:00:25. > :00:27.Hello and welcome to Stormont Today on what was the penultimate day
:00:28. > :00:29.of debate in the Assembly chamber in this shorter than
:00:30. > :00:33.Last week, one MLA suggested the clock was counting
:00:34. > :00:35.down with a whimper, but today there was still plenty
:00:36. > :00:39.of important business to be discussed on the hill.
:00:40. > :00:42.Sinn Fein unveiled its new Stormont leader and in the chamber MLAs spent
:00:43. > :00:44.more than six hours discussing the Renewable Heat
:00:45. > :00:47.So, coming up on tonight's programme...
:00:48. > :00:55.She's just into the top job and weeks from an election,
:00:56. > :00:58.but Michelle O'Neill is already sure how she wants to move forward.
:00:59. > :01:00.Accusations after the RHI scandal rumble on during another marathon
:01:01. > :01:07.Agreements must be honoured. Partnership government must mean
:01:08. > :01:08.exactly that. Accusations after the RHI scandal
:01:09. > :01:19.rumble on during another marathon I am suspended from the party for
:01:20. > :01:24.telling the truth about people in the front bench and those behind
:01:25. > :01:25.them are guilty of far more serious inappropriate relationships and
:01:26. > :01:26.behaviour than I am. And joining me with his thoughts
:01:27. > :01:29.on another busy day in the Assembly is our Political Correspondent,
:01:30. > :01:37.Enda McClafferty. Everyone knew it would
:01:38. > :01:40.be announced today - but no-one could be absolutely sure
:01:41. > :01:43.who it would be. Sinn Fein named Martin McGuinness's
:01:44. > :01:50.successor as party leader north of the border and,
:01:51. > :01:53.as the bookies had been suggesting in recent days,
:01:54. > :01:55.it was indeed Michelle O'Neill Here's what she had to say to party
:01:56. > :01:59.activists and the media just after lunchtime,
:02:00. > :02:10.and just to warn you there is some For me to be selected to lead our
:02:11. > :02:15.party in the North is truly the biggest honour and privilege of my
:02:16. > :02:19.life. I feel an enormous responsibility on my shoulders and
:02:20. > :02:24.while I do not are never underestimate my task given the
:02:25. > :02:27.changing political work locally, nationally and internationally, I
:02:28. > :02:31.will not let you down. These are challenging times and we have set
:02:32. > :02:35.ourselves a big objectives, but Republicans have never been afraid
:02:36. > :02:41.of a challenge. I have never been afraid of challenge and I have never
:02:42. > :02:45.been afraid to act. As Sinn Fein Minister for agriculture and rural
:02:46. > :02:49.development I decentralised an entire government department, Lock,
:02:50. > :02:53.stock and barrel. When the system told me it could not be done. As
:02:54. > :02:57.Minister for health I ended the DUP's discrimination against gay men
:02:58. > :03:02.donating blood and I did it because it was the right thing to do. Over
:03:03. > :03:06.the course of the last number of weeks, one others have shouted from
:03:07. > :03:10.the sidelines, it was Sinn Fein who stood up and confronted corruption.
:03:11. > :03:16.It was Sinn Fein who called a halt to the arrogance and intolerance. In
:03:17. > :03:21.the aftermath of the election, there can and there will be no return to
:03:22. > :03:25.the status quo. What does that mean? It means Sinn Fein are only
:03:26. > :03:29.interested in participating in a power-sharing institutions if they
:03:30. > :03:32.deliver for all of our citizens and if they operate on the basis of
:03:33. > :03:40.equality and respect. Agreements must be honoured. Commitments must
:03:41. > :03:44.be delivered. Partnership government must mean exactly that. It means
:03:45. > :03:48.that regardless of where you come from, what language you speak, what
:03:49. > :03:49.your sexuality is, what gender you are, that you are treated with
:03:50. > :03:50.respect. Michelle O'Neil according
:03:51. > :03:53.to Martin McGuinness has been Unlike him she does not have an IRA
:03:54. > :04:10.past, but did we learn anything It was interesting but Martin
:04:11. > :04:15.McGuinness took some time to set out Republican pedigree before regard to
:04:16. > :04:18.the point when he talked about her role in leadership. He talked about
:04:19. > :04:22.her father, he was a Republican prisoner. He was a councillor in
:04:23. > :04:28.Dungannon. We know her uncle is involved in the movement which
:04:29. > :04:32.fundraisers for Sinn Fein. We also knows that a cousin of hers was an
:04:33. > :04:36.IRA man shot dead by the SS. She takes a lot of the boxes when it
:04:37. > :04:38.comes to grassroot Republicans and what they would like to see in terms
:04:39. > :04:40.of her past and family. There are big challenges piling up
:04:41. > :04:53.in Michelle O'Neill's in-tray. There will be a short honeymoon
:04:54. > :04:56.period because she has this election to fight and she knows she will be
:04:57. > :05:00.in charge of a much smaller party at Stormont because of the fact that
:05:01. > :05:05.you can analyse will not be returning after George II. She knows
:05:06. > :05:08.the group would be smaller, but she also knows that the party faces a
:05:09. > :05:13.big challenge from people before profit in west Belfast and in foil.
