > 7:53:29What we're going to be presenting to people through this campaign
7:53:29 > 7:53:31are ideas that we believe will actually increase
7:53:31 > 7:53:33the speed of change at the Assembly.
7:53:33 > 7:53:36We want the influence to be able to be in the negotiations
7:53:36 > 7:53:38for the Programme for Government
7:53:38 > 7:53:41so that we have a progressive Assembly in future
7:53:41 > 7:53:42that connects with people.
7:53:42 > 7:53:45And, on the basis of those negotiations,
7:53:45 > 7:53:48we would like to be able to take a place in that government
7:53:48 > 7:53:50to actually continue to deliver as we have in the past.
7:53:50 > 7:53:54But you were hugely frustrated during the last mandate
7:53:54 > 7:53:58at the inability that your two representatives in the Executive had
7:53:58 > 7:54:00to actually effect change.
7:54:00 > 7:54:03So were the Ulster Unionists and so were the SDLP.
7:54:03 > 7:54:05So you talk about your high-water mark
7:54:05 > 7:54:07and you talk about having a great influence,
7:54:07 > 7:54:10but you'd still be frustrated by the dominance presumably
7:54:10 > 7:54:12of the DUP and Sinn Fein. That's not going to change.
7:54:12 > 7:54:13Well, let's be clear -
7:54:13 > 7:54:16our position is quite different from the Ulster Unionists
7:54:16 > 7:54:19and from the SDLP, because, in those departments which we ran,
7:54:19 > 7:54:21we actually did deliver.
7:54:21 > 7:54:24While Danny Kennedy was turning out the streetlights,
7:54:24 > 7:54:27our ministers were creating employment and opportunities,
7:54:27 > 7:54:30David Ford was investing money seized from criminal gangs
7:54:30 > 7:54:32into local communities and making a difference...
7:54:32 > 7:54:34Stephen Farry wanted to close St Mary's College
7:54:34 > 7:54:35and he couldn't do it.
7:54:35 > 7:54:38Stephen Farry didn't want to close St Mary's College.
7:54:38 > 7:54:39Let's be clear about this.
7:54:39 > 7:54:43Stephen wanted to have an integrated teacher-training option in Northern Ireland...
7:54:43 > 7:54:44And he wasn't able to do it.
7:54:44 > 7:54:46Yes, but he did deliver on many other things
7:54:46 > 7:54:47that were part of our agenda.
7:54:47 > 7:54:50Mark, the point of coalition government
7:54:50 > 7:54:53is that no-one can deliver 100% of what they want,
7:54:53 > 7:54:55but, where we had the opportunity to do so,
7:54:55 > 7:54:57where we had the influence to do so,
7:54:57 > 7:55:00we have delivered on the promises we made last time,
7:55:00 > 7:55:02and I'm saying that, if we're in stronger numbers,
7:55:02 > 7:55:05we will have a better position to be able to continue to do that,
7:55:05 > 7:55:08but to say that parties got frustrated in government simply
7:55:08 > 7:55:11because other people prevented them from doing anything...
7:55:11 > 7:55:13In fairness to Stephen, when he took over
7:55:13 > 7:55:15at the Department of Employment and Learning,
7:55:15 > 7:55:17he was cleaning up messes that had been left
7:55:17 > 7:55:20from the time when the SDLP held it two mandates ago.
7:55:20 > 7:55:23You talk about holding the other parties to account.
7:55:23 > 7:55:25- You can do that within the Executive.- You can.
7:55:25 > 7:55:26But you could pick up
7:55:26 > 7:55:29the newly fashioned cudgels of opposition
7:55:29 > 7:55:32to hold the parties to account in the new mandate
7:55:32 > 7:55:33in an entirely different way.
7:55:33 > 7:55:36Is that not what you should be talking to voters about this time?
7:55:36 > 7:55:38Is that not a very important conversation?
7:55:38 > 7:55:41Particularly for the Alliance Party, and perhaps the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists?
7:55:41 > 7:55:43It is a hugely important conversation.
7:55:43 > 7:55:45It is one that we are having with the electorate.
7:55:45 > 7:55:48But the question that we have to ask ourselves
7:55:48 > 7:55:51is where we can best deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.
7:55:51 > 7:55:53But what people want to know, with respect,
7:55:53 > 7:55:54is whether a vote for the Alliance Party
7:55:54 > 7:55:58is a vote for you in the Executive, in government, making decisions,
7:55:58 > 7:56:01- or a vote for the Alliance Party to be in opposition...- No.
