:00:20. > :00:25.It is the first party conference in this political season and for the
:00:25. > :00:28.first time Sinn Fein have brought their Ard Fheis north of the border.
:00:28. > :00:32.Welcome to the The Conference programme coming today from the
:00:32. > :00:39.Waterfront Hall. This gathering has been making use because of one of
:00:39. > :00:43.its keynote speakers, and he has not even been a member of Sinn Fein.
:00:43. > :00:52.We will hear some of what the Presbyterian Reverend Devon
:00:52. > :01:02.Vladimir has to save. -- David Latimer. First I am joined by Mark
:01:02. > :01:07.Devonport, our political editor. Changed times for Action Fein. --
:01:07. > :01:11.changed times for Sinn Fein. Normally we need south of the
:01:11. > :01:15.border and now it is north of the border. Most of the Sinn Fein
:01:15. > :01:19.conferences have been down in Dublin. I cannot recall a time when
:01:19. > :01:27.they would have had a mask man from the IRA addressing them, not a
:01:27. > :01:36.minister. We were at one stage in a community centre in a fairly
:01:36. > :01:41.private area of Dublin. But it is now part of the mainstream. I can
:01:41. > :01:45.recall a time when the Waterfront Hall, when it was open, was a
:01:45. > :01:49.target for a bomb alert. That was when Prince Charles officially
:01:49. > :01:56.opened it. This is symbolic of the journey that Sinn Fein have come on
:01:56. > :02:02.and some wider political processes in the country. Discussions last
:02:02. > :02:06.night indicated change as well. It was not necessarily the target for
:02:07. > :02:13.united Ireland by 2016. Martin McGuinness has been talking about
:02:13. > :02:18.the need for national conversation to change island in the next five
:02:18. > :02:28.years in the run up -- to change island in the next five years in
:02:28. > :02:31.
:02:31. > :02:36.the run up to the 100 years. There is a lot of rhetoric and people are
:02:36. > :02:40.interested in it David Latimer's appearance from last night. There
:02:40. > :02:47.has been a lot of interest from the Dublin media are on the Irish
:02:47. > :02:53.presidential campaign. Yes, there has been talk of having a president
:02:53. > :02:58.for all of Ireland. Citizens north of the border are not entitled and
:02:58. > :03:01.some think that should change. Given what has happened, the
:03:01. > :03:07.withdrawal of Senator David Norris, there is the feeling that people
:03:07. > :03:16.might want someone else to enter the race. This bubble might grow
:03:16. > :03:20.with the more Sinn Fein figures like Mary Lou McDonald. Possibly
:03:20. > :03:26.Michelle Gilda neo-, her name has been mentioned. -- Michelle
:03:26. > :03:31.Gildernew, her name has been mentioned. Sinn Fein has entered
:03:31. > :03:36.the race to try to take up some of the space that Fine Gael has
:03:36. > :03:41.indicated. What we will be getting at this weekend is the identity of
:03:41. > :03:45.the candidate. What did he make of the keynote Speaker last night?
:03:45. > :03:50.David Latimer was an interesting Speaker because there was a bad
:03:50. > :03:53.story to him. He is a Presbyterian minister who struck up a great
:03:53. > :04:00.friendship with Martin McGuinness after seeking his help and stopping
:04:00. > :04:07.his church being vandalised. He helped modernise the church. The
:04:07. > :04:12.chemistry between those two is very evident. He spoke in very moderate
:04:12. > :04:18.political tensions but overtly Christian and evangelical terms. --
:04:18. > :04:23.political terms. Some of the Presbyterian audience outside this
:04:23. > :04:28.area might have watched it and it might have put some of them off but
:04:28. > :04:32.he went down very well within Waterfront Hall when he used --
:04:32. > :04:37.called the Irish his friends and called the mind McGuinness one of
:04:37. > :04:47.the greatest Irish leaders. -- called Martin McGuinness one of the
:04:47. > :04:49.
:04:49. > :04:54.greatest Arras leaders. We will be hearing from Pearse Doherty. You
:04:54. > :05:00.are riding high after two successful elections. Is there a
:05:00. > :05:05.feeling of satisfaction? This is a departure for us, coming to Belfast.