:05:14. > :05:16.She knows in foil the party will be facing a bit of a dogfight for the
:05:17. > :05:21.last seat because we know Eamon McCann pulled well last time and we
:05:22. > :05:25.know Martin McGuinness is not on the ballot paper and that could have a
:05:26. > :05:29.big bearing on the outcome of the election and it could come down to
:05:30. > :05:32.the last seat between Sinn Fein and people before profit. There are
:05:33. > :05:33.areas like that when the chalets will face a big fight.
:05:34. > :05:36.We know the DUP in the last election used the prospect
:05:37. > :05:38.of Martin McGuinness becoming First Minister to mobilise
:05:39. > :05:40.its voters, what happens with that this time around,
:05:41. > :05:48.now that there's a new leader in charge?
:05:49. > :05:54.The so-called bogeyman is gone for the DUP because last time they built
:05:55. > :05:57.their campaign around Martin McGuinness as being the big threat
:05:58. > :06:00.to them in terms of becoming First Minister. This time round I would
:06:01. > :06:04.imagine the tactic would be different because it is Michelle
:06:05. > :06:07.O'Neill they are taking on. You can hear the language already talking
:06:08. > :06:11.about taking on the Republican agenda. It is not about
:06:12. > :06:15.personalities, it is about the republican movement as a whole in
:06:16. > :06:17.terms of what they want at Stormont around the Irish lumberjack and
:06:18. > :06:21.other bills they are proposing to take forward to which unionists
:06:22. > :06:27.would have difficulty with. That will beat the strategy employed by
:06:28. > :06:31.the DUP. Here in Northern Ireland, three of the main parties are led by
:06:32. > :06:40.women. We have Michelle O'Neill, Arlene Foster and Naomi Long. Very
:06:41. > :06:44.clear in here. Mary Lou McDonald was here as well. You could see that
:06:45. > :06:50.this felt like a changing of the guard within Sinn Fein. Gerry Adams
:06:51. > :06:55.is likely to handover party Mary Lou McDonald at some stage. Martin
:06:56. > :06:58.McGuinness has done that with Michelle O'Neill. We could see the
:06:59. > :07:00.three big party figures on the island of Ireland in the not too
:07:01. > :07:12.distant future. It is significant. MLAs spent most of today debating
:07:13. > :07:14.the plan by the economy minister to cut ?490 million loss to the public
:07:15. > :07:15.purse of the renewable heating scheme.
:07:16. > :07:19.The debate started in the chamber a week ago, but was halted to give
:07:20. > :07:29.The design process by officials and consultants field. The business case
:07:30. > :07:33.scrutiny process did not identify the problems. All of the evidence
:07:34. > :07:36.given to the committee did not inform the recommendation. Remember,
:07:37. > :07:42.the committee recommended the design of this. This house, all of the
:07:43. > :07:51.parties across this house supported the original, flawed, scheme. The
:07:52. > :07:54.member might recall that party colleague, William McCrea, used to
:07:55. > :08:02.sing a little song called excuses, excuses. Does that not some up
:08:03. > :08:06.exactly her speech and that of Mr done this morning? Trying to spread
:08:07. > :08:14.the blame to everyone else and running away from the reality. It
:08:15. > :08:20.was Arlene Foster and Arlene Foster alone who was the minister and alone
:08:21. > :08:25.signed of this scheme without the cost controls. No matter who else
:08:26. > :08:31.you might try to smear, that is the irreducible reality. Thank you for
:08:32. > :08:35.your comment in relation to this. I had hoped you would have listened to
:08:36. > :08:42.what I have said and what I said was this, this is not, all of the
:08:43. > :08:46.evidence, I do think this has to go above and beyond party politics. We
:08:47. > :08:50.have got to step back and look objectively at the evidence before
:08:51. > :08:54.us. At the evidence in front of the DAC. The evidence we have all heard.
