:00:24. > :00:28.They say a new year brings a new start, but does it?
:00:28. > :00:31.Violence is back on the streets of Belfast. Nearly 40 days of Union
:00:31. > :00:38.Flag protests have seen over 100 people arrested, 68 police officers
:00:38. > :00:41.injured and businesses left counting the huge economic cost.
:00:41. > :00:45.The First Minister has called for a stop to the protests, but they show
:00:45. > :00:54.no signs of ending. Is the DUP still the voice of unionism or
:00:54. > :01:00.could the language of violence be a threat to the party's leadership?
:01:00. > :01:03.will be looking at what the loyalist protests mean for the DUP
:01:03. > :01:09.and the First Minister, Peter Robinson.
:01:09. > :01:12.This morning the Unionist Forum met to tackle the stalemate. Is this
:01:12. > :01:14.the new way forward or just another talking shop for politicians?
:01:14. > :01:17.They're questions I'll be putting to our panel.
:01:17. > :01:21.And in a week of damning headlines for Belfast across the globe, can
:01:21. > :01:25.the city's Titanic heritage help it shake off the gloom? Where we are
:01:25. > :01:28.standing now was rubble and wasteland in 2008 until they
:01:28. > :01:32.started building the apartments and the college behind us here, the
:01:32. > :01:37.visitor centre, the office blocks. All this stuff is a chance for us
:01:37. > :01:39.to start afresh. And for their views on our changing
:01:39. > :01:41.political landscape we'll hear from commentators Paul McFadden and
:01:41. > :01:48.Debbie Watters. And you can, of course, follow the
:01:48. > :01:51.programme on Twitter - that's @bbctheview.
:01:51. > :01:54.Disaffected, disconnected and defiant - so far loyalist youths
:01:54. > :02:00.have refused to heed a call from the First Minister to stop their
:02:00. > :02:03.protests. They're the latest generation to take to the streets
:02:03. > :02:09.venting their anger over issues that include cultural identity and
:02:09. > :02:11.relations with nationalism. We'll be discussing those issues and more
:02:11. > :02:14.with our guests shortly, but first our political correspondent,
:02:14. > :02:24.Martina Purdy, has been assessing just how big a threat the protests
:02:24. > :02:31.
:02:31. > :02:35.are to Peter Robinson and the DUP. People power '70s-style. The
:02:35. > :02:39.problem was power-sharing and it was loyalist mass protests like
:02:39. > :02:44.these coupled with street violence that helped collapse Stormont and
:02:44. > :02:47.force the unionist leader and Prime Minister, Brian Faulkner from
:02:47. > :02:51.office. Today's demonstration clearly is a focal point of
:02:51. > :02:56.confidence and certainty for the loyalists. 40 years on, that
:02:56. > :03:02.confidence has faded. The loyalists are still protesting, albeit in
:03:02. > :03:09.smaller numbers. So how big a threat are they to the stability of
:03:09. > :03:13.Stormont and the current unionist leadership? These angry youths are
:03:13. > :03:18.dangerous and damaging, but for veterans of the Troubles, the
:03:18. > :03:22.demand of some that Peter Robinson should quit is no more than a cry
:03:22. > :03:27.in the dark as politics here has changed too much. I don't think
:03:27. > :03:33.that the protests are in any way a threat to Peter Robinson, or the
:03:33. > :03:37.leadership of the DUP. Politics has changed in Northern Ireland. The
:03:37. > :03:42.electoral system has changed. can only judge Peter Robinson by
:03:42. > :03:45.the electoral figures. That is how you judge the success of a
:03:45. > :03:51.political party. It is Peter Robinson that has now taken us to
:03:51. > :03:56.being the largest unionist party. So he is not Brian Faulkner? He is
:03:56. > :04:03.no Brian Faulkner. Much of the protest has been centred in the
:04:03. > :04:07.East Belfast constituency of Peter Robinson. There's clear hostility
:04:07. > :04:12.to him and the Good Friday Agreement from a post-troubles
:04:12. > :04:17.generation of loyalists who were children when it was signed.