:05:05. > :05:12.There is a good atmosphere around the Irish this weekend and we are
:05:12. > :05:16.looking forward to all of the speeches. There have been two
:05:16. > :05:20.elections and who knows if it will be the first presidential election
:05:20. > :05:24.or not. That decision will be made next week. There is the strong
:05:24. > :05:31.sense that we are growing. There are a lot of young people and new
:05:31. > :05:35.members here and there is a sense of a vibrancy. What about how the
:05:35. > :05:41.assembly is going? There are accusations from your critics that
:05:42. > :05:47.there is a double standard going on. You are able to say no to cuts in
:05:47. > :05:51.the south but you are quite about public sector cuts in the north.
:05:51. > :06:00.Our position is the same in both. We want to protect jobs and
:06:00. > :06:05.services. We are dealing with the impact of cuts. This is why the
:06:05. > :06:10.budget process took so long in the spring. We want to offset the
:06:10. > :06:15.damage the Tories have done and come up with new ideas and generate
:06:15. > :06:19.income so that we can protect vital services and public sector. We know
:06:19. > :06:24.we are in a difficult situation and there it is no way to escape
:06:24. > :06:28.unscathed. We want to protect jobs and public services and that has
:06:28. > :06:32.been approached right across Ireland. What is your view on that?
:06:32. > :06:36.There are many people who would say there is a double standard
:06:36. > :06:42.operating. Critics would say that you cannot stand in opposition in
:06:43. > :06:47.the south and say no to everything else. I do not think there is a
:06:47. > :06:51.double standard. Sinn Fein is a united party and we have the same
:06:51. > :06:54.principles north and south of the border. That is what our assembly
:06:54. > :07:03.team had been doing in terms of making sure that we have been able
:07:03. > :07:08.to diminish as much of the Tory cuts that people depend on. There
:07:08. > :07:16.is a reality where we do not have complete cohesion in the six
:07:16. > :07:21.counties and Sinn Fein are looking to regain economic sovereignty. Our
:07:22. > :07:25.economic sovereignty has been handed away to Brussels. We live in
:07:25. > :07:31.these two realities. The objectives are the same and that is to ensure
:07:31. > :07:40.that the cuts, wherever they happen, do not come down on the most will
:07:40. > :07:45.rubble and those on lower income has. -- most vulnerable. There was
:07:45. > :07:51.a conversation about uniting Ireland in the next five years. Do
:07:51. > :07:55.you accept that the 2016 target is gone? I do not think there was ever
:07:55. > :08:00.a 2016 target. There were emotions about bringing Ireland together by
:08:01. > :08:05.2016. There are some that would like it united by tomorrow morning.
:08:05. > :08:09.These are the issues we want to work out as soon as possible. We
:08:09. > :08:13.have seen the benefits economically and socially across all of the
:08:13. > :08:17.different Spears of society. What Martin McGuinness addressed last
:08:17. > :08:21.night is the changes that has happened in the last ideas and what
:08:21. > :08:27.he has put out there to the wider community across Ireland about the
:08:27. > :08:37.potential. What will Ireland look like in 2016? Will it look
:08:37. > :08:39.
:08:39. > :08:44.different? I hope that it does. I hope that... Island is not in a
:08:44. > :08:54.good place and we had huge cuts that are pushing down on people. --
:08:54. > :08:56.
:08:56. > :09:01.We need to address the legacy of the past and we are confident as
:09:01. > :09:05.Sinn Fein members that we are on the journey and we want to bring
:09:05. > :09:08.our fellow neighbours and friends from different communities and
:09:08. > :09:14.political perspectives on our journey and we are confident we can
:09:14. > :09:20.do that. We will hear more from these guests in a moment but this
:09:20. > :09:26.morning we have the First Deputy Minister, Martin McGuinness, who
:09:26. > :09:33.has been speaking about the moments of a decade ago. He has been
:09:33. > :09:43.talking about his thoughts on what happens on SEP- 11 to 2001 in New
:09:43. > :09:47.
:09:47. > :09:54.York. -- 11th September to 2001. Myself and Gerry Adams were at a
:09:54. > :09:59.meeting with the Taoiseach in Dublin. A civil servant rushed in
:09:59. > :10:03.and told us that a plane had hit at the World Trade Centre and of
:10:04. > :10:08.course we thought it was an accident. A short while later he
:10:08. > :10:14.came back and said that a second plane had hit the World Trade
:10:14. > :10:19.Centre and then we knew it was not an accident. Both myself and Gerry
:10:19. > :10:28.Adams had travelled to New York on many occasions and our first but
:10:28. > :10:32.work of concern for her many friends in that fine city. New York
:10:32. > :10:36.has been a long-time supporter of Irish freedom and we have many
:10:36. > :10:43.supporters in that city and throughout the United States. A
:10:43. > :10:50.great friend of Ireland who visited here on many occasions, Father
:10:50. > :10:55.Michael Judge, who was christened in Ireland, perished in the World
:10:55. > :11:05.Trade Centre on that day with so many others. He was a frequent
:11:05. > :11:12.
