:00:48. > :00:52.Fein. It's not sincere. What's behind the launch of Sinn Fein's
:00:52. > :00:56.border poll campaign? We'll have the thoughts of Gerry Adams. And
:00:56. > :01:06.from their views on polls, protests and politics, we'll hear from The
:01:06. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:12.View's commentators this week, Paul And you can, of course, follow the
:01:12. > :01:15.programme on Twitter. There was only one item on the
:01:15. > :01:21.agenda at the meeting in east Belfast this afternoon. That was
:01:21. > :01:24.stopping the violence, and for the first time, the UDA and UVF
:01:24. > :01:28.community workers and clergy united to call for an end to rioting in
:01:28. > :01:37.the area. They did not, however, call for the protests to end. We'll
:01:37. > :01:42.shortly be talking to the Reverend Gary Mason but first fellow
:01:42. > :01:45.clergyman Mr Gibson had this to say at press conference. I think it's
:01:45. > :01:50.significant everyone is coming together collectively saying this
:01:50. > :01:53.must stop. We hope and pray it's a turning point, but it's not the
:01:53. > :01:57.total answer. Other work has to be done behind and in front of the
:01:57. > :02:04.scenes, wherever, to try to make sure this statement is followed up.
:02:04. > :02:07.With me is Reverend Gary Mason from the east Belfast Mission. You're
:02:07. > :02:12.involved in these conversations. Are you confident it will work?
:02:12. > :02:15.a lot of conversations took place primarily from Monday until
:02:15. > :02:18.literally early morning today with a multiplicity of people to bring
:02:18. > :02:23.this statement together. I think one of the key things, as Mervyn
:02:23. > :02:27.has mentioned, it's a very wide- ranging body. It was a grass-roots
:02:27. > :02:31.movement that put this together. No-one person or organisation can
:02:31. > :02:36.claim total responsibility. I think that's the strength of it - this
:02:36. > :02:40.whole unified approach calling to an end to the street violence.
:02:40. > :02:44.confident that in the loyalist paramilitaries that there is
:02:44. > :02:48.discipline there? They'll adhere to it? I have had conversations with
:02:48. > :02:52.the UDF TUDA and the Red Hand Commando. They have given their
:02:52. > :02:55.word to me and to others they believe the violence to stop. I
:02:55. > :02:59.believe they're genuine in putting out that statement. When it comes
:02:59. > :03:02.to an end to violence, that's one step, but a lot of others will be
:03:02. > :03:07.wondering why not call for an end to the protests? I think for me it
:03:07. > :03:11.was important to begin this dialogue about balance. As I see
:03:11. > :03:15.news reels beamed around the world, the biggest thing being highlighted
:03:15. > :03:20.the violence on the streets. That's having a major impact on business.
:03:20. > :03:24.We're in the middle of a recession. The protests - as I kind of look at
:03:24. > :03:28.that whole scenario, we have four options. The first thing folk can
:03:28. > :03:32.do is suspend the protests, give us a bit of breathing space, asking
:03:32. > :03:37.the question, where do we go from here? Do you think is that likely?
:03:37. > :03:41.Can you secure that? I don't know. I think the next option, I guess is
:03:41. > :03:46.to stop them. If you stop them, I think the question society has to
:03:46. > :03:48.ask themselves is do we create a vacuum. If they are stopped, is
:03:48. > :03:52.there some political or democratic framework? The next option I guess
:03:52. > :03:56.is go for a white-line protest. I suppose the fourth option is to
:03:56. > :03:59.continue. If they do continue, I think one of the critical questions,
:03:59. > :04:04.Tara is what this is doing to the economy, and I think I can say,
:04:04. > :04:06.knowing many folk involved in these protests, there is no protestor who
:04:06. > :04:10.wants to destroy the economy of Northern Ireland. That's the
:04:10. > :04:13.country they love. It's the flag they love. So that's a question
:04:13. > :04:17.that definitely needs to be tackled with and grappled with in the days
:04:17. > :04:20.ahead. You obviously work in east Belfast. You have been there a long
:04:20. > :04:25.time. What has this done to community relations? How far has it
:04:25. > :04:30.set them back? It's undoubtedly set community relations back, but as we
:04:30. > :04:36.said today,we have been here before. There were incidents in June 2010
:04:36. > :04:40.or 2011. We had serious street violence, including police, over a
:04:40. > :04:44.decade ago. They can be repaired, but it is a painful process putting
:04:44. > :04:46.that back together as well. There's no question about it, and we still
:04:46. > :04:51.are a deeply divided society here. There's no question about that
:04:51. > :04:54.either. What do you see as the role of political leaders, then? Because
:04:54. > :04:57.reading the statement and getting a sense of reading between the lines,
:04:57. > :05:01.it sounds as if it was the community that put this together
:05:01. > :05:06.rather than the politicians. It was a community exercise, but a number
:05:06. > :05:10.of politicians have signed up to that, so there's no question it
:05:10. > :05:12.arose from grassroots, but politicians were consulted. There
:05:12. > :05:16.were conversations there and political parties have put their
:05:16. > :05:21.name to the document. Could they be doing more? There is a feeling that
:05:21. > :05:24.politicians can be doing more. There should be visits to the area,
:05:24. > :05:27.et cetera of I think it is time that happened. I don't want to just
:05:27. > :05:30.sit here tonight and wipe the floor with politicians, but I would
:05:30. > :05:37.suggest that a visit to the area by some folk I think would go a long
:05:37. > :05:43.way to restoring some of those relationships? Who? Peter Robinson?
