2:00:00 > 2:00:00SUNDAY POLITICS NIC C038D/02 BRD000000
5:13:59 > 5:14:01Hello, and welcome to Sunday Politics.
5:14:01 > 5:14:03With just under two weeks to go to polling day,
5:14:03 > 5:14:06the battle for Stormont is well and truly under way.
5:14:06 > 5:14:09And just a year after returning two MPs to Westminster,
5:14:09 > 5:14:11the Ulster Unionist leader, Mike Nesbitt,
5:14:11 > 5:14:15will be discussing his party's plan for continued electoral success
5:14:15 > 5:14:19and, of course, whether or not he plans to rejoin the Executive,
5:14:19 > 5:14:22if that's an option for him when the votes are counted.
5:14:22 > 5:14:24And bringing the party conference season to a close -
5:14:24 > 5:14:26Sinn Fein is in Dublin for its Ard Fheis.
5:14:26 > 5:14:29A united Ireland means the unity of the people of this island,
5:14:29 > 5:14:32including those identify themselves as British.
5:14:32 > 5:14:35A united Ireland means economic and political benefits
5:14:35 > 5:14:37for all our people.
5:14:37 > 5:14:39And with their thoughts on all of that and more,
5:14:39 > 5:14:42my guests of the day are PR consultant Sheila Davidson
5:14:42 > 5:14:45and newspaper columnist Brian Feeney.
5:14:51 > 5:14:52Once the major force in Unionism,
5:14:52 > 5:14:55the Ulster Unionist Party has struggled in recent years,
5:14:55 > 5:14:59as it saw its vote slip away while the DUP rose to prominence.
5:14:59 > 5:15:02However, after winning two seats at last year's Westminster election,
5:15:02 > 5:15:05the party now says it's on its way back
5:15:05 > 5:15:07and is hoping to make gains at the Assembly.
5:15:07 > 5:15:09The party leader, Mike Nesbitt, joins me now.
5:15:09 > 5:15:11- Welcome to you.- Thank you.
5:15:11 > 5:15:15The Ulster Unionist Party left the Assembly with 13 MLAs,
5:15:15 > 5:15:18three fewer that went in when it started five years ago.
5:15:18 > 5:15:21How many seats do you realistically expect to have this day fortnight?
5:15:21 > 5:15:23We're talking in growth, and to be clear,
5:15:23 > 5:15:27that's growth on the 16 who were elected in May 2011,
5:15:27 > 5:15:30not the 13 who came off the hill at the end of the mandate.
5:15:30 > 5:15:34So you're standing 33 candidates.
5:15:34 > 5:15:37How many of those do you think have a realistic chance of winning?
5:15:37 > 5:15:40- Around about 33.- Seriously? - Yeah.- As many as 33?
5:15:40 > 5:15:43You've spoken to some of my colleagues and you've said,
5:15:43 > 5:15:45"Don't be so arrogant," I think you said to one of them,
5:15:45 > 5:15:49to presume that you won't be in with the chance of being First Minister.
5:15:49 > 5:15:51So you'd need to be getting something like that.
5:15:51 > 5:15:55What I was saying was, I felt there was something perhaps arrogant
5:15:55 > 5:15:59about Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster
5:15:59 > 5:16:03saying that the First Minister has to be from those two politicians.
5:16:03 > 5:16:05Who knows what the electorate want?
5:16:05 > 5:16:08And certainly on the doorstep, there is an appetite for change.
5:16:08 > 5:16:10So you've said that you believe
5:16:10 > 5:16:13- all 33 candidates have a realistic chance of winning.- Yes.
5:16:13 > 5:16:15When we're having a conversation
5:16:15 > 5:16:17on the Friday or the Saturday after the election,
5:16:17 > 5:16:20how will I know if you're genuinely pleased with the result
5:16:20 > 5:16:22or if you're disappointed?
5:16:22 > 5:16:23Is it 33, anything less than 33,
5:16:23 > 5:16:26you're going to be disappointed and that'll be failure?
5:16:26 > 5:16:29No. And, actually, the number is written down and it's in my study.
5:16:29 > 5:16:31And I've posted it to myself.
5:16:31 > 5:16:33It's in a sealed envelope, it's gone through the Royal Mail.
5:16:33 > 5:16:36I didn't know you were a member of the Magic Circle.
5:16:36 > 5:16:39- And I will open it up on 7th May. - Right.
5:16:39 > 5:16:42- And you'll reveal all, will you? - I will let you see it, yeah.
