:01:31. > :01:36.Ed has been a week of celebrations and commemorations. The Culture
:01:36. > :01:46.Minister is here to put it into perspective. Joining us is Terry
:01:46. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :30:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1706 seconds
:30:12. > :30:16.Welcome to Sunday Politics in Northern Ireland. It has been a
:30:16. > :30:21.week of celebrations, with the Olympic torch and the Jubilee.
:30:21. > :30:25.There is more to come. A visit by the Queen and the garden party at
:30:25. > :30:33.Stormont. The UK City of council -- City of Culture celebrations in
:30:33. > :30:39.Londonderry. Well that the Nabil long-term degeneration? -- will
:30:39. > :30:49.that create? There is some positive news coming, but the people of
:30:49. > :30:59.Derry want to see bricks-and-mortar. My guess -- Sharon O'Connor and
:30:59. > :31:01.
:31:01. > :31:05.Terry George. -- my guests are... 10,000 people have been invited to
:31:05. > :31:13.Stormont to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. The news came at the end
:31:13. > :31:17.double we kept events -- the end of a week of events. Thousands came
:31:17. > :31:25.out to see the Olympic Torch will make its way through towns and
:31:25. > :31:30.cities. It has been a busy week for you following the torch. Were you
:31:30. > :31:34.surprised how many people came out? I was surprised by some of the very
:31:34. > :31:39.early morning starts and the numbers they are. The weather was
:31:39. > :31:46.not kind on some of the days, but I knew there was great support for
:31:46. > :31:51.the athletes. It was brilliant. People who have overcome great
:31:52. > :31:55.obstacles, many celebrities as well, but the focus was on people with
:31:55. > :32:01.disabilities and problems to have overcome them. In my own
:32:02. > :32:07.constituency, one of the torch- bearer has lost a son through
:32:07. > :32:11.suicide. He was carrying the torch for families who went through a
:32:11. > :32:17.similar experience. Many ordinary people have done extraordinary
:32:17. > :32:22.things. We now know the spirit is alive and well but in terms of
:32:22. > :32:28.long-term legacy, could we have done more? What we could have had
:32:28. > :32:34.if we had been more organised, could we have done that? I think we
:32:34. > :32:41.have done very well in the circumstances. We didn't have
:32:41. > :32:49.team's training, we didn't get the swimming pool, or the Vellow drome.
:32:49. > :32:57.-- velodrome. We do have nine team's training here, which is very
:32:57. > :33:04.good. -- teams. These have been hard to come by and we have done
:33:04. > :33:08.well. What about encouraging people to do sport, people grasping that,
:33:08. > :33:18.getting more athletes, so the next time they come round we will have
:33:18. > :33:19.
:33:19. > :33:24.some more representatives? It will have an effect. Not to be parochial,
:33:24. > :33:32.but in the work -- in north Belfast, we have legendary athlete. We have
:33:32. > :33:36.young girls getting involved in boxing. That is a good thing.
:33:36. > :33:42.about the Jubilee. There will be a huge party at Stormont. How do you
:33:42. > :33:48.feel about that? I found out about his garden party through the media,
:33:48. > :33:52.it has not been agreed by the Executive. I assume it has been
:33:52. > :34:00.concocted in discussions with the DUP. We need to remember Stormont
:34:00. > :34:05.is shared. I will not be going to the garden party or any other event
:34:05. > :34:10.associated with the Jubilee. I do respect the significance that the
:34:10. > :34:14.British Queen has here, but also respect that we are trying to
:34:14. > :34:20.promote shared services and a shared future. The fact this has
:34:20. > :34:25.been done without any discussion with ourselves jars of me.