:05:43. > :05:47.That would be good, but I have to say as well Peter Robinson as First
:05:47. > :05:51.Minister has done a good job as regards economics and investment. I
:05:51. > :05:54.am not here to sit here and criticise people because we move
:05:54. > :05:58.into that political framework that doesn't get us anywhere, but I
:05:58. > :06:02.would say I think he should come and visit the area. I think that
:06:02. > :06:05.would go a long way towards putting out a statement. Thank you very
:06:05. > :06:11.much indeed. This weekend, Sinn Fein will step up their campaign
:06:11. > :06:13.for a border poll. The party wants a referendum on Irish unity and
:06:13. > :06:21.insists that a united Ireland would create new jobs and guarantee
:06:21. > :06:25.stability and peace. Any referendum would have to take place on both
:06:25. > :06:28.sides of the border. But unionists say the call for a poll is a stunt
:06:28. > :06:31.and have accused Sinn Fein of fantasy politics. In a moment we'll
:06:31. > :06:41.hear from the Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams but first our Political
:06:41. > :06:46.
:06:46. > :06:49.Reporter Stephen Walker examines This is what it's all about - the
:06:49. > :06:53.border. Once making this journey would have been slow and cumbersome
:06:53. > :06:57.because of the number of security checkpoints, but now because of the
:06:57. > :07:03.new road network, the trip between Dublin and Belfast is quicker than
:07:03. > :07:11.ever. The border has dominated our politics for generations, and the
:07:11. > :07:15.idea of holding a referendum isn't a new one either. 40 years ago in
:07:15. > :07:21.1973, a border poll was held. The overwhelming majority of people
:07:21. > :07:23.voted to stay in the UK, but the referendum was boycotted by
:07:23. > :07:29.Nationalists. From the British Government point of view, it really
:07:29. > :07:33.was just too removed, the issue of the border from practical politics.
:07:33. > :07:39.Nationalist politicians realised that, so the SDLP at the time
:07:39. > :07:45.boycotted it, so literally you have a 98% majority in favour of
:07:45. > :07:50.retaining the status quo in '73 because Nationalists just don't
:07:50. > :07:54.vote. Critics say a border poll is unnecessary. I think it's very much
:07:54. > :07:58.politics for the optics. I think what they're trying to do is send a
:07:58. > :08:02.message to their own supporters to say that united Ireland is still on
:08:02. > :08:05.the agenda as far as they're concerned. I think they should be
:08:05. > :08:10.mature enough and indeed show leadership to their community to
:08:10. > :08:14.say that a united Ireland is not on the agenda for the foreseeable
:08:14. > :08:19.future - certainly not in my lifetime and not in the lifetime of
:08:19. > :08:23.my children. Unionists also insist that those campaigning for a united
:08:23. > :08:27.Ireland must consider economic questions. The Irish Republic are
:08:27. > :08:33.currently running a deficit of �15 billion per annum. Northern Ireland
:08:33. > :08:36.runs a deficit of 10 billion per annum. The combined deficit of the
:08:36. > :08:39.united Ireland is absolutely unsustainable for everybody. There
:08:39. > :08:43.would be a dramatic crash in the standard of living, and that's just
:08:43. > :08:46.for those people who are considering and worried about the
:08:46. > :08:54.financial aspects, nevermind the emotional and the psychological and
:08:54. > :08:55.the political attachment, which Unionists feel for the kingdom.
