:00:00. > :00:00.No deal at Stormont today, but Northern Ireland politics did
:00:00. > :00:10.take centre stage at Westminster with that Tory move on abortion.
:00:11. > :00:12.Tonight, what does that piece of high drama say
:00:13. > :00:17.about the stability of the Tory-DUP high wire act in the Commons?
:00:18. > :00:19.And is there any chance, any chance at all, our local
:00:20. > :00:21.politicians can sort out their differences and get
:00:22. > :00:25.Stormont up and running again some time soon?
:00:26. > :00:49.The move by the Government to allow women from Northern Ireland
:00:50. > :00:52.to access abortion for free on the NHS in England
:00:53. > :00:55.is being viewed by some as a fundamental shift and a major
:00:56. > :00:59.concession by the Conservative Government to Labour.
:01:00. > :01:01.In a moment, we'll hear from one Labour MP who
:01:02. > :01:07.And, as another deadline passes at Stormont, the talking continues.
:01:08. > :01:10.But are we really any closer to reaching agreement?
:01:11. > :01:14.We'll hear from the SDLP, the Ulster Unionists and Alliance.
:01:15. > :01:17.Plus - tense negotiations, bargaining and arm twisting.
:01:18. > :01:25.It's not Stormont, but the fifth annual View awards.
:01:26. > :01:30.I think it has to be Arlene Foster. For very bad reasons. It is a
:01:31. > :01:34.gloriously bonkers world. and Newton Emerson in Commentators'
:01:35. > :01:41.Corner. The unexpected political twist has
:01:42. > :01:46.become a regular feature in politics So we shouldn't really have been
:01:47. > :01:51.surprised when the focus on Stormont and its looming talks deadline
:01:52. > :01:53.was knocked sideways by events But could anyone have predicted that
:01:54. > :01:57.Northern Ireland women and their access to free abortions
:01:58. > :02:00.in Britain would be And what are the consequences of
:02:01. > :02:04.that concession from the Government Let's go first to Westminster,
:02:05. > :02:14.and the Labour MP Liz Kendall. Liz Kendall, thank you for joining
:02:15. > :02:16.us. You backed Stella Creasy's
:02:17. > :02:18.amendment, which was the catalyst for the Tory decision
:02:19. > :02:20.to shift its position on making abortions free in England for women
:02:21. > :02:32.from Northern Ireland. I mean, it's an issue MPs from
:02:33. > :02:38.across the political divide have been concerned about for a long
:02:39. > :02:44.while. And I'm very pleased that the Government has decided to accept the
:02:45. > :02:47.amendment and make abortions for women who take that very difficult
:02:48. > :02:52.decision to come to England, you know, available on the same basis as
:02:53. > :02:57.every other woman in the rest of the UK, so it is free at the point of
:02:58. > :03:01.need. I think many women MPs felt very passionately about it. But I
:03:02. > :03:06.also think Stella Creasy did the right thing in working across the
:03:07. > :03:11.political divide to show that there is real cross-party support for
:03:12. > :03:13.that. I think it shows the power of parliament, but also the
:03:14. > :03:15.precariousness of the Conservatives' position at the moment.
:03:16. > :03:18.Did you specifically raise this issue today in the knowledge that it
:03:19. > :03:21.would cause difficulties for the DUP?
:03:22. > :03:27.No, no, it's something that myself and as I say many other Labour MPs
:03:28. > :03:33.have been concerned about and talking about for a long time.
:03:34. > :03:37.Because it is, you know, it's an issue of justice and fairness. It's
:03:38. > :03:42.not about changing the law within Northern Ireland and the fact that
:03:43. > :03:46.that is a devolved responsibility. But it's about saying that women who
:03:47. > :03:50.take that incredibly difficult decision to terminate their
:03:51. > :03:55.pregnancies and to travel that, you know, that they have to have that
:03:56. > :04:04.care on the same basis as other women in all the rest of the UK. But
:04:05. > :04:10.you can understand, can't you, why those who are opposed to abortion
:04:11. > :04:14.are unhappy about this move? They see it as undemocratic, that a
:04:15. > :04:17.decision with wide-ranging implications for Northern Ireland is
:04:18. > :04:21.taken in the way that it was taken at Westminster? This was not a
:04:22. > :04:25.decision about where responsibility for abortion law lives, that remains
:04:26. > :04:30.a devolved issue and a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is
:04:31. > :04:35.to say that if you are treated by the NHS in England, it should be
:04:36. > :04:39.free at the point of need. And I think that is very important. I know
:04:40. > :04:44.it is a hugely sensitive issue, but I also that women face terrible
:04:45. > :04:48.anxiety about that decision in the first place, terrible stigma, and
:04:49. > :04:53.additional costs. And I think it was right that the Government listened
:04:54. > :04:58.to MPs from all sides of the house to say, whether NHS England pays for
:04:59. > :05:02.that care is a decision for NHS England and for this parliament, and
:05:03. > :05:05.I'm glad that decision was taken. Do you accept that the timing was
:05:06. > :05:10.unfortunate, on the day that the Appeal Court ruled that abortion is
:05:11. > :05:13.a matter for politicians at Stormont. People who don't like
:05:14. > :05:18.abortion and like the fact that it is not readily available in Northern
:05:19. > :05:21.Ireland see this decision as making abortion for Northern Ireland women
:05:22. > :05:24.easier, and that is something obviously they are fundamentally
:05:25. > :05:32.opposed to. I understand the very deeply held beliefs that people have
:05:33. > :05:37.on both sides of this debate. But it is a matter for the NHS in England
:05:38. > :05:43.about how that care is provided and how that is paid for. This vote was
:05:44. > :05:46.not a change for the fact that abortion is a devolved
:05:47. > :05:50.responsibility and the devolved issue. And, you know, it's right
:05:51. > :05:54.that in the Queen's speech backbench MPs can put forward motions, have
:05:55. > :05:57.them debated and voted on and disgust. That is how our democracy
:05:58. > :06:02.and Parliament works. Parliament on the Government made a good decision
:06:03. > :06:05.today. One final question, what's your view of the failure of the
:06:06. > :06:11.Northern Ireland parties to reach agreement by today's 4pm deadline to
:06:12. > :06:18.get Stormont up and running again? Well, I really hope that all sides
:06:19. > :06:21.come together to make sure that Stormont and the assembly are up and
:06:22. > :06:25.running as soon as possible. That's what I think MPs from across the
:06:26. > :06:29.house want, and I hope that happens over the coming days. Because it's
:06:30. > :06:33.so important for the future of people in Northern Ireland, and I'm
:06:34. > :06:36.sure that the people of Northern Ireland want that assembly to be up
:06:37. > :06:40.and running, to take the decisions about issues there, and I give it my
:06:41. > :06:43.full backing and support. Liz Kendall, thank you very much.
