:00:00. > :00:27.Tonight, he hasn't gone away, you know, but is Gerry Adams a party
:00:28. > :00:30.president under pressure? This week's documentary on the
:00:31. > :00:34.disappeared has propelled the Sinn Fein leader back into the headlines.
:00:35. > :00:39.So is he irreparably damaged, or will he quell the latest political
:00:40. > :00:43.storm? To debate the issue I'm joined live in studio by the leader
:00:44. > :00:45.of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mike Nesbitt, and Sinn Fein's chairman,
:00:46. > :00:48.Declan Kearney. Also tonight, he's the Executive's
:00:49. > :00:51.top lawyer, but is the Attorney General acting outside his remit?
:00:52. > :00:54.The former SDLP Minister, Alex Attwood, will be explaining why his
:00:55. > :00:58.party's calling for the job description to change.
:00:59. > :01:07.And City of Culture, or a city in strife? What's the likely legacy of
:01:08. > :01:14.Derry/Londonderry? I think it's been really good but I think there have
:01:15. > :01:17.been huge gaps exposed. And here to make sense of it all - tonight's
:01:18. > :01:20.commentators Alex Kane and Paul McFadden. And you can, of course,
:01:21. > :01:31.follow the programme Twitter - that's @BBCtheview.
:01:32. > :01:34.We begin tonight with a story that's dominated the headlines here all
:01:35. > :01:37.week - the so-called "disappeared". On Monday a joint BBC and RTE
:01:38. > :01:40.documentary brought into sharp focus the plight of the families of those
:01:41. > :01:43.murdered and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries. The most
:01:44. > :01:49.high profile case was that of Jean McConville, widow and mother of ten.
:01:50. > :01:52.Her tragic story was told in painful detail. The programme did point out
:01:53. > :01:56.that the IRA has made efforts to atone for its actions, and the role
:01:57. > :01:59.of the Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, in trying to find the bodies
:02:00. > :02:03.was acknowledged too. But the programme also directly put to Mr
:02:04. > :02:06.Adams the allegation that he was ultimately responsible for the fate
:02:07. > :02:09.of Mrs McConville. Here's a short extract from The Disappeared. It
:02:10. > :02:11.begins with two of the McConville children describing to Darragh
:02:12. > :02:23.McIntyre the last time they saw their mother alive. Around
:02:24. > :02:32.tea-time. She was in the bathroom getting washed and the next thing
:02:33. > :02:40.they were shouting, where is she? They barged into the house. People
:02:41. > :02:50.had masks on. She was screaming her head off. All of us were wrapped
:02:51. > :02:59.around her, all crying and screaming. I looked over the
:03:00. > :03:09.banister and she was getting thrown into the back of a van. That was the
:03:10. > :03:22.last time. This woman was taken away and executed. The resort only one
:03:23. > :03:27.man who could give the order. I had no part to play in either the
:03:28. > :03:30.abduction, the killing or the burial of Jean McConville or any of these
:03:31. > :03:33.other individuals. The Sinn Fein President, Gerry
:03:34. > :03:37.Adams, speaking to Darragh McIntyre. Mr Adams is in the US tonight and
:03:38. > :03:40.unavailable to talk to us, but the party's chairman, Declan Kearney, is
:03:41. > :03:48.here, along with the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mike Nesbitt.
:03:49. > :03:50.You are both very welcome to the programme, thanks for joining us.
:03:51. > :03:54.This programme has prompted your party to table a motion for debate
:03:55. > :04:04.at the Assembly later this month. What do you hope that will achieve?
:04:05. > :04:08.It will give recognition to what was a magnificent piece of television.