:04:17. > :04:24.seen in 1998, Trimble got a massive mandate. Within a short number of
:04:24. > :04:30.years, that turned drastically. We are seeing the same here. Peter
:04:30. > :04:37.Robinson hounded David Trimble out of office. Peter Robinson made a
:04:37. > :04:43.comment that the only cabinet should be made with brass handles!
:04:43. > :04:47.Others point to clear pressures on the First Minister. It is an
:04:47. > :04:53.extremely difficult job with his own hardliners. You have to
:04:53. > :04:56.remember the background of that. Paisley appealing to the most
:04:57. > :05:01.intransigent of people. What is the view from the First Minister's
:05:01. > :05:06.office? I have had many challenges and I'm sure will have many more
:05:06. > :05:10.challenges in the months and years ahead. Everyone recognised we were
:05:10. > :05:14.in a process. That process will have its ups and downs. It will
:05:14. > :05:18.have rocky moments. It is having that at the present time. I believe
:05:18. > :05:22.the overwhelming desire of people in Northern Ireland is to have a
:05:22. > :05:29.peaceful and stable Northern Ireland. Peter Robinson, once the
:05:29. > :05:34.young man challenging authority, has dismissed the Ulster People's
:05:34. > :05:38.Forum as being bankrupt of ideas after it suggested direct rule as
:05:38. > :05:44.an alternative. He dismissed us. Not sure what word he used. He
:05:44. > :05:50.thinks we are a couple of idiots running about on the streets. Maybe
:05:50. > :05:54.he should get on with his work! Despite the DUP's leader call for a
:05:54. > :05:58.halt to protests, some DUP figures have been present on the ground.
:05:58. > :06:03.Though it is not clear if this is a party split or a political tactic
:06:03. > :06:09.to keep grassroots on board. What is clear is that Peter Robinson's
:06:09. > :06:14.demands for the protest to end have been ignored. I wouldn't like to be
:06:14. > :06:19.in his position. It is extremely difficult. He does need to somehow
:06:19. > :06:24.grasp this and really get more involved and more spelling it out
:06:24. > :06:31.in detail as to what is needed and the sort of future that we need to
:06:31. > :06:38.have here. Peter Robinson has begun by setting up a forum to address
:06:38. > :06:48.grievances. One of the key players is set to contest the Mid-Ulster
:06:48. > :06:52.by-election this spring. Willie Fraser's attempts to get elected
:06:52. > :06:55.have failed previously. impressed by some of the young
:06:55. > :07:01.people speaking on behalf of the demonstrators. There is obviously a
:07:01. > :07:06.new breed of politicians coming to the fore. They may get together and
:07:06. > :07:12.form their own political party. There is a case for it in that what
:07:13. > :07:17.is generally referred to as the working-class loyalists people,
:07:18. > :07:21.they don't have spokespeople in the Assembly. Those who want a peaceful,
:07:21. > :07:27.loyalist revolution are consulting through their own forum but aren't
:07:27. > :07:32.too sure what the future holds. don't know where I will see myself
:07:32. > :07:37.with the Protestant community in ten weeks never mind ten years.
:07:37. > :07:40.That is the danger. Nobody knows where this is going to go.
:07:40. > :07:45.I'm joined by DUP MP Nigel Dodds, Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly, Stewart
:07:45. > :07:51.Dickson from the Alliance Party and Jonny Harvey representing the PUP.
:07:51. > :07:56.Mr Dodds, your Party Leader has said that the Ulster People's Forum
:07:56. > :08:03.are bankrupt of ideas. What is your view on the demonstrators? What we
:08:03. > :08:08.are seeing is they are playing out, not just of issues concerning the
:08:08. > :08:13.Union Flag, which we oppose the taking down of the Flag, it should
:08:13. > :08:16.be there all year-round. We led that campaign. We empathise. We
:08:16. > :08:26.understand and lead that concern in terms of what people are saying out
:08:26. > :08:27.