:06:44. > :06:47.Well, a senior Conservative MP has told The View that a period
:06:48. > :06:49.of direct rule for Northern Ireland may be inevitable because of
:06:50. > :06:52.Laurence Robertson says a return to devolution is preferable,
:06:53. > :06:54.but handing power back to Westminster might
:06:55. > :06:58.be "the only option" unless a deal is struck here.
:06:59. > :07:00.Our Political Correspondent, Stephen Walker, asked Mr Robertson
:07:01. > :07:09.for his reaction to today's failure to reach a deal in Belfast.
:07:10. > :07:13.Well, it's very disappointing. Whatever the issues that are
:07:14. > :07:19.outstanding, they are best adult with if there is an up and running
:07:20. > :07:23.functioning public assembly -- they are best dealt with. That is where
:07:24. > :07:28.decisions should be taken. It means decisions will have to be taken here
:07:29. > :07:31.at Westminster, aubergine. It's very clear, very unsatisfactory,
:07:32. > :07:35.certainly not what we wanted to see, anyway. Should James Brokenshire I
:07:36. > :07:41.now call an election? I think he is going to wait over the weekend. I
:07:42. > :07:44.think he is giving a statement of the House of Commons on Monday. I
:07:45. > :07:47.don't detect any real desire for another election in Northern
:07:48. > :07:50.Ireland. What's it going to achieve? We have to get to the position where
:07:51. > :07:56.everybody who should nominate does nominate and surely there are
:07:57. > :08:00.important issues about the economy and other things that should be
:08:01. > :08:04.discussed... That is the law of the land on the way that these things
:08:05. > :08:07.work? We need to look at the legislation, because it's not going
:08:08. > :08:12.to take us anywhere. I'm surprised that Sinn Fein had not put forward
:08:13. > :08:15.somebody. Those issues can be discussed, the Irish language,
:08:16. > :08:19.Corporation Tax, health, education, the extra money which is coming to
:08:20. > :08:24.Northern Ireland, surely that is best discussed in the Assembly. I'm
:08:25. > :08:27.disappointed that Sinn Fein haven't gone along with that and agreed the
:08:28. > :08:32.principles of power-sharing, which I thought they had signed signed up
:08:33. > :08:36.to. It means accepting compromises that perhaps you don't want to
:08:37. > :08:41.accept, that is the essence of power-sharing. Do you have a problem
:08:42. > :08:45.with the Irish Language Act? It is certainly not something I lie awake
:08:46. > :08:48.worrying about at night, but it's up to people in Northern Ireland to
:08:49. > :08:52.decide if they want that. But you wouldn't have a problem with it
:08:53. > :08:56.personally? It's not for me to decide, I'm not in the Northern
:08:57. > :09:05.Ireland Assembly. It is for people there to decide what they want. We
:09:06. > :09:07.have to work within the structures which are set out in the Belfast
:09:08. > :09:10.agreement and legislation. If Sinn Fein or anybody else wants to evolve
:09:11. > :09:13.that legislation and look at it again and see if it can be
:09:14. > :09:15.modernised, I would be all for that, actually. We can't keep stumbling
:09:16. > :09:19.from crisis to crisis. At the moment, those are the rule that both
:09:20. > :09:23.sides have to work with. Are we now looking at a prolonged period of
:09:24. > :09:27.direct rule? I sincerely hope not. I was a Shadow Minister when we have
:09:28. > :09:30.the last period of direct rule, and very important issues are decided
:09:31. > :09:40.upstairs in the House of Commons in a committee of 20 MPs. That's no way
:09:41. > :09:43.to run Northern Ireland. So I sincerely hope not. But somebody has
:09:44. > :09:46.to run the province. If that is watching vein of forcing, well, that
:09:47. > :09:49.might be the only option. We'll have to see, but I hope not. Do you think
:09:50. > :09:53.your relationship with the DUP has affected the talks process? I don't
:09:54. > :09:56.think so. I said in the Commons yesterday, this crisis began long
:09:57. > :10:01.before the general election and any deal between the DUP the
:10:02. > :10:04.Conservative Party. If we go back to September 2015 when we have the last
:10:05. > :10:09.crisis, that was way beyond any deal between the Conservative Party and
:10:10. > :10:14.the DUP. No, I don't believe that is the problem. I think it is a problem
:10:15. > :10:16.within Sinn Fein. I don't know what game they are playing but I do know
:10:17. > :10:18.it is a dangerous one. Laurence Robertson talking
:10:19. > :10:20.to Stephen Walker in Westminster. We did ask the DUP and Sinn Fein
:10:21. > :10:23.to join us on tonight's programme, I am, however, joined
:10:24. > :10:26.by Professor Jon Tonge, who's written widely about the DUP,
