15/12/2015 Daily Politics


15/12/2015

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Hello and welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:39.:00:40.

The Prime Minister's EU Referendum Bill has passed its final

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hurdle in Parliament, paving the way

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for a vote that could see Britain leave the European Union.

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We'll be looking at what obstacles remain.

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Plenty of people have talked before of an electoral pact between Labour

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Could that be their only chance of defeating the Conservatives?

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Everyone's getting rather excited about the new Star Wars film,

:01:01.:01:03.

but does one of the most successful franchises of all time really carry

:01:04.:01:06.

And Christmas is coming and with it a crop of politicians

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We'll have a look at some of the best.

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All that in the next hour and with us for the whole

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of the programme today is the former Labour MP Chris Mullin.

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He's also a diarist and wrote the novel A Very British Coup

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about a left-wing Labour leader who unexpectedly defies his critics

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Apparently it's been selling very well.

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And not all of the extra copies were bought by Jeremy Corbyn.

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First today let's talk about plans for a referendum on Britain's EU

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membership, which have moved one step closer after a Government

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victory in the House of Lords last night.

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Peers rejected a Labour Party proposal designed to give 16

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and 17-year-olds a vote in the referendum, ending

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the parliamentary back-and-forth over the EU Referendum Bill.

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The Government now hopes it will receive Royal Assent and be

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So with that hurdle out of the way, what are the other big milestones

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The vote itself will have to take place no later than 31st

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Anyone aged 18 or over by the date of the referendum will be eligible

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to vote, but citizens from other EU countries will not.

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The question on the ballot paper will be, "Should the UK remain

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The campaign period for the referendum must be at least

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ten weeks long, during which the lead campaign groups -

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still to be officially designated by the Electoral Commission -

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will have to abide by strict regulations.

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The Government was defeated in an attempt to scrap the so-called

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purdah period, meaning that for the 28 days before polling day

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ministers won't be able to make any announcements which could influence

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the result of the referendum question.

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On Thursday, David Cameron will travel to Brussels

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to make his case to other EU leaders at a summit of the European Council.

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On Thursday David Cameron will travel to Brussels

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to make his case to other EU leaders at a summit of the European Council.

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The sticking point continues to be the Prime Minister's desire

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to prevent EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits in the UK

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for the first four years of their stay.

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No agreement is likely to be reached this week,

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but European Council President Donald Tusk has said he hopes

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the summit will pave the way for an agreement by February.

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But last night the European Scrutiny Committee, chaired by Conservative

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MP Bill Cash, said that fundamental reform of the sort David Cameron had

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envisaged would not be possible without treaty change,

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itself not possible in time for the referendum.

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Well Bill Cash joins us now, and our guest of the day

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Your report is a reminder that it is a straight appeal to waivers to vote

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to leave. It is a warning to voters across the board. Because in order

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for David Cameron to achieve his objectives, it is essential if it is

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to be binding that there is treaty change. That means an amendment to

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the treaty or a protocol, so it is essential that the people who are

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being asked to vote on this historic occasion, that they know that it is

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meaningful and capable of delivery. The question before the voters will

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be whether to remain or leave the EU. There will be those with fixed

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views one way or another, irrespective of the renegotiation

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and that is you, no matter what David Cameron brings back, you will

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vote to leave? I have personally come to the conclusion having voted

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yes in 1975 and for the single European act that the Maastrict

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treaty and the treaties since then have evolved into a situation where

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we have lost control over the most important parts of how we are

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governed and the issues that are so fundamental to our democracy that

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there is no alternative but to leave. So everything you say is

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tarnished by your thoughts whatever happens you would vote to get out.

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So saying the Prime Minister cannot get meaningful change, you will

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always say that. Well this is a committee from all parts of the

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House and we agreed the rrt and that report -- report and that report was

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with some tweaks was agreed within the committee. So it this is an

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all-party committee and it is important that people should know it

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was not just from one point of view, it was actually across the board.

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Chris Mullin, he is right, without treaty change they cannot be a

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fundamental renegotiation and No 10 knows that treaty change is not

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going to happen before the referendum takes place. Well I think

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that is right. I don't think David Cameron ever intended to get into

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any of this. He decided to have a referendum for short-term reasons to

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get Bill and his mates off his back and in doing so lit a very long

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fuse. As a result we are destined to spend the next two or three years

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discussing this and maybe beyond that, discussing the consequences of

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this. I come at it from a different view, I'm in favour of staying in.

