About by a Power Sharing coalition. It is about corruption and arrogance, says sinn fein. It is about republican demands say the democratic unionists. The other main players invoke conversation on every place. Colum eastwood, sinn fein leader Michelle Oneill, the leader of the democratic Unionist Party, eileen foster, mike nesbitt of the Ulster Unionists and for the Alliance Party, naomi long. The questions come from our studio audience, most of them Party Supporters who have made room for supporters who have made room for supporters who have yet mate made up supporters who have yet mate made up their mind. It is a pleasure to welcome viewers across the uk on the bbc news channel. If you would like tojoin the discussion, bbc news channel. If you would like to join the discussion, you bbc news channel. If you would like tojoin the discussion, you can tweet. Letters get stuck in. Our first question comes from a Quality A Nalyst First Question comes from a Quality Analyst in a software company. From the rhi scandal, what has been the most important lesson you have learnt . It is a Green Energy Scheme similarto learnt . It is a Green Energy Scheme similar to one learnt . It is a Green Energy Scheme similarto one run learnt . It is a Green Energy Scheme similar to one run in the uk but with one significant difference. There was no cap put on the Money Universities could make from their investment. That every pound that you spent on Renewable Energy, you get £1 60 back to the next 20 years. This is potentially going to cost the Northern Ireland assembly half £1 billion. That is the rhi scandal. Eileen foster, what have we learned from this . It is not going to cost the Northern Ireland taxpayer potentially or otherwise £500,000 £500 million because the reality is there Cost Controls in place by the assembly. There is also a public set up assembly. There is also a public set up which will get to the truth and the facts. Inquiry. All we have had his political smears, numerous allegations, plenty of rumours but we have been devoid of facts. I am pleased the Public Inquiry has been set up and we can get those facts. There has been lack there has been lots of facts and this scheme was allowed to go the way it did to stop people were in those last few weeks before the cab was put on, before the rates were changed, there was a spike in people. People thought this was a really good deal. It was far too good a deal, wasnt it . It will get to the bottom of all that thats. I called for an independent inquiry. If we had the benefit of hindsight when the scheme was set up, this wouldnt have happened. What is important is. What we need to do is to earn how the inquiry to run its course. You didnt mention it at the launch of your Party Manifesto when it is what so your Party Manifesto when it is what so many people have been talking about for the past few months. You didnt deem it worthy of a mention. This election has been brought about by lots of other things and the rhi has been the excuse but it has not been the cause of this election. The cause is the wish of sinn fein to implement their republican agenda on Northern Ireland and what we want to see at the election is a clear choice and that choice is between the Unionist Party and sinn fein. M is such a significant issue for so many people. It is not the cause of the election. You didnt mention it at all. The Public Inquiry will deal with those matters. The people of Northern Ireland need to get to the bottom of this. I share their frustration and anger but we need some facts instead of their political insinuations which have been devoid of facts. Michelle oneill, been devoid of facts. Michelle 0neill, you had 58 workshops on the incentive. These workshops stressed the financial benefits. Have you got clea n the financial benefits. Have you got clean hands in all of this . the financial benefits. Have you got clean hands in all of this . I do and i dont know where arlene has been living but this is election is about the scandal. It is about many other things. It is about rhi, arrogance, how the dup has handled the issue, the fact that she couldnt be humbled to accept she has made a mistake. We will get to the bottom of it but there are things we know to be fact full and true and that is the fact that arlene did strip out the fact that arlene did strip out the Cost Controls. The dp got their have got this under control. They havent. What about your departments departments involvement in it . 58 workshops saying it is a fantastic scheme, get on it. The workshops were about Renewable Energy and it promoted a scheme which we thought was a good scheme. Once my party knew about it, action was taken and the scheme was shut down. So you didnt know any of the details from 2010 onwards . The dup, and we have heard from within the dup, that the dup were withholding information. What lessons could you learn . Martin mcguinness was aware of the scheme. That is months before the last Assembly Election. Why was this not an issue at the last Assembly Election . We have heard michelle saying that the dup wanted to keep the scheme open. It was the dup that proposed this closure of the scheme. She is getting herfacts proposed this closure of the scheme. She is getting her facts wrong. What lessons a re she is getting her facts wrong. What lessons are to be learned . Eileen arlene doesnt seem to have learned any lessons. It is a disgrace in the way we have got to this situation. What arlene did issues change the scheme to take out the Cost Controls and