:01:31. > :01:35.Three weeks to find a new leader. The race is on for someone to take
:01:35. > :01:45.the Ulster Unionist Party forward. Is that even possible? We will ask
:01:45. > :01:45.
:01:45. > :31:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1803 seconds
:31:49. > :31:52.Hello and welcome it to Sunday politics. 18 months ago he was
:31:52. > :31:55.hailed as the leader that we change the fortunes of the Ulster
:31:55. > :32:03.Unionists. On Thursday night he walked away from the job leaving
:32:03. > :32:09.the party in turmoil. My openness and integrity is what has made me
:32:09. > :32:14.resign as the leader of the Ulster Unionists. What does the future
:32:14. > :32:18.hold? Can the decline be altered to? Also on the programme. A year
:32:18. > :32:22.on since the general election in the Republic, a Sinn Fein winning
:32:22. > :32:30.the battle of the opposition parties. And fancy dress, feathers
:32:30. > :32:35.and football, it is all in the political week in 60 seconds.
:32:35. > :32:38.With me for the next 20 minutes, Professor Rick Wilford from Queen's
:32:38. > :32:42.University and our political correspondent Martina Purdy. The
:32:42. > :32:49.sound a bit like a broken record asking what is next for the Ulster
:32:49. > :32:53.Unionists? Absolutely. Martina was just saying that 18 months is
:32:54. > :32:59.giving up the job just after one year and a half is a sign of just
:32:59. > :33:06.how in disarray the party is. Three weeks to get this resolved and get
:33:06. > :33:09.a new leader, this is a big ask. There four contenders. I suspect
:33:09. > :33:15.that the front runner is Danny Kennedy and I suspect he will win
:33:15. > :33:21.if he puts his hat in the rain. He needs to address the decline. This
:33:21. > :33:31.is a party coming from way behind the others. It is probably the most
:33:31. > :33:31.
:33:31. > :33:37.difficult job in politics? Yes. It is like... Tom Elliot give the
:33:37. > :33:42.reason for leaving is that he felt he did not have support. 2012 has
:33:42. > :33:49.been unkind, they have lost a leader and lost one MLA in terms of
:33:49. > :33:54.David McNarry. He put himself out of the job but because there was no
:33:54. > :33:57.real sense he could have continued. Just 10 days ago it looked as if
:33:57. > :34:01.Tom Elliott would remain as leader unopposed. Thanks to his
:34:01. > :34:06.resignation, potential candidates have a very short time to declare
:34:06. > :34:12.their hand and campaign to become the new leader. So who are the
:34:12. > :34:18.possible runners? Danny Kennedy, an Orangeman and in favour of closer
:34:18. > :34:21.links with the DUP. This is the Liberal John McCallister. He is in
:34:21. > :34:27.the camp that wants to see the party moved into an opposition role
:34:27. > :34:33.at Stormont. Then there is Basil McCrea. Will he be prepared to
:34:33. > :34:37.enter the contest again? Or Mike Nesbitt. It is not clear which can
:34:37. > :34:43.he falls into, but does he have the union has pedigree to take the top
:34:43. > :34:48.spot in the very traditional party? The real question is if any of --
:34:48. > :34:51.any of them can bring back happier times? Basil McCrea is out of the
:34:51. > :34:57.country, but none of the other candidates wanted to come on the
:34:57. > :35:05.country. I am joined by MEP Jim Nicholson and party treasurer Mark
:35:05. > :35:11.Cosgrove. When did you find out Tom Elliott was resigning? I found out
:35:11. > :35:21.when my son called me to ask if I knew the news. My other son
:35:21. > :35:26.actually heard it before I heard it. Are you out of the look in your own
:35:26. > :35:31.party? And no I do not think so. Tom made this decision himself, it
:35:31. > :35:37.was a personal decision. I can understand why he felt he did not
:35:37. > :35:43.have the support and that it was time for him to move on. I think it
:35:43. > :35:46.was an honourable decision. I have the highest regard and respect for
:35:46. > :35:54.him and will continue to have that and look forward to working with
:35:54. > :36:01.him in years to come. Were you aware of the lies that were been
:36:01. > :36:06.told to? He made his position very clear and he has given the reason
:36:06. > :36:12.why he moved on and clearly, there must have been a problem with the
:36:12. > :36:17.Assembly grip in the party. I was at the Assembly meeting on Monday
:36:17. > :36:25.morning and I this in Stormont until lunchtime, where I had other
:36:25. > :36:30.meetings with colleagues. I did not see him bad-tempered at all. I was
:36:30. > :36:34.not there for all that, because I had to go to another committee
:36:34. > :36:39.meeting of which Tom was the chairman. I spoke to him two or
:36:39. > :36:45.three times and he never said anything. He clearly made his mind
:36:45. > :36:50.up later in the week. He did not mention it to me. If you are going
:36:51. > :36:54.to do these things, if you make it known, people will try to persuade
:36:54. > :36:59.you against it. He had probably made his own personal mind up and
:37:00. > :37:03.decided to do it in the way which she did, and I respect that.
