19/05/2016 The View

Alliance rejects the Justice Ministry, while the SDLP jumps ship

Meantime, the DUP and Sinn Fein remain adamant they'll form

Tonight on The View, we'll be looking at a dramatic day

Two parties in opposition and no Justice Minister -

but the First and Deputy First Ministers say they've got

We are in control, we know exactly what we are doing and we are very

confident that come next Wednesday ministers will be appointed and the

Executive will meet on Thursday. We'll hear from the latest party

to join the ranks of the opposition, also the party that's turned down

the Justice Ministry, and the MLA who was labelled

a "one-man opposition party" Plus, after poor polling

in the Assembly election, should Labour and the Conservatives

admit defeat and accept that politics here is very different

from the rest of the UK? Were obviously very disappointed as

the party, with that result. It was quite a low vote, but in the

circumstances I think it was fairly strong.

And who's in control in Commentators' Corner?

We'll hear the thoughts of Professors Heenan and Wilford

So, the SDLP is joining the Ulster Unionists

The Party's Leader, Colum Eastwood, called it a "bold decision

And tonight, the Alliance Party Council are meeting

after the party's Programme for Government recommendations

were rejected by the DUP and Sinn Fein, leading to David Ford

to say he wasn't in a position to recommend his party take up

With me now are the former SDLP leader, Mark Durkan,

the TUV leader, Jim Allister, and joining me from East Belfast,

where her party has been discussing the option of accepting

the Justice Ministry, is the deputy leader

You are very welcome to the programme. Naomi Long, I don't know

if the meeting is over, but what is the outcome so far? The meeting has

concluded, and so tonight the position we took today, based on the

exchange of papers we had with the DUP and Sinn Fein and on a brief

meeting with them today was that we are not in a position as things

stand at this point to be able to nominate someone to the justice

portfolio. It is clear tonight at a packed meeting of party council that

delegates felt passionately that the case we had put to the DUP and Sinn

Fein was both ambitious and reasonable, that it would have taken

Northern Ireland forward, which is what we committed to do with our

mandate as we went through the election campaign. When we feel

there is no progress being made it wouldn't be possible for us to go

into any Executive. I note your use of language, that is interesting, I

wonder if you are leaving yourselves wiggle room in the Alliance party.

Is this a definitive statement. You said as things stand at this point

in time, does this mean things could change between now and next

Wednesday? Well, I can say with certainty that the one thing that

won't change between now and next Wednesday is the position of the

Alliance party with respect to what would be required as a minimum for

us to be willing to consider taking the Justice Ministry. I cannot speak

for other parties or say what they may do but we are very clear, and it

was overwhelmingly endorsed this evening by our ruling council that

nothing short of the five points we put to the DUP and Sinn Fein would

be acceptable in terms of delivering on the pledges we made to the

public. This is not about us positioning ourselves in terms of

publicity for power. It is us positioning ourselves in terms of

core principles on which we stood for election and took to the public.