:04:09. > :04:15.That documentary was of unbelievable quality. When you look at the
:04:16. > :04:21.content of it, what I would say to somebody who is seeing we have to
:04:22. > :04:25.move on from this, if we ever tire of listening to the human cost of
:04:26. > :04:31.the troubles, we should pack up because we have given up on our
:04:32. > :04:40.humanity. Look at the situation is. The inhumanity of -- alt. Ring
:04:41. > :04:44.someone, taking them away in secret, torturing and murdering them and
:04:45. > :04:50.then denying their families the right to a Christian burial. It is
:04:51. > :04:54.unbelievable that would happen, and that was for a long time the
:04:55. > :05:01.strategy of the IRA. It goes back a long way. It's a difficult and
:05:02. > :05:04.divisive issue. A Stormont debate is unlikely to be a calm and rational
:05:05. > :05:08.debate, so how will that be a positive contribution to where we
:05:09. > :05:13.are? It is not divisive. It was entirely wrong to disappear people
:05:14. > :05:16.and I think it is entirely appropriate in terms of recognising
:05:17. > :05:22.what was going on that we have a debate about this, and we have had
:05:23. > :05:30.several opportunities. Is this political opportunism? It was
:05:31. > :05:33.perfectly right to react to this documentary which has impacted
:05:34. > :05:38.severely on people to say let's have a debate about this. They did -- the
:05:39. > :05:47.shame is we still have to have the beak about this. It should never
:05:48. > :05:50.have happened. Do you accept it is reasonable for the Ulster Unionists
:05:51. > :05:58.to want to debate this on the floor of the assembly? On the first
:05:59. > :06:05.instance, the programme spoke very powerful about the heartache and
:06:06. > :06:10.heartbreak of all those families who have still not had their loved ones
:06:11. > :06:17.remains returned to their homes. Heartache and heartache visited on
:06:18. > :06:22.them by Republicans? A terrible injustice, most cruel, that should
:06:23. > :06:29.never have happened. Listening to the programme and the testimony of
:06:30. > :06:33.the families was heartbreaking. In reflecting on all of that, if that
:06:34. > :06:39.is to be any purpose to tonight's programme, it must surely be to
:06:40. > :06:47.encourage anyone who still holds any scintilla of information that may be
:06:48. > :06:51.of direct or indirect assistance to the location of her remains, to
:06:52. > :06:58.please bring that forward immediately to the commission. It
:06:59. > :07:03.also needs to be an incentive to us all to exercise very responsible
:07:04. > :07:08.political leadership in relation to how we address ourselves to dealing
:07:09. > :07:14.with the unfinished business of our past and collectively setting about
:07:15. > :07:17.in the here and now a reconciliation process which can change the
:07:18. > :07:21.character of the divided relationships we have at the
:07:22. > :07:27.moment, and give us better circumstances to deal with the past.
:07:28. > :07:31.Before we move on, can you explain to people at home who may be baffled
:07:32. > :07:37.by the line that senior Republicans take on this in public, you call
:07:38. > :07:44.publicly for people with information to come forward but what some people
:07:45. > :07:48.are asking is, why do you not speak to people you know are involved? Not
:07:49. > :07:52.necessarily you but other senior Republicans you know who may not
:07:53. > :07:57.have been involved directly but we'll know some of the people
:07:58. > :08:01.involved who may not have given up all the information they have and
:08:02. > :08:09.where the remaining missing people are? The commission established
:08:10. > :08:16.approximately ten years ago to attempt to locate the remains of the
:08:17. > :08:24.disappeared has been given the fullest cooperation and assistance
:08:25. > :08:27.by republicanism. The head of the commission is on record as saying
:08:28. > :08:35.that when he dealt with the IRA in the past, he felt confident he had
:08:36. > :08:41.been given 100% cooperation. There are bodies still missing some more
:08:42. > :08:44.needs to be done? I would encourage anyone who has information to please
:08:45. > :08:54.bring that forward to the commission or to any member so that this wrong
:08:55. > :08:58.can be done? Does that help? It has been said and said and said but what
:08:59. > :09:04.we need is action and concrete leads to get to those remaining bodies.
