26/09/2012 BBC Newsline

Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline: and the supporters passed

to us that the -- and those supporters the past St Patrick's

Church. The we want everybody to criminal and take part.

Danny Kennedy in the hot seat over traffic changes.

Can farmers rescue this year's potato crop? I'm in Moneymore to

find out how the wet weather has played havoc with the harvest.

They throw a party for Paralympic gold medallist Bethany Firth at her

old school. We end the day on a bright and dry

note with some sunshine, but will it be like that tomorrow? Find out

later in the programme. We were expecting it last night but at

lunchtime today the Parades Commission finally released its

ruling on Saturday's Ulster Covenant parade.

The bands that passed -- pass St Patrick's Church will be restricted

to playing hymns, while protests by local residents are limited to 150

people. The controversy started gathering momentum from this point

onwards. Gathering up side St Patrick's Church and that what the

July -- outside St Patrick's Church on the pull the July. Six these

later, there were angry exchanges between rival groups. After weeks

of claim and counter-claim and much speculation, at lunchtime to, the

commission applied the following conditions in the north and east of

Band leaders are to be given details of the restrictions

Bideford parade organisers -- by parade organisers. Father Michael

said he was sorely disappointed, as were the residents. Disappointment.

Bewildered. We abided by then and we see no reason not to abide by

this. We're seeking legal advice on where this determination came about.

Meanwhile, senior members of the Orange Order laid a wreath. One of

them gave the Orange reaction to the determination. There are other

issues we need to consider. much a rate -- much-awaited parades

Commission determination is out. The Orange Order it is looking at

it. Other people are just looking towards Saturday and are wondering

how it is going to go. We can join up political editor at Stormont.

What is the mood? Or the Unionists are loath to say anything nice

about the parades Commission Camilla think they're pretty happy

with this. The commission ruling is roughly along the lines of the

Orange Order announcement. It said it will restrict any music to hymns,

and has advised supporters to stay away from that area. Nationalists

are more disappointed, although the residents say they are going to

abide by this. Probably, if you had to pick a winner, it is more the

Orange third there will be hope. -- the Orange side that will be in

hope. People are keeping their fingers crossed given the has it

been any angry organisations. -- given there hasn't been any anger

from organisations. The Orange Order is talking about 25 to 30,000,

and those are just on parade. Not all those numbers will come past St

Patrick's Church. That is still substantial March, around 2000

people. Because of the scale of the numbers, they are trying to keep

things peaceful and ensure there will be an attempt to keep anybody

not involved in the particular parade all the protests that have

been at all -- authorised away from the vicinity of that Patrick's

Church. It is a case of keeping fingers crossed because many of

these marchers will still to return home and with those kind of numbers,

there is always the potential for things to get difficult.

Can readers have been struggling to come to terms with new traffic

measures in Belfast. -- commuters. Many people have been contacting us

to complain. New bus links which reduce the space for cars by up to

one-third in key city-centre streets have been reduced at a time

when Stormont is drastically cutting the amount of money are

spent on public transport. Earlier, I spoke to the roads and public

transport minister Danny Kennedy and I began to ask him -- began by

asking him if he wanted to apologise for causing chaos. I do

regret any inconvenience to road travellers and users, but these are

changes which were very necessary. They have been carefully researched

over the years and consulted upon. We tried to give advance notice to

the changes that were happening in and around the centre of Belfast.

We really want to and we need to transform public transport travel

in the centre of Belfast to allow the movement of people. But you

have slowed down the movement, and the whole policy is all stick and

no carrot. There is nothing to entice people onto the bosses. --

buses. We have spent �135 million. But that is going back many years.

How much money we spend on the next year? All of these changes have

been up with want you in mind, to transform public transport. -- with

one of you. -- view. How much I used spending next year? -- how

much will you spending? Just answer a simple question. A we are seeking

to do more with less resources. it is left. Yes. -- less. What is

relevant is the people we need to transport. You're cutting

investment in transport by 85 % over the three years from the want

any year three of your current budget. -- from the year one.

trying to improve rail services, increased passenger numbers growth

in rail and bus. A how can you expect people to use public

transport more at the time when you're cutting investment, you're

cutting the grant of travelling but the rout of money spent on parkin

writes? We are using the money effectively and efficiently. Go

trying to transform -- we're trying to transform it. People use buses.