We are about trying to take Northern Ireland forward. We don't believe an

Executive that doesn't address the five issues we took to them will be

able to do that meaningfully, therefore that is not an Executive

we can be part of. But the charge against the Alliance party is surely

you have hopelessly overplayed your hand in negotiations. You went to

the DUP and Sinn Fein with this shopping list of five proposals for

the Programme for Government. You got 7% of the vote on the 5th of

May, the DUP and Sinn Fein got 53%. That is a clear attempt by the

Alliance party of the tail trying to wag the dog. Absolutely not. We

didn't go seeking discussions with the DUP and Sinn Fein. They

approached us. But he went in with a shopping list. If I could finish,

they approach us and ask for assistance with the problem of their

own making. We gave them a solution and made it clear what we would want

in return. These are not things or the Alliance party that things that

would make a difference to the functionality of the Assembly, the

society we want in Northern Ireland, to dealing with the past and its

legacy including paramilitaries, to be able to build our economy and

deal with the costs of division. Those are clear policy points for

Alliance. If the Executive to be formed will not address those issues

meaningfully it will not be an Executive we wish to be part of. As

you say we are under no obligation to be there, they are under no

obligation to accept our proposals, but we put them in good faith and

were willing to engage in that discussion. It would appear those

negotiations concluded satisfactorily from our perspective

and therefore we are not in a position to appoint a Justice

Minister. I don't think it is overblown at hand, this is not a

game. We were there with goodwill and good intent to solve the problem

Sinn Fein and the DUP created for themselves. They have a huge

mandate, so it's over to them to resolve the problem. They do have a

huge mandate and the Alliance party has a relatively small mandate by

comparison, isn't there a serious danger tonight that the Alliance

party has made itself a political relevance can't not in government,

not of sufficient stature to be the official opposition, henceforth

something frankly of the political irrelevance? Let's be clear, how

relevant or relevant you are politically and how much is that you

have in the chamber doesn't come from the trinkets of names and

positions, it comes from your ability to do the job effectively

under half of the people who elect you. That's what Alliance has done

with the mandate given to us. It is not about the size of our mandate

but what people expect from Alliance. We went and

made our position clear that we wanted to be constructive and were

willing to be constructive, but it had to be on terms acceptable to

those people who supported us. It is not the case as we stand here

tonight that we could recommend to party council that that was the

case. If that changes it is a different matter but we will not

knock-on that there was seeking any further discussions. Just very

quickly, and that could only change if the DUP and Sinn Fein return and

accept all five proposals on your shopping list, is it as simple as

that? To be clear, we are simply not in the business here of selling

either ourselves or more importantly the public in Northern Ireland

short. The issues we raised go to the very core of the

dysfunctionality that surrounded the Assembly and Executive over the last

five years and beyond. We need to address those issues for the good of

the public, so this is not about Alliance overplaying our hand but

simply putting a reasonable but ambitious proposition to the two

parties in government that would get us, I think, into a better

situation in terms of delivering. At the moment it would appear they are

not interested in the proposition. They say they are confident they can

go ahead without us and we are happy for them to do so. Will come back to

you in a moment that I want to bring in Mark Durkan and Jim Allister,

let's talk about the SDLP deciding to go into opposition rather than

taking up a position that the Executive, a bold move seems to be

the line from the SDLP, but what happens next? We will have the

opposition goal that all parties agreed should be available to

parties after this election, all parties agreed to this change being

made to prevent an opposition facility at this stage of the

Assembly's life and we have decided on the basis of our experience of

the negotiations of the Programme for Government and the last two

turns in government. It was clear the control junkies Sinn -- Sinn

Fein and the DUP would not treat us differently in terms of negotiating

a Programme for Government, they have no interest in taking on board

any of the issues or ideas. For a lot of stuff we didn't have serious

political negotiation, we'd -- will be directed to civil servants who

said little. What were the specific points, the issues he wanted to see

movement on that the other parties wouldn't discuss? We were denied

even a discussion on finances. If you're going to have a Programme for

Government and you have negotiated it, you at least want to discuss the

finance. It was going to be a framework to go to public

consultation, you understood that, didn't you? We are talking the last

couple of weeks. 108 MLAs were elected, some in parties with a

mandate to negotiate. The politician should negotiate the programme, not

those left trying to see if they can work out what was meant in civil

service drafts. There was no ownership here. Martin McGuinness

and Arlene Foster say they are in control, where is the ownership of

the papers? I think what people at home will not understand, and I put

this point in Mike Nesbitt, about the Ulster Unionist Party pulling so

quickly out of negotiations, why did you not back yourselves to keep

negotiating and try to get a better deal between now and next Wednesday?

We did stay in negotiations, we did believe that the character of the

negotiations would change because it was clear Sinn Fein and the DUP told

us they wouldn't entertain any other issues. We decided we were playing

to the whistle and Sinn Fein and the DUP, they blew whistle today on

their negotiations with us. In those circumstances we couldn't pretend we

were going to have a different experience in government or for

government was going to offer the public Northern Ireland to different

experience than the past nine term of the class treatment? It was

clear that was what was happening -- was going to happen. It was quite

clear it was same old, same old. Mike Les Nesbitt, leader of the UUP

has welcomed due to the opposition and says he looks forward to working

with you over the next five years. Will we see a close working

relationship with the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP as some kind

of shadow administration in waiting, is that the kind of thing you want

to see developed? We as a party have taken our own decision about the

role we can best play in the Assembly and we feel we can best

hold the Executive to account by being outside the Executive. We will

be a constructive opposition. We haven't taken this role for the sake

of it. Will work with the oath to Unionists? We work with. In the

fresh start agreement we put forward the proposals... We won't blind

ourselves with what appears to be the trappings of designation of

official opposition, we have a mandate to work in that Assembly and

must work with other people the mandate, whether the official

opposition or whether they are parties in government. When we

negotiated and drafted the agreement that how the Assembly was meant to

work, on a collective bassist. Has Colum Eastwood met Mike Nesbitt to

discuss this? No, you don't have a coalition in relation to opposition.