:08:27. > :08:34.there. It also is a culmination of concerns about other issues. A
:08:34. > :08:39.number of other issues. The Union is more secure than ever. But it is
:08:39. > :08:43.clear that Sinn Fein, through some of its tactics has decided to wage
:08:43. > :08:47.some kind of cultural war in terms of some of the symbolism and some
:08:47. > :08:55.of the issues that are dear to unionists' hearts. In that way,
:08:55. > :08:58.they is stirred up a hornets' nest. It is incumbent upon Sinn Fein and
:08:58. > :09:02.the Republicans to step back and think what damage they are doing.
:09:02. > :09:06.We don't want to go back to direct rule. We don't want to go back to
:09:06. > :09:11.the dark days of the past. It is a heavy responsibility on Republicans
:09:11. > :09:16.to live up to their responsibility and not engage in this cultural
:09:16. > :09:24.warfare that they seem to be enjoying doing far too much. It is
:09:24. > :09:34.partly your fault, Gerry Kelly? whole debate has been centred
:09:34. > :09:36.
:09:36. > :09:41.around this idea of Britishness. As we sit here, over 95% of all the
:09:41. > :09:45.emblems are to do with British. The city itself is now as close to
:09:45. > :09:50.50/50 as you will get. There is Irishness there. There is no
:09:51. > :09:58.recognition. No idea within this forum of dealing with Irishness. Is
:09:58. > :10:04.there an outreach project within that forum? This idea that the
:10:04. > :10:09.whole thing is around a flag or Britishness is more perception than
:10:09. > :10:14.it is reality. What is the protest over? The protest is over the fact
:10:14. > :10:18.that a compromise was reached on the issue of our culture and of
:10:19. > :10:28.Britishness and Irishness. That is what the protest is against. It is
:10:29. > :10:30.
:10:30. > :10:37.not against the whittling away of Britishness. Jonny Harvey, you have
:10:37. > :10:43.been central to the protests. don't think anybody is in denial.
:10:43. > :10:48.This has been passed over as some sort of equal treatment. I don't
:10:48. > :10:51.understand how removing the Flag from two buildings and flying it on
:10:51. > :10:56.designated days on one other building is some sort of compromise.
:10:56. > :11:00.That seems like a token gesture. When it comes to it, there has been
:11:00. > :11:03.a great deal of opposition towards the DUP from the protesters. Have
:11:03. > :11:08.you anything to say to Nigel Dodds on that tonight? What is the reason
:11:08. > :11:13.behind the protesters having this disaffection with the DUP? There is
:11:13. > :11:20.the perception that the DUP have marched us into this situation and
:11:20. > :11:25.there is obviously the problem in areas like East Belfast where we
:11:25. > :11:29.have more Alliance councillors and MLAs than we would have had. That
:11:29. > :11:33.was felt that was a protest vote against the DUP and Peter Robinson.
:11:33. > :11:39.Those issues are coming to the forefront. Because of that, it is
:11:39. > :11:44.hard for the protesters to trust that party. Jonny has raised a
:11:44. > :11:48.number of issues there. He has raised the point about more
:11:49. > :11:57.Alliance councillors in a heavy Unionist area of Belfast. That is
:11:57. > :12:01.an issue we all have to address. I think that we need to see more
:12:01. > :12:05.unionists in the City Council. This wouldn't have happened had there
:12:05. > :12:10.been more unionists in the City Council representing unionist
:12:10. > :12:16.people. I think there are some people involved in this campaign
:12:16. > :12:19.and in coming to the fore and they have stood for election saying the
:12:19. > :12:23.sorts of things that have been said about wanting to go back to direct
:12:23. > :12:27.rule, about Sinn Fein and government. They have been rejected.
:12:27. > :12:32.Talking to some of the protesters this week, people have been saying
:12:32. > :12:42."no more them and us". They are talking about the DUP in their
:12:42. > :12:44.
