Browse content similar to 16/06/2014. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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The SDLP backs Sinn Fein in its attempts to to stop Gerry Kelly | :00:25. | :00:30. | |
The Finance Minister addresses comments from | :00:31. | :00:33. | |
an HBO executive that Belfast isn't the most cosmopolitan of cities. | :00:34. | :00:35. | |
And joining me in the studio with his thoughts is | :00:36. | :00:38. | |
Did I break the law technically? Yes I did. That's why I accepted the | :00:39. | :00:47. | |
informed warrant. The Finance Minister addresses | :00:48. | :00:54. | |
comments from an HBO executive that Belfast isn't | :00:55. | :00:56. | |
the most cosmopolitan of cities. Given the World Cup at the minute, | :00:57. | :01:05. | |
when it comes to filming locations, we are not Hollywood, we are | :01:06. | :01:09. | |
Northern Ireland. Well speak for yourself. | :01:10. | :01:15. | |
And joining me in the studio with his thoughts is | :01:16. | :01:17. | |
Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly was facing a five-day suspension from Stormont, | :01:18. | :01:26. | |
A Stormont committee voted for the penalty after he was reprimanded by | :01:27. | :01:31. | |
Mr Kelly had jumped on a police Land Rover | :01:32. | :01:36. | |
Unionists said the informed warning from police | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
wasn't enough, demanding he be charged with obstructing justice. | :01:42. | :01:45. | |
But Mr Kelly's party and the SDLP have decided | :01:46. | :01:48. | |
the suspension isn't appropriate and are using a petition of concern | :01:49. | :01:53. | |
to vote down the decision by the Assembly's Standard's Committee. | :01:54. | :01:57. | |
Here's the Speaker to explain there'll be a vote tomorrow. | :01:58. | :02:08. | |
It was presented in relation to this motion. Order! Order! Order, | :02:09. | :02:23. | |
members. The vote therefore will be in a cross-party basis and we will | :02:24. | :02:29. | |
respond tomorrow. It will be the first member of, the first business. | :02:30. | :02:36. | |
The motion relates only to the committee report and recommendations | :02:37. | :02:42. | |
following complaints about an incident that took place in north | :02:43. | :02:44. | |
Belfast on 21st June, 2013. So to explain just what all this | :02:45. | :02:56. | |
means I'm joined by Alex, first of all, | :02:57. | :02:58. | |
remind us how Gerry Kelly got into this situation, as he technically | :02:59. | :03:02. | |
did break the law last year. Well, let's see what members made | :03:03. | :03:05. | |
of it all today when He said he had to get on the vehicle | :03:06. | :03:19. | |
and they said to stop that. I think they were concerned about the | :03:20. | :03:23. | |
gathering around of the vehicle. I think Gerry Kelly got his informed | :03:24. | :03:28. | |
caution, the driver got one, the young men banging on the window got | :03:29. | :03:32. | |
one. I have no idea why the Assembly is even discussing this. I think | :03:33. | :03:36. | |
unionists were concerned that this warning didn't even amount to a | :03:37. | :03:40. | |
caution, so how surprised are you that the petition of concern has | :03:41. | :03:45. | |
been tabled? I think you have to be concerned any party deciding what | :03:46. | :03:52. | |
does and doesn't constitute justice. The process was carried through but | :03:53. | :03:56. | |
the petition of concern kills off the debate. It is one of those | :03:57. | :04:00. | |
things I don't understand. When you know a debate is not going anywhere, | :04:01. | :04:06. | |
when it can't even be carried, the only consequence of continuing with | :04:07. | :04:09. | |
it is that the two sides will do what they always do, the finger | :04:10. | :04:13. | |
pointing and the name calling and we'll end up worse off tomorrow | :04:14. | :04:18. | |
morning than we were today. So the 30-strong petition force as cross | :04:19. | :04:23. | |
community vote, which means the majority of people have to agree to | :04:24. | :04:29. | |
punish Mr Kelly? The petition of concern has only one purpose - to | :04:30. | :04:34. | |
kill a debate or protect someone. Alex, thank you. | :04:35. | :04:41. | |
Well, let's see what members made of it all today when | :04:42. | :04:44. | |