:11:12. > :11:15.visitor to Belfast and was a very badly injured. We thought the loss
:11:15. > :11:23.of a father judge was something that impacted as very personally
:11:23. > :11:27.indeed. It is important that as we said about uniting Ireland that we
:11:27. > :11:32.are conscious of the important role that Irish people across the role
:11:32. > :11:42.will play in that because that is the task that we as Republicans
:11:42. > :11:46.have set ourselves and four as republicanism is not rhetoric. It
:11:46. > :11:56.is real and it is in the here and now. Many people make the mistake
:11:56. > :11:59.
:11:59. > :12:09.of thinking that republicanism is about... That was Martin McGuinness
:12:09. > :12:12.
:12:12. > :12:22.speaking earlier. We can now go live to hear another Speaker.
:12:22. > :12:28.
:12:28. > :12:33.dealt a blow to the new beginning to policing. Not only was he wrong
:12:33. > :12:43.but we wonder why he defend the indefensible 40 years after the
:12:43. > :12:46.
:12:46. > :12:55.event. -- defend the indefensible. Sinn Fein will not like this happen.
:12:55. > :13:05.-- let this happen. The PSNI chief constable has a responsibility to
:13:05. > :13:07.
:13:07. > :13:12.prevent this also. He must face down the dinosaurs. He needs to
:13:12. > :13:18.attend a meeting with the community and the PSNI needs to atone for
:13:18. > :13:28.past wrongs. It is too late for Al Hutchinson. Three separate reports
:13:28. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:33.have condemned his leadership. I believe in fully accountable
:13:33. > :13:39.policing, therefore I want the credibility of the office to be
:13:39. > :13:43.restored. Al hundred saying is at the core of the problem -- Al
:13:43. > :13:51.Hutchinson is at the core of the problem so he is not the one to fix
:13:51. > :14:01.it. Let him hear it from this audience, he must go, he should go
:14:01. > :14:06.
:14:06. > :14:10.Sinn Fein is here to continue the momentum to represent a fully
:14:10. > :14:16.accountable service for the whole community. We will not stop until
:14:16. > :14:22.that is achieved. If we do not, no one will. That is why we are on the
:14:22. > :14:29.justice committee and dealing with police in partnerships. Our support
:14:29. > :14:35.for policing, up north and south, is critical support. That means
:14:35. > :14:40.that we will be the first to stand against problems in policing and
:14:40. > :14:50.the E E D -- and be the first to sort it out and sort out criminal
:14:50. > :14:50.
:14:50. > :14:57.We can speak again to Conor Murphy and Pearse Doherty who have stayed
:14:57. > :15:05.with us. Trews recovery was a bleak theme of Martin McGuinness's speak
:15:05. > :15:10.last night. -- trews recovery was a big theme. Some of the measures
:15:10. > :15:13.seem to have worsened things. They have not brought a sense of
:15:13. > :15:18.satisfaction and Gerry Kelly was referring to some of the problems
:15:18. > :15:24.with the ombudsman's office. I think that is linked to that. It is
:15:24. > :15:33.a very, very complex and difficult process but we have always argued
:15:33. > :15:37.that a pot-pourri -- a proper cruise recovery process needs to be
:15:37. > :15:41.one in which all parties are probably engaged. It needs to be
:15:41. > :15:44.international in terms of its make- up so that's why we do not have a
:15:45. > :15:48.sense of it being a under the ownership of anybody to a
:15:48. > :15:52.protagonist. We are very keen to see that happen. It may not deal
:15:53. > :15:59.with every issue that people have and every part of a legacy of a
:15:59. > :16:02.very bitter and violent conflict but there are steps needed. Just on
:16:02. > :16:06.that point, Martin McGuinness acknowledged last night that the
:16:06. > :16:10.other parties have not bought into your idea yet of the International
:16:10. > :16:18.truth Commission. Is it a first step towards trying to deal with
:16:18. > :16:23.the past, there should be all-party talks on the past. There are forums
:16:23. > :16:27.for all-party talks in the executive, in the Assembly. It is
:16:27. > :16:31.not the best venue to have this discussion. We have put forward
:16:31. > :16:38.ideas. I am not sure if others have ideas. It is necessary that we deal
:16:38. > :16:45.with the legacy of the conflict. It is a necessary step to try to get
:16:45. > :16:51.reconciliation, to deal with the past and trees -- the past and the
:16:51. > :16:58.hurt. It also involves the British Government and the Irish Government
:16:58. > :17:05.as well. That is where I said it needs to be a party in which every
:17:05. > :17:10.party is brought into. To genuinely try to bring about the ad prices.
