:00:30. > :00:34.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today. Coming up on the programme tonight.
:00:35. > :00:44.Passions run high as the Assembly discusses the disappeared.
:00:45. > :00:48.That was never to be. Liz McVey has passed away and every woman who was
:00:49. > :00:53.wracked with agony, sort reand grief. The speaker gives memberses a
:00:54. > :01:00.dressing down after heating words in the chamber yesterday. I just cannot
:01:01. > :01:06.allow members to get contributions to be so offensive it's unbelievable
:01:07. > :01:14.as senior position polices. I'm joined by Simon McBride to look over
:01:15. > :01:19.the day's proceedings. Flags, parades and dealing with the
:01:20. > :01:23.past. Three of the most contentious issues in Northern Ireland politics.
:01:24. > :01:27.So contentious that the former US envoy Richard Haas is here to help
:01:28. > :01:29.politicians find a solution. Today in Stormont, it was the past that
:01:30. > :01:34.was centre stage with a heated debate on the disappeared. The
:01:35. > :01:39.Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt brought to motion to the House
:01:40. > :01:44.following the BBC and RTE documentary telling the story of
:01:45. > :01:48.those abducted, murdered and buried by paramilitaries during the
:01:49. > :01:53.troubles. Of the 16 people listed as disappeared, only nine bodies have
:01:54. > :01:58.been found. In the case of Jean income Conville, that was not
:01:59. > :02:03.because of information supplied by the provisional members of the IRA.
:02:04. > :02:09.Her demaines were discovered by a member of the public. So, Mr
:02:10. > :02:13.Speaker, after nearly 15 years, only half the disappeared have been
:02:14. > :02:18.recovered because of information supplied by Republicans.
:02:19. > :02:23.Republicans who enjoyed the prif Lynn of immunity from prosecution if
:02:24. > :02:28.they engaming in the process which is independent and is international
:02:29. > :02:33.-- process of immunity. Only half the families have had the comfort of
:02:34. > :02:37.a Christian burial because Republicans engaged successfully. Mr
:02:38. > :02:41.Speaker, in terms of dealing with the past, half the truth is simply
:02:42. > :02:47.not enough. It may be helpful to remind
:02:48. > :02:52.ourselves of the state of the IRA position on this tragic matter. In
:02:53. > :02:55.April 1999, the IRA issued a statement, coinciding with the
:02:56. > :02:58.establishment of the Commission, accepting responsibilities for the
:02:59. > :03:02.deaths of a number of people kill and secretly buried. At that time,
:03:03. > :03:05.they blamed their position and the commitment to cooperation with the
:03:06. > :03:09.Independent Commission for the location of victims' remains and
:03:10. > :03:14.stated "our intention has been to do all within our power to rectify the
:03:15. > :03:18.injustice for which we accept full responsibility and to alleviate the
:03:19. > :03:22.suffering of the families. We are sorry that this has taken so long to
:03:23. > :03:28.resolve and for the prolonged anguish caused to the families". For
:03:29. > :03:32.the families of the disappeared, they are left with the fate worse
:03:33. > :03:37.than death. I suspect most, if not all of us in this House at some
:03:38. > :03:43.stage, have lost a relative, have lost a loved one, be it a mother,
:03:44. > :03:47.father, brother, sister, some even unfortunate enough even to lose a
:03:48. > :03:51.child, and we all know the trauma of that. At least for all of us in this
:03:52. > :03:57.chamber, we've had the opportunity to grieve, to go to the graveside,
:03:58. > :04:01.to be able to attend a funeral. No such privilege has been given to the
:04:02. > :04:05.families of the disappeared. That's why for them it's a fate worse than
:04:06. > :04:10.death. If you look at our politics over the