It's very clear that unionists believe Gerry Kelly should be | :04:45. | :04:48. | |
punished for his actions, while nationalists are leaning | :04:49. | :04:49. | |
It follows that in committing the offence of impeding a constable in | :04:50. | :05:01. | |
the execution of his duty Mr Kelly failed to uphold the law as required | :05:02. | :05:06. | |
by the members' code of conduct. It states that members should promote | :05:07. | :05:10. | |
and support the other principles by leadership and example in order to | :05:11. | :05:13. | |
establish and maintain the trust and confidence of the people of Northern | :05:14. | :05:16. | |
Ireland, and to ensure the integrity of the Assembly and its members in | :05:17. | :05:20. | |
conducting business. The committee acknowledges that Mr Kelly did seek | :05:21. | :05:23. | |
to demonstrate positive leadership on the evening in question. His | :05:24. | :05:29. | |
intention had been to defuse a tense situation and he used his influence | :05:30. | :05:37. | |
to direct the crowd and facilitate the passage of the police. However, | :05:38. | :05:42. | |
he failed to show leadership when he obstructed the police vehicle. No | :05:43. | :05:47. | |
matter what was happening that night I don't think there is any excuse | :05:48. | :05:53. | |
for being on the bonnet of the PSNI Land Rover. You wouldn't catch me on | :05:54. | :06:00. | |
the bonnet of a Land Rover. LAUGHTER Mr Speaker, while we are | :06:01. | :06:03. | |
discussing the issue of the conduct of MLAs, I feel it necessary to put | :06:04. | :06:08. | |
on record my grave disappointment at the level of DUP hypocrisy today. | :06:09. | :06:17. | |
Hear, hear. When Ruth Paterson, a councillor... Order! We are straying | :06:18. | :06:25. | |
away from the report. Let us deal with what's in the report and | :06:26. | :06:30. | |
nothing more and nothing less. Mr Speaker, it is about inconsistency | :06:31. | :06:40. | |
in relation to today's debate. When Ruth Paterson, a councillor from the | :06:41. | :06:47. | |
DUP was charged... Order! Once again, the member will know this | :06:48. | :06:53. | |
will be a very difficult debate. Help me to manage this debate. I say | :06:54. | :06:58. | |
to all members of the House, really the member is straying into a | :06:59. | :07:03. | |
different issue and a different incident. We really must come back | :07:04. | :07:08. | |
to the report. I'm trying to help the member. I rise to oppose the | :07:09. | :07:13. | |
motion. When you look and listen to the demeanor and attitude of the | :07:14. | :07:18. | |
members opposite, had this is a farce, a charade, a pantomime. If | :07:19. | :07:24. | |
you look at the laughs on and their faces and the guff airstrikes ws and | :07:25. | :07:39. | |
the inter-- and the guffaws. I would suggest he is a bit confused, since | :07:40. | :07:44. | |
he is more used to the back of a Land Rover than the front. It is | :07:45. | :07:49. | |
uncome bent on every single one of us to ensure that tensions are | :07:50. | :07:54. | |
calmed and that the heat is taken out of this summer. Just for the | :07:55. | :08:00. | |
record, because I know there've been a number of heckles, I am the member | :08:01. | :08:07. | |
from the SDLP is on the committee of standards and privileges. I did | :08:08. | :08:11. | |
leave the meeting. It wasn't because I was spineless. If I was spineless, | :08:12. | :08:16. | |
I wouldn't be talking right now. It showed that the police were trying | :08:17. | :08:20. | |
to deal with this in a proportionate way, unlike the DUP and the unionist | :08:21. | :08:25. | |
members of the Standards and Privileges Committee. So did I break | :08:26. | :08:29. | |
the law technically? Yes, I did. That's why I send the informed | :08:30. | :08:38. | |
warrant. But let me say this to all members here, especially members, | :08:39. | :08:42. | |
some of which are sitting across the way, who have to deal with these | :08:43. | :08:48. | |
difficult situations. You need the flexibility to make decisions on the | :08:49. | :08:52. | |
spot which you think will help the situation. That's exactly what I was | :08:53. | :08:56. | |
doing. No, I won't give way. That's what I was doing on the day. I | :08:57. | :09:02. | |