7:56:01 > 7:56:03..holding a, potentially ineffective, Executive to account.
7:56:03 > 7:56:05- No. No.- Because it can't be both. - No.
7:56:05 > 7:56:08What people want to know is what a vote for Alliance
7:56:08 > 7:56:11will deliver for them in the Assembly.
7:56:11 > 7:56:13I'm saying that if we can deliver on the things
7:56:13 > 7:56:14that we are taking to the doorstep,
7:56:14 > 7:56:16the issues we are raising with people
7:56:16 > 7:56:18and telling them we're going to champion,
7:56:18 > 7:56:20if we can deliver those best in government
7:56:20 > 7:56:24then government is the place where any serious politician wants to be.
7:56:24 > 7:56:25No-one runs for opposition.
7:56:25 > 7:56:27People run for government.
7:56:27 > 7:56:30We believe we are competent and capable of government.
7:56:30 > 7:56:33We believe we have proven that on our past record in government.
7:56:33 > 7:56:35But what we are saying very clearly is that
7:56:35 > 7:56:37if we do not believe that the Programme for Government
7:56:37 > 7:56:40is ambitious enough to represent the ambitions
7:56:40 > 7:56:42that we have for the people of Northern Ireland
7:56:42 > 7:56:44then we will not simply go into government,
7:56:44 > 7:56:47because we're not interested in ministerial cars and perks -
7:56:47 > 7:56:49we're interested in delivering for the people who vote for us.
7:56:49 > 7:56:53- And that has always been our objective.- OK. And just very quickly on this one...
7:56:53 > 7:56:55That could mean some difficult decisions for the public,
7:56:55 > 7:56:57because you want to raise revenue,
7:56:57 > 7:56:59and the other parties are not so upfront about this,
7:56:59 > 7:57:01necessarily, on certain issues,
7:57:01 > 7:57:03but the Alliance Party says we do need to raise revenue.
7:57:03 > 7:57:06That, of course, might not play that well on the doorsteps.
7:57:06 > 7:57:08People might not like having to pay for water in future.
7:57:08 > 7:57:10Well, people may not like the thought
7:57:10 > 7:57:11of having to raise revenue,
7:57:11 > 7:57:13but equally people don't like to turn up at hospital
7:57:13 > 7:57:17and have to sit there for 48 hours and excess to wait to get seen.
7:57:17 > 7:57:20People don't want to see that 70% of cancer targets
7:57:20 > 7:57:23are missed in our hospitals, so we have got to get
7:57:23 > 7:57:26real about how we manage our finances in Northern Ireland.
7:57:26 > 7:57:28We don't want to raise revenue.
7:57:28 > 7:57:30We first of all want to save money,
7:57:30 > 7:57:32so we're looking at the cost of division and where money is
7:57:32 > 7:57:36wasted on supporting a segregated society in Northern Ireland.
7:57:36 > 7:57:39That is money that would be better invested in front-line services.
7:57:39 > 7:57:41That is the first thing that we want to do.
7:57:41 > 7:57:43Then we want to look at efficiency within the system, so that we
7:57:43 > 7:57:46deliver better, and then we want to look at how we make up
7:57:46 > 7:57:48the gap in funding that exists,
7:57:48 > 7:57:51because we are not getting the same revenue for public services
7:57:51 > 7:57:53that we previously did from Westminster.
7:57:53 > 7:57:55It is irresponsible to promise people the world
7:57:55 > 7:57:59- and have no plan to pay for it.- OK. I want to talk to you about abortion,
7:57:59 > 7:58:02and that debate has found its way in the headlines again recently.
7:58:02 > 7:58:05Where do you, personally, and where does the party stand on the issue
7:58:05 > 7:58:09of prosecuting individuals for the use of abortion pills?
7:58:09 > 7:58:12You were involved in a Twitter... let's call it a conversation,
7:58:12 > 7:58:16a fairly lively conversation last night and you've got quite
7:58:16 > 7:58:19clear and some might say strident views on the issue.
7:58:19 > 7:58:21Well, I don't think my views are strident, I think
7:58:21 > 7:58:25they're considered. It is a matter of conscience for the party.
