:00:16. > :00:21.Good evening and welcome to the Waterfront Hall in the heart of
:00:21. > :00:27.Belfast. The Sinn Fein have chosen this as the venue for their annual
:00:27. > :00:32.Ard Fheis or conference. It has been ringing to accents from around
:00:32. > :00:36.the country. We will bring you Gerry Adams's keynote speech to a
:00:36. > :00:40.packed court shortly, but first Mark Devenport, who has been here
:00:40. > :00:45.since the event kicked off last night. Give us a sense of the
:00:45. > :00:48.themes of the day. The main theme is that they are having the
:00:48. > :00:53.conference in Belfast. That has been a novelty that has hit
:00:53. > :00:56.everybody because we have been used to travelling to conferences in
:00:56. > :00:59.Dublin and this is their first time North of the border. It has
:00:59. > :01:04.symbolised the journey that the party has come on from the days
:01:04. > :01:09.when they were more of a marginal force, the association with the IRA.
:01:09. > :01:13.They are very much in the mainstream now. This happens at a
:01:13. > :01:18.very confident time, when they are coming off election successes in
:01:18. > :01:22.the South and the North. There has not been any rancour or open
:01:22. > :01:25.division between different elements of the party, so it has been boring
:01:25. > :01:30.for the political commentators but a dream for the political leaders.
:01:30. > :01:33.They have a party that has been doing well and is looking towards a
:01:33. > :01:37.future election potentially in the Irish presidential election. They
:01:37. > :01:42.have been dropping heavier and heavier hints that they are poised
:01:42. > :01:49.to enter that race. The devolution of policing and justice is seen by
:01:49. > :01:52.many delegates as one of the peace process achievements of Sinn Fein.
:01:52. > :01:59.There were warnings today that those at the top of policing were
:01:59. > :02:03.trying to undermine their work so far. The Police Ombudsman has been
:02:03. > :02:08.accused of overstaying his welcome. And he also spoke about Matt
:02:08. > :02:12.Baggott and his record on investigations relating to the
:02:12. > :02:16.Troubles. They are engaged with local communities in an honest
:02:16. > :02:22.effort to promote safety and prevent crime. They need and
:02:22. > :02:26.deserve support but the PSNI cannot have it both ways. The PSNI is not
:02:26. > :02:30.responsible for the British legacy of pollution and oppression going
:02:30. > :02:37.back generations, however Chief Constable Matt Baggott cannot
:02:37. > :02:40.become complicit in covering up for that. When he attended the
:02:40. > :02:44.investigation into the massacre, he dealt a blow to the new beginning
:02:44. > :02:54.of policing. Not only was he wrong...
:02:54. > :02:55.
:02:55. > :03:01.Not only was he wrong in doing so, but we wonder why he defends the
:03:01. > :03:05.indefensible. It is 40 years after the event. There are still those
:03:05. > :03:15.are the old guard trying to return policing to the force within a 4th,
:03:15. > :03:17.
:03:17. > :03:24.period. Sinn Fein will not let that happen. -- with in a force. The
:03:24. > :03:30.PSNI to constable has a responsibility to prevent the wrong
:03:30. > :03:35.doings from the past to condemn a date the present. -- to contaminate
:03:35. > :03:42.the present. The PSNI must cease to be a line of defence for past
:03:42. > :03:49.wrongs. It is too late for our Hutchinson. Three, let me repeat
:03:49. > :03:53.that, three separate damning reports have condemned his
:03:53. > :03:57.leadership of the ombudsman's office. I believe in fully
:03:57. > :04:01.accountable policing. Therefore I want the credibility of the
:04:01. > :04:08.ombudsman's office to be restored. Mr Hutchinson is that the core of
:04:08. > :04:13.the problem, therefore he is not the person to fix it. He has lost
:04:13. > :04:19.the confidence of the community. If he is in any doubt, then let him
:04:19. > :04:23.hear ripped from this Ard Fheis. He must go, he should go now. My oast
:04:23. > :04:28.of the day was fairly relaxed, but as we heard from Jerry Kelly, it
:04:28. > :04:32.was not all sweetness and light. The main problem is what you do
:04:32. > :04:35.about the past. It has brought about this controversy in relation
:04:35. > :04:39.to Mr Hutchinson and some harsh words for the chief constable, Matt
:04:39. > :04:43.Baggott. Sinn Fein's big idea on this has always been an
:04:43. > :04:47.international truth Commission, along the South African lines, with
:04:47. > :04:52.UN involvement. He taught about that but admitted that their
