12/01/2017 The View


12/01/2017

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I believe today is the right time to call a halt to the DUP's arrogance.

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We find ourselves in this situation because of political calculation by

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Sinn Fein that they are better in the position they have chosen. That

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is a regret. Whichever way you look at it,

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it seems we're facing "A stark and very serious

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situation at Stormont The words of the Secretary

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of State, James Brokenshire. As talks continue to try

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and save the political institutions, Sinn Fein says it'll meet the DUP,

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but the time for talks has passed. With claim and counter-claim over

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who's to blame for the breakdown in power-sharing and who's set

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to lose out because of it, I'm joined by Sinn Fein's Mairtin O

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Muilleoir and the DUP's Paul Givan. And with a war of words well

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underway on the hill, what words of wisdom will there be

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in Commentators' Corner? Professor Deirdre Heenan

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and columist Newton Emerson are joined by our political editor,

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Mark Devenport. Plus - while it's all very

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serious stuff at Stormont, Tonight - is time running out

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for the Assembly with talk of parties organising selection

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meetings ahead of what looks Since Martin McGuinness'

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resignation on Monday, the political drama played out

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between the two main parties has left little hope

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for a last minute agreement - with today's double controversy over

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the Irish language and the bedroom tax throwing their differences

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into sharp focus. I'm joined by the Finance Minister,

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Mairtin O Muilleoir, and the Communities Minister,

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Paul Givan. Welcome to both of you. Paul Givan,

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you gave 34,000 people a reason to be concerned about having to pay the

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bedroom tax but as a Finance Minister told you, the mitigation

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payments can be made? The Finance Minister is wrong. And the advice I

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received from my Permanent Secretary backs that up and stop with clear

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legal advice from the attorney general, I don't know the Finance

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Minister has consulted the attorney general and maybe he should but I am

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very concerned and I have taken the unprecedented action after exploring

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the emergency options to lay down regulations in the Assembly going

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directly to the Assembly and asking for members to vote on that on

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Monday, with the speaker and the Business Committee... You have found

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a way as the Finance Minister said you would? Under normal

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circumstances you bring regulation to the executor. These are not

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normal circumstances. We did the regulation to the Executive and

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because of the actions of Sinn Fein is nonexecutive and I am determined

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those vulnerable individuals we wanted to protect from the bedroom

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tax will not be used as part of the collateral damage as a result of the

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Executive collapse. They will not lose out, 34,000 people will not

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have to pay the bedroom tax because of mitigation will not have to pay

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that? If politicians follow the lead I am giving on this. Why would they

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not? I hope they don't but I have had to take this action, laying down

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these regulations in the unusual circumstances they are in to protect

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these individuals. This is not the way you normally conduct business

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but given the unprecedented circumstances we face as result of

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the actions of Sinn Fein, I am taking this action based on the

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clear legal advice that I have received and these regulations will

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be laid. And that contradicts what the Finance Minister has repeatedly

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said and has resorted to character assassination whenever he has tried

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to justify his actions. We can hear from the Finance Minister. Away for

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mitigation payments to be made has been fined, can you confirm that

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Sinn Fein politicians on Monday will support what the Communities

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Minister is doing? This is the fifth time I have put this on the record.

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There will be no bedroom tax, in a interview on Monday night, Paul said

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that because the Executive was coming down, he would have to

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introduce the bedroom tax and he said there is a 99% chance he will

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have to introduce the bedroom tax and I said to explore that 1%. As

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long as politicians fall into line and support the actions that he is

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taking on Monday, it will be sorted? If he had taken my advice on Monday

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and later in the week there would be no bedroom tax and we fought long

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and hard against Tory posterity, we got the DUP on that page and we have

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insisted there will be no bedroom tax here and whether Paul does this

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through regulation or the mitigation payments, which is able to do so, he

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is making payments without regulations from his department so

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he has the ability to make these payments. I am quite relaxed but I

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am saying tonight to the DUP, you should not have been scaremongering

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on this issue and also, I am saying to the DUP, there will not be a

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bedroom tax introduced. Sinn Fein MLAs will support whatever

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administrative regulation -- legislation is put before the house

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on Monday? It is the prerogative of the Minister to sort this but Sinn

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Fein will support him in opposing the bedroom tax. There will be no

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bedroom tax. We will make sure of that. Paul Givan is planning to