:12:44. > :12:47.I deal with these issues daily. I have just come from a meeting
:12:48. > :12:52.tonight with community leaders talking about issues, not about the
:12:52. > :12:57.flag it, but about a number of issues. People are concerned. There
:12:57. > :13:02.is a recession. What we have got to do is work together at a community
:13:02. > :13:06.level, civic level, political level. That is part of the reason why the
:13:06. > :13:11.Unionist forum has been set up. not invite the protesters to the
:13:11. > :13:15.foreign? There is a sense of urgency. It has to be said, they
:13:15. > :13:18.made it clear they would not come. The point is that will not be
:13:18. > :13:23.terrace because even around the table today... It is not easy
:13:23. > :13:27.getting people together. What we have in common is support for the
:13:27. > :13:32.union and wanting to move forward. Part of the task has got to be if
:13:32. > :13:37.it is going to be relevant is to get out there and engaged. We have
:13:37. > :13:41.said through task force to get out and engage with protesters, with
:13:41. > :13:45.everybody. This will strengthen the political process as a whole. It is
:13:45. > :13:50.good for Unionism. But this will also strengthen the political
:13:50. > :13:56.process overall. At the end of the day, we will be in a much more
:13:56. > :14:02.cohesive position... How you can sit there with a straight face and
:14:02. > :14:12.arguing Unionists refusing to speak to the alliance, Sinn Fein... They
:14:12. > :14:17.are not there. How can you with a straight face argue that this is
:14:17. > :14:21.good fop nationalism? Because we can do two things at once. We can
:14:21. > :14:24.talk to Unionism, we can bring Unionism together, work on the
:14:24. > :14:29.issues of concern that are out there and have been identified by
:14:29. > :14:32.some of us what a long time. And that the same time we can carry
:14:32. > :14:42.forward a political process. We were in the Northern Ireland
:14:42. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:52.Executive assassin who -- this afternoon... Gentlemen, Surrey.
:14:52. > :14:57.am amazed at Nigel Dodds's description of the Forum. It seems
:14:57. > :15:00.to be a political epiphany for the DUP and the Ulster Unionists. But
:15:00. > :15:04.they have already discovered this week that they need to be talking
:15:04. > :15:09.to people. That is what politics is about and that is what I have done
:15:09. > :15:15.since I was elected in 1977. I represent people. I listen to what
:15:15. > :15:20.they say. My opinion has moved and changed and been amended by what I
:15:20. > :15:25.hear people asking me to do. That is how I hear this forum being
:15:25. > :15:28.described. I hear it being described... Nigel Dodds has just a
:15:28. > :15:34.said it is about listening to people. It is about taking their
:15:34. > :15:39.concerns on. It is about education and all of the issues of social
:15:39. > :15:43.deprivation and unemployment. That is what politics is about. That is
:15:43. > :15:47.what I was elected to deliver. Sinn Fein are not going to get off the
:15:47. > :15:52.hook tonight either. The reality is that we have the unrest of the
:15:53. > :15:56.moment and we have other people in the background stoking up further
:15:56. > :16:01.riches with Gerry Adams coming along and insisting on a border
:16:01. > :16:06.poll. We do not need it. We know what the people of Northern Ireland
:16:06. > :16:11.want. Why are you afraid of it? simply do not need one. You know as
:16:11. > :16:16.well as I won that the people of Northern Ireland... Critic to the
:16:16. > :16:21.vote. That is what politics is about as well -- put it to the vote.
:16:21. > :16:27.We do not need a poll to tell us what we already know. The Mars the
:16:27. > :16:32.majority of people want to remain in the United Kingdom -- the vast
:16:32. > :16:41.majority. At some stage in the future, we will have an appropriate
:16:41. > :16:45.border poll and people will be able to make the democratic decision.
:16:46. > :16:50.The constitution issue has been settled. All of the top of wanting
:16:50. > :16:56.to concentrate on jobs is shown to be nonsense and that is the problem.
:16:57. > :17:03.The DUP wound the situation up in Belfast... You delivered 40,000
:17:03. > :17:07.leaflets telling a pack of lies. That is wrong. A bit is not wrong.
:17:07. > :17:11.It is simply wrong. We have delivered a factual situation
:17:11. > :17:21.across Belfast. We have told people to engage politically because what
:17:21. > :17:22.
:17:22. > :17:29.we want to do... People simply did not engaged in the way in which...
:17:29. > :17:33.That is unfortunate. I am going to interrupt. Have you accepted that
:17:33. > :17:38.you can only change the system if you are within the system? I think
:17:38. > :17:42.it is important that the disaffected loyalist unionist...