:04:11. > :04:14.last 40, 50 years, especially over the last 20, it's gone, Mr Speaker,
:04:15. > :04:21.through a number of phases. The ceasefire phase, the devolution
:04:22. > :04:26.phase, and the devolution of justice phase, the Uniteded stand against
:04:27. > :04:32.terror period. If our politics is to be defined in this time in any way,
:04:33. > :04:37.it must be that the needs of victims and survivors, including the
:04:38. > :04:42.disappeared, must have primacy that this must be their time and this
:04:43. > :04:48.must be their place. The forceable removal of people from their
:04:49. > :04:51.families, torture and burial in unknown locations, has to be among
:04:52. > :04:57.the worst human rights abuse imaginable. It's indelible evil on
:04:58. > :05:11.the history of our community. I think in particular whilst there are
:05:12. > :05:16.many stories in that programme, while people refuse to visit the
:05:17. > :05:20.area. "I have a vision of Columbus standing there looking into a hole,
:05:21. > :05:25.I've never done anything to the IRA, neither did my mum, so why are they
:05:26. > :05:29.torturing us 38 years on and they are still torturing us today. All we
:05:30. > :05:37.want is to put him in the grave beside my mum and dad", that is what
:05:38. > :05:41.one of the victims said. I will never forget Miss McVey saying to us
:05:42. > :05:47.that day "we only want his body so that we can have it interred and the
:05:48. > :05:52.family plot -- in the family plot" where his father at that stage was
:05:53. > :06:06.already buried. She said "before I die, I want him there". ".
:06:07. > :06:18.That was never to be. Miss McVey has passed away, an elderly woman, who
:06:19. > :06:25.was wracked with agony and sorrow and grief.
:06:26. > :06:34.That programme didn't play to our politics. That programme played to
:06:35. > :06:44.our humanity. It was a challenge to all to search their conscience, even
:06:45. > :06:51.those whose conscience is seered by years of justifying and supporting
:06:52. > :06:58.terrorism. In the case of some perpetrating terrorism. Appeal to
:06:59. > :07:06.whatever ounce of humanity might yet exist to do the right thing. The
:07:07. > :07:10.motion was passed with an amendment calling for anyone with information
:07:11. > :07:15.about the disappearance of Lisa Dorrian to bring it forward to the
:07:16. > :07:20.police. News editor Political Correspondent Sam McBride joins me
:07:21. > :07:24.now. A measured debate in the House today across the benches? It was. I
:07:25. > :07:28.think by the standards of what was being discussed and how some of
:07:29. > :07:31.thesish yous, which are extremely emotional, and where people feel
:07:32. > :07:35.strongly about it, have been dealt with in the past in the Assembly,
:07:36. > :07:40.this was quite restrained, I think it was a sombre point. We saw Lord
:07:41. > :07:45.Marlow there being understandably very emotional about the mother of
:07:46. > :07:50.KLM BA McVey who met Ian Paisley when he was First Minister a few
:07:51. > :07:54.years ago and of course died before her son's remains were recovered and
:07:55. > :07:58.still I believe haven't been recovered. I think that in a way was
:07:59. > :08:02.reflected no how Sinn Fein dealt with the issue. They, quite
:08:03. > :08:06.unusually, didn't force a vote. Normally when parties disagree with
:08:07. > :08:09.the motion, as Sinn Fein made very clear today, both on the airwaves
:08:10. > :08:13.and in the chamber today, they didn't agree with the motion, they
:08:14. > :08:17.thought it unfairly targeted Gerry Adams, but they didn't force a
:08:18. > :08:19.division of the House and that was something that some of the speakers
:08:20. > :08:23.in favour of the motion, Tom Elliott being one of them, really asked
:08:24. > :08:26.them, please don't do this, it would add to the distress of the families.