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bring those proposals directly to the Assembly on Monday. Should your

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party colleague, Michelle O'Neill, the Health Minister, do the same

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thing with her proposals to cut waiting lists, which she says she is

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going to have to drop? They are different issues but you bring us

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back to the reason why we are in this medical impasse, not of our

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making, but because of the work of the DUP. We did not create the RHI

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debacle. You have gone off. If Paul Givan can sort out the bedroom tax,

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why can't Michelle O'Neill use the same method to sort out the waiting

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list problem she clearly has? No one is suggesting that can be sorted out

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by regulation at Stormont. It is different. Paul Givan has to find a

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way and I have offered him two ways, through his administration... This

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cannot be introduced on... Why not? They are different things. I want to

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come back to this point. The impasse were in, none of us are more

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disappointed than I am as the Finance Minister and the people I

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meet every day across the community, and we're in this impasse because of

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the behaviour the DUP. Your powers are limited? You can give two ways

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to Paul Givan for bedroom tax but you cannot find a way for your own

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party colleague to sort out the problem for the waiting lists? The

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Health Minister says she will continue to tackle those issues but

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I am saying we are moving into an election period and this will be a

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snap election, the ministers will remain in post for the time ahead

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but there will be disruption and we understand that the blame for that

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lies squarely at the door of the DUP. Paul Givan has not engaged in

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the petty sectarian antics on the eve of Christmas in relation to

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Liofa, if Arlene Foster did the right thing and stood aside and

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allowed a proper no hiding place investigation, we would not be...

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The other view is we are in a situation like this because Martin

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McGuinness chose to resign on Monday? And across the community,

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people respect their work, the heroic work that Martin McGuinness

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has done. That does not mean that they don't wish he'd stayed in the

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job? People could see no great peacemaker and bridgebuilder at that

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Martin McGuinness, he stretched me and the Republican constituency, he

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said, let's have a fresh start and we tried that and to bring Martin

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McGuinness to the point where he had to say, we have to hold this

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corruption and bigotry... Alleged corruption. We have to draw a line

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in the sand and say, the refusal of the DUP to engage in proper

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power-sharing and respect parity of esteem, and I want to say this...

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This is that wearying part about the DUP refusal to sign up... Can I

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finish this... Paul did the right thing today. When he restored this

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but he said he did not do this because he understood it was the

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wrong thing, it was because he was trying to remove the electoral

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advantage. People want him to respect ordinary people. Explain

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where you are with Liofa? I welcome that he recognises that my solution

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is the way to deal with bedroom tax and that is progress that they will

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support my approach in dealing with that because I had to find that

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solution, Mairtin never suggested this solution. You both agree there

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will be no bedroom tax? My approach was right and I welcome Sinn Fein

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realising that and in respect of the point that you make, well made, that

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people on waiting lists, people who will be implicated, having the

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implications of what the actions of Sinn Fein have, are putting those

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people, using those people to pursue the party political agenda that Sinn

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Fein have. That is hugely regrettable. Mairtin O'Muilleoir

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says you were scaremongering with bedroom tax. Is Michelle O'Neill

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scaremongering on waiting lists? With the Executive having to go

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away, into the election, ministers are unable to action certain things

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and you're seeing the manifestation of that, we don't have a budget

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because Mairtin failed to bring the budget. Maybe you should have

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thought more carefully about withdrawing funding from Liofa in

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December, on the eve of Christmas Eve? We have no budget as a result

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of the failure of Mairtin to bring the budget whenever there was an

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opportunity. His Permanent Secretary cannot implement all of the

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finances... Who is going to suffer? That is not the case on December 23

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when you decided to remove ?50,000 from the Liofa scheme? Who will

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suffer? The people, and politicians need to remember that we are elected

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to serve the people. So what prompted your U-turn on

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Liofa? I want to make sure that Sinn -- Sinn Fein are not able to

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continue this line they had taken. You did not think they would be

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annoyed about it and might accuse you of that? Give me one minute to

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explain and hopefully I will do that. Mairtin has said the same

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thing, that that decision was sectarian. How can a decision be

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sectarian when the Irish language is for all of our people? That proves

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the point I keep making, Sinn Fein sectarian iced the language by

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saying it is the preserve of the republican community and that is the