:09:05. > :09:08.Declan talks about leadership and I have to say, if we want to move
:09:09. > :09:15.things on and deal with the past, we need honest leadership. We talk
:09:16. > :09:21.about mutual respect but the preamble to the Belfast agreement
:09:22. > :09:25.talks about trust. How can Unionists talk -- trust Republicans win Gerry
:09:26. > :09:31.Adams says he knows nothing about Jean McConville's murder. I would
:09:32. > :09:37.challenge Gerry Adams to come and say to my face, I was never in the
:09:38. > :09:43.IRA. So his position is not credible? Neither Liz Martin
:09:44. > :09:47.McGuinness's. He said that the Oxford debate this week, we never
:09:48. > :09:56.targeted civilians. Jean McConville was a civilian. The disappeared were
:09:57. > :10:03.civilians. What is your response to that challenge that frankly Gerry
:10:04. > :10:10.Adams is not credible when he says he was not in the IRA? Let him tell
:10:11. > :10:17.me to my face he was not in the IRA and the other allegation he was
:10:18. > :10:25.directly responsible? The insistence on posing questions to Republicans
:10:26. > :10:29.all of the time dodges the fact that the past can be an uncomfortable
:10:30. > :10:38.place for us all, and there may be many questions to be asked of us all
:10:39. > :10:43.and of each other. This is a direct question being asked of your party
:10:44. > :10:48.president? Gerry Adams has made his position abundantly clear. He is
:10:49. > :10:55.invested hugely, emotionally and politically, in the process of
:10:56. > :10:59.collecting the injustice visited on all the families of the
:11:00. > :11:05.disappeared. Charges that he has been at best dishonest partially is
:11:06. > :11:14.the allegation made by Unionists but also by former Republican Conrad
:11:15. > :11:19.is. -- comrades. If we want to talk -- if we want to ask questions of
:11:20. > :11:27.some, let us ask them of all. It does make it more comfortable by not
:11:28. > :11:32.answering! Questions have been asked of my community and we have come up
:11:33. > :11:44.with answers. Bloody Sunday was unjustified and unjustifiable.
:11:45. > :11:50.Things have been mishandled. The Prime Minister is prepared to say,
:11:51. > :11:55.there was collusion and that was wrong and we apologise, so questions
:11:56. > :11:58.are asked continuously of my community and my readers including
:11:59. > :12:04.the Prime Minister offer you answers. Tonight, it happens to be
:12:05. > :12:08.about Gerry Adams and in the preamble to the Good Friday
:12:09. > :12:19.agreement, speaks of mutual trust. With respect... It is time to say to
:12:20. > :12:24.my face, it was never the IRA. This is not a good place to be for
:12:25. > :12:32.leadership taking us to a position that deals with the past. With
:12:33. > :12:33.respect, you are focused consistently on questions for
:12:34. > :12:39.Republicans and the difficulty with your approach is that it is based on
:12:40. > :12:46.an approach where we continue to refight old battles. That is a
:12:47. > :12:49.cul-de-sac and my focus is on the development of the de conciliation
:12:50. > :12:54.process to try to do our best collectively. It would be much
:12:55. > :12:57.better if you could join us in attempting to deal with the heart
:12:58. > :13:02.and be suffering that has been created as a result of the conflict
:13:03. > :13:10.we have all lived through and that we perpetrated on each other. Let me
:13:11. > :13:14.ask you, you are the chairman... That reconciliation process is a
:13:15. > :13:18.vital brilliant to the circumstances by which we can then in an entirely
:13:19. > :13:24.new way deal with the legacy of our past. That is the nub of this. We
:13:25. > :13:28.don't have a lot of time here but you are the chairman of Sinn Fein
:13:29. > :13:36.and are you telling me you believe Gerry Adams was never in the IRA? Of
:13:37. > :13:43.course I believe him. If you asked him face-to-face? Gerry Adams and I
:13:44. > :13:48.have worked together closely for the last 25 years and I have nothing but
:13:49. > :13:54.the utmost confidence in relation to Gerry Adams's stewardship of the
:13:55. > :14:01.peace process. With respect, I am asking... What I want to come back
:14:02. > :14:06.to on this point... You are not answering my question. We need to
:14:07. > :14:12.level the playing field. It is a simple question. If you want to call
:14:13. > :14:21.a spade a spade, there is an agenda shared by elements of the media...
:14:22. > :14:25.It is a simple question. We would actually -- they would actually like
:14:26. > :14:30.to see the back of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness from continuing to
:14:31. > :14:37.exercise any influence... Is he says in his position as the president of
:14:38. > :14:42.Sinn Fein? Long may that continue, but there are forces which would
:14:43. > :14:50.seek to try to ensure seeing the back of Gerry Adams and Martin
:14:51. > :14:58.McGuinness in the future. I want to give you a final word on
:14:59. > :15:04.this. Declan says he is into this weekend deluge problem. He says that
:15:05. > :15:07.we have to engage in difficult con, we have to listen to listen to
:15:08. > :15:11.unionism. I am telling you that unionism is saying that there is a
:15:12. > :15:16.difficulty and you are attacking me for saying it. Mike Nesbitt is
:15:17. > :15:19.always asking prevalence of -- asking questions of Republicans, I
:15:20. > :15:24.thought that is what you wanted me to do.
