:00:20. > :00:24.Hello and welcome to the Conference this Saturday evening on BBC Two
:00:25. > :00:30.Northern Ireland and also across the UK on the BBC Parliament channel.
:00:31. > :00:35.It's the SDLP's turn as delegates meet in the new leaders' hometown of
:00:36. > :00:38.Derry. The party's assembly candidates are being introduced to
:00:39. > :00:43.the conference which is being held in the newly refurbished St Column's
:00:44. > :00:49.Hall. If you are thinking it hardly seems a year since the last SDLP
:00:50. > :00:53.Conference, you would be right. The traditional autumn slot's been
:00:54. > :00:59.abandoned in favour of a Spring Conference. You saw the 2015
:01:00. > :01:02.conference in November. Now this is the 2016 conference and, with an
:01:03. > :01:07.election in May, some mange it's a shrewd move. In a moment, I'll be
:01:08. > :01:13.talking to Mark Devonport in Derry, but first, let's hear from Professor
:01:14. > :01:17.Rick Wilford. Welcome to the programme, good to have you with us,
:01:18. > :01:21.as ever. What's the chief challenge, as you see it for tonight?
:01:22. > :01:27.Electoral. That's the big mountain he's got to climb. The party for 18
:01:28. > :01:34.years has been in serial decline. He's got to demonstrate the will,
:01:35. > :01:39.capacity and energy to, if not arrest the decline, but decline it.
:01:40. > :01:43.He's four months into the job, he's got a ready and willing audience
:01:44. > :01:46.who're eagerly anticipating what he has to say. I don't think it will
:01:47. > :01:52.reflect too much on the past. There's been a lot of criticism of
:01:53. > :01:56.the SDLP for basking in the now fading glories of the 1998 Good
:01:57. > :02:00.Friday Agreement, albeit, you know, it's an essential part of our
:02:01. > :02:06.political architecture. He's got to, as a young, viedal new leader of the
:02:07. > :02:10.party I think, is be enthusiastic,en news the audience. They'll be
:02:11. > :02:15.wanting a clear speech that gives a clear vision of what the party can
:02:16. > :02:18.offer -- enthuse the audience. In particular how they can challenge
:02:19. > :02:22.Sinn Fein, its obvious competitor. If you look at the share of the
:02:23. > :02:25.nationalists votes that the SDLP's taken over the last 18 years since
:02:26. > :02:34.the first assembly election, it's gone down from 56% to 35%, a big
:02:35. > :02:42.grower has been Sinn Fein. He's got to demark ate clean water between
:02:43. > :02:47.his own party and Sinn Fein and put it up. He might be able to secure
:02:48. > :02:50.some transfers and have some common ground unionists within the
:02:51. > :02:57.electorate. It's a big ask for him, he's the fifth leader in 18 years,
:02:58. > :03:02.he knows the turnover. That in a sense I think signifies the scale of
:03:03. > :03:05.the challenge he's got as the new leader and they are two big
:03:06. > :03:09.challenges, you know. The election in May and then six, seven weeks
:03:10. > :03:13.later, the referendum on whether or not the UK remains in the EU. So
:03:14. > :03:18.it's a moment us to year for the UK as a whole and for Eastwood I think
:03:19. > :03:23.in particular. One of the key factors, I suppose, that he's got in
:03:24. > :03:27.his favour is, he might see it as a new leader, putting together a new
:03:28. > :03:30.team, is that there are significant figures departing from the Assembly
:03:31. > :03:34.team, they have either left the Assembly already or they're not
:03:35. > :03:39.standing again in May, and there are fresh faces waiting in the wings. Do
:03:40. > :03:46.you expect that he'll play that card strongly today? I think he's got to.
:03:47. > :03:52.One of the pitches he made when he beat McDonnell back in November was
:03:53. > :03:58.he was young and it was time for new, fresh politics, for fresh
:03:59. > :04:06.faces, so of course, there has been a number of new faces brought to the
:04:07. > :04:12.fore. Fore. Nicola Mallen, Alvin McGuinness in North Belfast, so yes,
:04:13. > :04:18.he's got to convey a party that's effervescent, not stale. Under
:04:19. > :04:22.McDonald, it was a party looking stale electorally and stale in terms
:04:23. > :04:25.of the narrative that he was trying to project in Northern Ireland. He's
:04:26. > :04:31.got to come out with something which is I think novel for the faithful,
:04:32. > :04:35.exciting, something which will enthuse them but also will attract
:04:36. > :04:46.to a wider audience other than party faithful. He's going at prime time
:04:47. > :04:51.on Saturday Evening so there is no better platform to persuade the SDLP
:04:52. > :04:54.to give him a second transfer. He famously said at one stage in the
:04:55. > :04:57.past, there is no place called opposition. After May there will be
:04:58. > :05:02.a place called opposition and that's an option for all the parties if
:05:03. > :05:05.they get sufficient votes and sufficient strengths to begin to to
:05:06. > :05:11.the executive. They can choose not to do that and to move into some
:05:12. > :05:15.kind of opposition. So, I wonder, do you think he'll set out his stall to
:05:16. > :05:19.some extent today of what he thinks the SDLP will want to see in any
:05:20. > :05:22.programme for Government that's hammered out in the two weeks after
:05:23. > :05:27.the May election? He's got to put something on display and set out his
:05:28. > :05:31.stall. He doesn't want to reveal his whole hand because, if he does that,
:05:32. > :05:34.he's alerting the other parties, he might be able to pick off some of
:05:35. > :05:40.the other parties he wants to put at the top of his own particular
:05:41. > :05:45.agenda. The SDLP, like the Ulster Unionists, have voted against
:05:46. > :05:49.successive budgets in the past. Now they'll have 14 days after the
:05:50. > :05:52.election of the parties who're eligible to work out an agreed
:05:53. > :05:57.programme, so he doesn't want to show his hand too much I think today
:05:58. > :06:03.but he's got to do enough to say, this is a new SDLP, a different
:06:04. > :06:08.SDLP, one that's progressive. OK, talk to you lots throughout the
:06:09. > :06:12.course of the programme, for now, Rick, thank you very much. Let's
:06:13. > :06:16.hear from Mark Devonport who's been at the Conference Hall in Derry for
:06:17. > :06:20.most of today. Evening, Mark. Good evening.
:06:21. > :06:24.How would you sum up the mood from the delegates you have been talking
:06:25. > :06:26.to throughout the day? Well, they are obviously fairly
:06:27. > :06:30.upbeat because they are preparing for the Assembly elections in May. I
:06:31. > :06:39.was going to say the predominant word I would sum this up with is
:06:40. > :06:44.that it's loud. Nicola Mallon is addressing delegates, she's one of a
:06:45. > :06:47.number of candidates who'll be introduced to the SDLP activists
:06:48. > :06:52.tonight and this is very much a preelection gathering. It only seems
:06:53. > :06:57.yesterday of course that Colm Eastwood was elected. That was four
:06:58. > :07:01.months ago and was very different from down in Armargh because we had
:07:02. > :07:11.an election that gave it a news at the centre of it.
