:01:13. > :01:16.specially extended programme, we assess the impact of the G8 summit
:01:16. > :01:26.with live interviews from Fermanagh - including the Secretary of State,
:01:26. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :40:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2320 seconds
:40:06. > :40:10.Hello and welcome to Sunday Politics in Northern Ireland.
:40:10. > :40:14.Big events here are a bit like buses - you wait around for ages and then
:40:14. > :40:18.two come along at once. It's the eve of the G8 summit, of course, and the
:40:18. > :40:21.focus is on County Fermanagh, where world leaders arrive tomorrow. And
:40:21. > :40:24.in the midst of all the fuss, the First and Deputy First Ministers
:40:24. > :40:28.have signed off on an economic package with the Prime Minister. But
:40:28. > :40:30.what is it worth and is it enough to make a difference? I'll be talking
:40:30. > :40:35.live to the Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, who's in
:40:35. > :40:38.Enniskillen. And not everyone is rolling out the
:40:38. > :40:41.red carpet for the G8 leaders. Protesters in Belfast signalled
:40:41. > :40:45.their opposition to capitalism in one protest, while the focus was on
:40:45. > :40:48.world hunger in a separate demonstration in Botanic Gardens.
:40:48. > :40:53.I'll be talking to one of the headline acts, the singer Baaba
:40:53. > :40:56.Maal. With me throughout the programme
:40:56. > :41:04.with a view on everything G8 and more, my guests are Deirdre Heenan
:41:04. > :41:07.and Rick Wilford. And we start with the G8 summit,
:41:07. > :41:09.where some of the most powerful world leaders will start gathering
:41:09. > :41:12.tomorrow. Prime ministers, presidents and at least one
:41:12. > :41:14.chancellor will meet in the Lough Erne Resort for a two-day summit.
:41:14. > :41:17.Leaders from Germany, Canada, Italy, the UK, USA, Japan, Russia and
:41:17. > :41:27.France will discuss a range of issues and our political editor,
:41:27. > :41:31.
:41:31. > :41:37.Mark Devenport, is there. What is the mood like this morning? Fairly
:41:37. > :41:41.relaxed as far as I can tell. There is an obvious and substantial
:41:41. > :41:46.security presence. I came here late last night before midnight and was
:41:46. > :41:50.stopped by a security checkpoint on the road coming in from Belfast. We
:41:50. > :41:55.are being passed on a regular basis by integrative or police patrol
:41:55. > :42:05.boats and if I turn around in every direction I look I can see police
:42:05. > :42:07.
:42:07. > :42:11.land Rovers police officers. So it is substantial but relaxed. We are
:42:11. > :42:19.expecting large congregations of people today, not all to do with the
:42:19. > :42:23.G8. There is a service going on at the Cathedral which is related to
:42:23. > :42:29.the G8 but will be attended by a mob of clergymen including the
:42:30. > :42:33.Archbishop of York and various local dignitaries. Have you managed to
:42:33. > :42:43.talk to local people? Are they fairly relaxed or some of them
:42:43. > :42:46.
:42:46. > :42:51.frustrated at the locked and you have described? -- the lock down?
:42:51. > :42:56.Well, local business people are making the most of it. One of them
:42:56. > :43:01.is selling a series of ice creams modelled on the world leaders. Local
:43:01. > :43:04.takeaway is doing quite good business. And one man involved in
:43:04. > :43:08.haulage and shipping would like an event like this every week because
:43:08. > :43:13.he is taking good business this week in terms of moving in some of the
:43:13. > :43:21.gear that is being used for the summit. Politically, what can this
:43:21. > :43:29.summit achieve? Well, they have outlined this agenda in terms of
:43:29. > :43:33.tax, greater transparency of tax in relation to earnings and the
:43:33. > :43:37.extraction of minerals in developing countries, improved trade deals. But
:43:37. > :43:42.what is also looming over all of this of course is the issue of
:43:42. > :43:52.Syria, and there is this meeting of David Cameron and Ballard make Putin
:43:52. > :43:54.
:43:54. > :43:58.today. -- and Putin today. For Northern Ireland, they will be
:43:58. > :44:02.wanting to advertise the economic opportunities here and to ensure
:44:02. > :44:08.that particularly the US and indeed other countries remain committed to
:44:08. > :44:12.the peace process as it moves forward. Thank you. Hopefully we
:44:12. > :44:14.will hear from him a bit later in the programme.