:08:55. > :08:59.This was not the feeling of a single individual. Indeed, I listened to
:09:00. > :09:02.the permanent Secretary, Doctor Andrew McCormick, he was at
:09:03. > :09:09.committee earlier today and effectively what he was saying was
:09:10. > :09:14.what we have here is the best available. Very different from good,
:09:15. > :09:20.very different from sound, solid, as good as it gets. Just, within the
:09:21. > :09:26.context, this is the best available. I think that is a fair assessment. I
:09:27. > :09:30.would also say Doctor McCormick has done more than anybody I have heard
:09:31. > :09:34.over the last number of weeks to try to maintain the integrity of these
:09:35. > :09:41.devolved institutions and I thank him for that. Today, the committee
:09:42. > :09:44.had the opportunity to shift their position from them did the
:09:45. > :09:50.regulations to prevent the regulations. They did not. The
:09:51. > :09:54.minister did not turn up. The member needs to be unaware that her party
:09:55. > :10:00.did vote against the proposal to close the scheme last February. That
:10:01. > :10:04.is a fact. You can say you like, you voted against that, as did the
:10:05. > :10:07.Ulster Unionist party, the closure of the scheme, despite repeated
:10:08. > :10:11.warnings about the cost that was going to be accrued and lost to the
:10:12. > :10:15.public purse. Your party voted against closing the scheme. The
:10:16. > :10:20.simple fact. I know you want at the time, so it is not your fault. Your
:10:21. > :10:24.party as a party and other members who are still here and you were here
:10:25. > :10:31.last year did vote to oppose the scheme. On that date, when the SDLP
:10:32. > :10:37.presented themselves here, they, like other members in this house,
:10:38. > :10:42.were very mindful that the quick execution and the early closure of
:10:43. > :10:50.that scheme was placing legitimate businesses and legitimate access to
:10:51. > :10:54.the scheme, that was putting them at risk, because there were people who
:10:55. > :10:59.had signed up to a very good, worthwhile scheme at that stage. I
:11:00. > :11:05.will finish my point. A very good, worthwhile scheme at that time.
:11:06. > :11:09.Those businesses were in the process of realising orders coming into
:11:10. > :11:15.their businesses. They were in the process of installing these boilers
:11:16. > :11:20.and, again, I repeat, with the measures in place that should have
:11:21. > :11:27.been there from the outset. So, your little red Herring has just died.
:11:28. > :11:30.For the avoidance of any doubt that people would say to me that he did
:11:31. > :11:36.not speak until very late, I have a letter to the First Minister. A
:11:37. > :11:45.letter to Arlene Foster dated 23rd of March 20 16. Three pages of a
:11:46. > :11:49.four, I give her my permission to put into the Assembly library and
:11:50. > :11:54.make public. The first paragraph of that, after the introduction, was in
:11:55. > :12:01.the renewable heat initiative. The first paragraph refers to the fact
:12:02. > :12:06.that the special advisers advised me to keep the scheme open. All of the
:12:07. > :12:12.difficulties in the 23rd of March 2016, given to Arlene Foster. It
:12:13. > :12:16.surprises me when you see the contents of this letter that I am
:12:17. > :12:21.suspended from the party for telling the truth while people on the front
:12:22. > :12:23.bench and those behind them are guilty of far more serious,
:12:24. > :12:31.inappropriate relationships and behaviour than I am. Far more
:12:32. > :12:37.serious. We have a prize in one hand of some reduction in the public
:12:38. > :12:44.spend, but we have the risk on the other hand of litigation, of
:12:45. > :12:52.judicial review and a further waste of public money on expensive legal
:12:53. > :12:55.challenges. With publication of the Auditor General report ought last
:12:56. > :12:58.October with the publication of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report, they
:12:59. > :13:03.could have brought forward the food plan the public deserves. Could he
:13:04. > :13:07.explain why he, as committee chairman, has been absent from the
:13:08. > :13:11.committee for the economy and by his two party colleagues have not
:13:12. > :13:15.bothered to turn up? If his only issue with Sinn Fein is our
:13:16. > :13:19.attendance at committee meetings when we recognised the full scale of
:13:20. > :13:23.the impact in terms of these institutions, in terms of public