:08:27. > :08:35.Do you think that was part of drawing this thing or trying to draw
:08:36. > :08:39.the sting out of the debate? There wasn't the - All sides in the House
:08:40. > :08:42.were agreed that people with information about what happened to
:08:43. > :08:49.the people that were disappeared should brimming that forward to the
:08:50. > :08:52.Commission for the -- bring that forward to try to find the remains
:08:53. > :08:55.of those people. There was agreement on that point and on the point that
:08:56. > :09:00.it was absolutely wrong. Sinn Fein probably felt that with the way that
:09:01. > :09:04.public opinion has reacted to the documentary, there was very lit toll
:09:05. > :09:07.be had by forcing a vote which they were going to lose anyway and which
:09:08. > :09:11.would look poor, I suppose. Do you think, Sam, that this will put the
:09:12. > :09:14.issue to bed for a while, or is it something that's never going to be
:09:15. > :09:18.too far away from the headlines? I think at the time of the Good Friday
:09:19. > :09:23.Agreement, you can imagine people thinking these issues of the past
:09:24. > :09:26.would fade as time has gone on. Yet, week after week, they come back to
:09:27. > :09:32.the Assembly. There is no prospects of this stuff going ie way. The Haas
:09:33. > :09:36.talks might come up with some sort of solution which removes some
:09:37. > :09:41.issues from the agenda, but as long as there are bodies not discovered
:09:42. > :09:46.and as long as there's Croftry around certain incidents about the
:09:47. > :09:49.troubles or historic moments marking anniversaries for for atrocities, it
:09:50. > :09:52.will keep coming back to the chamber. For now, thank you very
:09:53. > :09:56.much. Yesterday, we brought you some of the heated exchanges during the
:09:57. > :09:59.debate on the Office of the police ombudsman. This morning, the speaker
:10:00. > :10:06.made it clear he wasn't happy with some of what was said.
:10:07. > :10:11.I was asked by members to look at Hansard, especially during the
:10:12. > :10:16.debate yesterday on the awsmts I have to say, on initial look at
:10:17. > :10:23.Hansard, it does not make good reading. We are almost half way
:10:24. > :10:27.through this term and this Assembly and I have to say, the debates in
:10:28. > :10:35.this Assembly have very much fallen very much to a point where I have to
:10:36. > :10:41.say some of the debates themselves I would ask members to question, some
:10:42. > :10:44.of the offensive language members are using in this Charles de
:10:45. > :10:55.Gaulleberg. . Certainly reading Hansard yesterday
:10:56. > :11:01.-- chamber. Reading Hansard yesterday, I refer to remarks made
:11:02. > :11:07.by Mr Alastair, Mr Elliott and Mr Keegan in the chamber yesterday.
:11:08. > :11:12.I have to say, some of their contribution fell far short of the
:11:13. > :11:18.good temper in moderation and that we should all expect in this
:11:19. > :11:26.chamber. Let me say to the three members I've been watching closely,
:11:27. > :11:32.the three members that I have named. I have to say, if I find that they
:11:33. > :11:36.have crossed a line in future, I will not call them for the
:11:37. > :11:41.contribution. In fact, I will go further. I will ask them to take
:11:42. > :11:45.their place and I will move on. Members need to realise, my job
:11:46. > :11:51.here, is to protect integrity of this Assembly and very much protect
:11:52. > :11:55.the business that goes through this Assembly House, debated in this
:11:56. > :12:01.Assembly. I just cannot allow members to get to be so offensive
:12:02. > :12:05.it's unbelievable. The speaker reflecting on some of
:12:06. > :12:10.yesterday's more colourful exchanges. The removal of members of
:12:11. > :12:13.paramilitary organisations from safety partnerships was on the
:12:14. > :12:16.agenda for the Justice Minister today at Question Time. But first,
:12:17. > :12:21.we hear a lot about dissident Republicans, but what about the term
:12:22. > :12:25.dissident unionists? There are a small number of
:12:26. > :12:28.disaffected people on both sides of the community seeking to take
:12:29. > :12:32.Northern Ireland back to the past. We have seen their reckness and
:12:33. > :12:35.willingness to endanger life. Whether that is through acts of
:12:36. > :12:39.terrorism, organised criminality or public disorder. The term dissident
:12:40. > :12:46.Republicans is well understood. I use the term dissident unionists in
:12:47. > :12:50.reply to Mr McGinness referring to those who engage in criminal
:12:51. > :12:55.behaviour and do not accept the current political arguments. Neither
:12:56. > :12:59.dissident can be allowed to thwart the process of Northern Ireland.
