DUP Leader Arlene Foster faces tough questions from Mark Carruthers on BBC Northern Ireland's 'The View' ahead of the Assembly Election in March 2017. Followed by analysis from Professor Deirdre Heenan and Newton Emerson.
She's instills hope of an United Ireland in me because I feel no educated person could vote for her ever again after this!! Absolutely disgraceful. Ffs.
It is with some pride I find the language of the majority of Irish people, north and south, Unionist and Republican, to be conciliatory and inclusive. This woman still reeks of bigotry and obdurate divisiveness.
Her party as a whole is an embarrassment, they're a bunch of theocratic fascists with no clue how to govern, their only policy is really shoving their religion down your throat.
I think the best part of this torie deal and brexit as a whole is that now the rest of the UK and Europe can see the ignorance the electorate has to deal with and the reason we have not progressed in the past 15 years
Foster said she does not do Gesture politics but hey ho went to an Orange Order event in Scotland and talked and took part. She does do Gesture politics
Carruthers nailed her here & fast forward 12 months another "Irish language row" & Foster goes underground after 'sounding out' the UDA/UVF.... Total hypocrite
Arlene, I am an Anglo Indian. My community represents one of the many many shameful chapters of British history, conveniently subdued by them. We would have been privileged in pre independent India at the cost of the 'native' Indian ( Hindus muslims etc), given middle management jobs , civil service posts over 'natives' who many times were better suited than my forefathers.
If she wants to maintain her Union. Bring herself and the DUP over to the mainland United Kingdom. Ireland is one country geographically United and Ireland should Not be held to ransom over BREXIT. I'm all for the current arrangement of an open border in Ireland. Please put these border checks in air/ferry ports but not along the border.
Strange how the cash for ash investigation has suddenly gone quiet involving her and party since Brexit talks. Plus her own bigoted beliefs. Not once does she mention loyalist gangs and vilolence. She's not fit for purpose
This is appalling. If I were a D.U.P. candidate I would be embarrassed to knock on doors looking for a vote. She is quite incapable of answering the simplest question, has no political acumen and resorts to banging the auld lambeg drum at every opportunity. If this is the standard of representation unionists have they are screwed…………….and not in a good way !
what a stupid interview, he wasn't listening, and was one way conversation more or less, not that I'm a Ireland fan as such, but mark didn't give professional interview
Dublin North-West deputy Dessie Ellis told party bosses that he could not afford to accept the average industrial wage because doing so would push his family "below the poverty line". Sinn Fein has for years made a virtue out of its representatives drawing lower wages than their political rivals - a move the party insists illustrates its commitment to the plight of working class families. But now it has been established that the party secretly allowed one of its most senior TDs to flout the policy and withdraw the entire Dail salary, which rose to €93,598 (£82,493) on January 1. Contacted last night, Mr Ellis confirmed that he had drawn down the entire salary since his election in 2011. He said the decision was taken due to personal financial matters and that he intends to change his approach to his pay in the future. "I am working with the party on this matter," Mr Ellis added. It is understood that he told the party in 2011 he was in financial difficulty due to child maintenance issues. He said at the time that he needed to draw down the entire Dail salary or else his family could fall "below the poverty line". Up until recently Sinn Féin TDs and senators were asked to hand back €2,500 (£2,203) to the party each year and accept a take home pay of around €37,000 (£32,610), which is similar to the average pay in the manufacturing sector. The remaining sum of around €47,000 (£41,424) is then used for constituency purposes, such as an additional premises or staff member. Sinn Fein launched a review of its pay policy last year which resulted in TDs being allowed a take home €39,500 (£34,813). However, the €2,500 annual stipend still applies, as does the obligation to spend the remaining portion of the salary on constituency purposes. One of the party's former TDs, Cork East's Sandra McLellan, previously complained about being unable to afford basic items such as make-up while living on the reduced pay. But the revelation that Sinn Fein allowed one of its TDs to flout the policy will place renewed pressure on its de facto leader Mary Lou McDonald. It will also lead to suggestions that other side deals were struck with TDs which allows them to take home higher salaries than claimed publicly. In an interview last year Ms McDonald said she was proud of the tradition of her colleagues only taking the average industrial wage. The Dublin Central TD said the policy keeps Sinn Fein "rooted" and "real", however, she said that TDs "live in the real world". Ms McDonald said on the decision to hold a review into the pay policy: "It keeps us rooted, it keeps us real. "But we live in the real world and these things have to be reviewed. "We will decide on it democratically." A Sinn Féin spokesperson said it was up to TDs whether they followed the policy. "The Sinn Fein average wage is adhered to on an entirely voluntary basis by the party's elected representative and is a matter for them only. "Sinn Fein will not discuss the private financial business of any of our elected representatives." Dubliner Ellis is a former TV repair man who was initially arrested in Dublin on explosive charges in 1981, but jumped bail and fled to Canada and then to the US. He was arrested in New York in February 1982 on immigration offences. He was extradited to the Republic and in 1983 was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in Portlaoise. In 1990 he was the first person charged under the 1987 Extradition Act on an explosives charge in England. He was eventually acquitted in a trial at the Old Bailey.
Great genuine and loyal unionist, glad the DUP are aligned with the British Government. And so many people here saying she's not progressive. She's going to get a soft border after Brexit with Eire and a whole heap of other benefits for all of Ireland.