:13:24. > :13:28.finance, in terms of public confidence that this scheme has
:13:29. > :13:31.brought to this Assembly then the member is living in cloud cuckoo
:13:32. > :13:35.land. This has been a disastrous scheme from start to finish. The
:13:36. > :13:39.Handling has been disastrous, they provoked -- B proposal is not the
:13:40. > :13:41.proposition outlined by the First Minister a couple of weeks ago. This
:13:42. > :13:51.is a sticking plaster The real scandal here is that while
:13:52. > :13:57.we have people unable to heat their homes and struggling to feed their
:13:58. > :14:02.family, we have Barnes being raided by the police, empty Barnes, Mr
:14:03. > :14:13.Speaker, with steam rising off them in the snow. I want that to stop. We
:14:14. > :14:17.will not block these proposals today, despite our serious
:14:18. > :14:22.reservations, and I hope that these proposals are a success, not for the
:14:23. > :14:27.Minister and not for his party, but for the sake of the public who
:14:28. > :14:34.ultimately are paying the price for this debacle, though they carry none
:14:35. > :14:38.of the responsibility for it. I, am I department, have cooperated fully
:14:39. > :14:42.with the Department of Finance and asked -- answered all questions and
:14:43. > :14:50.queries and provided all requested information and yet no approval has
:14:51. > :14:54.been forthcoming. The business case process is there to assess value for
:14:55. > :14:59.money and also regularity and I understand that there have been no
:15:00. > :15:03.issues raised in respect of either. I know the Finance minister is just
:15:04. > :15:09.coming into the house and I would be happy to give way to him if he was
:15:10. > :15:13.to offer approval for the scheme. The areas of concern remain state
:15:14. > :15:19.aid approval and the fact that we do not have state aid approval. I know
:15:20. > :15:23.that the commission has been contacted. I do have some concerns
:15:24. > :15:32.in that regard. The scheme can't kick off on April one without the
:15:33. > :15:37.stated approval. Also, as the Minister knows, major concerns
:15:38. > :15:40.around the inspection regime, and I'm sure the Minister will accept
:15:41. > :15:47.and it will be in his narrative later that without rigorous, robust,
:15:48. > :15:52.100% inspections, this interim solution will fall. I don't have a
:15:53. > :15:56.business plan for the inspections regime, I do think it is like a
:15:57. > :16:02.horse and carriage, both go together. The Minister knows that
:16:03. > :16:07.state aid approval cannot be sought, and will not be given unless there
:16:08. > :16:12.is both public finance approval and approval of this house. I am
:16:13. > :16:18.reluctant to say it is a chicken and egg type situation given the issue
:16:19. > :16:21.we are debating, but it is. The inspection regime minister is also
:16:22. > :16:26.well aware of our intentions in respect of taking forward a tender
:16:27. > :16:29.for 100% site inspection, and I will give him the commitment to continue
:16:30. > :16:38.to work with his officials, as long as they response to that in good
:16:39. > :16:40.faith and does keep this issue politics three, which is
:16:41. > :16:41.unfortunately not a conclusion at this stage.
:16:42. > :16:43.And that motion eventually passed on an oral vote.
:16:44. > :16:45.There was just one question time today, education.
:16:46. > :16:48.Questions were supposed to be asked of the Executive Office,
:16:49. > :16:51.but despite Michelle O'Neill getting the new top job in Sinn Fein,
:16:52. > :16:53.neither the First nor Deputy First Minister's positions
:16:54. > :17:02.So, Peter Weir was the lone Minister facing the Assembly.
:17:03. > :17:11.I am disappointed that the NUS UWT are engaged in ongoing industrial
:17:12. > :17:14.action. A recognised negotiating forum for teachers terms and
:17:15. > :17:19.conditions as the teachers negotiating Council that the
:17:20. > :17:21.department represents. It is made up of representatives from the Northern
:17:22. > :17:30.Ireland teaching Council, comprising the five teaching unions and the
:17:31. > :17:34.management size which comprises representatives from education
:17:35. > :17:37.authority, C CMS, sectoral interests and the Department. Management side
:17:38. > :17:45.meets regularly with the teaching Council as part of its work on TMC
:17:46. > :17:49.and it is committed to moving forward in a constructive fashion.