listened to your heckling earlier. I wish you would shut up. Order! | :09:03. | :09:05. | |
Order! The SDLP's Alban Maginness provided | :09:06. | :09:11. | |
Sinn Fein with the signature it needed to complete | :09:12. | :09:13. | |
its petition and stop Mr Kelly's Why are you riding to Gerry Kelly's | :09:14. | :09:24. | |
rescue? We are not riding to his rescue, we are simply ensuring that | :09:25. | :09:28. | |
there is fairness and due process in relation to the incident of 21st | :09:29. | :09:33. | |
June of last year. It is very important to get things into the | :09:34. | :09:38. | |
context where Gerry Kelly helped to defuse a very difficult situation | :09:39. | :09:44. | |
involving the aftermath of the tour of the north and I think that the | :09:45. | :09:50. | |
committee in its majority determination did not treat him | :09:51. | :09:54. | |
fairly. But he did himself admit that he technically broke the law. | :09:55. | :09:58. | |
He sits on the Policing Board. Surely he should be held to a higher | :09:59. | :10:03. | |
standard? Well, the first point is he send an informed warning. That | :10:04. | :10:08. | |
the prescribed by law. In other words he admitted that he | :10:09. | :10:11. | |
technically broke the law, and accepted responsibility for that. | :10:12. | :10:15. | |
That remains on his record for the next year. That's how the law deals | :10:16. | :10:20. | |
with it and that's how the PPS proposed to deal with it and did | :10:21. | :10:26. | |
deal wit. The second point is he was trying to defuse a very difficult | :10:27. | :10:29. | |
situation. He should have been given credit for that. That was not | :10:30. | :10:33. | |
credited to him by the committee. The committee sought to have him | :10:34. | :10:39. | |
excluded for five days. That, we believed, was excessive. Anna Lo, | :10:40. | :10:44. | |
incidentally, proposed in the committee he should be given the | :10:45. | :10:48. | |
opportunity to possible to the Assembly in relation to this | :10:49. | :10:51. | |
incident and that was voted down. Why don't you suggest that he | :10:52. | :10:55. | |
apologise before you signed the petition of concern? Well, we | :10:56. | :10:59. | |
discussed a number of issues, but the important thing was to meet the | :11:00. | :11:04. | |
substance of the the report, which was presented to the Assembly. We | :11:05. | :11:08. | |
thought that was important and to highlight the issue of | :11:09. | :11:12. | |
proportionality in terms of the actual sanction that was imposed on | :11:13. | :11:18. | |
Gerry Kelly. But members are required to uphold the law. | :11:19. | :11:20. | |
Shouldn't there be consequences when they don't? Absolutely. What would | :11:21. | :11:25. | |
you suggest is the appropriate address? I think in the | :11:26. | :11:29. | |
circumstances, and I was there, by the way. I was a witness to what | :11:30. | :11:34. | |
happened. I saw what Gerry Kelly. I myself and others tried to calm the | :11:35. | :11:39. | |
situation as well. The point I would make is that any penalty imposed on | :11:40. | :11:44. | |
him would have to be proportionate. A it wasn't and it was excessive. | :11:45. | :11:52. | |
Would you be applying the same approach if Nelson McCausland... If | :11:53. | :11:55. | |
there was a situation in which he was trying to defuse a situation in | :11:56. | :12:01. | |
similar circumstances, where he received an informed warning and | :12:02. | :12:04. | |
broke the law technically, I would be saying yes in those circumstances | :12:05. | :12:09. | |
he should be given the benefit of the doubt and in fairness he should | :12:10. | :12:13. | |
receive a lesser penalty than that proposed by the committee. OK. Thank | :12:14. | :12:16. | |
you very much. It was good news that was supposed | :12:17. | :12:22. | |
to be delivered today by Ministers, but the BBC was ahead of | :12:23. | :12:25. | |
the game when it reported last week that the Open Golf Championships | :12:26. | :12:28. | |
are returning to Northern Ireland. It didn't stop the Enterprise | :12:29. | :12:31. | |
Minister heading to the North Coast Arlene Foster did have to give | :12:32. | :12:33. | |
Question Time a miss though and sent in Simon Hamilton as a substitute. | :12:34. | :12:46. | |
The Minister gave notice to the business committee last week that it | :12:47. | :12:50. | |