:37:03. > :37:06.are supposed to organise people and keep them disciplined. It would
:37:06. > :37:11.appear there are some people have in your party who are be on
:37:11. > :37:16.discipline? I do not accept the analysis of the political
:37:16. > :37:21.commentators that we are coming from a long way behind. The Ulster
:37:21. > :37:25.Unionist Party as recently as May achieved over 100,000 votes and we
:37:25. > :37:31.have 116 elected representatives. If there are problems with one or
:37:31. > :37:37.two of them, so be it. But they have got rid of your leader after
:37:37. > :37:41.18 months. Tom has made it clear that they were not the only reasons.
:37:41. > :37:49.He made his decision on the basis of other factors as well as
:37:49. > :37:54.internal factors. I do not think the narrative that the party is in
:37:54. > :37:59.great turmoil has stacked up on the ground. We are represented on 26
:38:00. > :38:02.councils, we have a good geographical spread of Assembly
:38:02. > :38:08.members and there are representatives out there doing a
:38:08. > :38:14.good job. When did you find out Tom Elliott was going? About one power
:38:14. > :38:21.before the press release went out. What do you know about the lies
:38:21. > :38:30.that he is talking about? That is what he is alleging. I am not aware
:38:30. > :38:37.of any of that at. The is he wrong? Was a I am not saying he is wrong.
:38:37. > :38:43.I am here to say that because one or two people have a difficulty, I
:38:43. > :38:47.do not accept that analysis. 116 elected representatives do not fall
:38:47. > :38:50.or rise on the back of a few individuals who may be
:38:50. > :38:55.undisciplined. This is a broad party with a broad range of support
:38:55. > :39:00.in the community. That has not been represented properly in the media
:39:00. > :39:07.reports at to today and including today. We have heard about two
:39:07. > :39:14.different camps, one in favour of been in opposition and the other in
:39:14. > :39:18.favour of union his genius -- unity. What can to fall into? I do not
:39:18. > :39:22.fall into any of them. The system in Stormont at the minute does not
:39:22. > :39:27.allow for opposition. I believe that would be good for Northern
:39:27. > :39:32.Ireland to have proper opposition, because I see it in Belgium for
:39:32. > :39:36.example, where the took almost two years to get a government. The vote
:39:36. > :39:39.and that the same parties back into power again. Opposition would be
:39:39. > :39:45.good, but the system is not therefore it and until the system
:39:45. > :39:49.is in place I do not think we can. We have to play our full role and
:39:49. > :39:54.do what I do in Europe, act responsibly and work in the
:39:54. > :39:59.interests of everyone in Northern Ireland. There is a lot of
:39:59. > :40:07.discussion about the European elections coming up in 2014. We
:40:07. > :40:13.used stand again? That is a very direct question. I am mayor over 20
:40:13. > :40:17.years as a MEP and I can claim to do my job extremely well and I am
:40:17. > :40:27.enjoying it even more now than I did 20 years ago. If that answers
:40:27. > :40:28.
:40:28. > :40:35.your question, as long as I am enjoying the job hunt and maybe
:40:35. > :40:40.other events may change my mind. I am in good health and I am enjoying
:40:40. > :40:45.the job so I am up for it again. terms of this leadership race,
:40:45. > :40:49.three weeks to go, one week to will the nomination papers going, were
:40:49. > :40:53.any of the candidates keen to see it delayed? Non art but in
:40:53. > :40:58.particular. There was a feeling it should be delayed, but the rules of
:40:58. > :41:02.the party are clear. Every year, the leader has to stand for re-
:41:02. > :41:06.election and normally that is unopposed. The motions for such a
:41:06. > :41:13.contest were in place and there is no reason why the contest should
:41:13. > :41:19.not take place on 31st March. are definitely going hates?