:10:27. > :10:29.and by the commentator Was a deal ever going to be done
:10:30. > :10:39.by today's deadline? No, and we have witnessed a shambles
:10:40. > :10:43.today. We had a deadline that was never going to be realisable. It
:10:44. > :10:47.completely undermines the credibility of those deadlines. They
:10:48. > :10:51.were trying to rush the fences basically, the British Government,
:10:52. > :10:54.getting the deal done, just as the Assembly was about to break up for
:10:55. > :10:58.the summer. There was no need to press ahead. Far better it would
:10:59. > :11:02.have been to get a proper deal done with an autumn deadline which might
:11:03. > :11:09.have been more realisable. The difficulties are not insurmountable.
:11:10. > :11:12.An Irish Language Act can be produced. You will have probably a
:11:13. > :11:16.separate of the Scots act. Same-sex marriage, that issue to some extent
:11:17. > :11:20.has been taken care of why the snap assembly election because the DUP
:11:21. > :11:24.cannot blog it now. Sinn Fein's assistance that they would not work
:11:25. > :11:27.with Arlene Foster seems to be disappearing from view. Some
:11:28. > :11:31.progress was made. But the deadline, we were told there would be profound
:11:32. > :11:35.and serious implications of the deal was not done today. Well, James
:11:36. > :11:39.Brokenshire I is now allowing the parties to carry on. So what are
:11:40. > :11:43.these profound and serious implications? There are non-. The
:11:44. > :11:47.Secretary of State is coming back tomorrow to continue the talks. That
:11:48. > :11:51.fixed by applying to date was a straw deadline. It never felt like a
:11:52. > :11:59.deadline that was going to do what the are supposed to do, alert the
:12:00. > :12:03.governments to exert pressure on the two parties, Sinn Fein and the DUP,
:12:04. > :12:06.to make the deal. I think that context of the DUP and the
:12:07. > :12:09.Conservative Party working away the last number of weeks to make there
:12:10. > :12:13.own deal has contributed towards this. It feeds into Sinn Fein's
:12:14. > :12:18.suspicions. We have to remember why we are here. We are here because the
:12:19. > :12:22.nationalist community called time on Stormont. That feeds into Sinn
:12:23. > :12:25.Fein's most popular move in the last decade was to pull down by
:12:26. > :12:32.institutions. They have been handsomely rewarded in an electoral
:12:33. > :12:35.sense. Uppermost in their minds at the moment is that they have to get
:12:36. > :12:37.a deal that is transparently clear that it delivers, almost
:12:38. > :12:40.re-establishes an equilibrium between Unionism and nationalism at
:12:41. > :12:43.Stormont. I can't see them styling off on anything until they are
:12:44. > :12:48.confident that will be well received with the Nationalists. If that
:12:49. > :12:52.deadline was nothing more than a bit of political cardiology, where does
:12:53. > :12:57.that leave us? The parties are under no pressure to set down and focus
:12:58. > :13:02.their minds on do a deal, not for Monday, the end of August, not even
:13:03. > :13:07.by Christmas time so no it is quite clear that Secretary of State broke
:13:08. > :13:12.and she is desperate to avoid this legislation... He needs to do
:13:13. > :13:16.something stop low say what the sanction is if the deadline is
:13:17. > :13:19.missed. Everybody knew that the implications meant nothing because
:13:20. > :13:23.there was no statement of intent from the Secretary of State. Next
:13:24. > :13:27.time an autumn deadline that will be followed by sanction. People we
:13:28. > :13:31.believe it next time. Therein lies the problem. At some point, the
:13:32. > :13:34.circus has two end. A deal can be done because of the progress that
:13:35. > :13:38.has been made. There has been progress on some of the issues that
:13:39. > :13:43.have been outlined. You can't blame Sinn Fein for asking for an Irish
:13:44. > :13:47.Language Act. It was there at St Andrews in 2006. They have been
:13:48. > :13:51.waiting 11 years for it. It is not that difficult a gift for the DUP to
:13:52. > :13:58.make. Sinn Fein have had to roll back in trying to decide that Arlene
:13:59. > :14:03.Foster couldn't be First Minister, it was frankly for the birds. There
:14:04. > :14:06.is a prospect of progress. Every survey of public opinion has shown
:14:07. > :14:10.that the public want devolved power-sharing. Direct rule only gets
:14:11. > :14:16.about 15% support Macs in any survey. You've got to get the show
:14:17. > :14:22.one. If there is a deal to be done and we can see the elements that
:14:23. > :14:25.have come together, is there in big dollop of political from us on the
:14:26. > :14:31.part of our all additions not to do the deal yet? That is a part of it.
