:00:27. > :00:31.Coming up on The View tonight: as Fermanagh prepares for the G8
:00:31. > :00:34.circus to roll into town, the First Minister tells us why it's an
:00:34. > :00:39.opportunity for Northern Ireland to shine on the global stage. This is
:00:39. > :00:42.something that simply couldn't have happened ten, 20, 30 years ago, and
:00:42. > :00:48.it's therefore a signal, a demonstration, that Northern
:00:48. > :00:53.Ireland has changed and changed for the better. We're hardly strangers
:00:53. > :00:57.to protests, but what can we expect when anarchists Ants in Pantsty
:00:57. > :01:00.poverty activists take to the streets? With her thoughts on that
:01:00. > :01:04.we'll hear from the International Development Secretary Clare Short.
:01:04. > :01:07.Making a welcome return to commentators' corner to give us the
:01:07. > :01:10.benefit of their collective wisdom are Alex Kane and Paul McFadden.
:01:10. > :01:19.You can of course follow the programme on Twitter. That's at
:01:19. > :01:22.@BBCtheview. "A new era for Northern Ireland and a clear signal
:01:22. > :01:26.we've moved away from conflict to a country at peace" - the words of
:01:26. > :01:29.our First and Deputy First Ministers in the run-up to next
:01:29. > :01:32.week's G8 summit of world leaders in County Fermanagh, but not
:01:32. > :01:36.everyone shares their view that the summit will showcase Northern
:01:36. > :01:40.Ireland and deliver a lasting economic legacy. A short time ago
:01:40. > :01:44.Peter Robinson joined me in the studio, and I began by asking him
:01:44. > :01:48.why he thinks it's good for Northern Ireland to be hosting the
:01:48. > :01:54.G8. Well, I think the Prime Minister put his finger on it. This
:01:54. > :01:58.is something that simply couldn't have happened ten, 20, 30 years ago,
:01:58. > :02:01.and it's therefore a signal, a demonstration, that Northern
:02:01. > :02:07.Ireland has changed and changed for the better. The Prime Minister has
:02:07. > :02:11.had the confidence to put Northern Ireland as the venue for world
:02:11. > :02:15.leaders to come, and you don't do that unless you have a high degree
:02:15. > :02:18.of confidence. Maybe the other reason - I'm not trying to be
:02:18. > :02:22.controversial with this, but it is also a recognition of Northern
:02:22. > :02:25.Ireland's place within the United Kingdom. This is a United Kingdom
:02:25. > :02:29.choice venue, and it's good to see that the Prime Minister is standing
:02:29. > :02:33.by Northern Ireland and recognises its importance within the union.
:02:33. > :02:38.Martin McGuinness comfortable about that? Well, everybody knows that
:02:38. > :02:41.this is the United Kingdom's choice. They're chairing the event, so
:02:41. > :02:46.nobody is under any illusion that it's anything other than that. And
:02:46. > :02:52.I think it's good that there's this recognition, and I think we're all
:02:52. > :02:55.much more comfortable now than we ever have been before about our own
:02:55. > :03:00.individual identities, so I don't think anybody feels uncomfortable
:03:00. > :03:05.about that. Will you and he be putting your best foot forward
:03:05. > :03:08.together while the G8 leaders are in Northern Ireland? We always do.
:03:08. > :03:11.We'll be there to welcome visitors, and I can't think the number of
:03:11. > :03:15.visitors - but we must be talking about 10,000 people coming into
:03:15. > :03:18.Northern Ireland from outside, whether it's in the delegations or
:03:18. > :03:21.amongst the protesters. To be honest, how much do you think the
:03:21. > :03:25.leaders will even notice that they're in Northern Ireland? We're
:03:25. > :03:28.holding a reception so the Prime Minister is kindly bringing the
:03:28. > :03:32.guests in to talk to us, so we'll have the opportunity to say
:03:32. > :03:36.something about Northern Ireland and what it has to offer. What do
:03:36. > :03:41.you think the tangible benefits will be for Northern Ireland, plc?