:07:12. > :07:17.This gathering has seen the SDLP. It's been a series of seminars on
:07:18. > :07:22.different topics and very much I think really I would say focussed
:07:23. > :07:29.around tonight's speech which will allow Colm Eastwood to show what a
:07:30. > :07:35.performer he is like. An enthusiastic audience here. I see
:07:36. > :07:40.and hear Nicola there, but also a lot of empty seats. I imagine that's
:07:41. > :07:44.the platform party and we'll see a lot of new party candidates and new
:07:45. > :07:50.blood very much in the foreground over the next 45 minutes or
:07:51. > :07:53.thereabouts? Yes. They have now gone over to another candidate. We are
:07:54. > :07:57.going to get another big cheer. You will have to bear with me if I don't
:07:58. > :08:03.always hear you. It's extremely loud in here. We have taken over this
:08:04. > :08:06.area here so it's quite packed downstairs. One would have to point
:08:07. > :08:12.out that it's a much smaller gathering than the Sinn Fein one
:08:13. > :08:16.that took place last year next door at the Millennium Hall, that's a
:08:17. > :08:21.bigger gathering all together. What do you think the challenge is for
:08:22. > :08:24.Colm Eastwood? We heard Rick saying that as far as he's concerned the
:08:25. > :08:28.number one challenge is electoral. He's got to put clear green water
:08:29. > :08:33.between the SDLP and Sinn Fein and he's got to try and articulate what
:08:34. > :08:37.it is the SDLP stands for and Sinn Fein stands for and what the choice
:08:38. > :08:42.is that voters will be able to make in the May election. Is that
:08:43. > :08:46.critical, as you see it as well? I think that's probably right.
:08:47. > :08:48.Obviously the SDLP will try to distinguish themselves and they have
:08:49. > :08:54.been distinguishing themselves during the course of the day for the
:08:55. > :08:59.big parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein. They have they are in an electional
:09:00. > :09:11.battle with Sinn Fein. They'll have to pick them up on electoral reform
:09:12. > :09:16.and so on. They'll be presenting themselves as fresh and now now they
:09:17. > :09:19.have a new leader but they'll also have to explain to the public how
:09:20. > :09:23.they've had one foot in the executive and also one foot out. I
:09:24. > :09:25.would love to think those people were applauding what you are saying
:09:26. > :09:29.and agreeing with everything that you are saying in your answers,
:09:30. > :09:32.Mark, and good on you if you think that's the case, I'm sure they do
:09:33. > :09:36.agree with what you are saying but I think they may also be applauding
:09:37. > :09:39.the candidates walking on to the platform behind you as well. Talk to
:09:40. > :09:46.you in a moment. For now, thank you very much.
:09:47. > :09:51.A very noisy Conference Hall. I wonder how he'd cope if he was at
:09:52. > :09:58.the Donald Trump meeting. If the meeting ever happened! After what
:09:59. > :10:02.happened in Chicago, who knows! ? Not quite as unruly as some of the
:10:03. > :10:07.Donald Trump gatherings. More from Rick in a moment the SDLP ran panel
:10:08. > :10:15.discussions today and the one on health was lively. Councillor Colin
:10:16. > :10:18.McGrath from South Down made a contribution which provoked the
:10:19. > :10:23.co-panelist. So much to discuss and so much that
:10:24. > :10:32.east not working right that there is so much that we have to fix for our
:10:33. > :10:37.communities. I think Bevan and his team got it right back. Universities
:10:38. > :10:48.should be available and free at the point of delivery. The priorities
:10:49. > :10:51.have changed from the 40s and medical procedures still in
:10:52. > :10:55.existence today. I want to focus my thoughts on the concept of
:10:56. > :10:58.universally available. I have to wonder in Northern Ireland today, is
:10:59. > :11:02.our Health Service universally available? Is it universally
:11:03. > :11:08.accessible to everyone? I think that if you live in the shadow of the
:11:09. > :11:12.City tower block or in proximity to the Royal or down the road from
:11:13. > :11:15.another hospital, I would say yes, you are able to universally access
:11:16. > :11:22.the Health Service. I would say that, if you live close
:11:23. > :11:25.to the dual carriageway near to an A-road or within touching distance
:11:26. > :11:30.of an ambulance rest, you too might be able to universally access the
:11:31. > :11:34.NHS. We must see a system fit for purpose and capable of delivering
:11:35. > :11:38.safe, effective services in our communities and not away from them.
:11:39. > :11:45.There was a bit of head-shaking around your comments earlier on so
:11:46. > :11:49.I'm going to invite Deirdre to intervene. This is a Conference,
:11:50. > :11:53.it's about debate and I didn't agree with win single word you said. But
:11:54. > :12:00.that's fine. I think really why I didn't agree with it is because you
:12:01. > :12:04.have to look at it the other way... We'll just leave Deirdre who was
:12:05. > :12:10.just getting started in her criticism of the views expressed by
:12:11. > :12:16.an SDLP councillor who is a candidate in South Down. Colm
:12:17. > :12:20.Eastwood's come out a shade earlier than we were expecting, to be
:12:21. > :12:24.honest, so he's been unable to contain his enthusiasm for the job
:12:25. > :12:30.in hand. This is his first address as party leader and he's in his home
:12:31. > :12:36.city and he is surrounded by the people who're supporting him. Let's
:12:37. > :12:40.hear what he has to say. It's great to be introduced by
:12:41. > :12:46.somebody of the calibre of Nicola Mallen. Nicola is going to be, I
:12:47. > :12:57.have no doubt about it, the next MLA for North Belfast.
:12:58. > :13:04.Thank you all very much for your welcome and thank you for making
:13:05. > :13:09.this conference the huge success that it's been.
:13:10. > :13:15.This party has a new feel, a new spirit about it. We have seen and
:13:16. > :13:20.felt that today. This conference has shown a new
:13:21. > :13:25.SDLP, a party full of new people and new ideas. I am happy to report,
:13:26. > :13:36.conference, this is a party which feels good about itself again.
:13:37. > :13:47.The people in this hall tonight and the many colleagues outside, the
:13:48. > :13:51.values they represent and division they set the reason I am in
:13:52. > :13:55.politics. I did not get into politics to sit on Pointless
:13:56. > :13:59.committees or to keep things as they are, I got into politics to make a
:14:00. > :14:03.difference. I am aware and privileged that I read this great
:14:04. > :14:10.party which John Hume and Seamus Mallon shaped. I now live in an
:14:11. > :14:15.Ireland which they imagined, which they fashioned, which they built. I
:14:16. > :14:20.am conscious in this hall, in the city of Derry that I have the
:14:21. > :14:24.privilege of following them. We have been left a powerful in inheritance.