:17:10. > :17:14.Martin McGuinness said last night he felt the British had not done
:17:14. > :17:20.enough, but it is that Republicans have done very little in terms of
:17:20. > :17:25.trews recovery. We have co-operated with the commission trying to
:17:25. > :17:30.recover bodies as well and it has been a difficult process but we
:17:30. > :17:33.have said it is very difficult to try to get one sort of organisation
:17:33. > :17:40.that is related to the conflict to come forward in the absence of
:17:40. > :17:43.every over. We want a genuine process that involves all
:17:43. > :17:47.protagonists. In that way we can bring everybody together and try to
:17:47. > :17:50.get some pleasure for many of the victims. How essential do you think
:17:51. > :17:54.it is, because in these economic times, considering the cost of some
:17:54. > :17:57.of the previous inquiries, something on an international level
:17:57. > :18:02.because presumably even more than something on a more local level. Do
:18:02. > :18:08.you think it is time to draw a line and it? If it depends if it is a
:18:08. > :18:13.legal or judicial process which can beat very costly. But if it does
:18:13. > :18:19.not necessarily involve lawyers, which tend to be the gate is to --
:18:19. > :18:24.greatest cost, perhaps we can have a process which is not costly but
:18:24. > :18:28.does give people the opportunity to ask questions to find out what
:18:28. > :18:34.happened to their loved ones and to get some sense of pleasure. You
:18:34. > :18:44.meet ten different families and there are 10 different solutions. -
:18:44. > :18:47.
:18:47. > :18:50.- some sense of closure. It is a chance to do us so in a genuine way.
:18:50. > :18:55.How important is true for recovery to your constituents and the
:18:55. > :18:59.electorate in the south? Are you dealing with two distinct
:18:59. > :19:05.electorate? Not really. The culprit was not just contained within the
:19:05. > :19:10.six counties. But our people in the South not now more concerned about
:19:10. > :19:17.jobs? Of course. We are not saying this is the priority but it is an
:19:17. > :19:20.element. If we are to move forward we needed and we need all the
:19:20. > :19:24.protagonists to come forward and engage in a meaningful way. So are
:19:24. > :19:28.not trying to frustrate it or keep information hidden or away from the
:19:28. > :19:32.families of the loved ones who lost their lives. We need that type of
:19:32. > :19:35.prisoners to move forward as decided. People are still hurting
:19:35. > :19:39.out there and we need some type of system. Sinn Fein have been very
:19:39. > :19:43.open and genuine in coming with this type of solution. It is not
:19:43. > :19:47.today or yesterday we have argued for such a system. We put it out
:19:47. > :19:51.there for a number of years now and there is an onus on both
:19:51. > :19:55.governments to engage with it. Pearse Doherty, to using with
:19:55. > :19:58.hindsight you would agree with David Latimer that the Queen, in
:19:58. > :20:04.visiting the sad and what she had to say there, that she actually
:20:04. > :20:10.played a positive role in the trying to come to terms with the
:20:10. > :20:18.past? -- the South. The visit to the garden of remembrance was
:20:18. > :20:24.significant. When we look back and we are talking about drugs recovery,
:20:24. > :20:29.the British Government are still refusing to hand over the files of
:20:29. > :20:32.those bombings even though the Irish Government has demanded it
:20:32. > :20:39.twice by a motion passed in that parliament. So when we are talking
:20:39. > :20:44.about the truce, and we are looking out where the British Government
:20:44. > :20:48.has a role to play. It affects the families, when you have the head of
:20:48. > :20:58.state, the British Queen, the English queen, coming over, head of
:20:58. > :21:03.the British Army, who were responsible in of view in part of
:21:03. > :21:09.the Dublin Monaghan bombings and not moving forward by handing over
:21:09. > :21:16.the files, we cannot move forward in a meaningful way. David Latimer,
:21:16. > :21:23.a Presbyterian minister from Derry, address to delegates here at the
:21:23. > :21:28.Ard Fheis. He's acceptance of the request to speak drew some
:21:28. > :21:34.criticism. David is my friend. We have different allegiances but that
:21:35. > :21:38.is all right. We have one thing in common. We believe in peace. We
:21:38. > :21:48.believe in moving forward together. We believe in sharing. It gives me
:21:48. > :22:16.