7:58:25 > 7:58:27We believe that issues both at the start of life
7:58:27 > 7:58:30and end of life ought to be matters where there is no whip applied,
7:58:30 > 7:58:33and so people should ask their candidates, and we will not be shy
7:58:33 > 7:58:35about discussing our views on the doorstep.
7:58:35 > 7:58:38And it is very potentially possible that Alliance candidates
7:58:38 > 7:58:41standing in one constituency will take different views.
7:58:41 > 7:58:44I mean, you and Chris Lyttle share a view on fatal foetal abnormality
7:58:44 > 7:58:47in East Belfast, but you said last night to someone who raised
7:58:47 > 7:58:49the issue with you on Twitter, "What about Tim Morrow,
7:58:49 > 7:58:52"the other candidate?" And you said, "Ask Tim Morrow."
7:58:52 > 7:58:54Do you not know or did you not want to say?
7:58:54 > 7:58:56I don't believe that on matters of conscience
7:58:56 > 7:58:58I, as deputy party leader,
7:58:58 > 7:59:01ought to be making a comment on behalf of my colleagues.
7:59:01 > 7:59:03But you did say that Chris Lyttle agrees with you
7:59:03 > 7:59:05and you did say, "Ask Tim Morrow."
7:59:05 > 7:59:08Because Chris is committed in a vote and Chris has already said that
7:59:08 > 7:59:11he's comfortable with me actually referencing that.
7:59:11 > 7:59:13Chris and I are not in the same place on the pro-life, pro-choice spectrum.
7:59:13 > 7:59:16I'm not sure voters care about that. What they might want to know is,
7:59:16 > 7:59:19in East Belfast, does Tim Morrow share your views? Let me ask you now,
7:59:19 > 7:59:22- does Tim Morrow share your view on that?- Yes, he does.- So he does on that issue?- Yes.
7:59:22 > 7:59:26- Would it not have been easier to say that?- But I think it's quite important on matters of conscience
7:59:26 > 7:59:28that we don't get drawn into speaking for each other.
7:59:28 > 7:59:30I think what's important here, you asked me
7:59:30 > 7:59:33a very important question and I don't want to duck it,
7:59:33 > 7:59:35in the debate around whether or not it's a matter of conscience.
7:59:35 > 7:59:38You asked me what my view was, so I want to talk a bit about that.
7:59:38 > 7:59:40It's hugely important to me that we do not
7:59:40 > 7:59:44criminalise women who are desperate in Northern Ireland in the way
7:59:44 > 7:59:46that has happened in the last week.
7:59:46 > 7:59:48We're talking about a very young woman who has been
7:59:48 > 7:59:51traumatised by what happened, but we're also talking about two
7:59:51 > 7:59:54flatmates who were put in an almost untenable position,
7:59:54 > 7:59:57one of whom had recently had a miscarriage herself, and
7:59:57 > 8:00:01we have traumatised three people in that situation and possibly beyond.
8:00:01 > 8:00:03I believe that the law needs to be reformed
8:00:03 > 8:00:07and if I am elected to the Assembly, I want to see the law reformed.
8:00:07 > 8:00:11I specifically want to see reform on fatal foetal abnormality,
8:00:11 > 8:00:14I want to see reform when it comes to issues of sexual crime.
8:00:14 > 8:00:18I don't believe that the '67 Act is fit for purpose and I don't
8:00:18 > 8:00:21believe that it addresses many of the issues which people
8:00:21 > 8:00:23who campaigned for that act to be extended to
8:00:23 > 8:00:26Northern Ireland are actually concerned about,
8:00:26 > 8:00:28but I do not believe that the public interest was served
8:00:28 > 8:00:30in dragging that young woman through court on this occasion.
8:00:30 > 8:00:34- That was your direct question and I'm happy to answer it.- OK.
8:00:34 > 8:00:37One last, very quick, final question, which is that the DUP has now
8:00:37 > 8:00:40got a bounce, potentially, in the polls in the run-up to this
8:00:40 > 8:00:44election with a new dynamic woman leader for the first time.
8:00:44 > 8:00:46Would it not have been much more sensible for the Alliance Party's
8:00:46 > 8:00:49leader, David Ford, to stand aside, if ultimately that is his intention,
8:00:49 > 8:00:51to allow you to take over as leader?
8:00:51 > 8:00:55This is a leader's interview, you were put forward this morning.