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At any cost? Well I'm in favour of staying in, I don't mind renegotiate

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shup taking place. -- renegotiation taking place. I asked a business in

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Sunderland what would be the consequences of withdrawal, and he

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said an immediate collapse of inward investment. That is a wake up call.

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Nissan said they didn't think it would make that much difference only

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a couple of months ago. But basically Chris and I agree about

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the inevengtiveness of -- ineffectiveness of a lot of what has

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been going on. The report says the renegotiation strategy is reactive

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and opaque. What is opaque about it? We do know, you may not think they

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amount to much, but we no what the Prime Minister is demanding, it was

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set out in the manifesto and it has been repeated in various letters.

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Well first, as far as the letter is concerned, that was the letter that

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was sent to Mr Tusk. That was only published because of an exchange I

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had with a journalist during the course of the press conference, it

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wouldn't have been made available to the public or to Parliament at all.

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But it was the reprint of the what was promised in the manifesto? No,

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it wasn't, it contained a lot of important questions, which had not

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been advanced before. And actually was not going to be published. The

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other thing is regarding this question of the refusal of the

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government through the minister for Europe and the Foreign Secretary to

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give us a full explanation of where they were on the benefits issue. We

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did ask them to send us a copy of what they had in minuted and they

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didn't -- mind and they didn't do it. That I regard as opaque. The

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House of Lords have also been critical in their reports about the

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extent to which the Government has been sufficiently transparent. So it

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is opaque. Is it opaque, have you not known what the Prime Minister is

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negotiating on? Well, I would hesitate to challenge Bill on the

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details. You would be. Yes I think broadly speaking we know what he is

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asking. I don't think it dawned on David Cameron until creptly that --

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recently that it could lead to withdrawal. I asked Vince Cable, who

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is a very thoughtful man, how, what the chances of withdrawal were. He

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said if you asked me a year ago I would say 5%. Now I would stay about

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40%. That is quite a change. David Cameron is in favour of staying in.

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He has threatened exit. Do you think he would campaign for out. There is

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a point, at which when you realise that the things you have been

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seeking are simply not going to be accepted by the other member states,

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and this business of getting accepted by the other member states,

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treaty change is fundamental to that, if you can't get it through,

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before the referendum, and the only thing you can offer the voter is the

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fact that you have had an international agreement which itself

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according to the former legal advisor to the European council

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wouldn't be sufficient. Do you think bearing in mind there has been

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resistance on inward benefit do you think he would drop that idea. It

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looks like it in some shape or form. It is very much in the air at the

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moment. But one thing is certain, it has not just legal implications but

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it is political. The other member states, those countries in central

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and eastern Europe, they have called it a red line and that is where they

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are. They have no intention of allowing anything to get through.

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That is what people say in negotiation. Do you think the Prime

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Minister's gamble about saying he could in a certain circumstances

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campaign for out is going to pay off in terms of pressure on the other

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states. First, I don't believe him. I think he is in favour. I don't

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think it dawned on him when he lit the fuse that is how it would end

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up. The consequences are far reaches if we did vote to come out, the

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Scots would demand another referendum and probably would vote

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to go. The Prime Minister may go down as the Prime Minister who pr

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presided over the break up of the United Kingdom I am sure is not what

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he wants. Thank you. Now, it's nearly two weeks

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since the House of Commons voted to extend British air strikes

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targeting the so-called Islamic State group

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from Iraq into Syria. But after the huge attention

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on the parliamentary debate, what action has the RAF actually

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been taking in the region? Well, once or twice a week

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the Ministry of Defence provides Here's what had happened

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up till last Friday. On the 2nd, 4th and 6th December,

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British Tornados flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus launched bombing

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raids against IS positions in Syria. The target on every occasion

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was infrastructure in the extensive The oil field is one of the key

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sources of revenue for IS. So far, there has been no RAF

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bombing of the IS stronghold of Raqqa or any other position

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in Syria, but RAF planes do fly routine reconnaissance

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missions in Syrian airspace. Last week the focus shifted back

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to Iraq, where British forces have been bombing IS targets

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for over a year. On 7th December a pair of RAF

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Tornados provided air support to Iraqi military operations

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against IS in western Ramadi. A day later, Tornados launched two