:34:25. > :34:31.Martin McGuinness know about this? I'm sure he found out of the TV or
:34:31. > :34:35.radio like me. That is not the way to do business. They should be
:34:35. > :34:43.organised in conjunction with the ministers. Well nobody from Sinn
:34:43. > :34:48.Fein attend the party? I will not be attending the party. Despite the
:34:48. > :34:53.fact we need to create conditions of mutual respect, and I do respect
:34:53. > :34:58.a lot of people who hold the British Queen very dear, I do
:34:58. > :35:03.respect that. This may come as a surprise to some people that this
:35:03. > :35:13.has been organised without your knowledge, but is this not also a
:35:13. > :35:21.signal if he did attend of a real sense of commitment? Details are
:35:21. > :35:31.still emerging, and I have not been officially invited. Share futures
:35:31. > :35:32.
:35:32. > :35:37.and shared aspirations are done on the aspirations of trust, respect.
:35:37. > :35:47.A few weeks ago, it was put forward about meeting the Queen, has that
:35:47. > :35:57.been decided? It has not. Details are still emerging. Do you feel a
:35:57. > :35:57.
:35:57. > :36:00.real sense of unease about Martin McGuinness meeting the Queen?
:36:00. > :36:07.is about speculation. Martin McGuinness has provided excellent
:36:07. > :36:14.leadership, leading by example. Martin meeting the British Queen
:36:14. > :36:18.will be a decision made by our party. Some people felt you were
:36:18. > :36:24.out of step last year, but what the Queen dead in terms of laying a
:36:24. > :36:29.wreath for the Irish dead was a real step forward. Should that not
:36:29. > :36:35.be reciprocated? At the end of the day, we have made big strides. We
:36:35. > :36:40.have always made big strides. But we are a democratic party, and it
:36:40. > :36:45.will be a decision made by the party. Martin McGuinness has
:36:45. > :36:51.provided excellent leadership, continually. He will do that. Like
:36:52. > :37:01.myself, he is governed by the party. Would you be happy if he meets the
:37:02. > :37:02.
:37:02. > :37:08.Queen? Would you be happy if he met the Queen in Belfast? Let's be
:37:08. > :37:17.straight, I'm an Irish republican, I don't recognise the Queen is
:37:17. > :37:21.being the head of the Cid -- as being the head of the state. Terry
:37:21. > :37:26.George, there was some sense of tolerance of the Jubilee
:37:26. > :37:30.celebrations this week among nationalists and republicans. This
:37:30. > :37:36.sounds like it is not straightforward. It is all news to
:37:36. > :37:44.me, I just flew in from New York. I fully understand Sinn Fein's
:37:44. > :37:50.position. I am a republican and I believed in a reunited Ireland. On
:37:50. > :37:54.a personal level, I would have no problem meeting the Queen. I think
:37:54. > :38:02.the Pope has done more damage in my lifetime ban the Queen has. That is
:38:02. > :38:06.a personal opinion. There are bigger issues that Martin and Carol
:38:06. > :38:15.have to confront. They have taken giant Steps and should be
:38:15. > :38:18.congratulated. When we look back to the Silver Jubilee, you were in
:38:18. > :38:22.Northern Ireland. What sets do you get up the difference between that
:38:22. > :38:28.time then, when there was protesting and violence compared to
:38:28. > :38:32.what could happen this time? I was in jail, so I had no real
:38:32. > :38:37.perspective of it. To tell you the truth I cannot remember it. It
:38:37. > :38:46.certainly hasn't come up in my films. You mention your films, and
:38:46. > :38:53.the theme of reconciliation does not seem to be back straight
:38:53. > :38:57.forward, compared to your films. is never straightforward. It needs
:38:57. > :39:06.to be understood that what has been achieved in Northern Ireland, and I
:39:06. > :39:12.have said it before, what has been achieved by Sinn Fein, Ian Paisley,
:39:12. > :39:20.Gerry Adams, D P, is unique in major conflict around the world. --
:39:20. > :39:24.DUP. That they work it out between them is stunning. The people of
:39:24. > :39:28.Northern Ireland should not forget that. What they have achieved
:39:28. > :39:32.collectively is amazing. It was only achieved in South Africa by
:39:32. > :39:38.the defeat of the apartheid government. They sat down here and
:39:38. > :39:43.work out the peace settlement. To fixate on Martin McGuinness shaking
:39:43. > :39:49.the Queen's hand, Peter Robinson going to a Gaelic football match,
:39:49. > :39:55.this nit-picking by the media, it is so destructive in not
:39:55. > :40:01.considering the overall scope of the thing. At the end of the day,
:40:01. > :40:05.it is only to fill the air space that you are asking these questions.
