0:00:04 > 0:00:09Good evening and welcome to our coverage of the SDLP's conference.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13It has been an eventful gathering the party was meeting to elect a
0:00:13 > 0:00:16new leader to replace Margaret Ritchie. The result was a surprise
0:00:16 > 0:00:22to some, and a foregone conclusion to others. Yesterday Alasdair
0:00:22 > 0:00:28McDonnell a emerged as the man to steer the helm of a ship that has
0:00:28 > 0:00:35had its fair share of rough seas. He vowed to restructure the party
0:00:35 > 0:00:41and challenge the DUP and Sinn Fein, who he accused of acting like baif
0:00:41 > 0:00:47lives for the Treasury. Today he gave his first speech as leader. It
0:00:47 > 0:00:56didn't go smoothly as he paused to complain about the lighting in the
0:00:56 > 0:01:01hall. Before that what is the mood hall. Before that what is the mood
0:01:01 > 0:01:11of the party as it elects a new leader? Our reporter has been
0:01:11 > 0:01:16
0:01:16 > 0:01:22Apparently there is a major event happening in Belfast this weekend.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27It involves big names competing for the top prize. There have been
0:01:27 > 0:01:32permty clashes and probably some diva-like behaviour. The MTV awards
0:01:32 > 0:01:36aren't the only show in town. There is also the SDLP conference with
0:01:36 > 0:01:41the added attraction of the leadership election. Following the
0:01:41 > 0:01:48foot step of a political giant is hard. Mark Durkan was groomed for
0:01:48 > 0:01:54the role, but saw the party's fortunes decline. Margaret Ritchie
0:01:54 > 0:01:59preside over further slippage. was confrontsed with a major well
0:01:59 > 0:02:03election of which I was part and also not -- Westminster of which I
0:02:03 > 0:02:08was part and three elections this year. So there is now that space,
0:02:08 > 0:02:15that opportunity of three years for that development of ideas. Margaret
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Ritchie learned her politics at the side of Eddie McGrady, and his
0:02:20 > 0:02:26passion for the party is undiminished. This recovery that we
0:02:26 > 0:02:31talk about the rezaebing party, -- re-establishing the party, I have
0:02:31 > 0:02:35no time for that. I want it to move into the future. Not replicate a
0:02:35 > 0:02:39different era and different circumstances. I think we have a
0:02:39 > 0:02:45clean sheet out there and we can paint what we like on it. Tommy
0:02:45 > 0:02:52Gallagher was a victim of the party's fortunes. But he is still
0:02:52 > 0:02:56clean to influence policy. My own view is that we should now be
0:02:56 > 0:03:00thinking seriously about going into opposition. But that is a big
0:03:00 > 0:03:05decision and it will be, it will involve the views of more people
0:03:05 > 0:03:08than myself. But at the moment, now whether we wait for a review of the
0:03:09 > 0:03:18Good Friday agreement and look at the landscape then or not, I am not
0:03:19 > 0:03:20
0:03:20 > 0:03:25sure about the timing of it. Sean and Patricia Farren competed for
0:03:25 > 0:03:31selling books. The former Stormont minister said he will need to write
0:03:31 > 0:03:35a seek Well. I have come here and maybe maybe 50% of the delegates I
0:03:35 > 0:03:39don't know on a personal basis. A reverse of the situation ten years
0:03:39 > 0:03:41ago when I would have known everyone who would come to such a
0:03:41 > 0:03:45conference. That must be an indication of the fact that there
0:03:45 > 0:03:49is new life coming into the party. Bridging the gap between one
0:03:49 > 0:03:53generation and the next, these young SDLP representatives are
0:03:53 > 0:03:59regarded as the future of the party. Taking a break from the conference
0:03:59 > 0:04:04at a beauty spot, they shared their vision. I have a few years to
0:04:04 > 0:04:09regroup, reorganise, think about the direction we want to go in and
0:04:09 > 0:04:13kind of the new project. I know and believe that we have the right
0:04:13 > 0:04:18answers and policies that will deliver a credible jobs plan, a
0:04:18 > 0:04:22credible way out of economic mess that we're N a leadership election
0:04:22 > 0:04:26isn't necessarily an unhealthy thing it has put us back in the
0:04:26 > 0:04:35spotlight again. And for too long we have been out of it. Squeezed
0:04:35 > 0:04:40out of it by this kind of big two type politics. I saw the passion to
0:04:40 > 0:04:45lead a party we care about. We look forward and move forward as one
0:04:45 > 0:04:50party. And this is the man who will car tkwri hopes of SDLP members
0:04:50 > 0:04:56young and hold. Alasdair McDonnell has pledged to stoke the party's
0:04:56 > 0:05:01fire and he will have to unite its different wings and reverse the
0:05:01 > 0:05:04decline A tough job for a man regarded by his supporters as his
0:05:04 > 0:05:09opponents a as tough politician. The SDLP leader is with us now.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Thank you for joining us. The speech didn't go as you planned
0:05:13 > 0:05:19today. Tell us what happened. simply I was blinded every time I
0:05:19 > 0:05:24looked up at the hall, I was blinded by lights. That is
0:05:24 > 0:05:28unfortunate, but that is what happened. It distracted me from the
0:05:28 > 0:05:34very, what I thought was a powerful speech that I spent a lot of time
0:05:34 > 0:05:43putting together the technicalitys are not as important as the content
0:05:43 > 0:05:49of the speech. It will make the headlines. It doesn't deserve that.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53What is your unique selling point as leader? Well there are a number
0:05:53 > 0:05:59of points, I'm intent and organisally putting the party back
0:05:59 > 0:06:05on a robust footing. I will do that because I will reach out to
0:06:05 > 0:06:09colleagues, my rivals for this leadership, but will reach out to a
0:06:09 > 0:06:15broader selection and include them in team SDLP going forward.