:03:41. > :03:45.I think a lot of people look at these things in pounds and pence. I
:03:45. > :03:48.don't because for Northern Ireland, a lot of this is about reputational
:03:48. > :03:52.enhancement. It's about doing away with the image of Northern Ireland
:03:52. > :03:56.from the past. The only recognition that there has been of Northern
:03:56. > :04:01.Ireland for many countries around the world has been when it was
:04:01. > :04:05.highlighted in the news programmes during periods - where there has
:04:05. > :04:09.been conflict and division. This is an opportunity for us to showcase
:04:09. > :04:11.ourselves, let people see what Northern Ireland looks like, let
:04:11. > :04:15.them see the beautiful scenery of Fermanagh and that Northern Ireland
:04:15. > :04:19.has moved on. Do you think there is balance to strike, though, between
:04:19. > :04:22.Northern Ireland putting its best foot forward but on the other hand
:04:22. > :04:25.massaging the facts. There were some people from Fermanagh critical
:04:25. > :04:28.recently about the overhaul that Enniskillen has had. They say it's
:04:28. > :04:34.a mirage designed to give the impression of prosperity in the
:04:34. > :04:39.town and it doesn't really tell the truthful story. Do you feel at all
:04:39. > :04:43.uncomfortable about that? I rather imagine that you have guests coming
:04:43. > :04:47.to your house, you'd probably clear the tea table before they come in.
:04:47. > :04:51.It's not unusual for people to try to improve the visual amenities of
:04:51. > :04:55.an area if they're having guests. Yeah. You might do the table, but
:04:55. > :04:59.you might not necessarily paint the entire house. Well, it depends, I
:04:59. > :05:04.suppose, how important the guest is to you. This is not good for
:05:04. > :05:08.Fermanagh. They're getting things - whether it's in terms of their
:05:08. > :05:10.internet connections, which are being improved - if there is a
:05:10. > :05:14.physical improvement in the area, I would have thought the elected
:05:14. > :05:17.represents and the people would be very happy about that. You've got
:05:17. > :05:21.this meeting in Downing Street with the Prime Minister tomorrow - you
:05:21. > :05:25.and Martin McGuinness - to finalise a package of economic measures for
:05:25. > :05:29.Northern Ireland. What level of investment are we looking at
:05:29. > :05:34.potentially? Everything can't be put down to pounds and pence.
:05:34. > :05:38.Indeed, if it was, that sounds more like begging ball economics to me.
:05:38. > :05:42.The whole purpose of what we're doing is a recognition I think on
:05:42. > :05:44.the part of both the Government and the executive that there are two
:05:44. > :05:48.key features to the future of Northern Ireland. One is the
:05:48. > :05:52.economy and the other is a shared future, and what we're attempting
:05:52. > :05:56.to do is to put in place the kind of measures - economic and fiscal
:05:56. > :05:59.issues - that'll assist us in getting growth into our economy
:05:59. > :06:03.over that period of time and to close the gap between our divided
:06:03. > :06:07.communities. I've seen figures, estimates, in the past 24 hours of
:06:07. > :06:10.this package ranging from a value of �200 million to nearly �400
:06:10. > :06:14.million. Where do you think it might be on that scale? Again,
:06:14. > :06:17.you're putting a price tag against each of the features. There are
:06:17. > :06:21.features contained there that give us the ability to do things. There
:06:21. > :06:24.are other features that allow us to borrow. There are features that
:06:24. > :06:29.give us actual funds in our hands, so there's a whole range of
:06:29. > :06:31.measures, and don't forget, it is a pact. It's not just what Her
:06:31. > :06:34.Majesty's Government is doing for Northern Ireland. It's what
:06:34. > :06:37.Northern Ireland intends to do as well, so it's pact being signed
:06:37. > :06:42.between the Government and the executive. Will you be putting a
:06:43. > :06:49.figure on it tomorrow, coming out and saying, there is a �200 million
:06:49. > :06:53.pound package or potentially �300 million? It's a transparent package.
