18/04/2017 BBC Newsline

The DUP and Sinn Fein have welcomed a possible early

But there are concerns that a polling campaign will harm

the talks on restoring power sharing at Stormont,

Our political correspondent, which are due to resume next week.

Enda McClafferty got reaction to the Prime Minister's statement.

Just when we thought the political picture couldn't get any more

complicated. Up stepped the Prime Minister. I have just chaired a

meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should

call a general election to be held on the 8th of June. Theresa May's

U-turn on a snap election caught many by surprise. She believes it

will bring stability to Brexit. Others fear it will only add to the

instability here. This does leave Northern Ireland very much in the

lurch, particularly with respect to the ongoing talks process, and it

would be a disgrace if anybody possible to now walk away from the

talks table because they were interested in fighting election

campaigns. That isn't how the DUP see it. We welcome the election, we

see it as a chance because she has talked about this being an election

about the union and we see it as a chance of reinforcing that unionist

message in Northern Ireland. And election has been part of sins

trained's trip for weeks. But not at Westminster. The party says they

should use this to deliver anti-Brexit messages. We want people

to say again to British by Mr are against press it, we are for special

status in Ireland, we are for a poll or a referendum on Irish unity and

that is what she should be concentrating on when it comes to

Ireland. The Irish government says it is also concerned about the

impact and other election will have on the talks at Stormont. So, too,

are the SDLP. The parties still have a chance to conclude the talks,

conclude negotiations and build on the progress that has been made and

wants to make the most of the mandate that they all got, at the

start of March, whether all parties are minded to do that we have to

wait and see. Two years ago unionist celebrated after a pact between the

DUP and the Ulster Unionists brought into new MPs. One for each party. So

will we see the same tactic again? I want to see 18 Northern Ireland MPs

sitting on the benches of Westminster, arguing for the people

of Northern Ireland. What about those who weren't decide the

outcome? That shadow who will decide the outcome as much as they feel

about returned to the polls for the second time in four months? I'm

pretty disturbed sleep quite honest with you because of thing most

people are sick to death of elections. Another election, is a

deadly much question what is again to make much difference but at the

last one didn't. It didn't seem to do much for you. Bring it on. We've

nothing to fear. We're fed up with Sinn Fein shouting this and shouting

that, so bring it on. Just let the unionist parties get their act

together and stop doing their dirty washing in public. The election has

been formally called yet although already parties here are getting

into position. One side says it's a fight over Brexit the other a battle

for the union. One thing for sure, another bitter election campaign

here will do little to enhance prospects are power-sharing.

Earlier, I asked our political editor how an election campaign

would affect the power-sharing talks at Stormont.