:14:25. > :14:28.The greatest legacy of this party is the lifting of the boot of violence
:14:29. > :14:34.from the neck of our people, North and South. I was a teenager who felt
:14:35. > :14:37.the euphoria which ran across our community, when the people of
:14:38. > :14:42.Ireland chose to break free from the chains of violence. After so many
:14:43. > :14:48.years of hardship and hurt, people openly embraced the proper innocence
:14:49. > :15:00.of hope. I saw that hope. I believed in it and I joined the SDLP.
:15:01. > :15:08.That same hope has carried me to this stage I stand on the night. But
:15:09. > :15:14.no matter how attractive it can be, politics is never frozen in one
:15:15. > :15:17.moment of hope. It is never frozen in one moment of time. The new
:15:18. > :15:25.challenge is the next challenge. Politics has to be always about what
:15:26. > :15:29.is next? Today's SDLP is firmly focused on the future. We are the
:15:30. > :15:33.party of the new challenge, the party of the next challenge. Those
:15:34. > :15:38.challenges are as big as ever. But we have of the heritage and the
:15:39. > :15:42.hunger to meet them. In Dublin and London at the moment, there has been
:15:43. > :15:46.much talk of the national interest. If anybody knows what the national
:15:47. > :15:53.interest actually looks like, they should take a study of the SDLP. We
:15:54. > :15:57.have degrees in the subject. From the early days of the Troubles, this
:15:58. > :16:01.party put the Irish national interest at the top of our agenda
:16:02. > :16:08.and never shifted from it. We put the safety and well-being of our
:16:09. > :16:13.people first. And by that, I mean all our people. Catholic,
:16:14. > :16:17.Protestant, Nationalist, using -- unionist, Southern and Northern. In
:16:18. > :16:22.the pursuit of peace, the national interest as because we loan others
:16:23. > :16:23.some of this. It is only good manners to let them know those days
:16:24. > :16:38.have gone. Those days are now over. Let it be
:16:39. > :16:40.known, conference, from here tonight, from this moment on, the
:16:41. > :16:58.SDLP is calling in that loan. And while we're on the subject of
:16:59. > :17:03.votes, the droid First Minister Martin McGuinness has announced he
:17:04. > :17:07.is coming back into Derry and the expectation that he will be given
:17:08. > :17:20.three seats. Well, Martin should take a look and see what happens in
:17:21. > :17:28.Donegal recently. Three into two will not go! And in a couple of
:17:29. > :17:36.short weeks, Derry will tell him the same, because the same verdict is
:17:37. > :17:39.felt in the manner and Tyrone, in Armagh, in an chimp and ends down,
:17:40. > :17:44.the North needs a different government, it needs a new
:17:45. > :17:50.alternative -- and in County Down. Stormont must do more than simply
:17:51. > :17:55.exist. I would joint First Minister is have failed to catch the public
:17:56. > :18:00.mood -- our joint. Stability is no longer enough. Historic handshakes,
:18:01. > :18:05.no longer enough. After nine years of broken promises, we now have a
:18:06. > :18:12.right to expect better. It was not meant to be like this. We were all
:18:13. > :18:16.promised so much more. This is true of unionist and Nationalist people
:18:17. > :18:21.alike, there is no segregation in our disappointment. We are all
:18:22. > :18:26.united by it. Look at the overall record of Stormont's current
:18:27. > :18:30.leadership, one in four children live in poverty, one in five
:18:31. > :18:36.pensioners live in poverty, almost 400,000 people currently run
:18:37. > :18:40.hospital waiting lists. Four out of ten children in secondary school do
:18:41. > :18:45.not achieve five or more passes at GCSE 11,000 households a year are
:18:46. > :18:48.deemed to be homeless. One in five working adults struggles to keep
:18:49. > :18:54.their head above the poverty line. This is their record. May's Assembly
:18:55. > :19:02.election must be a referendum on their record.
:19:03. > :19:12.And, conference, nowhere has their disjointed and dysfunctional
:19:13. > :19:15.approach to government been more on show than in that approach to the
:19:16. > :19:21.economy, education and skills. Martin McGuinness said this week in
:19:22. > :19:28.an Assembly committee that our economy is, and I quote, in a
:19:29. > :19:31.healthy enough place. Last year, 22,000 people were forced to leave
:19:32. > :19:35.Northern Ireland because of a lack of opportunity at home. That is
:19:36. > :19:40.around the population of Portadown. Tell those people we are in a
:19:41. > :19:45.healthy enough place, tell the people of Ballymena we are in a
:19:46. > :19:49.healthy enough place. Tell people living in the West of Belfast. Tell
:19:50. > :19:54.those whose benefits have been frozen because of Sinn Fein's
:19:55. > :19:59.decision to hand welfare powers to the Tories that we are in a healthy
:20:00. > :20:02.enough place. Tell the farmers who have seen incomes dropped by
:20:03. > :20:07.thousands of pounds this year that we are in a healthy enough place.
:20:08. > :20:11.Tell the public sector workers, teachers, classroom assistants,
:20:12. > :20:16.cleaners, nurses, who had been given a paltry 1% pay rise at best. That
:20:17. > :20:21.does not sound very healthy to me, conference. And, conference top
:20:22. > :20:35.macro --... It is not good enough. Here tonight,
:20:36. > :20:40.I want to give some concrete assurances. In the upcoming
:20:41. > :20:44.programme for government, we make secured and deliverable funding for
:20:45. > :20:50.the A5 dual carriageway, be a six jewel carriageway and an expanded
:20:51. > :20:55.university, key priorities before we join a government. That does not
:20:56. > :20:58.mean fake commitments like with the present budget, with ?1 billion
:20:59. > :21:04.worth of projects based on ?100 million worth of lending. But the
:21:05. > :21:08.SDLP will go further. In the past, this party has stayed within the
:21:09. > :21:09.Executive without signing up to a programme for government. That ends
:21:10. > :21:24.now. We will only enter the Executive if
:21:25. > :21:28.we can agree to a programme for government which actually meets the
:21:29. > :21:30.needs of the people in the North. That programme for government needs
:21:31. > :21:36.to include a commitment to distribute investment in jobs,
:21:37. > :21:41.infrastructure, education across all of Northern Ireland. Not just parts
:21:42. > :21:48.of Belfast and the suburbs. We will. This new partitioning of the North,
:21:49. > :21:51.where West Belfast receives only 1% of total available assistance from
:21:52. > :21:55.invest Northern Ireland. An area with the highest levels of child
:21:56. > :22:00.poverty, the highest housing waiting list and some of the worst
:22:01. > :22:04.deprivation in Europe receives just 1% of total job funds. Spending on
:22:05. > :22:09.infrastructure and jobs must be targeted to the area where it is
:22:10. > :22:14.required. Massive regional imbalance, this must be interest --
:22:15. > :22:19.addressed. This is the promise I am making tonight. Between the SDLP and
:22:20. > :22:21.the people in areas of need, we will not allow any future government to
:22:22. > :22:33.ignore you. For any of our opponents watching
:22:34. > :22:40.tonight, this is what proper politics looks like. After nine
:22:41. > :22:45.years, Sinn Fein and the DUP have had one economic idea. The reduction
:22:46. > :22:48.of corporation tax, and it was not even that idea. Instead of bringing
:22:49. > :22:53.forward a range of economic measures to support this one idea, they
:22:54. > :22:57.believe a reduction in incorporation tax loan will be a silver bullet.