:06:53. > :06:56.It will be an easy calculation if all that a pact means to people is
:06:56. > :06:59.the amount of money that Northern Ireland gets. To me, it is much
:07:00. > :07:03.more than that. I think it's important because it's much more
:07:03. > :07:08.than that. It's enabling Northern Ireland to do things. Here is the
:07:08. > :07:11.critical point - are you absolutely clear in your mind, and can you
:07:11. > :07:15.reassure people watching this tonight that it will be meaningful,
:07:15. > :07:18.that it will make a real difference to people's lives on the ground in
:07:18. > :07:23.Northern Ireland? Of course it's beneficial. I mean, anything that
:07:23. > :07:27.we get beyond where we are at the present time is beneficial, but we
:07:27. > :07:31.have never argued - and I won't be arguing tomorrow either - that this
:07:31. > :07:36.is something that replaces our desire to have what we believe to
:07:37. > :07:40.be the game changer - namely, the ability to set our own level of
:07:40. > :07:43.corporation tax. You're still committed to that? I am, and I
:07:43. > :07:45.think all of us should continue to be fighting to get that, because I
:07:45. > :07:49.think that would be the most significant change to our ability
:07:49. > :07:58.to grow our economy. Jobs are absolutely critical. The latest
:07:58. > :08:03.jobs figures in line with the rest of the UK, unemployment 7.8%,. What
:08:03. > :08:09.hope will they get when this deal is signed tomorrow? I'm delighted
:08:09. > :08:15.that the previous month it was 8.1, and it's now 7.8. It's good to see
:08:15. > :08:20.that general direction of travel. But for the 7.8% of the population
:08:20. > :08:24.that is unemployed and indeed for that section which would come under
:08:24. > :08:26.the heading of economically inactive, anything that grows our
:08:26. > :08:30.economy benefits them. This of course is an issue where you're not
:08:30. > :08:34.in the driving seat. Let's be absolutely honest - David Cameron
:08:34. > :08:38.is in the driving seat, and there's an argument that the Government is
:08:38. > :08:42.- the British Government is adopting something of a carrot-and-
:08:42. > :08:45.stick approach in all of this. The carrot is the package tomorrow, but
:08:45. > :08:48.the stick is you and Martin McGuinness and others in the
:08:48. > :08:53.executive have got to sort yourselves out and move forward
:08:53. > :08:57.properly on a shared future. We saw a plan put on the table a few weeks
:08:57. > :09:00.back. There is still a lot of that - an awful lot of that is in pencil
:09:00. > :09:04.rather than ball-point pen. Do you accept that? First, I don't
:09:04. > :09:07.consider it to be a carrot and a stick. I consider it to be two
:09:07. > :09:11.carrots because this is the advocated policy of the executive
:09:11. > :09:14.we want to move forward in terms of the economy and at the same time,
:09:14. > :09:18.we want to have a shared, united community in Northern Ireland. So
:09:19. > :09:22.nobody needs to have a stick to get us moving in that direction. Indeed,
:09:22. > :09:25.I think some of our patience was shown by the Deputy First Minister
:09:25. > :09:29.in showing that we were prepared to put our proposals out in spite of
:09:29. > :09:33.others being critical about did process because we have hung around
:09:33. > :09:36.for so long trying to get everybody in line and bring it forward.
:09:36. > :09:39.did that of course. Many people saw a degree of choreograph. You tabled
:09:39. > :09:44.your strategy shortly after the Secretary of State said that was
:09:44. > :09:46.what she required you to do, then hey, presto, there is a big
:09:46. > :09:51.announcement from the Treasury tomorrow. No, I think what people
:09:51. > :09:54.would have seen if they were behind the scenes is a lot of frustration
:09:54. > :09:58.omit of the Deputy First Minister and I about the processess grinding
:09:58. > :10:00.so slowly there terms of getting it out. We had made it clear some
:10:00. > :10:04.months beforehand to the Secretary of State that we were keen to get
:10:04. > :10:08.the document out and proposals out. You put proposals on the tail, but
:10:08. > :10:13.with respect, you set aside the difficult bits like parades, flags
:10:13. > :10:17.and the past. We didn't set them aside. We recognised they were