:44:14. > :44:18.We'll hear from the Secretary of State, who's in Enniskillen, very
:44:18. > :44:21.soon, but first, one issue that is certain to be on the summit agenda
:44:21. > :44:24.is tax avoidance. It has dominated the news in recent weeks and has
:44:24. > :44:27.attracted attention on both sides of the Atlantic. There's also been much
:44:27. > :44:29.focus on Dublin after it was revealed that large, multi-national
:44:29. > :44:39.companies are using Irish operations to save billions in taxes. Our
:44:39. > :44:53.
:44:53. > :44:57.political reporter, Stephen Walker, administration here in Dublin, used
:44:57. > :45:03.tax rates and incentives to attract foreign investment. The generations,
:45:03. > :45:07.they were the rules of the economic game. But in recent months, stories
:45:07. > :45:14.about tax avoidance have changed the atmosphere, and now tax reform is on
:45:14. > :45:20.the international agenda. Last month's US Senate hearing put Dublin
:45:20. > :45:24.on the world map for the wrong reasons. Ireland was labelled a tax
:45:24. > :45:30.haven after representatives of Apple admitted they had negotiated a deal
:45:30. > :45:34.in the 1980s to set up an Irish operation. Recent figures are
:45:34. > :45:39.revealing. Apple operations international made a profit of 30
:45:39. > :45:44.billion over three years but paid no income taxes over that time. Another
:45:44. > :45:51.Apple sales international made 74 billion in profit but paid only a
:45:51. > :45:58.tiny fraction of that in tax. Apple insist they have done nothing wrong.
:45:58. > :46:03.We pay all the taxes we owe, every single dollar. Ireland's local
:46:03. > :46:09.bridge and tax of 12.5% has been an incentive for foreign investors, and
:46:09. > :46:13.it is clear other European countries have looked at Dublin would envy. So
:46:13. > :46:19.that annoys other countries because maybe we attract their factories,
:46:19. > :46:23.businesses, banks. On top of that, there is the worry about what is
:46:23. > :46:27.called transfer pricing, that big multinational companies can in a
:46:27. > :46:33.sense that the prices for the things they buy and sell in such a place as
:46:33. > :46:37.to put their profits into particular locations. Moving profits to take
:46:37. > :46:44.advantage of lower tax rates concerns some at Stormont who feel
:46:44. > :46:48.the Republic's game if the UK's loss. My view is the British
:46:48. > :46:53.government does have some leveraged on the Irish government back,
:46:53. > :46:58.because they have made a 7.5 billion loan, and that is a lot of
:46:58. > :47:06.leveraged. They should be saying to the government, you cannot stage tax
:47:07. > :47:11.revenue from us in this way. -- cannot steal. In Dublin, they say
:47:11. > :47:17.the loan was not related to changing tax rates. But are they exploiting
:47:17. > :47:22.the rules? What of the allegation of Ireland becoming a tax haven?
:47:22. > :47:27.it is wrong, and it is put out there by countries who I suspect are
:47:27. > :47:34.looking at the success this country is making. It is not Irish tax law
:47:34. > :47:39.that is at stake here, it is other jurisdictions with their tax law.
:47:39. > :47:45.But there are those who insist that island now has a reputation as a tax
:47:45. > :47:52.haven. This week, Richard Boyd Barrett will be in Fermanagh
:47:52. > :47:59.protesting. I think it is outrageous. Our economy is
:47:59. > :48:02.outrageous. Now we discover that the Irish government policy is to
:48:02. > :48:08.further encourage and expand this sector at the same time that
:48:08. > :48:12.ordinary workers and citizens are being actually Chris vied with cuts,
:48:12. > :48:22.austerity and employment, while these vulture companies are making
:48:22. > :48:23.
:48:23. > :48:28.fortunes. -- are being crucified. Finding answers will be difficult,
:48:28. > :48:32.but it is clear there is a mood for greater tax transparency. People
:48:32. > :48:41.listening to this will think, goodness me, the taxman pursues me
:48:41. > :48:47.sometimes for a few hundred pounds. I think we need to address this.
:48:48. > :48:51.This week, money will take centre stage. When it comes to tax, G8
:48:51. > :48:57.leaders know they have a worldwide problem to address. Finding some
:48:57. > :49:00.harmony is the key. Stephen Walker reporting. While the
:49:00. > :49:03.spotlight will be on County Fermanagh for the next few days, on
:49:03. > :49:05.Friday all eyes were on Downing Street as details of that long
:49:05. > :49:08.awaited economic package were unveiled. David Cameron described
:49:08. > :49:10.the agreement as a symbol of our ambitious vision for Northern
:49:10. > :49:13.Ireland: a genuinely shared society fulfilling its economic potential.