:15:25. > :15:26.Thank you both for joining me. Londonderry's year-long cultural
:15:27. > :15:29.jamboree is nearing an end. Thousands of people have had the
:15:30. > :15:33.time of their lives, but there's also been a very public rift between
:15:34. > :15:36.the City Council and the Culture Company, which is being wound up
:15:37. > :15:40.three months early. The question now is what impact, if any, that will
:15:41. > :15:43.have on the city's ability to build on the successes of the past ten
:15:44. > :15:47.months - the event's so-called legacy. Here's our political
:15:48. > :15:52.correspondent, Gareth Gordon. It has been a tale of two cities,
:15:53. > :15:55.one has been enjoying the biggest party it has ever seen and it is not
:15:56. > :16:00.over yet. The other has had infighting, resignations and
:16:01. > :16:05.recriminations. The thing is, these two cities are the same.
:16:06. > :16:33.Derry-Londonderry. It even has two names.
:16:34. > :16:41.In Derry, it is not hard to see which view of the city currently
:16:42. > :16:51.prevails. Despite the row between the organisers. I really don't
:16:52. > :16:58.understand it, to tell the truth. I a guitar Festival and the City of
:16:59. > :17:02.Culture were very good to me. I am fairly grateful for them getting the
:17:03. > :17:05.big artists over. We hear so much about things being taken down and
:17:06. > :17:09.taken away that you worry about that hopefully things will keep going as
:17:10. > :17:11.they are because it's been really good.
:17:12. > :17:16.they are because it's been really argument between the culture, media
:17:17. > :17:22.and the City Council? Not at all! I didn't even hear about it. In one of
:17:23. > :17:28.the city's misused factories, a City of Culture project has come to an
:17:29. > :17:35.end. The art pop up easy, part gallery, part shop, it was a big
:17:36. > :17:40.success. This painting illustrates the artist's frustration with the
:17:41. > :17:44.City Council. It is called Running Away From Derry. It was really
:17:45. > :17:49.difficult to get this up and running. It wasn't the most
:17:50. > :17:52.welcoming place. I had major problems with individuals from the
:17:53. > :17:55.council to stop I couldn't get money to the project. At one stage, I was
:17:56. > :18:01.weeping. It was getting it to happen. I funded this project with
:18:02. > :18:04.my credit card, such was the level of bureaucracy and win the Culture
:18:05. > :18:09.Company and Derry City Council. Derry had an amazing opportunity to
:18:10. > :18:14.put on this year of culture and by and large, I think it has been
:18:15. > :18:23.really good. But I think there have been huge, huge gaps exposed that
:18:24. > :18:26.need to be sorted. Eventually, the money was paid. The City Council
:18:27. > :18:31.says it worked with the Culture Company to ensure delivery of the
:18:32. > :18:34.factory into a gallery. It is satisfied it has successfully
:18:35. > :18:38.delivered what it set out to achieve. Legacy, of course, can mean
:18:39. > :18:44.whatever you want. I am delighted that here we are with the management
:18:45. > :18:50.of arts making headlines as opposed to hate crimes, Republicans or flag
:18:51. > :18:53.protests. I think that is a positive statement of we have got to. The
:18:54. > :18:58.legacy is what the impact has been on the people, the people here and
:18:59. > :19:03.impact in the world. The argument has been covered in the Derry
:19:04. > :19:08.Journal, although most of the focus has been on the feel-good factor. We
:19:09. > :19:12.would be more concerned if it was affecting things on the ground but
:19:13. > :19:14.we have had a fabulous year and it is continuing now with a very
:19:15. > :19:20.successful Halloween. But on the other hand, I suppose you could say
:19:21. > :19:25.that as you look forward at legacy, we would prefer to know there is a
:19:26. > :19:28.strong relationship there and that Derry will gain fully from all of
:19:29. > :19:32.experience and skills that have been built up over the past 12 months.