:04:52. > :04:56.opponents have not bought into bad idea. They are looking around for
:04:56. > :05:00.something that might move this forward. They are talking about a
:05:00. > :05:03.one-off Countrywide day of hope and transformation. That is an idea but
:05:03. > :05:06.they know it will probably need more than that. There is a
:05:06. > :05:11.piecemeal approach that has done damage to the police ombudsman's
:05:11. > :05:15.office and that is not sustainable in the long term. How do you
:05:15. > :05:19.compare this conference to other years? They have not got the big
:05:19. > :05:23.decisions. Many past Sinn Fein conferences have been about do they
:05:23. > :05:26.support the police, do they go into the peace process? They have made
:05:26. > :05:30.most of their decisions and now they are trying to position
:05:30. > :05:35.themselves. In another they are the dominant party but they are trying
:05:35. > :05:39.to position themselves in the South as well. -- in the North they are
:05:39. > :05:44.dominant. Some speakers have been celebrating their success in the
:05:44. > :05:49.North with potential in the South. They have drawn their line, and
:05:49. > :05:52.saying they are the main opposition in the South. At the Waterfront
:05:52. > :05:56.Hall the Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams delivered his keynote speech
:05:56. > :06:00.a while ago. Let's hear what he said.
:06:00. > :06:10.I would like to welcome all of you here from all parts of our island
:06:10. > :06:14.to the city. I want to welcome people from Canada and the USA.
:06:14. > :06:20.This is an emotive time for people in New York, when we think of our
:06:20. > :06:25.friends that died there in the attacks on September 11th. There
:06:25. > :06:35.are want to welcome our guests from South Africa. From the Basque
:06:35. > :06:39.
:06:39. > :06:43.country and elsewhere. And all of those people watching at home. I
:06:44. > :06:51.also welcome all the rest of our veterans. I want to extend, if I
:06:51. > :07:01.may, in very special welcome, our guest representing the Palestinian
:07:01. > :07:10.
:07:10. > :07:15.Later this month, the Palestinian people will ask the United Nations
:07:15. > :07:19.to recognise the state of Palestine. I call on the Irish Government to
:07:19. > :07:29.support the Palestinian people and their demand to be a state and for
:07:29. > :07:34.
:07:34. > :07:42.independence. In August, 1971, a British Army
:07:43. > :07:51.regiment took 11 people in my home. Five months later, in January 1972,
:07:51. > :07:55.this same regiment killed 14 people in Derry, on Bloody Sunday. That
:07:55. > :08:01.July it in West Belfast, they killed five more people. Shortly
:08:01. > :08:09.after that they shot dead two people on the Shankill Road. And in
:08:09. > :08:14.1973 they killed five meant. -- men. It is claimed that they killed 42
:08:14. > :08:17.citizens in disputed circumstances in the 20 months after internment.
:08:18. > :08:27.Sinn Fein support the efforts of their loved ones, as we do all of
:08:27. > :08:37.those seeking truth and closure. I would like to welcome the families
:08:37. > :08:44.
:08:44. > :08:49.and relatives that are here with us This city of Belfast has a proud
:08:49. > :08:53.republican history. This is a city where United Irishmen and women
:08:53. > :09:03.committed themselves to ending the connection with Britain. This is a
:09:03. > :09:05.
:09:05. > :09:09.city of proud, Protestant Republicans. This is a city where
:09:09. > :09:19.working men and women were organised, and especially the women,
:09:19. > :09:43.
:09:43. > :09:49.against sweat stop conditions. -- He speaks Irish. So it is a big
:09:49. > :09:59.date for Belfast republicans that the Ard Fheis is here. I have not
:09:59. > :10:00.
:10:00. > :10:04.gone away, you know. It is a big day for me, too. It is a big day
:10:05. > :10:11.for me as a Belfast man, who was very humbled and proud to be
:10:11. > :10:16.elected by the people. In the mid- 1960s, when I joined Sinn Fein, it
:10:16. > :10:19.was a forbidden organisation. I was arrested for the first time in
:10:19. > :10:24.Belfast city centre when I was about 17 or 18 for selling the
:10:24. > :10:28.party newspaper. At that time, this was a one-party state, a police
:10:28. > :10:33.state. It was run by a union is delete that controlled all the
:10:33. > :10:38.institutions of Government. -- pianist en route. Discrimination
:10:38. > :10:47.against Catholics was rife. The Special Powers Act was the order of
:10:47. > :10:57.the day. Many of my generation spent their lives on trial on the
:10:57. > :10:59.