:49:13. > :49:18.So, can the momentum of G8, combined with the economic pact, deliver
:49:18. > :49:28.lasting benefits? The Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, joins me
:49:28. > :49:32.
:49:32. > :49:36.from Enniskillen. Thank you for joining us. Can I pick -- pick up on
:49:36. > :49:44.this comment. The Republic of Ireland government has been stealing
:49:44. > :49:48.the UK tax revenues. Do you agree? think what the current controversy
:49:48. > :49:54.around Irish tax rules illustrates is that David Cameron was right to
:49:54. > :49:58.put on the agenda for the G8 how we ensure, together, as an
:49:58. > :50:03.international community, that big business pays its fair share of tax.
:50:03. > :50:07.It is not necessarily the tax system in Ireland that is a problem, it is
:50:07. > :50:12.the way big business is manipulating the international rules on tax to
:50:12. > :50:17.avoid paying any tax at all. We can only resolve that if we have
:50:17. > :50:22.international action, and that is why it is so important that David
:50:22. > :50:30.Cameron has championed this issue and why he was right to put it on
:50:30. > :50:33.the agenda this week. Sammy Wilson once the UK government to raise this
:50:33. > :50:42.issue with the Republic of Ireland administration sooner rather than
:50:42. > :50:44.later. Will you do that? Will David Cameron do that? Well, the UK
:50:44. > :50:50.government has wanted to engage with a whole range of international
:50:50. > :50:53.partners as to how we find a solution. We firmly believe that in
:50:53. > :50:59.local corporation tax rates and we'd stood up for the Republic of
:50:59. > :51:05.Ireland's right to have those tax rate in face -- in the face of
:51:05. > :51:07.Europe's wish to abolish those. In reality, it is the system which
:51:07. > :51:12.enables big business across the world to aggressively avoid paying
:51:12. > :51:16.tax which is the problem here. We really think big business needs to
:51:16. > :51:21.pay its fair share of tax alongside all of those who go out to work hard
:51:21. > :51:25.for a living and cannot afford a aggressive avoidance schemes to
:51:25. > :51:29.reduce their bills. Let's talk about Friday's economic package. You said
:51:29. > :51:36.it would help to build lasting peace and prosperity. How, precisely, will
:51:36. > :51:40.it do that? We believe that the economic package agreed on Friday
:51:40. > :51:43.will help as we balance the Northern Ireland economy. It will see the
:51:43. > :51:47.executive and the government working more closely together than ever
:51:47. > :51:55.before on a whole range of issues which will help bring jobs and
:51:55. > :51:58.prosperity to Northern Ireland. That is a crucial way to underpin
:51:58. > :52:04.political stability in Northern Ireland, and the package also seeks
:52:04. > :52:08.to support the announcements already been eight -- already made in recent
:52:08. > :52:11.weeks about a shared society in driving forward with a
:52:11. > :52:17.reconciliation. People are wondering if there is anything particularly
:52:17. > :52:21.new. There has been a lot of talk about special area status, but the
:52:21. > :52:27.statement says we can retain 100% of what we already have, so that is
:52:28. > :52:32.effectively no change. That is a very significant decision and it was
:52:32. > :52:37.actually very hard to persuade my Whitehall hot -- colleagues that
:52:37. > :52:41.that would be possible. Significant changes in the EU rules on these
:52:41. > :52:45.matters means it will be difficult to retain hundred percent coverage
:52:45. > :52:50.for Northern Ireland. This package is recognition that special
:52:50. > :52:54.circumstances justify that special treatment, and it is only through
:52:54. > :52:59.hard work that we've been able to persuade my Whitehall colleagues
:52:59. > :53:02.that Northern Ireland should retain that status. The First Minister said
:53:02. > :53:10.that for him the game changer remains the dev elution of
:53:10. > :53:15.corporation tax. That is not in this package. What the package does
:53:15. > :53:20.contain is a further indication of the way forward. We have clearly
:53:20. > :53:23.said that although the decision in principle will wait until the Autumn
:53:23. > :53:27.statement in 2014, we're going to continue with technical work to
:53:27. > :53:34.prepare for a possible depletion of corporation tax, and the baggage
:53:34. > :53:36.confirms that if the PM's decision is yes in principle, we will proceed
:53:36. > :53:42.with a stand-alone bill to legislate in this Parliament on corporation
:53:42. > :53:48.tax. You are joining us from what looks like a very beautiful
:53:48. > :53:58.Fermanagh. The world leaders arrive tomorrow and there is a lot of
:53:58. > :54:03.