:08:55. > :08:58.71.12% - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:08:59. > :09:02.The referendum on the Good Friday Agreement was the last time a
:09:02. > :09:08.single question was put to the vote in Northern Ireland. Under the Good
:09:08. > :09:12.Friday Agreement, the Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, has the
:09:12. > :09:16.power to call a border poll, but she may only do so if she feels
:09:16. > :09:19.there is a majority in Northern Ireland who want a united Ireland.
:09:19. > :09:26.She'll be aware of the sense of feeling north of the border, but
:09:26. > :09:31.how do people here in Dublin view the prospect of a border poll?
:09:31. > :09:36.border poll would probably help us down here to know better how people
:09:36. > :09:39.in Northern Ireland feel. Everybody knows who wants to be a part of
:09:39. > :09:42.Ireland, who wants to be a part of Britain up there, so I don't think
:09:42. > :09:47.a poll is going to be any use to anybody. I think there should be a
:09:47. > :09:52.border poll. I think, you know, unionism has clearly failed a large
:09:52. > :09:55.section of the Northern Irish community. I can't see why a poll
:09:55. > :09:59.could be anything but beneficial and informative for the people of
:09:59. > :10:03.the province to decide themselves and determine their own future
:10:03. > :10:08.which relates to their own identity and how that splits out. What is
:10:08. > :10:15.behind Sinn Fein's call for a border poll? Sinn Fein have been
:10:16. > :10:18.trying to replace Fianna Fail as the Republican Party. They want the
:10:18. > :10:23.electorate to support them, so I think it's about Sinn Fein trying
:10:23. > :10:26.to carve out a place for themselves. Traditionally Fianna Fail have
:10:26. > :10:31.always billed themselves as the Republican Party, and in their
:10:31. > :10:35.ranks, there is some suspicion about Sinn Fein's motives.
:10:35. > :10:39.initiative by Sinn Fein is all about Sinn Fein and not about the
:10:39. > :10:43.people on the island. Fundamentally, I think it's a bogus proposition as
:10:43. > :10:47.presented by Sinn Fein. It's not sincere. Recent opinion polls and
:10:47. > :10:52.election results still suggest a vote on Irish unity in Northern
:10:52. > :10:57.Ireland would fail, so why don't Unionists call Sinn Fein's bluff?
:10:57. > :11:00.It would prove very, very divisive. To only have a border poll when you
:11:00. > :11:03.believe you're in a position that you believe that situation is going
:11:03. > :11:07.to change. We're not in that situation at the moment. It's
:11:07. > :11:11.fantasy politics. It would retrench people into very polarised debates
:11:11. > :11:15.at a time, frankly, when we should be trying to deal with the problems
:11:15. > :11:21.that we have at present. It's 40 years since people voted on whether
:11:21. > :11:24.the border should disappear. The political landscape may have
:11:24. > :11:34.changed, but Sinn Fein insist the time is right to revisit this age-
:11:34. > :11:35.