:22:16. > :22:23.a great, great pleasure to invite Thank you. My goodness. How can I
:22:23. > :22:29.followed Martin McGuinness? Frankly, I do not think I can, because I see
:22:29. > :22:39.him, Martin, I see you as one of the true great leaders of modern
:22:39. > :22:48.
:22:48. > :22:54.times. And my prayer is that he will be
:22:54. > :23:01.empowered and envisioned to take this forward in the inclusive way
:23:01. > :23:05.that he is committed to, and I hope he gets the support from others
:23:05. > :23:09.from within the other political parties, because it is together
:23:09. > :23:19.that we are going to build the future better and brighter.
:23:19. > :23:26.
:23:27. > :23:36.Martin did not tell you but he got me �1.6 million you know. I wonder
:23:36. > :23:40.what I am expected to do tonight for that! But I must tell you about
:23:40. > :23:45.a clergyman who was in a church for the first time and he was not quite
:23:45. > :23:49.sure if the acoustics were just functioning properly soap he saw
:23:49. > :23:55.somebody back in a corner and he said to them, can you are you all
:23:55. > :24:03.right? The person said, I can, but I wish I could change places with
:24:03. > :24:13.someone who can't! So do you want to change now? I heard you.
:24:13. > :24:17.
:24:17. > :24:22.That his Irish for friends and I begin intentionally with this word
:24:22. > :24:28.because that is what I firmly believe and in my script I have
:24:28. > :24:33.written I firmly believe we are to be coming -- we are becoming, but
:24:33. > :24:37.since arriving tonight I have been overwhelmed by the warmth and the
:24:37. > :24:41.magnitude of the welcome that I have received, right from the
:24:41. > :24:47.security men at the barriers as I came in, through the corridors and
:24:47. > :24:54.into this hall. I do not think I would have the same welcome in the
:24:54. > :25:02.general Assembly in Belfast. Your invitation to me, a Protestant
:25:02. > :25:08.minister, is, I must tell you, forward looking and timely. I used
:25:08. > :25:11.these words in a couple of interviews this week and do you
:25:11. > :25:17.know something? Do you see the deluge of messages I have been
:25:17. > :25:23.receiving from both our communities? I have been gobsmacked
:25:23. > :25:27.by it. Only about 5% of a massive amount of messages have been
:25:27. > :25:33.negative, and all the rest have been positive, which suggests to me
:25:33. > :25:38.out there There is a swathe of people who are looking for positive
:25:38. > :25:41.leadership so that together we can go forward. Is it possible, do you
:25:41. > :25:45.think, that the Democratic Unionists could see their way to
:25:45. > :25:52.invite a Catholic priest to address their party conference this year or
:25:52. > :25:56.next? I would like to think my Co religion lists would emulate what
:25:56. > :26:01.you have done, not for cheap publicity because that will not
:26:01. > :26:08.take us anywhere. Rather, in recognition, despite our respective
:26:08. > :26:13.Dublin or London preferences, which we have to learn to respect and
:26:13. > :26:17.accept, but despite our differing aspirations, we want to acknowledge
:26:17. > :26:24.that our destinies are tied up together and our futures are bound
:26:24. > :26:33.together, which means, ladies and gentlemen, that neither of us can
:26:33. > :26:39.continue to work alone and the more we do together as people on the
:26:39. > :26:45.street, the better we will shape our shared future. What will we do?
:26:45. > :26:50.We will keep moving forward together. We must not let the peace
:26:50. > :27:00.die. We will not let the peace die, and with a man of the hell like
:27:00. > :27:05.Martin, we can be sure of that. Four of you, my friends, -- for all
:27:05. > :27:09.of you, my friends, the nationalists and Catholics, for me,
:27:09. > :27:19.Presbyterian and Unionist, but together we are people made in the
:27:19. > :27:19.