:54:03. > :54:06.anticipation. What do you think -- to develop how far Northern
:54:07. > :54:10.Ireland has come. It demonstrates that Northern Ireland is a great
:54:11. > :54:14.place to do business and come on holiday. We can make sure the rest
:54:14. > :54:19.of the world knows how far we have moved since the peace agreement and
:54:19. > :54:25.the political settlement. Thank you very much indeed for joining us will
:54:25. > :54:29.stop Theresa Villiers there, live from Enniskillen. With me now,
:54:29. > :54:34.Deirdre Heenan and Rick Wilford. What do you think G8 could mean for
:54:34. > :54:39.Northern Ireland? In the short term, it is going to mean that local
:54:39. > :54:47.businesses down and Fermanagh are going to do very well. Some already
:54:47. > :54:51.are. The G8's platform is the globe, so in that respect, it is not going
:54:51. > :54:58.to be anything other than short-term gains from hosting -- hosting the
:54:58. > :55:04.conference. It is ironic that the venue for the conference is a hotel
:55:04. > :55:07.which does not chime with the austere times we are confronting. I
:55:07. > :55:13.don't think the G8 conference in itself is going to have any lasting
:55:13. > :55:17.effect. Deirdre, some businesses are going to do well out of it, but
:55:17. > :55:23.others are suffering, and complaining about suffering quite
:55:23. > :55:28.badly, certainly in the short term. How do you see at? It's going to be
:55:28. > :55:33.a balance, when you host something on this scale. That goes with the
:55:33. > :55:37.territory. What is different about Enniskillen and Northern Ireland
:55:37. > :55:41.being chosen is the perception of Northern Ireland. 20 years ago, this
:55:41. > :55:45.could not have happened. This is an opportunity to think about us in a
:55:46. > :55:50.different way. When it was at Gleneagles, the location didn't
:55:50. > :55:58.really feature. In Northern Ireland, it is all about location. We need to
:55:58. > :56:01.put our best foot forward and embrace that. What about the view
:56:01. > :56:07.that Northern Ireland is stealing tax revenue from the rest of the UK?
:56:07. > :56:11.What do you make of that? It is very emotive language, and it does
:56:11. > :56:16.nothing to help. To accuse the Labour government of stealing money
:56:16. > :56:21.from the UK Treasury... That is an helpful, to say the least. The
:56:21. > :56:26.response that Theresa Villiers made referred more generally to the UK
:56:26. > :56:29.public's dysfunctional tax regime and the structure of the global
:56:29. > :56:39.economic system. It is dysfunctional, and the issue
:56:39. > :56:42.highlights the disparities between different tax regimes, and the kind
:56:42. > :56:47.of drive to try and secure some kind of harmonisation of tax systems and
:56:47. > :56:57.more transparency. The tree, the tax package announced on Friday - is
:56:57. > :57:02.that helpful? We are almost seeing a repackaging of existing things. We
:57:02. > :57:06.have to welcomed it. It will make us a more attractive place for trade
:57:06. > :57:09.and investment. I would like more detail on the infrastructure of
:57:09. > :57:16.Northern Ireland, and how we are going to address the key issues of
:57:17. > :57:20.infrastructure. Thank you very much. Not everyone is happy to welcome the
:57:21. > :57:24.world's most powerful leaders. Unionists and campaign groups led a
:57:24. > :57:34.march in Belfast city centre yesterday, challenging the agenda of
:57:34. > :57:38.
:57:38. > :57:46.the G8 leaders. The Fairer World Campaign wants... Thousands gathered
:57:46. > :57:50.for the Big IF Belfast concert. One of the performance at the events was
:57:50. > :57:55.the Senegalese musician and Oxfam Ambassador Baaba Maal. Thank you
:57:55. > :58:05.very much for joining us. Did yesterday's concert achieve what you
:58:05. > :58:05.