5:16:42 > 5:16:44Right, OK. You can do that on our election coverage.
5:16:44 > 5:16:46Would you like to give me a hint
5:16:46 > 5:16:48as to whether or not it's in the high teens or in the twenties?
5:16:48 > 5:16:50I don't want to give you a hint.
5:16:50 > 5:16:54What we're targeting is growth, and we've got 33 great candidates,
5:16:54 > 5:16:56or 32 great candidates if you want to exclude me,
5:16:56 > 5:17:00and they all have a chance, and I want them to get elected.
5:17:00 > 5:17:03In terms of share, where do you think you need to be?
5:17:03 > 5:17:06Because you'd want to see growth on where you were last time round.
5:17:06 > 5:17:08I'm just looking at the figures.
5:17:08 > 5:17:11I mean, your figures are somewhere between 13 and 16%,
5:17:11 > 5:17:13but the last Assembly election,
5:17:13 > 5:17:16with 16 seats, you won 13.2% share of the vote.
5:17:16 > 5:17:19So you'd want to be 15% plus, really.
5:17:19 > 5:17:2216% plus to be doing really well.
5:17:22 > 5:17:24Yeah, and we are targeting significant growth.
5:17:24 > 5:17:27And the real measure will be the numbers,
5:17:27 > 5:17:30the numbers who are going to go up into room 277 on Monday 9th
5:17:30 > 5:17:33for the next meeting of our MLA group.
5:17:33 > 5:17:36Right, so here's the question, then, for Unionist voters,
5:17:36 > 5:17:38or questions that Unionist voters
5:17:38 > 5:17:40might be wanting to get some clarity from you on.
5:17:40 > 5:17:43The issue of your party's relationship with the DUP
5:17:43 > 5:17:45could be hard for them to understand,
5:17:45 > 5:17:48because after entering into an electoral pact last year,
5:17:48 > 5:17:49you need to demonstrate
5:17:49 > 5:17:52how the Ulster Unionist Party is different from the DUP.
5:17:52 > 5:17:55- How do you do that?- Last year, what we had was an electoral pact.
5:17:55 > 5:17:57We were looking at a Westminster election,
5:17:57 > 5:18:01at a position where, of the 18 MPs who represent Northern Ireland,
5:18:01 > 5:18:04only half in 2010 were pro-union,
5:18:04 > 5:18:06and we wanted to get back to a position
5:18:06 > 5:18:08of a majority being pro-union,
5:18:08 > 5:18:10and we managed that through an electoral pact
5:18:10 > 5:18:13which did not involve any kind of liaison in terms of policy.
5:18:13 > 5:18:15That's very different this time.
5:18:15 > 5:18:18This is about policies on the economy, on education,
5:18:18 > 5:18:20on health, housing and all the rest.
5:18:20 > 5:18:21And if you look at what we've done,
5:18:21 > 5:18:24not only a very detailed manifesto, but before that,
5:18:24 > 5:18:26no fewer than eight policy documents,
5:18:26 > 5:18:28including a vision for Northern Ireland.
5:18:28 > 5:18:31Yeah, but the difficulty is that the Ulster Unionist Party
5:18:31 > 5:18:34stands opens to the charge of being Janus-faced.
5:18:34 > 5:18:36You're looking in two directions at once.
5:18:36 > 5:18:38Because Danny Kinahan and Tom Elliott
5:18:38 > 5:18:41won those seats at Westminster for completely different reasons.
5:18:41 > 5:18:43Danny Kinahan was a liberal progressive
5:18:43 > 5:18:45who won against the DUP candidate.
5:18:45 > 5:18:48Tom Elliott won because he received DUP support.
5:18:48 > 5:18:49Not just DUP support.
5:18:49 > 5:18:52- He got support from across Unionism. - Including the DUP.
5:18:52 > 5:18:56And my view was, yes, Danny won it for the Ulster Unionist Party,
5:18:56 > 5:18:57but I wanted more than that.
5:18:57 > 5:19:00I was more ambitious for Unionism in last year's election.
5:19:00 > 5:19:02I wanted something that all Unionists could celebrate,
5:19:02 > 5:19:05particularly those who think that the direction of travel politically
5:19:05 > 5:19:08is not really going in the way of Unionism.
5:19:08 > 5:19:12And what I identified was the ability to win back a seat,
5:19:12 > 5:19:15the most westerly seat in the United Kingdom, off Sinn Fein,
5:19:15 > 5:19:18who have an abstentionist MP, and put in somebody
5:19:18 > 5:19:20who will represent all the people, in Tom Elliott.