:14:32. > :14:35.There has to be a period of time whether two parties, probably one
:14:36. > :14:40.private, will work on a choreography to get them over this hurdle. Part
:14:41. > :14:44.of that also that both parties after the last two elections have even
:14:45. > :14:48.further consolidated their strong position is that they were within
:14:49. > :14:52.the respective communities. So they can do a deal. What happened today
:14:53. > :14:55.in the House of Commons is also interesting. That notion that
:14:56. > :14:59.pressure can be exerted within the Conservative Party to force a
:15:00. > :15:03.change, that will be in the minds of the DUP, if they go to direct rule
:15:04. > :15:06.there could be within the Conservative Party moves of equal
:15:07. > :15:10.marriage. The Tories would also be vulnerable because the Irish
:15:11. > :15:11.Language Act is in St Andrews, they might have to legislate that through
:15:12. > :15:21.the Commons as well. Fascinating to see how difficult
:15:22. > :15:24.things will be for the Tories and DUP in the Commons when you have
:15:25. > :15:31.Labour sniping and cutting the Tories off at the knees. It's an
:15:32. > :15:37.inherently unstable arrangement this axis between the DUP and the Tories.
:15:38. > :15:42.It could work for the DUP, it only takes for the Conservatives to lose
:15:43. > :15:45.a few by-elections. The DUP value could increase but there are plenty
:15:46. > :15:51.on the Conservative backbenchers who do not like this axis with the DUP.
:15:52. > :15:57.The onus is on Sinn Fein now to go back into the executive because the
:15:58. > :16:00.Vista is pretty grim otherwise. The DUP - Conservative axis at
:16:01. > :16:08.Westminster? What is in it for Sinn Fein? A deal by Monday? No, this is
:16:09. > :16:14.going to be autumn happy earliest. I cannot see it. There would have to
:16:15. > :16:18.be a significant change because I think Sinn Fein's room for manoeuvre
:16:19. > :16:23.on this is quite limited. There is no chance of a deal on Monday. Stay
:16:24. > :16:26.with us. We will try to come back to you if we can.
:16:27. > :16:28.Well, it's worth remembering in all the discussion
:16:29. > :16:30.about the horse-trading between the DUP and Sinn Fein
:16:31. > :16:33.that there are three other local parties which are,
:16:34. > :16:34.technically, involved in the process too.
:16:35. > :16:38.leader Naomi Long, Claire Hanna, the Alliance Party
:16:39. > :16:42.and the Ulster Unionist Doug Beattie.
:16:43. > :16:49.Do you feel, Naomi Long, that you are innocent bystander at the
:16:50. > :16:52.moment? That would be to demean the influence we have had during this
:16:53. > :16:55.process but we could not argue with any credibility that we are partners
:16:56. > :17:00.in the last few days. Inevitably what was going to happen where Sinn
:17:01. > :17:05.Fein and the DUP would have to focus on the gaps between close those gaps
:17:06. > :17:07.and then whether they could accommodate the other parties,
:17:08. > :17:10.because they because they say they want a fight the executive and that
:17:11. > :17:14.is probably in the best interests of Northern Ireland at this point. They
:17:15. > :17:17.never managed to close the gap between them. As of last night they
:17:18. > :17:21.were still debating whether they would establish the Irish language
:17:22. > :17:26.act. That debate has been going on since January. The idea that this
:17:27. > :17:30.debate can continue and in a few days' time, things were shifted
:17:31. > :17:34.dramatically, it is not the case. I cannot see any prospect of the DUP
:17:35. > :17:38.on the side of the 12th of July conceding an Irish language act and
:17:39. > :17:42.I'm going to the parade on the trot and being berated on the platforms
:17:43. > :17:50.for having conceded that, so that is off the table at this point. You and
:17:51. > :17:53.the SDLP go back, the Secretary of State is coming back but everyone is
:17:54. > :17:57.saying it is a waste of time because there was no chance of a deal being
:17:58. > :18:02.done. What is happening? You've expressed frustration people feel,
:18:03. > :18:05.and yet another deadline rushing over our heads will just increase
:18:06. > :18:10.public cynicism and lack of belief that politics is the way that we
:18:11. > :18:17.can... Is there any point in turning up tomorrow? We will always turn up.
