Browse content similar to 16/07/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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edition of Stormont Today as the Assembly is we called for the second | :00:30. | :00:35. | |
time in two weeks. On the agenda, the Ardoyne Parade ruling and the | :00:35. | :00:40. | |
violence that followed. It is not a shared future without loyalist hands | :00:40. | :00:50. | |
:00:50. | :00:51. | ||
men and women, if you cannot share a road or a street. I am not up for | :00:51. | :00:55. | |
holy statues appearing on bonfires, for if it is of working priest, | :00:55. | :01:01. | |
people well respected, being part of that, if that can be described at | :01:01. | :01:07. | |
all as culture. So MLAs have had to delay their | :01:08. | :01:13. | |
holidays for another week as the Assembly was recalled for the second | :01:13. | :01:18. | |
time and when MLAs written, so do we. To date members were discussing | :01:18. | :01:21. | |
a motion calling the Parades Commission ruling on the Ardoyne | :01:21. | :01:24. | |
July 12 parade illogical. That mission was tabled before the | :01:24. | :01:29. | |
weekend violence which prompted an amendment from Sinn came. He is | :01:29. | :01:37. | |
Peter Robinson proposing the main motion. There were many who catch of | :01:37. | :01:44. | |
words in the run-up to the 12th of July in terms of placing hope for | :01:44. | :01:50. | |
that occasion. -- who placed our words. We had the experience of the | :01:51. | :01:54. | |
previous year. On the previous year, there have been a strange, some | :01:54. | :02:02. | |
would say foolish, determination by the Parades Commission which | :02:02. | :02:06. | |
required the Orange marches that normally would have taken that route | :02:06. | :02:12. | |
to be there at a time that I suspect Mo Farah could not have reached on | :02:12. | :02:21. | |
foot from the field. Yet in spite of the determination that was made, the | :02:21. | :02:25. | |
Orange institution did try and resolve the difficulty that they | :02:25. | :02:33. | |
faced. They sent their officers by transport. They walked the route | :02:33. | :02:38. | |
home and they did so in a peaceful and dignified way, keeping the | :02:38. | :02:45. | |
Parades Commission determination. Given those circumstances one might | :02:46. | :02:48. | |
have assumed that if the Parades Commission were to look at the issue | :02:48. | :02:52. | |
of the parade itself, there could only be one outcome that they would | :02:52. | :02:58. | |
reach and that was that you should reward those who kept the | :02:58. | :03:02. | |
determination and punish those who did not. Yet what did the Parades | :03:02. | :03:05. | |
Commission do on this occasion? Readily be opposite. They rewarded | :03:05. | :03:11. | |
those who had reached the Parades Commission determination, who had | :03:11. | :03:17. | |
opened up on the police, and they punished those who kept the | :03:17. | :03:22. | |
determination on that boat had been a difficulty termination to keep. -- | :03:22. | :03:27. | |
although it had been. I do not think anyone who takes a ceremonial sword | :03:27. | :03:32. | |
to be head of a police officer can find anywhere more suitable to be | :03:32. | :03:36. | |
done in prison. It is not a shared future without the Orange | :03:36. | :03:42. | |
institution. Without loyalist bans men and women. If you cannot share a | :03:42. | :03:48. | |
road or a street. If you have to share somebody else's ideology | :03:48. | :03:52. | |
before you can have it. So let's be be about the shared future must be | :03:52. | :03:57. | |
bombed the whole community can feel a part of, that they feel there is | :03:57. | :04:02. | |
some, yes, equality, in terms of the sharing. Our political correspondent | :04:02. | :04:09. | |
is with me. What were the key points in Peter Robinson's speech for you? | :04:09. | :04:12. | |
He spoke about the need for a measured debate and I would say that | :04:12. | :04:19. | |