might not be possible for her to return from official business | :12:51. | :12:52. | |
outside Belfast in time for questions and the very good news, in | :12:53. | :12:58. | |
terms of the Open would allow members to understand why that | :12:59. | :13:02. | |
situation has arisen. The Minister of finance and personnel will | :13:03. | :13:04. | |
therefore respond to questions on her behalf today. Since the | :13:05. | :13:09. | |
abolition of air passenger duty, we've seen no additional | :13:10. | :13:14. | |
destinations and, indeed, we've heard recently of the suspension of | :13:15. | :13:18. | |
the only direct flight from the North to the United States. And I | :13:19. | :13:23. | |
wonder if I could ask the Minister if the removal of air passenger duty | :13:24. | :13:28. | |
has not been as successful as was first anticipated. I think it was | :13:29. | :13:34. | |
successful, primarily in achieving its number one target, in terms of | :13:35. | :13:44. | |
the long haul air passenger duty, and the Assembly subsequently | :13:45. | :13:47. | |
reduced air passenger duty the long haul flights down to zero. It was | :13:48. | :13:51. | |
successful and its primary purpose, to save the New York to Belfast | :13:52. | :13:56. | |
route. I share the Minister's disappointment that that service is | :13:57. | :14:00. | |
now going to move from a 12 month, year-round service, to a ten month | :14:01. | :14:06. | |
service, which will affect me to mid-March of next year. -- | :14:07. | :14:14. | |
mid-January two mid-March. If there is a silver lining to the | :14:15. | :14:18. | |
disappointing news, what I hope it does is make the route more | :14:19. | :14:24. | |
profitable and, therefore, sustainable. I welcome the fact that | :14:25. | :14:28. | |
united airlines have confirmed that the route is secure, albeit that it | :14:29. | :14:31. | |
is going to be reduced to ten months. There is an interesting | :14:32. | :14:37. | |
point of discussion following from this, into the ongoing work that my | :14:38. | :14:42. | |
department and the Minister of enterprise and investment's | :14:43. | :14:45. | |
department is doing in respect of our conductivity study, which is | :14:46. | :14:49. | |
going to look at many things, including the impact that air | :14:50. | :14:54. | |
passenger duty has on attracting roots and keeping roots in place. It | :14:55. | :14:57. | |
is interesting to note that whilst we have ?0 in terms of air passenger | :14:58. | :15:04. | |
duty for long haul flights, it hasn't been enough to keep it in | :15:05. | :15:14. | |
place for 12 months. What is the Minister's view of the recent | :15:15. | :15:18. | |
comment by an HBO executive who said it wasn't the most cosmopolitan city | :15:19. | :15:24. | |
to spend half a year in Belfast. I'm tempted to, given the World Cup is | :15:25. | :15:29. | |
on that there is an old saying in this part of the world, that we are | :15:30. | :15:33. | |
not Brazil but Northern Ireland, but when it comes to filming locations, | :15:34. | :15:37. | |
we're not Hollywood, we're Northern Ireland. I understand that the | :15:38. | :15:41. | |
comments were made about being away for six months. I'm sure that | :15:42. | :15:46. | |
anybody, no matter who you are, being away from your home and your | :15:47. | :15:49. | |
family for six months is a difficult thing to do. I have to say, though, | :15:50. | :15:56. | |
that the relationship between HBO and the Northern Ireland Executive | :15:57. | :16:01. | |
has been incredibly productive. Seasons five and seasons six have | :16:02. | :16:04. | |
already been secured for Northern Ireland, so it seems we are doing | :16:05. | :16:10. | |
something right in respect of HBO. The golfer featured during questions | :16:11. | :16:14. | |
to the regional development list as well but first, it was traffic | :16:15. | :16:17. | |
calming measures and the issue of speed limits that took his | :16:18. | :16:20. | |
attention. But the Minister confirmed that his | :16:21. | :16:23. | |
department has no plans to implement the mad policy of traffic calming in | :16:24. | :16:32. | |
town centres by opposing blanket 20 mph speed restrictions as have been | :16:33. | :16:37. | |