:17:42. > :17:47.Whatever you want to call them, that they are engaged in the
:17:47. > :17:51.political process. My appear in his it is a party up works hard on the
:17:51. > :17:55.ground. They support the people and I think the PP is one of the
:17:55. > :18:00.parties that will deliver and hold things like the Unionist forum to
:18:00. > :18:04.account because the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Will you
:18:04. > :18:08.call on them to stop the protests and get it back to politics?
:18:08. > :18:12.think people have the right to peaceful protest and we will always
:18:12. > :18:19.support the right to that. What the protesters on the ground need to
:18:19. > :18:25.see his re-election. What has your party been doing in terms of the
:18:25. > :18:32.flag issue, Gerry Kelly? We come forward with a process of
:18:32. > :18:35.reconciliation, a process of a wood engagement. The Unionist demand...
:18:36. > :18:43.If they were really involved in reconciliation themselves, they
:18:43. > :18:49.would be saying, OK, let us talk about this. That is not what
:18:49. > :18:53.they're doing. Should they make a gesture now? Should the Unionists
:18:53. > :19:02.make a gesture and all of those areas where they are flying the
:19:02. > :19:08.flag and put the try colour Cup as well? Do we need a common policy?
:19:08. > :19:16.Of course we do. This Unionists in a pan Unionist forum will not sit
:19:16. > :19:21.down and resolve this issue. It happen last year. The lowest common
:19:21. > :19:25.denominator was what came out. The main parties backed the protesters
:19:25. > :19:31.as opposed to saying, we need more sense. That is what would happen in
:19:31. > :19:35.this form, I guarantee you. Nigel Dodds, it is not looking good for
:19:35. > :19:42.agreement if tonight is anything to go by. A common flag policy, is
:19:42. > :19:45.that something that UN Sinn Fein need to sit down and workout?
:19:45. > :19:51.Kelly completely ignored the question. His face with the fact
:19:51. > :19:54.that what happened in Belfast was the quality, compromise. When Sinn
:19:54. > :19:59.Fein had a chance to vote for the same thing they refused to vote for
:19:59. > :20:03.it. The fact is that it is one policy for Belfast based on a
:20:03. > :20:07.quality but a different policy when you are in control. That is the
:20:07. > :20:10.problem we have with Sinn Fein one of the time. They are poking the
:20:10. > :20:17.knife into people and annoying the Unionist community and doing it
:20:17. > :20:22.deliberately because they know they will not get a united Ireland.
:20:22. > :20:29.are you so nervous? We are not nervous. We want to get on with the
:20:29. > :20:36.real issues. We want to be... The real issues are in the jobs, the
:20:36. > :20:40.economy, young people. You are now trying to have a whole campaign
:20:40. > :20:44.about eight border poll. Have you parties failed in not coming out
:20:44. > :20:48.shoulder to shoulder in the way you did in the past? Should be deeply
:20:48. > :20:55.and Sinn Fein not have come back together and tried to stop the
:20:55. > :21:00.protest -- the DUP and Sinn Fein? Today at executive, the DUP, Sinn
:21:00. > :21:06.Fein, Alliance Party, SDLP, we were working on the issues that affect
:21:06. > :21:10.the people of Northern Ireland. We as a party will work with people in
:21:10. > :21:14.communities in our areas. We have been given the trust of many people
:21:14. > :21:19.and we will continue to work for those people strongly as I was
:21:19. > :21:25.denied working with communities, civic leaders, political leaders...
:21:25. > :21:32.She Sinn Fein's position in Belfast this but no flag or both flags. It
:21:32. > :21:37.is a simple policy. What happened in Belfast was there was a
:21:37. > :21:44.compromise offered by their alliance... That is alliance. The
:21:44. > :21:47.protests are about compromise. I want to see a quality. I want
:21:47. > :21:52.Irishness in the forefront along with people's Britishness. I have
:21:52. > :21:58.no problem with Britishness. The problem is what they look on
:21:58. > :22:02.Irishness as. What is your way forward? Clearly, what we need to
:22:02. > :22:09.deliver on... I was disappointed to hear Peter Robinson equivocate on
:22:09. > :22:15.the C S I strategy to today. We need showed initiative for the
:22:15. > :22:19.future. That is the failure of Sinn Fein and the DUP here tonight.