:22:58. > :23:04.The SDLP's thinking goes beyond this. We believe this simply is not
:23:05. > :23:10.enough. We want to see the devolution of many more fiscal
:23:11. > :23:15.powers. But also, of those functions like telecoms and broadcasting, not
:23:16. > :23:19.currently devolved. We want more intensified north- South economic
:23:20. > :23:25.integration and an All-Ireland plan for infrastructure. This needs to be
:23:26. > :23:29.within blanc financial framework agreed with London giving Northern
:23:30. > :23:32.Ireland sufficient financial security to take long-term
:23:33. > :23:38.transitions such as our own tax system and welfare system. And such
:23:39. > :23:43.a financial package should be for 30 years or more. And it would continue
:23:44. > :23:47.in the event of the constitutional status of the North changing. No
:23:48. > :23:51.other party has identified such a radical framework for prosperity.
:23:52. > :24:00.That is what proper politics looks like. Right now, conference, we have
:24:01. > :24:05.a failing economy. And when Stormont's leadership looks South
:24:06. > :24:09.and sees lower corporation tax, what they fail to understand is the
:24:10. > :24:14.diversity of policies which led to the Southern economy's success. One
:24:15. > :24:20.of the South's main policies was to invest in education and skills.
:24:21. > :24:23.Stormont's leadership are doing the opposite, our universities, further
:24:24. > :24:26.education colleges and training centres should be flourishing
:24:27. > :24:30.centres of learning, not floundering on tighter budgets and reduced
:24:31. > :24:36.investment from the Northern Ireland Executive. We have already seen cuts
:24:37. > :24:42.in courses and student places at Queen's and Ulster University. 37%
:24:43. > :24:52.of students, 37% go abroad each year. The study. That cannot be
:24:53. > :24:56.allowed to continue. But we also need to look at new ways of
:24:57. > :25:01.learning. Our colleges must become centres of vocational excellence,
:25:02. > :25:05.and those who do not take a traditional university route can
:25:06. > :25:08.develop the skills and abilities that a modern economy requires. The
:25:09. > :25:13.SDLP will not support a programme blog Club Med unless there are
:25:14. > :25:16.agreed spending increases for vocational training, at university
:25:17. > :25:20.places for undergraduates and postgraduates and apprenticeships.
:25:21. > :25:26.Those who attack us for this stands while to understand the basic
:25:27. > :25:29.premise of building an economy which can compete globally. In the South,
:25:30. > :25:37.for every euro spent on higher education, they generate 4.25 for
:25:38. > :25:43.the economy. For every 100 jobs at a university, 117 jobs are created
:25:44. > :25:46.through the knock-on effect. We have greatly ring fenced health spending,
:25:47. > :25:50.we spend millions on a divided primary and secondary level
:25:51. > :25:53.education yet they can cut investment in third level and
:25:54. > :25:59.training. We are spending hundreds of millions on redundancy payments
:26:00. > :26:02.and hundreds of thousands on party political special advisers. We must
:26:03. > :26:06.find the money to put our universities and our colleges back
:26:07. > :26:15.on track so they can compete internationally.
:26:16. > :26:22.Anyone who says we cannot should not be in politics. Under new SDLP
:26:23. > :26:31.leadership, our young people will no longer be raised for export! This
:26:32. > :26:35.evolution the proper politics is desperately required. The stillness
:26:36. > :26:41.of government and its policy development means Northern Ireland
:26:42. > :26:45.risks being left behind. This new age of globalisation is not in the
:26:46. > :26:49.habit of waiting. The digitisation of our economy will form new
:26:50. > :26:54.environments and grow new jobs, Western economies are undergoing a
:26:55. > :26:59.revolution which new technologies are dictating. Such is the speed of
:27:00. > :27:03.change, we may not yet be able to fully imagine the jobs of the
:27:04. > :27:08.future. What we must prepare for them, nonetheless. The white heat of
:27:09. > :27:11.this revolution requires an agile and innovative public sector. It
:27:12. > :27:16.means escaping from a policy formation more focused on the
:27:17. > :27:18.electoral cycle rather than the rebuilding for the future. That
:27:19. > :27:23.future also requires the engineering of an economy which is
:27:24. > :27:28.simultaneously able to provide shelter and opportunity among
:27:29. > :27:33.spiralling volatility and an increasingly intimate global market.
:27:34. > :27:37.Bringing prosperity and fairness to the North is vital if we are to
:27:38. > :27:43.build towards the reunification of Ireland. The SDLP core mission boils
:27:44. > :27:49.down to this understanding. A fractured Ireland will always be an
:27:50. > :27:53.Ireland in waiting. It will never be fully at peace with its own
:27:54. > :27:57.imagination. A fractured Ireland is a poor Ireland less capable of
:27:58. > :28:00.achieving its full potential. But for Ireland to be reunited, Northern
:28:01. > :28:07.Ireland has to work. This is the essence of our aggressive
:28:08. > :28:12.nationalism. -- progressive. As I have said before, we now have a
:28:13. > :28:15.selfish and strategic interest in making Northern Ireland work.
:28:16. > :28:18.Although many have been slow to grasp the significance of that
:28:19. > :28:23.statement, the ball should understand that this is a major
:28:24. > :28:27.departure for Northern nationalism -- people. Working to build a new
:28:28. > :28:32.North and strategically building our broader Nationalist vision. In the
:28:33. > :28:38.run down to the centenary of 1916, we should remember and remind
:28:39. > :28:43.ourselves that our faith rests on your parity and sovereignty of the
:28:44. > :28:46.Irish people. And the people of Ireland have a different
:28:47. > :28:47.understanding of what a good Republican is done some political
:28:48. > :29:03.leaders. Good Republicans don't smuggle
:29:04. > :29:07.diesel. Last week, we were reminded of dissident Republicanism and it
:29:08. > :29:13.tends to escalate violence. The reminder came in the form of a bomb
:29:14. > :29:17.under the van of a prison officer. In return, we must escalate our
:29:18. > :29:21.response. Tonight, I invite all those parties who claim inheritance
:29:22. > :29:27.of inspiration from 1916 to join with me in stating that violence
:29:28. > :29:35.will never, ever, ever again be used as a political tactic.
:29:36. > :29:39.APPLAUSE 100 years on, this will be a
:29:40. > :29:44.powerful statement of the values and principles of today's Ireland. Those
:29:45. > :29:51.who go against this, go against the sovereign authority of the Irish
:29:52. > :29:54.people. They will be left to wander even further down a deed end.
:29:55. > :29:58.They'll understand that they are in conflict with the Irish people,
:29:59. > :30:01.no-one else. Let me tell them this - that is a fight you will never, ever
:30:02. > :30:09.win. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.