Be of the Unionist party decided to go into opposition for their own

reasons. We had a mandate to pursue a Programme for Government and the

whistle was blown. Wendy think that will take place? Meetings will take

place over time, there won't be a meeting about setting up a formal

coalition. So we will not see a formal opposition of these parties

working together in coalition with the Leader of the Opposition and

deputy leader and Shadow ministers? We will work the new position

through but it won't be a case of simply we are with the Ulster

Unionist Party because we are on a very different page on a lot of

questions to do with the economy, social policy... There is common

ground on some issues. We wrote differently on many issues. We're

not doing opposition for its own sake. Sounds like it is not going to

be as close a relationship that somebody might be. Jim Allister,

where does that leave you have a one-man band? Always ahead of you in

the queue? I think I will still have my own unique niche of opposition. I

will still be heard but as someone who has championed because cause

brain need for opposition for years I very much welcome others into the

role of opposition. Sounds like it will be pretty desperate, listening

to Mr Durkin. Doesn't sound as if it will be cogent? We will have to give

it time to see how it works out. You mentioned properly funded. It is not

stop it needs to be resourced. There are resources available. ?60,000 for

this year. This is an opposition that is going to face a full

Executive with the full backing of the civil service 16 over unpaid

special advisers and the Assembly commission in its wisdom allocated

what amounts to ?60,000 for the opposition. That is laughable. Any

opposition anywhere across the world has to be resourced. It can be

resourced on a financially neutral basis by reducing the number of

special advisers, by reducing their salaries as I tried to do last year

to the average in the devolved administrations and by allocating

that money to the official opposition to do the job that needs

to be done. You would like to work closely with you with the SDLP, the

Ulster Unionist Party, the Alliance? I will work with anyone who is in

opposition to what will be another dysfunctional, failed administration

under the joint office headed up by Arlene Foster of the first

ministers. It is Martin and Arlene, Marlene, that is your new

catchphrase? It is operated by one political entity, the joint First

Minister who I have tagged as Marlene. That is fair enough. I

think he is giving it to you. Let me ask you a question. You are a lawyer

of course, I am assuming they would be no point in the first and Deputy

First Minister inviting you to discuss the possibility of taking

the Justice job. You were to be one of the few people invited in for a

chat about his? I take it as a vote of confidence and a component that

they didn't dare ask me to insult me by clicking a post and propping up

there failed administration. They would have got short shrift? They

certainly would. The start of an opposition is good. Part of the

essence and logic of an opposition is that you create an alternative

government. In order to do that we need to take the next logical step

which is decoupling from a mandatory coalition. That is not on the

agenda. Let's come back to it in five years' time. Even if the Ulster

Unionist Party the SDLP still excel in opposition but after the next

election they are the largest party, the present arrangements still allow

Sinn Fein and the DUP to cling to office but we have to remove the

voluntary coalition to give people the opportunity to vote out these

parties. Your one out of 108. Five years ago I was one out of 108

talking about opposition. You still are. The very cause I espoused is

now coming to fruition. Naomi Long, let's talk about how we will get a

Justice Minister appointed to take over from David Ford because of

there isn't one as I understand my wedding night we are looking at the

prospect of another election. -- by Wednesday night. What is your

suggestion? Our suggestion or the five point that we put to the DUP

and Sinn Fein. That is not happening so how would you resolve the issue?