that has to be remembered. We have a Public Inquiry and arlene and sinn fein proposed a Public Inquiry. We didnt vote to keep this scheme open. It had Cost Controls in it. Your party said we were shameful for closing it down. I agree with arlene on one thing. Sinn fein new if the la st on one thing. Sinn fein new if the last january or before. We were down to an election and they didnt tell the public the full extent of the black hole in their finances. They didnt tell us. We were down to a negotiation. We were able to make meet everyone apart from one. The Finance Department wouldnt let us meet. There was a request. There was a request to meet every secretary and they wouldnt let us. Now we know why. There is a black hole in the public finances and we got here because of arrogance, mismanagement and what we have to do is learn the lessons. One of the first things we need to do is kerber the number of Special Advisers that we have. There are far too many for a place of this size. That would be a good start and solve the problems we have. Naomi long, lessons to be learned . solve the problems we have. Naomi long, lessons to be learned . If you elect people false promise that they would go into the executive to defend nationalism, they might be fit to run a government. What they are not fighting for in this election is the basis of their ability, confidence and scrutiny of what is going on. I think it is fairly clear. We need to elect people who we believe can deliver. You have to let people who are going to deliver Good Government and i believe there are people here standing but in other parties who are capable and confident to deliver Good Government. That should be the basis on what we make decisions and not a fight between unionism and nationalism. It relates to rhi because what we have heard of the last election was we needed a strong leader of an unionism. That presided over chaos within the scheme. Resided in terms of how it was handled. This is chaos with hindsight. It is chaos in the here now. When this was raised as part of the executive issues coming over the last number of months, it couldve been handled better. It could have been handled better. It could have been handled better. It could have been handled differently and could have been handled if people have been able to work through those issues. They failed to do that. The basis on which people seek election is not some fitness to govern, it has been on trying to frighten people. You vote in that basis and you may not get the best people. This is costing £85,000 a day. Some controls have been introduced. People borrowed significant money to buy the kit, the new boilers and the banks were in receipt of a letter from mrs foster saying this is a good thing. They were saying the ta riffs good thing. They were saying the tariffs were grandfathers and it would not be changed under any circumstances. There is a huge problem there. We need an end to ten yea rs of problem there. We need an end to ten years of government marked by incompetence, cronyism and a strong width of corruption. It is time for change. Michelle, even as late as february of last year, conor murphy said he wanted the rha scheme kept open fired two more weeks. That was after the limits have been put on and the tariff had been established. There was an election looming and still sinn fein were supporting this scheme. As soon as i became aware, so scheme. As soon as i became aware, so did a. It was dealt with emergency procedures. We voted to shut the scheme down within ten days. Why didnt you tell the public about it . They voted to keep it over and the two more weeks to allow them chance to deal with their backlog. The other parties voted to keep the scheme open. It is a different scheme. The public purse was committed. There was £500 million they wanted to keep going. You didnt come out and say this was a scandal and we were going to bring Northern Ireland down over this. Conor murphy brought it to the controller. Why in december is the issue that you brought down the assembly . Johnny bellamy made a claim and made a public appearance to tell the world that the dup were up to tell the world that the dup were up to their necks in hiding the floors of the scheme, that they knew about it. Martin mcguinness had to act. Martin mcguinness shut the scheme down. They responded to the public. The dup cannot recognise they did something wrong. Arrogance, disrespect and content. something wrong. Arrogance, disrespect and content. I have to deal with corruption as well. There has been plenty of allegations. Plenty of allegations. Would it have not been better to have had the Public Inquiry first and then had the election . Then we would have had the election . Then we would have had the full tax everybody to make a judgment. Instead, what we have is political manoeuvring by sinn fein. What about respect, michelle . What we need to do is to have. What about respect for the public . |j we need to do is to have. What about respect for the public . I may be the target but it is the people of Northern Ireland who are the victims in this. We have the Health Service with Waiting Lists and the Health Minister seems to be content. I accept all the leaders need to know what they can. What i cant understand is how the government members who have the inside track, they dont communicate with each other about this. They have not informed each other. It is hidden by them. Here we are having an election on the basis of this again. When this happened, it went through as a scheme that came to one department and there was no executive sign off. They became a scheme that affected the finances. It was taken through by the emergency procedure. 