:17:50. > :17:54.Can you outline any actions you are taken to ensure teachers will be
:17:55. > :17:57.adequately played -- paid and work on the conditions and appropriate
:17:58. > :18:03.support to deliver education for our children and young people. Number of
:18:04. > :18:06.things in relation to that. In terms of workload there is a key issue
:18:07. > :18:11.that has been raised by a lot of teachers with May and whenever we
:18:12. > :18:17.have sought anything from schools and collated responses in terms of
:18:18. > :18:19.not simply where there could be additional responsibility or
:18:20. > :18:28.opportunity, but a greater level of flexibility for schools. Why it was
:18:29. > :18:32.sore, not simply that, but also in terms of suggestions of easing
:18:33. > :18:35.burdens. It is a tight financial situation and looking well began
:18:36. > :18:42.these burdens on schools and teachers is important as well. I am
:18:43. > :18:46.also a bit disappointed for those unions that have taken the view of
:18:47. > :18:50.non-spike action -- strike action that there is an impact in terms of
:18:51. > :18:54.non-cooperation around the Inspectorate that can impact on
:18:55. > :18:57.pupils learning. As regards the broader financial situation I think
:18:58. > :19:02.it is important that there is a focus of where we move from 2017
:19:03. > :19:06.because it isn't a big pot of money sitting somewhere that is ready to
:19:07. > :19:10.be paid to make up for what has happened to date. With the Minister
:19:11. > :19:21.agree that the potential for a resolution to teachers Bay has been
:19:22. > :19:23.compromised due to the shenanigans in this assembly? Is the Minister
:19:24. > :19:26.confident a resolution with some post-election when he abandoned his
:19:27. > :19:29.post? I am not sure that abandoning is quite the right word on that side
:19:30. > :19:35.of things, although clearly we have had in terms of issues around the
:19:36. > :19:38.broader perspective, the fact that the executive has been collapsed by
:19:39. > :19:43.one party and in particular it has been done ahead of any budget
:19:44. > :19:47.settlement is not helpful to the overall situation. I think the
:19:48. > :19:50.opportunity for a greater level of resolution and a greater level of
:19:51. > :19:54.result the Matiz that people look forward to 2017 and is not realistic
:19:55. > :19:59.that there is a pot of money out there to cover the situation between
:20:00. > :20:03.2015 and now, or to backdate that. It is the case that it is not just a
:20:04. > :20:07.question of finding a one-off pot. If you make changes to the pay and
:20:08. > :20:10.conditions it is actually having a long-term impact in terms of school
:20:11. > :20:14.budgets and it places a level of pressure on the baselines within
:20:15. > :20:18.that so that must be borne in mind. I think the opportunities for that
:20:19. > :20:25.will be potentially looking forward to 2017. The reality is wait it is
:20:26. > :20:30.myself or someone else impose the issues remain the same. I think
:20:31. > :20:34.simply a belief that if there is a change of personality is that it
:20:35. > :20:38.will suddenly make resolution very easy, I don't think, I think that in
:20:39. > :20:41.many ways misunderstands the nature of the problem.
:20:42. > :20:43.Peter Weir on the continuing stand-off on teachers' pay.
:20:44. > :20:45.The day's business opened with a Matter of the Day
:20:46. > :20:49.about the gun attack on a police officer in North Belfast last night.
:20:50. > :20:52.The officer was shot at least twice in the arm while in a car
:20:53. > :20:57.MLAs united in their condemnation of the shooting.