It isn't ours to resolve with all due respect. The First Minister went

live and said that she couldn't count on a Sinn Fein member as

Justice Minister. No doubt that means that Sinn Fein has

reciprocation will rule out a DUP Justice Minister. If they create

these problems they have to have the will to solve them. If it is not

resolved, we could be looking at another election. The Alliance

Party's job is not to be a sticking plaster on the sectarian wounds that

the DUP and Sinn Fein inflict on each other. Our job was to try and

take Northern Ireland forward. We put proposals that could have done

that, they are not interested in those. It is now over to them and as

you have said they feel very confident that they are going to

resolve them and I am happy to let them go ahead and do that. It is not

for me to dictate to them how to. They invited us to help and solve

the problem and we give them the proposition and they rejected it and

that is our involvement complete. Mark Durkan, how would you square

the circle? What do you think the options are realistic and dealing

with this seemingly intractable issue? I'm not going to come was the

permutations here and lay out ideas for them, they can get themselves

out of this particular eight ball alliance still aren't in a position

to say yes to an offer of the ministry. It doesn't look like there

is a great deal of movement. There is the time because obviously it may

be the first and Deputy First Minister feel they may need to

continue denunciations with the Alliance Party. They weren't really

continuing in negotiations with us because it is a particular ministry

they want the Alliance Party to take because the particular problem. That

is not the case with ourselves. They may be some more time in play. Do

you think it is realistic that someone mixed even IQ workwear

Sugden could be appointed even for an interim period? There is the

timeline sensitivity. The calendar issue of making sure that they held

ministerial offices filled. There are options that they have and it

doesn't take anybody to look at what the law provides in terms of who

fills officers. Would the SDLP be helping Sinn Fein and DUP of helping

them? Week are for an Executive. You are now in opposition as well. You

want to oppose. We are not in opposition to the institutions. We

want to see them working properly in the way we intended when we

negotiated the agreements. Unfortunately the agreement has been

hollowed out in large parts into how it operates. It is he is... If you

had some way of inputting into the decision-making process, Jim, what

do you think might be acceptable? Abbey a thing to offer? As Naomi

Long said this is a problem they have created. So you sit back and

enjoy it? There is an element of enjoying the dysfunctional as on of

those who are now causing together. The DUP saying for six weeks they

were the people to stop Sinn Fein can now be at the single partner. It

is for them to resolve and I wouldn't be surprised if it party

that wants said it would be many political lifetimes before Justice

was even give old could ultimately reach a deal with Sinn Fein where

the office would be shared with Sinn Fein or the process with the DUP

would be followed by Sinn Fein, nothing would surprise me, such as

the desperation to cling to office. Mark Durkan... Remember they handed

back power to the Tories on welfare reform when they said they wouldn't.

Just to reflect on today what has happened with the SDLP and last week

with the Ulster Unionist Party, and seemingly the Alliance Party going

for opposition rather than the Executive, to what extent do you

think the whole tone and operation of Stormont will change? I hope it

will change and that there will be a much stronger sense of scrutiny and

challenge than there has been. There seemed to be a presumption that they

were so many purchasing government, it meant if something was taken note

of the Assembly, no parties who were representing the Executive would

even ask questions, so hopefully it will be more open for committees. It

also means working across all parties, committees work across all

parties. We would be working with MLAs are parties who are in

government and outside the Executive. Jim, it is clearly not in

the image of Jim Allister and it is a long way of. It's nonetheless

changed and changed quite dramatically from the past... Five

years ago I was the only one top thing about opposition. Tonight we

have one. A strong opposition is helpful for a strong Northern

Ireland. It is quite amazing to me that people are startled at which it

have an opposition. It is not North Korea. It is Northern Ireland, of

course we should all in opposition and that helps. We will leave it

there. Thank you both very much. Joining me from the Park Avenue

Hotel is our Political You were there with the Alliance

meeting, nothing has changed. I was interested in Naomi Long's use of

line which. She said the Alliance Party would not go over the Justice

Minister it as things stand at this point in time. So, there is still a

little bit of wriggle room? Yes, there is still a chink of light that

they are leaving. Obviously they have had a very difficult stand-off

with the DUP and Sinn Fein over their proposals for reforming

Stormont and there are other demands particularly in relation to

petitions of concern. But the fact that Alliance members were under

instructions not to talk to us as they went into this meeting, or as

they left but to party leaders, I think shows that there might be some

negotiation about if the DUP and Sinn Fein comeback to them but the

difficulty they have is they are put out the prime headlines they were

looking for and that has to some extent cut down their wriggle room.