5:19:20 > 5:19:24- Right.- And to do that, we also had the deal for North Belfast,
5:19:24 > 5:19:25to make sure that we didn't see
5:19:25 > 5:19:28an abstentionist MP elected for the first time.
5:19:28 > 5:19:31OK, I've heard you describe yourself in the last 24, 48 hours
5:19:31 > 5:19:35as someone who regards himself as a progressive Unionist.
5:19:35 > 5:19:37You don't like the word "liberal",
5:19:37 > 5:19:40but you're comfortable with "progressive", isn't that right?
5:19:40 > 5:19:42- Well, I would choose progressive. - Right, OK.
5:19:42 > 5:19:45So if you're progressive, you've got a problem with the DUP
5:19:45 > 5:19:48under the leadership of Arlene Foster,
5:19:48 > 5:19:51who poses a very different and very much more difficult challenge,
5:19:51 > 5:19:54I would suggest to you, than the DUP under Peter Robinson.
5:19:54 > 5:19:56And the most important words that you've just uttered
5:19:56 > 5:19:59- are "as you suggest". - As a lot of people would suggest.
5:19:59 > 5:20:01We shall see. I'm not getting that on the doorstep,
5:20:01 > 5:20:03and I'm knocking on a lot of doors.
5:20:03 > 5:20:05Right. But she's young, she's a woman,
5:20:05 > 5:20:08she's seemingly approachable, she's pragmatic,
5:20:08 > 5:20:10she's portrayed as more progressive.
5:20:10 > 5:20:13She's not cut from the same DUP cloth as her predecessors
5:20:13 > 5:20:16because, of course, she's actually cut from Ulster Unionist cloth,
5:20:16 > 5:20:20so she's stepping out onto your lawn.
5:20:20 > 5:20:22And if that's the case, she'll sweep the boards.
5:20:24 > 5:20:27- Well, that's a real possibility. - I don't think so.
5:20:27 > 5:20:29And we've had the cult of Ian Paisley's DUP,
5:20:29 > 5:20:32and now it looks like we're having an individual cult within the DUP again,
5:20:32 > 5:20:34and I'm not sure that that is something...
5:20:34 > 5:20:37With no disrespect to the individual that is Arlene Foster,
5:20:37 > 5:20:40I'm not sure that that is something that is chiming with the electorate.
5:20:40 > 5:20:42You don't think that she will manage
5:20:42 > 5:20:46to attract Ulster Unionist Party voters to the DUP?
5:20:46 > 5:20:49What I'm saying is, we have got a vision for Northern Ireland,
5:20:49 > 5:20:51we have the policies to back it up,
5:20:51 > 5:20:54and we have the people in terms of our slate of candidates
5:20:54 > 5:20:57who are coming with life experiences and skills
5:20:57 > 5:20:59which are badly needed in the chamber at Stormont,
5:20:59 > 5:21:02in the committees and, indeed, around the Executive table,
5:21:02 > 5:21:04if that's where we end up.
5:21:04 > 5:21:07So what's your advice, then, to Ulster Unionist voters
5:21:07 > 5:21:09continuing down the ballot paper?
5:21:09 > 5:21:12Do they back the DUP, do they back the TUV and UKIP?
5:21:12 > 5:21:16Or do they think about supporting the SDLP and the Alliance Party?
5:21:16 > 5:21:20My advise would be to support those individual candidates
5:21:20 > 5:21:23- you think will make a real difference in your lives, positively.- Right.
5:21:23 > 5:21:25And it doesn't matter what the party label is?
5:21:25 > 5:21:28I think it is the individual and their track record
5:21:28 > 5:21:31or their promises that is the most important issue.
5:21:31 > 5:21:33So that could mean backing the Alliance Party
5:21:33 > 5:21:36in certain circumstances, or the SDLP, ahead of those other parties.
5:21:36 > 5:21:39It will inevitably mean backing DUP candidates,
5:21:39 > 5:21:40and people will do that.
5:21:40 > 5:21:45Although it is also beyond question that there will be DUP supporters
5:21:45 > 5:21:48who will never ever, ever vote Ulster Unionist, and vice versa,
5:21:48 > 5:21:50and we all know that.
5:21:50 > 5:21:52What will you be doing in East Belfast?
5:21:52 > 5:21:55I mean, after your Ulster Unionist Party candidates, who comes next?