:10:17. > :10:20.difficult issues and have therefore set up a process to deal with those
:10:20. > :10:23.difficult issues. We indicated we're setting up an all-party group
:10:23. > :10:29.and that we were going to put an independent chairperson from
:10:29. > :10:32.outside of the Assembly in charge of it, and we have been moving that
:10:32. > :10:37.forward. We have met with the other party leaders. We have looked at
:10:37. > :10:42.the list of other possible candidates and agreed on an
:10:42. > :10:45.approach to move forward. How did that differ from the situation
:10:45. > :10:50.before where you tried to resolve it and failed? You tried to solve
:10:50. > :10:54.the same old problems that you weren't able to solve. Don't be
:10:54. > :11:01.disparaging about the principle of trying again. I'm not, but the
:11:01. > :11:06.point is you are still trying again. With a slightly different format
:11:06. > :11:11.with the hope the independent chairperson and stake holders
:11:11. > :11:17.involved with change and gain momentum for the process. I hope
:11:17. > :11:22.it's important people recognise we increase the pace of resolving
:11:22. > :11:26.outstanding issues. How hopeful are you about the forthcoming marching
:11:26. > :11:33.season? A lot of people say if it's peaceful, we're in a much better
:11:33. > :11:37.place. If it picks up where we left off as far as the flags dispute is
:11:37. > :11:41.concerned, we're in real trouble? wouldn't part in any way from that
:11:41. > :11:45.kind of thinking. It's important we do have a peaceful marching season
:11:45. > :11:49.where people can enjoy and celebration their traditions, that
:11:49. > :11:53.it's done in a respectful way and the same kind of tolerance is shown
:11:53. > :11:57.to those who are marching. Do you think things look better, more
:11:57. > :12:00.positive than they perhaps did a few months ago? I think there is a
:12:00. > :12:06.much better feel in Northern Ireland. I don't want to use the
:12:06. > :12:09.word "green" in terms of the green shoots in our economy. I don't want
:12:09. > :12:13.to indicate we're now in a recovery mode, but I think there are signals
:12:13. > :12:16.we're turning the corner. That makes people feel better, improves
:12:16. > :12:20.the move in Northern Ireland. It gives us the kind of back-cloth
:12:20. > :12:26.against which it is possible for us to put forward and try to increase
:12:26. > :12:29.the pace in term of the shared future, and all of those things
:12:29. > :12:34.combined together can give us a background against which we can
:12:34. > :12:37.look forward to the marching season. Is that a see-change? I think it is
:12:38. > :12:40.an improvement. But ultimately it's the people of Northern Ireland who
:12:40. > :12:43.will decide their future. There are difficult decisions for us,
:12:43. > :12:46.decisions we have to face, and everybody doesn't get everything
:12:46. > :12:51.that they want whenever you come to reaching agreements, so it is
:12:51. > :12:55.important that people are prepared to stretch themselves in order to
:12:55. > :13:01.create a better society for our young people to grow up in. Peter
:13:01. > :13:04.Robinson, thank you very much indeed. Thank you. So Northern
:13:04. > :13:11.Ireland is on the verge of playing host to eight of the world's most
:13:11. > :13:16.powerful leaders, and thousands of protesters with pop-up hotels and
:13:16. > :13:22.pop-up prisons. The G8 chose rural Fermanagh for next Monday and
:13:22. > :13:31.Tuesday's summit in part to avoid protesters, which is ironic, given
:13:31. > :13:34.our history of street protests. We have been examining the politics of
:13:34. > :13:37.protest. # Something happening here #
:13:37. > :13:44.There is a tradition of protest in Northern Ireland, mainly involving
:13:44. > :13:48.our own local grievances. Never, never, never. But international
:13:48. > :13:53.issues can inspire, such as the Iraq war, when Tony Blair brought
:13:53. > :13:58.George Bush here in a bid perhaps to avoid London protests, so what
:13:58. > :14:04.can we expect from the G8? I think we're going to be out and about on
:14:04. > :14:08.the highways and byways. We'll certainly be in Belfast city centre
:14:08. > :14:13.in the afternoon. The American president is among eight leaders
:14:13. > :14:17.from wealthy nations set to talk trade, tax and other issues.