:13:00. > :13:04.They need to see the futility of their actions and to pursue peaceful
:13:05. > :13:11.means. Nothing should be said to encourage
:13:12. > :13:15.the dissidents. That term is insulting. I wish you would put it
:13:16. > :13:19.beyond all doubt and confirm that you do not regard those engaged in
:13:20. > :13:26.legitimate peaceful pro-South Coasts such as those on the flags issue on
:13:27. > :13:37.ongoing protests as dissident unionist and that we must be careful
:13:38. > :13:42.in our choice of words. Thank you. -- peaceful processes. Does he agree
:13:43. > :13:51.with me that those involved in loyalism who're causing disorder and
:13:52. > :13:54.mayhem are in fact dissidents? He's correctly identified the way in
:13:55. > :13:59.which I used the phrase last time, the way in which I've used it again
:14:00. > :14:03.today and I believe people need to be careful if they sit here with a
:14:04. > :14:08.democratic mandate that they do nothing to en encourage dissidents.
:14:09. > :14:16.Is it not a scandal that a well-known member of an illegal
:14:17. > :14:22.organisation now sits on the Belfast Policing Board. Is that not
:14:23. > :14:26.something which ordinary members of the public would rightly object to?
:14:27. > :14:32.The arrangements for removal are quite clear. If somebody has
:14:33. > :14:38.demonstrably failed to uphold the declaration against terrorism which
:14:39. > :14:44.they made on appointment to the PCSP or the district PCSP, that is the
:14:45. > :14:48.way the law was formulate and put through this House. If there were
:14:49. > :14:51.changeses to be made, including vetting prior to appointment, they
:14:52. > :14:55.would have to be considered by this House at a later stage. I certainly
:14:56. > :15:01.understand the concerns which have been expressed by Mr Maginnis if
:15:02. > :15:04.that is the feeling about the community -- the feeling of the
:15:05. > :15:17.community of some members. In light of recent events in
:15:18. > :15:21.Coleraine and east Belfast, can I ask the minister what discussions
:15:22. > :15:26.he's had with the Chief Constable in respect of illegal loyalist activity
:15:27. > :15:31.and the status of the UVF ceasefire? We need to be careful how we handle
:15:32. > :15:36.those issues. The specific matter of a UVF ceasefire or lack of it issues
:15:37. > :15:39.is a case in the organisation are not for the Department of Justice,
:15:40. > :15:43.but they remain with the Secretary of State. But the member and others
:15:44. > :15:48.will appreciate that when I meet the Chief Constable, I discuss a range
:15:49. > :15:52.of issues which include criminal and terrorist activity. Social
:15:53. > :15:56.Development Minister also faced Question Time and he was asked if he
:15:57. > :16:02.had misled his committee over a meeting with double glazing Fareham
:16:03. > :16:08.Turkington Windows. He was asked the question by Stuart Dixon. Given the
:16:09. > :16:11.evidence to the DST Inquiry on Thursday past with regards to a
:16:12. > :16:18.letter of 24th May 2012 to the chair, did you mislead the
:16:19. > :16:23.committee? There's a proprocess being taken
:16:24. > :16:27.forward by the committee at the moment. There were a number of
:16:28. > :16:35.submissions made last Thursday. There'll be further submissions made
:16:36. > :16:41.this Thursday. I'm due to come to the committee later on in the month
:16:42. > :16:44.of December, I think it's the 12th December, and at that point, I will
:16:45. > :16:49.in fact be giving a submission to the committee. I think it would be
:16:50. > :16:53.wrong and premature to address until I have the courtesy of giving that
:16:54. > :17:00.to the committee. It's a very simple question to the
:17:01. > :17:04.member, dishe mislead the committee. Why did you instruck a civil servant
:17:05. > :17:08.to change the content of that letter? I don't know if the member
:17:09. > :17:14.has difficulty understanding plain English, but I simply said there in
:17:15. > :17:18.response to the first point that I would make the information available
:17:19. > :17:22.to the committee on the 12th December when I go to the committee
:17:23. > :17:26.and I intend, in response to your second question, to give the answer
:17:27. > :17:30.to that in due course as well. Very simple answer will be given on the
:17:31. > :17:34.12st deaths and I would ask the member to have a bit of patience --
:17:35. > :17:40.12th December. Do you have any concerns that delays to the welfare
:17:41. > :17:44.reform Bill will place his department's ability to administer
:17:45. > :17:52.and provide benefits to the most vulnerable at risk? The member makes
:17:53. > :17:57.a very important point here. One that has been largely overlooked in
:17:58. > :18:02.general comment and in particular in the media. Because when we talk
:18:03. > :18:07.about welfare reform and delays, we tend to think in terms of the recent
:18:08. > :18:12.visit by Mike Pinning and the point he made by way of financial
:18:13. > :18:16.penalties that would impact on the Northern Ireland block grant.