suggested by some members of the Green Party and other fringe | :16:38. | :16:42. | |
parties? The issue of the implementation of 20 mph schemes is | :16:43. | :16:46. | |
being carefully looked out. We are bringing forward pilot schemes to | :16:47. | :16:53. | |
better inform our view on that and I think that's a sensible approach, | :16:54. | :16:59. | |
rather than a widespread change, implementing, perhaps, changes that | :17:00. | :17:04. | |
we blame our communities are not quite prepared for. Can the Minister | :17:05. | :17:08. | |
state what level of income the new super councils would hope to earn | :17:09. | :17:12. | |
from having responsibility for such car parks and will they be in charge | :17:13. | :17:19. | |
of arrangements, and local car parking charges? Over 303 and | :17:20. | :17:23. | |
charged car parks will, as is envisaged, transferred to the | :17:24. | :17:30. | |
councils, with an estimated value of some ?46 million. That is what | :17:31. | :17:34. | |
they're worth, not what they earn. Let's be clear on that. Work is | :17:35. | :17:40. | |
ongoing to determine a final list of car parks that will transfer, but I | :17:41. | :17:47. | |
think in the region of ?8 million per year is generated. Will the | :17:48. | :17:50. | |
Minister give a commitment to this House today that he will consider, | :17:51. | :17:56. | |
given that he has time, putting investment to an even greater amount | :17:57. | :18:05. | |
to the A26 and the railway line going to Portrush, and, of course, | :18:06. | :18:09. | |
investment in the stations from Belfast to Portrush and from Larne | :18:10. | :18:14. | |
to Portrush, to make sure the infrastructure is in place? I'm | :18:15. | :18:19. | |
grateful to the Member for his question and it is tremendous news | :18:20. | :18:25. | |
and I'm sure the whole house rejoices in the fact that it is now | :18:26. | :18:36. | |
indicated that the Open will be held in Royal Portrush in 2019. We had | :18:37. | :18:41. | |
the huge success of the Irish Open in 2012 and we are due to have a | :18:42. | :18:47. | |
return visit of the Irish Open in Portrush even before 2019 and, | :18:48. | :18:56. | |
indeed, to Royal County Down and the surrounding area in 2015. So I think | :18:57. | :19:01. | |
it is very important indeed that overall infrastructure and transport | :19:02. | :19:06. | |
infrastructure is improved. I'm very happy and proud to say, as an Ulster | :19:07. | :19:13. | |
Unionist minister, that we will bring forward the scheme that will | :19:14. | :19:22. | |
see the upgrading of the A26 with monies and with the good intent that | :19:23. | :19:28. | |
my colleague indicated from his party. I look forward with | :19:29. | :19:34. | |
confidence to getting more money to perhaps improve that network of | :19:35. | :19:39. | |
roads further. And, of course, the member will no that the | :19:40. | :19:47. | |
Coleraine-Londonderry line was saved and effectively rescued by this | :19:48. | :19:50. | |
minister and by this political party, so we're very conscious of | :19:51. | :19:57. | |
the role that we have. Getting to and around the north | :19:58. | :20:00. | |
coast remained the focus for Benny in the chamber today as a motion was | :20:01. | :20:04. | |
brought calling on the roads minister to invest in the area. | :20:05. | :20:10. | |
Dual carriageway the whole way to Coleraine on a phased basis, the | :20:11. | :20:19. | |
A37 roadster Coleraine, and the bypass would alleviate congestion | :20:20. | :20:28. | |
and road problems. It is vital but I point out that the A37 is the rout | :20:29. | :20:33. | |
used by emergency ambulances transferring patients to hospital. | :20:34. | :20:43. | |
Therefore, improvement in journey times can be viewed as very | :20:44. | :20:48. | |
beneficial to patient outcomes. I was looking last night at a brochure | :20:49. | :20:54. | |
from the causeway coastal Alliance about it being one of the world's | :20:55. | :20:58. | |
greatest road journeys and when you look at the roads from Derry through | :20:59. | :21:03. | |
Coleraine, Barry Castle, all the way through to Larne, in the summer, in | :21:04. | :21:12. | |
the peak period, for the world's greatest road journey, we only have | :21:13. | :21:19. | |
two buses a day from Coleraine to Larne and vice versa. We need a | :21:20. | :21:24. | |