8:00:55 > 8:00:57A couple of weeks ago, we had a leader's interview
8:00:57 > 8:01:00on a conference programme, it was you put forward once again,
8:01:00 > 8:01:02so there's no question about what the direction of travel is.
8:01:02 > 8:01:04- You've missed a trick.- No.
8:01:04 > 8:01:08Look, I know that this is something which the media are obsessed with,
8:01:08 > 8:01:12but let me be assuring you now that I am here this morning
8:01:12 > 8:01:14because David is already on his way to Dublin to
8:01:14 > 8:01:17a commemoration for 1916 this afternoon.
8:01:17 > 8:01:20I will be joining him later when I leave the studio,
8:01:20 > 8:01:23but he had to leave earlier today and that is why I'm here today.
8:01:23 > 8:01:26I'm the deputy leader of the Alliance Party, I'm proud to be so
8:01:26 > 8:01:28and to represent it. Whenever I'm asked by the leader,
8:01:28 > 8:01:31I deputise for him and I'm more than happy to continue to do that
8:01:31 > 8:01:32for as long as is required.
8:01:32 > 8:01:35OK. Naomi Long, thanks very much indeed for joining us.
8:01:35 > 8:01:37Now let's hear from our guests of the day,
8:01:37 > 8:01:40Patricia MacBride and Newton Emerson. Welcome to you both.
8:01:40 > 8:01:43Good to see you. Let's just pick up on the issue of abortion first of all.
8:01:43 > 8:01:44Tricky one for all of the parties,
8:01:44 > 8:01:47Alliance included, but Naomi Long at pains there to make the point
8:01:47 > 8:01:50that it's something personally she wants to address, to put her
8:01:50 > 8:01:54position out there for everybody to understand and decide upon.
8:01:54 > 8:01:57Do you think Alliance is playing that right,
8:01:57 > 8:02:00to make it an issue of personal conscience?
8:02:00 > 8:02:02I think they're playing it absolutely right.
8:02:02 > 8:02:05I think the other parties, some of the other parties, especially
8:02:05 > 8:02:07if you look at the Ulster Unionist Party, and the SDLP have
8:02:07 > 8:02:12been very reluctant to engage in the debate, and that's a difficulty.
8:02:12 > 8:02:16We need to look at ways that we don't criminalise women who find
8:02:16 > 8:02:19themselves having to make extremely difficult decisions.
8:02:19 > 8:02:24The reality of the situation is that any legislation around abortion
8:02:24 > 8:02:28is going to be emotional, it's going to raise public debate.
8:02:28 > 8:02:33But the further reality is that if we legislate to provide safe
8:02:33 > 8:02:37terminations in the circumstances where it's required, we're
8:02:37 > 8:02:40not going to increase the number of people who are travelling...
8:02:40 > 8:02:43You know, people are currently travelling to England.
8:02:43 > 8:02:47If they can have safe abortions in an environment where
8:02:47 > 8:02:49they're supported, where they're required,
8:02:49 > 8:02:51then we're not going to change the numbers.
8:02:51 > 8:02:54It's not that there's going to be a sudden explosion and
8:02:54 > 8:02:57more people are going to seek terminations of pregnancy.
8:02:57 > 8:02:59Newton, there's been a lot of talk in the past week or thereabouts that
8:02:59 > 8:03:03this conversation has moved on from the specific talk
8:03:03 > 8:03:06about fatal foetal abnormality to a much broader discussion
8:03:06 > 8:03:10about abortion on demand and the 1967 Act.
8:03:10 > 8:03:12Do you think there's some validity in that view?
8:03:12 > 8:03:15Yes, in fact, what you're dealing with in the abortion pills case
8:03:15 > 8:03:18is effectively abortion on demand by the internet.
8:03:18 > 8:03:20And that shows just how far behind Stormont is falling.
8:03:20 > 8:03:25I mean, it's hopeless to expect that Stormont will legislate for change.
8:03:25 > 8:03:28No foreseeable numbers in the Assembly will allow any
8:03:28 > 8:03:30change in the law that I can see,
8:03:30 > 8:03:33but that's actually quite a rare way for big social changes to happen.
8:03:33 > 8:03:35What's really going to happen in Northern Ireland is that the
8:03:35 > 8:03:37current abortion system will simply collapse.
8:03:37 > 8:03:41The public won't wear it as the scandals continue, professionals
8:03:41 > 8:03:43will stop enforcing it and Stormont will have to catch up,
8:03:43 > 8:03:46and the longer it waits, the more liberal
8:03:46 > 8:03:48the facts on the ground will be for it to catch up on.