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problem. So your solution to the problem was to remove ?50,000 of

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funding from Liofa? I wasn't prepared to allow Sinn Fein to

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inflict further damage... So was the Culture Secretary where you were

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going to make that decision? Had you spoken to her? That decision, the

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50,000, was my decision about a kid on the basis that it would have been

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premature commit expenditure in the next financial year. However,

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recognising... Digital to the First Minister about it? Or any other

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members of the Executive? No, I didn't. It was a solo run you had to

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reverse, it was a mistake. Recognising the damage Sinn Fein had

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been using around the Irish language, I was not prepared to

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allow that. I want to move on, you say you didn't discuss with the

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First Minister removing funding on the 23rd of December. Did the First

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Minister tell you to reinstated? I spoke with the First Minister this

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morning. Did she tell you to reinstated? If I have the

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opportunity to give you the answer, I will tell you. I made it clear

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that my view was that Sinn Fein were using this issue to distract from

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all of the other issues and I felt it was one damaging to the Irish

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language and two, used as a political distraction. She said I

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could act on the basis that I then did act. She didn't tell you to do

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that, saying you have made a dog's breakfast, you need to sort it out?

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No, she didn't. I could see what Sinn Fein were doing around the

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Irish language, they have used it as a cultural weapon and that is

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damaging... With the benefit of hindsight, do you think it was worth

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all of the first, producing the straw that broke the camel's back by

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removing that ?50,000 of funding, which is 120,000 of your ?1 billion

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budget? Liofa has been used as a victory for what Sinn Fein are

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trying to do, they are trying to use this, to demand Arlene Foster step

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aside because they want to remove her as the leader because

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Republicans are frustrated that they are not able to take their agenda

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forward, whenever it is about... Barry Michael Dobbs said Martin

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McGuinness resigned because we want a united Ireland, no mention of

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Liofa. He outfoxed you on Liofa, he spotted what you are out and called

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your blood? As I said earlier, all of it was dissipated tonight when

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Paul said the only will reason he made a decision was to get 1-over

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Sinn Fein and instead of saying he now understands and accepts it that

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it is wrong to discriminate against... But the DUP minister

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saying he believes the Irish language is for everybody, due not

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believe that? Absolutely and it is great to see Paul coming to that

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with the rest of us but Paul has infected the entire basis of the

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people who did provide the Irish language. All have his actions speak

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louder than words in the Irish language, so I suppose the broader

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point is, when the DUP going to accept the principles of... They

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might think it is a bit rich coming from Mairtin O'Muilleoir and you can

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clear this up for us, there was a lot of talk in the week that you

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remove the union flag on a designated day from your office? It

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was not a designated day and the flag should not have been flying

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from my office. It is an issue for whoever put it up. Who did? I don't

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know and it was put by mistake and I removed it. There is legislation

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governing this and I observed that legislation, I tried to challenge

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that legislation because especially at this time... But you're happy

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enough with the union flag, you accept it will fly over your office

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on a designated day? It turns out my office isn't a designated office

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either. On designated days, the buildings are there. I object

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wholeheartedly, I think there should be two flags or no flag, but that is

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the law and we will continue to challenge it but in my office, there

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are no flags up in my office. Let's talk about an election, you seem

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pretty keen within Sinn Fein to get an election so people can have their

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say, even though we did seven months ago. What would stop the election

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train in its tracks? We are going to an election. We are not inevitably

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going. I think inexorably we are, the people have to be given the

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opportunity to give their say on the DUP's arrogance and belligerence,

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they have to have their say on the RHI scandal, Arlene Foster stood up

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in the Stormont Assembly and said she is the archetype of RHI. We know

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it is a mess and every day from the public purse, there are allegations

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of corruption and we know that before Christmas, we saw the most

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unedifying spectacle in Stormont where the integrity of the office of

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Speaker was... The Liofa issue has been resolved, bedroom tax is as

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good as sorted and Arlene Foster said she supports a public inquiry

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into the RHI scandal. Let's say legacy was sorted out and then offer

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was put on the table by the DUP, could we not avoid an election?

