23/01/2017 Stormont Today


23/01/2017

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Hello and welcome to Stormont Today on what was the penultimate day

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of debate in the Assembly chamber in this shorter than

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Last week, one MLA suggested the clock was counting

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down with a whimper, but today there was still plenty

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of important business to be discussed on the hill.

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Sinn Fein unveiled its new Stormont leader and in the chamber MLAs spent

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more than six hours discussing the Renewable Heat

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So, coming up on tonight's programme...

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She's just into the top job and weeks from an election,

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but Michelle O'Neill is already sure how she wants to move forward.

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Accusations after the RHI scandal rumble on during another marathon

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Agreements must be honoured. Partnership government must mean

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exactly that. Accusations after the RHI scandal

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rumble on during another marathon I am suspended from the party for

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telling the truth about people in the front bench and those behind

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them are guilty of far more serious inappropriate relationships and

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behaviour than I am. And joining me with his thoughts

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on another busy day in the Assembly is our Political Correspondent,

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Enda McClafferty. Everyone knew it would

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be announced today - but no-one could be absolutely sure

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who it would be. Sinn Fein named Martin McGuinness's

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successor as party leader north of the border and,

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as the bookies had been suggesting in recent days,

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it was indeed Michelle O'Neill Here's what she had to say to party

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activists and the media just after lunchtime,

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and just to warn you there is some For me to be selected to lead our

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party in the North is truly the biggest honour and privilege of my

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life. I feel an enormous responsibility on my shoulders and

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while I do not are never underestimate my task given the

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changing political work locally, nationally and internationally, I

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will not let you down. These are challenging times and we have set

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ourselves a big objectives, but Republicans have never been afraid

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of a challenge. I have never been afraid of challenge and I have never

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been afraid to act. As Sinn Fein Minister for agriculture and rural

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development I decentralised an entire government department, Lock,

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stock and barrel. When the system told me it could not be done. As

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Minister for health I ended the DUP's discrimination against gay men

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donating blood and I did it because it was the right thing to do. Over

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the course of the last number of weeks, one others have shouted from

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the sidelines, it was Sinn Fein who stood up and confronted corruption.

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It was Sinn Fein who called a halt to the arrogance and intolerance. In

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the aftermath of the election, there can and there will be no return to

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the status quo. What does that mean? It means Sinn Fein are only

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interested in participating in a power-sharing institutions if they

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deliver for all of our citizens and if they operate on the basis of

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equality and respect. Agreements must be honoured. Commitments must

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be delivered. Partnership government must mean exactly that. It means

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that regardless of where you come from, what language you speak, what

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your sexuality is, what gender you are, that you are treated with

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respect. Michelle O'Neil according

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to Martin McGuinness has been Unlike him she does not have an IRA

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past, but did we learn anything It was interesting but Martin

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McGuinness took some time to set out Republican pedigree before regard to

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the point when he talked about her role in leadership. He talked about

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her father, he was a Republican prisoner. He was a councillor in

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Dungannon. We know her uncle is involved in the movement which

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fundraisers for Sinn Fein. We also knows that a cousin of hers was an

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IRA man shot dead by the SS. She takes a lot of the boxes when it

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comes to grassroot Republicans and what they would like to see in terms

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of her past and family. There are big challenges piling up

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in Michelle O'Neill's in-tray. There will be a short honeymoon

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period because she has this election to fight and she knows she will be

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in charge of a much smaller party at Stormont because of the fact that

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you can analyse will not be returning after George II. She knows

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the group would be smaller, but she also knows that the party faces a

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big challenge from people before profit in west Belfast and in foil.

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She knows in foil the party will be facing a bit of a dogfight for the

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last seat because we know Eamon McCann pulled well last time and we

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know Martin McGuinness is not on the ballot paper and that could have a

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big bearing on the outcome of the election and it could come down to

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the last seat between Sinn Fein and people before profit. There are

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areas like that when the chalets will face a big fight.