:11:35. > :11:39.Gerry Adams is in our Dublin studio. You're very welcome to the
:11:39. > :11:42.programme. You have been accused in that report there of pretty bad
:11:43. > :11:47.timing. Well, you know, we have been accused of many things, and
:11:47. > :11:51.it's quite amazing listening to some of the commentators. I
:11:51. > :11:54.couldn't see the televisual images, but it's - you know, it's not that
:11:54. > :11:59.long ago we were told the peace process wasn't possible. It wasn't
:11:59. > :12:03.that long ago when we were told some parties would never go into
:12:03. > :12:07.Government with Sinn Fein, that we wouldn't be able to deal with big
:12:07. > :12:11.issues like policing, so everything is possible. Far from Sinn Fein
:12:11. > :12:18.revisiting this issue, we have never left this issue. Our entire
:12:18. > :12:22.focus as a party - and we're an Irish Republican Party, so we want
:12:22. > :12:26.to see a unity of orange and green on this island. We can't get that
:12:26. > :12:29.unless the people agree, and we can't have that unless the people
:12:29. > :12:34.decide to get rid of partition. During the Good Friday Agreement
:12:34. > :12:39.negotiations, we negotiated an end to the Government of Ireland Act
:12:39. > :12:44.and the citizens by a vast majority across the island voted in favour
:12:44. > :12:48.of that and as you have just reminded us, as part of that
:12:48. > :12:52.agreement, as a mechanism for a border poll to be held - that was
:12:52. > :12:58.15 years ago. It's now time for a border poll to be held. What is
:12:58. > :13:02.your timescale, then? Are you talking about holding it in a
:13:02. > :13:07.couple of years? In ten years. do you realistically think that
:13:07. > :13:11.will be held? I do think all of that is negotiable, but I do think
:13:11. > :13:16.the next year of the Assembly would be a reasonable time frame. We're
:13:16. > :13:22.not going gung ho at this. We're not, you know, making a big, mad
:13:22. > :13:26.charge at our Unionist neighbours and trying to provoke them with
:13:26. > :13:31.this issue. We want a discussion. And if there is a Unionist leader
:13:31. > :13:35.out there who is confident in his or her unionism, who thinks that
:13:35. > :13:40.the vision which they have of a union, of a partitioned Ireland, is
:13:40. > :13:47.one which is the best way to go forward, then let them argue that.
:13:47. > :13:50.Let them debate that, and I as an Irish republican who believe on
:13:50. > :13:55.this small island on this small land mass that together we're
:13:55. > :14:00.stronger, that, you know, a single island economy, a single Health
:14:00. > :14:05.Service, us all working in unison, us finding ways to live our lives,
:14:05. > :14:08.to work out issues which are at the moment bedevilling, our
:14:08. > :14:12.relationship, lets me and others who think like me have the
:14:12. > :14:20.opportunity to argue the merit of our position that we need a unity
:14:20. > :14:24.Given that the current climate, it will be harder than ever to
:14:24. > :14:30.convince Unionists of the merits of a united Ireland given the
:14:30. > :14:38.controversy over the flag? I have to say I have huge confidence in
:14:38. > :14:43.both Sinn Fein's vision and ability to argue the case but also
:14:43. > :14:50.confidence in the Unionist neighbours because politics in both
:14:50. > :14:56.parts of the island is in flux. One of the reasons and we heard about
:14:56. > :15:03.Fianna Fail is about the corruption led by successive Fianna Fail lead
:15:03. > :15:08.ships. And the way the economy has people looking for a better society
:15:08. > :15:14.and politics is in flux in the north because of the peace process
:15:14. > :15:18.and because of the end of the campaigns by the British armed
:15:18. > :15:25.forces and by those who oppose them. It is a work-in-progress and we
:15:25. > :15:33.have a lot to do and I don't for one moment... I am realistic, we do
:15:33. > :15:37.not minimise the challenges which we are faced -- facing. What is the
:15:37. > :15:43.evidence there is an appetite for a united Ireland given the census
:15:43. > :15:48.figures we have had, given some of the figures from the Life and Times
:15:48. > :15:52.survey. Where is your evidence, the Secretary of State will not call a
:15:52. > :15:59.Border poll unless there is evidence that is an appetite for a
:15:59. > :16:06.united Ireland. I live in the real- world. Secretary of State's come
:16:06. > :16:10.and go, I forget their names. under the terms of the Good Friday
:16:11. > :16:15.Agreement. He or she may be the person who signs the peace paper
:16:15. > :16:25.but that decision will be taken by a British government. What is your
:16:25. > :16:29.evidence? Please let me finish. I don't think the British government
:16:29. > :16:33.has any intention of calling a Border poll. I do not think the
:16:33. > :16:39.Irish government has any intention of calling a Border poll. The first
:16:39. > :16:43.challenge for those of us who want a Border poll is to win that, to
:16:43. > :16:48.secure by building a political support for it. What are they
:16:48. > :16:52.afraid of? The people will have their say. It will not be left to
:16:52. > :17:00.the politicians as to every citizen will be able to put their mark for
:17:00. > :17:06.or against the continuation of partition and the Union. As a first
:17:06. > :17:11.phase... This is nothing new. As the first phase of trying to win a
:17:11. > :17:17.Border poll it would be it a convincing people and governments
:17:17. > :17:21.but the time is now. The second big challenge of course is to win the
:17:21. > :17:27.Border poll and to persuade people that is the best way to go for.