by and large it was fairly measured. He made the point that the DUP | :04:19. | :04:22. | |
demotion was drafted some days ago and I think that is one of the | :04:22. | :04:27. | |
recent estimate by the motion did not include the condemnation of | :04:28. | :04:32. | |
violence but the First Minister made it clear it was not okayed to attack | :04:32. | :04:37. | |
a police officer with a sword, and condemned the violence of people | :04:37. | :04:43. | |
going about their business, including Nigel Dodds who was at the | :04:43. | :04:46. | |
scene. He also pointed up to the Orange Order to come up with ideas | :04:46. | :04:54. | |
for the forthcoming multiparty talks this autumn. They will be chaired by | :04:54. | :04:58. | |
American Richard Haass. He said that the grand Lodge have defeated | :04:58. | :05:01. | |
previous proposals to replace the Parades Commission so he is looking | :05:01. | :05:06. | |
to them to come up with an alternative. He also spoke about how | :05:06. | :05:11. | |
Richard Haass was the first choice to chaired these talks. He's in town | :05:11. | :05:15. | |
tomorrow to talk to the parties. He said it was vital everyone committed | :05:15. | :05:18. | |
themselves to resolving the issues, and noted Richard Haass was giving | :05:18. | :05:24. | |
his time for free, he did not want to be paid. He also made the point | :05:24. | :05:29. | |
that it is not a shared future, as you heard, if you cannot share the | :05:29. | :05:37. | |
road, if you cannot have loyalist bands. Peter Robinson was talking | :05:37. | :05:41. | |
through the main motion. Talk us through Sinn Fein's amendment. | :05:41. | :05:46. | |
Sinn Fein motion replaced almost all the words of the DUP motion and made | :05:46. | :05:51. | |
a number of points. It noted the determination of the Parades | :05:51. | :05:55. | |
Commission Re: the three lodges in Ardoyne. It supported efforts for a | :05:55. | :06:00. | |
resolution. It condemned the orchestrated attacks on the police | :06:00. | :06:05. | |
and community and it linked those attacks to the Orange Order's | :06:05. | :06:08. | |
refusal to accept the determination of the Parades Commission. It called | :06:08. | :06:13. | |
for respect and tolerance for all. The shared future requires mutual | :06:13. | :06:17. | |
respect. It also made the key point that Gerry Adams made yesterday that | :06:17. | :06:22. | |
the answer to this is dialogue. They called for immediate dialogue at | :06:23. | :06:30. | |
community level. We heard from several members. We will hear more | :06:30. | :06:37. | |
on that throughout the programme. It was very obvious approach in | :06:37. | :06:39. | |
Parliament buildings today that there was a protest taking place at | :06:40. | :06:46. | |
the foot of the steps. A lot of police presence around and some | :06:46. | :06:48. | |
protesters with likes. Who were they and what were they demonstrating | :06:48. | :06:58. | |
about? I saw a banner to do with flags. There was a couple of dozen | :06:58. | :07:02. | |
people there. Some were coming and going. They were coming in to be | :07:02. | :07:08. | |
said is' galleries to watch the debate. I noticed that the DQ P self | :07:08. | :07:18. | |
:07:18. | :07:19. | ||
Belfast -- DUP South Belfast politician had attended. Protesters | :07:19. | :07:24. | |
said they did not want Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly of the cork on this | :07:24. | :07:30. | |
issue. Let's hear some of Gerry Kelly's contribution as he spoke in | :07:30. | :07:34. | |
favour of the amendment. Sustained attacks on people within the | :07:34. | :07:44. | |
:07:44. | :07:45. | ||
community. I have to say that the Orange Order can't is associate | :07:45. | :07:49. | |
themselves from that because it was obvious that there were Orange Order | :07:49. | :07:56. | |
people involved. -- is associate. have to say that it was clearly | :07:56. | :08:01. | |
planned. People talk about whether that was or wasn't a planned but to | :08:01. | :08:08. | |