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We know the DUP in the last election used the prospect

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of Martin McGuinness becoming First Minister to mobilise

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its voters, what happens with that this time around,

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now that there's a new leader in charge?

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The so-called bogeyman is gone for the DUP because last time they built

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their campaign around Martin McGuinness as being the big threat

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to them in terms of becoming First Minister. This time round I would

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imagine the tactic would be different because it is Michelle

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O'Neill they are taking on. You can hear the language already talking

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about taking on the Republican agenda. It is not about

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personalities, it is about the republican movement as a whole in

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terms of what they want at Stormont around the Irish lumberjack and

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other bills they are proposing to take forward to which unionists

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would have difficulty with. That will beat the strategy employed by

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the DUP. Here in Northern Ireland, three of the main parties are led by

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women. We have Michelle O'Neill, Arlene Foster and Naomi Long. Very

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clear in here. Mary Lou McDonald was here as well. You could see that

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this felt like a changing of the guard within Sinn Fein. Gerry Adams

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is likely to handover party Mary Lou McDonald at some stage. Martin

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McGuinness has done that with Michelle O'Neill. We could see the

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three big party figures on the island of Ireland in the not too

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distant future. It is significant. MLAs spent most of today debating

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the plan by the economy minister to cut ?490 million loss to the public

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purse of the renewable heating scheme.

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The debate started in the chamber a week ago, but was halted to give

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The design process by officials and consultants field. The business case

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scrutiny process did not identify the problems. All of the evidence

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given to the committee did not inform the recommendation. Remember,

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the committee recommended the design of this. This house, all of the

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parties across this house supported the original, flawed, scheme. The

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member might recall that party colleague, William McCrea, used to

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sing a little song called excuses, excuses. Does that not some up

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exactly her speech and that of Mr done this morning? Trying to spread

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the blame to everyone else and running away from the reality. It

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was Arlene Foster and Arlene Foster alone who was the minister and alone

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signed of this scheme without the cost controls. No matter who else

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you might try to smear, that is the irreducible reality. Thank you for

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your comment in relation to this. I had hoped you would have listened to

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what I have said and what I said was this, this is not, all of the

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evidence, I do think this has to go above and beyond party politics. We

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have got to step back and look objectively at the evidence before

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us. At the evidence in front of the DAC. The evidence we have all heard.

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This was not the feeling of a single individual. Indeed, I listened to

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the permanent Secretary, Doctor Andrew McCormick, he was at

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committee earlier today and effectively what he was saying was

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what we have here is the best available. Very different from good,

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very different from sound, solid, as good as it gets. Just, within the

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context, this is the best available. I think that is a fair assessment. I

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would also say Doctor McCormick has done more than anybody I have heard

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over the last number of weeks to try to maintain the integrity of these

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devolved institutions and I thank him for that. Today, the committee

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had the opportunity to shift their position from them did the

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regulations to prevent the regulations. They did not. The

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minister did not turn up. The member needs to be unaware that her party

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did vote against the proposal to close the scheme last February. That

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is a fact. You can say you like, you voted against that, as did the

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Ulster Unionist party, the closure of the scheme, despite repeated

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warnings about the cost that was going to be accrued and lost to the

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public purse. Your party voted against closing the scheme. The

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simple fact. I know you want at the time, so it is not your fault. Your

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party as a party and other members who are still here and you were here

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last year did vote to oppose the scheme. On that date, when the SDLP

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presented themselves here, they, like other members in this house,

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were very mindful that the quick execution and the early closure of

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that scheme was placing legitimate businesses and legitimate access to

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the scheme, that was putting them at risk, because there were people who

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had signed up to a very good, worthwhile scheme at that stage. I

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will finish my point. A very good, worthwhile scheme at that time.

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Those businesses were in the process of realising orders coming into

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their businesses. They were in the process of installing these boilers

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and, again, I repeat, with the measures in place that should have

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been there from the outset. So, your little red Herring has just died.

