:00:11. > :00:15.Hello and welcome to the conference. We are here on the outskirts of
:00:15. > :00:19.East Belfast, where the DUP have spent two days listening to debate
:00:19. > :00:23.and discussion and speeches from the party's leading figures. In a
:00:23. > :00:28.moment, we will hear from the party leader and First Minister Peter
:00:28. > :00:38.Robinson. First, Yvette Shapiro has been looking at the issue of power
:00:38. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:46.and how the DUP have been reading it. The DUP is basking in the glow
:00:46. > :00:53.of real power. It is the biggest party in the assembly, and his
:00:53. > :01:02.ministerial team is in charge of key departments at Stormont. Sammy,
:01:02. > :01:06.Nelson, Edwin, Jonathan. Well done, all of you. This concentration of
:01:06. > :01:10.power is not lost on the lobbyists. They can't afford to miss an
:01:11. > :01:15.opportunity to bend a minister's ear. More than 70 organisations are
:01:15. > :01:18.represented here today, each paying up to �600,000 to take an
:01:18. > :01:22.exhibition stand. Most of them say it is worth it because it gives
:01:22. > :01:27.them face-to-face access to ministers who are normally
:01:27. > :01:32.surrounded by advisers and civil servants. We go to all of the party
:01:32. > :01:35.conferences. It is essential that we build relationships with
:01:35. > :01:39.ministers and people coming through the system so that they can
:01:39. > :01:43.understand and make that connection with local businesses. The DUP is
:01:43. > :01:47.quite schizophrenic on the environment. On the one hand, they
:01:47. > :01:52.like to be pro-business. Some of them assume that means you have to
:01:52. > :01:56.be anti- environment. We need to break that logjam. Being pro-
:01:56. > :01:59.government does not mean being a anti environment. The DUP take a
:01:59. > :02:04.strong ideological position on some issues, but there are elements
:02:04. > :02:09.within the DUP who did not buy into that. Attacking your property is
:02:09. > :02:13.one of the key pledges -- tackling fuel poverty is one of the DUP's
:02:13. > :02:18.key pledges. You confident that there will be
:02:18. > :02:22.delivery on those promises? believe consumers want to see
:02:22. > :02:26.delivery. One of the things we are hearing time and time again is that
:02:26. > :02:30.the current mandate must help people at a time when so many
:02:30. > :02:33.citizens are suffering and there is such a lack of money. There is a
:02:33. > :02:38.real test for the current political mandate to deliver on issues like
:02:38. > :02:44.fuel poverty. The ministers are centre stage, but other powerful
:02:44. > :02:48.and younger figures are rising through the party ranks. These men
:02:48. > :02:52.were elected to the assembly and -- in May and were immediately given
:02:52. > :02:56.party chairmanships. It is great that they have confidence in young
:02:56. > :03:00.members to take those roles. They are responsibilities that we will
:03:00. > :03:04.grasp and do to the best of our abilities. It is great to see that
:03:04. > :03:09.the party can be progressive. have always been a member of this
:03:09. > :03:13.party. My grandfather was a founding member, so I am a third
:03:13. > :03:18.generation DUP member. I believe this party stands for the important
:03:18. > :03:22.issues. It Roberta Dunlop is no stranger to political conferences,
:03:22. > :03:30.but this is her first DUP event. The former Ulster Unionist
:03:30. > :03:36.councillor has just defected to the party. Peter Robinson delivers what
:03:36. > :03:41.he said. He wants all people in Northern Ireland to work together,
:03:41. > :03:46.for Catholics to vote for the DUP. Well, I have Catholic friends who
:03:47. > :03:50.are Unionist voters. Don't know if they did for the DUP, but if Peter
:03:50. > :03:55.Camp -- Peter can deliver what he said, I will be happy. Have been
:03:55. > :03:59.consolidated its power base, Peter Robinson wants the DUP to present a
:03:59. > :04:03.different face to the world and look beyond a traditional Unionist
:04:03. > :04:07.boundary for agreement on votes. Some are undoubtedly singing from
:04:08. > :04:13.the same song sheet, but it is what the party does, not what its leader
:04:13. > :04:17.says, that will count with the electorate.
:04:17. > :04:22.We need now is the first minister, Peter Robinson. You are being
:04:22. > :04:26.described as a visionary by your finance minister. Well, we are a
:04:26. > :04:31.party of collective decisions, a party that moves forward together.