0:06:15 > 0:06:21talk about reorganisation, how does that play out. You need policies to
0:06:21 > 0:06:26go alongside that and strong policies. We have been identified
0:06:26 > 0:06:30for 40 years with the strongest policies in town. We still have
0:06:30 > 0:06:35those. And we still have the vision to implement them. The problem we
0:06:35 > 0:06:40have is that we have allowed ourselves to be pushed aside by the
0:06:40 > 0:06:45big guns in Stormont and yet the big guns are not able to deliver
0:06:45 > 0:06:48all they're doing is, they have done a carve up between themselves,
0:06:48 > 0:06:58rather than any sort of power sharing. The agreement that was
0:06:58 > 0:07:04reached in 98 was an agreed to be - - agreement to be inclue -- an
0:07:04 > 0:07:08agreement to be inclusive. They have created a shell situation and
0:07:08 > 0:07:12whereby they carve up what is left of the pow. But it is themselves
0:07:12 > 0:07:16alone. There is no movement and no space to go forward. You talked
0:07:16 > 0:07:21about the Good Friday agreement reaching the end of the road in
0:07:21 > 0:07:26your speech. What do you mean by that? The agreement of itself will
0:07:26 > 0:07:32never reach the end of the road, it lays a clear foundation. Because of
0:07:32 > 0:07:35it being abused by Sinn Fein and the DUP for their own ends,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40effectively they have blown up the road ahead and stopped us moving
0:07:40 > 0:07:45forward. The agreement had the potential and still does have the
0:07:45 > 0:07:49potential, to create space to create progress. We're not moving
0:07:49 > 0:07:53fore ward politically, we're in a space where we have brought about
0:07:53 > 0:07:58peace and stability, we have stopped the killing and mayhem and
0:07:58 > 0:08:02brought about that stability. But that stability is almost a
0:08:02 > 0:08:07gridlocked one. You're not appealing to the voters. You say
0:08:08 > 0:08:13those things, but the voters are not coming to you. Sorry I am
0:08:13 > 0:08:19appealing to voters. Because I'm intent on putting out a whole new
0:08:19 > 0:08:26team of SDLP people. I will be recruiting within weeks a team of
0:08:26 > 0:08:29people to fill the slots and the kpwaps that emerged -- gaps that
0:08:30 > 0:08:34emerged in the last council elections. Mr Place where we
0:08:34 > 0:08:38allowed seats to sleep. -- places where we allowed seats to slip. I
0:08:38 > 0:08:41will be bringing in young people and giving young people a role and
0:08:41 > 0:08:48responsibility within the party at local level. What about your team
0:08:48 > 0:08:53at Stormont, what changes are you going to make? Is Alex Attwood safe
0:08:53 > 0:08:58as a minister? He's good minister and a valued colleague. The fact we
0:08:58 > 0:09:02contest the leadership election, if anything rather than dividing us,
0:09:02 > 0:09:07brought us closer together. I can say that about all four of us in
0:09:07 > 0:09:12the contest. It was not so much a question of having a lot of
0:09:12 > 0:09:18different views, but we were grinding at the same issues and
0:09:18 > 0:09:23problems and we have come up broadly with a rot lot of conses
0:09:23 > 0:09:28sus -- lot of consensus. Will he stay as environment minister?