:58:05. > :58:11.hoped it would? I think so. We played music, and showed people what
:58:11. > :58:16.we think is a link for what we are standing up for. Especially, there
:58:16. > :58:22.was lots of young people. They are the future. We started this campaign
:58:22. > :58:28.since January. We see it growing up little by little. I think it is
:58:28. > :58:35.really important to talk about these issues. We must cut the hunger.
:58:36. > :58:39.made a visit to West Africa recently, to your home country of
:58:39. > :58:44.Senegal and other countries. How much difference have you seen on the
:58:44. > :58:51.ground, and what do G8 leaders need to take on board? Coming from
:58:52. > :58:56.there, I was not aware on how people are suffering. Senegal, Mauritania,
:58:56. > :59:04.Burkina Faso, it is all similar in those country. People are not ready
:59:04. > :59:08.to face that. I visited families where, for example, the woman was
:59:08. > :59:13.the centre of raising the children. I asked them about education and
:59:13. > :59:17.other issues, and they said they were not interested in that. They
:59:17. > :59:21.were more interested in how to feed their children and take care of
:59:21. > :59:28.themselves. That is something that is happening. World leaders need to
:59:28. > :59:32.be aware of that. They have to fix that. I'm sure they can fix it.
:59:32. > :59:36.global ambassador for Oxfam, you have made many public announcements.
:59:36. > :59:41.You feel there is no excuse for hunger anywhere in the world in the
:59:41. > :59:47.20th century. Of course. There is enough food in the world to feed
:59:48. > :59:54.everyone everywhere. Especially when you travel in countries in West
:59:54. > :00:00.Africa, you see big rivers, like the Senegalese River. You see good
:00:00. > :00:09.agricultural land. But we don't have any support. People are ready to
:00:09. > :00:14.work on agriculture. If you ask what our leaders are doing - I hope, with
:00:14. > :00:20.the G8, people will be convinced to take action. What would you like to
:00:20. > :00:23.see this G8 summit in Fermanagh achieved? I would like people to
:00:23. > :00:31.think about all the issues that matter in the regions of the world
:00:31. > :00:36.like Africa. By taking care about that, people can bring back some
:00:36. > :00:41.profit to invest in developing countries. There is no way we can
:00:41. > :00:48.make the balance come. We talk about peace every time, but there is a
:00:48. > :00:53.proverb of Bob Marley who says, a hungry man is an angry man. We need
:00:53. > :00:58.to feed people. Baaba Maal, thank you very much for coming in. Let's
:00:58. > :01:03.hear more from Deirdre and Rick. What do you make of the
:01:03. > :01:10.aspirations, the demands, of all of the campaigners who have been
:01:10. > :01:15.agitating -- agitating ahead of the G8 summit? Do you think this will
:01:15. > :01:19.have an effect inside the conference centre? I think they have to try.
:01:19. > :01:26.With the protests, we had a lot of talk of huge protests that didn't
:01:26. > :01:29.materialise. You have to ask, was that because people don't care about
:01:29. > :01:33.issues like hunger and economic development, or are there too many
:01:33. > :01:38.issues for them to separate out? They may want to be involved in
:01:38. > :01:44.that, but they may not want to be involved in anti-capitalist march
:01:44. > :01:50.is. Or do people think protests are pointless? In Northern Ireland, we
:01:50. > :01:54.see the usual suspects protesting. And that turns people off. They say,
:01:54. > :01:57.I do not want to be involved or aligned with those people, so I will
:01:57. > :02:05.get my message through in other ways, such as attending a
:02:05. > :02:09.conference. Yesterday's concert was anything but a damp squib, because
:02:09. > :02:14.about 10,000 people came to the Botanic Gardens. The message was
:02:14. > :02:19.pretty loud and clear. Explicit, in terms of tackling hunger across the
:02:19. > :02:25.world. It is a chronic problem. It is difficult to explain. 50 years
:02:25. > :02:31.ago, John Kennedy said, we have the capacity and the means to cure the
:02:31. > :02:36.world of global hunger. What we need is the will. 50 years, we are still
:02:36. > :02:43.waiting for that will to be realised. On the protest front,
:02:43. > :02:47.every G8 summit is attended by protests and demonstrations, some
:02:48. > :02:53.incredibly violent, such as in Seattle. Others are more passive or
:02:53. > :02:59.Pacific, as they were yesterday. It always brings together a range of
:02:59. > :03:06.organisations, each with a different focus. It is an umbrella movement.