:30:10. > :30:15.In marking 1916, we must also redouble our efforts to reconcile
:30:16. > :30:20.with the unionist people of this Irelandth island. It was the great
:30:21. > :30:26.Ulster poet John Hewitt who wrote, "this is my country, my grandfather
:30:27. > :30:32.came here and raised his walls and gave his years and strength into the
:30:33. > :30:36.earth," he was a great believer in identity in Ireland an described his
:30:37. > :30:41.identity as Ulster, Irish, British and European. My grandfather fenced
:30:42. > :30:45.the same tangled waste just outside Cookstown in the heart of Ulster. We
:30:46. > :30:49.all belong to Ulster and it belongs to us.
:30:50. > :30:57.We all belong to this island and it belongs to us. The SDLP has never
:30:58. > :30:59.and will never deny or dilute the complex mix of identitied which
:31:00. > :31:04.contribute to the richness of Ireland. But the proper protection
:31:05. > :31:07.and respect of an identity does not result in politics standing still.
:31:08. > :31:13.Everyone and anyone can see that this is a time of shifting sands.
:31:14. > :31:18.Momentum is changing in politics and changing the boundaries of power.
:31:19. > :31:22.Such change demands an adult and mature engagement. We know what the
:31:23. > :31:27.United Kingdom looks like. We know Westminster and the devolved
:31:28. > :31:30.Stormont, we know of the block grant and unionism's deep personal
:31:31. > :31:34.attachment to the Queen and to the history of two World Wars in which
:31:35. > :31:40.all our grandfathers died and to all those things this party respectfully
:31:41. > :31:47.bows its head. We also know the block grant is shrinking. We know
:31:48. > :31:50.the emotional attachment is not as strongly reciprocated from what
:31:51. > :31:52.unionism calls the mainland. Scotland is edging towards
:31:53. > :31:56.independence and the population figures in the north are moving
:31:57. > :31:59.toward a 50/50 balance between unionism and nationalism. We know
:32:00. > :32:06.what the UK looks like, we don't yet know what a United Ireland would
:32:07. > :32:10.look like. That picture cannot be properly drawn unless unionism feel
:32:11. > :32:17.frees itself enough to engage in that dialogue. I've met plenty of
:32:18. > :32:21.civic and church leaders who're welcoming of mature debate and who
:32:22. > :32:24.can read the signs of the times as well as I can. I want to begin a
:32:25. > :32:29.credible conversation with unionism to describe the Ireland that would
:32:30. > :32:34.include the things that are core to their British identity. I invite
:32:35. > :32:39.them to join us in looking at a new Ireland in which the Ulster identity
:32:40. > :32:44.would be as sfral and comfortable as the other three provincial
:32:45. > :32:46.identities. I would be comfortable with nothing less, as an Ulster man.
:32:47. > :32:59.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. The SDLP is ready to put in the hard
:33:00. > :33:02.yards for the elusive prize of reconciliation. When we look at
:33:03. > :33:06.different areas of people's lives, we realise that the only place where
:33:07. > :33:11.real progress has been made is in the work place and in most work
:33:12. > :33:15.places, people are treated equally and fairly and generally leave their
:33:16. > :33:19.political baggage at the door. This required hard legislation. In other
:33:20. > :33:26.areas of life such as housing, where we live, there is deep religious
:33:27. > :33:28.segregation. The SDLP will drive for fundamental housing reform,
:33:29. > :33:33.including strong legislation to help bring people together. In our
:33:34. > :33:38.streets and sports clubs, people's lives outside of their home or work,
:33:39. > :33:42.there is also deep division. In many ways, the two communities lead very
:33:43. > :33:47.different lives. The SDLP will develop a plan for reconciliation in
:33:48. > :33:54.these areas so that difference means diversity raesht than division. As
:33:55. > :33:59.the June referendum approaches, it's important to say that this party are
:34:00. > :34:07.also part, proudly part, of a broader continental identity. The
:34:08. > :34:13.referendum in Europe comes after the May election, but it may be in first
:34:14. > :34:18.place. This party were never half hearted or lukewarm or careful about
:34:19. > :34:26.our membership of Europe, we are no Jerry come latelies. We knew...
:34:27. > :34:31.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. We knew the political and economic
:34:32. > :34:35.isolationalism were more likely to lead to conflict and economic
:34:36. > :34:40.depression. We knew that peace is to be found in dialogue and celebration
:34:41. > :34:43.of difference. The prosperity is to be found in cooperation and open
:34:44. > :34:46.borders. We have championed the European Union. Like every human I
:34:47. > :34:52.think Station substitution, it's not perfect. But like democracy itself,
:34:53. > :34:56.it's better than the alternatives. This party has the heritage and
:34:57. > :35:02.calibre to lead the debate on staying loyal to the European Union
:35:03. > :35:06.between now and June 24th, that is exactly what we'll do, that is
:35:07. > :35:12.exactly what the SDLP will do. To those who've come here and made
:35:13. > :35:16.their homes here, from Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and
:35:17. > :35:21.across the European Union, I say to you tonight, we won't let your
:35:22. > :35:25.families be divided, we won't allow new borders on this island or in
:35:26. > :35:29.Europe, we, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, we've got your
:35:30. > :35:40.back. APPLAUSE.
:35:41. > :35:47.Conference, the late, great Seamus Heaney once said the voice of sanity
:35:48. > :35:54.is getting hoarse. . But our voice is back and it's getting stronger by
:35:55. > :35:57.the day. The SDLP's back in the conversation. Politics always offers
:35:58. > :36:02.a choice. But you need to back that choice. You need to vote for it.
:36:03. > :36:08.Frustration isn't cured by staying at home. Vote for change on May 5th,
:36:09. > :36:12.vote for the SDLP. Conference, our past is as proud as our future is
:36:13. > :36:16.promising. We can build a better Ireland, we can build a better
:36:17. > :36:20.Northern Ireland, we can build a fairer future, we can build a better
:36:21. > :36:21.future. Let's build it together. Thank you very much.
:36:22. > :36:36.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. STUDIO: So the leader and Deputy
:36:37. > :36:48.Leader Colum Eastwood and feral McKinney take the applause of those
:36:49. > :36:55.in the hall. -- Fergal McKinney. Sean Rodgers shaking hands...
:36:56. > :37:10.That, I assume, is Mrs Eastwood. Yes. And Fergal McKinney is basking
:37:11. > :37:13.in the reflected glory, is he, Rick? I wonder.
:37:14. > :37:20.PROBLEM WITH SOUND He may not be Deputy Leader for much
:37:21. > :37:26.longer. The speech was delivered with great enthusiasm. I have to
:37:27. > :37:31.say, it's invidious to talk comparisons, but he was miles better
:37:32. > :37:33.than the speeches of his predecessor, it was delivered with
:37:34. > :37:37.real self-belief, confidence and passion.