8:03:48 > 8:03:51It will try to turn the clock back on fatal foetal abnormality,
8:03:51 > 8:03:53now it's dealing effectively with abortion on demand.
8:03:53 > 8:03:58OK, Patricia, just a quick word more broadly about the possibilities for Alliance in this election.
8:03:58 > 8:04:01If it comes back with eight, ten, twelve, maybe fourteen seats,
8:04:01 > 8:04:02as Naomi Long was suggesting there,
8:04:02 > 8:04:05what kind of influence could it realistically hope to
8:04:05 > 8:04:07have in parliament buildings?
8:04:07 > 8:04:11I think that one of the points that Naomi made there
8:04:11 > 8:04:13when you were talking to her regarding challenging
8:04:13 > 8:04:17the SDLP in terms of the number of seats is quite a valid one.
8:04:17 > 8:04:21This will be a huge test for Colum Eastwood's leadership of the SDLP.
8:04:21 > 8:04:24Are we seeing a change in the way that the party is pitching
8:04:24 > 8:04:26itself to the electorate?
8:04:26 > 8:04:28So if Alliance is truly challenging, the way that they
8:04:28 > 8:04:30have on Belfast City Council,
8:04:30 > 8:04:33we could see a change in dynamics in terms of the ministerial
8:04:33 > 8:04:36options that they choose and how they enforce those.
8:04:36 > 8:04:39OK. We'll hear lots more from you a bit later in the programme.
8:04:39 > 8:04:40For now, thanks, both, very much indeed.
8:04:40 > 8:04:44Now time for a look back at the week in 60 Seconds with Stephen Walker.
8:04:49 > 8:04:52The election campaign kicked off in earnest this week, but politicians
8:04:52 > 8:04:56have their work cut out if they want to impress these young voters.
8:04:56 > 8:05:00I would like more young people, more women, more ethnic minorities,
8:05:00 > 8:05:01rather than just the same faces
8:05:01 > 8:05:04that you've seen for the past 20, 30 years.
8:05:04 > 8:05:08Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson was on the EU referendum trail
8:05:08 > 8:05:11and also met with local Labour activists disappointed
8:05:11 > 8:05:15the party won't field candidates here.
8:05:15 > 8:05:18They understand the absolute priority is June 23rd.
8:05:18 > 8:05:21It's a bigger decision than whether Labour's recognised,
8:05:21 > 8:05:23a bigger decision than a general election.
8:05:23 > 8:05:25It is the biggest political decision of my lifetime.
8:05:25 > 8:05:28And more than a month from its general election,
8:05:28 > 8:05:31the Republic is no closer to forming a government,
8:05:31 > 8:05:35as Fianna Fail reject the offer of sharing power with Fine Gael.
8:05:35 > 8:05:38The best interests of the Irish people are not served
8:05:38 > 8:05:42by a government made up of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
8:05:51 > 8:05:54Stephen Walker with a look back on the political week.
8:05:54 > 8:05:56Let's stay with the story in the Republic
8:05:56 > 8:05:58and the formation of the government there.
8:05:58 > 8:06:00There were developments yesterday evening,
8:06:00 > 8:06:03with the news that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will meet to discuss
8:06:03 > 8:06:04how a minority government would work.
8:06:04 > 8:06:07Let's discuss that with Newton and Patricia.
8:06:07 > 8:06:11Newton, it just gets increasingly baffling. Fianna Fail
8:06:11 > 8:06:14and Fine Gael can't come together to form a coalition government,
8:06:14 > 8:06:17but they could support rival minority governments, potentially.
8:06:17 > 8:06:19- How would it work?- Well, I mean,
8:06:19 > 8:06:23I really enjoy this idea that crops up after every kind of imbalanced
8:06:23 > 8:06:24election in the south, that this will be
8:06:24 > 8:06:26the end of civil-war politics.
8:06:26 > 8:06:28What we finally see is it will never end.
8:06:28 > 8:06:30When they're confronted with having to call it off,
8:06:30 > 8:06:32they realise it's the reason for their existence
8:06:32 > 8:06:35and they can't do without it. It's more entrenched now than ever.