The Secretary of State James Brokenshire has released a written

statement this afternoon and in it he says that he is going to fast

track legislation through which will allow collection of rates here, and

also set a new deadline effectively saying that the Executive should be

formed in early May. He maintains that there is a duty on the local

party to form an executive, that discussions will continue and that

this forthcoming general election should not continue to change their

approach was the pieces to be the only politician who sings it won't,

because when you talk to the local parties they say well, even with the

best will in the world, parties are not going to cut compromises,

sensitive deals which could put them under pressure within their own

grassroots at a time when they are going out and selecting candidates

and campaigning and going into TV studios to batter each other, around

the head, over these issues. So it seems to me that we have already had

two foul rounds of negotiations and Theresa May has pulled the rug from

under James Brokenshire's feet. That is focused on the Commons. Remind us

about Northern Ireland's current representation there. We have 18

MPs. Some of whom take their places in the Commons, some of whom are in

abstention. The last election was an Maine 2015, and we returned with the

DUP as the largest party, maintaining eight seats there. They

lost a seat but they won one elsewhere. Sinn Fein Astley lost a

seat as we will explain in a moment. The SDLP held onto all their three

seats, and the independence there is Lady Sylvia Ahern but the big

winners out of election where the two Ulster Unionists because they

had lost their niche completely at Westminster but they were able to

get to MPs. The DUP leader Arlene Foster said the -- said today that

this would be an opportunity to vote for the union. There was no unionist

pact in the recent assembly election and what is likely in June? A

different dynamic potentially come in this election, and obviously the

last election Mike Nesbitt tried to do it as an opposition versus

government election and he got very close to the SDLP. This time around

we are in the potential for unionist pact. We remind ourselves that in

the last Westminster election there was a unionist pact in a couple of

seats, and it paid dividends. Tom Elliott got a manner south Tyrone,

he got that seat with the backing of both his own Ulster Unionist Party

and the DUP. In return the dusty Unionists that aside in east Belfast

allowing Gavin Robinson to take the seat. That Doctor Naomi Long out of

the Commons. Looking at the unionist and battle grounds, if the election

in June is focusing on there? We have to see what happens in overall

pact, and how the leaders face the dilemmas. Potentially we could see

in an area like south and trim a battle between Unionists. That was

the seat that Danny Callaghan won last time round against the DUP, and

the DUP now seek to come back, depending really on the overall kind

of relationship between the Unionists. In terms of nationalists,

we saw in the last election Sinn Fein putting on quite a fewer votes,

they will obviously try to retake the manner south Tyrone, and here

are a couple of seats where they might try to take further inroads,

polling well in both foil and southbound. The SDLP might hang on.

This is a different kind of election, they will be able to say

where our MPs will take their seats and vote against a hard Brexit, and

also an election where we have seen in the past those kind of seats,

unionist tactical voting before. Police officers investigating a

spate of attacks in Larne have arrested two men on a attempt to

endanger life. Last night, a car was set alight

after it was reversed through the window of a hairdressers

on Main Street. A family home and seven other cars

were also targeted over the weekend. The Police say they believe

all of the incidents may be linked. A specialist police unit

is investigating the rape of an 18-year-old woman

in Belfast City Centre. The attack was in Gloucester Street

at around two o'clock The Police want help

in identifying a particular man. He's described as thin,

aged about 19, five feet seven inches tall, clean shaven

with short dark hair. The Police are also keen to hear

from anyone who saw a distressed woman in the area at around the time

of the attack. And in Football, Crusaders remain

one point clear at the top of the Irish Premiership

after beating Coleraine But, Linfield remain hot

on their heels after All of tonight's results

are on the sport website. And with the weather

now, here's Cecilia. Hello, good evening. Lots of cloud

over the next couple of days but it should start to feel a little

milder. Tonight cloud will hang around, no frost like last night

that some spots of light rain and drizzle here and there which will

linger into tomorrow morning. At least temperatures are on the rise.

Tomorrow morning if it is back to work a bit of dampness here and

there, quite misty and murky and not the prettiest of starts to the day.

It should improve though later in the day, and a loss of cloud and

stamped drizzle weather over southern Scotland and northern

England and some of that will head down to Dublin, but down towards the

Cork coast, brightness and some sunshine and warmth across London,

the south of England and Midlands and subways, cooler and brining up

in south-west Scotland. Cloud this afternoon -- tomorrow afternoon,

damp weather edging away so places become drier, and a bit brighter, as

temperatures in one or two spots could well get up to 13 or 14

degrees. It will stay mild on Thursday and in fact we could see

temperatures in the mid teens, and will be quite cloudy again

generally. Temperatures fall as he had to the weekend but overall our

gardens won't see a lot of rain over the next few days. Having said that

there will be one or two showers around on Thursday but also some

brightness in a lot of the time being dried, temperatures in some

spot at 15 degrees. On Friday, we will see a weather front come

through, bringing a bit of damp drizzly weather and as it moves

through it will start to cool off, winds moving back into the

north-west so cooler, but brighter this weekend.

Our next BBC Newsline is at six 25 in the morning

With unprecedented access to our prison service,

and some of the men and women serving time,

BBC Northern Ireland reveals the stories behind bars.