:37:38. > :37:42.It clearly was something that the audience was wishing to hear. They
:37:43. > :37:47.were very receptive to it. He got quite a number of bursts of
:37:48. > :37:51.applause. Margaret Richie there, the former leader of the party, was just
:37:52. > :37:55.hugging him from the floor. There he is with John Hulme, his political
:37:56. > :38:01.mentor, and he makes no secret of that fact, it was John Hulme and his
:38:02. > :38:07.actions and Seamus Mallen's leadership that brought him to the
:38:08. > :38:12.stage today. He said Mark Durkan as well, another predecessor, with him,
:38:13. > :38:18.it's a home city for all of those men, actually. John Hulme's wife Pat
:38:19. > :38:21.there. John Hulme not in the best of health but obviously on an occasion
:38:22. > :38:28.like this, he's a man who'll feel very at home in the gathered
:38:29. > :38:32.company. He still has that heroic status within the SDLP. Absolutely.
:38:33. > :38:36.He definitely walks on water no, doubt about that, for the party
:38:37. > :38:45.faithful. And many others too. I saw one or two of my former student
:38:46. > :38:50.there is in the audience. Look, you can tell, I think this is a party
:38:51. > :39:00.that's expressing enthusiasm and some relief that this is a man who's
:39:01. > :39:05.risen to some extent, to the occasion, unlike some who could
:39:06. > :39:11.never deliver a speech in this way. Eastwood had a number of swipes at
:39:12. > :39:17.Sinn Fein. Not least in relation to the European Union deciding in
:39:18. > :39:22.effect that they were Johnny come latelies. The SDLP's support for the
:39:23. > :39:26.European Union, of course. His particular line also about what
:39:27. > :39:36.constitutes a good Republican was an absolute slap in the face with a wet
:39:37. > :39:40.fish for Gerry Adams who described someone who was convicted of
:39:41. > :39:44.offences as a good Republican, so not in the SDLP's book.
:39:45. > :39:48.That is interesting, the good Republican line went down very well.
:39:49. > :39:51.His attack on dissidents and recent activity went down very well too.
:39:52. > :39:55.The other thing I thought was fascinating was that attempt to
:39:56. > :39:59.reach out to perhaps moderate unionism. He was quoting John
:40:00. > :40:04.Hewitt, talking about regional identity, Hewitt's idea of identity
:40:05. > :40:09.being Ulster British and European. But it's interesting that it was all
:40:10. > :40:13.within the context of Irishness, rather than Britishness. It
:40:14. > :40:17.certainly was. He was trying to do two things, he was trying to hold
:40:18. > :40:22.out something of an olive bran torch some unionists to say, let's have a
:40:23. > :40:30.proper conversation about what Irish identity might mean and what it
:40:31. > :40:34.might mean to you in terms of reconciling it with your Irish
:40:35. > :40:38.identity. When you look at the reality, the real politics of this,
:40:39. > :40:45.he talked about a financial compact with the Treasury, the UK Treasury.
:40:46. > :40:54.If the constitution of nailed was to change over the next 30 years, that
:40:55. > :40:58.is. -- constitution of Northern Ireland changed over the next 30
:40:59. > :41:02.years. It's trying to keep Northern Ireland economically afloat. The UK,
:41:03. > :41:06.as a whole, goodness knows what is going to happen at the referendum in
:41:07. > :41:14.June. Bizarrely, he got the date for that wrong. He said June 24th and
:41:15. > :41:19.it's 23rd, of course. If the SDLP turn up on the 24th, they'll be a
:41:20. > :41:24.bit late so that was a terrible mistake to make. The UK is going
:41:25. > :41:30.through a torrid period. What they needed with a leader like him, we
:41:31. > :41:36.were bristling with public spending, so in terms of tackling justice
:41:37. > :41:45.issues which he made much of, the money is going to be in relatively
:41:46. > :41:49.short supply. Our economic base is relatively weak, as he said himself.
:41:50. > :42:00.We are not in a strong place. More from you between now and 9 o'clock.
:42:01. > :42:05.But we are going to go back to the Hall, thanks for now, Rick, here is
:42:06. > :42:09.Mark Devonport who was watching Colum Eastwood's speech for us. He's
:42:10. > :42:13.been joined by a couple of well-known faces.
:42:14. > :42:16.That's right. A couple of the representative who is were on stage
:42:17. > :42:24.behind me have raced up to share their thoughts on that speech. Two
:42:25. > :42:29.Belfast representatives with me, Nicola Mallen. First of all, how did
:42:30. > :42:33.you think that came across in the Hall, whatever it seemed like to our
:42:34. > :42:38.live television audience? I thought it was very strong. Colum's set out
:42:39. > :42:42.our stall and most importantly he set out the stall going beyond that.
:42:43. > :42:47.This was not a conference but an election rally wasn't it, Alex? It
:42:48. > :42:51.was an election rally, yes, it was shaping the politics and the choices
:42:52. > :42:57.of the next few weeks, but Colum also shaped the politics and choices
:42:58. > :43:02.of the next decades because yes, he said this election was going to be a
:43:03. > :43:07.referendum on how the DUP and Sinn Fein had so let people down, but he
:43:08. > :43:11.then began to scoop out what a new Government should look like and he
:43:12. > :43:14.scooped out a wider conversation, both in terms of financial
:43:15. > :43:19.guarantees for Northern Ireland from London and a conversation of
:43:20. > :43:23.unionism about the shape of our country long beyond the selection.
:43:24. > :43:28.That's very immediate politics and far-seeing politics. Nicola, he said
:43:29. > :43:37.he wanted it to be a referendum on Stormont's leadership.