8:06:35 > 8:06:38Do you think it could potentially work that there would be
8:06:38 > 8:06:42a Fine Gael government supported by independent TDs with an
8:06:42 > 8:06:45agnostic Fianna Fail-led opposition and then they would all switch
8:06:45 > 8:06:49round and do the mirror image for the next couple of months or years?
8:06:49 > 8:06:53- Would it last?- I think it's quite a strange situation, where you
8:06:53 > 8:06:56see that Fine Gael are trying desperately to hold on
8:06:56 > 8:06:58to power so that they don't
8:06:58 > 8:07:01have to force a leadership challenge to Enda Kenny.
8:07:01 > 8:07:04They want to be in the position where they're in government
8:07:04 > 8:07:07and THEN make their leadership change, and Fianna Fail
8:07:07 > 8:07:11are desperately afraid of Sinn Fein being the official opposition.
8:07:11 > 8:07:15So it's an awful lot of dancing around handbags at the moment,
8:07:15 > 8:07:18but the problem with that is, you know, you're not making any
8:07:18 > 8:07:20overtures to the opposition.
8:07:20 > 8:07:22You may end up walking home alone at the end of the night.
8:07:22 > 8:07:24Whatever happens with dancing round handbags,
8:07:24 > 8:07:27- the music will stop eventually and decisions have to be made.- Indeed.
8:07:27 > 8:07:31Thanks very much indeed. During the election campaign here,
8:07:31 > 8:07:34most of the airtime will be filled by the larger parties, but there's a
8:07:34 > 8:07:37range of smaller parties also vying for your attention and your votes.
8:07:37 > 8:07:40Kevin Magee's been speaking to some of them.
8:07:41 > 8:07:44All the main political parties are in election mode...
8:07:45 > 8:07:48..launching manifestos, setting out their plans,
8:07:48 > 8:07:52showing off their candidates and all vying for your vote.
8:07:54 > 8:07:58The Alliance, DUP, SDLP, Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists
8:07:58 > 8:08:01make up the big five of Northern Ireland politics,
8:08:01 > 8:08:04but if you don't want to listen to their message,
8:08:04 > 8:08:07there are lots of others to choose from.
8:08:07 > 8:08:09In the last Assembly election, for example,
8:08:09 > 8:08:1314 different political parties fielded candidates, and 15
8:08:13 > 8:08:19independents stood for election, all trying to take a seat up there.
8:08:20 > 8:08:23The Workers Party is no stranger to elections.
8:08:23 > 8:08:25It's been fighting them for 40 years.
8:08:25 > 8:08:28Hello! How are you? I'm here from the Workers Party today, and...
8:08:28 > 8:08:33And this time around, it's hoping to win its first ever Assembly seat.
8:08:33 > 8:08:36'These cuts affect everybody, from the top to the bottom.'
8:08:36 > 8:08:39You know, we have cuts to health and social care,
8:08:39 > 8:08:42we have cuts to education.
8:08:42 > 8:08:45That affects every single person in Northern Ireland,
8:08:45 > 8:08:47and, really, we can't take it any more and we shouldn't.
8:08:47 > 8:08:50We should be coming out and voting against these parties.
8:08:50 > 8:08:53The big five have failed us, and it's now time for other
8:08:53 > 8:08:57parties to be able to step up and do a better job.
8:08:57 > 8:09:01In electoral terms, People Before Profit is the new kid on the block.
8:09:01 > 8:09:04After taking a seat in Belfast in the last council election,
8:09:04 > 8:09:09it now has designs on Stormont and is running three candidates.
8:09:09 > 8:09:12I think this is one of the most important elections in a generation.
8:09:12 > 8:09:16It's over 20 years since the ceasefire, almost 20 years
8:09:16 > 8:09:18since the Belfast Agreement
8:09:18 > 8:09:21and almost 10 years of Stormont being up and running, and I think
8:09:21 > 8:09:24one of the lessons we've learnt from that is we can't wait on Stormont.
8:09:24 > 8:09:26It'd be very healthy and helpful for working-class communities
8:09:26 > 8:09:29if we had a number of socialists in Stormont representing
8:09:29 > 8:09:31the interests of ordinary people and not
8:09:31 > 8:09:35the interests of corporations and actually standing up to the cuts,
8:09:35 > 8:09:38standing up to austerity, not peddling the lie that there is no
8:09:38 > 8:09:41alternative to these cuts, because there is an alternative to
8:09:41 > 8:09:45all this austerity which is being pushed down our throats.