:19:33. > :19:41.experience and skills that have been issue than at the square, home of
:19:42. > :19:46.the Turner Prize. The gallery will be converted into a creative hub,
:19:47. > :19:50.supporting the creation of 50 jobs. That is a major source of annoyance
:19:51. > :19:54.for the twice Turner nominated artist currently exhibiting in one
:19:55. > :20:00.of the city's pop-up galleries. I think we are at the moment now, in
:20:01. > :20:06.this year, where people have to really think seriously about what
:20:07. > :20:12.they want legacy to be. If they really want to create a meaningful
:20:13. > :20:17.legacy. So it is time for the City Council and Stormont to get real
:20:18. > :20:27.about how they want to create a sustainable legacy in Derry. There
:20:28. > :20:33.could be discussions subject to funding. We absolutely support the
:20:34. > :20:39.cultural organisations and having that conversation but don't want
:20:40. > :20:44.them to think about 2014, 2015, what is the plan for 2020, the big
:20:45. > :20:50.ambition? That is a triumph excited about, that conversation and making
:20:51. > :20:55.sure that we are really clear. Soon, the programme of events for next
:20:56. > :21:01.year will be announced with the City Council omitting ?2 million. Rita
:21:02. > :21:05.hopes to revive her factory project in the New Year, this time was a
:21:06. > :21:11.link to Belfast. The legacy's light may be burning after all. -- this
:21:12. > :21:13.time with a wink. Has the Attorney General, John
:21:14. > :21:16.Larkin, over-reached himself? That's the claim of the former Environment
:21:17. > :21:20.Minister, Alex Attwood, who says changes need to be made to the remit
:21:21. > :21:24.of the office. He also wants to see an open appointment process for the
:21:25. > :21:27.post in future and the publication and implementation of a review of
:21:28. > :21:30.the functions of the position, written by the senior Scottish legal
:21:31. > :21:33.figure, Dame Elish Angiolini. Alex Attwood joins me now.
:21:34. > :21:36.You're claiming tonight that the Attorney General, John Larkin, has
:21:37. > :21:39.over-reached himself and you say that's putting it moderately and
:21:40. > :21:48.that he has crossed lines best not crossed by his office. What are you
:21:49. > :21:52.referring to? The Attorney General's office is very important
:21:53. > :21:55.in any jurisdiction. It is very important that any Attorney General
:21:56. > :22:00.doesn't stay into the world of policy or politics. When you look at
:22:01. > :22:02.what has happened over the last three or four years, I think that
:22:03. > :22:10.when the Attorney General got involved in the case involving the
:22:11. > :22:14.so-called scandalised judge contempt proceedings, when you see the
:22:15. > :22:19.Attorney General suddenly appearing in a case in the European Court
:22:20. > :22:23.involving a lesbian couple wanting to adopt a child in Austria, then I
:22:24. > :22:27.do think there are questions that have to be asked about whether lines
:22:28. > :22:32.are being crossed and whether those lines should not have been crossed.
:22:33. > :22:36.In one way, I do not blame him because in the summer of 2010, the
:22:37. > :22:41.Executive in my view, the Northern Ireland Executive, on the
:22:42. > :22:44.recommendation of the Deputy First Minister, gave the office of the
:22:45. > :22:49.Attorney General to much of the role, a role that I opposed at the
:22:50. > :22:54.time. I voted against that role being given to the Attorney General.