bring the type of crowd that was brought was really planned. There | :08:08. | :08:12. | |
was a notion that it was inevitable. I do not think it was inevitable. | :08:12. | :08:18. | |
Certainly once you put those there it was inevitable. There was a pipe | :08:18. | :08:28. | |
bomb attack and I absolutely condemn it. I am absolutely up for it and | :08:28. | :08:32. | |
agree with Peter Robinson that the Orange Order and the residents and | :08:32. | :08:37. | |
everybody else in our society has to be part of the future, and know what | :08:37. | :08:43. | |
is arguing against that. But it also calls for talks. I would argue that | :08:43. | :08:51. | |
it has to be based on the quality. We have to defend that as well. -- | :08:51. | :08:56. | |
based on equality. I am not up for sectarianism or racism, no matter | :08:56. | :09:03. | |
where it comes from. I am not up for holy statues appearing on bonfires. | :09:03. | :09:09. | |
I am not up for effigies of working priests, people well respected, | :09:09. | :09:14. | |
being part of that, that can be described at all as culture. There | :09:14. | :09:20. | |
is no Republican war on the culture of British national loyalism or | :09:20. | :09:25. | |
anything else. I think it is believed in a wide range of people | :09:26. | :09:34. | |
because it is handled by people who should know better in leadership. -- | :09:34. | :09:40. | |
peddled. It is a fact, as we stand here, that 95%, and we go back to | :09:40. | :09:49. | |
last December, 95% of all the regalia is in the City Hall yet we | :09:49. | :09:55. | |
are almost 50-50 in this city. We have to talk about not just British | :09:55. | :10:02. | |
and but what is Irishness? Where is the respect for Irishness? We need | :10:02. | :10:08. | |
to defend it better than we have defended it up until now. Sinn | :10:08. | :10:12. | |
Fein's Gerry Kelly. Although Mike Nesbitt was supporting the motion, | :10:12. | :10:15. | |
the Ulster Unionist Party death have strong criticism about some of the | :10:15. | :10:23. | |
11th night bonfires and we hear this comment after the STL P's North | :10:23. | :10:29. | |
Belfast MLA. It was a compromise effectively. | :10:30. | :10:35. | |
That decision was that the orange could march down the road on the | :10:35. | :10:42. | |
morning of the trial. But they were not permitted to mark up again. -- | :10:42. | :10:48. | |
the Orange could mark down the road on the 12th of July. It was a good | :10:48. | :10:52. | |
compromise to try to resolve the situation this year and it is wrong | :10:52. | :10:57. | |
as politicians to undermine the Parades Commission by that sort of | :10:57. | :11:03. | |
overt criticism by the First Minister. The people of Ardoyne have | :11:03. | :11:06. | |
suffered too much over too many years. They have suffered | :11:06. | :11:12. | |
triumphalism. They have suffered from sectarian abuse. There is a | :11:12. | :11:18. | |
whole history, a whole history of the people of Ardoyne bearing the | :11:18. | :11:24. | |
brunt of abuse. And I believe that those people deserve some | :11:24. | :11:27. | |
consideration, and they deserve liberation from the tragic history | :11:27. | :11:34. | |
of the past. Mr Speaker, I understand that last week a | :11:34. | :11:41. | |
religious icon was stolen and placed on an 11th night on fire. Can I make | :11:41. | :11:50. | |
it clear that was not done in my name? I deplore that act. In a | :11:50. | :11:54. | |
moment, Mr Humphries. I deplore that act and I want to acknowledge the | :11:54. | :11:56. | |
clear hurt that would have been caused within the Catholic | :11:56. | :12:02. | |
community. I understand that there was some sort of Hallows on a | :12:02. | :12:11. | |
bonfire. -- gallows. That has been taken as a reference to a well liked | :12:11. | :12:16. | |
and popular priest who took his own life recently. That was not done in | :12:16. | :12:19. | |
my name, and I acknowledge the deep hurt in the Catholic community over | :12:19. | :12:26. | |
