and then eventually anne left ireland but ireland never left anne. her fiction and her plays carried the story of those struggles for rights and the divide in ireland as well. let's turn to anne and her reflections on this panel. thank you. do you mind, i just want to go there. i will drop my notes if i don't have a panel. thank you. okay so i want to return to the subject of the good friday agreement. i, this year, was asked, because of part of the work with the civil rights commemoration committee to go to my old school. and speak to the schoolgirls at my old school. it was an all girls convent. and i did that in the company of a unionist politician. and it was set up by tim atwood. now the thing is, it was tricky this business about going back to my old school, because the first thing i had to tell the schoolgirls was that i bumped off school to go on civil rights marches. so that's the first ting. so it requires an act of disobedience. and the head mistress, the new head mistress, a woman called carol, sat in the front row the whole time watching

things have been relatively peaceful in northern ireland there have been certain. moments of violence we'll say but basically many people have been there were voices back in one thousand nine hundred who weren't pleased with this deal now because things move forward in northern ireland those voices remain fairly quiet but of course things with are beginning to change of course we've got brags that it's also opening up the possibility of a border once again between northern art and then the republic of ireland so there are many open questions remaining over what the intentions are of the new ira. got a deadline and it's less than two months away we've got this violence that has been linked to the possibility of a hard new border casting our minds back to the troubles as they're called killed three thousand people in three decades is there a danger of that kind of violence starting again if it doesn't happen the right well this is the fear of course now that brags that you know since the one thousand nine hundred eight peace deal there has been this been a fluid bord

northern ireland the republic of ireland. and he's joining us tonight from strasbourg france where the european parliament has its seat good evening to you max me talk to me a little bit about the the worry in the sense of troubles that northern ireland and the republic of ireland both could be facing now as we get closer to a a no deal brecht's. those two countries you could say of course because northern ireland is part of the united kingdom and ireland is part of the european union and its own country are deeply connected not only for its history but also economically but the real worries are not necessarily about the economy although of course for the irish people that is a huge concern but about possible violence flaring up again if a hard border gets really installed in a hard border would be individual if you had a hard drugs because that's when there are no relationships no formal relationships between the european union and the united kingdom and the day after that basically ireland would be obligated to secure the s

ireland in particular. in one word, it was reconciliation. that is the objective of all of us to bring about reconciliation between the two communities to the north and between the north and the south. also i was a very strong supporter early and up to this year the policy idea of partnership between the two traditions. my attitude then was, well, we've got very major problems in northern ireland that affects the two communities. there are major problems of the jobs, particularly about housing, we've got so many political, social, economic, and cultural problems. if we form a coalition of tackling those problems, it will eventually, eventually lead to the reconciliation, reconciliation. summoning one of those involved, in 1974, i believe that we had -- simondale hasn't been mentioned this afternoon. it was in some sense a better deal than the good friday agreement. it was a major initiative. for example, the country of ireland was pulled down. the country of ireland between north and south was far ahead of

don't believe that the main commentary any real concern for ireland. that ireland. remains. the perspectives of. journalism and commentary are largely driven by the major forces that are still controlling us and civil subjugating as i would argue the people of ireland we have ceded most of our of our of our powers to europe and that's evidenced in our inability to stop europe foisted on us a huge debt in the very recent past that which we are still burdened with. in order to see if the markets the economies of europe and we don't know the problem is exit personally i would be far legs that left exit that would. get rid of the power of europe but and retain sovereignty within that nation state but that would be in the interests of the vast majority of people i suspect that breaks it in british context is being manipulated by a powerful elite that will that hopes to. tax haven a bust and a race to the bottom we're not sure nobody knows and this will be all to be fought for but in there is context none of this we are caught in a dilemma where we're controlled in the north by br

and northern ireland. we are especially blessed to have with us today some of the key people actively involved in the struggle from both sides of the pond. truly amazing and heroic souls who literally changed the world. they faced violence, imprisonment and coercion. and they refused to bend. because they knew the power of justice was stronger than the power of injustice. all of our speakers today, from a rich variety of backgrounds, from activism to education, to political life and diplomacy will help us explore what progress has been made in civil rights on both sides of the pond, what work still needs to be done, and how transatlantic engagement and collaboration can help drive the civil rights agenda in the future. i now turn to my colleague irene jillson who wants to say a few words of introduction. >> good afternoon and welcome to georgetown university. i'm just going to say a few words because we want to hear from all of you, and our speaker is keenly interested in engaging with you in discourse. i