How can you improve a fleet without investing? This is well-practised

and world experienced in other places in the United Kingdom and

Europe. We are a public transport system which is clean, efficient

and effective. But those other areas are still investing. You're

cutting it by 85 %. What we are seeking to do, we are transforming

and seeking to transform and we have done extensive research. This

is not thought up overnight. A for many people stuck in traffic, it

seems like that. This has been carefully researched over a period

of time. Well researched. The experience of other places have

been taken into account and these changes when implemented will give

a full benefit to the entire community. Could you just try one

more time to what the question, how can you improve the service when

you're cutting the investment, when you have cutting the grant and the

mud of money you spend on park and ride it? We are you think the money

more effectively and efficiently. Our aim is to enhance the public

transport system and enhance the jennies that people are taking on

that system. Her The former High Court judge who

is chairing Stormont's investigation into the historic

abuse of children in care homes and other institutions doesn't think

the scope of the inquiry should be extended. Sir Anthony Hart gave

evidence to a Stormont Committee today. He told Melanie's -- MLAs

that he understood why some people wanted his inquiry to be expanded

to deal with clerical abuse which took place outside care homes.

However, Sir Anthony Hart said such a move would have significant

implications meaning the inquiry would take much more time and money

to complete. The first stage of the inquiry, what's being called an

Acknowledgment Forum, is due to start next week.

Still to come on the programme: The damage done to a part of our

economy that needs the right weather conditions. Donna is in

Moneymore. Our potato industry is in crisis. Too much wet weather

means the crop is below grade. I'm in Moneymore to find out about the

What does �10 million get you in today's money? Well, the Odyssey

Pavilion in Belfast for one. It's gone on the market for �10 million.

But no matter how much it sells for its the tax payers in the south

who'll end up paying the most as our business correspondent Kevin

Magee explains. Nor the Odyssey Pavilion on their part would want

is a monument to the property crash. It is on the market for its price

tag of �10 million. It is the second landmark property to go on

sale within the last week. This Golf resort and hotel is also

looking for a buyer with a similar asking price. So, who would want to

buy the Odyssey in today's climate? Any interested buyer coming in

today could pick the Odyssey Pavilion up and run with it as it

sits. It needs an element of capital expenditure spent on it to

reinvigorate it and produce what would be the leading leisure

destination of families in Northern Ireland. The new owner will

effectively take control of a large entertainment complex, which

attracts thousands each week. But the Odyssey arena is not part of

the deal. The buyer will add to the landlord for other promises there.

The 15 clubs, pubs and restaurants, cinemas and bowling alley. The

Pavilion is being sold under the instruction of the administrator.

The previous owner used to the building as collateral to borrow �7

million from the notorious Dublin- based Anglo-Irish Bank. It is not

owned by taxpayers, and this is an attempt to get some of that money

back. So even if it sells for the �10 million asking price, the Bank

and the Irish taxpayer are still looking at a loss of more than �60

An important part of our economy is suffering, not just because of

financial constraints but because of the erratic weather we have had,

potatoes are normally harvested in September but the fields tell a

different and depressing story. I am in a Moneymore and this is a

potato field, normally on a delight to it would be full of machinery,

Gavin potatoes. -- normally on a day like today. The crop will is

effectively ruined. We have visited several growers today, one of the

leading suppliers of potatoes in the north-west is at Nixon's corner.

He says he sealed his down by 15 to 20%. In County Down, one crew were

told us that he believes his harvest will be the worst in 35

years. This will no doubt mean an increase in prices. The harvest has

been delayed by up to three weeks, in both serious and potatoes. We

are now on the most of October and there is every possibility that the

weather will get even worse before we can even get near some of these

fields to harvest them. If the potato farmers do not get the cork

out of the ground, deals will go down and that will have a knock-on

effect on shop shelves and supermarkets will undoubtedly have

to put prices up to the farmer as well as the housewife.

