:01:23. > :01:26.In Northern Ireland this week: Best seats in the house for Peter
:01:26. > :01:36.Robinson at his first GAA match. It's the right time, the First
:01:36. > :01:36.
:01:36. > :35:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2018 seconds
:35:15. > :35:19.Minister says, as he watches the Hello and welcome to the programme,
:35:19. > :35:22.and it's a tale of two unionist parties: the DUP leader Peter
:35:22. > :35:24.Robinson wins praise for attending his first GAA match, while Tom
:35:24. > :35:34.Elliott reveals disunity among the Ulster Unionists over, of all
:35:34. > :35:36.
:35:36. > :35:41.things, unionist unity. With me is MLA Basil McCrea.
:35:41. > :35:44.Thank you for joining us. What did you know about these talks
:35:45. > :35:51.involving Dave Wallwork Nouri? Frankly, not very much, I did not
:35:51. > :35:56.know they were going on at all. That's not to say it is in the
:35:56. > :36:00.right thing to be doing. It's a mixed message that is being sent
:36:00. > :36:04.out. On the one hand on Friday the party leader issued a statement
:36:04. > :36:10.saying that talks were normal and part of normal political life, and
:36:10. > :36:16.yet he sacked David from the education committee. Well, there
:36:16. > :36:19.are a number of different things working in that scenario. First of
:36:19. > :36:24.all, Tom Elliott has explained his interaction with different
:36:24. > :36:28.political leaders and has kept us all up to date on that. I think it
:36:28. > :36:32.is proper of the political leaders should be talking about things. The
:36:32. > :36:36.issue of discipline and what happened with David, that's an
:36:36. > :36:40.internal matter. I don't know the details or what exactly what went
:36:40. > :36:45.on, but the leader does have the right to impose discipline if he
:36:45. > :36:51.thinks it appropriate. But it's a very public discipline, at losing a
:36:51. > :36:56.very public position. Well, I can only say the internal discussion
:36:56. > :37:04.was just that - internal. But what is the message that sends out, both
:37:04. > :37:09.to party members and also due supporters? Nobody really wants to
:37:09. > :37:13.take discipline. Everybody should be self-disciplined and working
:37:13. > :37:17.together as a way of putting forward a good message to the
:37:17. > :37:21.public. If you get to a situation, and I don't actually know what the
:37:21. > :37:25.details are and and certainly not prepared to speculate on them, but
:37:25. > :37:28.if you get to the situation where the leader feels it is necessary to
:37:28. > :37:37.take certain actions, then other party leaders have done similar
:37:37. > :37:42.things. Margaret did with the SDLP as well. I support the leader in
:37:42. > :37:48.taking that action. Are you opposed to the meetings that David held?
:37:48. > :37:51.I've already said, I don't know what the details were. Well, we
:37:51. > :37:56.don't know the details but we know they have taken place, both parties
:37:56. > :38:02.have confirmed that. I don't know what the substance was or why they
:38:02. > :38:06.were taking place. I've made it clear in my public statements in my
:38:06. > :38:11.leadership campaign and beyond that I do not think there is merit in
:38:11. > :38:16.having a single Unionist Party. I am absolutely opposed to any such
:38:16. > :38:20.link-up, I think it would be a detriment to the people of Northern
:38:21. > :38:25.Ireland and to politics. But I'm not sure that that is what was
:38:25. > :38:28.being discussed. There may have been reasonable reasons for having
:38:28. > :38:33.discussions on specific issues, and the party has said that on specific
:38:33. > :38:37.issues it is quite happy to engage with any and every party. So the
:38:37. > :38:43.talks about closer co-operation, do you think they will continue, or
:38:43. > :38:50.are they over? There is a time and place for people to be informed
:38:50. > :38:53.about issues, and we are very genuinely a democratic party. Any
:38:53. > :38:57.genuine democratic decisions that need to be taken will go through
:38:57. > :39:02.the proper channels, through the Executive, through the party
:39:02. > :39:12.offices. Those discussions will take place and they will be in
:39:12. > :39:17.
:39:17. > :39:20.private. But is the fact there is perhaps a lack of party discipline
:39:20. > :39:30.a problem? People were going on radio programmes and speaking out
:39:30. > :39:31.
:39:31. > :39:36.of turn. People like me on your show?! The issue is, the party is
:39:36. > :39:40.keen to solve problems internally, but we do need to debate. I've been
:39:40. > :39:44.to two meetings last week where we had brilliant discussions, people
:39:44. > :39:49.really looking at the issues and seeing how we can go forward. Most
:39:49. > :39:55.people I have spoken to are adamant we should remain independent.