:22:19. > :22:23.walked away from the discussions. Because the issues could not be
:22:23. > :22:27.resolved by both of those parties. We need to resolve the flag issue.
:22:27. > :22:31.We need to resolve the issue about proper shared living in Northern
:22:32. > :22:35.Ireland. We need to resolve the problem of the past. People have to
:22:35. > :22:39.step up to the mark and deal with the very serious issues because if
:22:39. > :22:42.they do not we will have more and more of these protests. If the
:22:42. > :22:48.parties do not agree at Stormont how can you expect people to agree
:22:48. > :22:52.on the streets? They will never agree on the streets. The only way
:22:52. > :22:56.we will agree is by sitting down and talking. I have been doing that
:22:56. > :23:01.since I was elected in 1977. Her and delighted to be in the Assembly
:23:01. > :23:07.and take my role and I was sick to listen to representatives from all
:23:07. > :23:12.of the other parties -- I will sit and listen. We are in the midst of
:23:12. > :23:17.a world recession. We do not need violence. We need jobs and proper
:23:17. > :23:21.education and a good quality health service that delivers far everybody
:23:21. > :23:26.in Northern Ireland regardless of whether you are nationalist and
:23:26. > :23:33.unionist, Republican... The impact of the flag protest on the economy
:23:33. > :23:37.has been well-documented. Earlier today the estimate of the cost to
:23:37. > :23:41.business was �15 million. It has not all been doom and gloom. When
:23:41. > :23:46.to stay the Titanic visitor Centre said it has sold many more tickets
:23:46. > :23:51.than expected in December. We have been down to the quarter where be
:23:51. > :23:55.Chaplain for the area told us why it can be an example to the rest of
:23:55. > :24:00.Northern Ireland. I think the beautiful thing about this place is
:24:00. > :24:05.that it is steeped in history. You see the slipways and the dry docks
:24:05. > :24:08.and all of this incredible history. It is history that is not divisive,
:24:08. > :24:13.we share a story that we can all be fascinated by, the men that
:24:13. > :24:16.hammered together this wonder of the world, this fascinating story
:24:16. > :24:20.and this beautiful ship. Where we are standing now was rubble and
:24:20. > :24:26.waste and backing 2008 until they started building the apartments and
:24:26. > :24:30.the college bar high-dose, the office blocks, all of this stuff --
:24:30. > :24:37.the college behind us. It is a chance for us to start afresh.
:24:37. > :24:41.Someone said that this was the best blank page the Church has had in
:24:41. > :24:48.Ireland. It is true for community as well. We can try to live out the
:24:48. > :24:57.Belfast we have always dreamt of with a fresh start. Now with me now
:24:57. > :25:01.in commentators corner... You have been helping to convince some of
:25:01. > :25:07.the meetings to try and find a solution to the protests. How hope
:25:07. > :25:13.for la you? We have just had a very helpful discussion -- how hopeful
:25:13. > :25:17.are you? I am not sure after that discussion that we will come out of
:25:18. > :25:25.the wilderness. I am hopeful and hear his wife. Working with people
:25:25. > :25:30.in East Belfast over the past week -- here is why. I feel people do
:25:30. > :25:34.want to find a solution to the problems. Do they want an end to
:25:34. > :25:38.the protests? I think they are two different issues. People believe
:25:38. > :25:41.they have the right to peaceful protest. The issue now is that the
:25:41. > :25:45.protests are giving rise to violence and in my opinion for that
:25:45. > :25:50.reason we need to revisit the protests and the protests need to
:25:50. > :25:54.come to an end. They need to come to an end without creating a vacuum.