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For the avoidance of any doubt that people would say to me that he did

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not speak until very late, I have a letter to the First Minister. A

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letter to Arlene Foster dated 23rd of March 20 16. Three pages of a

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four, I give her my permission to put into the Assembly library and

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make public. The first paragraph of that, after the introduction, was in

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the renewable heat initiative. The first paragraph refers to the fact

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that the special advisers advised me to keep the scheme open. All of the

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difficulties in the 23rd of March 2016, given to Arlene Foster. It

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surprises me when you see the contents of this letter that I am

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suspended from the party for telling the truth while people on the front

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bench and those behind them are guilty of far more serious,

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inappropriate relationships and behaviour than I am. Far more

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serious. We have a prize in one hand of some reduction in the public

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spend, but we have the risk on the other hand of litigation, of

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judicial review and a further waste of public money on expensive legal

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challenges. With publication of the Auditor General report ought last

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October with the publication of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report, they

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could have brought forward the food plan the public deserves. Could he

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explain why he, as committee chairman, has been absent from the

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committee for the economy and by his two party colleagues have not

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bothered to turn up? If his only issue with Sinn Fein is our

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attendance at committee meetings when we recognised the full scale of

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the impact in terms of these institutions, in terms of public

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finance, in terms of public confidence that this scheme has

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brought to this Assembly then the member is living in cloud cuckoo

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land. This has been a disastrous scheme from start to finish. The

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Handling has been disastrous, they provoked -- B proposal is not the

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proposition outlined by the First Minister a couple of weeks ago. This

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is a sticking plaster The real scandal here is that while

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we have people unable to heat their homes and struggling to feed their

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family, we have Barnes being raided by the police, empty Barnes, Mr

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Speaker, with steam rising off them in the snow. I want that to stop. We

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will not block these proposals today, despite our serious

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reservations, and I hope that these proposals are a success, not for the

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Minister and not for his party, but for the sake of the public who

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ultimately are paying the price for this debacle, though they carry none

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of the responsibility for it. I, am I department, have cooperated fully

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with the Department of Finance and asked -- answered all questions and

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queries and provided all requested information and yet no approval has

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been forthcoming. The business case process is there to assess value for

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money and also regularity and I understand that there have been no

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issues raised in respect of either. I know the Finance minister is just

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coming into the house and I would be happy to give way to him if he was

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to offer approval for the scheme. The areas of concern remain state

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aid approval and the fact that we do not have state aid approval. I know

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that the commission has been contacted. I do have some concerns

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in that regard. The scheme can't kick off on April one without the

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stated approval. Also, as the Minister knows, major concerns

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around the inspection regime, and I'm sure the Minister will accept

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and it will be in his narrative later that without rigorous, robust,

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100% inspections, this interim solution will fall. I don't have a

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business plan for the inspections regime, I do think it is like a

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horse and carriage, both go together. The Minister knows that

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state aid approval cannot be sought, and will not be given unless there

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is both public finance approval and approval of this house. I am

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reluctant to say it is a chicken and egg type situation given the issue

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we are debating, but it is. The inspection regime minister is also

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well aware of our intentions in respect of taking forward a tender

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for 100% site inspection, and I will give him the commitment to continue

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to work with his officials, as long as they response to that in good

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faith and does keep this issue politics three, which is

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unfortunately not a conclusion at this stage.

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And that motion eventually passed on an oral vote.

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There was just one question time today, education.

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Questions were supposed to be asked of the Executive Office,

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but despite Michelle O'Neill getting the new top job in Sinn Fein,

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neither the First nor Deputy First Minister's positions

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So, Peter Weir was the lone Minister facing the Assembly.