that. I deplore all sectarian acts including those recently by | :12:26. | :12:29. | |
nationalists, attacks on Orange halls which there have been | :12:29. | :12:34. | |
recently, but also the burning of the Irish national flag. Those | :12:34. | :12:38. | |
comments spot a response from the DUP's William Humphrey, which in | :12:38. | :12:44. | |
turn led to some of the sharpest part of the debate. | :12:44. | :12:51. | |
I spoke to the gentleman last night who returned the icon to Father Gary | :12:51. | :12:58. | |
Donegan at Holycross Chapel. The icon was thrown into the bonfire by | :12:59. | :13:04. | |
people in the North. It is factual. I spoke to the gentleman who | :13:04. | :13:08. | |
returned it and he took it to Father Gary Donegan. That is a | :13:08. | :13:18. | |
:13:18. | :13:18. | ||
conversation. Order! Point of order. We do not enjoy in this house the | :13:19. | :13:27. | |
right to be arrogant and abusive and insulting. Nor do we enjoy... | :13:27. | :13:33. | |
Order! Nor do we enjoy the right to go against what was published on the | :13:33. | :13:39. | |
front page of the newspaper. Order! The member has got it now on the | :13:39. | :13:46. | |
record. Let's move on. But let us not abuse point of order. That is | :13:47. | :13:51. | |
exactly what I feel may be happening. Let's move on. Order! Mr | :13:51. | :13:59. | |
Kelly. Just to clear the situation, is to Humphries said it was thrown | :13:59. | :14:04. | |
on the bonfire. Could Hicks Lane how in the photographs the statue is | :14:04. | :14:12. | |
sitting upright in the plinth? -- could he explain? Let's get back to | :14:12. | :14:19. | |
the motion before us. The speaker battling to maintain | :14:19. | :14:28. | |
order. Father Gary Dunagan who was referred to in proceedings has | :14:28. | :14:32. | |
attempted to clarify how the statue came to be on the bonfire. We heard | :14:32. | :14:36. | |
what William Humphries said. phoned farther down again to see if | :14:36. | :14:39. | |
there was any truth to the possibility that Republicans or | :14:39. | :14:44. | |
people from elsewhere had thrown the statue on the fire. He said he | :14:44. | :14:48. | |
disputed what Mr Humphreys said. He said his information was that petty | :14:48. | :14:53. | |
criminals from the Republican side had stolen -- stolen a car and then | :14:53. | :14:57. | |
swap the stolen car with petty criminals from the loyalist side and | :14:57. | :15:02. | |
the statue was left in the back of a car. Presumably it was taken to the | :15:02. | :15:06. | |
bonfire by loyalists. It was stolen by republican youths who were up to | :15:06. | :15:12. | |
no good. He said that he was very relieved to get it back. He paid | :15:12. | :15:15. | |
tribute to the good Samaritan, Wallace Thompson, who returned the | :15:15. | :15:20. | |
statue. He said it had become the basis of his sermon last Sunday and | :15:20. | :15:23. | |
he was having it repaired. If they didn't find the original owner, it | :15:23. | :15:29. | |
would be placed in a garden. Once that row over the statue | :15:29. | :15:32. | |
settles, it was David Forde 's chance to speak. He made it was | :15:32. | :15:35. | |
David Forde 's chance to speak. You may it clear the Alliance party was | :15:35. | :15:38. | |
supporting the amendment because expressed support for the parades | :15:38. | :15:42. | |
commission. Over 90% of parades last Friday proceeded with no | :15:42. | :15:46. | |
determination whatsoever. The great majority of those for which way | :15:46. | :15:49. | |
determination were made did not require any significant policing | :15:49. | :15:54. | |
effort. We are talking about a tiny number of restrictions and to | :15:54. | :15:56. | |
suggest that is tantamount to restrictions on their culture is | :15:56. | :16:04. | |
utter rubbish. The example I would put to you of your beaming space, as | :16:04. | :16:07. | |
you personally walked across Craigavon Bridge, recorded by a | :16:07. | :16:11. | |