:25:54. > :25:59.The vacuum needs to be felled by a political process and a good
:25:59. > :26:03.community process that addresses the issues of social inequality
:26:03. > :26:07.that Stewart referred to. You are an independent member of the
:26:07. > :26:12.policing board. There have been claims from loyalists about prevent
:26:12. > :26:16.to them by the police. What is your view on that? We had a briefing
:26:16. > :26:20.today from the Chief Constable and just to summarise I think
:26:20. > :26:25.personally the police were caught in the middle with this. They are
:26:25. > :26:30.policing a very difficult situation. I think they need to be given some
:26:30. > :26:34.grace but we can never accept bad policing and unprofessional
:26:34. > :26:39.policing. Over the past 40 days, the police have got a lot of things
:26:39. > :26:42.right, but at their own admission, they have got something's wrong.
:26:42. > :26:46.But they were willing to engage with community workers in East
:26:46. > :26:51.Belfast this week and hold their hands up and tried to map out a way
:26:51. > :26:57.forward. I think that is healthy and good. How is almost playing out
:26:58. > :27:01.in County Derry? I think people by and large would share the fears of
:27:01. > :27:05.people in the business community and many people in other walks of
:27:05. > :27:10.life in Northern Ireland about the damage this issue is doing to the
:27:10. > :27:16.economy and prospects for jobs. Nigel Dodds mentioned tonight that
:27:16. > :27:20.the real issue was the economy and jobs. An interesting phrase. Debbie
:27:20. > :27:26.is saying that she is optimistic. My difficulty is that I am not
:27:26. > :27:29.entirely sure what the problem is. There was a phrase in the Irish
:27:29. > :27:32.Times this week, a dangerous incoherence on the streets of
:27:32. > :27:41.Belfast and a sweat in Northern Ireland. I do not know whether
:27:41. > :27:44.there the problem is about flags or alienation and chipping away of
:27:44. > :27:49.identity. Deprivation, jobs. I am not entirely sure what the problem
:27:49. > :27:56.is. There is confusion. I do not know for example what the people in
:27:56. > :28:03.the task force are going to say to people. You are going to get your
:28:03. > :28:07.flag up, you are going to get this or that. Or will we try and arrive
:28:07. > :28:13.at a shared future in which all of the people of Northern Ireland can
:28:13. > :28:17.live together. Social media has played an enormous part in the
:28:17. > :28:24.protests and enabled people to find out where they are are happening.
:28:24. > :28:27.The tweet of the week. Young people living in the most disadvantaged of
:28:27. > :28:33.our communities are becoming embroiled and criminalised by
:28:33. > :28:36.disturbances on our streets. Why did you pick that? Because in
:28:36. > :28:42.saying we have the right to peaceful protest, we have to accept
:28:42. > :28:48.the consequences. Over the past 40 days, numerous young people have
:28:48. > :28:53.become caught up in the violence because they think it is sexy and
:28:53. > :28:58.fun. Probably only for that reason a lot of them have got involved.
:28:58. > :29:02.But they are being criminalised. 10, 11, 12 year olds are on the streets.
:29:02. > :29:06.If we are really committed to a share future, if we are really
:29:06. > :29:10.committed to rebuilding our communities, we have to be
:29:10. > :29:20.committed to giving our young people a future. Your tweet
:29:20. > :29:22.
:29:22. > :29:25.thankfully is a bit more light- hearted. A bit of light in the
:29:25. > :29:29.gloom. A veteran republican, he gloom. A veteran republican, he
:29:29. > :29:35.celebrated his 60th birthday yesterday and he tweeted... They
:29:35. > :29:39.have got the flags mixed up. It's the thought that counts. A bit of
:29:39. > :29:44.the thought that counts. A bit of humour in the gloom. What about the
:29:44. > :29:50.week ahead. What will happen? Come we see an end to the protest?
:29:50. > :29:54.Looking ahead, I want to concentrate on the Unionist forum.
:29:54. > :29:58.What will it deliver? Who will it engage with and will it make a
:29:58. > :30:04.difference? I think a lot of people are looking at that. Let us give it
:30:04. > :30:09.a chance. It is the beginning of a process and I think it will engage
:30:09. > :30:13.other political parties including Sinn Fein and the Alliance at some
:30:13. > :30:17.stage. Protestant, Unionist communities, they need to do this
:30:17. > :30:23.on their own at this stage. How are you looking ahead to the next week?
:30:23. > :30:31.I am looking no for the for a ban Sunday lunchtime. The Premiership