5:21:55 > 5:21:57Is it the DUP candidates, who you're battling against,
5:21:57 > 5:21:59effectively, for control in the Assembly,
5:21:59 > 5:22:02or is it somebody like Naomi Long, for example?
5:22:02 > 5:22:04I'm not sure that's an appropriate question to ask.
5:22:04 > 5:22:07You don't have to answer it, but it's perfectly reasonable for me to ask it.
5:22:07 > 5:22:10- You ask away.- Well, I have asked. Are you going to answer it?- No.
5:22:10 > 5:22:13You're not going to give us any suggestion at all?
5:22:13 > 5:22:16The reason I ask is, apart from the pure nosiness of the situation...
5:22:16 > 5:22:20- And it is nosy.- But it's also about you giving a lead,
5:22:20 > 5:22:23and it's about you telling Ulster Unionists how you think,
5:22:23 > 5:22:28and they might want to emulate how you vote and know how you think.
5:22:28 > 5:22:30But that's the cult of the personality.
5:22:30 > 5:22:34- I'm leading the party, but people will vote as they see fit.- OK.
5:22:34 > 5:22:36The party walked out of the Executive last year.
5:22:36 > 5:22:39How will voters know whether they are voting for
5:22:39 > 5:22:42an Ulster Unionist Party in government in two weeks,
5:22:42 > 5:22:44or an Ulster Unionist Party in opposition?
5:22:44 > 5:22:46We've said very clearly what we're looking for is a mandate
5:22:46 > 5:22:49to go into the negotiations that follow the election
5:22:49 > 5:22:52and precede the setting up of the next government.
5:22:52 > 5:22:54That was our game-changer
5:22:54 > 5:22:57that we proposed in our manifesto five years ago.
5:22:57 > 5:23:00So we go into those negotiations with a mandate.
5:23:00 > 5:23:02We will be arguing that the programme for government
5:23:02 > 5:23:06should contain everything that we have in our nine policy documents.
5:23:06 > 5:23:09There will be compromise there, there will be a negotiation.
5:23:09 > 5:23:12At the end of that time, there are two questions we have to ask.
5:23:12 > 5:23:14Do we think it's a progressive programme for government?
5:23:14 > 5:23:17And secondly, and equally importantly,
5:23:17 > 5:23:19have we sensed around the table, for once,
5:23:19 > 5:23:22a collective will to actually deliver that programme?
5:23:22 > 5:23:24And are you just hoping that I don't talk about the fact
5:23:24 > 5:23:27you left the Executive over the issue of trust?
5:23:27 > 5:23:30- That's that awful hook that you got yourself on. - I didn't put myself on a hook.
5:23:30 > 5:23:33You got yourself on it because you walked out,
5:23:33 > 5:23:36you said you didn't trust Sinn Fein, you left the Executive.
5:23:36 > 5:23:39- Do you now trust Sinn Fein enough to go back into the Executive with them?- No...
5:23:39 > 5:23:43Gerry Adams hasn't clarified the issue as to whether or not the IRA still exists.
5:23:43 > 5:23:46No, and you're picking on one element of a sequence,
5:23:46 > 5:23:47and what was the sequence?
5:23:47 > 5:23:49Murders in the street of Belfast,
5:23:49 > 5:23:52a police officer saying that members of the IRA were involved,
5:23:52 > 5:23:56followed by the chief constable saying the IRA still exists in a structured manner
5:23:56 > 5:24:00and, finally, Sinn Fein's improbable, unbelievable denial of the same.
5:24:00 > 5:24:03Four elements there, Mark. What has happened since then?
5:24:03 > 5:24:05- I'll make three quick points. - Quickly.- If I may.- Yeah.
5:24:05 > 5:24:07First of all, there's a panel
5:24:07 > 5:24:10looking at recommendations to end paramilitarism forever.
5:24:10 > 5:24:12I wish they were reporting before the election,
5:24:12 > 5:24:14but they should report in about a month's time.
5:24:14 > 5:24:17After you've made the decision whether or not you go back into government.
5:24:17 > 5:24:21- I didn't say... - But you have to make the decision without that information.
5:24:21 > 5:24:24I've spoken to them and I'm very encouraged by what they're saying.
5:24:24 > 5:24:25Second point.
5:24:25 > 5:24:28The chief constable will give the Ulster Unionist Party
5:24:28 > 5:24:30a security briefing after election.
5:24:30 > 5:24:32He did that last summer, you still left the Executive.