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Bedroom tax was never an issue, I was told there would never be a

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bedroom tax. Let's just talk about the British government, because I

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see James Brokenshire pretending to be an honest broker in this and the

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issue of legacy is disgraceful and appalling. He is an honest broker

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but... They have given the DUP a lot of cover on many things but

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particularly on the issue of legacy, whether Lord Chief Justice,

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unprecedented, says to the British, says to the DUP, says to the Deputy

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First Minister, let's have an inquest and the DUP and the British

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gang up. We have had this conversation. My point is that if

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the DUP accepted your argument and said we will move towards you on the

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issue, for example legacy, would that not be enough for us to avoid a

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costly election? Credibility in these institutions is shot, it is

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drained away. How does a fresh election sort that out? I don't

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think it does but people see through what the DUP are doing. Arlene

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Foster had a unique opportunity and it is not that long ago since there

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was an allegation against me which proved to me groundless and

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insignificant and Arlene Foster shared Maka de Laet said I should

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step aside. But you didn't. Of course I didn't put if that is the

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yardstick she is using, why isn't she stepping aside? But by your own

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yardstick, she shouldn't step aside. Poor, Arlene Foster has predicted if

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there is an election, it will be brutal, maybe in terms of potential

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losses for the DUP? We are going to go very strongly to the electorate

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highlighting what this is really about and what this is about, Sinn

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Fein had shown what it's about, it is not about RHI. In the letter

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Martin McGuinness sign in his resignation, it became very clear

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this is about Sinn Fein frustrated that the key Republican agenda that

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they have has not been delivered. That is why Barry Mackle Dove said

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the resignation was about delivering a united Ireland and whenever Sinn

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Fein, and I can understand why they are frustrated... That cannot be a

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surprise to you. So does the SDLP. That is exactly why they are trying

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to bring this to a head, they want to use this to extract and expand

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Tich for Republicans and we can unionism and we can see exactly what

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is going on -- extract an advantage. When it was brought down on three

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occasions, he did so from position of weakness and he always ended up

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costing unionism. Sinn Fein are bringing these institutions down and

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should have learned from history. We know, because Gerry Adams has said

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it, a quality is the Trojan horse to break these and I will not use the

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foul language that he sought to use against those in the DUP and

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unionists. Do you seriously think that over the past number of weeks,

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the DUP has demonstrated a short-handed grasp of the issues and

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fitness for government, or is it possibly the case that people within

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your own party, your own grassroots, wondering aloud if you have frankly

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lost your way in the DUP? No, because at every step, we have been

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dealing with RHI, we have recognised the flaws that existed when it was

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set up. Other parties didn't see that. Simo Hamilton came into office

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and has been seeking to deal with this. You made a mess and now you

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are looking to deal with it, the point is you made a mess in the

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first place. We have recognised and Arlene Foster has said the deepest

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political regret of her career is not having those cost controls in

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place. You don't just say that and move onto the next thing. There are

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implications and consequences of an admission like that. Arlene Foster

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doesn't seem to recognise that fact. You fix the problem and that is what

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the public expect, not walking away from the challenges, meeting them

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head on and fixing them and that is what we have been doing and we have

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sought to have a public inquiry set up because of the election. For a

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long time coming you said you didn't want a public inquiry, that is

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another U-turn. We have wanted to have the cost control mechanisms...

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You have done a U-turn on the public inquiry. Mairtin's officials are

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dealing with it and hopefully they will give him the advice. Maybe you

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didn't hear me, you have done a U-turn on a public inquiry. Not at

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all. Yes you have, the DUP and the Belfast City Council voted against

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the public inquiry last week, it was so clearly in the house, "There will

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be no public inquiry". Now all of a sudden the DUP wants a public

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inquiry, that is a U-turn. Arlene Foster has said we want to get to

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the truth, as do I, through an independent inquiry free from party

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political interference so when Mairtin comes on this programme and

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talks about corruption and says things without any evidence to back

:21:57.:22:05.

things up, quite rightly it is pointed out that these things are

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alleged because they want to engaging character assassination of

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Arlene Foster and remover has leader. On Tuesday, your former

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party leader said within our she would make an announcement about the

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public inquiry. More than 24 hours late, we don't know what is

:22:16.:22:20.

happening. What is the problem? Obviously, there is an ongoing

:22:21.:22:24.

process. There is a sticking point, what is it? We have made it clear

:22:25.:22:29.

that we want a public inquiry but interestingly, Sinn Fein don't want

:22:30.:22:33.

the public inquiry. Why is that? Because the passer Nou Camp family

:22:34.:22:40.

do not want... So no you cannot deliver public inquiry. They are

:22:41.:22:44.

more interested in appeasing the Republican agenda than dealing with

:22:45.:22:47.

the issue. I want to bring in Mairtin O'Muilleoir can, Arlene

:22:48.:22:51.