:20:58. > :21:04.It could easily have been talking about death here today, and a family
:21:05. > :21:12.suffering that death, instead of hopefully the recovery that we are
:21:13. > :21:15.going to see. It could also have been in the open court of the
:21:16. > :21:22.Garrard, other people killed or maimed in that. Let me condemn it
:21:23. > :21:26.absolutely and let me also say as a representative for the area and all
:21:27. > :21:30.the other representatives of that area will be in one voice that
:21:31. > :21:34.people that vote for us, and I mean that right across the board, are
:21:35. > :21:37.absolutely opposed to the people who are involved in this. There are many
:21:38. > :21:42.issues that divide us in this house but it is clear today that there is
:21:43. > :21:46.an issue that unites us, and that is our unreserved condemnation of what
:21:47. > :21:51.took place last night. The truth this violence has no place in our
:21:52. > :21:55.society. All it serves to do is to create heartache, pain and
:21:56. > :22:00.suffering, and as each and every one of us in this house knows, there are
:22:01. > :22:06.far too many families in our constituencies who endure that pain
:22:07. > :22:11.and suffering on a daily basis. This was not an attack on an individual
:22:12. > :22:15.police officer or an attack on the PSNI, this was an attack on our
:22:16. > :22:19.entire community. It says all that we need to know about the kind of
:22:20. > :22:23.people who were involved, that they would attempt to kill a person who
:22:24. > :22:27.was serving their community and do so with such reckless disregard for
:22:28. > :22:31.the community in which they serve. These people are nothing but
:22:32. > :22:35.despicable cowards. They have nothing to offer the people of
:22:36. > :22:40.Northern Ireland. Mr Speaker, I have no doubt that this attack was
:22:41. > :22:43.intended to kill. Thankfully the officer is in a stable condition but
:22:44. > :22:47.we could have been hearing the loss of life this morning. This is not
:22:48. > :22:52.just an attack on our police service, it is an attack on the
:22:53. > :22:57.community, an attack on our country. It was reckless, multiple automatic
:22:58. > :23:01.rounds fired into a public safe -- space and I am disgusted. This is
:23:02. > :23:04.the first shooting of a police officer that eight years in Northern
:23:05. > :23:10.Ireland, clearly an attempt by evil people to kill police and also the
:23:11. > :23:13.general public. Totally random and indiscriminate, as others have said,
:23:14. > :23:24.gunfire into a forecourt of a Garrard Jinnah built-up area -- a
:23:25. > :23:31.forecourt of a garaged. There were 12 members of the general public and
:23:32. > :23:34.the police there at the time. This is my last opportunity to speak to
:23:35. > :23:40.this assembly. Some of you may be glad to know that I am retiring from
:23:41. > :23:44.politics, but I hope that in the next assembly no politician has to
:23:45. > :23:49.stand up and condemn a murderous attack on a police officer. Anyone
:23:50. > :23:55.who is prepared to wear the uniform should get the support of this
:23:56. > :24:00.assembly. I pledge my support to the Police Service of Northern Ireland,
:24:01. > :24:01.incorporating the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and I hope that
:24:02. > :24:02.everyone else does. Ross Hussey, who said he'll not be
:24:03. > :24:05.standing for re-election. We return now to the Sinn Fein news
:24:06. > :24:09.conference and before handing over the reins of power Martin McGuinness
:24:10. > :24:12.gave a little more insight into why he was stepping down and thanked
:24:13. > :24:15.Ian Paisley for comments he made on last week's edition of The View,
:24:16. > :24:18.and again there were plenty of cameras flashing
:24:19. > :24:28.as Mr McGuinness spoke. I had made a decision well in
:24:29. > :24:37.advance of the particular circumstances that affect me at the
:24:38. > :24:40.moment, that come May eight of this year, that would've been the tenth
:24:41. > :24:45.anniversary of going into government with Ian Paisley, that that was the
:24:46. > :24:54.right time for me to stand aside, so that a decision that I would have
:24:55. > :24:59.stood by. Circumstances have intervened, the calling of the
:25:00. > :25:02.election, the scandals that have existed, and of course we find
:25:03. > :25:10.ourselves in a situation where it is physically impossible for me to
:25:11. > :25:16.continue until May the 8th and I regret that very much because I have
:25:17. > :25:24.very fond memories of working with Ian Paisley for that year that he
:25:25. > :25:27.was in the office. I have very fond memories of not just building a