:03:06. > :03:11.Some are anti-state or anti-system. Others are pro-food. It captures a
:03:11. > :03:16.wide range of interests. More from you later. Despite reassuring words
:03:16. > :03:19.from our political leaders, not everyone is convinced the G8 summit
:03:19. > :03:24.can deliver long-term economic benefits. There's been criticism of
:03:24. > :03:30.the disruption it has been causing in Fermanagh itself. The Sinn Fein
:03:30. > :03:34.MLA, Phil Flanagan, says any economic boost is likely to be short
:03:34. > :03:44.lived. Are you warming at all to the notion of the G8 summit as it gets
:03:44. > :03:49.closer? The G8 summit is upon us now. It is the big topic of
:03:49. > :03:54.conversation here, over this last week or so. The attitude of most
:03:54. > :03:58.people in Fermanagh that I have spoken to is one of concern at the
:03:58. > :04:04.disproportionate response from the police and the security services to
:04:04. > :04:10.the G8 taking place. Every single road, every layby, has a police car
:04:10. > :04:17.with heavy machine guns. A road between Fermanagh and Enniskillen is
:04:17. > :04:21.closed for a month. When you say disproportionate... Whether you like
:04:21. > :04:25.it or not, these are eight of the most powerful people on this planet
:04:25. > :04:28.and they have to be properly protected. All it takes is one
:04:28. > :04:35.individual to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Why don't you accept
:04:35. > :04:40.that? I accept that, but this is the middle of June, and the road is
:04:40. > :04:47.already closed. The road has been closed for a fortnight. It is
:04:47. > :04:51.completely over the top. I have children in school in Enniskillen
:04:51. > :04:57.before eight o'clock -- you have to be in any skill and before eight
:04:57. > :05:02.o'clock. There is no place for that on a Monday or Tuesday morning.
:05:02. > :05:06.say a lot of people in Fermanagh are not happy. What about the world's
:05:06. > :05:12.attention being focused on the beautiful Fermanagh? You are keen to
:05:12. > :05:18.tell us about that, and the fact it is showing Northern Ireland to be a
:05:18. > :05:22.normal society on a global stage. Shouldn't we celebrate that? That is
:05:22. > :05:27.something worth celebrating, and it could not happen 20 years ago. That
:05:27. > :05:33.is a positive step forward for us. Lots of jobs have been created in
:05:33. > :05:39.the short term. That is very positive, and to be welcomed. The
:05:39. > :05:44.figures thrown out by the British and Commonwealth office, about the
:05:44. > :05:50.long-term benefits for Fermanagh being between �500 million and �700
:05:50. > :05:59.million. That is ridiculous. The benefits to the Scottish economy of
:05:59. > :06:07.Blair need was �74 million. The cost of hosting it was �94 million. There
:06:07. > :06:11.is very little actual benefit to this. If we consider that Fermanagh
:06:11. > :06:15.will be showcased around the world, I hope it will be done in positive
:06:15. > :06:19.terms. What will actually be reported around the world is what
:06:19. > :06:23.discussions these people have, and what decisions they take. That is
:06:23. > :06:26.the most important part of this summit, and they have to take
:06:26. > :06:35.decisions that will benefit those in greatest need around the world.
:06:35. > :06:39.Thank you for joining us. The Sinn Fein MLA, Phil Flanagan, joining us
:06:39. > :06:49.from Fermanagh. David Cameron has spoken of the three big Ts that are
:06:49. > :06:49.
:06:49. > :06:54.at the heart of the G8, Oddbins. But with the situation in Syria,
:06:54. > :06:59.agreement could be hard to find. -- at the heart of the G8, Tax,
:06:59. > :07:06.Transparency and Trade. Do you think the focus will be Tax, Transparency
:07:06. > :07:10.and Trade? I think the leaders of the biggest countries in the world,
:07:10. > :07:14.open democracies... Every day, they are used to dealing with the
:07:14. > :07:19.toughest issues across a broad range of things at home. When they come
:07:19. > :07:28.together, they have a common bond. A strong focus will be on the three
:07:28. > :07:36.tiers that David Cameron started out with. After Marley, terrorism has
:07:36. > :07:40.risen to the top. And with Syria now. Making sure we win the economic
:07:40. > :07:47.peace in North Africa and the middle east, having won the war in Libya.
:07:47. > :07:55.lot of people are confused about the fact that the biggest democracy in
:07:55. > :07:58.the world, India, is not represented in the G8. China is not there. There
:07:58. > :08:08.is no representative from South America. Is the G8 what it used to
:08:08. > :08:12.