:17:27. > :17:32.Let's look at the economics. �10 billion, the Treasury currently
:17:32. > :17:37.pays to fund Northern Ireland. 15 billion is the deficit in the south.
:17:37. > :17:42.You can see the argument, his Dublin going to pay the �10
:17:42. > :17:45.billion? Were, we have been gathering figures from the
:17:45. > :17:53.Department of fights. The British government are coy about how much
:17:53. > :18:00.money they take out of the North and I think the figure they use his
:18:00. > :18:08.17.5 billion but the Department of Finance tells us 12.7 billion is
:18:08. > :18:13.taken out so the deficit is then reduced to around 7 billion. We
:18:13. > :18:19.have not been able to establish a lot of firms which are
:18:19. > :18:25.headquartered in Britain but which pay corporation tax, we have not
:18:25. > :18:30.been never to find out what it announced it. You will find the
:18:30. > :18:35.deficit is much less than what it is claimed by those who are pro-
:18:35. > :18:39.Unionist. Do you think voters in the North want to take on the
:18:39. > :18:45.austerity that is facing voters in the south? Well, there are many
:18:45. > :18:51.many people in the North, including those in my previous constituency
:18:51. > :18:55.who have known nothing else except austerity. The only thing is
:18:55. > :18:59.different in people's psychology north and south is there was it
:18:59. > :19:09.Celtic tiger in the South Sea people we used to... Some people,
:19:09. > :19:13.
:19:13. > :19:18.not all... As we know, it's a different economic picture for they
:19:18. > :19:25.will vote about their lifestyle and how much they can earn. Partition
:19:25. > :19:32.is economically unviable. We have less than 6 million people, we're a
:19:32. > :19:38.small landmass. The partition untrained a sectarian arrangement
:19:38. > :19:44.and it incorporated British control what was the most industrialised
:19:44. > :19:49.part of the island. What happens to be duplication Dunne bear with me.
:19:49. > :19:54.It makes sense that we sell ourselves as a single Ireland, we
:19:54. > :20:00.organise ourselves as a single Ireland. I remember Yvonne's ago
:20:00. > :20:06.the argument being put for a single island economy. Even the most UN
:20:06. > :20:13.pragmatic unionist and stands when it is to our mutual benefit that
:20:13. > :20:17.there is a huge advantage in cross- border arrangements on issues.
:20:17. > :20:22.about duplication, the Civil Service, how would to square that
:20:22. > :20:29.circle, people doing the same jobs on both sides of the border, there
:20:29. > :20:35.would be massive job losses in an united Ireland. Well, at the moment
:20:36. > :20:43.we have two quite difficult economic situations. And we have
:20:43. > :20:50.two economies. We have two arrangements which are facing away
:20:50. > :20:58.from each other. Facing towards each other and creating and
:20:58. > :21:03.organising our economy in a way which serves the people, in a way
:21:03. > :21:09.which can use our image and use our ingenuity and strength, that's the
:21:09. > :21:14.way to do it as opposed to what we have is competition, two states
:21:14. > :21:19.competing in the international market for jobs. Martin McGuinness
:21:19. > :21:22.and Peter Robinson have done a very good job on the back of the peace
:21:23. > :21:30.process in bringing inward investment but there are still huge
:21:30. > :21:33.amounts of arrears which has generational unemployment, young
:21:33. > :21:42.people in nationalist and Unionist hinterlands who have never had a
:21:42. > :21:45.job, will never have a job. We are nearly out of time. What is your
:21:45. > :21:49.view on a statement from East Belfast and do you think we will
:21:49. > :21:54.see Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson of's shoulder to shoulder?
:21:54. > :22:00.Well, let me say, we have had this discussion about a united Ireland
:22:00. > :22:04.and no one has died. Tokely people are better informed having listened
:22:04. > :22:09.to me -- hopefully people are better informed. It is time for a
:22:09. > :22:13.debate, time to set a date for a referendum and time for the people
:22:13. > :22:17.to have their say. I welcome developments today out of East
:22:17. > :22:21.Belfast. I have got to know Peter Robinson very well, he has his
:22:21. > :22:30.reasons for not shielding -- standing shoulder to shoulder with
:22:30. > :22:39.Martin McGuinness. I am disappointed because Martin...
