09/01/2017 BBC Newsline

This is a specially extended BBC Newsline on the day that

Martin McGuinness resigned as the Deputy First Minister.

He said it's "time to call a halt to the DUP's arrogance".

Citing the DUP's behaviour over the renewable heat scandal,

Mr McGuinness said the party was completely out of step

with the public which is outraged at the squandering of money

In his formal resignation letter, Mr McGuinness also said that

the DUP had never fully embraced "the equality,

mutual respect and all-Ireland approaches enshrined

He said successive British governments had:

He went on to say that the DUP leader Arlene Foster

had "a clear conflict of interest" and as "the minister

responsible for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme she should have no

Executive role in overseeing how it would be rectified."

Mr McGuinness, who has been suffering from ill-health in recent

months, said that had nothing to do with his decision to leave office.

We'll hear live from our political editor Mark Devenport

shortly but first our Political Correspondent Gareth

Gordon reports on a resignation announcement that took

He looked and sounded frail, but there was no doubting the strength

of what Martin McGuinness was about to say. We will not tolerate the

arrogance of Arlene Foster and the DUP. That's what this process must

be about. So today I have told Arlene Foster that I have tendered

my resignation, effective of five o'clock today. He made it clear this

was not about the heating scandal. It's a despicable decision. The RHI,

it cost something in the region apart billion pounds, and run the

risk of being squandered. And left the process wide open to corruption.

All of these things are hugely concerning for us in Sinn Fein, you

can see by the way the debate on RHI has continued over the course of

recent times, there is a massive public outcry. There may not be a

public outcry with the ranks of the DUP but as I told Arlene Foster, the

DUP are living in a bubble. They don't seem to understand how serious

the general public, the voters, and the assembly make of this ridiculous

situation, which bears full responsibility for the ministers of

the DUP. Martin McGuinness was asked if his health was a factor. My

health is nothing to do with this whatsoever. I have been deeply

involved in all of the conversations in the last couple of weeks. I was

here last week speaking to Arlene Foster, I have been doing my job. As

it is appropriate for me to do so. It sounds like it'll take more than

an election resolve this. There will be no return to the status quo,

except on terms that are acceptable to Sinn Fein. The situation we have

been dealing with in these last years is acceptable. --

unacceptable. If the DUP think in the aftermath of an election that

they will step back into ministerial positions without resolving critical

issues, some of which I have identified during the course of this

conversation, they are living in a fool 's paradise. And in an

election, will Martin McGuinness be a candidate? That is something of a

speaker about the later date, today is about Morris ignition. Ten years

ago he began a relationship with a DUP leader that was warmer than

anyone could have expected but as the scandal heated up, things would

Arlene Foster cool down, and is Stormont now facing a long time in

in the deep freeze? The resignation of the Deputy

First Minister means Arlene Foster reacted

to the Sinn Fein move via social media tonight saying

she was disappointed Northern Ireland would have no

government at a time when one Rather than seek to resolve this

issue, Sinn Fein would rather take the people of Northern Ireland

through the uncertainty of yet another election, less than 12

months after the last one, at a time when we are dealing with Brexit,

needed to create more jobs and invest in our health and education

system, Northern Ireland needs stability but because of Sinn Fein's

selfish actions we now have instability and I very much regret

that. Of course if we have to fight an election we will do it in the

best interests of Northern Ireland but it will not solve any of the

problems that currently face us. Our political editor Mark Devenport

joins me now from Stormont. Martin McGuinness and his health -

what do know how he is? He didn't need to be a doctor to

tell that there was something seriously wrong with Martin

McGuinness, he was weaker when he appeared here on December 19 but he

was much weaker today. Sinn Fein hasn't disclosed any details of his

condition but the night, that he has reported that the former Deputy

First Minister is suffering from a rare heart condition. He said that

health hasn't been a factor in this crisis but certainly some other

Republicans say that some of the recent comments from Arlene Foster

in which she talked about other Sinn Fein politicians jockeying for

position behind Martin McGuinness's back while he was dealing with this

health problem, according to some Republicans they had gone down like

a lead balloon. Perhaps to that extent they have backed them into

their thinking. Not Arlene Foster responded saying that Northern

Ireland does not need an election but solutions. What do you make of

that? Clearly she's preparing our grassroots for an election, she's

pointing out that widening this out into other issues which Martin

McGuinness did, including the treatment of the Irish language,

this isn't just about the renewable heating scandal, and there is little

giving what Arlene Foster has to say, it is hard on the basis of what

the leaders have said today to see them avoiding an election. If there

is an election, what happens to the heating scheme and its continuing

pay-outs? We don't have any kind of a Rizla 's into that, we have no

compromise into the attempts that have been made to try and cut the

losses, and no progress on the form of any kind of independent

investigation into that, that will all be put into abeyance while the

politicians go about fighting this election.