"sir, i'm senior airman logan ireland. i am representing one of the 15,000 actively serving transgender members of the military." his eyes bugged out, and he is e sweetest guy. he's like, "wow, this is... this is incredible. thank you so much. thank you so much for your service and having the integrity to come up heratand tell me >> reporter: while logan was tle to be his true self in afghanistan, back states, laila ireland wasn't so lucky. she was stationed at the tmypler aredical center in honolulu, where her leadership told her she had to cut her hair and tell people to address her as a man. >> and tel i'm not a female, i'm a male." that was hard. it was really difficult. >> reporter: can you just talk y about was that you kept serving in that environment? >> because i was able to really be and do something that was greater than just myself. you just develop this sense of pride that not a lot of people can understd. >>epter: despite that pride and all it meant to her, and her desire to serve as long as she uld, ireland

and ireland. mrs may said she'd be going back to the eu once those talks have concluded. but the labour leaderjeremy corbyn said the prime minister had failed to come up with anything new. there was one surprise, however. mrs may announced a major u—turn on the £65 fee that eu citizens wanting to stay in the uk after brexit were being asked to pay. on the day the scheme was launched, the fees were scrapped. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. what is going on behind the shiny black door? the meet—and—greet of visiting foreign leaders looks like business as usual, but theresa may's most important plan was overwhelmingly chucked out by mps last week. is plan a still your plan b, prime minister? is it madness to try t 515 5; 5555 55t5t5:z:5;§:7 llllll l.l.j ll llllll lljl l.ll but how? will she keep pushing for changes to the so—called backstop, the part of the deal that would guarantee against a return to a hard border between northern ireland and ireland, if a comprehensive trad

here in northern ireland and in fact in the republic of ireland the foreign minister and he was very clear and he said that he condemned the bomb car bomb terrorist attack in derry this evening and he said there's no place or justification for it now there was also a statement from the secretary of state of northern ireland and she said that our voices across the political spectrum are united intolerable violence there's no place for it i mean want to move forward and build a peaceful future for all in northern arc as you mentioned there before of course there has been a peace treaty in northern ireland since one thousand nine hundred ninety eight the police in northern ireland have also said that they suspect it was possibly carried out by. dissident republican group called the new ira run who are they well the new lawyer a was formed in twenty twelve they believe by a number of dissident republicans organizations that they said they were unifying under wouldn't leadership then we have to go back to one thousand nine hundred eight of course for when this peace deal was signed from b

or northern ireland violence sometimes feels that king and the cause of the northern ireland good friday agreement in one nine hundred ninety eight was sort of supposed to bring hope and peace to a region that been right for decades buy into communal violence it's talked about as a coming back in full falls did violence ever go away after the one nine hundred ninety eight. it did the violence has subsided since the good friday agreement is a remarkable document in regulating the conflict in northern ireland but i think it's important to stress that while the good friday agreement is it's an exercise in conflict management it's not necessarily that the conflict has been resolved anyone who visits not in aren't would be acutely aware of the very sharp differences of political opinion that exists continue to exist in order and the difference is that those differences are being expressed by it and that what breaks it does is that it really emphasizes the constitutional differences in northern ireland in a way that had been assuaged and modified over the last two decades because of the good f

don't believe that in the mean commentary has any real concern for ireland. that ireland. remains. the perspectives of. journalism and commentary are largely driven by the major forces that are still controlling us and civil subjugating as i would argue the people of ireland we have ceded most of our of our of our powers to europe and that's evidenced in our inability to stop europe foisted on us a huge debt in the very recent past that which we are still burdened with. in order to see if the markets the economies of europe and we don't know the problem is exit personally i would be far legs that are left exit that would. get rid of the power of europe but and retain sovereignty within that nation state but that would be in the interests of the vast majority of people i suspect that breaks it in british context is being manipulated by a powerful elite that will that hopes to. tax haven a bust and a race to the bottom we're not sure nobody knows and this will be all to be fought for but in there is context none of this we are caught in a dilemma where we're controlled in the north b

don't believe that in the mean commentary has any real concern for ireland. that ireland. remains. the perspectives of journalism and commentary are largely driven by the major forces that are still controlling us and settle subjugated so i would argue the people of ireland we have ceded most of our far more powers to europe and that's evidenced in our inability to stop. europe foisted on us a huge debt in the very recent past that which we are still burdened with. in order to see if the markets the economies of europe and we don't know what the problem is exit personally i would be far legs that are left exit that would. get rid of the power of europe but and retain sovereignty within the nation state but that would be in the interests of the vast majority of people i suspect that breaks it in british context is being manipulated by a powerful elite that will that hopes to. tax haven a bust and a race to the bottom we're not sure nobody knows and this will be all to be fought for but in marriage context none of this we are caught in a dilemma where we're controlled in the north by