:41:19. > :41:25.absolutely. Mark does not agree with the analysis that the party is
:41:25. > :41:32.in turmoil. I respect the view, but if you go back a decade, their vote
:41:32. > :41:37.has more than halved. They have no MPs. They are doing reasonably well
:41:37. > :41:45.at local council level, but there are many former unionists in who
:41:45. > :41:51.left the camp or sit on their fence. This is a party in Serial long-term
:41:51. > :41:54.decline and to arrest that decline, they need someone who can bridge at
:41:54. > :42:02.the very different factions that exist in the party which looks a
:42:02. > :42:08.lot more difficult. It has been a factor lies party and it is divided
:42:08. > :42:12.on the issue of whether they should be a formal opposition. There
:42:12. > :42:17.cannot be a formal opposition unless the legislation is changed.
:42:17. > :42:21.That requires the government in London to provide for that. We went
:42:21. > :42:25.to the people in the Assembly election campaign with that in our
:42:25. > :42:28.manifesto that we would try to achieve a formal opposition by the
:42:28. > :42:36.time the next Assembly cut elections came around. People are
:42:36. > :42:40.voting with their feet. Unionism and all of Northern Ireland are
:42:40. > :42:44.seen declining votes and until we have a formal government in
:42:44. > :42:52.opposition, it is difficult to persuade people that their vote
:42:52. > :42:57.makes a difference. I do not think there are different camps, the
:42:57. > :43:01.issue is that we need to persuade colleagues in other parties to the
:43:02. > :43:05.fact that we need to have a better way of moving in the Province
:43:05. > :43:10.forward. We need to move from peace process to delivery process. Only
:43:10. > :43:16.then will we get the jobs and everything else that we need.
:43:16. > :43:22.of the candidates, who would you put your money on? Based on
:43:22. > :43:26.previous experience and looking and observing that the party, I think
:43:26. > :43:33.it Danny Kennedy entered the race he would be the favourite. He is
:43:33. > :43:38.from the Orange Order, he is rural, he is a minister, he has been
:43:38. > :43:45.around a long time. He is everyone's friend. Whether he can
:43:45. > :43:52.withstand the pressures and unite both sides, because as a minister
:43:52. > :43:57.he is saying as being in the Executive and working with the DUP.
:43:57. > :44:01.There is talk of John McCallister and I would not rule him out. He is
:44:01. > :44:07.a farmer, liberal but seen as traditionalist. The party would
:44:07. > :44:13.feel safe with him. Mike Nesbitt and Basil McCrea are the wild cards.
:44:13. > :44:18.Would you run yourself to M? It is a great honour that people think
:44:18. > :44:23.you should run for it, but I am the wrong vintage to be running for
:44:23. > :44:31.leadership of the party. Who were due back? I will make my mind up in
:44:31. > :44:34.the process of time. I would remind you that I have come through quite
:44:34. > :44:40.a lot of contests for leadership and I remembered the time when
:44:40. > :44:44.David Trimble became leader, he was not the favourite, and he won. I
:44:44. > :44:50.think the races there and let us see how the candidates perform. Let
:44:50. > :44:55.us see what their policies are. This is what I would want to see
:44:55. > :45:01.and to see how they can put forward the proposal. There is no doubt. We
:45:01. > :45:06.have got to end the internal... Some people individually thinking
:45:06. > :45:11.they're bigger than the party. I have gone down this road a long
:45:11. > :45:21.time. Martina knows she cannot call me for information, because she
:45:21. > :45:23.
:45:23. > :45:27.will not get it. Thank you it has been one year since the Republic's
:45:27. > :45:29.general election and Sinn Fein added 10 seats to the fore it
:45:30. > :45:35.previously held. Over the last 12 months, the party
:45:35. > :45:41.has come to be seen by many as the real opposition party in Leinster
:45:41. > :45:45.House. We have this report from Dublin. One year in office and a
:45:45. > :45:51.chance to outlined progress and promises made. To borrow a phrase,
:45:51. > :45:58.a lot don and a lot more to do. Sitting across from the Government
:45:58. > :46:02.is a party very much focused on its own performance. A recent poll
:46:02. > :46:05.macro suggest that Sinn Fein is now the second most popular party in
:46:05. > :46:09.the Republic and could an unexpected fractious debate leading
:46:09. > :46:17.up to the fiscal treaty referendum push the party further into the
:46:17. > :46:22.big-time? We said clearly that we wanted to represent an effective
:46:22. > :46:31.way middle and low-income earners and we have come into the Dail and
:46:31. > :46:39.that is what we are doing. The old guard have been supplanted by a new
:46:39. > :46:45.TD's. They are much better than media and Dail performers. Gerry
:46:45. > :46:50.Adams has more symbolic than actual value in the Dail, but there has
:46:50. > :46:55.been a quantum leap for the party in terms of profile and ability.