:10:59. > :11:04.prison ship in Belfast Lough and in the Belfast prisons. Others spent
:11:04. > :11:12.decades in other prisons. Some went to early graves, and Sam Querrey
:11:12. > :11:16.injuries to this day. -- some carry injuries the to this day. The state
:11:16. > :11:26.of the British Government ruled supreme. Comrades, those days are
:11:26. > :11:31.
:11:31. > :11:37.And Unionism, as it comes to terms with this new reality, will be
:11:37. > :11:47.liberated by it. The Orange state is no more. This Ard Fheis and your
:11:47. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :11:57.presence here is further proof of Under the old regime, the greatest
:11:57. > :12:02.price was paid by working-class communities. Every expression of
:12:02. > :12:08.Irish nurse was repressed. Unions were sold the pretence of privilege
:12:08. > :12:18.but it could not be sustained. Not in this city, not anywhere. This is
:12:18. > :12:27.
:12:27. > :12:35.also the city of many heroes and And they include Bobby Sands, Joe
:12:35. > :12:45.McDonnell and Kieran Doherty. 30 years ago, they, along with
:12:45. > :13:06.
:13:06. > :13:14.France's, Raymond, Patrick, Big Tom, They are the role models. They are
:13:14. > :13:24.with us tonight. Laverty years ago some of them were still on the
:13:24. > :13:35.
:13:35. > :13:45.Neil Green and last for not least, Mary Doyle.
:13:45. > :13:46.
:13:46. > :13:50.Equipment to National Southern Tree is what motivates Sinn Fein.
:13:50. > :13:55.Citizens have right, this includes the right to a home, job, access to
:13:55. > :13:59.education, the health service on the right to a safe and clean
:13:59. > :14:03.environment and civil liberties. This is what republicanism is about.
:14:03. > :14:07.It is what freedom and real democracy is about. And there
:14:07. > :14:13.wasn't a more important time for this for these core Republican
:14:13. > :14:16.values. The Republic of Ireland are facing an economic crisis of such
:14:16. > :14:21.magnitude it dominates all our lives. From the very old to the
:14:21. > :14:24.very young. And the North British Government governs -- policy and
:14:24. > :14:33.its fiscal control makes efforts to tackle the economic crisis more
:14:33. > :14:39.difficult. It is a major challenge to the Assembly. In the south, half
:14:39. > :14:46.a million people languish on the dole. College graduates joined the
:14:46. > :14:53.unemployed. Construction workers, architects and solicitors. 575
:14:53. > :14:59.workers lost their jobs this week in the announcement of the media to
:14:59. > :15:03.closure and the loss of another 130 jobs is another day of the stock --
:15:04. > :15:08.devastating blow. Thousands are leaving. Taking their skills,
:15:08. > :15:12.enthusiasm and they used to other countries. Families have been
:15:12. > :15:15.forced to choose between buying school books or paying mortgages.
:15:15. > :15:20.The Irish people don't even have the right to make their own
:15:20. > :15:24.decisions about how to handle this crisis. Irish economics of entry
:15:24. > :15:33.has been handed over to the EU and the International Monetary Fund.
:15:33. > :15:38.The job losses are mounting and still, Fine Gael and Labour plough
:15:38. > :15:43.ahead of recapitalising the banks and cutting public spending. What
:15:43. > :15:48.is the jobs plan? What kind of society will be left at the end of
:15:48. > :15:52.this crisis if there is no public outline, no public energy body, no
:15:52. > :15:56.post service, no forestry body? What kind of society will be left
:15:56. > :16:01.when they have sold off essential state assets and the natural
:16:01. > :16:06.resources for next to nothing to private interests. The Irish people
:16:06. > :16:10.deserve better. They know it. That is why there is such a great desire
:16:10. > :16:14.for a fundamental political change across this island. That is what is
:16:14. > :16:19.most obvious in the six counties is the support given to the Executive
:16:19. > :16:27.in the elections last May. People voted for change in the South also.
:16:27. > :16:35.They voted against the disastrous policies. He voted against the EU,
:16:35. > :16:41.IMF deal. They laugh that Fine Gael, and Labour -- elected Fine Gael
:16:41. > :16:50.that they would honour the election promises. But the coalition parties,
:16:50. > :16:56.once they were in, the Government's Building top election promises.