I still think there is a possibility there might be some way to go. If

however it isn't possible for the DUP and Sinn Fein to resolve those

outstanding issues with the Alliance Party and Alliance Justice Minister

is off the table, how do you think that if you might be resolved? What

is your best guess? Today we saw that the first and Deputy First

Minister has had talks with the Green Party and the independent

Claire Sugden. One Alliance politician is not group said that

was just performance part. In relation to the Greens I think it is

quite difficult to conceive that they could be partners with the DUP

and Sinn Fein particularly the DUP when they will be looking at

sensitive issues like abortion or same-sex marriage. I think however

the position of the independent unionist Claire Sugden is intriguing

because potentially I suppose the DUP and Sinn Fein can vote her into

place and it is up to her to decide exactly how she wants to do the job,

whether she feels sick and will fill a full mind it without having a

party backing her up. -- she feels she can. Local constituents up in

East Londonderry. The other thing is if the Sinn Fein DUP themselves

resolve the Justice conundrum. Arlene Foster has repeated she won't

have a Sinn Fein Justice Minister but could there be a DUP Justice

Minister and if so, could they give Sinn Fein something like first pick

of the other departments in return? In which case we would have an

entirely DUP and Sinn Fein Executive. It is not utterly out of

the question given that so much has changed here at Stormont will the

last few days. It is a fascinating situation. Thank you for that. We

will have more from our commentators on that very shortly.

But first, the Assembly election results were a challenge for local

supporters of both the Conservative and Labour parties.

The Tories polled just 2,500 votes, and the rebel Labour candidates

who were standing for the first time received just 1,500 votes.

Not a single candidate from either party came anywhere

So should they admit defeat and accept that politics

here is just very different from elsewhere in the UK?

Stephen Walker has been investigating.

We were with the very disappointed as a party at the Northern Ireland

Conservatives. It was quite a low vote but in the circumstances I

think it was fairly strong. Nobody goes into politics as an ego trip,

everybody wants to further their politics. The Assembly election

campaign was far removed from the streets of London. However as the

results were closely monitored at the headquarters of the Labour and

Conservative Party. Labour's unofficial candidates tested the

electoral waters for the first time but they failed to make a

breakthrough. And the Conservatives, it was a similar story. The

Conservatives stood in 12 seats at the Assembly election, polling to on

the half thousand votes which was a drop of 26% on their 2007 figure.

The frustration would be that at the door of people were telling us that

they want to change and they are looking for change, but is it

exclusive to the election they didn't respond well to the sabre

rattling and trust people you get them scenario. At the Assembly

election not one of the eight official Labour candidates were

elected by party members take part in the success of other left-wing

candidates like Jerry Carroll and Ian McCann.

People have realised if they wanted change, they're going to have to

vote for an alternative. Once the Northern Ireland Labour Party were

political heavyweights, and in the 1960s and 1970 poll nearly 100,000

votes. For many years it was seen as a third, middle ground option, a

middle party. When did things change? With the onset of sectarian

violence in the 1960s, early 70s, but by 1974, the party was

effectively a spent force. While the Labour Party allow membership in

Northern Ireland they don't officially endorse candidates, but

that decision is being reviewed. While some agree with the decision

to run candidates in the recent Assembly election, some within the

party think that move was an helpful. I think what we need to do

now is to think through the consequences. There is an in impact

on the SDLP. Do you want to create a situation where one of the important

parties in Northern Ireland might be damaged, and one we have a good

relationship with. Others insist Labour candidates will definitely

contest future elections in Northern Ireland. Even if the party hierarchy

don't Bakambu at Scott -- candidates, I am sure there will be,

but I'm confident there is inevitability in the Labour

headquarters and the general secretary will have to acquiesce in

candidates standing at subsequent elections in Northern Ireland,

because it is a test of democracy. Local Conservatives have their

heyday in the early 1990s when Laurence Kennedy was runner-up in

North Down and his party polled 44,000 votes across Northern

Ireland. A far cry from recent results. In Northern Ireland I think

the left- right party differences are less important to people who

vote. I think they vote along traditional Protestant - Catholic,

Unionist - Nationalist lines, and there was no sign of that softening

in future. In 2010 the Conservatives and UUP formed a collector will --

an electoral pact which failed to deliver a seat at Westminster.