8:09:45 > 8:09:47- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
8:09:47 > 8:09:51- That's great. Thank you.- Sauce? - A bit of brown, please.
8:09:51 > 8:09:54Towards the other end of the spectrum, the Conservatives,
8:09:54 > 8:09:57too, are hoping to taste success
8:09:57 > 8:10:00and enter Stormont for the very first time.
8:10:00 > 8:10:02'What we need is a new type of politics.'
8:10:02 > 8:10:07You know, the previous five years at Stormont hasn't provided
8:10:07 > 8:10:11anything of any great note. It's dragging our economy down.
8:10:11 > 8:10:14We've got a system of politics that doesn't work.
8:10:14 > 8:10:16All the parties that have been in power for the last five
8:10:16 > 8:10:19years, even the ones that are now posing as an opposition,
8:10:19 > 8:10:21bizarrely, are culpable in that, and that's why
8:10:21 > 8:10:24we need to have a real fresh start and get away from them.
8:10:24 > 8:10:28- So those key election messages are most likely going to be...- Yes.
8:10:28 > 8:10:30..55,000 people unemployed...
8:10:30 > 8:10:33The Progressive Unionist Party is also promising change.
8:10:33 > 8:10:36It has two Belfast city councillors
8:10:36 > 8:10:40and is hoping to build on this and make a return to Stormont.
8:10:40 > 8:10:45'We still have long-standing social and economic problems,
8:10:45 > 8:10:47'education and underachievement, high unemployment.'
8:10:47 > 8:10:52We are committed to addressing not just the statistics but
8:10:52 > 8:10:57the root causes, and as a party we have worked in the grass roots.
8:10:57 > 8:10:59That's where the PUP was born,
8:10:59 > 8:11:02in the grass roots of working-class communities.
8:11:02 > 8:11:05We understand the issues that those communities face,
8:11:05 > 8:11:09and we are committed to dealing... tackling those problems.
8:11:09 > 8:11:12At this stage, it's not known exactly how many smaller
8:11:12 > 8:11:15parties will be standing in this Assembly election,
8:11:15 > 8:11:17as nominations are still open.
8:11:17 > 8:11:19However, a full list of candidates
8:11:19 > 8:11:22should be available in two days' time.
8:11:23 > 8:11:26Kevin Magee reporting. And a final word from Patricia and Newton.
8:11:26 > 8:11:32Let's talk about the plight of David Cameron. Is he a busted flush?
8:11:32 > 8:11:34Well, I think when you're explaining, you're losing,
8:11:34 > 8:11:39and David Cameron has been on the back foot all week, and it took him
8:11:39 > 8:11:40an awfully long time to come clean
8:11:40 > 8:11:42about his previous offshore investments.
8:11:42 > 8:11:44But we shouldn't be surprised.
8:11:44 > 8:11:47This is a government that has ensured that large
8:11:47 > 8:11:50corporations pay the smallest amount of tax.
8:11:50 > 8:11:53The Bullingdon boys are still keeping their money offshore -
8:11:53 > 8:11:57terribly unpatriotic, aside from being, you know, any other
8:11:57 > 8:12:01questionable things that you may wish to say about it.
8:12:01 > 8:12:04It has to be said he has done nothing wrong,
8:12:04 > 8:12:06he hasn't broken any laws.
8:12:06 > 8:12:08He's maybe not handled it terribly well, but it could have
8:12:08 > 8:12:11far-reaching consequences for his leadership and his premiership.
8:12:11 > 8:12:12I don't think so.
8:12:12 > 8:12:15I think that Tory leaderships are sorted out by the men in grey suits,
8:12:15 > 8:12:18and the chance of him getting a tap on the shoulder in the middle of
8:12:18 > 8:12:21a referendum campaign, having done nothing wrong, is zero,
8:12:21 > 8:12:23especially when he could have to go in two months anyway.
8:12:23 > 8:12:26It might hasten his departure after the referendum.
8:12:26 > 8:12:29- Is that not the point?- If he lost the referendum he'd be done anyway,
8:12:29 > 8:12:31so I don't think it's going to make any difference.
8:12:31 > 8:12:33Yeah. Well, it's going to be fascinating to see
8:12:33 > 8:12:38if we have information now about George Osborne and Boris's returns.
8:12:38 > 8:12:40Thanks, both. That's it from all of us.