:18:18. > :18:21.But we feel like we have been at parallel process, parallel
:18:22. > :18:27.universe... Parallel pantomime? We will keep trying to discuss and keep
:18:28. > :18:31.forward ideas like a petition of concern that could unlock progress
:18:32. > :18:37.on these issues and also things like child city deals, but as Naomi said,
:18:38. > :18:44.we are apparently stuck on the issue of an Irish language act. I would
:18:45. > :18:48.not start here with that, I would, as John said, the ambiguity around
:18:49. > :18:51.it at St Andrews, it has to be remembered that last May we try to
:18:52. > :18:57.negotiate a programme for government and we were rebuffed. I say this as
:18:58. > :19:03.someone who speaks Irish. Is it more important than government? Know. But
:19:04. > :19:08.it has become an issue by the DUP's owner and the parity of esteem. They
:19:09. > :19:12.have made it totemic and they have two be prepared to share but whether
:19:13. > :19:14.it is the Irish language or the military covenant, if parties are
:19:15. > :19:20.saying that you can or cannot have government based on this one issue
:19:21. > :19:24.they are lying all the common votes to four by the wayside. Would you
:19:25. > :19:29.turn up on stage tomorrow and play your part in supporting cast? We all
:19:30. > :19:33.have to turn up, we all have passed the play, we all have ideas that we
:19:34. > :19:37.could give. But you are a bit part players and the principles don't
:19:38. > :19:41.seem to want to get on with the performers. I think that know put it
:19:42. > :19:45.quite well, the third part of the process is closing the gap between
:19:46. > :19:48.the DUP and Sinn Fein. And the second is making sure that can get
:19:49. > :19:54.an executive together that all five parties can buy into. As the Ulster
:19:55. > :20:04.Unionist Party weeping ideals do that, solutions to problems try to
:20:05. > :20:09.gaps. -- we bring ideas. In some cases, and I will give you a simple
:20:10. > :20:11.example around the Irish line was, I have the utmost respect for the
:20:12. > :20:18.Irish language and its community but we cannot do it as a single issue,
:20:19. > :20:21.it is part of identity and culture. We have suggested that the flags,
:20:22. > :20:25.identity, culture and traditions commission could be a vehicle for
:20:26. > :20:30.closing that gap and that seemed to have been ignored. It is laudable to
:20:31. > :20:36.use that to try to close the gap and save face for some of the people.
:20:37. > :20:38.Naomi, you said enthusiastically that there are contributions from
:20:39. > :20:45.the smaller parties that are making a difference, but not to the several
:20:46. > :20:49.narrative of the peace. Remember that we have narrowed it down to the
:20:50. > :20:53.Irish language act and some other issues, but when they started it
:20:54. > :20:57.included Brexit and many other issues which have been dealt with on
:20:58. > :21:01.a five party bases, where we have had real influence and we continue.
:21:02. > :21:05.On things like equal marriage and the Irish language act, to try to be
:21:06. > :21:11.focus minds on the fact that the petition of needs to be looked at if
:21:12. > :21:14.we are to unlock serious, progressive legislation that in the
:21:15. > :21:19.assembly. We have to remind the two main parties of that because the
:21:20. > :21:21.tendency has been to Australia's issues around the table between
:21:22. > :21:26.themselves but not do the structural work that needs done to make sure
:21:27. > :21:29.that we restore the assembly in a proper restoration that will work.
:21:30. > :21:36.We have done the groundwork. Rather than sit back and said that they are
:21:37. > :21:40.talking, we'll put our feet up, we have, in apparel process, made clear
:21:41. > :21:43.what our terms and conditions are they want us in the executive, we
:21:44. > :21:48.work with them to make sure that those issues are addressed. We
:21:49. > :21:54.continue to try to ease the way. The reality is this is about political
:21:55. > :21:57.will to do the deal or not. And I don't believe that their heart is in
:21:58. > :22:02.it and that became absolutely clear last night when people upped sticks
:22:03. > :22:09.and went home at one o'clock in the morning. If this was a serious
:22:10. > :22:13.deadline day would still be there. You can make the contributions you
:22:14. > :22:17.want to make and talk about progress, but if Sinn Fein and the
:22:18. > :22:20.DUP don't want to sit down in a room and hammer out a deal, there is
:22:21. > :22:27.little that anyone else can do about that. In society and in politics we
:22:28. > :22:29.believe in pluralism and getting as many voices and accepting that be
:22:30. > :22:37.will make those choices and that is what people have voted for. But, you
:22:38. > :22:42.know, there is a deliberate attempt in some respects to distract from
:22:43. > :22:45.some of the bigger issues that people are wondering about, not
:22:46. > :22:51.least Brexit, and boil it down to this. It can push people into
:22:52. > :22:55.corners. As Naomi and David have said we did get some progress in
:22:56. > :23:00.these issues and it may be appropriate to publish and put some
:23:01. > :23:05.of that out there. It has to be said that the two parties with the big
:23:06. > :23:09.mandates have not shown up to talk about what is in confession and wrap
:23:10. > :23:12.proxies in the media and deflection and buzzwords, and people should be
:23:13. > :23:17.asked to play out exactly what the are. What do you think happens when
:23:18. > :23:25.the talks reconvene tomorrow at Stormont? We carry on with the
:23:26. > :23:29.momentum we've got. We don't know is that what is going on inside there,
:23:30. > :23:34.to be honest. Nobody really does. We don't know how close these people
:23:35. > :23:39.are getting. They might be getting close. There were three strands we
:23:40. > :23:43.were talking about the legacy, the Irish language and governance.