Sheila Davidson was involved with the Tories back then and has left

the party, and insists success will elude them if they don't change

tack. The real problem for those parties is they don't get support

from the National parties, so they are vote much bit part players in

reality, not considered to be serious, and they don't have good or

heavyweight representation that actually makes them relevant in

Northern Ireland turns. At Westminster, some in the

Conservative camp say despite poor results the party must continue to

fight elections in Northern Ireland. I can see why in the Assembly

elections people want to vote for Northern Ireland parties. I still

think it is important that UK wide parties engage with voters across

the UK and don't write off 2 million voters in Northern Ireland. So what

should local Conservative activists do now? I think our strategy moving

forward will be looking at two or three target seats, identifying

candidates active in the community, whether it be in business or the

social side of it, and building them up for candidacy in the local

council elections. For a Labour Party activists in Northern Ireland

it is a similar story. I have no doubt we will build our vote by 2019

and I have no doubt we will have MLAs selected in the next Assembly

election. The reason I am social is the Labour Party reaches apart other

parties don't reach, and that is the vote we will attract. Both Labour

and the Conservatives have thinking to do. Labour must decide if

Northern Ireland is a battle ground they want to officially competing.

The Tories must work out how they can address a vote share that is in

decline. So let's see what our commentators

Professors Deirdre Heenan and Rick Wilford make

of all the goings on at Stormont. Welcome to you both. We heard from

Mark Devenport at that meeting in East Belfast, and he was saying the

story is not over yet, do you agree? I think he is right, he has his

finger on the pulse, there is a chink of light, and Alliance will

probably be audible at this juncture, and certainly Sinn Fein

and the DUP will want to avert a crisis week. They don't want to

start triggering darts and finding things fall apart. They must have a

plan B which is why I think alternatives like a revolving

Minister or junior ministers might be options they are considering

given Alliance are unlikely to go in now. How do you think the square

will be circled? I think it is ludicrous that Alliance are talking

about five demands, they don't have a mandate to make five demands. They

were asked to be a sticking plaster for the Government and they should

say no, because we are told repeatedly by the wonderful working

relationship between the DUP and Sinn Fein and how they build trust

-- about the relationship, and I think David Ford was right to take

on the Justice ministry at the time, that many years later it is time to

say we can work together. This took about Claire Sugden is also a

sideshow, they couldn't take on that post without a party. They could for

a short time. But it would ruin their electoral chances. These are

main parties with a mandate who need to say, this is a sticky problem to

sort out. It is a momentous day because the STL P have said they

will not be treated as third rate any more. -- the SDLP. What I can't

understand is why Eileen and Sinn Fein are so upset about the

opposition, why has it spooked them -- Arlene Foster. Any functioning

democracy has and opposition, why does it frighten them? I think for

different reasons they both would like cover within the Executive, but

it gives the SDLP and UUP the opportunity to put clear water

between itself and she affect -- Sinn Fein. It was a signal day I

thought and what I find remarkable, I don't know about you, Deirdre, is

neither the DUP more SDLP leaders are here. I would thought -- have

thought this was a such a significant moment that they should

be. Just to be clear, we did invite the UUP and SDLP, DUP and Sinn Fein

to join us. Those three parties didn't want to come along and the

SDLP didn't want to send the leader. Again I think most people would

agree, the SDLP leader described it as a momentous day so you would have

thought you would discuss it. If the Alliance party take the Justice

Ministry they will find themselves in office but not in Government.

They could be bullied or vetoed, they are there to provide cover but

not with any power or say so I hope they say no and say, it you guys

have the mandate, you sort it out. Do you agree? I think so. A week ago

I thought they might go in but I think the frosty reception they got

from Sinn Fein and the DUP today probably seals the deal, they will

go into small-scale opposition. Mark Durkan said, you pressed him on

whether there would be coalition... A will not be joined up opposition,

doesn't sound like it. I find that equally extraordinary because if

they were able, for example, there are eight Shadow departmental roles,

five to the UUP, three to the SDLP, they could offer a concerted

opposition with some common ground, some common policy areas, and even

in time perhaps some kind of shared platform they could, as it were,

publish as adjunct to their own manifesto. As of tonight it doesn't

sound like that is being considered. They could actually produce an

alternative Programme for Government and could both talk about it. I

think the issue for opposition is, been eight -- they need to make

clear that opposition is not negative, a good Government needs a

good opposition and they need to hold the Government to account to

say, this is lax, inappropriate or inconsistent, and I think the public

still feel opposition means they are here to be negative, to shout the

loudest and get cheap political points. It is about coherence. It is

the Government in waiting. What ever will make a deficient as if they

have the resources to make it work. That is the fascinating thing, thank

you very much. That's it from The View

for this week. Join me for Sunday Politics

at 11:35am here on BBC One. So, we've heard a lot

about opposing sides, conflict, The Ulster Unionist Party centre

stage today just as they were 18 years ago.