11/03/2012 Sunday Politics Northern Ireland

Three weeks to find a new leader. The race is on for someone to take

the Ulster Unionist Party forward. Is that even possible? We will ask

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1803 seconds

Hello and welcome it to Sunday politics. 18 months ago he was

hailed as the leader that we change the fortunes of the Ulster

Unionists. On Thursday night he walked away from the job leaving

the party in turmoil. My openness and integrity is what has made me

resign as the leader of the Ulster Unionists. What does the future

hold? Can the decline be altered to? Also on the programme. A year

on since the general election in the Republic, a Sinn Fein winning

the battle of the opposition parties. And fancy dress, feathers

and football, it is all in the political week in 60 seconds.

With me for the next 20 minutes, Professor Rick Wilford from Queen's

University and our political correspondent Martina Purdy. The

sound a bit like a broken record asking what is next for the Ulster

Unionists? Absolutely. Martina was just saying that 18 months is

giving up the job just after one year and a half is a sign of just

how in disarray the party is. Three weeks to get this resolved and get

a new leader, this is a big ask. There four contenders. I suspect

that the front runner is Danny Kennedy and I suspect he will win

if he puts his hat in the rain. He needs to address the decline. This

is a party coming from way behind the others. It is probably the most

difficult job in politics? Yes. It is like... Tom Elliot give the

reason for leaving is that he felt he did not have support. 2012 has

been unkind, they have lost a leader and lost one MLA in terms of

David McNarry. He put himself out of the job but because there was no

real sense he could have continued. Just 10 days ago it looked as if

Tom Elliott would remain as leader unopposed. Thanks to his

resignation, potential candidates have a very short time to declare

their hand and campaign to become the new leader. So who are the

possible runners? Danny Kennedy, an Orangeman and in favour of closer

links with the DUP. This is the Liberal John McCallister. He is in

the camp that wants to see the party moved into an opposition role

at Stormont. Then there is Basil McCrea. Will he be prepared to

enter the contest again? Or Mike Nesbitt. It is not clear which can

he falls into, but does he have the union has pedigree to take the top

spot in the very traditional party? The real question is if any of --

any of them can bring back happier times? Basil McCrea is out of the

country, but none of the other candidates wanted to come on the

country. I am joined by MEP Jim Nicholson and party treasurer Mark

Cosgrove. When did you find out Tom Elliott was resigning? I found out

when my son called me to ask if I knew the news. My other son

actually heard it before I heard it. Are you out of the look in your own

party? And no I do not think so. Tom made this decision himself, it

was a personal decision. I can understand why he felt he did not

have the support and that it was time for him to move on. I think it

was an honourable decision. I have the highest regard and respect for

him and will continue to have that and look forward to working with

him in years to come. Were you aware of the lies that were been

told to? He made his position very clear and he has given the reason

why he moved on and clearly, there must have been a problem with the

Assembly grip in the party. I was at the Assembly meeting on Monday

morning and I this in Stormont until lunchtime, where I had other

meetings with colleagues. I did not see him bad-tempered at all. I was

not there for all that, because I had to go to another committee

meeting of which Tom was the chairman. I spoke to him two or

three times and he never said anything. He clearly made his mind

up later in the week. He did not mention it to me. If you are going

to do these things, if you make it known, people will try to persuade

you against it. He had probably made his own personal mind up and

decided to do it in the way which she did, and I respect that.

are supposed to organise people and keep them disciplined. It would

appear there are some people have in your party who are be on

discipline? I do not accept the analysis of the political

commentators that we are coming from a long way behind. The Ulster

Unionist Party as recently as May achieved over 100,000 votes and we

have 116 elected representatives. If there are problems with one or

two of them, so be it. But they have got rid of your leader after

18 months. Tom has made it clear that they were not the only reasons.

He made his decision on the basis of other factors as well as

internal factors. I do not think the narrative that the party is in

great turmoil has stacked up on the ground. We are represented on 26

councils, we have a good geographical spread of Assembly

members and there are representatives out there doing a

good job. When did you find out Tom Elliott was going? About one power

before the press release went out. What do you know about the lies

that he is talking about? That is what he is alleging. I am not aware

of any of that at. The is he wrong? Was a I am not saying he is wrong.

I am here to say that because one or two people have a difficulty, I

do not accept that analysis. 116 elected representatives do not fall

or rise on the back of a few individuals who may be

undisciplined. This is a broad party with a broad range of support

in the community. That has not been represented properly in the media

reports at to today and including today. We have heard about two

different camps, one in favour of been in opposition and the other in

favour of union his genius -- unity. What can to fall into? I do not

fall into any of them. The system in Stormont at the minute does not

allow for opposition. I believe that would be good for Northern

Ireland to have proper opposition, because I see it in Belgium for

example, where the took almost two years to get a government. The vote

and that the same parties back into power again. Opposition would be

good, but the system is not therefore it and until the system

is in place I do not think we can. We have to play our full role and

do what I do in Europe, act responsibly and work in the

interests of everyone in Northern Ireland. There is a lot of

discussion about the European elections coming up in 2014. We

used stand again? That is a very direct question. I am mayor over 20

years as a MEP and I can claim to do my job extremely well and I am

enjoying it even more now than I did 20 years ago. If that answers

your question, as long as I am enjoying the job hunt and maybe

other events may change my mind. I am in good health and I am enjoying

the job so I am up for it again. terms of this leadership race,

three weeks to go, one week to will the nomination papers going, were

any of the candidates keen to see it delayed? Non art but in

particular. There was a feeling it should be delayed, but the rules of

the party are clear. Every year, the leader has to stand for re-

election and normally that is unopposed. The motions for such a

contest were in place and there is no reason why the contest should

not take place on 31st March. are definitely going hates?

absolutely. Mark does not agree with the analysis that the party is

in turmoil. I respect the view, but if you go back a decade, their vote

has more than halved. They have no MPs. They are doing reasonably well

at local council level, but there are many former unionists in who

left the camp or sit on their fence. This is a party in Serial long-term

decline and to arrest that decline, they need someone who can bridge at

the very different factions that exist in the party which looks a

lot more difficult. It has been a factor lies party and it is divided

on the issue of whether they should be a formal opposition. There

cannot be a formal opposition unless the legislation is changed.