:27:20. > :27:25.image of God. And it is as people that I share this lovely blessing.
:27:25. > :27:30.So listen to this, because it is for you and indeed it is the fall
:27:30. > :27:38.or are people. May the Lord show his mercy upon us. May the light of
:27:38. > :27:43.his presence be our guide. May he gardeners and a poll this. May his
:27:43. > :27:49.spirit be ever art our side. When we sleep, may his angels watch over
:27:49. > :27:54.us. When we wake, may you fill us with his grace. May we love him and
:27:54. > :27:59.serve him all our days, then in heaven, may we see his face through
:27:59. > :28:09.Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Name Of the Father, and of the Sun, and
:28:09. > :28:14.
:28:14. > :28:24.of the Holy spirit. Amen. SPEAKS IRISH. Have I got it right?
:28:24. > :28:28.
:28:28. > :28:37.Our guests are still with us. Conor Murphy, what did you make of the
:28:37. > :28:42.Reverend David Latimer? He was a welcome guest. It was important. In
:28:42. > :28:45.terms of the reconciliation process. But in terms of just relationship
:28:45. > :28:49.building, and a show of respect for other communities, his decision to
:28:49. > :28:54.come here was a courageous one for him. He was saying he has received
:28:54. > :28:57.a huge amount of support in doing that but also he will face some
:28:57. > :29:01.criticism and I think the genuine process of reconciliation takes
:29:01. > :29:06.leadership, takes people from our perspective to step out there and
:29:06. > :29:10.meet others halfway and people like David Latimer are doing that.
:29:11. > :29:17.talked about a day of recognition. Do you support that? Anything which
:29:17. > :29:22.contributes to a better prices of reconciliation, of engagement, can
:29:22. > :29:26.help. -- a process. We need much more than a day to try to resolve
:29:26. > :29:30.some of the legacy of the conflict, to try to share a future together
:29:30. > :29:37.in which we can build a better new Ireland. Anything which contributes
:29:37. > :29:42.to that should be supported. you imagine it happening, though?
:29:42. > :29:45.This is even difficult to talk about a memorial to the troubles.
:29:45. > :29:48.Yes, and I think that is the case and it shows you how complex an
:29:48. > :29:53.area it is. Some of these things are in danger of becoming
:29:53. > :30:01.superficial. It needs nice people from both communities to get
:30:01. > :30:06.together. But I think we want a genuine it conciliation -- a
:30:06. > :30:16.genuine reconciliation process. Last night there was a symbol of
:30:16. > :30:20.
:30:20. > :30:23.that engagement. As Martin McGuinness said, we have a genuine
:30:23. > :30:28.process of dialogue. Anything which contributes to that is helpful and
:30:28. > :30:31.welcome but it is a process which needs all of the participants
:30:31. > :30:35.bought into, which means Etude contribution from Evra body,
:30:35. > :30:45.particularly the British Government and Irish Government, and through
:30:45. > :30:50.
:30:50. > :30:54.that we can find a genuine process The last election we had Peter
:30:54. > :30:59.Robinson talking about Catholics voting for the DUP. Do you think
:30:59. > :31:05.that is realistic? I am sure there are people of Catholic faith and
:31:05. > :31:09.some of have no religious faith in Sinn Fein, and there had been
:31:09. > :31:15.people in the past from different religions. David Latimer addressing
:31:15. > :31:21.The Conference was very symbolic. It was good for in a Sinn Fein to
:31:21. > :31:27.goals and outside of them. Many people will think that someone from
:31:27. > :31:32.the Protestant faith has addressed a Sinn Fein event and it is not
:31:32. > :31:37.like that. We have had many different people from different
:31:37. > :31:42.religions address Sinn Fein at our conferences. It is just a process
:31:42. > :31:47.of outreach and engagement. We have talked about the journey that we
:31:47. > :31:54.would like to go on together. To bring that about we have to be
:31:54. > :31:58.engaged. It is about challenging all of us. David Latimer said that
:31:58. > :32:02.some of the things of that mark McGuinness says -- Martin
:32:02. > :32:10.McGuinness may challenge as but you have to take risks. Republicans
:32:10. > :32:17.have always take -- taking risks and challenged ourselves.. We have
:32:17. > :32:20.been trying to -- ourselves. We have been trying to gain some
:32:20. > :32:25.reconciliation for things that have happened in the past. We can hear
:32:25. > :32:33.from Mary Lou McDonald and a little of what she has been saying this
:32:33. > :32:38.morning. The real reform that we need means more integration and
:32:38. > :32:45.more responsive services. It means eliminating red tape and reversing
:32:45. > :32:51.the front line. It means capping the high-flyers at the top and
:32:51. > :32:56.ending the scandal of malty mention -- multi- million pension scandals.