5:24:32 > 5:24:35Yes, we want an updated one. That was months ago.
5:24:35 > 5:24:38- You didn't listen to him then, why would you listen to him now?- We did.
5:24:38 > 5:24:40He said the IRA exists with a structure.
5:24:40 > 5:24:42He said it didn't exist in the way that it existed,
5:24:42 > 5:24:45it didn't pose the threat it did before, you still left the Executive.
5:24:45 > 5:24:48Because somebody had to get - and this is my third point -
5:24:48 > 5:24:50paramilitarism to the top of the agenda.
5:24:50 > 5:24:52And I remember journalists, and you were one of them,
5:24:52 > 5:24:55who were very sceptical and cynical about whether we would achieve that.
5:24:55 > 5:24:58Well, we did achieve it, and you don't have to take my word for it.
5:24:58 > 5:25:01Look at the so-called Fresh Start document, and what's chapter one?
5:25:01 > 5:25:04It's not the finances any more, it's paramilitarism,
5:25:04 > 5:25:08and the enabling legislation that Theresa Villiers brought to the House of Commons
5:25:08 > 5:25:11leads not with finance, which is where she was,
5:25:11 > 5:25:12but with terrorism.
5:25:12 > 5:25:15I want to talk about a couple of manifesto issues quickly.
5:25:15 > 5:25:18You've said if you're entitled to a seat in the Executive
5:25:18 > 5:25:22and you choose to take up that seat, you'd want the education portfolio.
5:25:22 > 5:25:24Do you want to be Education Minister?
5:25:24 > 5:25:25I haven't gone that far,
5:25:25 > 5:25:28but I think if we're back in the Executive,
5:25:28 > 5:25:31it is normal procedure for a party leader to be at the table.
5:25:31 > 5:25:33So that's a possibility.
5:25:33 > 5:25:35That's the role you want and you think you could do the job?
5:25:35 > 5:25:38I would be confident that I could do a much better job
5:25:38 > 5:25:41than Sinn Fein have done over the last 18 years, yes.
5:25:41 > 5:25:43And on the issue of academic selection,
5:25:43 > 5:25:45are you clear about how you would deal with that,
5:25:45 > 5:25:47if you are, indeed, the Education Minister?
5:25:47 > 5:25:50What I'm saying is, we would have a deadline of two years from today
5:25:50 > 5:25:53to come up with a new way of transferring pupils
5:25:53 > 5:25:55from primary to post-primary education.
5:25:55 > 5:25:58One of our ideas is more about assessment
5:25:58 > 5:25:59than sitting down to examinations,
5:25:59 > 5:26:03but if people have better ideas than that, we are in listening mode.
5:26:03 > 5:26:06I've asked all of the party leaders, I'll ask you finally and briefly.
5:26:06 > 5:26:08Should a woman be criminalised
5:26:08 > 5:26:10- for purchasing tablets to procure an abortion?- No.
5:26:10 > 5:26:12- It's clear... - Something's wrong in this case?
5:26:12 > 5:26:15I believe that was wrong because I believe, had she had the money,
5:26:15 > 5:26:18she would have gone to England, she would have had an abortion there,
5:26:18 > 5:26:21she would not have been prosecuted and criminalised for it.
5:26:21 > 5:26:25- This is wrong. - And that doesn't mean turning a blind eye on abortion on demand,
5:26:25 > 5:26:29because that's what critics of your position say, effectively, that means.
5:26:29 > 5:26:31No, I am not in favour of abortion on demand,
5:26:31 > 5:26:33but I am in favour of changing the law
5:26:33 > 5:26:37to take on board fatal foetal abnormalities and sex crimes.
5:26:37 > 5:26:39OK. We need to leave it there. Thank you, Mike Nesbitt.
5:26:39 > 5:26:41- Thank you.- Thank very much indeed.
5:26:41 > 5:26:43Let's get their assessment of all of that.
5:26:43 > 5:26:46With me are Brian Feeney and Sheila Davidson.
5:26:46 > 5:26:47Nice to have you on the programme.
5:26:47 > 5:26:52Brain, first of all, Mike Nesbitt's leading the party into his first
5:26:52 > 5:26:55Assembly election - do you think he can continue that trend,
5:26:55 > 5:26:58as he sees it, of bettering his party's electoral fortunes?
5:26:58 > 5:27:05Yes, I do. The 2011 result was 13.2%,
5:27:05 > 5:27:08and it was 16 seats.