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Brimstone missile attacks on militants west of the city

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of Kayaruh with three IS machine gun positions bombed later

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that day north-east On 9th, support was provided

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to Kurdish soldiers fighting A guided bomb destroyed an IS mortar

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position near the settlement And three IS vehicles were destroyed

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in a Hellfire missile attack The RAF saw further action

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south-west of that town the following day,

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with IS-occupied buildings and vehicles destroyed,

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a mortar position eliminated, and a sniper killed

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with a guided bomb. Well we can talk now to the BBC's

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defence correspondent Even after all the debate, the media

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focus on Raqqa and such places, the bombings have been confined to one

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oil field. Yes, they have targeted the Omar oil field, they say it is

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essential, because it is the essential source of finning for the

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Islamic State -- funding for the Islamic State group and we have seen

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US planes doing a similar thing. They have updated their air strikes

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again today, the RAF, and they have been hitting again targets in

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northern Iraq and the fact is it is easier at the moment to go after

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targets in northern Iraq and Iraq itself, because there are security

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forces, there are clear boundaries between what are the friendly

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forces, the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga. The picture in

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Syria is more confusing and if you're talking about Raqqa and if

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you're going to go after what David Cameron calls the snake's head, that

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is more difficult, because that is to be with civilians living next

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door and possibly used as human shields. Is that it fear of civilian

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casualties or the lack of a moderate force on the ground stopping that

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extension to air strikes? The RAF claim they've not caused any

:14:55.:15:05.

civilian casualties so far. I think that's going to be difficult as the

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campaign... There are undoubtedly going to be civilian casualties to

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some extent. The definite Secretary has acknowledged that. Also if you

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haven't a clear army on the ground, a unified group fighting who can

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call in these air strikes, can tell you what's begun going on f you

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haven't your own forces on the ground in some way it's more

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difficult to target. A lot was mentioned about the Brimstone

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missile and why America wanted the RAF and Britain involvement in Syria

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because of the Brimstone, actually it hasn't been used at all so far in

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Syria. But in Iraq. Do we have reliable intelligence then that IS

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have actually felt the squeeze, they are feeling the pain from the

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bombing of their oil resources? I think the expectation is that this

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is one of the funding streams for Islamic State, the oil, it's not the

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only one, they extort money. They've money from various financial pots,

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including raiding banks and the likes. But it's not the only way you

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are going to defeat IS. In Iraq, of course, the key difference is the

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fact that there are forces on the ground who are working with the

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US-led coalition who may have individuals from that US-led

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coalition helping them on the ground, calling in these air strikes

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and you have not got that to such an extent in Syria. So that is the

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clear difference at the moment. Right. As you have explained, and

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outlined, northern Iraq is still the main theatre of operations for

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British air strikes. Has the campaign there over the last year

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had success? Yeah, we heard President Obama saying yesterday

:16:45.:16:47.

that he believed there was success in taking away territory from

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Islamic State, they've lost thousands of square miles in

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territory, we can see what's happening in Ramadi at the moment,

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IS is being pushed, they've been holding that city for a long time,

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but they are being strangleholds. The noose is tightening there at the

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moment. The key strategy, has been according to President Obama and

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David Cameron, going after the leadership of Islamic State and

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they've carried out targeted air strikes against individuals, they've

:17:18.:17:21.

taken out high-profile names. But, we haven't seen that by the RAF in

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Raqqa, for example, so far. These, of course early days, two weeks,

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less than two weeks since the vote was approved in parliament. You

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talked about the complications in Syria, it's a more complicated

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situation. That's because the skies are very crowded with lots of air

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forces operating. How is the relationship, if you can call it

:17:48.:17:49.

that, with Russia? Has relationship, if you can call it

:17:50.:17:54.

operational understanding at least f not a political one? Yeah, they have

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that horrible word deconflicted, they have talked to each other to

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make sure there are not going to be mid-air collisions, the sort of

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incident which was essentially about crossing a boundary, the Turks

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shooting down a Russian warplane, that's the kind of thing they're

:18:13.:18:16.

desperate to avoid. There is a clear understanding, I think. That's not

:18:17.:18:21.

their biggest worry. I think the hardest thing is targeting, getting

:18:22.:18:24.

clear targets in Syria at the moment. The numbers at the moment

:18:25.:18:29.

are stacked in much more targeting going on in Iraq than in Syria. And

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you have to remember also that the British contribution is, even though

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it's been doubled in the number of warplanes that have been sent since

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that vote, the British County Councils is small. For example, the

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RAF totally has carried out about 400 air strikes. -- contribution.