Earlier this evening at Stormont BBC Newsline's Tara Mills got further

reaction from the DUP and Sinn Fein about Mr McGuinness's resignation.

Let's be clear, this is not about RHI, then now can't be an enquiry

because of Sinn Fein, we can't recover the money is and that the

proposals in with a ready to do so because of Sinn Fein, and they have

called an election because this is about removing Arlene Foster as the

leader of the unions is and weakening unions to pursue a

Republican agenda. Did you take their support for granted? We

recognise that the electorate are the people who return individuals to

office, we do business with people on that basis, we're not friends

with Sinn Fein and don't stick to beat, but we do business with them

because that is to the electorate decides to return, but the public

will suffer as a result of this decision, because we can't have a

budget and the finance minister knows that more than anybody else.

The voluntary and community sector will be putting people on notice. I

can't bring in a regression to stop the bedroom tax being introduced so

if Sinn Fein have to be held into account... You could have appointed

all of this by Arlene Foster stepping aside for four weeks

Cazorla does that not look like a better option? She was being called

to account through a Sinn Fein, Republican agenda, not on the basis

of evidence, there is due process to be followed. We said we wanted the

enquiry, we said we would have a public enquiry, Sinn Fein didn't

want that. We wanted to have proposals that would have dealt with

these costs, instead they want to go to the country because there is

internal issues within republicanism, that is clear from

the interview Martin McGuinness has given around who will replace him,

and avoided narrative around the Irish language act, all of these

things Sinn Fein don't like but they are better to work with us, instead

they have brought the magicians down. Have they come back as a

result of the electorate is the result. What were doing is recording

time on corruption and on arrogance, corruption as evidenced by RHI, and

they can be no investigation into that until Arlene Foster agrees to

step aside, she has scuppered the investigation, no hiding place, but

also breathtaking arrogance, disrespect for the national

tradition, as evidenced by the decision at the mouth of Christmas

that Paul could would take ?50,000 from children who want to learn the

Irish language. You talk about the straw that broke the camel 's back,

RHI and the way the DUP have created that mess and refused to show any

humility or allow us to have the investigation, let us put right that

mess, but also turned sectarianism. Paul is talking about the type of

government he wants, we are concerned about those who want...

Taken the granted? A government which doesn't have zero tolerance of

corruption and sectarianism is no government at all, said that the

public for granted? They bite off more than they could chew, but not

listen to be warnings? Absolutely. The DUP were told again and again,

act with respect. They refused that and now facing an action. I am

saying to people clear, there will be no return to the status quo, we

will not go back to any government which the Ritz in any way,

corruption or sectarianism, that is what has been allowed to happen in

the last few weeks with RHI. We have called time on that. We have had ten

years now the DUP and Sinn Fein at the heart of our government, ten

years characterised by disappointments, debacles and

scandals. I don't think the electorate need any more proof of

the fact that the DUP and Sinn Fein are incapable of governing this

country are they cannot see the concept of the greater good. If

people want an election, let's have it, because people need to hear that

we still have no programme for government, no budget, costs are

spiralling out of control because of the RHI scandal. We also know won't

have a public enquiry into all of this. The public are sick to be back

teeth of these crises at Stormont. They want to see good governance,

people who are as keen to take responsible of these crises at

Stormont. They want to see good governance, people who are as keen

to take responsibly the as they are to take power. There is no point in

trying to kill you back together the fragments of failure. -- glued back

together. It's time to move on. If we want devolution, it can and

should only be on the basis capable of surviving. I do not believe an

election is what the people of Northern Ireland want, I believe

stability is what was promised, I believe good governance is what

should be delivered. Today can only be a bad

It is the job of the Secretary of State James Brokenshire

He said the UK government will do all it can to help

The position is very clear. If Sinn Fein does not nominate a replacement

to the role of Deputy First Minister, and I am obliged to call

an election of the assembly, within a reasonable period. I would urge

the political parties, the leaders of the political parties, to come

together, to work together, to find a solution to the current position,

and we will be doing all we can with the political parties and the Irish

government, to that end. We've been asking some

people on the streets of Belfast what they think

about Martin McGuinness's I think that's very sad, but I think

it will probably have a big impact for Arlene Foster and the rest of

the country. It's another election, isn't it? Will it make any

difference to the assembly? Not really. It's tribal here. Who knows

what could happen next but it's interesting that something is

moving. I would be disappointed, I don't think an election will make

any difference. But people have to cast their vote. Be good to see what

comes out of it. We need change, but I didn't know that about Martin

McGuinness. Do you think it should have come to this? I am sorry did.