:14:17. > :14:21.Fermanagh's remoteness, attractive to politicians perhaps keen to
:14:21. > :14:26.avoid angry messages about war and poverty. Fermanagh now has fences
:14:26. > :14:32.further than the eye can see. But protesters will be kept well back
:14:32. > :14:35.from the summit with a ring of steel around. There are concerns
:14:35. > :14:39.there is too much focus around security and not enough on the
:14:39. > :14:43.right to protest. Given scenes like this at other G8 summits and
:14:43. > :14:47.arrests in London this week, the police say security is justified,
:14:47. > :14:51.but others argue most protest is peaceful, and the real agenda is to
:14:51. > :14:58.create fear, put people off protesting and create more powers
:14:58. > :15:03.for police to use in future. concerned with the way in which the
:15:03. > :15:07.right to free assembly has been arbitrarily removed apparently at
:15:07. > :15:12.the prompting not of the politicians but of the police. I am
:15:12. > :15:18.concerned about the fact that we're being made to get even more used to
:15:18. > :15:21.an armed police - to armed police in a situation in the context which
:15:21. > :15:24.has nothing to do with paramilitarism. I think the
:15:24. > :15:28.preparation of cells to throw literally hundreds of people into -
:15:28. > :15:31.that is an ominous sign for the future, and I think what's
:15:31. > :15:34.particularly ominous is all of these things are happening without
:15:34. > :15:37.any political debate. politicians who support the
:15:37. > :15:43.legitimate protests say they've worked to ensure the police are
:15:43. > :15:47.held to account. I think there's something like - between 43 and 47
:15:47. > :15:53.separate police officers involved here from Britain - have signed up
:15:53. > :15:57.to be accountable to the police ombudsman. The police ombudsman
:15:57. > :16:02.will be able to investigate anything there. County Fermanagh is
:16:02. > :16:08.welcoming world leaders, but what about the protesters? Regrettably,
:16:08. > :16:14.events such as the G8 summit also attract all the malcontents and
:16:14. > :16:18.anarchists. They see it as a window of opportunity to expression their
:16:18. > :16:23.worst excesses. Political leaders here are already anxious that the
:16:23. > :16:27.G8 showcases Northern Ireland at peace. I think that theation --
:16:27. > :16:31.that the agenda for the British Government and I think for the
:16:31. > :16:35.executive as well is to advertise Northern Ireland as a place where
:16:35. > :16:39.people have been bought off or otherwise pacifyed, that that's no
:16:39. > :16:44.challenge here and certainly no challenge to what the G8 represent.
:16:44. > :16:46.I think that's a pity. Well, we have written to both the Chief
:16:46. > :16:49.Constable, the Minister of Justice and the Secretary of State to
:16:49. > :16:53.remind them of their responsibilities to uphold the
:16:53. > :16:57.rights of all to freedom of speech, freedom of protest. It's really
:16:57. > :17:01.important people feel able to exercise their right to freedom of
:17:01. > :17:06.speech, freedom of process and to engage in this debate about where
:17:06. > :17:11.our world is headed. These decisions are too Bigley simply to
:17:11. > :17:17.be left to these men and women locked away from the rest of us.
:17:17. > :17:20.This kind of security witnessed at previous summits is featured in a
:17:20. > :17:24.film about protest movements around the world. It was screened in
:17:24. > :17:28.Belfast this week, and the film- maker says protest movements,
:17:28. > :17:31.bolstered by social media, are growing. The slacker generation is
:17:31. > :17:33.growing, and I think the new generation coming up is very
:17:33. > :17:37.energised. They're looking for solutions. They're inheriting a
:17:37. > :17:40.world in deep trouble, especially with the climate crisis, and
:17:40. > :17:48.they're looking for a way to change that. They're hopeful. They're
:17:48. > :17:52.energised, and they want too make change. In Canada we have an
:17:52. > :17:59.indigenous rights movement - the youth rising up in a way that it
:17:59. > :18:04.has never before. That's sweeping across the world. The Turkey,
:18:04. > :18:08.they're demonstrating against their loss of rights. The anti-austerity
:18:08. > :18:12.movement is strong. But the mood among the students we spoke to at
:18:12. > :18:18.the college in Enniskillen was very different, welcoming the G8 with no
:18:18. > :18:23.sign of protest. I think it can only bring good. The protesters
:18:23. > :18:26.will be the only bad thing. think the G8 will bring good things
:18:26. > :18:30.to your country? It will put Enniskillen on the map. They have
:18:30. > :18:35.brightened the whole place up. It looks prettier. What about the
:18:35. > :18:39.protest? Will you be protesting? Why not? I don't see the point in
:18:39. > :18:47.it. Protesters are mostly expected to come from outside the county.