things have been relatively peaceful in northern ireland there have been certain. moments of violence we'll say but basically many people have been there were voices back in one thousand nine hundred who weren't pleased with this deal now because things move forward in northern ireland those voices remain fairly quiet but of course now things with that are beginning to change of course we've got brags that it's also opening up the possibility of a border once again between northern art and then the republic of ireland so there are many open questions remaining over what the intentions are of that the new ira . is got a deadline and it's less than two months away we've got this violence that has been linked to the possibility of a hard new border casting our minds back the troubles as they're called killed three thousand people in three decades is there a danger of that kind of violence starting again if it doesn't happen the right well this is the fear of course. you know since the one thousand nine hundred peace till there has been there's been a fluid border we'l

and northern ireland can be done. and be done in a way that commands the support of the house and the european union. we will back amendments that seek to rule out the disaster of no deal and as we have said, we will not rule out the option of a public vote, so mr speaker, no more phoney talks. parliament will debate and decide and this time, this time mr speaker, i hope and expect the government to listen to this house. can i just say to the right honourable gentleman, he says no more phoney talks, it would be nice to have just some talks with him on this issue. she talks about social cohesion, but surely the most divisive thing to do would be for members of this house to vote through her deal knowing that our communities simply do not want it. and isn't it time for all of us to be honest that parliament has run out of road? we have been debating for two and a half years, we could debate for another two and a half years and we still wouldn't reach a resolution on brexit. the only people who can do that now surely are

that ireland is prefer to remain. on the perspective. journalism and commentary are largely driven by the major forces that are still controlling us and civil subjugating as i would argue the people of ireland we have ceded most of our of our of our powers to europe and that's evidenced in our inability to stop europe foisted on us a huge debt in the very recent past that which we are still burdened with. in order to see if the markets the economies of europe and we don't know the problem is exit personally i would be far legs that left exit that would. get rid of the power of europe but and retain sovereignty within that nation state but that would be in the interests of the vast majority of people i suspect that breaks it in british context is being manipulated by a powerful elite that will that hopes to. tax haven a bust and a race to the bottom we're not sure nobody knows and this will be all to be fought for but in there is context none of this we are caught in a dilemma where we're controlled in the north by british imperialism und

let's take a look now at how the border issue is being seen in the republic of ireland — our ireland correspondent chris page reports. this is a theatrical protest, but border people hope it will break through and highlight real concerns. they're worried any checkpoints would delay journeys, disrupt trade and bring back dark memories. i don't think the mps in westminster get the reality of border life in the north of ireland at all. and i think it's probably an extremely sensitive border, which has been shown through history. and we all know border structures become targets and things escalate in this part of the world, unfortunately. that's what we want to avoid. the brexit process has been cooking for two and half years. but still no one is sure what the final product will look like. this is the longest biscuit production line in europe. the firm's boss says there would be huge problems if britain left the eu without a deal. my hope is that any outcome other than a no—deal brexit happens. an agreed one, a postponement, a delay, a scrapping of the decision. a second vote. it doesn

sovereignty of northern ireland should continue calls for a united ireland have grown larger with bragg's it threatening to complicate the border relations between the north side of the political activist george barda told me earlier that the timing of the incident is. this is the hundred year anniversary of the war of independence in n. ireland and new ira have time to see attack to try and make a statement of both historical continuity to say that you know the fight for a united ireland is not over any the timing of this coincides not surprisingly with with the whole brics hip problem and the central ity of the question of what happens the irish border to those discussions the way the breaks it deal has been presented is just that there's this one sort of technical problem that people can't seem to sort out which is the irish backstop the reason this is so significant is that any deal down the line has implications for border while those who are tried as a sort of technical problems we have become it's actually very very fundamental what what happens in our land as a whole and the natur

last time, and ireland ove rca m e in dublin. last time, and ireland overcame england. we asked jones if he is still experimenting. we are clear who are best players are but we wa nt clear who are best players are but we want competition in the squad. we wa nt blo kes we want competition in the squad. we want blokes desperate to play for england and through that, when the competition. we are deliberately in some cases creating competition to ensure that we get the best out of the players. because to be the best player —— team in the world, which the need to be to be ireland, we need players at their absolute best and champing at the bit and hungry. and to be hungry, any competition. you don't want anyone thinking their places certain? not for one second. here we are in it we can have a tunnel, yet to be selected and it fit in every time england name a squat, there is mention of those who are unavailable due to injury. on this occasion, the injury list is quite small, just six players unfit and unavailable. watson and joseph are two of them and of course dylan hartle