:40:05. > :40:09.The Martin McGuinness handshake would be a mental thing, but to
:40:09. > :40:14.keep harking on about it, when there are day-to-day events in
:40:15. > :40:19.Stormont that are so unique and precious, it is destructive. What
:40:19. > :40:24.about Gary? There would be no chance of having a party for 10,000
:40:24. > :40:34.people for the Queen in Derry. of the most remarkable things is
:40:34. > :40:35.
:40:35. > :40:40.the level of community participation. It is really
:40:40. > :40:45.significant within the committee chamber, we have a measure of
:40:45. > :40:55.consensus and partnership. I think it is quite remarkable. I say it as
:40:55. > :40:57.
:40:57. > :41:01.someone who came through the period of history we are all live through.
:41:01. > :41:06.We have no problem marching together towards a shared future.
:41:06. > :41:16.The evidence is palpable within the city. If everyone doubts that, they
:41:16. > :41:19.
:41:19. > :41:21.should look. We have a remarkable story. Is it is distraction? It is
:41:21. > :41:25.something that will be very significant for a lot of people but
:41:25. > :41:30.I do think it is a distraction in terms of recognition of where we
:41:30. > :41:34.have come from, where we are now, where we intend to go. I do think
:41:34. > :41:40.at times, these issues are very sensitive, and I appreciate there
:41:40. > :41:47.is a lot of interest in them, but try to corner someone is not
:41:47. > :41:54.conducive. The fact that this garden party was announced in the
:41:54. > :42:00.media, people like me feel negative, and in that context, we may be
:42:00. > :42:10.asked to make a decision about who will meet the Queen of England, and
:42:10. > :42:10.
:42:10. > :42:14.it is not a good backdrop. Thank you.
:42:14. > :42:20.Now that Titanic celebrations have subsided, the focus is moving to
:42:21. > :42:28.Derry, host of the UK City of Culture 2013. The body responsible
:42:28. > :42:33.for regeneration is ILEX, who have been under fire recently for
:42:33. > :42:42.spending money without approval. There are concerns it has been slow
:42:42. > :42:47.to deliver on key projects. This is very's latest tourist attraction.
:42:47. > :42:57.In the middle of a recession, it is an optimistic man to invest in this
:42:57. > :43:00.
:43:00. > :43:06.new venture. Here is that man. -- Derry's latest. I went through
:43:06. > :43:11.Dublin when they had massive developments that led to the Celtic
:43:11. > :43:17.Tiger. The City is putting on a new base and it has impressed these
:43:17. > :43:23.tourists. There are great strides being made to unite the community.
:43:23. > :43:32.The city itself is very smart. were not met at the border with
:43:32. > :43:40.guns are. Otherwise, everywhere looks brighter. There is not much
:43:40. > :43:47.to look at here. The city's publicly-owned company, ILEX, had
:43:47. > :43:53.big plans, but they never came to pass. The company says they will
:43:53. > :44:01.construct many things next year. Across the bridge is another ILEX
:44:01. > :44:07.site. Everyone agrees this is a great shared space for dairy. --
:44:08. > :44:13.Derry. When you look below the surface, what is here? Only this
:44:13. > :44:17.building is occupied by the City of Culture office. Across the way,
:44:18. > :44:24.there are plans for a heritage museum. It will not be open until
:44:24. > :44:32.2015. In the meantime, we are rather restaurants and art
:44:32. > :44:38.galleries? We're rather jobs? have some very welcome development.