:32:56. > :33:02.It means that Citizens young and old can access the services that
:33:02. > :33:08.they need. This is the reform agenda at that we in Sinn Fein will
:33:09. > :33:16.champion and support. We will vigorously oppose any moves to
:33:16. > :33:24.privatise services, to sell off valuable state companies and assets,
:33:24. > :33:28.or to scapegoat public servants. We have one minister who is completing
:33:28. > :33:35.a comprehensive spending review, of which there has been much talk in.
:33:35. > :33:43.I leave you with this final plot. As the minister peruses this --
:33:43. > :33:48.final thought. As the minister praises the spinal issues come up I
:33:48. > :33:55.astute -- B's final issues, I ask you to think about cutting from the
:33:55. > :34:00.top. Minister, know this, the ordinary people have a taking
:34:00. > :34:04.enough, and we in this party and in this Sinn Fein party, we stand
:34:04. > :34:14.shoulder to shoulder and if you come after us again we will come
:34:14. > :34:17.
:34:17. > :34:22.right back at you. That is Mary-Lou McDonald talking about important
:34:22. > :34:29.issues for people south and north of the border. We are joined by the
:34:29. > :34:34.agricultural minister Michelle Gildernew and another guest. --
:34:34. > :34:38.Agriculture Minister. Michelle, we have been talking about
:34:38. > :34:43.agricultural policy reform and benefits and the subsidies paid
:34:43. > :34:48.from Europe. How will you deal with some of these issues? I think it is
:34:48. > :34:53.important that we approach this as a team Ireland approach. We need to
:34:53. > :35:00.get everybody together and go out with a common purpose. We have the
:35:00. > :35:06.same common goal. Together we can be a stronger voice in Europe. I
:35:06. > :35:10.have done a lot of work with the Minister for the 26 counties and we
:35:10. > :35:18.want to get a team Ireland approach a for Europe. Can it make a
:35:18. > :35:23.difference? How much influence do you think you will rarely have?
:35:23. > :35:30.have put our own submission in it to Europe on how we think the new
:35:30. > :35:36.cap should be. We think it should be strong and flexible. I was able
:35:36. > :35:40.to Secure or some meetings with and will ensure people in Europe and I
:35:40. > :35:50.want to make sure that we have a strong voice in Europe and have the
:35:50. > :35:57.best for our local farmers. We are very much differ from DEFRA in our
:35:58. > :36:04.approach. They are not fighting as strong so I would like to stick to
:36:04. > :36:11.the team Ireland approach. You are obviously within sight of Short
:36:12. > :36:18.Strand here. Your constituency has had some difficult times. What can
:36:18. > :36:23.Sinn Fein do to bring an end to some of the sectarian tensions?
:36:24. > :36:33.are working with some of those who are taking the lead, grassroots
:36:34. > :36:34.
:36:34. > :36:40.activists, who are helping out. We got a contribution from David
:36:40. > :36:50.Latimer and we are very much up for engaging with the Unionists
:36:50. > :36:51.
:36:51. > :36:55.Protestant loyalists. Her we bring a confidence in our own review of
:36:55. > :36:59.the world and where we want to take our people collectively and that
:36:59. > :37:08.includes the Unionist community. Are we talking about uniting
:37:08. > :37:12.Ireland rather than a united Ireland? That is the ideology that
:37:12. > :37:17.we appear to and that is what I have tried to do during my year
:37:17. > :37:27.here in Belfast so far. I think that is the spirit with which
:37:27. > :37:36.
:37:36. > :37:39.activists,. -- with which activists come. What happened in my
:37:39. > :37:45.constituency was a pre-planned attack on the Short Strand
:37:45. > :37:50.community and there is no doubt about that. A lot of the people
:37:50. > :37:58.that I speak to in working-class loyalist areas feel left behind and
:37:58. > :38:02.feel let down. Some of them feel abandoned by people who have
:38:02. > :38:09.claimed to be political leaders. They should get a grip on that
:38:09. > :38:14.situation because whatever perceived grievance or a legitimate
:38:14. > :38:24.grievance, it cannot be justified, and that is why we have taking a
:38:24. > :38:25.