0:09:28 > 0:09:33think Alec is a good minister and every admiration for him and I will
0:09:33 > 0:09:36discuss with him and others who we take the party forward and what is
0:09:36 > 0:09:43in the best interests of the party, because this election, the one
0:09:43 > 0:09:47thing I did in this election was, I moved the debate from it being a
0:09:47 > 0:09:52beauty contest between four individuals, to a discussion about
0:09:52 > 0:09:56the serious future of the party and not just about the party for its
0:09:56 > 0:10:04own sake, but thousand party could be brought to deliver, deliver for
0:10:04 > 0:10:08the people on the ground. Because we're getting hammered and we have
0:10:08 > 0:10:13Treasury cut and all we have is the DUP and Sinn Fein like Afghan
0:10:13 > 0:10:22warlords dividing up the spoils. All their doing is implementing
0:10:22 > 0:10:26cuts. The reshry is a I mying cuts. -- the Treasury is imPleming cuts.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Where do you zands on corporation tax? I'm in favour of it. The
0:10:30 > 0:10:37difficulty is some of government ministers are not. They're half in,
0:10:37 > 0:10:45half out. We have got to do like Alex Salmond has done in scanned.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49And assert a degree of autonomy and utilise the space created by
0:10:49 > 0:10:52devolution to do things differently. For us to create solutions to our
0:10:52 > 0:10:57own problems and those solutions are different from the solutions
0:10:57 > 0:11:00for the south-east of England. do have a different system, you're
0:11:00 > 0:11:05looking towards the ends of the Good Friday agreement? No, I'm
0:11:05 > 0:11:12saying it has run out of road. what do you suggest we do? Do you
0:11:12 > 0:11:16go into opposition? I suggest we build a new road and start building
0:11:16 > 0:11:20roads. Start creating space, because the Good Friday agreement
0:11:20 > 0:11:28was designed and a lot of work went into it, to ensure that it could be
0:11:28 > 0:11:32added on to and built on to. But my argument earlier was that the DUP
0:11:33 > 0:11:38and Sinn Fein have shot it down. They have almost blown up the
0:11:38 > 0:11:42roadway. Would you go into opposition? Well opposition is not
0:11:42 > 0:11:48a station that was defined in that atkpreement. The agreement was
0:11:48 > 0:11:52defined and the act that brought it into being was defining an
0:11:52 > 0:11:57inclusive system for all parties. And provided they get the minimum
0:11:57 > 0:12:01whatever it is seats. That opposition, there is no defined
0:12:01 > 0:12:09place called opposition. It has to be considered. Because if they go
0:12:09 > 0:12:13on doing what they're doing, there is no point of us. Taking
0:12:13 > 0:12:17responsibility for their mistakes. But getting no credit for the
0:12:17 > 0:12:23benefits. We're there and I emphasise this and will do again, I
0:12:23 > 0:12:28see the SDLP being there to fights for social justice. To fight for
0:12:28 > 0:12:31decency and for the power and to fight against the savage cuts to
0:12:31 > 0:12:36welfare and other aspects of people's existence here. So we have
0:12:36 > 0:12:42got to fight for that and if the Executive is not fighting for that,
0:12:42 > 0:12:47well we have to find ways to find for it. What is your role now in
0:12:47 > 0:12:54terms of double jobing, you have these different hats. Will you step
0:12:54 > 0:12:59down as MP. I will be wherever I'm needed. People on the street aren't
0:12:59 > 0:13:04happy about double jobing. Well maybe. I haven't heard it. I stood
0:13:04 > 0:13:10for election last May and they were happen groi vote for me. I see
0:13:10 > 0:13:14people -- happy to vote for me. Some people are MPs and MLAs and
0:13:14 > 0:13:19ministers. It is not quite the issue it is made out to be. I will
0:13:19 > 0:13:23look at that and in the party's and the public interest and do whatever
0:13:23 > 0:13:28is appropriate. But this weekend it is has been a hectic 24 hours, and
0:13:28 > 0:13:33I need a bit of time to think and a bit of time to take stock and look
0:13:33 > 0:13:37at how we go fore ward. But in going forwards, I will be putting
0:13:37 > 0:13:42the public interest first and the party interest second and I will
0:13:42 > 0:13:49move the SDLP into a position where it will be able to deliver more and
0:13:49 > 0:13:52that I will, that will entail doing what is necessary and whatever
0:13:52 > 0:13:57arguments there are with the two parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Thank you for joining us. There was a debate over a wide range of
0:14:00 > 0:14:06subjects during the conference and it would be fair to say the economy
0:14:06 > 0:14:10in one way or another dominated several speeches. As we heard the
0:14:10 > 0:14:13SDLP is saying it is looking to the younger faces in the party to steer
0:14:13 > 0:14:20it through what looks to be a challenging time for all
0:14:20 > 0:14:27politicians. And I'm joined by two guests. You're one of the new faces
0:14:27 > 0:14:31in the party, what do you see as the party's way forward? The thing
0:14:31 > 0:14:35that struck me about this campaign was Alasdair McDonnell's concept of
0:14:35 > 0:14:41a collective leadership. That will transform the way we do business
0:14:41 > 0:14:47and it has appealed to voters. That is why we got the result. But there
0:14:47 > 0:14:50is an irony given that 18 months ago there was a campaign to vote
0:14:50 > 0:14:54for anybody was Alasdair McDonnell. But he is willing to bring the
0:14:54 > 0:14:59wealth and talents and the new people, pull that together and I
0:14:59 > 0:15:03think you have a winning team. have talked about organisation
0:15:03 > 0:15:08throughout the conference, but surely there is more to it than
0:15:08 > 0:15:11just reorganising the party. No it is fundamentally about
0:15:11 > 0:15:16reorganisation. The party has three year and set itself a target to
0:15:17 > 0:15:21make a real difference for itself. It goising to go out and get young
0:15:21 > 0:15:26peer people to fill the gaps that have emerged and that energy is
0:15:26 > 0:15:29needed on the ground. That is where the difference will be made.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Organisation, on the ground, not so much in the immediate ya, but right
0:15:34 > 0:15:37in the ground in people's communities. A person in every
0:15:37 > 0:15:44Paris what -- parish is what Alasdair McDonnell us talking about.