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The US has carried conducted about nearly 9,000 air strikes. A lot of

:18:57.:19:01.

these missions, they are flying over Iraq or Syria, carrying out

:19:02.:19:04.

surveillance, are not using their weapons at all. Essentially in the

:19:05.:19:08.

past year for the RAF we have seen about one in four missions have been

:19:09.:19:12.

resulting in an air strike. That's a small proportion. Thank you very

:19:13.:19:16.

much. We bid for someone from the MoD to

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come on to the programme but none were available.

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Now let's talk about the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn.

:19:24.:19:25.

My guest of the day, Chris Mullin, is a former colleague of Mr Corbyn,

:19:26.:19:29.

shares a lot of his politics and is altogether something

:19:30.:19:31.

Here he is talking about Mr Corbyn when he was elected,

:19:32.:19:37.

If you run into him on a train as I have done, he will immediately get

:19:38.:19:47.

out of his box of sandwiches which are verying tearian, of course and

:19:48.:19:50.

cut them in half. He is a good man. The serious point is this, do you

:19:51.:19:54.

think if he does become leader of the opposition, do you see him as

:19:55.:20:01.

electable, as a Prime Minister? It's unlikely, frankly.

:20:02.:20:07.

Do you still feel that? Well, I think we are on - Jeremy is

:20:08.:20:11.

certainly on a learning curve. We are all on a learning curve here. We

:20:12.:20:16.

are in unknown territory. I feel that electing Jeremy was a high risk

:20:17.:20:19.

strategy on the part of the Labour Party. But I think he needs to be

:20:20.:20:24.

given a reasonable period to show what he can do and I don't think the

:20:25.:20:27.

short time he has had so far and some of the misbehaviour that's

:20:28.:20:31.

occurred amounts to a reasonable period. We are more than four years

:20:32.:20:35.

away from a general election, in two years' time perhaps that will be a

:20:36.:20:39.

time to assess. But it was only a few months ago you didn't think he

:20:40.:20:43.

would be electable as Prime Minister. What makes you think now

:20:44.:20:47.

he might be? He must be given a chance that's all I am saying. I am

:20:48.:20:51.

not going to go around slagging him off as some people have done. He has

:20:52.:20:56.

in some respects done better than expected, at Prime Minister's

:20:57.:20:59.

questions he often holds his own. I think what the Labour Party as a

:21:00.:21:02.

whole has to do, if he wants to stand a chance of winning the next

:21:03.:21:05.

election, is address the nation and not each other. They're still at the

:21:06.:21:10.

stage of addressing each other at the moment and they shouldn't,

:21:11.:21:14.

individual MPs have been collaborating with the Murdoch press

:21:15.:21:18.

and they shouldn't be. Who is misbehaving along those sort of

:21:19.:21:22.

lines? Well, you can pay your money, take your choice. But I saw one

:21:23.:21:28.

today, I think, in a newspaper saying she would stab Jeremy not in

:21:29.:21:32.

the back but in the front, should the need arise. I think that's a

:21:33.:21:38.

very foolish thing to say. They really need to start pointing their

:21:39.:21:42.

guns outward at the enemy. The public do not vote for divided

:21:43.:21:47.

parties. Jeremy is sa saintly decent man who has led a life that reflects

:21:48.:21:52.

his principles and deserves to be given a chance. He ares rebelled. He

:21:53.:21:58.

was a serious rebel and that makes it difficult to demand it now. He is

:21:59.:22:04.

entitled however, to be taken seriously for and given a chance.

:22:05.:22:10.