This is Anfield where the potatoes would normally end up, and David is

with me now. A short -- he will show me exactly what the problem is.

It has been wet for most of the summer for all of us, but why is

this harvest so bad? We have had continual which rain, it has been a

cold summer. You can see exactly what our problem is, many of her

potatoes have grown to the top of the surface and become green. A

creamy potato is of no use to anyone. The way the weather has

been, the potatoes have grown to the surface and not down to the

ground. One farmer told me that because it started frosty in spring,

that had a bearing on the crop. did indeed, the cold weather got

the potatoes off to a slow start. Instead of the mother potato

putting down 12 to 14 smaller potatoes, they're putting down six

or eight. The deal depends on the number of potatoes in the ground.

The smaller yield, that will have a knock-on in prices. What are we

talking about for customers? If you take last year for example, the 2.5

kilogram bag would be around one pen 69, this year so far, they have

already gone up to 1p 99p, and we're only really at the start of

the harvest. -- 1 Paint 99p. It really is sodden underfoot, or

Cameron and nearly lost his footing in the mud. It is very serious,

from some growers point of view, they might not survive this. Partly

insured for such a loss? They are not common cause would not be

insured in terms of crops in the field, it could be too costly to

try and ensure for crops. Not only have you had the wet weather this

year, you have had poor prices last year and the previous year.

Thank you for joining us. We also have the farming forecast and the

weather for the rest of us. Let's hope we get better farming weather.

Still to come on BBC Newsline, Paralympic gold medal swimmer

Bethany Firth get each Euros will come back to her old school.

-- gets E he does welcome. The Ulster Covenant was an all-male

affair, and six years before they could vote, women need to with

their own separate off. Thousands of them signed what was known as

the woman's declaration. -- their own separate author.

This woman's ancestors turned out in force on Ulster a 1912, they

travelled together to nudie. The men to sign the covenant, the woman,

a separate declaration. They had a small truck but they were a large

family and the truck would not have helped them. So they walked there.

They were there to sign on the first page, so that gives me some

indication of how important it that they would have felt this task was.

The declaration cast women in a support role, pledging association

with the covenant. It was a time when women, after tea was over or

whatever, in high circles, retired and went next door while the men

sought to the important things in life over cigars. In effect, the

separation of the male secretaries and the female Cygnet Tories is a

reflection of the times. -- female secretaries.

It had been the idea of the Ulster woman's Unionist Council. This

woman is part of that light to the past. As many women as men signed

the women's declaration, and the working of it was very carefully

crafted and agreed with the men, because they were an odd ciliary

organisation and we are not going to do anything that would upset the

menfolk. -- they were and auxiliary Organisation.

It is a story she is proud. She said that her family signed as an

act of religious faith. In each one of those signatures I look at, I

can actually see, in each of their own way, making their contribution

to the history of this country in which I am very proud to lead.

At the time, women were not seen as political equals, but thanks to the

declaration, they were considered a force to be reckoned with.

Next we are off to Chicago for the latest on the Ryder Cup, and most

of the attention is centred on one Ulster man, but to?

One American golfer describing Rory Mackle Roy as having a Bull's eye

on his back, not painted it latterly but you get my drift. --

if Rory McIlroy. The world number one said he is

comfortable being a so-called target. Who will get their hands

and the Ryder Cup trophy, it could well come down to how well Rory

McIlroy plays over the days of the competition.

He arrives in Chicago as the hottest property in golf, but this

is just the second Ryder Cup for Rory McIlroy. His first was a

nerve-racking experience. Two years on, things are totally

different. I feel like I'm coming here with

more self-confidence, a new belief in my ability. I come here as the

best player in the world, and as the two-time major champion, so I

feel like I can definitely contribute more to the team than I

did a few years ago. And the European captain is relying

on his talented 23-year-old. way he has played, he has been

outstanding. I would say that he is at this moment very close to how

could Tiger Woods was at that stretch of time between 1999 and

2002, the way he has claimed, he is full of confidence, he has the

whole game. It is great to have players like that in your team.