proper bus service along that route, not only for local people but | :21:25. | :21:29. | |
also for tourists, as well, and I think it's a case of "build it and | :21:30. | :21:36. | |
they will come". I'm disappointed that nobody mentioned the ferry | :21:37. | :21:41. | |
service between McGilligan and Greencastle and perhaps that is | :21:42. | :21:46. | |
something that needs to be examined. With a long-term view to developing | :21:47. | :21:52. | |
tourism, going both ways, because international tourism knows nothing | :21:53. | :21:55. | |
about borders and partition. When I think of the contribution made to | :21:56. | :21:58. | |
the north-west by the department of regional development, we often | :21:59. | :22:04. | |
forget that North Coast community transport provides an essential | :22:05. | :22:08. | |
service. It fills a gap for the many people who inhabit rural areas but, | :22:09. | :22:12. | |
unfortunately, cannot readily access public transport services because of | :22:13. | :22:18. | |
reduced mobility. The train service between Derry and Belfast is crucial | :22:19. | :22:22. | |
and it is a wonderful service for those towns that are part of the | :22:23. | :22:27. | |
route. However, the nature of the rail service is that they only serve | :22:28. | :22:33. | |
towns where they stop. We should be looking to bolster this with an | :22:34. | :22:37. | |
integrated transport system, which means that there is a simple way for | :22:38. | :22:41. | |
people to travel to stations to catch the train, whether by private | :22:42. | :22:46. | |
car or, more preferably, public transport. To go by public bus from | :22:47. | :22:56. | |
Belfast to the Giant's Causeway, our prime tourist attraction, can take | :22:57. | :23:00. | |
as long as 3.5 hours. That just should not be. And surely, | :23:01. | :23:06. | |
particularly in the summer season, it is possible to have a better | :23:07. | :23:11. | |
facility than that. I'm also mindful that the north coast is more than | :23:12. | :23:13. | |
just a place to visit. Communities live there, businesses operate | :23:14. | :23:20. | |
amongst that breathtaking scenery, and it's vital that we create | :23:21. | :23:27. | |
high-quality local and regional transport connections to provide | :23:28. | :23:33. | |
access to major towns. This ensures that goods and markets and workers | :23:34. | :23:39. | |
and jobs can link seamlessly. I wish to see local businesses expand their | :23:40. | :23:43. | |
markets across Great Britain and the Republic of Island and throughout | :23:44. | :23:46. | |
the EU and beyond. Race relations and the treatment of | :23:47. | :23:49. | |
ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland has been a huge issue in | :23:50. | :23:53. | |
recent weeks and today, the Assembly took the opportunity to recognise | :23:54. | :24:00. | |
Refugees Week and talk about the importance of people from other | :24:01. | :24:05. | |
communities coming here. Mike Nesbitt brought the motion before | :24:06. | :24:10. | |
the House. The theme for community relations week this year is building | :24:11. | :24:17. | |
a united community, while Refugee Week focuses on different pasts, | :24:18. | :24:22. | |
shared future. It is fitting that community relations week and Refugee | :24:23. | :24:29. | |
Week coincide in 2014, providing us with a timely reminder that when we | :24:30. | :24:34. | |
speak of uniting communities we must look beyond our two communities in | :24:35. | :24:40. | |
our society. And if it is the case, Mr Deputy Speaker, that the Deputy | :24:41. | :24:46. | |
First Minister has signed off on the racial equality strategy, let the | :24:47. | :24:51. | |
measure of FM and DFM B, when it comes to the publication of that | :24:52. | :24:56. | |
racy quality strategy, that it deals with all the issues that it needs to | :24:57. | :25:00. | |
deal with one it comes to the issue of immigration. -- race equality. | :25:01. | :25:06. | |
What needs to happen in areas where frequent racist incidents occurred | :25:07. | :25:09. | |
to promote root jewel understanding and challenge sectarian attitudes. | :25:10. | :25:17. | |
-- mutual understanding. We must encourage reporting, supporting | :25:18. | :25:20. | |