5:27:08 > 5:27:10He has to get a minimum of 16 seats.
5:27:10 > 5:27:13He has already said he wants to improve on that.
5:27:13 > 5:27:17The Ulster Unionist Party were down two seats in 2011 on the previous
5:27:17 > 5:27:23election, so really it's a minimum 18 seats that are required.
5:27:23 > 5:27:27I think that the way they are going in the last couple of years,
5:27:27 > 5:27:31it's quite likely they will need to get 18 seats.
5:27:31 > 5:27:35Sheila, what about the strategy of leaving the Executive
5:27:35 > 5:27:38and coming back into the Executive on the issue of trust
5:27:38 > 5:27:41and all of the issues we've been discussing there now?
5:27:41 > 5:27:45Do you think that will be easy for Mike Nesbitt to be able to do,
5:27:45 > 5:27:49or could there be difficulties ahead with clarification
5:27:49 > 5:27:52on precisely what the IRA is up to at the moment?
5:27:52 > 5:27:55To be honest with you, the issue of being in or out
5:27:55 > 5:27:57of the Assembly Executive is going
5:27:57 > 5:27:59to be a bigger deal than just
5:27:59 > 5:28:01that particular thing going forward.
5:28:01 > 5:28:04Looking at the debates that have been happening up until now,
5:28:04 > 5:28:10and the idea of the commitment to consensual and collaborative deals
5:28:10 > 5:28:12within the assembly, and nobody able to say
5:28:12 > 5:28:14what their red line is or isn't,
5:28:14 > 5:28:18will actually, I think, begin to highlight the idea whether they will
5:28:18 > 5:28:21continue to be as a whole, every part needs to look at, whether it's
5:28:21 > 5:28:23going to be in the executive or not going forward.
5:28:23 > 5:28:27That's what this new mandate is going to start to bring out,
5:28:27 > 5:28:32the idea that whether we need to be out of this idea of all parties
5:28:32 > 5:28:36in there together, trying to get some consensus on where they are
5:28:36 > 5:28:38in any particular issue, be it education, the economy,
5:28:38 > 5:28:41anything like that. I think there's going to be
5:28:41 > 5:28:47a much bigger deal than just the past visiting back in the future.
5:28:47 > 5:28:50Do you think it will be plain sailing or choppy waters
5:28:50 > 5:28:53for Mike Nesbitt to lead the party back into the Executive again?
5:28:53 > 5:28:57As we were discussing, the timeline is not entirely clear
5:28:57 > 5:29:00about who reports when and what the Chief Constable says and so forth.
5:29:00 > 5:29:04True, but that's all passed now. It's water under the bridge.
5:29:04 > 5:29:06The DUP and Sinn Fein have made up,
5:29:06 > 5:29:08there's the Fresh Start agreement and so on.
5:29:08 > 5:29:12With the new mandate, it's a new ball game
5:29:12 > 5:29:17If they get the votes, I'm pretty sure they will be in the Executive.
5:29:17 > 5:29:21Nobody stands for election and says, "Vote for us, we're going into opposition."
5:29:21 > 5:29:25People who stand for election want to maximise the mandate they get,
5:29:25 > 5:29:28and that will bring them into the Executive.
5:29:28 > 5:29:33Sheila, a quick word on the challenge posed by the DUP under Arlene Foster?
5:29:33 > 5:29:35I think it's enormous for everybody.
5:29:35 > 5:29:37I think there's a game changer going on.
5:29:37 > 5:29:39Arlene has been out on the ground,
5:29:39 > 5:29:43anybody following her on Twitter or any of the other social media,
5:29:43 > 5:29:45there isn't a day she isn't out and about.
5:29:45 > 5:29:49Having said that, I think Mike Nesbitt leading the UUP is doing exactly the same thing,
5:29:49 > 5:29:53and I actually think there is a completely different approach
5:29:53 > 5:29:54to that kind of Unionist politics,
5:29:54 > 5:29:57and I'm very interested to see what transpires.
5:29:57 > 5:29:59OK, thanks, both, very much indeed. Speak to you again very shortly.
5:29:59 > 5:30:02The conference season finally came to a close this weekend with
5:30:02 > 5:30:04the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in Dublin,
5:30:04 > 5:30:07timed to coincide with the actual centenary of the Easter Rising.
5:30:07 > 5:30:10Our Dublin correspondent, Shane Harrison, went along.