:18:47. > :18:55.Fermanagh seems focused to playing host to rich nations in hopes of
:18:55. > :19:01.attracting the wealth, leaving rock stars to record a new video...
:19:01. > :19:05.# There is something happening here # What it is ain't exactly clear #
:19:05. > :19:08.Martina Purdy reporting there. Joining me from our studios in
:19:08. > :19:11.Birmingham is the former International Development Secretary
:19:11. > :19:14.Clare Short. Thank you very much for joining us on the programme.
:19:14. > :19:18.Let me ask you, would you expect this summit in Northern Ireland
:19:18. > :19:24.next Monday and Tuesday to be the focus of a major protest? Well,
:19:24. > :19:30.it's a guess, but I suspect there will be some, but not very big. I
:19:30. > :19:34.think there is a funny mood. I mean, if you remember, the big anti-
:19:34. > :19:39.globalisation protests from Seattle, the World Trade Organisation, and
:19:39. > :19:42.there was a mood of big demonstrations amongst all of these
:19:42. > :19:45.international meetings - I think that subsided a bit as people have
:19:45. > :19:48.become so anxious about their own situation. I don't think people are
:19:49. > :19:52.happy, but the mood isn't quite so angry and getting on the streets.
:19:52. > :19:57.That's my guess - that there will be some, but not enormous. May it
:19:57. > :20:01.also not be as huge as it might have been elsewhere because
:20:01. > :20:05.Fermanagh is quite remote? Many people say that's precisely why
:20:05. > :20:09.David Cameron chose it. I'm sure - I think those two things. He wanted
:20:09. > :20:12.to celebrate peace in Northern Ireland - indeed, show it off, but
:20:13. > :20:18.they now always look for somewhere remote where they can put up the
:20:18. > :20:23.fences and not have any trouble. The last one was in Gleneagles - a
:20:23. > :20:26.golfing place, you know, in a beautiful part of Scotland. The one
:20:26. > :20:30.before that was in Birmingham when the protests went as usual. In fact,
:20:30. > :20:33.that was when we were all having the debt campaigns and Clinton went
:20:33. > :20:39.for a beer on one of the streets in the middle of the city, but since
:20:39. > :20:44.then, whichever country hosts it, they look for a remote place
:20:44. > :20:48.because there's been all of these angry anti-globalisation protests,
:20:48. > :20:54.and now people are anxious about the general state of the world and
:20:55. > :20:59.the crisis in finance and the climate and the Middle East and the
:20:59. > :21:03.danger of violence, so remote spots for G8 meetings - that's the
:21:03. > :21:07.pattern everywhere. Remote, of course, everybody would agree, but
:21:07. > :21:10.Peter Robinson was making the point earlier in the programme - I think
:21:10. > :21:14.you heard him, when he said, very beautiful, and there is a
:21:14. > :21:17.tremendous opportunity for Northern Ireland to be seen on the global
:21:17. > :21:22.stage in a positive light. Is he right about that, or is there a
:21:22. > :21:25.danger perhaps of our politicians overplaying that? I think it's true
:21:25. > :21:31.- the meeting's come to Northern Ireland to celebrate the peace.
:21:31. > :21:38.That is there, and people will all be reminded. But of course, you
:21:38. > :21:41.know, did Birmingham get any lasting benefit when it was in
:21:41. > :21:46.Birmingham? Did Gleneagles? I think they're all behind their fences for
:21:46. > :21:49.a couple of days, and then they go away, so it is will have a bit of
:21:49. > :21:59.benefit, but I don't think enormous. How concerned are you at the issue
:21:59. > :22:03.of civil rights? We heard from Mr McCann in that report expressing
:22:03. > :22:06.the concerns about draconian police preparations, as he sees them, with
:22:06. > :22:11.no public debate in advance. Do you have any reservations about that?
:22:11. > :22:18.think there is a general tightening of security across the world, and
:22:18. > :22:22.in the UK. The right to demonstrate and express opinions is now much
:22:22. > :22:26.more restricted and fenced in, and I think that's deeply regrettable,
:22:26. > :22:30.but that's the mood of the world. I think it isn't just because it's
:22:30. > :22:37.Northern Ireland. I mean, they have just arrested a lot of people in
:22:37. > :22:40.London who were planning some kind of protest, so I'm afraid security
:22:40. > :22:44.is taking over our civil liberties everywhere, and we should be
:22:44. > :22:49.concerned about it. You're a former International Development Secretary.