:08:12. > :08:19.be? The G8 was created to promote individuality, liberty and social
:08:19. > :08:25.advance. So in the case of India, there is a case for joining. China
:08:25. > :08:30.is not there, nor is Saudi Arabia. Well, some people wonder about
:08:30. > :08:36.Russia, of course. Well, it is a work in progress but we are vastly
:08:36. > :08:43.better off with Russia than in 1997 before they joined as a full member
:08:43. > :08:52.at the summit in Birmingham hosted. Should Italy still be there? It is
:08:52. > :08:55.bankrupt. Yes, Italy is perhaps a different style of democracy. But
:08:55. > :08:59.even the mother of all Parliaments has a coalition government as well
:08:59. > :09:05.so they are becoming a bit Italian. They face the same problems, they
:09:05. > :09:13.are with us as a member of NATO. They were a critical ally if you use
:09:13. > :09:16.ago in stopping slaughter in Libya. -- a few years ago. I think if we
:09:16. > :09:25.need to take hard decisions on Syria, they will be with those as
:09:25. > :09:31.well. There is a huge focus that this event is taking place here. But
:09:31. > :09:35.be honest, do people notice where the summit takes place? Absolutely.
:09:35. > :09:41.For a start, it brings in the most prestigious journalists from the
:09:41. > :09:49.most powerful countries in the world and the vast entourage from other
:09:49. > :09:53.countries as well. Almost all of them will not have heard of the rich
:09:53. > :09:58.array of assets here. They will see it first hand and have a chance to
:09:58. > :10:04.make their own judgements. The message they will go home with is
:10:04. > :10:09.not just the small one, that it is good for business or tourism, it is
:10:09. > :10:14.a powerful inspiration for the central issue of this summit. What
:10:14. > :10:19.we're seeing in Syria, massive sectarian violence, what we saw on
:10:19. > :10:23.the streets of Boston in the bombing and London is that as well. Northern
:10:23. > :10:30.Ireland proves we can win that fight. Very interesting to hear your
:10:30. > :10:40.thoughts, thank you for joining us. Now, let's get a look at the
:10:40. > :10:44.
:10:45. > :10:48.summit will put Northern Ireland in the shop window. A lot of people
:10:48. > :10:53.look at these things in pounds and pence. I don't. For Northern
:10:53. > :10:59.Ireland, a lot of this is about reputation. An economic pact with
:10:59. > :11:02.London promises to help as break barriers to peace and prosperity.
:11:02. > :11:09.The social development Minister revealed the Housing executive
:11:09. > :11:19.overpaid housing contractors by �18 million. The scale of what has been
:11:19. > :11:22.
:11:22. > :11:30.uncovered is a scandal. Let's not forget this is taxpayers money. At
:11:30. > :11:33.Stormont, some politicians were living dangerously. And inside the
:11:33. > :11:41.assembly, the newest political party was in for a bit of teasing.
:11:41. > :11:45.thought it was NI 21 last Thursday, P 45 on Monday. Let's take a quick
:11:45. > :11:55.final thought on Mark Devenport our political editor in Ennis killing. A
:11:55. > :12:01.
:12:01. > :12:07.quick reflection? -- in Fermanagh. Well, we've heard bad that this
:12:07. > :12:12.summit puts Northern Ireland in a shop window. No doubt there will be
:12:12. > :12:16.a report on whether this was in fact a benefit. I think ministers at the
:12:16. > :12:20.moment are saying they are taking this opportunity and that they
:12:20. > :12:24.managed to negotiate a situation in which they pay a smaller proportion
:12:24. > :12:28.of the build and maybe was the case in Gleneagles in 2005. We will have
:12:28. > :12:35.to see which of the camps, the sceptics or the optimists, are
:12:35. > :12:40.proved right. And a final brought from guests. Deirdre, how do we
:12:40. > :12:45.judge the success of what happens over the next 48 hours? I think it's
:12:45. > :12:48.a case of watch this space. We don't quite know yet. But I agree that
:12:48. > :12:52.this is a unique marketing opportunity that we simply could not
:12:52. > :13:00.pay for. It is a chance to change perceptions about Northern Ireland
:13:00. > :13:07.and put it on a global stage. feeling outclassed here. How do we
:13:07. > :13:12.think -- how do you think we judge the success? I think we have to