5:30:14 > 5:30:17The spirit of the Easter 1916 Rising
5:30:17 > 5:30:20on this, the weekend calendar centenary of the event,
5:30:20 > 5:30:24was much mentioned at the Sinn Fein annual conference
5:30:24 > 5:30:27in the National Convention Centre in Dublin.
5:30:30 > 5:30:33This Ard Fheis is taking place against the background
5:30:33 > 5:30:36of Assembly elections next month in Northern Ireland,
5:30:36 > 5:30:39and the ongoing attempts to form a government south of the border
5:30:39 > 5:30:44almost 60 days after an inconclusive general election.
5:30:44 > 5:30:50The proclamation is amongst the finest freedom charters the world has ever seen.
5:30:50 > 5:30:53Inside the hall, there were repeated calls for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail
5:30:53 > 5:30:59in the Republic to conclude their negotiations as quickly as possible.
5:30:59 > 5:31:04Along with appeals to Unionists to come to some form of arrangement
5:31:04 > 5:31:06about an agreed Ireland.
5:31:06 > 5:31:10The party made it clear, it is against the UK leaving the EU,
5:31:10 > 5:31:14but for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
5:31:14 > 5:31:17With Sinn Fein saying it will be in the next Executive,
5:31:17 > 5:31:22different delegates had different priorities for the new administration.
5:31:22 > 5:31:26I would like to see the next assembly deliver on poverty
5:31:26 > 5:31:29and social exclusion policies. I would like that matched
5:31:29 > 5:31:31with economic regeneration
5:31:31 > 5:31:33and making sure there's inclusive economic growth.
5:31:33 > 5:31:37I'd like to see more co-operation between the north and the South.
5:31:37 > 5:31:40We have parties down here who think Ireland stops at the border.
5:31:40 > 5:31:42There has been challenges.
5:31:42 > 5:31:45I would like to see the next Assembly deliver equal marriage.
5:31:46 > 5:31:49In his presidential address, the Sinn Fein leader said
5:31:49 > 5:31:55a new peaceful and democratic route to Irish unity now exists,
5:31:55 > 5:32:00but that partitionist thinking on the part of policymakers must end.
5:32:00 > 5:32:03A united Ireland means the unity of the people of this island,
5:32:03 > 5:32:06including those who identify themselves as British.
5:32:06 > 5:32:10A united Ireland means economic and political benefits
5:32:10 > 5:32:13for all our people, and end to duplication and waste.
5:32:13 > 5:32:16It must be inclusive, it must be agreed
5:32:16 > 5:32:20and it must be welcoming to all sections of our people.
5:32:20 > 5:32:23That includes our Unionist neighbours.
5:32:23 > 5:32:26This is their homeland also.
5:32:28 > 5:32:33But Unionists are Unionists because they don't want a united Ireland.
5:32:33 > 5:32:36However, in the weekend of the centenary of the Rising,
5:32:36 > 5:32:39and in the run-up to the Assembly elections,
5:32:39 > 5:32:41that traditional Republican message
5:32:41 > 5:32:43was always going to be well received.
5:32:45 > 5:32:48Shane Harrison. Sheila and Brian are still with me.
5:32:48 > 5:32:51Brian, you watched Gerry Adams's speech, we didn't see it there,
5:32:51 > 5:32:54but there was a lot of criticism directed, perhaps not surprisingly,
5:32:54 > 5:32:55at Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
5:32:55 > 5:32:59That's right. What Gerry Adams essentially was saying is
5:32:59 > 5:33:01that Fianna Fail are trying to put Fine Gael
5:33:01 > 5:33:05back into government again, having promised in the election
5:33:05 > 5:33:08that they wouldn't do that, and there's a danger of
5:33:08 > 5:33:12the same government that people voted out will be pushed in again
5:33:12 > 5:33:15by Fianna Fail, but he was also criticising them because
5:33:15 > 5:33:19they said that Sinn Fein were not fit for government,
5:33:19 > 5:33:21and the line he made was,
5:33:21 > 5:33:26look, Sinn Fein's in government in the north, the DUP don't say that.
5:33:26 > 5:33:30So Fianna Fail, as he said, are actually worse than the DUP,
5:33:30 > 5:33:32so he was very critical of Fianna Fail.
5:33:32 > 5:33:34Sheila.
5:33:34 > 5:33:37What's interesting is that the whole election has put Sinn Fein
5:33:37 > 5:33:39right front and centre,
5:33:39 > 5:33:42in a position which they might not normally have had.
5:33:42 > 5:33:46The idea that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael...