:16:56. > :17:03.People are dismayed because instead of implementing their own stated
:17:03. > :17:10.commitments, they get into implementing Fianna Fail policy.
:17:10. > :17:13.Labour defence improvisation of unfair taxes and one day, Labour
:17:13. > :17:20.tells us all there will be no cuts in social welfare and then on
:17:20. > :17:25.another day there will be cuts to social welfare in the December
:17:25. > :17:34.Budget. In fact, Fianna Fail and Labour are set to impose almost 4
:17:34. > :17:39.billion euros of these cuts. At the same time they are handing over 3
:17:39. > :17:49.billion euros to the Anglo Irish Bank. This year and every year for
:17:49. > :17:49.
:17:49. > :17:53.the next 10 years. He and Vinegar Hill expects people on a salary is,
:17:53. > :17:59.people with special needs and senior citizens and the unemployed
:17:59. > :18:09.to think this is fair. It is not, it is wrong.
:18:09. > :18:17.
:18:17. > :18:27.Sinn Fein wouldn't pay this 30 billion euros to Anglo-Irish. Then
:18:27. > :18:27.
:18:27. > :18:31.faction Fein wouldn't pay one sense to this bank. -- sense.
:18:31. > :18:36.Her a better island is possible, it must be based on the rights of
:18:36. > :18:41.citizens, on the needs of society on fairness and equality for stomp
:18:41. > :18:47.Sinn Fein's recovery plan would use the main reserve in the national
:18:47. > :18:52.pension reserve fund to introduce a multi-billion Euro jobs package.
:18:52. > :18:55.Our plan to invest in schools and hospital buildings, broadband roll-
:18:55. > :19:05.out and developing the agricultural food sector so we can grow our way
:19:05. > :19:18.
:19:18. > :19:23.Tens of thousands of families at this moment are in serious mortgage
:19:23. > :19:27.distress. This problem cannot be left to the banks. The Government
:19:27. > :19:32.has to act and the Government has to act now. The priority has to be
:19:32. > :19:35.protect family homes. An independent distress mortgage
:19:35. > :19:41.resolution body is needed with strong powers and a menu of options
:19:41. > :19:46.to help those in greatest need. Anything else is unacceptable. And
:19:46. > :19:52.Sinn Fein makes no bones about it. We will ask the wealthier citizens,
:19:52. > :19:56.who will also benefit from the recovery, to contribute more. A
:19:56. > :19:58.package of wealth taxes, taxes on profits and an end to tax
:19:58. > :20:05.exemptions will bring in the revenue necessary to meet funding
:20:05. > :20:09.needs. Sinn Fein will tackle public spending. But we will protect
:20:09. > :20:13.social welfare, education and public health budgets. Sinn Fein
:20:13. > :20:18.will go after hospital consultants who are among highest-paid in the
:20:18. > :20:28.world. Will we will go after politicians and top civil servants
:20:28. > :20:28.
:20:28. > :20:34.are wages under pension lump sums. We will protect state assets. And
:20:34. > :20:38.we will get a better deal on our natural resources. We will tell the
:20:38. > :20:48.private bondholders, they must take the pain of their losses and the
:20:48. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :20:56.Irish taxpayer will carry them no longer. And we also tell the EU,
:20:56. > :21:06.IMF that it's time for an New Deal. A deal that takes into account what
:21:06. > :21:17.
:21:17. > :21:22.the Irish people are able and Also, unlike the rest of them, Sinn
:21:22. > :21:25.Fein has always argued the Irish people cannot enjoy democracy for
:21:25. > :21:30.full independence as long as the majority are laws are made by
:21:30. > :21:35.people who do not a let. We do not and we want to work with Democrats,
:21:35. > :21:40.not with these big powers. We want to work with Democrats across the
:21:40. > :21:45.Continent to build a Europe with equals. Were all states regardless
:21:45. > :21:48.of their size, wealth or power respect one another sovereignty and
:21:48. > :21:54.co-operate together in tackling the common problems of Europe and the
:21:54. > :21:58.wider world. This party is opposed to further the use centralisation.
:21:58. > :22:02.To challenge those in the Irish political establishment, who,
:22:02. > :22:06.despite their battles are shamefully subservient to Brussels
:22:06. > :22:11.and Frankfurt. When the Euro was introduced, Sinn Fein warned
:22:11. > :22:17.against giving away the state's ability to make monetary policy.