:04:31. > :04:38.The policy is not mine, it is that of the party. I just have the
:04:38. > :04:44.honour of being the leader. So is this the end of no surrender
:04:44. > :04:50.Unionism? It was a tremendous role of him peasant -- Ian Paisley that
:04:50. > :04:54.brought us to this point. Unionists will always react differently. If
:04:54. > :04:58.someone is attacking them of putting their back against the wall,
:04:58. > :05:04.they will react differently than if they are in a peaceful society. The
:05:04. > :05:08.way you react in those situations is different. Ian brought us
:05:08. > :05:11.through that difficult time and into leadership at Stormont. Now I
:05:11. > :05:16.believe we have an excellent opportunity of uniting the
:05:16. > :05:21.community. You talk about wanting Catholics to vote for you, yet you
:05:21. > :05:24.made the statement about emblems. Is that not a contradiction,
:05:24. > :05:32.because many Catholics would want to see reform of the Prison
:05:32. > :05:36.Service? With respect, that says more about your view on life in
:05:36. > :05:43.Northern Ireland, where you equate somebody who is catholic as being
:05:43. > :05:47.somebody who is anti-British. I do not believe that. Surveys show that
:05:47. > :05:52.people are moving away from that view. The majority of the Roman
:05:52. > :05:57.Catholic community want to remain within the UK. They are happy to be
:05:57. > :06:00.part of the Union. I want to engage those who recognise the value of
:06:00. > :06:05.the union to Northern Ireland so that they can be part of this. We
:06:05. > :06:09.look forward to working together for a better society in Northern
:06:09. > :06:13.Ireland, those of us who want to see the Union prosper. How do you
:06:13. > :06:18.see this new society operating? You wanted a commission on shared
:06:18. > :06:22.education, but in the programme for government, it is a ministerial
:06:22. > :06:26.group who will talk about it. You are at odds with the education
:06:26. > :06:30.minister and Sinn Fein about integrated education. I do not
:06:30. > :06:34.think that is right. But even if it was so, the programme for
:06:34. > :06:39.government shows the direction of travel. It shows that we are taking
:06:39. > :06:44.the issue seriously not just in terms of the ministerial lead Group,
:06:44. > :06:49.but we have also given a commitment that every schoolchild will have
:06:49. > :06:53.the opportunity to be part of education in shared programmes. We
:06:53. > :06:59.have given the commitment in terms of increasing the number of shared
:07:00. > :07:03.facilities between schools of different backgrounds. So the
:07:04. > :07:08.commitment is there. I saw the Deputy First Minister on a number
:07:08. > :07:13.of occasions on public platforms, indicating that he agrees with the
:07:13. > :07:17.concept of shared education. The difficulty that all of us see is
:07:17. > :07:21.that we have to move from where we are to where we would like to be.
:07:21. > :07:26.And you can't always turn the ship quickly. It has to be a step-by-
:07:26. > :07:30.step process. The process we have outlined can take us from where we
:07:30. > :07:34.are to where we want to go. said in your speech that it is an
:07:34. > :07:39.end of "them and us", what we have had for decades in Northern Ireland.
:07:39. > :07:45.But at the same time, you say Ulster will never be defeated. Is
:07:45. > :07:49.there not a mixed message there? Again, I believe the union is vital
:07:49. > :07:53.for the future of Northern Ireland. We prosper within the Union. If you
:07:53. > :07:58.look at the general mess across Europe in terms of the economies of
:07:58. > :08:04.Europe, you see the value of being part of a stable UK. I do not see
:08:04. > :08:09.the dichotomy you are directing attention to. I believe we will
:08:09. > :08:14.never be defeated in terms of those who would try and trundlers into a
:08:14. > :08:17.united Ireland through terrorism. It will not happen. We believe
:08:17. > :08:23.democracy has to be the final determining factor as to the
:08:23. > :08:28.direction people want to go. Given a peaceful democratic way, people
:08:28. > :08:32.will say we want to be part of the UK. They will say that both from
:08:32. > :08:38.the Catholic and Protestant traditions. What has changed you
:08:38. > :08:42.personally from "never" to an end to "them and us" and a shared
:08:42. > :08:48.future? I take you back to what I said earlier. The way you react
:08:48. > :08:53.when somebody is trying to kill you or bomb you or push you where you
:08:53. > :08:58.do not want to go, the way you react is completely different from
:08:58. > :09:01.the way you react in a peaceful situation where you have stability
:09:01. > :09:06.and the right to take decisions democratically. You have the
:09:06. > :09:12.ability to persuade people. We want to convince people that the union
:09:12. > :09:15.is the best option. That is the difference between the Unionism
:09:15. > :09:19.that had to say No surrender because it's back was against the
:09:19. > :09:24.wall at people were forcing them in a direction where they did not want
:09:24. > :09:28.to go, and the Union -- unionism today where we are in a peaceful