says the backstop plan to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland isn't up for renegotiation. i think if the backstop is what is an insurance and insurance is needed. to be one hundred percent sure that there is no border between you and i should public and we don't want all sense that the banks took these issues this president of the european council donald tusk also immediately announced that the e.u. was not prepared to reopen discussions while french president macron lent his voice in support of no renegotiation nicol so you open as the european council of december has clearly indicated the withdrawal agreement that has been negotiated between the united kingdom and the european union is the best agreement possible and is not negotiable. with the negotiator michel barnier also defending the existing deal to reason a is poised to travel to brussels on what could be mission impossible she may come back with nothing new to work for parliament which means back to square one for bracks it again. let's get an assessment of the sort of fights theresa may has

and northern ireland which is part of the u.k. opponents of the may deal say the irish backstop would impose an artificial border in the irish sea between two parts of the u.k. and would therefore violate british sovereignty they don't use the last visit one time particularly worried about a hot irish border the simple reason that it straddles both sides. when terry hughes enters his gas station he's in the republic of ireland. but walking past some groceries. and out the back door takes him across a national border straight into the united kingdom across the border if i'm going to grab. drinks or. from seven across them or at the back doors and in the u.k. and in the front here with we have the republic of ireland so. i would probably think maybe we're in the region of thirty forty times a day across the border living and working on the other side of the border is a daily routine for many in these irish communities the small town of petit go with it six hundred inhabitants has been divided ever since islands gained independence f

. —— the people of northern ireland. but the labour leader accused her of being in "deep denial" and said her deal was "undeliverable. " the prime minister also announced the £65 fee eu nationals would have had to pay for the right to stay in britain after brexit has been scrapped. the other main stories on the bbc news at five. a controlled explosion is carried out in londonderry after a royal mail van was hijacked at gunpoint. it comes two days after a bomb attack in the city. and a teenager has appeared in court, charged with the murder of 14—year—old jaden moodie. it's five o'clock — our top story: theresa may has been briefing mps about how she will attempt to build a majority for her brexit deal — after last week's crushing defeat in the commons. mrs may said the government had recognised there had to be changes — and had been listening to views from all parties. she confirmed she was looking for changes to the northern ireland backstop agreed with the eu — which is designed to avoid a return to a hard

the focus is on eating ireland. it is the first game of the two ina ireland. it is the first game of the two in a mint. we want to make sure we put our best foot forward. be strong we have is very strong and very capable of beating ireland. —— first game of the two and tottenham hotspur have announced they've reached an agreement with chinese super league side guangzhou r&f for the transfer of mousa dembele, subject to international clearance. the belgium midfielder moved to white hart lane from fulham in 2012, and scored on his debut three days later against norwich city. no figure has been dislcosed for the deal but it's thought to be in the region of £11 million. the first quarter—final of this year's masters snooker is underway at alexandra palace with england's ronnie o'sullivan taking on welshman ryan day. we can go live to the action on bbc two. currently one frame all between the players. you can see all sullivan at the table there. in the evening session luca brecel, who knocked out defending champion mark allen in the opening round, plays chin

i said i would to be northern ireland after the order. to order the house was comit so zen in a strange patience the prime minister. i set out the government's position in detail on my state and yet in my statement yesterday so i'm not going to go over it again but the key thing to remember is this isn't a commitment we're making to the european union it's a commitment to the people of northern ireland and ireland that they will be able to carry on living their lives as they do today it's about saying that whatever happens when we leave the e.u. we will belfast agreement its success has been built on allowing people from both communities in northern ireland to feel that their identities are respected under the principle of consent for many people in northern ireland that means having a seamless land border between the u.k. and ireland which is also essential for their economy for others that remains fully respecting the fact that northern ireland is an intrinsic part of the united. kingdom no one wants to see the return of a hard border a

and the republic of ireland after the u.k. has left the european union lawmakers have now voted for an amendment giving her that mandate when is likely to strengthen may's hands when she returns to brussels to try to read because she ate the brightside deal but that is something that the e.u. so far has. earlier to rescind they lost a vote in the house of commons when the majority of m.p.'s voted to reject a new deal bracks and here's what theresa may said just a few moments ago. we will now take this mandate food and seek to obtain legally binding changes to withdrawal a great deal with concerns on the back stop. maybe turn to a hospital between north and on and on and on my colleagues line which will to the about how we address the houses as i see this often there isn't a chopper type to such a change in the even because it will not be. closing contrast to a full. this house has made it clear what it needs to approve a withdrawal agreed. to resume a they're speaking in parliament just a few moments ago with me here in the st