:22:55. > :22:59.I think there is time to pull back and reconfigure that office, as was
:23:00. > :23:04.originally intended. So you think it was too big a role? Do you also
:23:05. > :23:08.think he has tried to expand it? I think that a lot of people think
:23:09. > :23:16.that the office has got too big and has gone into places where it is
:23:17. > :23:19.best not to go. That is why I think that it was decided after an
:23:20. > :23:25.Executive meeting to appoint a senior Scottish legal figure two
:23:26. > :23:29.conduct a review of that office. That review concluded one year ago
:23:30. > :23:32.and I am calling today for the publication of that review that has
:23:33. > :23:37.sat on a shelf ever since. I have no doubt in my own mind that that
:23:38. > :23:40.review will see to the Northern Ireland Executive that it is time to
:23:41. > :23:48.reshape the office of the Attorney General and put back -- pull-back
:23:49. > :23:53.from the role. One thing I should point out is that we have put your
:23:54. > :23:57.claims to the Attorney General's office and we haven't had any
:23:58. > :24:12.response as yet. On the report that you refer to their, we have been in
:24:13. > :24:16.touch with OFM/DFM today and they say that report was received on an
:24:17. > :24:19.in confidence basis and is not going to be published. If it was in
:24:20. > :24:24.confidence minute might be that they have respectful stop but I do think
:24:25. > :24:28.it is called to the Executive and Assembly to give a very full view of
:24:29. > :24:32.what it was she recommended. And if she recommended that the office had
:24:33. > :24:38.got too big, how it is now to be properly constrained. And more than
:24:39. > :24:44.that, I would argue that just as every judicial office in this part
:24:45. > :24:46.of the world now is appointed through a commission, I believe
:24:47. > :24:52.there should be an open appoint panel for the next Attorney General
:24:53. > :25:00.to be appointed sometime between now and Easter 2014. I assume that you
:25:01. > :25:03.have met informally, and formally, with John Larkin in Executive
:25:04. > :25:06.meetings and in and around the business of government.
:25:07. > :25:12.Have you spoken directly to John Larkin about your concerns? Concerns
:25:13. > :25:19.about the positions of the office of Attorney General and his hold on
:25:20. > :25:22.that? I have no issue about the person John Larkin holding the
:25:23. > :25:26.office of Attorney General. I have an issue that the office of the
:25:27. > :25:32.Attorney General has got way beyond what is desirable and necessary for
:25:33. > :25:35.the chief legal adviser to the Northern Ireland government. And
:25:36. > :25:39.yes, I am sure he knows my views because they have been raised on a
:25:40. > :25:45.rolling basis at Executive meetings. And indeed without naming others,
:25:46. > :25:50.other ministers have raised very similar views. So whatever the
:25:51. > :25:56.history of August, let's see the review published. Let's see the
:25:57. > :26:00.office redefined. Let's ensure that wins the next Attorney General is
:26:01. > :26:06.appointed, it doesn't stray into areas of politics or policy. You
:26:07. > :26:09.have broken cover and gone public tonight on programme. Is this a
:26:10. > :26:15.personal crusade against the current Attorney General? No. Why would
:26:16. > :26:18.there be a personal crusade when four years ago at the Executive
:26:19. > :26:23.meeting that gave to the office of the Attorney General a very big role
:26:24. > :26:27.that I argued that that role should be constrained? This is not
:26:28. > :26:31.personal. This is about getting the balance right between the very
:26:32. > :26:35.powerful office of the Attorney General and the proper
:26:36. > :26:40.responsibilities of ministers and executives. We will see if the
:26:41. > :26:43.Attorney General's office response to your comments. We will see about
:26:44. > :26:45.report is published. No doubt we will talk again.
:26:46. > :26:48.Alex Attwood, thank you. Well, let's hear the thoughts of our
:26:49. > :26:54.commentators. Joining me tonight are Alex Kane and Paul McFadden.
:26:55. > :26:58.Good evening. A busy programme tonight. Let's talk about the debate
:26:59. > :27:04.between Declan journey and Mike Nesbitt. Did it shed any light on a
:27:05. > :27:11.very complex and very emotional, emotive subject? -- Declan Kearney.