:23:44. > :23:48.Governance is important to us, but we're close the gap on legacy, for
:23:49. > :23:54.example. And we could well close the gap quite quickly on the Irish
:23:55. > :23:59.language. The governors issued good open this up, we could put it to the
:24:00. > :24:03.floor and work out the details. But the talks are really getting into
:24:04. > :24:07.the nitty-gritty of what an act should do, shouldn't do, how much it
:24:08. > :24:11.should cost, but it is really about how and whether it should exist. It
:24:12. > :24:16.is not just about what to do tomorrow in terms of the gaps. Every
:24:17. > :24:20.day that goes by, another day of paperwork building up on the
:24:21. > :24:23.Minister's desk when there is no minister to take decisions, give
:24:24. > :24:27.direction, allocate funds and budgets and we end up at the Civil
:24:28. > :24:31.Service working on a very narrow remit. That Gemili continue until
:24:32. > :24:35.mid-July before there was no choice but to have direct rule of some
:24:36. > :24:39.kind. That is not good for Northern Ireland, not bid for the process,
:24:40. > :24:43.and that is going to up and some of the relationships that have been
:24:44. > :24:48.built. So this deadline being missed has consequences. People may not
:24:49. > :24:52.believe that but those losing their jobs because decisions are not being
:24:53. > :25:00.made about community involvement, because there are cars on public
:25:01. > :25:03.services, they think it is bad. Is this bad politics? The parties
:25:04. > :25:07.involved don't seem to be able to reach agreement. Some people say
:25:08. > :25:10.that it brings politics into disrepute when politicians are not
:25:11. > :25:15.doing their job that they are elected and paid to do, but also
:25:16. > :25:19.that doesn't seem to be anybody in charge at the moment. These other
:25:20. > :25:24.parties that the electorate has voted for, so we have to be careful
:25:25. > :25:28.about analysis. The political will clearly was not there this time and
:25:29. > :25:36.you have a suspicion that the DUP were gung ho about nominating the
:25:37. > :25:45.First Minister. Direct rule would not disadvantage the DUP but it
:25:46. > :25:52.would disadvantage Sinn Fein. If they are prepared to wait, it is not
:25:53. > :25:59.going to report until November, December. Does this bring politics
:26:00. > :26:03.into disrepute? These parties have received an overwhelming mandate.
:26:04. > :26:07.This is ours as a society trying to find a way to coexist, thrashing
:26:08. > :26:11.around in the post-Good Friday agreement if, and how we do so as
:26:12. > :26:16.equal partners. Every so often we will come up against these hurdles.
:26:17. > :26:20.If we could just widen it we talk about the context of what is
:26:21. > :26:25.happening in Westminster. We have heard from Liz Kendall, the case for
:26:26. > :26:28.the change to abortion law across the water which will allow a woman
:26:29. > :26:34.from ear to travel and get free abortions on the NHS in England.
:26:35. > :26:39.Your party is a pro-life party. Have you got perlite -- have you got
:26:40. > :26:43.reservations about that? It is a democratic void that we don't have a
:26:44. > :26:49.government and whatever your views, and I don't support the 1967 act
:26:50. > :26:55.which is essentially what this is, I am an admirer of stellar QC has done
:26:56. > :26:59.good work on the Living Wage and payday loans but a North London MP
:27:00. > :27:04.has more power. The assembly asked for report from a working group to
:27:05. > :27:09.see and how abortion law should be reformed and instead after 15 months
:27:10. > :27:12.we don't know why they sat another port for 15 months even before the
:27:13. > :27:20.collapse. These are decisions for Northern Ireland. Time for a
:27:21. > :27:22.sentence each, are you pleased about what happened today? I'm pleased
:27:23. > :27:26.that it will ease the financial pressure on women who do travel to
:27:27. > :27:31.have a termination of pregnancy. But it is not a solution to Northern
:27:32. > :27:36.Ireland's problem zero I believe that the report was necessary, the
:27:37. > :27:38.Department of had done at study on this, there was a report because
:27:39. > :27:44.people were ducking the hard decisions, as always. We need
:27:45. > :27:47.abortion reform. We have been exporting abortion to England,
:27:48. > :27:52.Scotland and Wales so I welcome this developing. -- development. Thank
:27:53. > :27:55.you for joining us. Let's hear what tonight's
:27:56. > :27:57.commentators make of Deirdre Heenan and Newton
:27:58. > :28:10.Emerson are with me. We have a lot to get through. We
:28:11. > :28:12.will come onto the View Awards in just a moment.
:28:13. > :28:17.The Stormont situation - no agreement, but the process limps on.
:28:18. > :28:23.Is the glass half empty? Most people expected that, and that the deadly
:28:24. > :28:29.mid-pass, as it has. The interesting point of discussion is, people want
:28:30. > :28:32.to know the implications of not reaching agreement. As Secretary of
:28:33. > :28:38.State going to say, what will happen? Will funds be cut? The
:28:39. > :28:42.public are running out of patience. It might not be bad for politics and
:28:43. > :28:46.ponder commentators and one says but with people at home worrying about
:28:47. > :28:52.their jobs, the dizzying this week by the Department of Health to take
:28:53. > :28:56.money out of district nursing completely flies in the face of a
:28:57. > :29:00.report and that is asking questions about who is in charge, and how can
:29:01. > :29:06.you have strategic direction when we don't have ministers? So has it all
:29:07. > :29:14.disappeared? But we're wondering about who makes the strategic
:29:15. > :29:18.decisions. Over the summer this committee of the Tories and the DUP
:29:19. > :29:22.might meet, at the moment it is just meeting about that ?1 billion
:29:23. > :29:26.package but it is going to decide on a new executive that Sinn Fein is
:29:27. > :29:30.locked out of and that is very destabilising. Our view in agreement
:29:31. > :29:34.with my other commentators who said that there was a plea cannot be any
:29:35. > :29:42.deal by Monday? They will be talking over the summer -- the summer. It is
:29:43. > :29:47.unlikely that there will be a deal. All parties, whilst they are doing
:29:48. > :29:51.their best, they are peeping in at the margins at the larger parties.