:22:39. > :22:41.Martin in a robust and frank way made it clear and was part of part
:22:41. > :22:47.of the leadership there was inclusive Breen political leaders
:22:47. > :22:52.together, church leaders, civic society and the entire community to
:22:52. > :22:58.show a way forward. I do think that that is what Peter Robinson will
:22:58. > :23:06.come round to do. I'm disappointed is taking this time. I do think net
:23:06. > :23:11.those organising protests need to, pardon the pun, Cobb on. The
:23:11. > :23:21.decision was a democratic one, it was under advice and legally
:23:21. > :23:22.
:23:22. > :23:26.approved. In matches what he is two parties agree to in Stormont and
:23:26. > :23:32.there are two flags. The Irish National flag as well as the Union
:23:32. > :23:35.flag. We are out of time. Thank you. Let's get a view from our
:23:35. > :23:38.commentators on the border poll and the initiative in East Belfast. And
:23:38. > :23:45.this week I'm joined by regular Paul McFadden and on her first
:23:45. > :23:49.visit to The View Baroness May Blood. What do you make of what
:23:49. > :23:54.Gerry Adams said? I have to thoughts. I am surprised Sinn Fein
:23:54. > :24:01.is making such a big issue at this time in Northern Ireland. They have
:24:01. > :24:04.been banging on about it for years. My feeling about it is one will
:24:04. > :24:09.eventually come, this is not the time for it. It might come in the
:24:09. > :24:13.future. I don't people -- blame people for that aspiration, if
:24:13. > :24:18.people vote for it, I will agree to it if that's the way it goes. At
:24:18. > :24:23.the moment, I do not see any appetite for a Border poll and
:24:23. > :24:28.secondly I don't think people in the South wanted. What you make of
:24:28. > :24:34.it, how does it play out in a nationalism? Do people want a
:24:34. > :24:39.referendum on this question? I pick nationalists would want to see a
:24:39. > :24:44.Border poll taking place cost of I am not surprised Sinn Fein want to
:24:44. > :24:51.see a Border poll, shock horror Gerry Adams wants a united Ireland.
:24:51. > :24:57.That's always been there you. about their supporters or the
:24:57. > :25:03.dissidents, where is the message going? Stephen Collins made the
:25:03. > :25:07.points but maybe it is part of the battle which we have talked about
:25:07. > :25:12.before for Republican Hearts and Minds across the border as much as
:25:12. > :25:16.politics in the north. The battle between Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein
:25:16. > :25:21.for the constituency in the south. It might be to do with politics
:25:21. > :25:26.across the border. It is also about Sinn Fein holding on to their vote,
:25:26. > :25:32.there are elections coming up and they are laying the ground, looking
:25:32. > :25:34.at us, we asked the Republicans. I do not think this is the time for
:25:35. > :25:37.it. Stay with us. We've been talking about the community in east
:25:37. > :25:40.belfast and their response to the weekend violence. Earlier this week
:25:40. > :25:43.MLA's had their chance to discuss the issue. Despite the Speaker's
:25:43. > :25:53.plea for measured language, a debate on Tuesday quickly became
:25:53. > :25:53.
:25:53. > :25:59.bad-tempered. Let us be careful, let us not made a bad situation
:25:59. > :26:09.worse outside this chamber. strongly advise Mr Nisbet not to
:26:09. > :26:16.misquote me today. We have further lies been told. Order! I would be
:26:16. > :26:22.careful in members calling members' lives. It would be an opportunity
:26:22. > :26:28.to withdraw the allegation. warned of the member, be careful of
:26:28. > :26:32.the terminology used in this chamber. Order! Let's not a bait
:26:32. > :26:39.across the chamber. That is patently untrue and I would like to
:26:39. > :26:43.clarify that facts now. Order! Withdraw! He is a surgeon is wrong.
:26:43. > :26:49.He has made it on radio as well at he should be careful about what he
:26:49. > :26:57.is beating. You all had opportunities. You had
:26:57. > :27:04.opportunities. Order! Order! The member should not persist. Let us
:27:04. > :27:11.move on. The member must be heard. Sectarian division on the streets
:27:11. > :27:18.reflected in the chamber. It is unedifying to watch it. It is also
:27:18. > :27:24.to show misquoting politicians. Having said that, in the past Derry
:27:24. > :27:29.City Council meetings, thrown across the chamber, a fire
:27:29. > :27:33.extinguisher was dropped on officers. We have seen worse scenes
:27:33. > :27:43.than that and as long as they keep it at that level in the chamber, it
:27:43. > :27:45.