:27:12. > :27:18.I don't know. Anybody who watched the programme on the Disappeared, in
:27:19. > :27:21.one sense, there wasn't an awful lot which was new revealed in the
:27:22. > :27:26.programme. But it was nonetheless very compelling to watch and Gerry
:27:27. > :27:30.Adams himself looked quite uncomfortable. Watching this evening
:27:31. > :27:34.with Declan Kearney, he seemed uncomfortable as well. I think that
:27:35. > :27:42.this is difficult for Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein, this evening, where doing
:27:43. > :27:44.it in the form of Declan Kearney what they always do, they were
:27:45. > :27:49.protecting their leader, their president. I don't think there is
:27:50. > :27:53.any danger or threaten to Gerry Adams from within. It is going to be
:27:54. > :27:58.interesting to see in the context of politics and public, just how voters
:27:59. > :28:00.or potential voters, people who might have been considering
:28:01. > :28:05.switching to Sinn Fein, how they might react to recent allegations
:28:06. > :28:10.concerning Gerry Adams and how other parties who might have in linked
:28:11. > :28:13.with Sinn Fein and any new government, it must be a difficult
:28:14. > :28:18.one for them. With Gerry Adams in particular, it applies just as much
:28:19. > :28:23.to others, when somebody is attacked, the natural instinct of
:28:24. > :28:28.the party or community is to go in behind a believer of leader. It
:28:29. > :28:32.doesn't matter what they actually think. I am sure there are many
:28:33. > :28:36.Republicans who were deeply disturbed by what they saw on the
:28:37. > :28:39.programme. I believe that their leader, that the majority voice of
:28:40. > :28:44.the community has been attacked by Unionists as a matter of political
:28:45. > :28:47.point scoring, nothing to do with the programme. They just wanted an
:28:48. > :28:52.excuse to have another go. Certainly, when Declan Kearney was
:28:53. > :28:55.talking, that is what he was saying. He refused to answer
:28:56. > :29:01.straight questions. He just said it looks like he was defending Adams
:29:02. > :29:05.because that was his job. If you were looking for common ground in
:29:06. > :29:08.the run-up to the final stage of the Haas talks, which we are
:29:09. > :29:12.approaching, there needs to be a resolution by Christmas time, you
:29:13. > :29:16.would not necessarily pin your hopes on that conversation tonight, would
:29:17. > :29:20.you? There is not a great deal of common ground. Any sense, the Bill
:29:21. > :29:26.are battering into certain positions. Last record week before,
:29:27. > :29:30.there were allegations of collusion against members of the security
:29:31. > :29:34.forces -- last week or the week before. One thing which we have said
:29:35. > :29:41.before, one thing which will have to come off the table again is the
:29:42. > :29:44.Bradley report, which was ditched unfortunately because of one
:29:45. > :29:51.unfortunate recommendation. It was a sensible approach to a difficult
:29:52. > :29:56.issue. I don't think it will make a
:29:57. > :30:02.difference because what you see what it was very measured at the start
:30:03. > :30:05.but changed. They need to ask the questions of the unknown community,
:30:06. > :30:13.get the answers and then start talking. No resolution to a
:30:14. > :30:16.difficult issue and now doubt we will return to it. What about Alex
:30:17. > :30:22.Attwood's challenge to the office of the Attorney General? The attorney
:30:23. > :30:28.general has been featuring in the news more often than you might
:30:29. > :30:33.expect. We noticed them too much for some people's liking. He is better
:30:34. > :30:42.known than many ministers. What disturbs me slightly is that
:30:43. > :30:47.sometimes with legal advice we're busy little suggestion that
:30:48. > :30:51.sometimes it is steered by his own personal moral compass rather than
:30:52. > :30:56.strictly legal and that worries me. He would I am sure they neither. We
:30:57. > :31:00.will leave that they are. Thank you both. That's almost it for another
:31:01. > :31:02.week, but just before we go - let's hear the inside track from our man
:31:03. > :31:19.on the hill. What is BBC Northern Ireland playing
:31:20. > :31:27.at? To TV licenses you will never see again! A trip to America because
:31:28. > :31:31.they are than 50 million people in America, so there will be someone
:31:32. > :31:38.out there who believes he wasn't in the IRA in 1972! They have come up
:31:39. > :31:45.with the new slogan. Everybody is talking about the dream team. Martin
:31:46. > :31:48.O'Neill and Roy Keane have been hired and he will get the
:31:49. > :31:58.politicians together to tell them they will be the winners. Ulster TV
:31:59. > :32:09.is going south. The shock news of the week. You can have a jamboree!
:32:10. > :32:18.Jerry, you seem to have forgotten your poppy! Even Roy Keane can layer
:32:19. > :32:22.like that. -- can't glare. That's it from The
:32:23. > :32:26.View for this week. Join me for live coverage of the SDLP conference from
:32:27. > :32:30.12 noon on BBC Two on Saturday, and Sunday Politics is at the later time
:32:31. > :32:34.of one o'clock here on BBC One. For now, though, goodbye.