:22:17. > :22:21.I'm sorry to say this, we have been vindicated by disastrous
:22:21. > :22:25.development since then. At the European common currency project,
:22:25. > :22:29.the Euro, is in deep crisis and citizens have the right to know
:22:29. > :22:33.what the Government is going to do. There is people also have the right
:22:33. > :22:41.to know if the Government has a contingency plan if the currency
:22:41. > :22:45.collapses. Fine Gael and Labour are not being honest. In the current
:22:45. > :22:55.crisis, Sinn Fein warns against any attempt to hand over for economic
:22:55. > :22:57.
:22:57. > :23:02.power to the European Union. The raising and extending of taxes...
:23:02. > :23:06.Goes to the very heart of our society is organised. It determines
:23:06. > :23:10.the funding and quality of public services, the distribution and
:23:10. > :23:15.redistribution of wealth. And these must be the Democratic prerogative
:23:15. > :23:20.of the Irish people through their representatives in the Loloahi
:23:20. > :23:24.Tapui and the Assembly. Isn't it ironic Sinn Fein campaigns for the
:23:24. > :23:29.transfer of fiscal powers from London to Belfast. In Dublin these
:23:29. > :23:34.same powers are given away to the EU by the Irish political
:23:34. > :23:38.establishment. I want to commend the work of the outgoing President
:23:38. > :23:43.and her husband. Next month, the people will enact the new President
:23:43. > :23:48.of Ireland. By once again citizens in the north won't have the right
:23:48. > :23:54.to vote. This must change. Citizens from all parts of Ireland must be
:23:54. > :24:02.able to vote in presidential elections. An Irish citizens living
:24:02. > :24:06.abroad Dr Ahmad Khaled Abdel Aziz - - Dr Ahmad Khaled Abdel Aziz as has
:24:06. > :24:16.the same with many other states should also have the right to vote.
:24:16. > :24:18.
:24:18. > :24:24.The presidency is not the trophy of Across this island, more and more
:24:24. > :24:28.people are looking to Sinn Fein for leadership. In my view, Sinn Fein
:24:28. > :24:38.should support the nomination of a candidate to be President of
:24:38. > :24:43.
:24:43. > :24:47.Ireland. A candidate who is capable of winning the support of progress
:24:47. > :24:53.of of opinion, who will reflect the broad, Republican spirits of the
:24:53. > :25:00.Irish people at this time and the incoming President will continue
:25:00. > :25:03.this matter. Last year saw electoral advances to Sinn Fein and
:25:04. > :25:07.the one to thank everybody who entrusted their vote to us. I want
:25:07. > :25:17.to ask everybody to support Paul Donnelly in the upcoming by-
:25:17. > :25:20.
:25:20. > :25:25.election. I want to congratulate all the senators and their families.
:25:25. > :25:29.Me Sinn Fein is now the leading voice of opposition. We are
:25:29. > :25:32.standing up for Ireland, we help put forward an alternative than we
:25:32. > :25:38.will consistently and have consistently establish the bad
:25:38. > :25:42.decisions of the Government. TD's have rained -- raised issues of
:25:42. > :25:47.significance across the border, on every issue affecting everybody.
:25:47. > :25:51.Let me say also in terms of what we are going to do in the upcoming
:25:51. > :26:01.period. We will continue to fight on all of these issues. Unlike the
:26:01. > :26:13.
:26:13. > :26:22.others, we will do exactly what we I also want to congratulate all our
:26:22. > :26:32.MLAs, councillors and Paul Muskie, the MP for West Belfast.
:26:32. > :26:59.
:26:59. > :27:04.Sinn Fein has lots of work to do in the time ahead. And it is for
:27:04. > :27:08.certain we will continue to do all of that work. One of the things we
:27:08. > :27:12.are focusing on and continue to focus on, is working with our
:27:12. > :27:22.colleagues in the Executive to confront the sectarianism and
:27:22. > :27:27.rural poverty to transform education and all of these other
:27:27. > :27:34.matters which face down on people. But our vision of a new Ireland, of
:27:34. > :27:39.the New Republic for the 21st century is pluralist, it is
:27:39. > :27:48.inclusive and it is based on equality and citizens' rights. And
:27:48. > :27:53.that new republic must be built by Catholic, President. That means we
:27:53. > :27:58.have to reach out to the Unionists. We have to be patient, it means we
:27:58. > :28:03.have to find common ground on which we can celebrate our differences as
:28:03. > :28:11.diversity and as equals. And that's a personal priority for me and the
:28:11. > :28:15.political priority for Sinn Fein and for the leadership. Partition
:28:15. > :28:25.created two conservative states on this island led by two
:28:25. > :28:52.