northern ireland and the republic of ireland stand to be most affected if there is no deal in place. 0ur correspondent emma vardy has spoken to people living along the irish border. the brexit deadline is fast approaching. it is the main conversation, you know, what it is going to mean to different businesses. people are still on edge because they cannot see what the outcome is going to be. when this near invisible land border becomes the uk's new frontier with the eu, communities on one side will be in a different regime to the other. this road is split - the middle by. border. this road is split - the middle by . border. after brexit you by the border. after brexit you would be outside the eu and i would be inside it. the so—called backstop has been the biggest roadblock. it. ie the glen. thet meg leeee " to avoid new checks on this border. it is opposed by many brexiteers at westminster and northern ireland's democratic unionist party, but supported by many people living around here. when-are when - are a third country, there are checks that have to occur at an external border a

and the republic of ireland northern ireland remains part of the u.k. the republic of ireland remains part of the e.u. and they do not want to go back to that big whomp border between the two where there was violence in the pasta and big concerns about us on both sides for both the u.k. and the e.u. however the e.u. has come up with a plan which was approved by theresa may back in november that to prevent that from happening off to the u.k. has brics it it there will be a so-called transition to signs. at the end of december twenty twenty if no deal has been made on future trade relationship between the two then possibly it's backstop to prevent a hardboard it could kick in and many bricks it is those years skeptics on in her and her own. side and also from those unionist m.p.'s who support government is ten d. u.p.a. m.p.'s do not like it so we are expecting her to talk about that so and so just just a replay of them so the dog would read is where i'm at in the e.u. or what not there is that this backstop would mean that even though we are out of the e

then impacts potentially on peace in northern ireland? there is not going to bea northern ireland? there is not going to be a hard border. the prime minister has said she is not putting up minister has said she is not putting up of structures on the border, the taoiseach has said he‘s not putting anything on the eu has said that they are not putting anything up. this is being used by other parties for their own objectives. the reality is, and i was the northern ireland minister, and the reality is that there will not be any physical infrastructure put up there. we need to recognise that and we need to see loud and clear we will be putting anything up on the border. and others do, that is for them. how can you say there will be no hard border. if we left and we were not in the customs union, how would there be no hard border? technology can do things. it has been ruled out. i do not understand why, we have online applications which are being done regularly by all kinds of people. we are approaching the deadline for tax purposes where people are submitting their tax returns online.

ireland, a bunch of them were published earlier today. they don't seem to have been enough so far. 0ne don't seem to have been enough so far. one interesting development tonight, the daily mirror newspaper is reporting that the government is thinking about accepting an amendment to the withdrawal agreement which would enshrine the eu laws on workers' writes in british law, the same ones that europe has at the moment would end up europe has at the moment would end up being transferred into uk law and potentially the uk could end up replicating some of the changes the eu makes down the line —— workers' rights. my understanding is that number 10 rights. my understanding is that numberio are rights. my understanding is that number 10 are considering accepting that amendment, which i think would be seen as an attempt to win over potentially some labour waverers. i think if the government is going to get this through it is going to need at least some backing from labour backbenchers. it is very unlikely it will get the backing of the labour

and northern ireland which is part of the u.k. opponents of the may deal say the irish backstop would impose an artificial border in the irish sea between two parts of the u.k. and would therefore violate but she saw francey. laws shelled sick visit while the town particularly worried about hot irish border for the simple reason that it straddles both sides. when terry hughes enters his gas station he's in the republic of ireland. but walking past some groceries. and out the back door takes him across a national border straight into the united kingdom i cross the border if i'm going to grab a few drinks or. at the back doors and in the u.k. i'm in the front here with we have the republican guard and so. i would probably think maybe we're in the range of thirty forty times a day across the border living and working on the other side of the border is a daily routine for many in these irish communities the small town of petit go with it six hundred inhabitants has been divided ever since ireland gained independence from britain peopl