:25:28. > :25:29.positive working relationship with him but we actually built a
:25:30. > :25:36.friendship that was a real friendship that lasted until the day
:25:37. > :25:40.he died, and they also want to pay tribute to Ian Paisley Junior and to
:25:41. > :25:44.Eileen Paisley, Ian 's wife Andy Carroll Paisley for their remarks
:25:45. > :25:52.during the course of last week. They are all good friends, and they are
:25:53. > :25:53.all people who like Ian were very dedicated and committed to the
:25:54. > :25:55.success of the peace process. Martin McGuinness speaking
:25:56. > :25:57.in Stormont's Long And let's have a final
:25:58. > :26:00.word from Enda. No surprise that Mr McGuinness
:26:01. > :26:02.should show his gratitude to the Paisley family for their warm
:26:03. > :26:12.words about him last week, Enda. Yes, this was his first opportunity
:26:13. > :26:15.to publicly acknowledge what was said by Ian Paisley, Kyle Paisley
:26:16. > :26:20.and Baroness Paisley. What Ian Paisley told you on the view last
:26:21. > :26:24.week. He was also listening to Kyle Paisley 's interview on BBC Radio
:26:25. > :26:27.four as well of the interview with Baroness Paisley on talkback and it
:26:28. > :26:31.is clear from what he had to say that his relationship with them runs
:26:32. > :26:34.very deep and as he talked about there whenever Dr Paisley was in
:26:35. > :26:38.hospital and they exchanged texts and so on, so it is pretty clear
:26:39. > :26:39.that what was said by the Paisley struck a chord with Martin
:26:40. > :26:40.McGuinness. We heard today that the Ulster
:26:41. > :26:49.Unionist Ross Hussey Well, Ross Hussey would say himself
:26:50. > :26:53.that he is in poor health and he needs to get to need replacements
:26:54. > :26:56.and he said in a statement today that that is why he has decided to
:26:57. > :27:00.step down because he knows it will be a long recovery period for that
:27:01. > :27:03.and he will essentially be out of politics during that time so it has
:27:04. > :27:07.taken the decision now that he would be better out outside of politics to
:27:08. > :27:12.allow time to recover but of course he was a subject of a sting
:27:13. > :27:16.operation by a Sunday newspaper some months ago when he sent nude photos
:27:17. > :27:20.of himself to an undercover reporter Andy talked about it today described
:27:21. > :27:24.as an indiscretion but he said that was not why he was stepping down
:27:25. > :27:28.from politics, it was purely on the grounds of the South. -- of his
:27:29. > :27:29.health. And also missing from the chamber
:27:30. > :27:32.will be the SDLP's Gerry Mullan. He's being replaced on the ballot
:27:33. > :27:34.paper in East Londonderry by his predecessor, John Dallat,
:27:35. > :27:40.but all is not well Yes, that's for sure. It's not the
:27:41. > :27:44.first time we have said that, coming up to an election there seems to be
:27:45. > :27:49.infighting within the SDLP. It comes down to a clash of personalities
:27:50. > :27:52.between these men and it goes back to the employment of John Downer 's
:27:53. > :27:56.daughter in Gerry Mullins office and he employed her when he took over
:27:57. > :28:00.from John Dallek in the last election and she was let go from the
:28:01. > :28:04.office and that did not go well with that family and they stopped
:28:05. > :28:08.speaking from that particular point forward. Now the opportunity is come
:28:09. > :28:11.round again for him to put his hat in the ring again and there was an
:28:12. > :28:15.interview panel over the weekend that decided who would run and John
:28:16. > :28:19.Downer came out on top there and Jerry Mullin is unhappy and says he
:28:20. > :28:25.is disappointed and taking legal advice. We know he has been in storm
:28:26. > :28:28.on talking to the party leader and let him know about what is
:28:29. > :28:31.happening. This is not good for the party because if they are to retain
:28:32. > :28:34.their seat in East Londonderry they need all their foot soldiers on the
:28:35. > :28:37.ground in the last thing they can afford right now is to be not
:28:38. > :28:41.pulling in the same direction for the various workers who do work on
:28:42. > :28:42.the ground. Interesting times, that is for sure.
:28:43. > :28:45.The Assembly is sitting tomorrow and we'll have a Stormont Today
:28:46. > :28:58.So for now, from everyone in the team, good night.
:28:59. > :29:01.The View holds politicians to account and we ask
:29:02. > :29:04.the questions that our audiences want answers to.
:29:05. > :29:08.We reflect what's happening in the political world but I think we also
:29:09. > :29:12.set the agenda in the interviews that we conduct on the programme.
:29:13. > :29:16.I always assume that an interviewee is telling the truth