As Tiger Woods as another Ryder Cup success, he claims that Rory

McIlroy is a marked man this week. Something the former world number

one knows all about. It is part of being ranked number 1, it is part

of major championships, you always want to take out their best player.

That is part of the deal, that is a firm challenge.

And one Roddy McIlroy is ready for it. That is fine, I think it is a

huge compliment. That they want to beat me and I don't mind who I play,

I come up against anyone. I just want to go out there and try and

win a point for Europe. Rory McIlroy might be one of the

most popular golfing superstars on the side of the Atlantic, but this

week he will try and silence the American crowds and helped Europe

windier six Ryder Cup in the past seven attempts.

One now to the big game, and an early exit for Cliftonville from

the County Antrim Shield, the holders losing by one goal to zero

to Ballinderry United. But the Crusaders have made it to the

finals, thanks to two own goals from opponents Bangor. Brian

Hylands was unlucky to put the ball into his own net, and Paul

Heatley's shot was deflected in by John Watterson.

Bangor, a goal back in the second half, but the to Segers held on to

win by 2-1. A young Manchester United

footballer who has starred in recent tournaments, he has been

called into the Republic of Ireland senior international squad today.

Robbie Brady is one of 23 players selected by Giovanni Trapattoni for

the World Cup qualifier against Germany in Dublin.

What about that called? You can tell they are in a Chicago.

All we need is the went to goal and we will be in business.

Now, the Paralympic champion Bettany Firth received a homecoming

she will never forget. Our correspondent was there to witness

the gold medals's return. This is not the reception every

former head go was saved when they return to their old school. But

then, not every head girl comes back to school with a gold medal.

Bethany Firth won gold in the 100 metre backstroke at the Paralympic

Games in London in just off -- just a few weeks ago. It is amazing, the

support has been great. They have helped me so much and if it was not

for them I do not think I would have gone a gold. What will her

achievement mean for this school and the pupils coming after her?

Bethany came to our school and was a little bit tentative. We

encouraged to enter the pool and she has shown that if you have a

little talent and work very hard, and she has worked extremely hard,

you can go a long way. She has a gold medal in the Paralympics, but

underneath it all, a lovely modest goal.

The whole school was in the main assembly Hall to celebrate her

success. She has been swimming for ages and

it is just amazing. I am just really happy for her.

Bethany's achievements have inspired the whole school, and who

knows? In 2016, a boy or girl from here could be on the podium.

Who knows indeed? Will be enjoyed continued respite

Will be enjoyed continued respite from the rain?

For the time being, we will at. The fields are quite soggy, still, but

it was a better day for farmers and hopefully over the next week we

will have some decent weather to come. Not as much rain as earlier

in the week. For this evening at his rather cool outside, and as the

sun goes down it will turn a little bit cold. Overnight temperatures

will be up to seven or eight degrees. In some countryside areas

with clear skies it will be a little bit colder land that. This

brings us into tomorrow, and a lot of dry weather around. It will be

rather cloudy. To begin with, the best of brighter weather and

sunshine will be in the east. Further west it will be rather

cloudy, and through the day, as we go through, that cloud will bring a

few spots of light rain and drizzle. Mainly for the hills and mountains

in the West. It should stay largely dry and bright with sunshine in the

east. Temperature reaching 12 or 13 degrees, but with the winds coming

in it will feel cooler than that. It the second part of the day it

will stay largely try in the east, but the rain will eventually bowled

in an effect most places. Enter tomorrow evening, it will bring

some outbreaks of rain. That will eventually spread east across all

places. Tomorrow will be a cold evening, and that takes us into

Friday which will begin grey and damp. This will improve for many

areas as we go through the day. For the north coast there will be

further spells of rain. Staying quite dam across the north coast.

Elsewhere, it will brighten up at times. There will be the odd

scattered shower. One or two of those could be heavy, temperatures

in the mid- teens on Friday. Into the weekend, Saturday will be

better, drier and brighter. Do enjoy any dry weather a few can,