:44:38. > :44:47.But the people of Derry want to see bricks-and-mortar. It is time to
:44:47. > :44:50.get back to the plan. I hope and believe that can happen. This
:44:50. > :44:57.journalist has studied urban regeneration project across the UK.
:44:57. > :45:05.He says ILEX have been hampered by having too many masters. It has
:45:05. > :45:10.been responsible to numerous people and that has held it back. It is
:45:10. > :45:16.quite obvious to lot of people that the relationship between ILEX and
:45:16. > :45:22.the development committee is not good. The relationship between them
:45:22. > :45:30.and the city council is also bad. It adds to the bureaucracy but it
:45:30. > :45:38.is our job to make sure it tick the boxes. It manages but it is
:45:38. > :45:43.difficult. ILEX has spent over �40 million, and the budget for the
:45:43. > :45:50.next few years is �30 million. Some of that was spent on a consultation
:45:50. > :45:57.process, during which time, the recession kicked in. We had a plan
:45:57. > :46:04.into their them by but nobody owned it. It was not going anywhere. --
:46:04. > :46:13.we had a plan in 2005. I think the investment at that time will pay
:46:13. > :46:23.off. Some people are criticising the council for not leading the
:46:23. > :46:24.
:46:24. > :46:28.City of Culture bid. Actually, the Culture it was led by them. The
:46:28. > :46:33.original preparation came out of Derry City Council. We are
:46:33. > :46:39.effectively the leaders of the project. Was it a good idea to have
:46:39. > :46:43.a separate company? Absolutely. That was about maximising the
:46:43. > :46:48.leverage of external funds, encouraging charitable trusts and
:46:48. > :46:57.private sector organisations to get involved. It was about embracing a
:46:57. > :47:03.wider perspective from the Arts Centre. That is the purpose of the
:47:03. > :47:06.company and it has been successful. What about some of the criticism, a
:47:06. > :47:14.lack of facilities and some of the site's not being well enough
:47:14. > :47:17.developed, no chance of them being well enough developed? In terms of
:47:17. > :47:24.the development site, it is being used by the community, the bridge
:47:24. > :47:30.has been hugely successful. There are new cafes and museums, new
:47:30. > :47:40.things for people to do. The reality is, we will have the Turner
:47:40. > :47:43.
:47:43. > :47:46.Prize on that site, the Maritime Museum, the fundamental issues.
:47:47. > :47:51.There is a team effort in the city and we take issue with their not
:47:51. > :47:57.being good relationships between the city council and ILEX. There is
:47:57. > :48:07.a very strong team activity. It is working effectively. If you missed
:48:07. > :48:10.
:48:10. > :48:14.any of the comings and goings, here It was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee,
:48:14. > :48:20.in case you hadn't noticed. The woman herself was not actually here,
:48:20. > :48:28.at least not yet. Enjoying it. Looking forward to the impending
:48:28. > :48:34.visit of Her Majesty. We did have a visit from another VIP, the Olympic
:48:34. > :48:40.Torch was just about everywhere. There has been crowds on the
:48:40. > :48:45.streets. That has bright and everything up. It even crossed the
:48:45. > :48:52.border, just like this man. When I was told no Unionist leader had
:48:52. > :48:59.ever spoken in a formal sense in Leinster House, I was thinking that
:48:59. > :49:07.cannot be right. Another bit of history was made in Ballymena.
:49:07. > :49:17.very humble. It will send a message is all around but we need to work
:49:17. > :49:24.as a community. -- send out messages. The real reason you are
:49:24. > :49:30.in Northern Ireland is to promote your new soul. -- your new film.
:49:30. > :49:38.is a comedy. It stars Brendan Fraser. It has a lot of local
:49:38. > :49:43.people, shot in Belfast. It is a Belfast film, Belfast comedy.
:49:43. > :49:53.you find it easy to get films made here? Has it been easy to get