:29:52. > :29:54.The earliest I could see it happening is the end of September.
:29:55. > :29:57.Let's pause there for a moment, and since it's our final
:29:58. > :30:00.programme of the series, that means it's time for The View's
:30:01. > :30:03.Four of our regular team of commentators joined me
:30:04. > :30:06.in the No Alibis bookshop to pore over the events of the past
:30:07. > :30:08.12 months, and come up with worthy winners in our
:30:09. > :30:22.We have Patrick Adiba Rees, we are going to talk about Best Newcomer,
:30:23. > :30:29.first of all. One is Doug Beattie. Is he really a new,? May 2016,
:30:30. > :30:33.that's new in terms of how things have developed over the past 12
:30:34. > :30:42.months. The other one is Kelley Armstrong from the Alliance party.
:30:43. > :30:46.For me, it was Doug Beattie. He has come into the public domain
:30:47. > :30:49.relatively recently, he has been unimpressive, impressive on social
:30:50. > :30:53.media and the way he is willing to tackle difficult subject and also
:30:54. > :31:05.people within his own constituency -- he has been impressive. Sinead
:31:06. > :31:10.Bradley is symbolic of the new Cowdray of people who are very
:31:11. > :31:13.capable. Jeremy Corbyn, one month ago, almost one months ago, was a
:31:14. > :31:20.laughing stock. It was brought home to me by watching bits of
:31:21. > :31:24.Glastonbury, which I watched to hear the chance, oh, Jeremy Corbyn. In
:31:25. > :31:28.terms of the House of Commons when he went back there, he's still like
:31:29. > :31:33.a wet dish of! You're leaving out the people who came out to campaign
:31:34. > :31:39.and vote for him. I think it was the hatred of Theresa May. I think you
:31:40. > :31:42.are wrong. Best use of social media... None of our politicians use
:31:43. > :31:48.it effectively, in my opinion. I have to vote for talks on. He throws
:31:49. > :31:52.up things to his supporters, challenges to his opponents. -- I
:31:53. > :31:56.have to vote for bold Trump. I think Naomi Long is the person who is
:31:57. > :32:00.still the best person in the Assembly and using social media.
:32:01. > :32:06.There is an argument that she uses it too much, never off it. Sometimes
:32:07. > :32:11.goes a bit too fast a purely due have to know at what point to stop,
:32:12. > :32:17.to walk away, to say, I'm just going to leave at the. The general use of
:32:18. > :32:20.social media on the DUP going to London and making their deal with
:32:21. > :32:27.the Tories was a stunning use of social media. And one which
:32:28. > :32:30.reflected an awful lot of misunderstanding, shallow
:32:31. > :32:35.understanding, skewed understanding. And absolute accurate understanding
:32:36. > :32:39.in Britain of politics here. It is a gloriously bonkers world. All of
:32:40. > :32:45.social media is that. I think the one person who has used it in its
:32:46. > :32:51.most true way is Donald Trump. Let's move on to political moment of the
:32:52. > :32:58.year. Deirdre? Martin McGuinness's resignation. The optics of it, the
:32:59. > :33:02.imagery. He looked so frail, she was visibly and audibly unwell. It was a
:33:03. > :33:06.clear effort for him. It was a complete shift of Sinn Fein's entire
:33:07. > :33:10.strategy for the last 15 years in terms of walking away from Stormont,
:33:11. > :33:15.something that for him had been sacrosanct. There was a BBC
:33:16. > :33:19.spotlight programme on the RHI, two weeks before that we have the first
:33:20. > :33:24.joint letter, the first joint peace from beginners and Ireland, we
:33:25. > :33:28.worked wonderfully well, the -- from Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster.
:33:29. > :33:32.Then the whole thing came toppling down. It was the exit poll, for me.
:33:33. > :33:36.Sitting there on the election programme just before we went on
:33:37. > :33:40.air, Mark Carruthers said, I know what the exit poll has said, she
:33:41. > :33:47.whispered. I said, tell us, give us a clue. And he said, no, he was
:33:48. > :33:53.glossing with secrecy. I said, wiggle your eyebrows at! He didn't
:33:54. > :33:57.even woggle an eyebrow. Final category... Drum world... Politician
:33:58. > :34:03.of the year. I think it has to be Arlene Foster. For very bad reasons.
:34:04. > :34:08.And also for the inescapable reason that this is a woman whose career
:34:09. > :34:12.went to heaven and hell over one year, and now back to heaven again.
:34:13. > :34:16.Arlene Foster is propping up the government, and I think that is
:34:17. > :34:20.terrifying in one sense, actually, it terrifying in every sense, you're
:34:21. > :34:28.right. She will be the subject of Ph.D. Is for the next few decades.
:34:29. > :34:31.She has apologised for the crocodile incident, a calamitous choice of
:34:32. > :34:35.words. If you look at how she has handled this with Downing Street,
:34:36. > :34:39.she hasn't antagonised nationalism by lots of things. It is
:34:40. > :34:45.overwhelmingly... I think she did that. She was kept off the stage,
:34:46. > :34:48.she had a low profile. She could have insisted on doing it but she
:34:49. > :35:00.didn't do it, that is quite a strength.