Right. You mentioned the Labour MP Jess Phillips, I think we can hear

:22:11.:22:13.

what she had to say using the words that you just mentioned there. I

:22:14.:22:19.

would do anything that I felt was going to make the Labour Party win

:22:20.:22:23.

the next election because if I don't have that attitude all I am doing is

:22:24.:22:27.

colluding with the Tories. That's making Jeremy better, I will roll my

:22:28.:22:30.

sleeves up, if that's not going to happen, and I have said that to him

:22:31.:22:36.

and to his staff, the day that it becomes that you are hurting us more

:22:37.:22:39.

than you are helping us, I won't knife new the back, I will knife you

:22:40.:22:43.

in the front. You didn't like her words there but actually put into

:22:44.:22:46.

context what she's saying, being honest about her view there. The

:22:47.:22:50.

great difficulty is our free press does not put things into context and

:22:51.:22:56.

what will be quoted is that last couple of sentences. You learn after

:22:57.:23:01.

a while, I mean, it took me a while to learn this, but you really have

:23:02.:23:05.

to point your guns outwards and address the nation and not each

:23:06.:23:09.

other. Are both sides guilty of that? As you know, both sides have

:23:10.:23:16.

been briefing furiously about abuse being flung at Jeremy Corbyn and

:23:17.:23:20.

abuse being flung at people that would describe themselves as

:23:21.:23:24.

moderate Labour MPs rightly or wrongly? I am sure there have been

:23:25.:23:31.

offenders on both sides, not Jeremy himself who maintain as great deal

:23:32.:23:36.

of equimity in provocation I would say. Do you think he should have

:23:37.:23:41.

reached out more across the parliamentary party when formulating

:23:42.:23:45.

his shadow Cabinet? He has to some extent, but he could have done more.

:23:46.:23:50.

All the talk about reshuffling the Shadow Cabinet so that he can mould

:23:51.:23:53.

the Shadow Cabinet in his image more, do you think that's going to

:23:54.:23:58.

alienate or bring people together? It can only work with those who are

:23:59.:24:03.

willing to work with him. One of the first things that happened was a

:24:04.:24:09.

number of people who were potential Shadow Cabinet material took their

:24:10.:24:13.

ball away and said they weren't going to play. Then some of the same

:24:14.:24:16.

people protesting that the balance in the Shadow Cabinet was unfair.

:24:17.:24:22.

You can't have it both say -- both ways. My advice to anyone is to pull

:24:23.:24:27.

together, you are all in the same team. That's what the electorate

:24:28.:24:34.

expect. Do you think it was provocative to have Ken Livingstone

:24:35.:24:39.

as co-convener of the defense review when there was a Shadow Defence

:24:40.:24:44.

Secretary? Well, I am sure that both Ken and the Shadow Defence Secretary

:24:45.:24:54.

are mature enough to work out a modus, the triedent issue is

:24:55.:24:57.

difficult in the world of politics, I think only the Tory Party could

:24:58.:25:03.

get rid of a nuclear missile system, it is bonkers spending ?30 billion

:25:04.:25:08.

on this redundant missile system. In the world of practical politics I

:25:09.:25:11.

don't think Labour could get away with it. What it will have to do

:25:12.:25:14.

when the vote comes is allow another free vote. Should Ken Livingstone be

:25:15.:25:21.

made a peer? Oh, God, that's not in my... That's way above my pay grade.

:25:22.:25:26.

That was the talk so he could put in the Shadow Cabinet. It has been

:25:27.:25:31.

dismissed. As you say, if there isn't a big pull for Jeremy Corbyn

:25:32.:25:35.

to pick his team come in the future that's what he might have do to do.

:25:36.:25:39.

Let's deal with Ken Livingstone. He is the most, without exception,

:25:40.:25:42.

successful left-wing politician possibly in the history of the

:25:43.:25:46.

Labour Party. He governed London one way or another for 16 years in

:25:47.:25:50.

power, in office. And quite a lot of the things, I said left-wing, I

:25:51.:25:57.

don't think Tony Blair would claim to be particularly left-wing. I

:25:58.:26:02.

don't mean to disparage him. Of the left-wing politicians most have

:26:03.:26:05.

never had office of any sort. But Ken has been in office for 16 years

:26:06.:26:10.

one way or another actually quite a lot of the things he did on gays,

:26:11.:26:16.

talking to Sinn Fein, and introducing a decent public

:26:17.:26:19.

transport system in London, he demonstrated he can deliver. I think

:26:20.:26:24.

it will be wise of Jeremy, Ken can be a loose cannon, we all know that

:26:25.:26:27.

too and preferable if he wasn't too much of a loose cannon, but I think

:26:28.:26:32.

he has something to contribute and don't blame Jeremy at all, if it's

:26:33.:26:35.

from the House of Lords or wherever, I have no strong feelings within way

:26:36.:26:37.

or another about that. Right. Now our guest of the day here,

:26:38.:26:45.