:22:49. > :22:53.You served in that position for quite a few years - a decade and
:22:53. > :23:01.more ago. Do you think anything more substantial can come out of G8
:23:01. > :23:06.summits today? Well, on this one, Cameron is trying to drive some
:23:06. > :23:10.progress on transfer pricing and the fact that all the big companies
:23:10. > :23:14.avoid paying their taxes by taking them off to tax havens - and that's
:23:14. > :23:17.surely a good thing to do - they have committed some money in a big
:23:17. > :23:20.package about doing something about hunger across the world, and we
:23:20. > :23:24.should be in favour of that. They're trying to get all over the
:23:24. > :23:27.world people to be more transparent about oil and mining because in all
:23:27. > :23:32.countries where you've got new oil and mining, you tend to get
:23:32. > :23:36.problems of corruption, and so on, so I think some good will come of
:23:36. > :23:41.it, yes. What about G8 itself? Is it as powerful an organisation as
:23:41. > :23:45.it was a number of years ago - no India, no China, no South American
:23:45. > :23:50.countries? No, no. It used to be the G7, then it became G8 with
:23:50. > :23:54.Russia at the end of the Soviet Union, but the big one now is the
:23:54. > :23:59.G20 when Brazil is there, South Africa and so on. The power is
:23:59. > :24:03.moving from the G8 to the G20, and you can't really talk about running
:24:03. > :24:07.the world without having China, India, you know? These two
:24:07. > :24:11.countries - that's a fifth of humanity in each of them, rising
:24:12. > :24:15.economically, and Brazil rising. It's the G2020 that's the big one
:24:15. > :24:20.now. A final word from you now - what should we be doing in Northern
:24:20. > :24:24.Ireland over the next few days? Basking in the international
:24:24. > :24:28.attention as Peter Robinson wants us to do? Then move on? A bit of
:24:28. > :24:32.basking is a good idea and a bit of protesting too. Strike the balance.
:24:32. > :24:36.Yeah. Clare Short, thank you very much indeed for joining us from
:24:36. > :24:40.Birmingham tonight. Good to talk to you. Well, the impending G8 summit
:24:40. > :24:44.- we have had our interview with the First Minister at the top of
:24:44. > :24:47.the hour as well. There is lots to talk about in Commentators' Corner.
:24:47. > :24:49.Alex Kane and Paul McFadden are with me. Good evening to you both.
:24:49. > :24:55.Let's talk about the First Minister first. What struck you about his
:24:55. > :25:03.thoughts on the programme tonight? Statesman-like? What struck me - he
:25:03. > :25:06.delivered it all with dead-pan enthusiasm - Eeyore rather than a
:25:06. > :25:10.big bouncing Tigger - everything is graimt. You will to get everything
:25:10. > :25:12.out of him. The only interesting thing that came out of that is the
:25:12. > :25:15.suggestion if he were important enough he was going to clear his
:25:15. > :25:20.table and paint his house to welcome you. Nothing else stood out
:25:20. > :25:24.to me. It was strange. Paul? I was interested in the fact that he was
:25:24. > :25:31.talking about there being a much better feel in Northern Ireland
:25:31. > :25:36.than the early days. He was talking about these saying that were
:25:36. > :25:42.turning the corner - green chutes of recovery. The summer and the
:25:42. > :25:44.years ahead will tell a tale about that. Comments on Twitter have been
:25:44. > :25:47.interested in his comments about Northern Ireland being a more
:25:47. > :25:52.positive place than it was a few short months ago. What do you think
:25:52. > :25:59.about that? They always say that. Anything something is going to
:25:59. > :26:05.happen, they say something positive - MMTV, the G8, West Life's world
:26:05. > :26:10.tour - they always say it's a great sign. There could be a considerable
:26:10. > :26:14.amount of egg on his face at the start of the summer, so to come out
:26:14. > :26:19.and say something as optimistic as that, to use dangerous language, is
:26:19. > :26:21.a brave thing to do. I don't think it's optimism. I think it's bare-
:26:21. > :26:25.faced ignoring reality. Sometimes they just have to say it's not
:26:25. > :26:29.going to be as good as it is and this whole G8 thing is not going to
:26:29. > :26:33.result - they talk about the Trangable benefits - in fact I
:26:33. > :26:38.think he said intangible benefits, whatever that's supposed to mean.