:43:38. > :43:42.Do you not share the responsibility if Stormont's not delivered over the
:43:43. > :43:47.past few years? We have shared responsibility for the departments
:43:48. > :43:52.and I have worked with the minister and he's brought forward substantial
:43:53. > :43:56.pieces of legislation. We have seen the biggest shake-up of road traffic
:43:57. > :44:00.and a whole range of legislation so we can stand confidently on our role
:44:01. > :44:04.and performance. Colum was very clear, there is a referendum on the
:44:05. > :44:09.performance. People are fed up. It's not good. Historic hand shakes don't
:44:10. > :44:13.go far enough, people want to see improvements to the health care,
:44:14. > :44:18.education, skills, development, we want to see an tend to 22,000 young
:44:19. > :44:22.people feeling forced to flee our shores every year. He said there is
:44:23. > :44:28.a red line that you want to see spending increases in relation to
:44:29. > :44:31.vocational spending, university places and aapprenticeships. Given
:44:32. > :44:36.Stormont is dealing with a diminishing bit of pie, where would
:44:37. > :44:37.you take the money from? It's very easy to pronounce increase, where
:44:38. > :44:49.will the cut be? We have found ?7 million to make
:44:50. > :44:54.people redundant so Irish I'm sure we can find the money. In the South,
:44:55. > :44:58.1 euro yields a return of over four so it is an investment and I am sure
:44:59. > :45:05.the money can be found and Colum will set out how. He said he wanted
:45:06. > :45:09.to have a conversation about a new Ireland with core elements of the
:45:10. > :45:15.British ideas and he talked about the need to include an Ulster
:45:16. > :45:22.identity. Should they in their outreach programmes, they have been
:45:23. > :45:26.ahead of the game? The SDLP has been in conversation with unionism since
:45:27. > :45:32.the day of our birth and that conversation saw fruition and saw it
:45:33. > :45:36.prosper in the Good Friday Agreement. But it is quite clear
:45:37. > :45:38.with the potential of withdrawal from the European Union and the
:45:39. > :45:42.potential of Scotland withdrawing from the British union with
:45:43. > :45:47.devolution to various parts of Britain and Northern Ireland, there
:45:48. > :45:50.is a need for a new conversation. The people of the best shape that
:45:51. > :45:57.and engage with that, and the best to do that is the SDLP because we
:45:58. > :46:00.persuaded union -- unionism in the past Commission paints get them in
:46:01. > :46:04.the past and we want to take that conversation to a new level. It is
:46:05. > :46:09.necessary because with a shifting sands in terms of politics,
:46:10. > :46:12.government and constitutional issues, there is a conversation and
:46:13. > :46:17.Colum Eastwood wants to shape that and still read it. And take it in a
:46:18. > :46:21.way we have not seen before. You have a new vibrant leader but in
:46:22. > :46:25.terms of the electrode that electoral statistics, Nichola
:46:26. > :46:27.Mallon, is it not true that the SDLP will be relieved if you stay when
:46:28. > :46:33.you are rather than losing more ground to Sinn Fein? No one can
:46:34. > :46:36.question there is a hunger in the SDLP for each of our candidates to
:46:37. > :46:42.win and we will set out to win our seats, not just to win but to also
:46:43. > :46:47.build a better future for people. You will be trying to hold your own.
:46:48. > :46:53.You face competition in West Belfast not just from Sinn Fein but also
:46:54. > :46:57.others. We all welcome competition because we are Irish Democrats. And
:46:58. > :47:03.we value the practice of Irish democracy. Select the democracy
:47:04. > :47:06.prevail. But the critical thing is that Colum said the frustration with
:47:07. > :47:10.our government should not mean people do not come out to vote. If
:47:11. > :47:13.people want to shape something different from what we have had for
:47:14. > :47:21.the last decade and people are frustrated, they have the vote in
:47:22. > :47:24.May, in order to have people in negotiations for the programme for
:47:25. > :47:28.government that can see a better politics, a better government and
:47:29. > :47:32.better public services on the far side of the election. That is the
:47:33. > :47:45.SDLP and if you go into the manner, South Down, Newry, many other
:47:46. > :47:49.places, very few votes for the SDLP. That is how to send messages to
:47:50. > :47:53.those who have hailed and is to respond to the prostration of
:47:54. > :47:57.politics. The base electoral, tissue in Belfast and we facing noisy
:47:58. > :48:02.elements in the hall. Back to the studio. -- you face.
:48:03. > :48:07.Full stop interesting to hear those thoughts. They were discussing
:48:08. > :48:13.something you were struck with, the fact that Colum Eastwood arguably
:48:14. > :48:18.has made himself a hostage to fortune on a number of red line
:48:19. > :48:22.issues. Mark was discussing that. He said have to be in the programme for
:48:23. > :48:25.government is the SDLP is to sign up to a place in the Executive. Should
:48:26. > :48:30.he be showing his hand at this stage? A good poker player does not
:48:31. > :48:38.show his hand. He has set out a wish list. The A5 expansion, greater
:48:39. > :48:42.investment in further education, skills strategy. This basically
:48:43. > :48:45.saying these do not get fulfilled in the 14 days of negotiations
:48:46. > :48:51.following the election, presumably they will exercise the opposition
:48:52. > :48:56.option. You might have thought, because there have been discussions
:48:57. > :48:59.between your steed unionist and the SDLP, that might have been an
:49:00. > :49:03.appropriate juncture in the speech to make something of an overture or
:49:04. > :49:08.the other parties who may feel disaffected, their wish list are not
:49:09. > :49:11.going to be made during that period and they could walk into opposition
:49:12. > :49:15.together, not least the Ulster Unionists who have already taken
:49:16. > :49:24.that step even though it is not an official opposition. It is a bit
:49:25. > :49:27.unwise to put so much of your wish list on public display. We should
:49:28. > :49:33.not underestimate the scale of the mountain the SDLP has to climb. Alex
:49:34. > :49:37.Attwood and Nichola Mallon both saying there is a renewed vigour,
:49:38. > :49:41.enthusiasm and determination in the SDLP and perhaps that is the case.
:49:42. > :49:47.The figures we were talking about, since 1998, the party's vote share
:49:48. > :49:54.has fallen from 22% to 14%. It has lost some like 84,000 votes. That is
:49:55. > :49:58.an awful what. And in large trunk of those have gone to pain. -- an awful
:49:59. > :50:04.lot. Their vote has gone up exponentially. I have to try and win
:50:05. > :50:11.some of that back and mobilise perhaps people who were SDLP
:50:12. > :50:17.sympathetic to vote -- they have. Turnout has also fallen quite
:50:18. > :50:25.genetically since 1998. Will it reach 50% in May? That is not a
:50:26. > :50:29.given. They are down from 24 to 14 seats. They lost two at the last
:50:30. > :50:32.Assembly election under the leadership of Margaret Ritchie. If
:50:33. > :50:38.you look at the figures and the seats and vote share and number of
:50:39. > :50:43.votes, the graph is downwards. It has continued to downwards. They
:50:44. > :50:49.were overtaken by Sinn Fein for the first time in 2001, they have fallen
:50:50. > :50:58.further behind ever since so it is a massive obstacle. This is a huge
:50:59. > :51:03.challenge up the hill. Voter turnout is relevance, it is down. But at the
:51:04. > :51:07.point where turnout has been falling, Sinn Fein's vote has been
:51:08. > :51:11.climbing and that is an important qualification. Absolutely, they were
:51:12. > :51:16.mobilising people who would not have otherwise voted and they have stolen
:51:17. > :51:19.a lot of votes from the SDLP so it is a massive challenge for them. A
:51:20. > :51:23.final thought in a moment but back now to mark in Derry.