Foster promised a public inquiry more than 48 hours ago, it has hit a

:22:52.:22:58.

sticking point, you can't bring in a public inquiry? We want the public

:22:59.:23:02.

inquiry. We understand that but you don't seem to be able to deliver it.

:23:03.:23:06.

Let's be clear, part of the reason is because Sinn Fein are pulling the

:23:07.:23:11.

shutters down on the institutions. Mairtin O'Muilleoir, where are we on

:23:12.:23:16.

an investigative inquiry? To pick up on Paul given's point, because

:23:17.:23:20.

Martin McGuinness has walked away from the Executive, you cannot

:23:21.:23:23.

investigate the very thing you began this interview talking about as the

:23:24.:23:28.

reason for the collapse of the Executive. I talked about

:23:29.:23:32.

allegations of corruption and the breathtaking arrogance of the DUP.

:23:33.:23:41.

And I talked about the refusal to... But in terms of an inquiry, if wants

:23:42.:23:45.

to bring forward proposals, let him do that. But it is made all the more

:23:46.:23:49.

difficult because of the root Sinn Fein has taken. It has been all the

:23:50.:23:52.

more difficult but we will see what he comes up with. Let's go back to

:23:53.:23:59.

the examples of the arrogance that led us here. Arlene Foster had an

:24:00.:24:03.

opportunity, we need to investigate this botched scheme. She was at the

:24:04.:24:10.

helm and the DUP Finance Minister signed off on it and the economic

:24:11.:24:15.

minister was in the studio making allegations about that scheme. We

:24:16.:24:19.

know it was a mess, it cost us a lot of money and they should have been

:24:20.:24:21.

an investigation. They missed a golden opportunity to say to the

:24:22.:24:27.

public, we understand you believe the DUP lives in a cultural bubble

:24:28.:24:32.

and instead, we will show humility and they didn't. We have an

:24:33.:24:35.

election, that initial assessment and then after the election, we have

:24:36.:24:39.

talks for a limited period to see if we can get the Assembly back up and

:24:40.:24:44.

running? What we have done is called time on the DUP's folly and

:24:45.:24:47.

arrogance and the discrimination and refusal to accept... This is just

:24:48.:24:53.

back and forth. We are back to the issues of equality and back to the

:24:54.:24:56.

issues of the Good Friday agreement. You are in a political vacuum,

:24:57.:25:01.

staring direct rule in the face. People will have a chance to have

:25:02.:25:05.

their verdict on the behaviour of the DUP when time has passed and I'm

:25:06.:25:09.

confident of further people will respond. Gerry Adams has made it

:25:10.:25:13.

clear, equality is the Trojan horse to break unionism and what he really

:25:14.:25:17.

wants is compliant unionists that rolled over to Republicans and time

:25:18.:25:21.

and time again, we will not do that and that's really what Sinn Fein is

:25:22.:25:25.

about because they are frustrated that we won't concede two key

:25:26.:25:32.

Republican demands. We know what you're using it for. If we have an

:25:33.:25:36.

election, there will be ample opportunity for you to to continue

:25:37.:25:39.

this conversation in this very studio if you would like to do so.

:25:40.:25:43.

And joining me now in Commentators' Corner are Deirdre Heenan

:25:44.:25:45.

and Newton Emerson, who've been joined tonight

:25:46.:25:47.

by our Political Editor, Mark Devenport.

:25:48.:25:51.

Lots to talk about. If we pick up with what we have been hearing

:25:52.:26:00.

tonight. Is any clarification on some of those seemingly impossible,

:26:01.:26:07.

intractable issues? That we have been talking about. A few things

:26:08.:26:11.

John died. Mairtin O'Muilleoir said we were inexorably going towards an

:26:12.:26:17.

election and there was a bubble of optimism that the Taoiseach said,

:26:18.:26:20.

there might be direct talks between these parties and the implication

:26:21.:26:23.

was that they could avert this election and we have not had those

:26:24.:26:28.

direct talks, and even if we do, the Finance Minister is giving us no

:26:29.:26:32.

wriggle room, saying the election is coming. The other thing we heard was

:26:33.:26:36.

the admission from Paul Givan that there is a sticking point in Arlene

:26:37.:26:40.