:28:52. > :29:00.Conservatives only eats. -- Uniting Ireland, comrades, makes
:29:00. > :29:06.economic sense, it makes political sense, it makes common sense. We
:29:06. > :29:11.live in a wonderful country and our people of great people. Sinn Fein
:29:11. > :29:21.has great trust in the people of Ireland. Sinn Fein's vision for of
:29:21. > :29:22.
:29:22. > :29:27.the future is based on hope. -- all of the future. I believe that there
:29:27. > :29:32.are many people throughout this island who share our goals. There
:29:32. > :29:39.are many people that want rid of outsiders ruling us, whether they
:29:39. > :29:44.are from London, the IMF, all the EU. Many people want a real
:29:45. > :29:49.Republic, a new republic, and this will require the very active
:29:49. > :29:56.participation of citizens. So I am calling upon people to join Sinn
:29:56. > :30:01.Fein. The British Government, Sinn Fein comes from that democratic
:30:01. > :30:05.tradition that believes that the British Government has no right in
:30:05. > :30:15.Ireland, never had any right in Ireland, and never will have any
:30:15. > :30:25.
:30:25. > :30:29.And the best thing that a British Government can do, and as we
:30:29. > :30:34.continue with our strategy democratically and peacefully, I am
:30:34. > :30:43.sure, the British Government will do this, and that is to leave.
:30:43. > :30:49.Leave us to manage our own affairs. So Sinn Fein is clear, clear about
:30:49. > :30:53.our strategy, our goals, the road map to the future, a better future.
:30:53. > :31:02.And we have the spirit and the confidence to work with others to
:31:02. > :31:08.achieve this. We go forward with confidence in
:31:08. > :31:18.the future. Comrades, let us make history. And in the words of the
:31:18. > :31:19.
:31:20. > :31:27.blanket men. And when they said this, they were talking about the
:31:27. > :31:37.people of Ireland, all our people, Catholic, Protestant and dissenter,
:31:37. > :31:49.
:31:49. > :31:54.when they said this. The HE SPEAKS That was Gerry Adams with his
:31:55. > :31:59.keynote speech to the conference. With us now is Gerry Kelly, and the
:31:59. > :32:04.education minister, John O'Dowd. Gerry Kelly, sum up the day and
:32:04. > :32:09.yesterday for us. That is hard to do. It was a great conference. You
:32:09. > :32:13.can see it there is a lot of conference. The momentum is going.
:32:13. > :32:18.You can see a lot of young people at our conference. We are bringing
:32:18. > :32:23.new people through. It is a vibrant party, a party going places. We
:32:23. > :32:25.have a vision, Gerry Adams described that vision. There is a
:32:26. > :32:30.great confidence in the whole party to move ahead and to bring it to
:32:30. > :32:34.Belfast was a great move. It is a great boost not just for people of
:32:34. > :32:41.Belfast but we are run All-Ireland party and it is great to bring
:32:41. > :32:45.people here. What happens now in the presidential election? He has
:32:45. > :32:55.triggered a debate throughout the party. They will have that debate
:32:55. > :33:00.and they will make a decision, I suppose. If I was to make a opinion,
:33:00. > :33:04.I am ambivalent, but you have to pick a big personality to do it. I
:33:04. > :33:08.suppose in certain ways it will be important for us. You may lose a
:33:08. > :33:14.personality from within the party if you do it from within the party
:33:14. > :33:18.that maybe is needed in the party. But it is a huge challenge. We have
:33:18. > :33:23.many other huge challenges. On balance, I think it is a very good
:33:23. > :33:30.idea and we should pursue it. We have not thought about who that
:33:30. > :33:34.could be. You have the education portfolio. You said in your speech
:33:34. > :33:38.that no school would be able to stand alone in the delivery of
:33:38. > :33:43.education. What did you mean by that? What I mean is that schools
:33:43. > :33:46.have to break down barriers. They have to start working, not only
:33:46. > :33:50.across schools in their neighbourhood, but across sectors.