television in your lodge, the Londonderry city grand Lodge, | :16:12. | :16:15. | |
walking into parade within the walls of Derry, that's an example of what | :16:15. | :16:21. | |
a shared future actually means. It is an example of negotiation, | :16:21. | :16:24. | |
understanding, seeking to make accommodations and it has proven | :16:24. | :16:29. | |
that it can work in Derry and there is no reason why it should not work | :16:29. | :16:33. | |
in North and East Belfast as well. If only people were prepared to | :16:33. | :16:37. | |
commit themselves. There is a place in a shared future for Orange | :16:37. | :16:41. | |
culture. Just as there is a place for green culture and gay culture | :16:41. | :16:45. | |
and every other kind of culture we might want to see. | :16:45. | :16:48. | |
Two hours have been set aside for the debates are not everyone who | :16:48. | :16:53. | |
wanted to speak was able to. It's often the smaller parties to get | :16:53. | :16:59. | |
squeezed in such circumstances. The NI 21 leader Basil the great did get | :17:00. | :17:03. | |
to take part and he rose to support the amendment. When I stand up and | :17:03. | :17:08. | |
criticise, and I am criticising the Orange order, it is actually with | :17:08. | :17:12. | |
their best interests at heart. to say to them, can you not please | :17:12. | :17:17. | |
find a way to actually celebrate or culture, which you have an absolute | :17:17. | :17:20. | |
right to do, which you can demonstrate how well it was done in | :17:20. | :17:26. | |
Londonderry and another places? I'll have a speech which was given to me | :17:26. | :17:31. | |
by Drew Nelson when he spoke in Dublin. You talk about the history | :17:31. | :17:34. | |
of the culture and all the issues. These things are all to be | :17:34. | :17:38. | |
celebrated. But I have to tell you, if you are clicking the police, if | :17:38. | :17:43. | |
you are attacking the police, if you are using defamatory language, you | :17:43. | :17:46. | |
are saying the flanks protesters were right when they were wrong, if | :17:46. | :17:51. | |
you are doing all of those things, you are doing it for your own | :17:51. | :17:55. | |
selfish self-interest is not for the people of Northern Ireland. With the | :17:55. | :17:57. | |
two-hour debate concludes, it was time for the summing up. | :17:57. | :18:02. | |
Sammy Wilson did the honours for the DDP but first it was Sinn Fein 's | :18:02. | :18:07. | |
Karen McKellen on the amendment. I do accept and I think it has | :18:07. | :18:17. | |
:18:17. | :18:17. | ||
been... The fact that the parades commission are the only show in town | :18:17. | :18:21. | |
because there is no resolution with the loyal borders and some of the | :18:21. | :18:26. | |
residents groups and until there are resolutions, then the parades | :18:26. | :18:32. | |
commission will prevail. Then what happens is, when the parades | :18:33. | :18:37. | |
commission make determinations, there is happiness on one side and | :18:37. | :18:41. | |
unhappiness on another. I do understand the point that has been | :18:41. | :18:46. | |
made because I share it. I believe it determination in relation to | :18:46. | :18:50. | |
north Belfast was a compromise. I spoke to some of the residents, as | :18:50. | :18:56. | |
did my colleague and others, and they weren't happy at all. But the | :18:56. | :19:01. | |
maturity and leadership which they showed in their community, | :19:01. | :19:08. | |
particularly around the residents group, I believe was a welcome move. | :19:08. | :19:13. | |
It wasn't a popular move in the community. I can testify to that. I | :19:13. | :19:18. | |
also want to pay tribute to the Orange marshals outside St Patrick's | :19:18. | :19:26. | |
Church. Thank you. They tried their very best to do a good job. I want | :19:26. | :19:32. | |
that on the record. I think they did and despite some challenging | :19:32. | :19:35. | |
circumstances. There have been a number of issues which have been | :19:35. | :19:38. | |