:26:38. > :26:41.Let's move on to stories of week. was tempted to talk about the
:26:41. > :26:45.return of the pageant in Derry which was a fantastic success last
:26:45. > :26:49.weekend. We also had the announcement of Ireland's first
:26:49. > :26:54.brain mapping centre, but the thing that stopped me in my tracks this
:26:54. > :26:58.week was the sad story about the death by suicide of the Turf Lodge
:26:58. > :27:03.priest priest, Father Matt Wallace. I think we tend - in the past many
:27:03. > :27:07.of us have put priests and Ministers on pedestals. We take
:27:07. > :27:12.them as almost super-human figures. The tragic circumstances of his
:27:12. > :27:18.death showed to us that priests, Ministers, clergymen and women are
:27:18. > :27:22.human like the rest of us. That kind of a thing fires a shot across
:27:22. > :27:26.our bows maybe. It certainly affected a lot of people. Great to
:27:26. > :27:30.see his funeral that was held by his parishioners and further afield.
:27:30. > :27:34.Your story of the week? Mine continues from the G8 thing about
:27:34. > :27:38.the tourism thing, how they see Northern Ireland. Robinson saying
:27:38. > :27:41.he would bring them in and talk to them about it. It's all good and
:27:41. > :27:47.well saying come see Northern Ireland, where you're closing the
:27:47. > :27:50.roads, building pop-up prisons, pop-up courts - it's a very surreal
:27:50. > :27:57.world they're creating. No-one will actually see Northern Ireland
:27:57. > :28:06.because they won't be allowed to. lot of them will make trips. Obama
:28:06. > :28:10.will come to the water front. Should we get a mock-up of Martin
:28:10. > :28:20.McGuinness... Someday we'll get them side by side. Tweet of the
:28:20. > :28:33.
:28:33. > :28:39.suggestion. I think people could be having to make a very early start
:28:39. > :28:49.to breakfast over the next few weeks. Your Tweet of the week?
:28:49. > :28:55.
:28:55. > :28:59.is from a parody site. Very interesting that the parody site
:28:59. > :29:03.has almost as many followers as the real site. In our case, it's very
:29:04. > :29:07.difficult to tell which one - Basil actually said tonight you had to
:29:07. > :29:12.point out to people that the parody one wasn't his.
:29:12. > :29:17.He had a tough old time in the polygamy debate on did radio.
:29:17. > :29:22.was lovely because from the launch you had people wanting to know
:29:22. > :29:27.whether the 21 and NI21 was the number of wives - I just love that.
:29:27. > :29:31.What are you looking forward to in the week ahead? I think it's the
:29:31. > :29:35.whole Nellie Osmond thing - clearly, he may not die this week, but I
:29:35. > :29:40.think what you can perceive not only in South Africa but across the
:29:40. > :29:44.world is the sense of what's going to happen -- Nelson Mandela. He is
:29:44. > :29:48.holding that nation together. It's very fractious. At the minute - he
:29:48. > :29:51.was still up until recently - his mere presence - a few words from
:29:51. > :29:55.him could calm the situation. I worry when he's not there, what's
:29:55. > :30:00.going to happen. It could be very, very dangerous. Paul? Something
:30:00. > :30:05.actually happened over the next couple of days - I am looking
:30:05. > :30:11.forward to meeting a journalistic icon, Robert Fisk. Here? Maybe not
:30:11. > :30:15.quite enjoying the same stature you do! I have the privilege of
:30:15. > :30:18.speaking to him at an event Saturday night in the Guild Hall,
:30:18. > :30:23.so it's a conference open to public, open to attend. Speakers come...
:30:23. > :30:29.He's a bit of a controversial figure. He is. He has his fans and
:30:29. > :30:34.critics. They even coined a verb in his honour, to Fiske, which is to