:39:55. > :40:05.Surely Tom Elliott's leadership is in doubt now? I would say the
:40:05. > :40:07.
:40:07. > :40:13.leader has to be in support of all ml a East and the party. -- MLAs. I
:40:13. > :40:16.have been hearing a rumblings in that regard. It is crucial in any
:40:16. > :40:20.political party that the leader retains the confidence of the party,
:40:20. > :40:25.and I think he does. But surely this has been a huge mistake, the
:40:25. > :40:29.way it has panned out in the press. There is no doubt it has been
:40:29. > :40:33.difficult. Nobody likes things to come out in the press but you do
:40:33. > :40:37.have to deal with these issues. The mark of good leadership is not that
:40:37. > :40:41.there are problems, but there you deal with the problems. Tom is
:40:41. > :40:47.dealing with the issues and we will see what he has to say-was. On that
:40:47. > :40:53.basis, the party will decide how best to go forward. -- has to say
:40:53. > :40:58.to us. All the atmosphere be like tomorrow? Well, the good thing
:40:58. > :41:02.about the party is it is able to talk about issues. What do we have
:41:02. > :41:06.to clarify, how can we explain to people what is going on? It is part
:41:06. > :41:10.of the price of democracy that you cannot do everything without some
:41:10. > :41:13.form of criticism. That positive criticism is a good thing and I'm
:41:13. > :41:21.quite sure there will be a lot of support for the leader and for the
:41:21. > :41:24.way forward. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
:41:24. > :41:29.It's been hailed as another little piece of history. Last night the
:41:29. > :41:33.First Minister attended a GAA match for the first time. The DUP leader
:41:33. > :41:36.was a guest of the Ulster Council for the final of the McKenna Cup
:41:36. > :41:40.final between Derry and Tyrone. Peter Robinson took his seat just
:41:40. > :41:43.after the throw in. Four years ago, his colleague Edwin Poots became
:41:43. > :41:47.the first DUP politician to attend a GAA game in an official capacity
:41:47. > :41:50.when he also went to a McKenna Cup game.
:41:50. > :41:57.Speaking after the match, the DUP leader told Mark Sidebottom why
:41:57. > :42:03.he'd made the move. I think if it's left to some people, there is never
:42:03. > :42:06.a right time to do anything. I think the GAA are moving forward
:42:06. > :42:10.and being responsible, and I think it is the right thing to do. We
:42:10. > :42:20.have to move away from beat them and as attitude and show respect
:42:20. > :42:22.
:42:22. > :42:26.for each other's way of life. -- the them and us attitude. I believe
:42:26. > :42:29.people on both sides of the community want to see as reaching
:42:29. > :42:38.across to each other. There will always be people not happy with
:42:38. > :42:43.that too well at lag behind. But I think we are moving forward.
:42:43. > :42:48.match itself, what did you make of it? Go, the first sport I have
:42:48. > :42:54.watched where I thought I would be safer at Stormont!
:42:54. > :43:00.With me now is the DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds. Was he right to
:43:00. > :43:10.go to the much? Of course, he has shown great leadership as leader of
:43:10. > :43:11.
:43:11. > :43:17.the D P. -- the DUP. I think it's a very positive mood -- move indeed.
:43:17. > :43:20.How significant is it in the wider political sense? It is part of
:43:20. > :43:25.Northern Ireland moving forward. It does not in any way compromise
:43:25. > :43:29.Peter Robinson's principles or the principles of the party, but it
:43:29. > :43:33.says a strong signal to people that we are moving forward in Northern
:43:33. > :43:37.Ireland, moving forward together as much as possible. Of course there
:43:37. > :43:47.are political differences, it doesn't change the fact that week
:43:47. > :43:51.in the DUP want is the United Kingdom with Ireland. But we much -
:43:51. > :43:56.- we must move forward for the good of the people, jobs, the health
:43:56. > :44:05.service and all the rest of it. a unity in the DUP about him
:44:05. > :44:08.attending? Absolutely, no doubt about that. To broaden our appeal
:44:08. > :44:18.and are based and increase our membership and vote, we have
:44:18. > :44:23.brought people along with us. -- our. I would say it is one of the
:44:23. > :44:28.most United parties in the UK as a whole. When I go to Westminster, we
:44:28. > :44:32.are a very strong it united party. Peter Robinson said there he has
:44:32. > :44:36.not changed, but things have changed. It is inconceivable that
:44:36. > :44:40.this would have ever happened even 10 years ago, five years ago.