:35:01. > :35:02.Thanks to Sam McBride, Fionnuala O'Connor and Alex Kane,
:35:03. > :35:05.and to the good people of No Alibis bookstore in Belfast
:35:06. > :35:08.Let's get to the business end of things, and the results.
:35:09. > :35:12.Deirdre, you were the fourth member of the panel, so, start us off -
:35:13. > :35:16.I will give you the envelope and you can do the honours for us.
:35:17. > :35:29.Congratulations to Doug Beattie, he just happens to be in the room. He
:35:30. > :35:35.looks pleased! Newton, you fed into the conversation although you were
:35:36. > :35:39.not able to be there. He only came into the assembly just over one year
:35:40. > :35:43.ago. Only a few months ago he was named as an obvious choice for
:35:44. > :35:50.replacement leader of the UUP. Was it unanimous, almost unanimous? From
:35:51. > :35:53.tonight's conversation when he says things like I have the utmost
:35:54. > :35:58.respect for the Irish language, he shows he can be pragmatic and think
:35:59. > :36:03.of a compromise, that's what we need in politics. Good, but no big heads,
:36:04. > :36:10.we won't stand for that! Well done, Doug. Best use of social media. We
:36:11. > :36:15.haven't had one for the last six months, a logical bit of pairing to
:36:16. > :36:22.do with our categories. Anyway, best use of social media? And the winner
:36:23. > :36:27.is... Highly controversial, Donald Trump! The first challenge we have
:36:28. > :36:32.is, how do we get the award to him?! Oh, well, if you're asking! He took
:36:33. > :36:37.a shine to Katrina Perry the other night! There was the woggle of an
:36:38. > :36:41.eyebrow whenever you heard this decision. I'm not impressed with
:36:42. > :36:45.this word in general. I think it is most interesting in social media in
:36:46. > :36:48.Northern Ireland recently with Sinn Fein's decision during the general
:36:49. > :36:52.election to move all of its campaign especially in north Belfast away
:36:53. > :36:56.from mainstream media towards social media, that's an interesting
:36:57. > :37:00.development. He has 32 million followers, he drives the news agenda
:37:01. > :37:05.and he uses it to his benefit. Or miss uses it to his benefit, we had
:37:06. > :37:09.that conversation as well. He is him, he is authentic, he is sending
:37:10. > :37:13.out those tweets and his advisers are going mad in the background, but
:37:14. > :37:18.that is him and that is the nature of the unpredictable president. And
:37:19. > :37:22.an honourable mention to the Alliance party leader at Naomi Long,
:37:23. > :37:32.who spends long nights stuck to her Taufa'ao! The -- to her telephone.
:37:33. > :37:35.Political moment of the year was hotly contested. Martin McGuinness's
:37:36. > :37:41.resignation, white and we plumped for that? Well, I think there was,
:37:42. > :37:44.in the end agreement that that was the memorable political moment of
:37:45. > :37:51.the year because of how he looks. He was so frail and clearly one. --
:37:52. > :37:56.clearly unwell. There was visible shock at how frail he was and what a
:37:57. > :37:59.strange it was for him to do this. Also the implications of bringing
:38:00. > :38:02.down the Government and what that actually meant. It left his
:38:03. > :38:06.opponents navel-gazing. They didn't expect it, it was a shock for many
:38:07. > :38:12.people. Law that was the pivotal moment in our politics of the year.
:38:13. > :38:15.The decision to bring down the assembly, the extraordinary assembly
:38:16. > :38:19.meeting at the end of December when Arlene Foster try to make the RHI
:38:20. > :38:23.statement on all of her authority on the speaker on the assembly just
:38:24. > :38:27.drained away. It was a hotly contested category, there were lots
:38:28. > :38:35.of outstanding political moments. Politician of the year, Newton? The
:38:36. > :38:41.winner is... Arlene Foster. And the point was made, it was politician of
:38:42. > :38:44.the dear, Finola O'Connor was at pains to point out, not necessarily
:38:45. > :38:50.best politician, a different things or politician of the year. Political
:38:51. > :38:54.personality of the year, if that's the right terminology. A year ago we
:38:55. > :38:58.were thinking about the award and talking about how quick-witted she
:38:59. > :39:02.was. She was able to link with the people, and yet in a year she was
:39:03. > :39:06.completely on the ropes. And at this point she appears to be a Phoenix
:39:07. > :39:10.rising from the ashes. She has bounced back. It was interesting
:39:11. > :39:15.Peter Robinson was back in the news this week. There was a redemption
:39:16. > :39:17.story, you learn from 2010. I hope that Arlene Foster will as well.
:39:18. > :39:21.There good to have you both on the programme, thank you very much for
:39:22. > :39:23.being with us over the past few weeks.
:39:24. > :39:26.That's it from The View for this week, and indeed for this series.
:39:27. > :39:29.But in the meantime, Sunday Politics continues
:39:30. > :39:32.until mid-July at the usual time of 11:35 here on BBC1.
:39:33. > :39:56.For now, though, from everyone in the team - goodbye.
:39:57. > :40:01.The Irish Open is coming back to the north coast.