raised today. The first is the issue of the parades commission. We've had | :19:38. | :19:44. | |
the usual people trotted out and trotting out their defence of the | :19:44. | :19:48. | |
commission. I've got to say they've got a very short memories. Mr Kelly | :19:48. | :19:52. | |
tells us that we should accept the parades commission. I can remember | :19:52. | :19:59. | |
it wasn't so long ago that he was supporting residency judicially | :19:59. | :20:04. | |
reviewed the decisions of the commission. I've heard Mr McGuinness | :20:04. | :20:07. | |
criticise the parades commission. We are told by the justice minister | :20:07. | :20:10. | |
that it is a legally constituted body and therefore deserves | :20:10. | :20:14. | |
support. Can you not criticise a decision of a legally constituted | :20:14. | :20:21. | |
body? People criticise his department, my department, all other | :20:21. | :20:31. | |
:20:31. | :20:36. | ||
departments. We of course now have NI 21. They cede the parades | :20:36. | :20:43. | |
commission. They see them as featuring as part of the 21st | :20:43. | :20:48. | |
century. Will God help us if we are stuck with it for the whole of the | :20:48. | :20:51. | |
21st century. Our objective is to see that the parades commission | :20:51. | :21:01. | |
:21:01. | :21:03. | ||
goes. And we hope... Even though the shelflife of NI 21 might be assured, | :21:03. | :21:07. | |
we hope that the shelflife of the parades commission would be even | :21:07. | :21:17. | |
:21:17. | :21:18. | ||
shorter and that's saying something. Now all we needed was a vote. Talk | :21:18. | :21:25. | |
us through that amendment. The amendment was defeated by three | :21:26. | :21:31. | |
votes, not surprisingly. Sinn Fein supporter dead. It also drew | :21:31. | :21:34. | |
Alliance and support. Notably, to Unionists crossed the floor to | :21:34. | :21:41. | |
support it. That's the new Unionist party, NI 21. They backed the Sinn | :21:41. | :21:45. | |
Fein motion which supported the decision of the parades commission | :21:45. | :21:48. | |
regarding Ardoyne. What about the results of the main motion itself? | :21:48. | :21:53. | |
It's a very tight vote indeed. The motion from the DP passed by just | :21:53. | :21:59. | |
one vote. Not surprisingly, it won support from the Unionist benches. | :21:59. | :22:06. | |
The Greens, Stephen Agnew, he abstained. It was tight enough for | :22:07. | :22:15. | |
the DP. Where does that leave us? It was a relatively anodyne motion. The | :22:15. | :22:19. | |
most contentious line in it was that the parades commission decision was | :22:19. | :22:24. | |
illogical. If it really had Nationalists exercised, they would | :22:24. | :22:28. | |
have tabled a petition of concern. It is a victory of sorts for | :22:28. | :22:32. | |
unionism. It would be difficult to block commission when there was a | :22:32. | :22:35. | |
lot of people lecturing the people last week about using NAT device to | :22:35. | :22:43. | |
block the motion. There was a lot more bite in all of that last week | :22:43. | :22:48. | |
than today. Last week was much more tempestuous but it was an unusual | :22:48. | :22:52. | |
debate last week. Obviously, there was an effort today to keep things | :22:52. | :22:56. | |
measured. When things get heated at Stormont, it does translate to the | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
streets. That was the assembly adjourned for the summer but the | :23:00. | :23:07. | |
debate still -- spilled out into the great Hall both Willie Frazer | :23:07. | :23:17. | |
:23:17. | :23:18. | ||
confronting John McAllister. What I see... People are against everything | :23:18. | :23:21. | |
and then they say what is your alternative? You don't have an | :23:21. | :23:31. | |
:23:31. | :23:31. | ||
alternative. Oh, yes, I do. Find a way of putting it forward. I can | :23:31. | :23:37. | |
only talk to one person at a time. It was busy in the great Hall. | :23:37. | :23:42. | |