The last thing we need now is an election, it will make things even

more divisive, rather than people coming together and sort out all the

problems we are trying to deal with. Mr McGuinness's decision to resign

comes almost ten years BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson

looks back at his journey He has been Stormont's longest

serving minister, stretching back to the early days of power-sharing. I

nominate Martin McGuinness as Minister for education. An even

bigger surprise was to come. He became typically First Minister and

got on remarkably well with Ian Paisley. We have been described as

the two brothers people who thought... It turned against them in

the end, we can tackle our way through 2008! When Peter Robinson

took over as First Minister, relations became strained, very

strained. But they somehow manage to work through it. We have

disagreements, there has never been an occasion when we have refused to

speak to one another, so we have the ability to sit down and work out our

problems. When Arlene Foster became First Minister, initially they

worked well together and have the time of last year's election, Martin

McGuinness said he was looking forward to making the new executive

work. I have all my faculties, great support from my family and my party

is adamant that I continue with the work I'm doing. The IRA tried to

kill Arlene Foster's father. But this meant that working with Sinn

Fein was never easy. But said she was prepared to do it for the

greater good. I want to focus on the future and not the past. One of the

first picture little does -- challenges was the Brexit vote. It

made things difficult but not a crisis. It will be a very historic

negotiation. Now a different negotiation is on the cards. On the

table will be RHI, social issues, the Irish language, dealing with the

past and all the other issues which have told the DUP and Sinn Fein

apart in recent months. Martin McGuinness has stepped down and as

things stand, there is no guarantee he will be back.

How inevitable is an assembly election? Tonight looking pretty

much on the cards. In the old days when Tony Blair was Prime Minister,

his secretaries of State used the power of suspension to move in and

take direct power over from Stormont to avoid things like elections and

complete breakdowns, but as part of the deal that was done in 2006, that

power was taken off the statute book so whilst James Perlich acai is

saying he wants to avoid an election, you have to say that the

night all the mood music is saying that there is no obvious, Mies

insight and that we are heading towards that election being called

something over a week. An assembly will look different come what may.

Yes, we're going to lose one MLA per constituency so we were becoming

down from 108 assembly members to 19. To that extent, all the parties

here might be losers, the question will be whether the balance between

them will change -- down to 90. Particularly in light of the

public's discussed about the renewable heat scandal.

Other news now and the father of a County Tyrone student knocked

down and killed by a drunk driver says the increase to his jail

Eighteen year old Enda Dolan died in south Belfast two years ago.

The driver who killed him will now serve an extra year in prison.

Enda Dolan was a talented teenager who are just studied architecture,

not down and killed by a drunk driver on the 15th of October 2014

as he returned to his halls of residence. They beat Lee Stewart of

Belfast was sentenced to three and a half years in jail with another

three and a half on licence. The sentence was referred to the Court

of Appeal on the basis of being unduly lenient. The court was

reminded that Stewart had contained six pints of beer, four cocktails

and other drinks. It'd been suggested he had taken drugs as

well. The Court of Appeal decided increases the sentence. Increasingly

turn to for the half years, the Lord Chief Justice said nothing this

court can they could turn the clock back. What had happened was

needless, senseless and avoidable. Siddikur Morgan said in cases of

this kind, deterrent sentences must be imposed. Wobble can be increased,

the purpose macrophylla said it should have been more.

In my opinion, it's not enough given the crime he committed. It's still a

disgrace, I think the justice system needs to be looked at, the

legislation and relation to drinking and driving needs to be looked at.

He says the death of his son is something his entire family has to

live with every day. Christmas was difficult, there was an empty seat

at the table, a lot of tears around Christmas, but unfortunately that's

the way it is, you miss other family celebrations such as birthdays and

other times of the year you have other family gatherings and he's not

there. The Dolan family say they continue their campaign to have

sentences for drunk who kill increased.

A solicitor for a 22 year old man accused of procuring drugs intended

to cause an abortion has protested about delays in dealing

His co-defendant, a 21 year old woman is charged with taking two

drugs which are commonly used to bring about a

The case was adjourned until later this month.

It's to get a lot colder later this week - here's Cecilia with more

It's been chilly enough today, and it will get colder, some very cold

air start to arrive during the course of Wednesday. It'll get very

windy, with gale force winds on Thursday, making it feel bitterly

cold and many places will see snow showers, particularly on Thursday.

Particularly in the north and west. A warning is issued for strong winds

and some lying snow on Wednesday. Possibly some disruption to power

supplies. The showers will use after night, temperatures dropping, maybe

one or two spots of ice but generally frost and ice free. Some

milder air coming in for tomorrow, but colder again on Wednesday. Some

light rain and drizzle Tamara, affecting down south as well,

drifting eastwards. Trying up again across the Republic of Ireland and

Northern Ireland for tomorrow afternoon. On Wednesday, it starts

to get colder again, very windy, too. Showers will become very wintry

with snow in places on Wednesday night and further snow showers on

Thursday.