91热爆

Sir Reg sets out his stall

• Mark Devenport
• 16 Feb 07, 01:36 PM

The Ulster Unionists have had some fraught times at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, what with "jumping first" over power sharing and all those heated UUP executive meetings. But this morning's manifesto launch was a rather more relaxed affair.

I found myself sitting next to a number of toddlers, who I suspect were one of the UUP candidates' grandchildren. I never did find out for sure, because despite sustained and persistent questioning the little boy sitting on his mother's lap in the next seat never did confirm his name. Either he's shy, been well drilled not to talk to strangers or is a born politician, used to not answering questions...

Anyway Sir Reg Empey said it was right to have the children there as it's half term and the UUP manifesto is called "for all of us". It is packed full of "bread and butter" policies on everything from free prescriptions to 20 mph speed limits around schools to saving the Irish hare. But if the UUP is so concerned about "bread and butter" politics then why didn't it take portfolios like health and education last time? That's a question I put to Sir Reg for the Inside Politics programme going out tomorrow, and he admits that if they had to do it again they would do it differently.

In his interview Sir Reg criticises the DUP over its ambiguous approach to power sharing - he says it's fundamentally dishonest. And he disagrees with Peter Robinson's idea that keeping the government guessing gives local politicians more leverage over Gordon Brown when it comes to negotiating a peace dividend. He says that the Chancellor is never going to extend tax concessions to NI in the run up to the Scottish elections.

For more you can tune in to the programme at 12.45pm tomorrow or look the Inside Politics page up on the web after its transmission...

By the way there's a change of plan with the 91热爆 NI Webcast. I've got myself double booked and so my colleague Jim Fitzpatrick is going to step into the hot seat on Tuesday....don't worry you'll still get your questions asked and, after all, he's easier on the eye than me