:33:50. > :33:54.I accept that many schools are doing this already and many
:33:54. > :34:02.educationalists are leading the way in this field. But facing into the
:34:02. > :34:06.future with the Budget we are faced with, I think there is a need to
:34:06. > :34:11.create a new society, break down barriers and share power. Break
:34:11. > :34:14.down the barriers and share education together. I will assist
:34:14. > :34:18.you and support you in that journey as minister of education. That is
:34:18. > :34:22.the call I was making in my speeches yesterday evening and
:34:22. > :34:26.today. I accept that many are doing it but we need to step up the
:34:26. > :34:34.momentum and the pace of change. is the biggest opponent to that
:34:34. > :34:38.plan? -- who? I'm not going to lay out a list of obstacles. There are
:34:38. > :34:42.many examples where this is happening and others where it is
:34:42. > :34:47.not. I am not talking across religious barriers, but socio-
:34:47. > :34:51.economic grounds as well. Are you talking about grammar schools?
:34:51. > :35:00.many stand on their own. Many see themselves as part of the education
:35:00. > :35:05.system and the community. That's -- let's not point to people. We will
:35:05. > :35:10.play our part in a system to break down barriers and to start a new
:35:10. > :35:16.beginning in education. But it is a big driver behind this, but also to
:35:16. > :35:20.make change in society. -- budget is a big driver. Let's do it across
:35:20. > :35:26.society and in our education system was stop what are you talking about
:35:26. > :35:30.in practical terms? Sharing facilities? I will be making a
:35:30. > :35:35.keynote speech to the Assembly about the future of education and I
:35:35. > :35:39.will lay out my plans in more detail than. I am moving towards
:35:39. > :35:44.the idea that we can no longer look upon schools as individual
:35:44. > :35:50.institutions. They will have to play their part as a collective, as
:35:50. > :35:54.a collective role within areas. It is across the rich divide, the
:35:54. > :35:58.socio-economic divide. I want the schools and managing authorities to
:35:58. > :36:01.come back to me as Minister of Education to say this is what they
:36:01. > :36:07.believe they can do going into the future. This is not a paper
:36:07. > :36:14.exercise. It is a radical change in education. I am not disrespect
:36:14. > :36:20.thing, or looking to move away from face -- space-based or any other
:36:20. > :36:24.type of education. I am not closing anybody down, but sharing resources
:36:24. > :36:29.and working closely together. Surely some schools are going to
:36:29. > :36:33.have to close because of empty places? The most important thing to
:36:33. > :36:36.me is that we have a number of schools were young people leaving
:36:36. > :36:41.schools are not treating their academic achievements. We are
:36:41. > :36:44.failing many young people. Those schools will have to reach the
:36:44. > :36:48.standards or I think they should close down. That is one of the
:36:48. > :36:54.options available. What is also bearing down on us is finance. The
:36:54. > :37:00.education budget is very difficult. Year one is bad, years two de four
:37:00. > :37:05.are particularly difficult. We want to set out a plan to show to the
:37:05. > :37:09.sector, to put some surety into the sector, that we have a plan. But
:37:09. > :37:15.with everything, change will come. Some institutions that have been in
:37:15. > :37:19.place for many years will no longer be there, in my opinion. That is
:37:19. > :37:23.disappointing in many ways, but education is about educating young
:37:23. > :37:26.people and not keeping education institutions open. So long as we
:37:26. > :37:31.are improving our education system that then the hard decisions that
:37:31. > :37:35.we take will be the right decisions. It could be said that your speech
:37:35. > :37:39.was the only one that had some discord today with the comments
:37:39. > :37:43.about Matt Baggott. I don't think it was discord. As the spokesperson
:37:43. > :37:47.on policing my job is to tell the truth and I think that is what I
:37:47. > :37:51.did in a short speech, which was repeated by a number of other
:37:51. > :37:59.speakers later on. The fact is that the PSNI are not responsible for
:37:59. > :38:05.the legacy of oppression over generations. Therefore, they should
:38:05. > :38:11.not, and Matt Baggott as its head, should not defend the indefensible.
:38:11. > :38:14.And especially in terms of the massacre 40 years ago, when it was
:38:14. > :38:23.very clear that there was what I would call pollution during that
:38:23. > :38:32.period. Why would you contaminate a new beginning to policing by trying
:38:32. > :38:41.to defend something that you were only a child at the time, IOC Matt
:38:41. > :38:44.Baggott was just a child. We have fought very hard. I do believe in
:38:44. > :38:51.accountable policing, but it has to be accountable and we cannot have
:38:51. > :38:55.Matt Baggott in the situation of disagreeing with an investigation.