our ireland correspondent, emma vardy, reports from derry. this cctv shows the vehicle arriving outside the courthouse in londonderry city centre. the driver parks up, then runs away. shortly after, a group of people pass by, oblivious. the device detonates atjust after 8:00pm last night. i thought this was all a thing of the past, so it‘s a bit, you know... don‘t really know what to think, to be honest. this doesn't accomplish anything. it doesn't prove anything. what are they trying to prove? a warning was called in, but police had already spotted the suspicious vehicle some tenminutes earlier, hundreds of people were led out of the busy hotels and bars. today, four men were arrested, and remain in custody. thankfully, the local community and the police service acted bravely together, and we got everybody awayjust in time. but the bomb detonated just as we were leaving the area, and it‘s only by good grace that local people weren‘t killed. this attack has been linked to the dissident republican group known as the new ira, a proscrib

and ireland. mrs may said she'd be going back to the eu once those talks have concluded. but the labour leaderjeremy corbyn called it groundhog day, and said the prime minister had failed to come up with anything new. there was one surprise, however. mrs may announced a major u—turn on the £65 fee that eu citizens wanting to stay here after brexit were being asked to pay. on the day the scheme was launched, the fees were scrapped. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. what is going on behind the shiny black door? the meet—and—greet of visiting foreign leaders looks like business as usual, but theresa may's most important plan was overwhelmingly chucked out by mps last week. is plan a still your plan b, prime minister? and if the method has been rejected, is it madness to try to carry on like this? there was no junking of her big brexit proposal in the commons, but a promise to do things differently. eellewina last week's. veté g but, how? well she'll keep pushing for changes to th

separatist leader has called for a day of demonstrations a recent bombing in several hijackings in northern ireland second largest city have raised fears of a new paramilitary threat police are looking at the suspected involvement off a dissident republicans group the new ira which wants to end british control of the province and is now barker reports of londonderry breck's it may destabilize things even more father michael county is a catholic priest in northern ireland second city during decades of upheaval community leaders played a vital role in easing tensions many hope violence was a thing of the past but after saturday's car bombing some fear it could be a sign of things to come it was most horrible time a horrendous time and they were absolutely betterness. under people families pitted against families because some people supported the struggle other people opposed to struggle so families were torn apart as a personal view that while there is a british presence in ireland i think there will always be people who will. resist that and people will try to have the british out of ireland i force

the first is measures that will be specific for northern ireland. the second is a greater role for parliament, as we take these negotiations into the next stage for our future relationship. and the third, and we're still working on this, is further assurances from the european union to address the issues that have been raised. but many tory brexiteers remain angry about the deal, as are a number of conservatives, who want a closer relationship with europe or another referendum. 0pposition parties are poised to vote against the deal, too. so, if it is defeated, what on earth happens then? then, actually, we're going to be in uncharted territory. i don't think anybody can say exactly what will happen, in terms of the reaction we'll see in parliament. well, i was rather hoping you could. if the prime minister has a plan b, she is not letting on, and theresa may didn't rule out asking mps to vote again. i've always said that no deal was better than a bad deal. what we have on the table is a good deal. the chances of the prime minister's deal getting thr

the first is measures that will be specific for northern ireland. the second is a greater role for parliament, as we take these negotiations into the next stage for our future relationship. and the third, and we're still working on this, is further assurances from the european union to address the issues that have been raised. but many tory brexiteers remain angry about the deal, as are a number of conservatives, who want a closer relationship with europe or another referendum. opposition parties are poised to vote against the deal, too. so, if it is defeated, what on earth happens then? then, actually, we're going to be in uncharted territory. i don't think anybody can say exactly what will happen, in terms of the reaction we'll see in parliament. well, i rather think you could. if the prime minister has a plan b, she's not letting on. and theresa may didn't rule out asking mps to vote again. i've always said that no deal was better than a bad deal. what we have on the table is a good deal. the chances of the prime minister's deal getting through p

there is no good brexit for ireland. 0ne brexit. there is no good brexit for ireland. one way or the other damage will be done to our island economically. the backstop is the bare bones, the bare minimum. and remember this, mrs may's government we re remember this, mrs may's government were party to designing this backstop. it was not forced on them. it was landed on by agreement. when all other alternatives were interrogated, explored and found to be wanting and faulty. so where we are now is in a very dangerous territory, i believe. i don't think anybody, any reasonable person, i wouldn't say anybody, because clearly there are some who wish to crash out, but reasonable people right across the land don't want to see a crash. that matter now, the ball is now at the foot of mrs may. her government, the british political establishment more broadly. and they need to understand, irrespective of who is in downing street, irrespective of which party is in government, the british state has international obligations to ireland that have to be met. if britain wishes to brexit,