:18:17. > :18:21.There's more to it than that. Potentially, it can also impact on
:18:22. > :18:24.the viability of the jobs we have in Northern Ireland providing services
:18:25. > :18:30.to the rest of the United Kingdom in the delivery of welfare. There's
:18:31. > :18:34.also this point that's been made there, that, as regards this - I'm
:18:35. > :18:38.really concerned that delays to welfare Bill are already resulting
:18:39. > :18:44.in operational difficulties - due to the need to put in place clerical
:18:45. > :18:48.work around as the two benefit systems begin to diverge. There are
:18:49. > :18:52.practical difficulties as well, putting at risk the social security
:18:53. > :18:55.agency's ability to administer and provide benefits. The agency is
:18:56. > :19:00.already incurring additional costs. At the moment, modest, but they'll
:19:01. > :19:06.quickly rack up. So it's important, not just for the penalty issue to be
:19:07. > :19:10.kept in mind. That's a hugely important one, as the DWP minister
:19:11. > :19:14.pointed out, but there's also the practical difficulties that are
:19:15. > :19:18.detrimental to claimants in Northern Ireland.
:19:19. > :19:22.We are totally dependent in Northern Ireland on the IT system throughout
:19:23. > :19:27.the rest of the United Kingdom. There's no possibility of Northern
:19:28. > :19:33.Ireland going it alone and devising its own IT system for welfare
:19:34. > :19:40.payments. It would be totally impossible. The cost would be
:19:41. > :19:43.astronomical. It would be simply totally destructive to the Northern
:19:44. > :19:47.Ireland block grant in terms of the cost of it. How we could do it, I
:19:48. > :19:54.could not imagine. Social and development minister Nelson McCause
:19:55. > :19:58.land. The Assembly has backed cross party motion, calling for
:19:59. > :20:02.streamlining. It's said a better structure would improve economic
:20:03. > :20:07.growth, competitiveness and social well-being. Sandra spoke in the
:20:08. > :20:10.debate and she's with me now. Are you saying individual departments
:20:11. > :20:14.aren't pulling their weight, because you said some parties treat their
:20:15. > :20:22.departments as thief Domes? Yes, well, fit for purpose and strong
:20:23. > :20:25.infrastructure is key for economic matters in Northern Ireland. It's
:20:26. > :20:29.important this matteder is addressed. It's an important issue
:20:30. > :20:33.and we are doth calling on all ministers to make sure that all
:20:34. > :20:38.infrastructure projects are progressed as speedily as possible
:20:39. > :20:46.and the construction industry who we met last week, many of us, they tell
:20:47. > :20:53.us how they've suffered since 2007. We have a glimmer of hope on the
:20:54. > :20:57.horizon here and it's important that we have as many projects coming
:20:58. > :21:00.forward now as possible. At the same time, the executive can't single
:21:01. > :21:04.handedly keep the construction industry afloat in Northern Ireland?