:44:40. > :44:44.think a lot of things that people thought were inconceivable have
:44:44. > :44:48.happened in Northern Ireland, because politicians and civic
:44:48. > :44:52.society have recognised we need to move forward. And that is for the
:44:52. > :45:00.good of all people. We have accepted that the constitutional
:45:00. > :45:09.position is settled, in my view. I believe that Northern Ireland's
:45:09. > :45:13.position is secure in in -- in the United Kingdom. And that is what
:45:13. > :45:17.people want. They don't want to go back to the dark days of violence
:45:17. > :45:21.or the days of destruction. They want to move forward and that is
:45:21. > :45:27.why you saw the coming together of society very strongly with that
:45:27. > :45:32.despicable murder of the PC and other events. People said they
:45:32. > :45:39.wanted the political process to continue to move forward. So whew
:45:39. > :45:43.wrong in the past to take the never stance? No, I think we were right
:45:43. > :45:48.to say never to united Ireland. We believe that Northern Ireland's
:45:48. > :45:56.position is strong in the United Kingdom. But we want to work
:45:56. > :46:00.together for the good of the country. Many of the people in the
:46:00. > :46:02.Unionist camp wanted to move towards greater integration. So we
:46:03. > :46:12.have always believed there is a role for politicians to work
:46:13. > :46:13.
:46:13. > :46:17.together. I remember Tony Blair telling me in the House of Commons
:46:17. > :46:21.that we could never achieve things that we have achieved. As a result,
:46:21. > :46:26.we have a firm base upon which to move forward, which invites
:46:26. > :46:35.stability and progress. At in the party's are facing up to the
:46:36. > :46:43.challenges of Northern Ireland and attempting to work with others. --
:46:43. > :46:49.I think the parties are facing up. Comments like other Unionists
:46:49. > :46:55.seeing us as not ethically more or the equivalent of them, it goes
:46:55. > :47:00.back to the days when it people fought there were decent people and
:47:00. > :47:06.not decent people. I think people have rejected that approach now.
:47:06. > :47:14.Were you involved in those talks in the Ulster Unionist Party? The
:47:14. > :47:21.talks about corporation? What I will say is that the party has
:47:21. > :47:26.always taken an approach of co- operation. I'm not going to go into
:47:26. > :47:29.the details of discussions. But you were at them? They are not secret,
:47:29. > :47:33.but they are private and it would be remiss of me to start talking
:47:33. > :47:38.about the content or who was at them or who wasn't at them without
:47:38. > :47:43.the full support of others who were there. But we are there to try to
:47:43. > :47:47.work together. That is what people right across communities want, they
:47:47. > :47:50.want parties of different perspectives working together. I
:47:50. > :47:56.think it is strange when you see people coming on, briefing the
:47:56. > :48:03.press as we have had, saying, we won more opposition opposition's
:48:03. > :48:11.sake. That is putting party before country, party before people.
:48:11. > :48:17.you see one meet Unionist Party in the future? First of all we have to
:48:17. > :48:21.work together. So, electoral pacts in the meantime? I don't think we
:48:21. > :48:23.can describe what is going to happen but there is a moot in the
:48:23. > :48:33.Community's at large in Northern Ireland for parties to work
:48:33. > :48:36.
:48:37. > :48:41.together. -- communities. As Unionist parties we could work very
:48:41. > :48:45.closely together, we have a lot in common. Is there place for David in
:48:45. > :48:49.your party should he want it? have had many join our party and
:48:49. > :48:52.there is always a welcome to those who subscribe to the views and
:48:52. > :48:58.principles of the Democratic Unionist Party. That is entirely a
:48:58. > :49:01.matter for everybody themselves, but if people want to join a
:49:01. > :49:04.progressive party that is looking for the best for Northern Ireland,
:49:04. > :49:10.bringing people together and working together, then I think we
:49:10. > :49:12.are a natural choice. For some reaction to all of this
:49:12. > :49:21.let's speak to SDLP councillor Nicola Mallon and commentator
:49:21. > :49:29.Newton Emerson. Where does this leave the SDLP if they had to merge
:49:29. > :49:34.with Sinn Fein? We are clear. We stick to our beliefs and our vision.
:49:34. > :49:41.We do have concerns, let's be honest, this is about the
:49:41. > :49:45.politicisation of the DUP and we don't think it is conducive to
:49:45. > :49:55.building reconciliation, to have monolithic blocks of nationalism
:49:55. > :49:56.