0ther collea g u es by the emergency procedure. 0ther colleagues who sat on the executive we re colleagues who sat on the executive were not informed of how bad the scheme was. They were like two in the chamber because people stood up at the time when the scheme was closing and said it was a runaway success. Instead it was a cabinet catastrophic failure. If you dont share the full facts, you cant start after the event. There was a huge take up of a very good scheme. It wasnt a success in a sense that it wasnt delivering what people wanted. I dont think anybody believes it was good for the environment. People were having boilers running with the windows open 24 seven. All of those things we re open 24 seven. All of those things were flawed within the scheme but the point of this is it was not brought to the executive. It was brought to the executive. It was brought to the floor of the assembly and scrutinised. It is wrong to say this. I signed for a mortgage and numberof this. I signed for a mortgage and number of years ago and have paid it off. I signed to pay a certain amount of money over a certain period of time. I dont recall walking into the bank and saying i could change my mind. I cant understand how the government can sign up on the dotted line, take out, contract with the government ona out, contract with the government on a scheme that was backed and we had letters to the lenders. Now it is going to be scrapped and you say you will get less money. The question was what have you learned from the scheme and is a clear that Arlene Foster has learned nothing . Heranswer Arlene Foster has learned nothing . Her answer was not about what she has learned, she straight went to deflect and qualified the fax and Cost Controls. So facts arent important . We should have had the fact finding. What we have had is the verdict. You wouldnt stand aside for a Public Inquiry . Yes, i wouldnt stand aside. It was put there for a reason. Why i didnt stand aside as i wanted to fix it and Everybody Knows that. I wanted to fix the problem and when you are a politician, you should try and Fix Theissues a politician, you should try and fix the issues in front of you instead of walking away which is what i was trying to do. Can i ask. The sdlp, was it not the chairperson of that committee that oversaw that . Was it not them . I sit on committees and i know how committees work. Surely this could have been brought to them sooner. This could have been brought to them sooner. Any committee can only work on the information that they get. It is clear that nobody in this audience, nobody watching the show knew anything about the black hole in the public finances at the last election. It was kept away from other parties on u two parties from la st other parties on u two parties from last february onwards. The dup kept this to themselves and they went into an election and told nobody. They denied Opposition Parties and access to the permanent sector of the Finance Department. Now we all know why. Our second question comes from thomas who is an electrical designer. Is the first election when there would be significant Cross Community transfer votes . You can vote for as many candidates as you like in Descending Order will stop mike nesbitt said he would be voting outside the tribe and he will vote in his constituency. Any regrets . am wanting to vote auster unionists and men of any candidate that you trust. Ulster unionists. I do think this is the first election in the 96 year history of Northern Ireland where it will be possible and feasible for you, the voters, to sack your government and give a turn to the opposition. There hasnt been an opposition since devolution returned in 1998. Previously with the old role, the unionists always won. We are not going back there but it is an opportunity to say, i am going to vote, not orange, not green, but as a referendum and on the rha scandal rh iced gamble. If you. You the rha scandal rh iced gamble. If you. You went on a solo run. The rha scandal rh iced gamble. If you. You went on a solo run. If you liked what they have done, you will give them another mandate. Your own party doesnt like what you said. Did you not consult with them before you went on this . There is nothing consistent. Tanning danny saying he was to go down that road. Trust the people in your local community. Danny knows his local community. Danny knows his local community. It will be hypocritical of me to vote for the former speaker in my constituency given the criticism i levelled at him. Im do not withdraw a single word. You didnt discuss it with anyone. Leadership evolves leading and i am leading. Consultation as well. People know where i stand and what i am encouraging people to do. I am focused on the fact that this is an opportunity to bring about change away from two parties whose share space and responsibility because the law says they have to. The two parties who will form a partnership of the willing and that would be transformational from of the willing and that would be transformationalfrom Northern Irelands political fortunes. Some thought you were less than gracious in your response to mike, especially since 11 of sdlp transfers in the last election came from Ulster Unionists. They are well ahead of us here. I have said that people should vote the change. They should transfer the change. Transferred