do you make of that? William Fraser has a reputation not just as a | :23:42. | :23:47. | |
protest but also a campaigner and someone who doorsteps politicians. | :23:47. | :23:50. | |
Balance -- Basil McCrea does like the cameras. He is used to the | :23:50. | :23:55. | |
cameras. He was able to hold his own. It all ended amicably with an | :23:55. | :23:58. | |
agreement that they would have their debate in private, possibly even in | :23:58. | :24:03. | |
the great Hall at some future date. I would say that there was a lot of | :24:03. | :24:07. | |
interest in the great Hall in the drama and some suggestion that | :24:07. | :24:11. | |
William Fraser might have been arrested. He was arrested on | :24:11. | :24:16. | |
suspicion of breaching his bail conditions. | :24:16. | :24:21. | |
There was one of the major development today as the SDLP | :24:21. | :24:24. | |
revealed its new environment minister. It turned out to be a | :24:24. | :24:31. | |
wedding present for the newly married Mark Durcan. Here's the | :24:31. | :24:37. | |
party leader outlining why he chose him. I chose him because I came in | :24:37. | :24:46. | |
quite simply 18 months ago and I had a clear commitment from day one. | :24:46. | :24:55. | |
left Alex the first bite. I was moving and Mark Durcan is the face | :24:55. | :25:00. | |
of youth, the face of energy, the face of the future of the SDLP. I'm | :25:00. | :25:08. | |
very happy that he has agreed to become a minister. This is a | :25:08. | :25:13. | |
strategic decision to bolster, to move on. I have very clear | :25:13. | :25:18. | |
commitments about bringing in a new generation and creating space for a | :25:18. | :25:26. | |
new generation. This is all part of that. Alex has prepared a bit of | :25:26. | :25:29. | |
light reading for me. I've got quite a lot of catching up to do. | :25:29. | :25:36. | |
Fortunately, I will have the benefit of Alex experience. I can rely on | :25:36. | :25:44. | |
that. The new SDLP environment Minister, Alec -- marketed in. You | :25:44. | :25:52. | |
have to feel sorry for his new wife, don't you? There had been a lot of | :25:52. | :25:58. | |
speculation that the job would in fact go to Joe Byrne. What was | :25:58. | :26:03. | |
Alistair MacDonald thinking of? We did say a couple of weeks ago on the | :26:03. | :26:08. | |
sofa that Joe Byrne was the leader 's choice and he was indeed the | :26:08. | :26:11. | |
leader 's choice. But once it became in the public domain, there were | :26:11. | :26:16. | |
people in the party who felt they were better options. The leader has | :26:16. | :26:23. | |
had quite a lot of people lobbying him in recent days. Mark Durcan, I | :26:23. | :26:28. | |
heard his name last night. It was confirmed today. He ticks a lot of | :26:28. | :26:33. | |
boxers. He has youth and energy on his side. He also is from the West. | :26:33. | :26:42. | |
It's important strategically. I think that is what swung it. It was | :26:42. | :26:52. | |
:26:52. | :26:53. | ||
probably a copper mines between those who... -- a compromise. There | :26:53. | :26:57. | |
is the legislation to reform the councils. That seems to be stuck in | :26:57. | :27:02. | |
the office of the first Minister. He has planning to deal with. He said | :27:02. | :27:11. | |
he wanted to pursue the same agenda that Alex Attwood had, green issues. | :27:11. | :27:15. | |
We had the plastic bag tax. This was one big achievement that Alex | :27:15. | :27:19. | |
Attwood will be remembered for because it certainly has impacted on | :27:19. | :27:24. | |
our lives when they go shopping. I think he is hoping for a honeymoon | :27:24. | :27:31. | |
period politically. He has got the summer to read in and I think | :27:31. | :27:35. | |
because his wife used to be the SDLP press officer, she might be rather | :27:35. | :27:39. | |
understanding. The good news for him is he doesn't have to make that | :27:39. | :27:44. | |
drive now. He will have to drive to take into Stormont and he will be | :27:44. | :27:49. |