5:33:46 > 5:33:50Fianna Fail does not want Sinn Fein anywhere near government at all
5:33:50 > 5:33:54means that they have by de facto had to support Fine Gael.
5:33:54 > 5:33:58There's just going to be another election some time soon.
5:33:58 > 5:34:01They'll have to fight it all out again,
5:34:01 > 5:34:04but I think they will be doing it on the basis that Sinn Fein may feel
5:34:04 > 5:34:06it has a much stronger platform going forward.
5:34:06 > 5:34:09That's a very interesting point. Brian, before we came on air,
5:34:09 > 5:34:11I was looking at some of the Dublin Sundays,
5:34:11 > 5:34:14and there is this sense down there that perhaps the two parties
5:34:14 > 5:34:18are squaring up for another election sooner rather than later.
5:34:18 > 5:34:20- Are you convinced by that? - I don't think there will be.
5:34:20 > 5:34:25I know John Burton has told the Labour people to be ready for another election,
5:34:25 > 5:34:28but the big parties don't want that to happen,
5:34:28 > 5:34:29they are absolutely broke.
5:34:29 > 5:34:32The stumbling block at the moment is Irish Water.
5:34:32 > 5:34:38What's going to be done and will people still be paying if they get a deal?
5:34:38 > 5:34:40We'll know by the middle of next week.
5:34:40 > 5:34:43OK, we look forward to finding out. A bit of clarity would be good.
5:34:43 > 5:34:47Thanks, both. Let's pause for a moment and have a quick look back
5:34:47 > 5:34:50at the political week here in 60 Seconds with Stephen Walker.
5:34:54 > 5:34:59The victims commissioner says 200,000 people have mental health problems because of the Troubles.
5:34:59 > 5:35:04We know that young people growing up in those communities most impacted and those families most impacted
5:35:04 > 5:35:09are showing the highest levels of suicide,
5:35:09 > 5:35:14self-harm and mental health problems of anywhere in the UK.
5:35:14 > 5:35:17The man who pioneered abortion law says we have to change.
5:35:17 > 5:35:22We've got to face up the fact that the law in Northern Ireland
5:35:22 > 5:35:24is simply ridiculous.
5:35:24 > 5:35:28But opponents say reform is unnecessary.
5:35:28 > 5:35:30There is no human right to an abortion.
5:35:32 > 5:35:36Beacons were lit to mark the Queen's 90th birthday.
5:35:36 > 5:35:38First-time voters challenged politicians,
5:35:38 > 5:35:41but one person found it difficult to choose a party.
5:35:41 > 5:35:43Do they think it's acceptable that a young person like me
5:35:43 > 5:35:45who's excited to be voting for the first time
5:35:45 > 5:35:47can't find a party that's worth voting for,
5:35:47 > 5:35:49that doesn't make me want to vote for them?
5:35:56 > 5:36:00Stephen Walker reporting. Let's have a quick word about Barack Obama being in the UK
5:36:00 > 5:36:03and getting involved in the debate over the EU Referendum. Sheila.
5:36:03 > 5:36:05He has involved himself even more than that.
5:36:05 > 5:36:10I think the idea that ten years to renegotiate
5:36:10 > 5:36:15with the American authorities in terms of trade agreements
5:36:15 > 5:36:18is something that's a major signal and a hammer blow
5:36:18 > 5:36:21to all of those who want to leave.
5:36:21 > 5:36:24But he involved himself in Northern Ireland politics as well,
5:36:24 > 5:36:25which I thought was very, very interesting.
5:36:25 > 5:36:30Brian, interestingly, he rolled his sleeves up yesterday and talked to some young people.
5:36:30 > 5:36:32Whatever you think about his politics, about what he said,
5:36:32 > 5:36:35- he's a class act on the stump. - He is a class act.
5:36:35 > 5:36:37It's striking.
5:36:37 > 5:36:40He's a different calibre from the politicians we're used to seeing.
5:36:40 > 5:36:42It's his command of world affairs,
5:36:42 > 5:36:45- whatever question he was asked... - He had the answer.
5:36:45 > 5:36:48It was fascinating to watch him. Thanks both very much indeed.
5:36:48 > 5:36:52That is it from Sunday Politics this week, I'll be back on Thursday
5:36:52 > 5:36:55as usual with The View, and I'll be talking to the DUP leader Arlene Foster,
5:36:55 > 5:36:59but for now, from everyone on the team, thanks for watching, bye-bye.