:38:25. > :38:31.series of motions. It is not about having an event as a dividend as --
:38:31. > :38:38.as significant as having dinner Latimer speech -- having David at
:38:38. > :38:45.Latimer speak, but I have walked along with Sammy Douglas and you
:38:45. > :38:49.have had people from Short Strand joining in and Sammy Douglas said
:38:49. > :38:52.it was not the first time he had been on those streets at that time
:38:52. > :38:59.of the morning but it was for different reasons. I am very
:38:59. > :39:05.confident that there can be more. Belfast City Council is aspiring to
:39:05. > :39:09.bringing down these problems but there is more debate about whether
:39:09. > :39:19.more walls should be put up or not. I am not sure they would agree with
:39:19. > :39:23.that. I am very conscious of being desires of the people who live
:39:23. > :39:28.there and in the shadow of those walls. I think there needs to be
:39:28. > :39:36.ongoing engagement with then. That is why I had been involved and I
:39:36. > :39:43.think it is the people who will show us what needs to happen next.
:39:43. > :39:48.Michelle O'Neill is here. Ministers have been speaking and the
:39:48. > :39:53.Education Minister explain why they have been holding on to the
:39:53. > :39:57.portfolio. Why has Sinn Fein been so resolute in remaining at the
:39:57. > :40:01.helm of the Department of Education for the third term and a Northern
:40:01. > :40:06.Assembly? I have been asked this question on numerous occasions and
:40:06. > :40:12.the answer is simple. To education we can make real and positive
:40:12. > :40:22.change to society. -- through education. We can get success
:40:22. > :40:25.
:40:25. > :40:32.through a number of ways through education. We give credence to the
:40:32. > :40:40.right plan. Some people might say that Sinn Fein shows some of the
:40:40. > :40:47.Sedley easier ministers -- slightly easy ministers and do not want to
:40:47. > :40:52.talk much about getting the private sector up and running again.
:40:52. > :40:56.Education does not get more economic -- education, it does not
:40:56. > :41:06.get more economic than that. It will be good for people to get into
:41:06. > :41:09.
:41:09. > :41:14.the workplace. Those are all very positive things and this is an
:41:14. > :41:19.economic department. I think employment rates in this department
:41:19. > :41:26.are increasing day on day and the the future -- the future of looks
:41:26. > :41:31.very positive. I think we need to make positive choices and you can
:41:31. > :41:35.see right across The Conference that people are happy with the work
:41:35. > :41:43.we are doing. There are many challenges and things to do but we
:41:43. > :41:53.are happy with this challenge us. What was the reasoning behind some
:41:53. > :41:54.
:41:54. > :42:01.of your comments? We are looking at the increasing the role and the
:42:01. > :42:09.ministers are promoting things and Belfast. Delegates wanted it to
:42:09. > :42:14.come north. The art has to be rotated. I am delighted to welcome
:42:14. > :42:19.it here to Belfast. It is a historic city. You have ever 2000
:42:19. > :42:23.delegates here in the City and that will be quite a boost -- over 2000
:42:23. > :42:27.delegates here in the city and that will be quite a boost. I am
:42:27. > :42:31.enjoying Belfast and hopefully they will come back. It is quite
:42:31. > :42:36.impressive. It looks impressive. What about your people on the
:42:36. > :42:40.ground was that will they have any questions about the cost of staging
:42:40. > :42:46.a conference when people are struggling for their jobs? I think
:42:46. > :42:54.that is a red herring to be honest. We have a budget for the events and
:42:54. > :42:59.it is somewhat modest. Activists are a very pleased with the Budget.
:42:59. > :43:09.It is in a sleek venue that is built for things like this. They
:43:09. > :43:13.can wear it as a badge of honour for Belfast. This is about people
:43:13. > :43:17.coming and putting their views forward about where they agree and
:43:17. > :43:20.do not agree. It is a good opportunity and I do not think
:43:20. > :43:26.there will be any complaints. is the future for Sinn Fein? What
:43:26. > :43:32.his next? You have seen our success this year. It has been fantastic.
:43:32. > :43:36.We have a very bright future. We have a very young party and it is
:43:36. > :43:41.very progressive. I think the future is very bright. That is all