:21:05. > :21:10.Absolutely. I mean, you will go to airports and you will see members of
:21:11. > :21:14.the construction industry heading to GB and they have been doing for
:21:15. > :21:18.quite some time. The construction industry's been working in Northern
:21:19. > :21:22.Ireland and working across in they are parts of the UK and the world to
:21:23. > :21:28.keep them going. Singled out the education department
:21:29. > :21:32.today, John O'Dowd, you said to him, the schools building process aren't
:21:33. > :21:37.acceptable. Why that department specifically? Just because I was at
:21:38. > :21:41.a meeting last week with members of the construction and employers
:21:42. > :21:45.federation and it was raised at that meeting that minister O'Dowd had
:21:46. > :21:48.announced a plan of school buildings, but they haven't reached
:21:49. > :21:52.procurement, never mind build yet. It was an issue brought to me at
:21:53. > :22:00.that meeting. That's why I raised it today. You said construction
:22:01. > :22:04.industry needs the capital projects, but if your party rode in behind it,
:22:05. > :22:08.there would have been so many projects? There are so many projects
:22:09. > :22:14.that need to happen in Northern Ireland. That was a big one though?
:22:15. > :22:17.It was a big one, yes, but what the Ulster Unionist Party want to do is
:22:18. > :22:25.what is right for Northern Ireland and, you know, we'll find other
:22:26. > :22:27.projects and we'll do what we can to find other projects, to find
:22:28. > :22:30.projects for the construction industry.
:22:31. > :22:34.Can I just ask you one final question on a subject that we have
:22:35. > :22:41.already dealt with on the programme, the debate on the disappeared. Are
:22:42. > :22:47.you satisfied with the way in which Sinn Fein handled it and didn't
:22:48. > :22:53.force a vote? It was a very sombre debate this afternoon. I was pleased
:22:54. > :22:58.that we had almost unanimous support for that. It's very important that
:22:59. > :23:04.the Assembly shows their support for the families of the disappeared and
:23:05. > :23:10.we managed to do that today so I was pleased with the response. Thank you
:23:11. > :23:12.very much. There was a third Question Time
:23:13. > :23:15.today featuring the Assembly Commission. It has the task of
:23:16. > :23:19.ensuring the Assembly's provided with the property, staff and
:23:20. > :23:23.services required for to it carry out its work. Committee members
:23:24. > :23:29.fielded questions from the floor. There has been a concerning trend of
:23:30. > :23:34.reducing participation in elections over the past decade. Would the
:23:35. > :23:42.member assure me that the commission will continue to support and expand,
:23:43. > :23:46.rather than potentially reduce, the educational outreach service and,
:23:47. > :23:53.can she update me when it plans next to engage with my constituency?
:23:54. > :23:56.First of all, the member can be absolutely assured that I'll have
:23:57. > :23:59.and will continue to fight very hard to ensure that there are no
:24:00. > :24:05.reductions and indeed that we increase the work that the Assembly
:24:06. > :24:10.education staff are doing and that the programme does. In retlietion
:24:11. > :24:14.your own constituency, the Assembly team work with every constituency,
:24:15. > :24:18.if events are planned, we'd be happy to hear them, please feel free to
:24:19. > :24:22.contact myself or any member of the Commission in relation to that.
:24:23. > :24:27.Could I ask one of the Commissioners if the Commission's given any
:24:28. > :24:30.consideration to having a stocktaking exercise in relation to
:24:31. > :24:33.our lifts within this building? There's one of them I think has been
:24:34. > :24:39.out of Commission for at least a year. I see another one out of
:24:40. > :24:47.commission at the moment. Are our lifts fit for purpose?