and the republic of ireland. but it's very unpopular among brexiteers because under it, northern ireland would have to be treated differently, and remain tied to some eu rules. now if theresa may could get a guarantee the backstop would be temporary then perhaps some brexiteers would look again at her deal. here's the irish foreign minister. i made it very clear that putting a time limit on an insurance mechanism, which is what the backstop is, effectively means it is not a backstop at all. so i don't think that reflects eu thinking in relation to the withdrawal agreement. back to jonathan. we have the polish prime list are talking about a timescale, but that has been backed away, theresa may doesn't want to hear about that because objectively, ultimately, if you put some kind of time limit on this insurance policy it becomes null and void. that's the argument the eu has certainly made, and the government here has made, to an extent as well. the whole point of the backstop being there is to prevent a worst—case

our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. this cctv shows the vehicle arriving outside the courthouse in londonderry city centre. the driver parks up, then runs away. shortly after, a group of people pass by, oblivious. the device detonates atjust after 8pm last night. this doesn't accomplish anything. it doesn't prove anything. what are they trying to prove? a warning was called in, but police had already spotted the suspicious vehicle some ten minutes earlier and were evacuating the city centre. hundreds of people were led out of the busy hotels and bars. today, four men were arrested and remain in custody. thankfully, the local community and the police service acted bravely together and we got everybody awayjust in time. but the bomb detonated just as we were leaving the area and it's only by good grace that local people weren't killed. this attack has been linked to the dissident republican group known as the new ira, a proscribed organisation which aims to bring about a united ireland. police say a pizza delivery van was

arguably control ireland here's former governor of the central bank of ireland patrick it was clear that something had to be done was a classic moment for appealing to the i.m.f. far financial assistance. cut to even us mainstream media covering irish austerity in spite of the freezing weather thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of dublin our government has told us those that are penalizing people at the bottom up by the mistakes that they made got got got back. everyone in this crowd knows rough times are on the way and so ten years on up to e.u. i.m.f. financial control what is ireland like some might find this predictable because it's repeated across the you are low. and is one of the richest countries in the world you know almost eight hundred thousand people are living below the poverty line one in three of those in poverty are children one hundred two thousand are in paid employment lone parents are one of the groups most at risk of poverty of one parent families experience deprivation so is it time for ireland to join the u.k. and leave the e.u. trust business t.v.

the perspective in northern ireland with emma va rdy. that's all from westminster tonight on the first day of this five day brexit debate leading to one of the most significant parliamentary votes of modern times, which takes place next tuesday. we'll be back tomorrow to see if there's any evidence that the mood among mps is changing and, with it, the likely outcome of the vote next week. in the meantime, back to clive. huw edwards, many thanks. police believe a 14—year—old boy who was murdered in east london last night, was the victim of a targeted attack. detectives say jayden moodie was knocked off a moped by three men in a car, who then got out and fatally stabbed him. the vehicle thought to have been involved has now been found. 0ur correspondent adina campbell is in leyton for us tonight. police tonight say they have made a significant development in this investigation. the car they believe was involved in the attack that led to the deaths of 14—year—old jayden moodie has been recovered this evening less than a mile away fr

and ireland. mrs may said she'd be going back to the eu, once those talks have concluded. but the labour leaderjeremy corbyn called it groundhog day and said the prime minister had failed to come up with anything new. there was one surprise however — mrs may announced a major u—turn on the £65 fee that eu citizens wanting to stay here after brexit were being asked to pay. on the day the scheme was launched, the fees were scrapped. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. what is going on behind the shiny black door? a meet and greet visiting foreign leaders looks like business as usual, theresa may's most important plan was overwhelmingly chucked out by mps last week. is plan a, still your plan b, prime minister? if the method has been rejected, is it madness to try to carry on like this? there was no junking of her big brexit proposal in the commons, but a promise to do things differently: following last week's wrote it is clear that the government approach had to change and it has. bu

i'm in the front here with we have the republic of ireland so. i would probably think maybe we're in the region of thirty forty times a day cross the border. if you're joining us now this is g.w. news special coverage of the vote in the british parliament that voting is taking place right now we are about to get the results of that my colleague alex here at the big table with me i mean we're just waiting right now for the tallying right before tell us a full officials who i think will say what the result is i believe and most people are expecting to reason may to lose this fight significantly the big question is by how much will it be forty fifty eighty or could it be as high as two hundred or even more what does that matter than that much is it now the house is a lot because if she is defeated by more than two hundred five it's also a done proves that there really is no social support for her in parliament four hundred deal if it was a small of say fifty to eighty phones then she could possibly go back to the e.u. and say look i'm almost that if