Chris Mullin, has a suggestion for how Labour can win

:26:46.:26:48.

the next general election. He's recently told

:26:49.:26:50.

the New Statesman magazine: There's one thing I think Labour

:26:51.:26:51.

are going to have to do if we are to stand any chance

:26:52.:26:54.

of defeating the Tories next time. We are going to need

:26:55.:26:57.

all the non-Tory voters we can find. Labour urgently needs

:26:58.:27:00.

a Lib Dem revival. The Lib Dems can win seats in parts

:27:01.:27:03.

of the country we can't. Jeremy needs to be thinking

:27:04.:27:06.

about an electoral pact In a list of key marginals,

:27:07.:27:12.

there needs to be just Well, one politician who'd long

:27:13.:27:18.

talked of a left-leaning pact is the former Lib Dem MP

:27:19.:27:22.

and coalition Minister Vince Cable. Do you agree with that thesis? Well,

:27:23.:27:32.

with qualifications, if there is going to be a breakthrough as

:27:33.:27:36.

happened in 19197 and the subsequent elections, it will be on the basis

:27:37.:27:40.

that there is some common understanding by the Tory opponents,

:27:41.:27:43.

we are in danger of getting a one-party state. But the

:27:44.:27:47.

qualifications are very important. The opposition parties have to make

:27:48.:27:51.

a common offer to the public. The public have to agree with them. One

:27:52.:27:56.

thing we shouldn't forget is at the last election the Tories got in with

:27:57.:28:01.

37% of the vote but a Tory splinter group, which is Ukip, also did well

:28:02.:28:05.

and between them they got a majority. So we did have a

:28:06.:28:08.

right-wing majority. You can't change that. Tactical manoeuvring

:28:09.:28:12.

doesn't solve that problem. Where is your evidence, either of you, that

:28:13.:28:14.

even if Jeremy Corbyn won over your evidence, either of you, that

:28:15.:28:18.

the left-wing votes, for example, or if there was a sort of shared

:28:19.:28:22.

platform with Greens and Lib Dems, that it would be enough to win a

:28:23.:28:26.

general election? It wouldn't, for the reasons I have given. What Chris

:28:27.:28:31.

said earlier, which is important, is we have to address the public. The

:28:32.:28:33.

tragedy of what's happening in the Labour Party is that it's a sort of

:28:34.:28:37.

inward looking conversation. Until they resolve that issue with their

:28:38.:28:42.

own leader and people accept him or change him, there isn't an outward

:28:43.:28:46.

looking proposition that people can rally to. Would you be in favour of

:28:47.:28:51.

that sort of left-wing coalition with Jeremy Corbyn at the head or

:28:52.:28:54.

would it be better without him? I think it would be easier with

:28:55.:28:59.

someone else, given his history. As you know, in my own seat I lost

:29:00.:29:03.

because a lot of what we used to call soft Tory voters were so

:29:04.:29:06.

alarmed by the prospect of Ed Miliband and the SNP they went to

:29:07.:29:11.

the Tories. Jeremy Corbyn would be even less appealing to that

:29:12.:29:15.

particular group. So your thesis falls down at that point if people

:29:16.:29:19.

like Vince Cable couldn't see themselves part of a left-wing

:29:20.:29:24.

coalition under someone like Jeremy. Vince's first point is the right

:29:25.:29:28.

one, the parties would have to make a common offer. Aspiring to be in

:29:29.:29:34.

Government involves compromise and compromises would have to be made on

:29:35.:29:37.

all sides. The Lib Dems recently emerged from a coalition with the

:29:38.:29:41.

Conservatives and they had to make compromises there. That was because

:29:42.:29:47.

they felt they could work together. They weren't sure about Gordon

:29:48.:29:51.

Brown. They had to swallow quite hard and this will be a compromise,

:29:52.:29:55.

I think it's one that should be more appealing to potential Lib Dem

:29:56.:30:03.

voters. Is History is getting wonky here. We would have worked with

:30:04.:30:07.

Gordon Brown, it wasn't a preference for the Tories that got us into the

:30:08.:30:12.

coalition, it was political reality. Both sides did say that there would

:30:13.:30:16.

be a better working relationship, they felt with Nick Clegg and David

:30:17.:30:20.