:38:55. > :39:00.He was not the one that did the investigation, it with the
:39:00. > :39:07.ombudsman. Reconciliation was a big theme of this conference, yesterday
:39:07. > :39:12.and today. Do some of the comments made about that sort of thing
:39:12. > :39:17.contradict trying to reconcile the differences between Unionists and
:39:18. > :39:22.nationalists? Absolutely not. I have my political views, and we
:39:22. > :39:26.have our views about a national united Ireland. We think that is
:39:27. > :39:30.the best resolution. Other people have different opinions.
:39:30. > :39:33.Reconciliation is not that people come to the same decision
:39:33. > :39:38.necessarily. It is the ability to deal with the opinions of other
:39:38. > :39:42.people. We have a future together, reconciliation is making that
:39:42. > :39:47.future together. And I think Reverend Latimer mentioned this
:39:47. > :39:52.last night. People have different views of the past. I have said that
:39:52. > :39:56.I have a view of what happened in the past and you may have a view of
:39:56. > :40:02.that, but I do not necessarily have to convince you that your view is
:40:02. > :40:05.wrong and mind is right but we have to both be able to articulate that.
:40:05. > :40:09.Your big idea has been the international truth Commission.
:40:09. > :40:14.Martin McGuinness acknowledged that Unionists have not bought into that.
:40:14. > :40:21.How will you broker some agreement on this? I think that is a question
:40:21. > :40:31.mostly for Unionists. If you talk about reconciliation and purpose in
:40:31. > :40:31.
:40:31. > :40:35.terms of truth, then perhaps he lien is the answer. The one thing
:40:35. > :40:43.everybody agrees on is the issue of truth itself. People want to know
:40:43. > :40:47.the truth. They have said as -- we have said that as Republicans we
:40:47. > :40:52.will participate. But it has to be comprehensive and the state
:40:52. > :40:58.authorities have to be honest. I don't really understand what the
:40:58. > :41:03.resistance from the Unionist is. I was going to say that truth is
:41:03. > :41:07.simple but it can be very complex. But everybody can agree to truth, I
:41:07. > :41:12.think. We are putting that on the table. There are a number of
:41:12. > :41:15.examples, I don't know how many. People were talking about 26
:41:15. > :41:20.different truth processes throughout the world. It may have
:41:20. > :41:24.to be quite specific to hear but let's go and do it. Again and again
:41:24. > :41:29.this legacy has come up. One of the things that annoyed me about it
:41:29. > :41:33.recently at the ombudsman's office, was that it was used as an excuse.
:41:33. > :41:38.We cannot do such and such because we have not dealt with the legacy.
:41:38. > :41:43.Let's deal with the legacy. It cannot become an obstacle for
:41:43. > :41:48.moving things forward. Art Sinn Fein more comfortable in opposition
:41:48. > :41:51.in the South than they are in Government in the North? As a
:41:51. > :42:01.political party we cede power across all of Ireland and I think
:42:01. > :42:05.we are very effective. -- we seek power. Sinn Fail has led to the
:42:05. > :42:11.opposition in the Dail. It is not about one or the other. We see our
:42:11. > :42:14.roles as our mandate. In the North we have the mandate to be in
:42:14. > :42:19.Government and in the South our mandate puts us forward as an
:42:19. > :42:23.opposition party. They are two roles that I think complement each
:42:23. > :42:28.other in many ways. Our politics are the same. We inspire to be in
:42:28. > :42:32.power across the island of Ireland. That is what politics is about.
:42:32. > :42:35.the South you have the luxury of sniping from the sidelines. But you
:42:35. > :42:40.will have to implement cuts in education and jobs will go across
:42:40. > :42:44.the public sector in the North. There is a slight difference. In
:42:44. > :42:49.the South they have certain control over economic levers. They have now
:42:49. > :42:52.handed them over to the EU and the IMF. But here we do not have the
:42:52. > :42:59.economic levers to turn round and say how we will build a budget. We
:42:59. > :43:04.have to deal with the Budget we are given. As a political party, I
:43:04. > :43:08.believe that power is where we need to be. Thank you for joining us.
:43:08. > :43:12.That is it from all of us at the Waterfront Hall. If you want some
:43:12. > :43:16.more politics, join Mark Devenport on BBC Radio Ulster tomorrow at 9