Welcome to the fifth podcast in our series of Red Lions election specials. Each week, between now and election day, we're profiling one of the main parties.

Last week, we focused on the DUP. Today, we're talking about alliance. And just before we look for evidence of that much talked about Alliance surge, we'll have a word about the election stories of the past few days. Mark Devonport, I suppose the

London Bridge terror attack impacted on the campaign across the water. First of all, there were debates

and there were several days where some of those key players actually stepped back from the front line.

They said they were stepping back, although it didn't seem to be very much of a pause so far as I was

concerned. I mean, Boris Johnson was out there pretty quickly, I thought, blaming Labour for the sentencing

policy that had led to this man, then being released halfway through his sentence.

But obviously, once again, a terrible sort of shock to the system.

And, you know, it's been notable, actually,

the family of at least one of the victims,

obviously politically active themselves,

came out and challenged some of the things

that were being said in relation to the matter.

But I think it did change the narrative,

which have been more Brexit dominated previously but has now got on to

territory to do with criminal justice? Here Jane McCormick we seem to have been discussing

health issues more than anything else over the past week even though some of us think maybe

health isn't particularly germane to a Westminster election. Discuss.

Some of us might be you, Mark. I wasn't completely on my own thinking that.

Well, we can widen this out, but I think it's certainly been an issue that has dominated things

over the past couple of weeks here. And we know that it's going to continue as well because these

strikes and industrial action are going to go on right up until really the week before Christmas.

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