Foster's cunning plan for the enquiry. She said earlier this week

:26:41.:26:44.

that she wanted the enquiry to clear her name quickly and we were told

:26:45.:26:49.

there would be progress within 24 hours. That deadline ran out on

:26:50.:26:53.

Wednesday and we have not heard anything and it looks like no other

:26:54.:26:58.

minister has gone to their age, they might have to do this themselves.

:26:59.:27:02.

There is no love lost between those ministers. In the studio tonight, in

:27:03.:27:08.

front of the cameras. The question is, is at the beginning of the

:27:09.:27:12.

electioneering process? Does that tell us that effectively, for now,

:27:13.:27:17.

relations between the DUP and Sinn Fein have gone? It seems that any

:27:18.:27:22.

process this week is fully, were in the business of electioneering,

:27:23.:27:27.

tonight Sinn Fein members in Derry had a meeting and they were talking

:27:28.:27:31.

about moving towards an election, the DUP said they were getting their

:27:32.:27:36.

candidate sorted. Everything is in terms of positioning ahead of that

:27:37.:27:39.

election and I suppose part of the blame game, so if there is any mess,

:27:40.:27:45.

any messy situation in terms of things going amiss, we will have

:27:46.:27:49.

these parties blaming it on the other side and saying, we're not

:27:50.:27:54.

responsible for this mess. It is you with the RHI work you for pulling

:27:55.:28:01.

out? Eight weeks ago we were told by prominent DUP members and Sinn Fein

:28:02.:28:03.

that they were working hard to get the partnership government really

:28:04.:28:07.

going full steam and anybody who dared suggest things might be more

:28:08.:28:11.

difficult than they were saying was getting their knuckles rapped. Just

:28:12.:28:17.

over one years since the fresh start agreement, when OFMDFM said they

:28:18.:28:23.

would can find the critics and have a new dispensation in government and

:28:24.:28:28.

they would work in partnership but we are witnessing a very public

:28:29.:28:33.

breakdown in relationships and are very toxic relationship and it is

:28:34.:28:36.

difficult to see how they can come together. It was interesting that

:28:37.:28:41.

Paul Givan said the removal of the grant was not political, he could

:28:42.:28:44.

not explain what it was. What he made quite clear was the decision to

:28:45.:28:49.

restore it was a political decision, to get one up on Sinn Fein, this is

:28:50.:28:56.

not an olive branch to say, it was a ham-fisted decision, it was a

:28:57.:29:01.

political decision. It is not in the nature of Sinn Fein to let a good

:29:02.:29:06.

crisis go to waste, but it is a mistake to portray this as some kind

:29:07.:29:09.

of Republican plot against unionism, it is a fact that Sinn Fein tried up

:29:10.:29:15.

to Christmas to avoid this crisis and they tied themselves up in

:29:16.:29:18.

embarrassing knots to get Arlene Foster off the hook so now it has

:29:19.:29:24.

finally come to the red line, Gerry Adams has thrown the ball into the

:29:25.:29:29.

air with gusto. That is something that Sinn Fein has taken upon

:29:30.:29:33.

itself. There is no grand plot against unionism here. The question

:29:34.:29:40.

is, if we are staring and election in the face, what happens when me,

:29:41.:29:45.

to the other end and be presented with precisely the same problems? It

:29:46.:29:50.

looks like the parties will be back in identical proportions as neither

:29:51.:29:55.

party has set out what this election will achieve, if they hope this will

:29:56.:30:00.

defuse the situation, that will not happen with the very divisive

:30:01.:30:03.

rhetoric we have seen already. And it is the other alternative, if we

:30:04.:30:07.

don't manage to get things running again after the election, of a

:30:08.:30:12.

prolonged period of direct rule as Jeffrey Donaldson says is entirely

:30:13.:30:16.

possible. And he is being realistic and some people are talking with

:30:17.:30:20.

nostalgia about direct rule, at least we would have stability. Those

:30:21.:30:23.

people would not be squandering our money. We have to be careful about

:30:24.:30:28.

what we wish for, all of this discussion about welfare, make no

:30:29.:30:32.

mistake, with direct rule we would feel the full force of welfare

:30:33.:30:37.

reform. We would be looking charges we don't have, the tripling of

:30:38.:30:39.

university fees, prescription charges, water charges. If we had

:30:40.:30:45.