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I am disappointed that the NUS UWT are engaged in ongoing industrial

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action. A recognised negotiating forum for teachers terms and

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conditions as the teachers negotiating Council that the

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department represents. It is made up of representatives from the Northern

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Ireland teaching Council, comprising the five teaching unions and the

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management size which comprises representatives from education

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authority, C CMS, sectoral interests and the Department. Management side

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meets regularly with the teaching Council as part of its work on TMC

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and it is committed to moving forward in a constructive fashion.

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Can you outline any actions you are taken to ensure teachers will be

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adequately played -- paid and work on the conditions and appropriate

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support to deliver education for our children and young people. Number of

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things in relation to that. In terms of workload there is a key issue

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that has been raised by a lot of teachers with May and whenever we

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have sought anything from schools and collated responses in terms of

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not simply where there could be additional responsibility or

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opportunity, but a greater level of flexibility for schools. Why it was

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sore, not simply that, but also in terms of suggestions of easing

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burdens. It is a tight financial situation and looking well began

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these burdens on schools and teachers is important as well. I am

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also a bit disappointed for those unions that have taken the view of

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non-spike action -- strike action that there is an impact in terms of

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non-cooperation around the Inspectorate that can impact on

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pupils learning. As regards the broader financial situation I think

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it is important that there is a focus of where we move from 2017

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because it isn't a big pot of money sitting somewhere that is ready to

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be paid to make up for what has happened to date. With the Minister

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agree that the potential for a resolution to teachers Bay has been

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compromised due to the shenanigans in this assembly? Is the Minister

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confident a resolution with some post-election when he abandoned his

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post? I am not sure that abandoning is quite the right word on that side

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of things, although clearly we have had in terms of issues around the

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broader perspective, the fact that the executive has been collapsed by

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one party and in particular it has been done ahead of any budget

:19:39.:19:43.

settlement is not helpful to the overall situation. I think the

:19:44.:19:47.

opportunity for a greater level of resolution and a greater level of

:19:48.:19:50.

result the Matiz that people look forward to 2017 and is not realistic

:19:51.:19:54.

that there is a pot of money out there to cover the situation between

:19:55.:19:59.

2015 and now, or to backdate that. It is the case that it is not just a

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question of finding a one-off pot. If you make changes to the pay and

:20:04.:20:07.

conditions it is actually having a long-term impact in terms of school

:20:08.:20:10.

budgets and it places a level of pressure on the baselines within

:20:11.:20:14.

that so that must be borne in mind. I think the opportunities for that

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will be potentially looking forward to 2017. The reality is wait it is

:20:19.:20:25.

myself or someone else impose the issues remain the same. I think

:20:26.:20:30.

simply a belief that if there is a change of personality is that it

:20:31.:20:34.

will suddenly make resolution very easy, I don't think, I think that in

:20:35.:20:38.

many ways misunderstands the nature of the problem.

:20:39.:20:41.

Peter Weir on the continuing stand-off on teachers' pay.

:20:42.:20:43.

The day's business opened with a Matter of the Day

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about the gun attack on a police officer in North Belfast last night.

:20:46.:20:49.

The officer was shot at least twice in the arm while in a car

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MLAs united in their condemnation of the shooting.

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It could easily have been talking about death here today, and a family

:20:58.:21:04.

suffering that death, instead of hopefully the recovery that we are

:21:05.:21:12.

going to see. It could also have been in the open court of the

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Garrard, other people killed or maimed in that. Let me condemn it

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absolutely and let me also say as a representative for the area and all

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the other representatives of that area will be in one voice that

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people that vote for us, and I mean that right across the board, are

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absolutely opposed to the people who are involved in this. There are many

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issues that divide us in this house but it is clear today that there is

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an issue that unites us, and that is our unreserved condemnation of what

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took place last night. The truth this violence has no place in our

:21:47.:21:51.

society. All it serves to do is to create heartache, pain and

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suffering, and as each and every one of us in this house knows, there are

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far too many families in our constituencies who endure that pain