:27:45. > :27:48.Do we not need our leaders to take some leadership? I take a different
:27:48. > :27:52.view from Paul. Community leaders in east Belfast were trying to say
:27:52. > :27:55.to young people in the streets, this isn't the way. Calm down. Go
:27:55. > :28:01.the political route. Then we get the political route and they act
:28:01. > :28:06.exactly the same in the chamber. They're not throwing stones but
:28:06. > :28:12.verbal insults. That should not be the way they should be acting.
:28:12. > :28:18.but if you get all palsy wla sy... You don't have to be that way. But
:28:18. > :28:22.I do not think you get up and hurl insults at each other. That's the
:28:22. > :28:26.bottom line. They're doing it in the chamber, why do it up in the
:28:26. > :28:30.street? It's not the way for our elected politicians to get on.
:28:30. > :28:36.lot of the weekly scenes have been depressing, and that's your moment
:28:36. > :28:40.of the week. Let's have a look at the pictures. My moment of the week
:28:40. > :28:44.was seeing Protestant people attack the PKK. The PKK have done a great,
:28:44. > :28:48.wonderful job. They have stood between the two communities - the
:28:48. > :28:52.PSNI. A lot of times they have faced danger to themselves and done
:28:52. > :28:55.a wonderful job. It broke my heart to see them attacking it. After all,
:28:55. > :28:59.these people are on the streets claiming they're British. They want
:28:59. > :29:01.the British flag, and they were stoning their own police force. I
:29:01. > :29:06.don't get my head around that I don't understand that happening.
:29:06. > :29:12.And that really saddened me. Paul, your moment of the week It was the
:29:12. > :29:16.fallout from what May is describing there. It was on the Nolan
:29:16. > :29:20.programme last night. It became a snarling bear pit. It was awful,
:29:20. > :29:25.depressing to watch scenes of fairly raw, ugly sectarianism, but
:29:25. > :29:32.by the same token, at the end of the programme, we saw an example of,
:29:32. > :29:38.you know, a very uplifting story when Joe Brolly appeared with Shane
:29:38. > :29:42.Finnegan. Sadly, the transplant operation didn't work out. It was a
:29:42. > :29:44.sesippient of a kidney from Joe. At the same time we saw the worst and
:29:44. > :29:48.the best of the people in Northern Ireland. So a revealing kind of
:29:48. > :29:51.programme from that point of view. It did show two very different
:29:51. > :29:56.sides to Northern Ireland, I suppose. I did, yes. It did. The
:29:56. > :30:01.best and worst, as they say. That's how best to describe it. While we
:30:01. > :30:04.see these riots out on the streets in Westminster - they're viewed
:30:04. > :30:07.worldwide. I still bang on - there's tremendously good work
:30:07. > :30:11.happening in Northern Ireland. It's going to take a long time to solve
:30:11. > :30:15.our problems, but it is happening, and what we see on the streets is a
:30:15. > :30:17.very, very small part of that, a very small - where young people
:30:17. > :30:21.feel they have been let down, and I understand where the young people
:30:21. > :30:25.are coming from, but working class Protestants have always been bottom
:30:25. > :30:29.of the heap, but there is really good work going on there. A lot of
:30:29. > :30:33.people are doing a lot of good work. Are you confident then the
:30:33. > :30:36.statement today will work? Yes, yes, because they brought the community
:30:36. > :30:39.together. It hasn't come top down which I am pleased about. It's not
:30:39. > :30:43.politics saying this has to happen. This is people in the streets
:30:43. > :30:49.saying this is what we want to happen, and that's why it has to
:30:49. > :30:52.now - I take the point the Reverend was making earlier. It would be
:30:52. > :30:57.nice if Peter Robinson did visit and other politicians. Let's end on
:30:57. > :31:00.a lighter note and your Tweet of the week? It's one - someone
:31:00. > :31:09.earning the kind of money the rest of us can only dream about, really
:31:09. > :31:19.- Rory McIlroy's Tweet confirming his deal with Nike or "Nike" - I
:31:19. > :31:22.
:31:22. > :31:26.He's earned a vast sum of money in a short period of time. Thanks,