0:15:44 > 0:15:51Is The Man to stoke up the fire? She He is and the party has agreed
0:15:51 > 0:15:54its after eight long-termed -- determined weeks and the party has
0:15:54 > 0:15:58said Alasdair McDonnell is the person to make the changes to make
0:15:58 > 0:16:05it deliver for itself and the debate on the future of this island
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and that is fundamentally important. There is a changing context it is
0:16:09 > 0:16:13made apparent by Martin McGuinness coming back with his ugly past and
0:16:13 > 0:16:17there is a debate about the unity of the island and uniting the
0:16:17 > 0:16:22people. That is what Alasdair McDonnell will do, while organising
0:16:22 > 0:16:31on the other. What is the national question? The presidential campaign,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35there has opened up a new debate. Where does the SDLP fit? Its about
0:16:35 > 0:16:40reconciliation. Alasdair McDonnell has what track record in that, he
0:16:40 > 0:16:44reaches out across the board. And it is only the SDLP that can
0:16:44 > 0:16:52deliver that and the only they can reach out and build bridges across
0:16:52 > 0:16:56the community and the island. you. The SDLP conference goes on
0:16:56 > 0:17:02over three days and a new leader is in place and listening to his
0:17:02 > 0:17:06speech were not the only Three MLAs defeated in the election but some
0:17:06 > 0:17:12of the most senior figures from the party. What will be the mood as
0:17:12 > 0:17:18they leave the krves? -- conference well with me is Mark Devenport. The
0:17:18 > 0:17:21speech is the thing. Yes it let them down. They were hoping for a
0:17:21 > 0:17:26new sense of energy and they got that out of the election result.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30There was a lot of excitement and they thought they had a tried and
0:17:30 > 0:17:34trusted performer in Alasdair McDonnell and we had this huge
0:17:34 > 0:17:41technical glitch and he will have wanted the anthem to go out that he
0:17:41 > 0:17:48was the raging bull, but instead it was more like blinded by the light.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53In terms of his role as leader, how does he take the party forward to
0:17:53 > 0:17:57more success? Well is saying that there will be a lot more emphasis
0:17:57 > 0:18:05on organisation. He is Celting up task forces and collective
0:18:05 > 0:18:09leadership. But we have not heard much about the policy direction. I
0:18:09 > 0:18:13think that is still the problem that he faces. That it is all vr
0:18:13 > 0:18:18well to say we will be better organised, but you have to have
0:18:18 > 0:18:22that unique selling proposition in terms of what the SDLP stands for.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26I'm not sure anything has changed. He talks about collectsive
0:18:26 > 0:18:30leadership,, but he was the winner about the people who didn't, who
0:18:30 > 0:18:36weren't successful, will they toe the line? I think they will have to.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40They know they have had this if you like this experience of the
0:18:40 > 0:18:44election now, and they have got to pull together. Especially given
0:18:44 > 0:18:47what they will face in the short- term of adverse publicity about
0:18:47 > 0:18:52this speech. And they will pull together, but it is ease tkwror
0:18:52 > 0:18:58talk about a collectsive leadership and more difficult to slot
0:18:58 > 0:19:06individuals into place and people think they have been overlooked or
0:19:06 > 0:19:13their aren't be recognised. Thank you. Now there was one lighter
0:19:13 > 0:19:23moment it came during what else, the leader's speech. So well you
0:19:23 > 0:19:24