:09:28. > :09:34.society and we can encourage people to be part of the Union in a
:09:34. > :09:39.peaceful and democratic society. you think you will be the last
:09:39. > :09:43.First Minister who is a Unionist? First of all, I never said that. I
:09:43. > :09:48.can understand how someone who is not from Northern Ireland picks up
:09:48. > :09:52.the elements and comes to that conclusion. We have just had an
:09:52. > :09:58.election. We increased the gap between our position and that of
:09:58. > :10:02.Sinn Fein. So we are in a stronger position today. And we will never
:10:02. > :10:06.be the last Unionist First Minister if we can engage wider sections of
:10:06. > :10:11.our community in support of the Union. I want to encourage those
:10:11. > :10:15.many Roman Catholics who believe the union is best suited for
:10:15. > :10:21.Northern Ireland to be part not just of accepting and acquiescing
:10:21. > :10:27.in the union, but being part of the political structures, part of
:10:27. > :10:31.moving forward together. Is there confusion in the opposition? You
:10:31. > :10:36.said there should be some sort of proper opposition, yet Nigel Dodds
:10:36. > :10:41.was saying an effective opposition will not help us. What does the DUP
:10:41. > :10:46.want? There is no difference whatsoever. I spelt out what I was
:10:46. > :10:50.saying. I do not want an opposition within the executive, which is what
:10:50. > :10:54.we have at present. There are some who think they can be part of the
:10:54. > :10:59.executive, but they can also be the official opposition. If we are
:10:59. > :11:06.really to move forward, we have to be team players pushing in the same
:11:06. > :11:09.direction. That is what opposition is able to confront if they want to
:11:09. > :11:14.set up outside the executive, let them tell the people what their way
:11:14. > :11:19.is. But then they would need funding and structures in place,
:11:20. > :11:24.and it would take you and Sinn Fein to agree to that. The mechanisms
:11:24. > :11:29.are there within the assembly. All the parties get funding. I would
:11:29. > :11:35.not think the issue is simply down to funding. If we mature as a
:11:35. > :11:40.society, we want to normalise politics in Northern Ireland.
:11:40. > :11:43.Whether it is set up on the basis of having a majority, ultimately
:11:43. > :11:48.that will be a matter for the people to decide which parties they
:11:48. > :11:55.support and for those parties to decide which coalitions they form.
:11:55. > :11:58.Where will the DUP be in ten years? The DUP has been stronger year-on-
:11:58. > :12:03.year. This is the largest conference we have about had. We
:12:03. > :12:09.have nearly outgrown the hotel. They might build an extension next
:12:09. > :12:12.year. We are a growing party, and we are growing in support. I
:12:12. > :12:17.believe we have the policies and people to take Northern Ireland
:12:17. > :12:23.Ford. Will you still be leader? That is for the party to decide. It
:12:23. > :12:28.is down to the grace of God as to whether I am about at all. Care,
:12:28. > :12:32.concern and compassion were the buzz words in Nelson Mickelson's
:12:32. > :12:36.speech. Earlier, I asked the Social Development Minister how that will
:12:36. > :12:39.tie in with welfare reform. There are several aspects of welfare
:12:39. > :12:44.reform that relate in that way. Firstly, it is important to
:12:44. > :12:47.encourage people to get into work if that is possible. The
:12:47. > :12:51.introduction of universal credit is based on the presumption that
:12:51. > :12:57.people will always be better off if they are working than not in work.
:12:57. > :13:03.Too many people are trapped in the benefit cap and are losing out. We
:13:03. > :13:07.also need to bear in mind that as regards the introduction of welfare
:13:07. > :13:12.reform in Northern Ireland, we are tied partly with Great Britain. But
:13:12. > :13:16.there are things we can do to ameliorate the worst effects of the
:13:16. > :13:21.Conservative programme of welfare reform. It is difficult to get a
:13:21. > :13:25.job. Unemployment is rising. There are hundreds of people chasing one
:13:25. > :13:31.job in some cases. But there is a disincentive for some people to go
:13:31. > :13:34.into work because if they do, they end up financially worse off. By
:13:34. > :13:39.reforming the welfare system, you can ensure that the benefit trap is
:13:39. > :13:45.removed. Fuel poverty is a big issue for people, particularly at
:13:45. > :13:48.this time of year. You criticised the Westminster Government for
:13:48. > :13:56.cutting the winter fuel payment. Can the assembly not bring in one
:13:56. > :13:59.of its own? There are things we may be able to do, using the social
:14:00. > :14:03.protection fund. We are looking at that at the moment and we hope
:14:04. > :14:09.proposals will come forward soon. So people could expect to get help
:14:09. > :14:14.with their fuel bill? Better to wait until the announcement comes
:14:14. > :14:19.as to how that money will be distributed. But it is very much on
:14:19. > :14:23.the agenda. The majority of people get their heating from oil. Would
:14:24. > :14:28.you like to see a regulator for all ills? We currently do not have one.