:51:24. > :51:31.A bit of a comedy moment we had here earlier. I was going to talk to
:51:32. > :51:36.Dolores Carrey and Jerry and they were being introduced on the stage
:51:37. > :51:40.as they were up here so it was like that US Republican thing, the big
:51:41. > :51:45.introduction came and nobody made it onto the stage because I was holding
:51:46. > :51:51.queue here. For the second time, you have made it to the gallery here in
:51:52. > :51:55.St Columb's Hall. It goes down well with the SDLP supporters, this
:51:56. > :51:59.speech, but you both face a tough fight in your constituencies. Can
:52:00. > :52:05.you hold on to what you have got, Dolores Kellie? Many say you could
:52:06. > :52:10.take that have your seat taken away by Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein have
:52:11. > :52:15.targeted my seat and are working hard as they did ideas ago to take
:52:16. > :52:19.it away but we have a Royal set of voters in Upper Bann and I am
:52:20. > :52:24.confident they will come out to support me -- loyal. We have spoken
:52:25. > :52:29.to people about the issues that matter and they are fed up with the
:52:30. > :52:35.continued division and disinterest by the two big parties on the issues
:52:36. > :52:37.that affect them day-to-day. In his speech, Colum Eastwood said the
:52:38. > :52:44.Donegal would provide the President Sinn Fein were stretching themselves
:52:45. > :52:47.too far, is that not wishful thinking with Martin McGuinness back
:52:48. > :52:54.in Derry, it will be difficult to hold onto your receipts? It is not
:52:55. > :53:00.wise to run a political contest like right. People in Derry will probably
:53:01. > :53:02.wonder why now, white is Martin McGuinness coming back here after
:53:03. > :53:08.representing somewhere else for two decades? It will be run like a tight
:53:09. > :53:12.fight but the two has a strong track record in Derry and this tonight is
:53:13. > :53:15.an exciting proposition from a young party leader who will take our party
:53:16. > :53:21.forward into the election and deliver a positive result, not only
:53:22. > :53:23.in Foyle but across the North. He did have a red Line in negotiations
:53:24. > :53:30.for future government and that was to do with higher education, is that
:53:31. > :53:36.you only Red Line? Is that going to be the ultimate decider between when
:53:37. > :53:40.you join a future Executive or not? You know that I am not going to set
:53:41. > :53:44.up the manifesto this evening but you have heard pledges within the
:53:45. > :53:48.leader's speech. Higher education is very important because it will drive
:53:49. > :53:52.the economy forward. We are one of the few places under investing in
:53:53. > :53:56.further and higher education along with corporation tax, how is that
:53:57. > :54:00.going to take us forward? We need proper investment. We will bring
:54:01. > :54:05.policies forward in our manifesto and I think the SDLP has a new story
:54:06. > :54:09.to tell. In the past, you have been an advocate of the SDLP going into
:54:10. > :54:14.opposition, the problem is you are now at the end of an Assembly term
:54:15. > :54:17.and has not -- and have not gone into opposition so this attempt to
:54:18. > :54:22.differentiate yourself from the big two is coming late in the day. I do
:54:23. > :54:25.not accept that. There was no place called opposition, the Ulster
:54:26. > :54:31.Unionist Party have faced criticism from all quarters on the stands they
:54:32. > :54:36.took before Christmas. At least they did it. And opposition Bill has been
:54:37. > :54:42.passed through Parliament, heavily amended by the SDLP. We put our
:54:43. > :54:48.stamp on the opposition. The SDLP is going to get a strong mandate to go
:54:49. > :54:52.into power, no party campaigns to go into opposition but we want to see a
:54:53. > :54:56.programme for government that is fit for purpose, that delivers for all
:54:57. > :55:00.of the people and not the constituent interests of the DUP and
:55:01. > :55:06.Sinn Fein. We saw Gerry Adams this week nominated for the position of
:55:07. > :55:09.Taoiseach. Sinn Fein have 23 TDs. How do you persuade young
:55:10. > :55:16.Nationalists they should return to the SDLP even if they ever were with
:55:17. > :55:20.them, should Sinn Fein have the wind in their sales? Sinn Fein have
:55:21. > :55:26.played two different stories. Anti-austerity down South while a
:55:27. > :55:31.peer, they have solidified the circumstances to implement Tory
:55:32. > :55:35.cuts, so I think the people of the North and Foyle will be aware of
:55:36. > :55:39.that. Nine years of Munda livery with the current Executive, people
:55:40. > :55:43.are angry and they want young people able to stay at home and think of a
:55:44. > :55:47.future and job in Northern Ireland, that is what the SDLP can deliver
:55:48. > :55:54.and what has not been delivered. And it is a myth about young people. I
:55:55. > :55:59.was with young people yesterday and they do not understand. This time
:56:00. > :56:04.will be the first post but Friday agreement votes will be asked and I
:56:05. > :56:10.hope they vote for the party that puts their needs first -- votes will
:56:11. > :56:19.be made. Colum Eastwood mentioned the June referendum and he got the
:56:20. > :56:23.day wrong, you said June 24 -- he said. According to eagle eyed
:56:24. > :56:27.listeners in the studio. How important is that as part the SDLP
:56:28. > :56:33.pitch, Europe has always been part of the peace process? Europe was the
:56:34. > :56:36.perfect post-conflict idea and philosophy that served the last
:56:37. > :56:41.entry well and has served us well, especially in the North. And we are
:56:42. > :56:49.a net beneficiary of the funds so the SDLP is very strongly
:56:50. > :56:53.pro-European and we are not a Johnny come lately to the motion of Better
:56:54. > :56:58.Together campaigning. People helping to lift everyone and give everybody
:56:59. > :57:08.hope and ambition right across Europe is the best way forward.
:57:09. > :57:12.Thank you, Bob. That is all we have time for at St Columb's Hall. Back
:57:13. > :57:16.to you. -- thank you, Bob. A final word, you
:57:17. > :57:21.were saying at the beginning what Colum Eastwood had to do was
:57:22. > :57:24.establish clear water between the SDLP and Sinn Fein and he was
:57:25. > :57:28.asking, how would you persuade young Nationalists the vote all the SDLP
:57:29. > :57:33.rather than she said when Sinn Fein seems to have the wind in its back?
:57:34. > :57:37.A very fair question and very fair point and it underscores the
:57:38. > :57:44.enormity of the challenge party has. I am not sure there is enough in
:57:45. > :57:49.that speech to say, this is where we are markedly in policy terms
:57:50. > :57:57.different from Sinn Fein. I am not sure if there is any Green water. It
:57:58. > :58:01.is relatively a little puddle. On so many issues, they share the same
:58:02. > :58:05.album. They can compete over which is more disposed towards promoting
:58:06. > :58:10.social justice. They each have a claim on that. Where the SDLP has an
:58:11. > :58:16.advantage, a tactical advantage, is the fact that the Sinn Fein has an
:58:17. > :58:21.effect repatriated welfare power to the UK government to the Department
:58:22. > :58:28.of Work and Pensions. And on that, they do have them not quite by the
:58:29. > :58:36.throat. But they can certainly deliver a hefty blow on that issue.
:58:37. > :58:39.Colum Eastwood's speech was fervent and for the most part well
:58:40. > :58:45.delivered. But it certainly rallied the troops, but did he create a
:58:46. > :58:51.distinctive policy agenda that distinguishes them from Sinn Fein? I
:58:52. > :58:54.do not think so. That is it from us. Join us tomorrow, Colum Eastwood
:58:55. > :58:57.will join us on the programme. Until then, good night.