:24:48. > :24:54.I thank Lord Morrowfr for his supplimentary. I was in the lift
:24:55. > :25:00.this morning and I pushed the buttons and the door opened and told
:25:01. > :25:05.me I had arrived, then they closed again. It was comical, like a
:25:06. > :25:11.cartoon sketch. I reported that as a fault. Obviously, the lifts with
:25:12. > :25:17.quite old, but the technology is not rocket science and I am advised that
:25:18. > :25:22.major work is being done to the lifts. A Commission placed in the
:25:23. > :25:27.House, in this long-going issue, placed the House on sale for the
:25:28. > :25:30.open market in January 2012. There's been a considerable level of
:25:31. > :25:34.interest in the property for development opportunities, there
:25:35. > :25:38.have been very few substantive bids made for Ormiston House and the
:25:39. > :25:43.committee is not in a position to agree a sale. The Commission has one
:25:44. > :25:48.bid for the property but that bid was at less than the asking price.
:25:49. > :25:53.The DUP member of the Assembly Commission there. The final Business
:25:54. > :26:00.Today, remember the passing of one of east Belfast's most famous sons.
:26:01. > :26:05.22nd N 1963, 50 years ago this Friday, the world was stunned to
:26:06. > :26:12.learn of the death of President John F Kennedy who was assassinated on
:26:13. > :26:18.the same day that he tragically lost his life in Dallas Texas, drive
:26:19. > :26:24.Staples Lewis died one week before his 65th birthday. Harper Collins
:26:25. > :26:28.boasts that his Chronicles of Narnia books alone have sold over 100
:26:29. > :26:32.million copies. We should be looking, not just at how we can
:26:33. > :26:38.commemorate him, but at how we can, sadly in a commercial way, make more
:26:39. > :26:44.of our great writers. We have Brian free, Brian Moore, Louis McNiece,
:26:45. > :26:49.Seamus hurricany and Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. The creative
:26:50. > :26:52.writings of CS Lewis has inspired imagination, a love of reading and
:26:53. > :26:57.story-telling amongst children all over the world. The Alliance Party's
:26:58. > :27:03.Chris Little. A few final thoughts now from Sam McBride. We touched on
:27:04. > :27:08.it earlier the Haas talks, the expectations, perhaps the lack of
:27:09. > :27:12.expectation. Do you think we'll see progress this side of Christmas?
:27:13. > :27:19.I've no idea to be honest and I don't think anybody else has, if
:27:20. > :27:22.they are honest, but yesterday Richard Haas alluded to his
:27:23. > :27:25.displeasure that Sinn Fein published their submission. We saw the
:27:26. > :27:31.submission of the retired police officers. It makes it harder to have
:27:32. > :27:34.negotiations. What is your explanation for why Sinn Fein did
:27:35. > :27:39.what they did. Have you been able to work it out? I really don't know.
:27:40. > :27:44.It's possibly trying to up the anti a bit and make sure that people know
:27:45. > :27:48.that something is going on behind-the-scenes. But we now know
:27:49. > :27:52.what their opening bargaining position is, which is very unusual?
:27:53. > :27:59.Some of their proposals are novel, such as having a single flag post in
:28:00. > :28:02.certain areas, things like that. Maybe they are hoping that by
:28:03. > :28:05.putting out their initial submission, it will make it easier
:28:06. > :28:10.for the unionists to say they didn't get everything they wanted but I'm
:28:11. > :28:13.not sure. Haas said the past is really difficult an issue and we
:28:14. > :28:16.have touched on the that already. A lot of people saying it may be the
:28:17. > :28:23.most difficult issue but cannot be brushed under the carpet? And the
:28:24. > :28:26.SDLP and the Ulster Unionists are talking about that. It's the most
:28:27. > :28:30.difficult issue but underpins a lot of the problems that come up in
:28:31. > :28:35.terms of parades and flags. A quick final thought. No legislative
:28:36. > :28:40.discussion again today? Yet again, there's been none. This was being
:28:41. > :28:44.talked about at the weekend, a legislature with no legislation.
:28:45. > :28:48.Westminster had an opposition day and they brought pieces of
:28:49. > :28:51.legislation. It's getting routine that there's little of substance
:28:52. > :28:56.being debated here. Thank you very much. That is it for tonight. Join
:28:57. > :29:00.me for The View on Thursday. Bye-bye.