:46:55. > :47:00.you do not have to dole out the pain, surely it is a good time to
:47:00. > :47:06.be in opposition? People in the opposition benches somehow have it
:47:06. > :47:12.easy, but this is wrong. You are looking at a huge government
:47:12. > :47:15.majority in the Dail. Political opinion polls are not have a good
:47:15. > :47:21.indicator. What is fuelling the rise of Sinn Fein and what are the
:47:21. > :47:26.weak points that is causing their showing in the polls to drop? Will
:47:26. > :47:34.have the politics of austerity. Sinn Fein cannot capitalise on that,
:47:34. > :47:41.they cannot capitalise on anything. They are a left-wing party, but
:47:41. > :47:50.they still do not do well in Dublin. Their strength is that they have a
:47:50. > :47:55.lot of energetic, young it TD's and activists who are focused in the
:47:55. > :48:05.way that that Labour had never been focus. There has been a speed bump
:48:05. > :48:08.
:48:08. > :48:14.of late and a chance for writers... Perhaps she could carry out an
:48:14. > :48:23.inquiry into your own party. this issue cos any red faces in the
:48:23. > :48:28.Sinn Fein party? It will not happen again. Other parties to have been
:48:28. > :48:34.up to their neck in scandals are making a song and dance about this
:48:35. > :48:38.has raised a question in the public mind. What about the candidacy of
:48:38. > :48:45.Martin McGuinness in the presidential election? Has it
:48:45. > :48:49.lanced the boil of the party's links to its past? There was a
:48:49. > :48:55.ceiling on Sinn Fein support of about 10%. That ceiling appears to
:48:56. > :49:01.be broken and I think partly that has got to do with the conversation
:49:01. > :49:05.that the party engaged in about its past during the presidential
:49:05. > :49:10.election. It is also because the old political metaphor it is like a
:49:10. > :49:17.shirt with the stain on it, you keep watching it and eventually it
:49:17. > :49:21.will fade. For a lot of people, the memory of the conflict that the IRA
:49:21. > :49:29.and Sinn Fein were involved in is like a stain on a shirt, but as
:49:29. > :49:32.time goes on, that stain will fade. Time for our 62nd review and a
:49:32. > :49:42.Stephen Walker reports, the Ulster Unionist Party was not the only
:49:42. > :49:42.
:49:42. > :49:47.show in town this week. The week he. With Rory McIlroy becoming world No.
:49:47. > :49:52.1, but some felt he needed more help. What an ambassador. He did it
:49:52. > :49:58.with the support of his father, his mother, his girlfriend was there,
:49:58. > :50:03.but we were not. From one game to another, Martin McGuinness went to
:50:03. > :50:10.Windsor Park and got a royal welcome from the the Blues. We
:50:10. > :50:15.learnt more about Willie McRae's chatted. I remember a fancy dress
:50:16. > :50:21.competition and I remember I was dressed as a little sailor. Others
:50:21. > :50:25.put on a smile for the House of Commons. They are is an onus on us
:50:25. > :50:31.to go about this place with the demeanour of Aer Lingus cabin crew,
:50:31. > :50:41.smiling at everything we meet. A Owen Paterson ruffled a few
:50:41. > :50:46.
:50:46. > :50:50.feathers. A I went to the dinner... Is secretary of state might need
:50:50. > :50:56.some help with that Irish accent. St Patrick's Day is coming up, a
:50:56. > :51:01.mass exodus from Stormont? politicians will be going to
:51:01. > :51:08.Washington, led by the First and Deputy First ministers. They will
:51:08. > :51:14.be a ceremony in the White House. It is not what it was. The
:51:14. > :51:21.journalists are not going, because the story is not there. It is about
:51:21. > :51:24.promoting trade, investment and you will see Peter Robinson and Martin
:51:24. > :51:30.McGuinness may catch up with Basil McCrea who is trying to drum up