:49:56. > :50:06.verses unionism. Newton Emerson, what is your take on this? They are
:50:06. > :50:06.
:50:06. > :50:16.being continually triangulates it. A cynic might say it is when we in
:50:16. > :50:20.
:50:20. > :50:30.for the DUP. -- win-win. People are seriously starting to wonder what
:50:30. > :50:35.the UUP is four. What do you think about his leadership and his
:50:35. > :50:42.chances of remaining in the long- term? Some people still seem to
:50:42. > :50:47.think that the you p can be a broad church but the congregation is
:50:47. > :50:51.shrinking. The UUP, if it is going to survive, needs to find a role
:50:51. > :50:55.and focus on it. We cannot have these two Unionist parties saying
:50:55. > :51:00.we are the sole Unionist Party, no, we are the salt Unionist Party.
:51:00. > :51:04.They have to find a niche, separate roles.
:51:04. > :51:12.Now for our regular look at the week in 60 seconds with our
:51:13. > :51:15.political correspondent Gareth Gordon.
:51:15. > :51:25.As the source of the disease outbreak is fan, the questions
:51:25. > :51:31.begin. Could more have been done before three babies died? I suspect
:51:31. > :51:34.the answer to that question would be yes. And as the debate over
:51:34. > :51:40.independence rages, Scotland finally heard what the question
:51:40. > :51:50.would be. The question is, "de believe that Scotland should be an
:51:50. > :51:54.
:51:54. > :52:00.independent country?" new memoirs caused a stir. I don't regret a
:52:00. > :52:10.word. And the Tourist Board got a new slogan from an unlikely source.
:52:10. > :52:19.
:52:19. > :52:25.If you are not in Northern Ireland Staying with the tourist theme,
:52:25. > :52:30.Derry didn't when the cup, but they did when the flower. We are
:52:30. > :52:33.expecting something like 300,000 visitors, it is just another
:52:33. > :52:38.example of what Northern Ireland can do in tourism and we are
:52:38. > :52:43.building on that in the next couple of years. Newton, you won so
:52:43. > :52:48.impressed with the adverts in your column this week. It just looks
:52:48. > :52:53.like the at any region in the UK produces. Very familiar to the one
:52:53. > :52:59.in Yorkshire, for example. But the unusual reaction was how popular it
:52:59. > :53:03.was here, it when viral locally. I think people here seem to want to
:53:03. > :53:07.believe that we're the sort of place betrayed an advert, but I
:53:07. > :53:12.fear that tourists arriving here will be very disappointed. Visitors
:53:12. > :53:19.is the problem, isn't it? The number of pure holidaymakers was
:53:19. > :53:23.dying past year. 11%, yes. City breaks, I think Northern Ireland,
:53:23. > :53:26.to visit it solely as a city location, that is going to be the
:53:26. > :53:33.sort of discretion the spending that gets cut first by people
:53:33. > :53:36.trying to save money. Coming to places like Northern Ireland
:53:36. > :53:40.speculatively like people used to go to, I think that market might be
:53:40. > :53:45.gone completely. Nicola, if we can't do it is here, we will never
:53:46. > :53:50.do it. Well, we have got the City of Culture, and even this year we
:53:50. > :53:54.have Titanic, so there are a lot of opportunities, they just have to be
:53:54. > :53:57.captured. We have a lot to offer, but the most important thing is our
:53:57. > :54:02.people. We have to put our shoulders to the well and try to
:54:02. > :54:06.get as many people to experience the country as possible. Is there a
:54:06. > :54:10.sense, particularly in your constituency of North Belfast, do
:54:10. > :54:15.people feel part of the celebrations? I think there is an
:54:15. > :54:18.element of disengagement. The area I represent is working class and
:54:18. > :54:22.there is a sense that perhaps the peace process has not delivered in
:54:22. > :54:25.that area as it has elsewhere. But that means there is a
:54:25. > :54:33.responsibility on us to ensure all communities across Northern Ireland
:54:33. > :54:38.get to be part of his then get to benefit from it. -- part of this
:54:38. > :54:42.and get to benefit from it. councils have to do the job the
:54:42. > :54:46.best they can, but I would be concerned that things like our
:54:46. > :54:49.licensing laws and Sunday trading laws have not been addressed at all,
:54:49. > :54:53.so people coming here for a weekend spent half the weekend with
:54:54. > :54:57.literally nothing to do. So they have to look elsewhere, really, and
:54:57. > :55:01.perhaps not choose Northern Ireland as a destination? We have to