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and suffering on a daily basis. This was not an attack on an individual

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police officer or an attack on the PSNI, this was an attack on our

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entire community. It says all that we need to know about the kind of

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people who were involved, that they would attempt to kill a person who

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was serving their community and do so with such reckless disregard for

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the community in which they serve. These people are nothing but

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despicable cowards. They have nothing to offer the people of

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Northern Ireland. Mr Speaker, I have no doubt that this attack was

:22:36.:22:40.

intended to kill. Thankfully the officer is in a stable condition but

:22:41.:22:43.

we could have been hearing the loss of life this morning. This is not

:22:44.:22:47.

just an attack on our police service, it is an attack on the

:22:48.:22:52.

community, an attack on our country. It was reckless, multiple automatic

:22:53.:22:57.

rounds fired into a public safe -- space and I am disgusted. This is

:22:58.:23:01.

the first shooting of a police officer that eight years in Northern

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Ireland, clearly an attempt by evil people to kill police and also the

:23:05.:23:10.

general public. Totally random and indiscriminate, as others have said,

:23:11.:23:13.

gunfire into a forecourt of a Garrard Jinnah built-up area -- a

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forecourt of a garaged. There were 12 members of the general public and

:23:25.:23:31.

the police there at the time. This is my last opportunity to speak to

:23:32.:23:34.

this assembly. Some of you may be glad to know that I am retiring from

:23:35.:23:40.

politics, but I hope that in the next assembly no politician has to

:23:41.:23:44.

stand up and condemn a murderous attack on a police officer. Anyone

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who is prepared to wear the uniform should get the support of this

:23:50.:23:55.

assembly. I pledge my support to the Police Service of Northern Ireland,

:23:56.:24:00.

incorporating the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and I hope that

:24:01.:24:01.

everyone else does. Ross Hussey, who said he'll not be

:24:02.:24:02.

standing for re-election. We return now to the Sinn Fein news

:24:03.:24:05.

conference and before handing over the reins of power Martin McGuinness

:24:06.:24:09.

gave a little more insight into why he was stepping down and thanked

:24:10.:24:12.

Ian Paisley for comments he made on last week's edition of The View,

:24:13.:24:15.

and again there were plenty of cameras flashing

:24:16.:24:18.

as Mr McGuinness spoke. I had made a decision well in

:24:19.:24:28.

advance of the particular circumstances that affect me at the

:24:29.:24:37.

moment, that come May eight of this year, that would've been the tenth

:24:38.:24:40.

anniversary of going into government with Ian Paisley, that that was the

:24:41.:24:45.

right time for me to stand aside, so that a decision that I would have

:24:46.:24:54.

stood by. Circumstances have intervened, the calling of the

:24:55.:24:59.

election, the scandals that have existed, and of course we find

:25:00.:25:02.

ourselves in a situation where it is physically impossible for me to

:25:03.:25:10.

continue until May the 8th and I regret that very much because I have

:25:11.:25:16.

very fond memories of working with Ian Paisley for that year that he

:25:17.:25:24.

was in the office. I have very fond memories of not just building a

:25:25.:25:27.

positive working relationship with him but we actually built a

:25:28.:25:29.

friendship that was a real friendship that lasted until the day

:25:30.:25:36.

he died, and they also want to pay tribute to Ian Paisley Junior and to

:25:37.:25:40.