Tory ministers coming here, they would not be interested in the

:30:46.:30:49.

particular situation in Northern Ireland and it is incumbent on these

:30:50.:30:53.

people and we voted for to make sure they come to some agreement. We want

:30:54.:30:57.

to be masters of our own destiny, we want devolution but it has to be

:30:58.:31:01.

worked out and this very public breakdown makes it seem very

:31:02.:31:04.

difficult. Mark, is this the bottom line? Were now in the area of having

:31:05.:31:15.

to re-negotiate on a St Andrews style basis, the basis of the

:31:16.:31:18.

agreement needs to be examined? Is that where we are going? It looks

:31:19.:31:24.

like we shall have a long list of demands on either side if we get

:31:25.:31:27.

into a situation of negotiations after the election and it looks like

:31:28.:31:31.

any resolution will take longer than the three weeks set aside for the

:31:32.:31:35.

formation of the coalition. I would agree there is a strong likelihood

:31:36.:31:38.

we will end up having the return of some form of direct rule with a

:31:39.:31:46.

suspension. If you get into the structures, our structures are

:31:47.:31:49.

particularly clumsy because some of the safeguards built in with the

:31:50.:31:54.

Good Friday Agreement have become mutually destructive, vetoes, and

:31:55.:31:57.

any row, whether constitutional or something like welfare reform, like

:31:58.:32:01.

the heating scandal, it is hard to handle. The changes to the

:32:02.:32:07.

structures, the problems will be the main players will be pulling in

:32:08.:32:11.

different directions. Sinn Fein might want to have a change to the

:32:12.:32:15.

petition of concern, meaning it would not just be the DUP who could

:32:16.:32:20.

operate that, would the DUP agree? Nationalists might want to change

:32:21.:32:23.

what is more towards the joint authority model. These changes in

:32:24.:32:28.

the structures will be difficult. And there are other things, at a

:32:29.:32:32.

critical time in terms of Brexit negotiations, whether you are for

:32:33.:32:37.

remain or a loser, Northern Ireland would not be represented at

:32:38.:32:40.

government level, local government level, devolved administration

:32:41.:32:44.

level, in London. And we don't have a plan for Brexit. We haven't set

:32:45.:32:51.

out the options are what will happen, hard, soft, it is as if we

:32:52.:32:55.

don't want to discuss this and this is a huge issue... The reality is...

:32:56.:33:03.

Stormont could not agree on Brexit anyway and Theresa May was not going

:33:04.:33:06.

to give Stormont any say so in literal terms it signifies the

:33:07.:33:10.

issue. It will certainly stir up nationalist anger that we have no

:33:11.:33:15.

say. We are already on an election footing, we have moved away from the

:33:16.:33:18.

heating scandal and we're talking about republicanism against

:33:19.:33:25.

unionism. Final sentence? I think Brexit, the British government will

:33:26.:33:29.

take this decision but it might feature in negotiations because

:33:30.:33:30.

nationalism will want that recognise.

:33:31.:33:31.

I'll be back with Sunday Politics at 11.35am here on BBC One

:33:32.:33:37.

but before we go, the events at Stormont

:33:38.:33:39.

have been the gift that keeps on giving for local satirists

:33:40.:33:41.

and the internet has been coming down with videos,

:33:42.:33:44.

So we leave you with some of the best,

:33:45.:33:47.

thanks to Keith Law and the people at Ulster Fry and Lad.

:33:48.:33:50.

Our efforts as a party have been to try to exploit the Renewable Heat

:33:51.:34:43.

Incentive at a time when we are needing to create more jobs,

:34:44.:34:46.

Northern Ireland needs stability. But because of our selfish actions,

:34:47.:34:52.

we have instability. This is how farmers make money...

:34:53.:35:11.

So what if I forgot our poxy anniversary?

:35:12.:35:15.

Er, I think this year was copper. 14th is poxy.

:35:16.:35:18.

Marriage is a marathon, not a sprint.

:35:19.:35:20.

Like a marathon, you have to keep on going...

:35:21.:35:22.

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