victims in a way which demonstrates care and sensitivity, and ensure | :25:21. | :25:25. | |
that perpetrators of hate crimes are brought to justice and face the full | :25:26. | :25:33. | |
weight of the law. Both weeks are time for us to celebrate the ethnic | :25:34. | :25:37. | |
and cultural diversity of our community and it is important to | :25:38. | :25:40. | |
note that Long gone are the days when there could have been perceived | :25:41. | :25:46. | |
to be two or three communities here. Ireland is changing and in a really | :25:47. | :25:54. | |
amazing way. Growth in recent years friends challenges and | :25:55. | :25:57. | |
opportunities. We either show a strong, united voice on this issue | :25:58. | :26:01. | |
or create a vacuum in which people draw their own conclusions which can | :26:02. | :26:03. | |
often end up with the most damaging consequences. In recent weeks, we've | :26:04. | :26:09. | |
seen greater need to understand each other's backgrounds, not only | :26:10. | :26:13. | |
Catholic and Protestant but those from other ethnic minorities living | :26:14. | :26:16. | |
in Northern Ireland. The shared future has to be for all the people | :26:17. | :26:21. | |
of Northern Ireland. Alex Kane has rejoined me. You aren't a football | :26:22. | :26:26. | |
fan but what about the Gulf? By the time the Open gets here in 2019, do | :26:27. | :26:30. | |
you think we will lead still talking about flags? -- we will still be | :26:31. | :26:37. | |
talking about flags? I think we will be. That debate is going to roll on | :26:38. | :26:43. | |
and on way past 2019. My colleague Mark Devonport was reporting last | :26:44. | :26:45. | |
week that the talks will start next week and I was reading earlier that | :26:46. | :26:50. | |
the talks are now going to start next week so it doesn't appear that | :26:51. | :26:53. | |
anyone is in any hurry to get down to brass tacks. We've had talks | :26:54. | :26:58. | |
about whether we were going to have talks and whether we would have | :26:59. | :27:02. | |
talks after that. They're not agreeing on anything. They said it | :27:03. | :27:05. | |
last week in the hope that it would buy them a bit of time. The very day | :27:06. | :27:12. | |
after Robinson announced these, they were arguing over it. They need to | :27:13. | :27:18. | |
agree upfront, sit down the template and the blueprint. If they don't | :27:19. | :27:23. | |
agree, there is no point even announcing talks. It is hard not to | :27:24. | :27:28. | |
go past what Peter Robinson said some time ago - that if it takes | :27:29. | :27:31. | |
three weeks, three months or three years, it will take as long as it | :27:32. | :27:35. | |
takes stop a lot of people think it is going to be three years. | :27:36. | :27:40. | |
The optimists think it will be three years. You can't go on like that. It | :27:41. | :27:45. | |
is absolute nonsense. When he became First Minister and said he could | :27:46. | :27:48. | |
work with Martin McGuinness, it wasn't on the basis that it might be | :27:49. | :27:51. | |
ten years before they do anything. He sold it on the basis they could | :27:52. | :27:55. | |
resolve the big issues. They have done diddly squat. The two of them | :27:56. | :28:00. | |
may as well go and play Gulf for the next three years because it has been | :28:01. | :28:03. | |
a complete and utter dereliction of duty. The Queen is coming to Belfast | :28:04. | :28:08. | |
next week. She's going to be Martin McGuinness, which is getting to be a | :28:09. | :28:12. | |
bit of a habit. I think she's doing it deliberately, just to annoy the | :28:13. | :28:16. | |
hell out of him. He can't get out of it now. He has to shake her hand, no | :28:17. | :28:21. | |
matter how often or where she turns up. More power to her elbow. Let her | :28:22. | :28:27. | |
enjoy it. I suppose it's a way of normalising these meetings, that | :28:28. | :28:31. | |
people get bored of the whole thing. Nobody ever gets bored of politics | :28:32. | :28:34. | |
in Northern Ireland. That's the tragedy and the joy and it keeps me | :28:35. | :28:39. | |
employed. We'll let you get back to the World Cup that we know you love | :28:40. | :28:41. | |
so much. Thank you. I will be back again at | :28:42. | :28:44. | |
the same time tomorrow night. Until then, goodbye. | :28:45. | :28:47. |