That requires the government in London to provide for that. We went

to the people in the Assembly election campaign with that in our

manifesto that we would try to achieve a formal opposition by the

time the next Assembly cut elections came around. People are

voting with their feet. Unionism and all of Northern Ireland are

seen declining votes and until we have a formal government in

opposition, it is difficult to persuade people that their vote

makes a difference. I do not think there are different camps, the

issue is that we need to persuade colleagues in other parties to the

fact that we need to have a better way of moving in the Province

forward. We need to move from peace process to delivery process. Only

then will we get the jobs and everything else that we need.

of the candidates, who would you put your money on? Based on

previous experience and looking and observing that the party, I think

it Danny Kennedy entered the race he would be the favourite. He is

from the Orange Order, he is rural, he is a minister, he has been

around a long time. He is everyone's friend. Whether he can

withstand the pressures and unite both sides, because as a minister

he is saying as being in the Executive and working with the DUP.

There is talk of John McCallister and I would not rule him out. He is

a farmer, liberal but seen as traditionalist. The party would

feel safe with him. Mike Nesbitt and Basil McCrea are the wild cards.

Would you run yourself to M? It is a great honour that people think

you should run for it, but I am the wrong vintage to be running for

leadership of the party. Who were due back? I will make my mind up in

the process of time. I would remind you that I have come through quite

a lot of contests for leadership and I remembered the time when

David Trimble became leader, he was not the favourite, and he won. I

think the races there and let us see how the candidates perform. Let

us see what their policies are. This is what I would want to see

and to see how they can put forward the proposal. There is no doubt. We

have got to end the internal... Some people individually thinking

they're bigger than the party. I have gone down this road a long

time. Martina knows she cannot call me for information, because she

will not get it. Thank you it has been one year since the Republic's

general election and Sinn Fein added 10 seats to the fore it

previously held. Over the last 12 months, the party

has come to be seen by many as the real opposition party in Leinster

House. We have this report from Dublin. One year in office and a

chance to outlined progress and promises made. To borrow a phrase,

a lot don and a lot more to do. Sitting across from the Government

is a party very much focused on its own performance. A recent poll

macro suggest that Sinn Fein is now the second most popular party in

the Republic and could an unexpected fractious debate leading

up to the fiscal treaty referendum push the party further into the

big-time? We said clearly that we wanted to represent an effective

way middle and low-income earners and we have come into the Dail and

that is what we are doing. The old guard have been supplanted by a new

TD's. They are much better than media and Dail performers. Gerry

Adams has more symbolic than actual value in the Dail, but there has

been a quantum leap for the party in terms of profile and ability.

you do not have to dole out the pain, surely it is a good time to

be in opposition? People in the opposition benches somehow have it

easy, but this is wrong. You are looking at a huge government

majority in the Dail. Political opinion polls are not have a good

indicator. What is fuelling the rise of Sinn Fein and what are the

weak points that is causing their showing in the polls to drop? Will

have the politics of austerity. Sinn Fein cannot capitalise on that,

they cannot capitalise on anything. They are a left-wing party, but

they still do not do well in Dublin. Their strength is that they have a

lot of energetic, young it TD's and activists who are focused in the

way that that Labour had never been focus. There has been a speed bump

of late and a chance for writers... Perhaps she could carry out an

inquiry into your own party. this issue cos any red faces in the

Sinn Fein party? It will not happen again. Other parties to have been

up to their neck in scandals are making a song and dance about this

has raised a question in the public mind. What about the candidacy of

Martin McGuinness in the presidential election? Has it

lanced the boil of the party's links to its past? There was a

ceiling on Sinn Fein support of about 10%. That ceiling appears to

be broken and I think partly that has got to do with the conversation

that the party engaged in about its past during the presidential

election. It is also because the old political metaphor it is like a

shirt with the stain on it, you keep watching it and eventually it

will fade. For a lot of people, the memory of the conflict that the IRA

and Sinn Fein were involved in is like a stain on a shirt, but as

time goes on, that stain will fade. Time for our 62nd review and a

Stephen Walker reports, the Ulster Unionist Party was not the only

show in town this week. The week he. With Rory McIlroy becoming world No.

1, but some felt he needed more help. What an ambassador. He did it

with the support of his father, his mother, his girlfriend was there,

but we were not. From one game to another, Martin McGuinness went to

Windsor Park and got a royal welcome from the the Blues. We

learnt more about Willie McRae's chatted. I remember a fancy dress

competition and I remember I was dressed as a little sailor. Others

put on a smile for the House of Commons. They are is an onus on us

to go about this place with the demeanour of Aer Lingus cabin crew,

smiling at everything we meet. A Owen Paterson ruffled a few

feathers. A I went to the dinner... Is secretary of state might need

some help with that Irish accent. St Patrick's Day is coming up, a

mass exodus from Stormont? politicians will be going to

Washington, led by the First and Deputy First ministers. They will

be a ceremony in the White House. It is not what it was. The

journalists are not going, because the story is not there. It is about

promoting trade, investment and you will see Peter Robinson and Martin

McGuinness may catch up with Basil McCrea who is trying to drum up