to win them, we have to beat ireland, so win them, we have to beat ireland, soa simple win them, we have to beat ireland, so a simple equation. do you feel you are in a better place than last career? 10096. you are in a better place than last career? 100%. fitness you are in a better place than last career? 10096. fitness levels are better, we are thankful for the clu bs, better, we are thankful for the clubs, we are in better condition than last year. we have two clubs that provide the majority of our team. 7 o 0% of the team come from edinburgh and glasgow. there is a lot of upping there, we have to tap eninto and build on, when that and knowledge is leading to thatis that is better for us. that wins and that is better for us. that is our focus, carry on with the same appetite, with the group that is hungry to achieve. appetite, with the group that is hungry to achieve, a; a week on friday, when in paris a week on friday, when france host wales, and then scotland, italy murrayfield the following day, before the fixture of the opening round, with ireland, grand slam champions, taki

sovereignty of northern ireland should continue. calls for a united ireland have grown larger with brags that threatening to complicate the border on relations between north and south will let's try and pick apart what we know with this speak of peace campaigner and member of the occupy movement george barda a friend of the program as well joins us hi george northern irish police have linked the attack as we're seeing to the new ira why do you think this is happening. the understanding is that this is a one hundred year anniversary of there were of independence in n. ireland and i think the new ira and the political party it's sort of loosely affiliated to suru have time to see a tactic to try and make a statement of both historical continuity to say that you know the fight for for a united ireland is not over and you know we stand in the tradition of the of this worthy cause i think it's important to understand for international viewers the support for you know violent insurrection in northern ireland is an across island in fact is

ireland for example as well. but what steve says actually goes to the nub of it, the direct democracy, the exercise of direct democracy is not something that british leaders are very well acquainted. i'm just to draw a couple of examples from ireland, the recent abortion referendum and equal marriage referendum, what they both did then was everybody knew what they were voting for, unlike the 2016 brexit referendum because in advance you had constitutional convention, citizen forums, whatever you want to call them, there are various ways to do it but these things go on ad nauseam for most people in the country. but at least they know more or less notjust whether you tick yes or no but also the consequences of ticking that box will mean. and there were various consequences obviously. we all agree on this, britain is not used to referendums, ireland and italy and other countries are. but that is only part of the problem. that was the wrong question with the wrong preparation but now what really needs to happen is fo

the devolved institutions in northern ireland have been suspended. labour said people were suffering because of the political hiatus. decisions on the provision of public services legislation and support for the northern ireland need to be reached urgently and there is no likelihood this is convening shortly, then this government needs to take responsibility to protect and support the domestic abuse victims northern ireland. let's call it out for what it is as part of an orchestrated campaign to alter abortion laws in northern ireland and here, and to replace those laws with extreme proposals for which there is no public appetite whatsoever. does the minister agree that it is highly inappropriate for such campaigner is to hijack the domestic abuse bill in this way — undermining a bill to support victims of domestic abuse and their families and that it is equally appropriate to interfere and a devolved matter and that it has been developed for almost a hundred years. we have this strange arrangement that at one moment some members in parliament talk

ireland, for example, as well. but what steve says actually goes to the nub of it, the direct democracy, the exercise of direct democracy is not something with which british leaders are very well acquainted. just to draw a couple of examples from ireland, the recent abortion referendum and equal marriage referendum, what they both did then was everybody knew what they were voting for, unlike the 2016 brexit referendum, because in advance you had constitutional conventions, citizen's forums, whatever you want to call them, there are various ways to do but these things go on ad nauseam for most people in the country. but at least they know more or less notjust whether you tick yes or no but also the consequences of ticking that box will mean. and there were various consequences obviously. yeah, but, we all agree on this, britain is not used to referendums, ireland and italy and other countries are. but that is only part of the problem. that was the wrong question with the wrong preparation, but now what really needs

, the withdrawal agreement, including the protocol on ireland and northern ireland, is not open for renegotiation. we are at a ratification process now. we are not still in negotiation. the solidarity across europe on this, i think speaks for itself. i want to make one final observation on the debate in the house of commons and the recent days, and it is this. there are two very large communities in northern ireland. one of which is unionist, and one of which of course is nationalist. there is a diversity of views, within those communities, just as there are many people who do not consider themselves defined at all by one constitutional outlook or another. it is vitally important that politicians in westminster understand the overwhelming wish across society in northern ireland not to return to the borders and divisions of the past. and anybody who allows that to happen will be judged harshly in history. and rightly so. and this government in dublin is not going to allow it. and i want to be crystal clear on that point. there are some things that are more important than economic relationships. an