Eileen Paisley, Ian 's wife Andy Carroll Paisley for their remarks

:25:41.:25:44.

during the course of last week. They are all good friends, and they are

:25:45.:25:52.

all people who like Ian were very dedicated and committed to the

:25:53.:25:53.

success of the peace process. Martin McGuinness speaking

:25:54.:25:55.

in Stormont's Long And let's have a final

:25:56.:25:57.

word from Enda. No surprise that Mr McGuinness

:25:58.:26:00.

should show his gratitude to the Paisley family for their warm

:26:01.:26:02.

words about him last week, Enda. Yes, this was his first opportunity

:26:03.:26:12.

to publicly acknowledge what was said by Ian Paisley, Kyle Paisley

:26:13.:26:15.

and Baroness Paisley. What Ian Paisley told you on the view last

:26:16.:26:20.

week. He was also listening to Kyle Paisley 's interview on BBC Radio

:26:21.:26:24.

four as well of the interview with Baroness Paisley on talkback and it

:26:25.:26:27.

is clear from what he had to say that his relationship with them runs

:26:28.:26:31.

very deep and as he talked about there whenever Dr Paisley was in

:26:32.:26:34.

hospital and they exchanged texts and so on, so it is pretty clear

:26:35.:26:38.

that what was said by the Paisley struck a chord with Martin

:26:39.:26:39.

McGuinness. We heard today that the Ulster

:26:40.:26:40.

Unionist Ross Hussey Well, Ross Hussey would say himself

:26:41.:26:49.

that he is in poor health and he needs to get to need replacements

:26:50.:26:53.

and he said in a statement today that that is why he has decided to

:26:54.:26:56.

step down because he knows it will be a long recovery period for that

:26:57.:27:00.

and he will essentially be out of politics during that time so it has

:27:01.:27:03.

taken the decision now that he would be better out outside of politics to

:27:04.:27:07.

allow time to recover but of course he was a subject of a sting

:27:08.:27:12.

operation by a Sunday newspaper some months ago when he sent nude photos

:27:13.:27:16.

of himself to an undercover reporter Andy talked about it today described

:27:17.:27:20.

as an indiscretion but he said that was not why he was stepping down

:27:21.:27:24.

from politics, it was purely on the grounds of the South. -- of his

:27:25.:27:28.

health. And also missing from the chamber

:27:29.:27:29.

will be the SDLP's Gerry Mullan. He's being replaced on the ballot

:27:30.:27:32.

paper in East Londonderry by his predecessor, John Dallat,

:27:33.:27:34.

but all is not well Yes, that's for sure. It's not the

:27:35.:27:40.

first time we have said that, coming up to an election there seems to be

:27:41.:27:44.

infighting within the SDLP. It comes down to a clash of personalities

:27:45.:27:49.

between these men and it goes back to the employment of John Downer 's

:27:50.:27:52.

daughter in Gerry Mullins office and he employed her when he took over

:27:53.:27:56.

from John Dallek in the last election and she was let go from the

:27:57.:28:00.

office and that did not go well with that family and they stopped

:28:01.:28:04.

speaking from that particular point forward. Now the opportunity is come

:28:05.:28:08.

round again for him to put his hat in the ring again and there was an

:28:09.:28:11.

interview panel over the weekend that decided who would run and John

:28:12.:28:15.

Downer came out on top there and Jerry Mullin is unhappy and says he

:28:16.:28:19.

is disappointed and taking legal advice. We know he has been in storm

:28:20.:28:25.

on talking to the party leader and let him know about what is

:28:26.:28:28.

happening. This is not good for the party because if they are to retain

:28:29.:28:31.

their seat in East Londonderry they need all their foot soldiers on the

:28:32.:28:34.

ground in the last thing they can afford right now is to be not

:28:35.:28:37.

pulling in the same direction for the various workers who do work on

:28:38.:28:41.

the ground. Interesting times, that is for sure.

:28:42.:28:42.

The Assembly is sitting tomorrow and we'll have a Stormont Today

:28:43.:28:45.

So for now, from everyone in the team, good night.

:28:46.:28:58.

The View holds politicians to account and we ask

:28:59.:29:01.

the questions that our audiences want answers to.

:29:02.:29:04.

We reflect what's happening in the political world but I think we also

:29:05.:29:08.

set the agenda in the interviews that we conduct on the programme.

:29:09.:29:12.

I always assume that an interviewee is telling the truth

:29:13.:29:16.

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