:14:28. > :14:32.The oil market is important in Northern Ireland because for most
:14:32. > :14:38.people, that is the fuel they use. It is very different to the
:14:38. > :14:42.situation in Great Britain. The situation will improve somewhat now
:14:42. > :14:47.that there is an extension of the gas network to the west of the
:14:47. > :14:50.province. But as regards oil, we do not fully understand the nature of
:14:50. > :14:56.the oil market in Northern Ireland at the moment. There is a lot of
:14:56. > :14:59.work to be done. We had asked officials to look at it and make
:15:00. > :15:04.some recommendations. Would you support a regulator? We need to
:15:04. > :15:10.find out if that will make a difference. There is no point if it
:15:10. > :15:17.does not. The other aspect of all is that for many, the cost of of a
:15:17. > :15:22.single pillar of �500 is beyond their reach. That is why I was
:15:22. > :15:26.pleased to announce that we are taking forward a possible form of
:15:26. > :15:31.pay as you go. That would change the situation from that at the
:15:31. > :15:35.moment where many have to go and buy cans of oil at the petrol
:15:35. > :15:43.forecourts, and are paying three to four times over what they would
:15:43. > :15:47.normally pay. I am joined now by our political
:15:47. > :15:52.editor Mark Devonport. You have covered many DUP conferences in
:15:52. > :15:58.your time. How does this one shape up? It is obviously a confident
:15:58. > :16:02.gathering. They have a big turnout. They are also politically in a
:16:02. > :16:06.comfortable position. They just topped the poll in May. They have a
:16:06. > :16:13.few years to prepare for the European elections, which will be
:16:13. > :16:19.the next Test. Peter Robinson really tried to continue that
:16:19. > :16:23.message, which he pointed out last year of the DUP being a party for
:16:23. > :16:28.all of Northern Ireland. He sees himself as a soaking up support
:16:28. > :16:33.from across the spectrum. And do you think an end to "them and us"
:16:33. > :16:37.is achievable? It is a nice aspiration. Probably not realistic
:16:37. > :16:42.in the short-term. We will still have nationalist politics in the
:16:42. > :16:45.future. Even those nationalists who are comfortable with their position
:16:45. > :16:51.in the UK, the DUP would have to lose a lot of historic baggage
:16:51. > :16:56.before it started appealing to them. He said it was the end of the year
:16:56. > :16:59.are of no surrender politics, and yet that was a strong image from
:16:59. > :17:04.Ian Paisley of never never never. It will take a long time to live
:17:04. > :17:08.down. There were some mixed messages on that front. Yes,
:17:08. > :17:11.because while Peter Robinson was being statesmanlike and welcoming
:17:12. > :17:16.to all, he allowed other politicians in the DUP to do the
:17:16. > :17:20.hit job on their critics, notably the deputy leader Nigel Dodds. So
:17:20. > :17:26.while Peter Robinson talked about the need for an honest opposition,
:17:26. > :17:30.Nigel Dodds was talking about critics of the party and engaging
:17:30. > :17:37.in opposition for opposition's sake. Peter Robinson was talking about
:17:37. > :17:41.people needing to become persuaders, and Nigel was criticising an
:17:41. > :17:44.opponent for attending a Sinn Fein event, which might be the sort of
:17:44. > :17:47.thing the Unionists have to be if they want to persuade Sinn Fein of
:17:47. > :17:53.the validity of their core has. Every conference has its lighter
:17:53. > :18:01.moments. Simon Hamilton has made a special request, so you can
:18:01. > :18:07.throttle him as he goes out. I have to sing for the next 45 seconds.
:18:07. > :18:14.Well, I can assure you, folks, I will not let you down. But I will
:18:14. > :18:18.not let myself down either by singing. And I have no intention of
:18:18. > :18:27.doing that. But if I had a few minutes to spare, I have a good
:18:27. > :18:33.back-up team here in Willie McRae. He can sing. Somebody said, no, we
:18:33. > :18:38.would prefer your speech. That is the end of the conference season