Cameron. In terms of history, if you were to take the left-wing coalition

:30:21.:30:25.

as you both broadly outlined wouldn't it just result in Labour

:30:26.:30:31.

increasing its vote and share of the seats it already holds?

:30:32.:30:35.

We are getting ahead of ourselves. You've to build. You have to start

:30:36.:30:44.

by getting the public to accept that continued Conservative dominance is

:30:45.:30:48.

doing harm to the country. That is the first negative story and you

:30:49.:30:52.

have got to have something positive to offer instead and then you look

:30:53.:30:56.

for common ground. And you have got to involve your act vifss on the --

:30:57.:31:06.

act ivists on the ground. The piece you have written seems to concede

:31:07.:31:10.

that Labour can't win an election on its own. I think that is right for

:31:11.:31:14.

the foreseeable future, because of the loss of Scotland. I don't see it

:31:15.:31:19.

coming back. Do you think it is just because of the loss of Scotland. I

:31:20.:31:24.

wouldn't call this a left-wing coalition, I would call it a

:31:25.:31:30.

non-Tory coalition. What about Ukip being part of it, in some of the

:31:31.:31:39.

seats you need to win, the Ukip voters are the ones you want to win

:31:40.:31:45.

back. Ukip is a bit of a one man band and we find it fades. They have

:31:46.:31:52.

got a lot of votes. They did, but personally they're not a force I

:31:53.:31:57.

feel we could be aligned to. You talked about Scotland being the

:31:58.:32:02.

problem, the losses in Scotland, you still haven't addressed or given me

:32:03.:32:05.

evidence to show that the sort of thing you're talking about would win

:32:06.:32:08.

over Tory seats, which is what you need to do if you're going to win

:32:09.:32:12.

the general election. The liberals used to hold three seats in

:32:13.:32:17.

Cornwall. There was never a slightest chance of Labour ever

:32:18.:32:22.

holding those. They are at a low base and I would expect them to go

:32:23.:32:28.

up. There is a fundamental problem with that too, again a non-Tory

:32:29.:32:34.

coalition of one you are outlining, how are Liberal Democrats going to

:32:35.:32:39.

win back those former marginals on that basis? In 97 when the big

:32:40.:32:44.

political break through occurred of last generation, it was because of

:32:45.:32:50.

tactical voting. There was no formal pact, but an understanding that the

:32:51.:32:53.

era of Tory government had gone and we wanted something knew and it was

:32:54.:32:59.

assumed Blair would be Prime Minister. A lot seats voted for us

:33:00.:33:08.

comfortable with the fact that a Labour or Labour/Liberal Democrat

:33:09.:33:12.

Government would emerge. Until we can re-create that political

:33:13.:33:16.

environment and that means winning the political debate we are not

:33:17.:33:22.

going to progress. The present Tory government is laying waste to public

:33:23.:33:26.

sector. Eventually the public will notice and that will pay some

:33:27.:33:32.

dividends in terms of votes. Is this the start of political pact between

:33:33.:33:38.

you two? What needs to happen we need to talk to each other. There

:33:39.:33:43.

has been vicious tribal argument on what I would call the left from my

:33:44.:33:46.

party through Labour and other groups. We need to talk to each

:33:47.:33:50.

other and co-operate on particular issues. You're both welcome any time

:33:51.:33:54.

to chat. Thank you. Now at May's general election

:33:55.:33:57.

the Conservatives had their best results in Wales for more than 30

:33:58.:33:59.

years, and the party will be under pressure to repeat its success

:34:00.:34:03.

at next year's elections But it's Labour that is still

:34:04.:34:05.

Wales's dominant party, controlling the Assembly in Cardiff

:34:06.:34:08.

and getting the biggest share The Tories are hoping that an offer

:34:09.:34:11.

of lower income taxes in Wales, using powers that are set to be

:34:12.:34:16.

devolved, could give them a boost. Here's George Osborne making

:34:17.:34:19.

the announcement in last For years Wales has asked for a

:34:20.:34:32.

funding floor to protect spending there and now within months of

:34:33.:34:37.

coming to office, this Conservative Government is answering that call

:34:38.:34:40.

and providing that historic funding guarantee for Wales. I can announce

:34:41.:34:48.

we will introduce the new funding floor and sit it at 115%. The Welsh

:34:49.:34:55.

Secretary and I will legislate so the devolution of income tax can

:34:56.:34:59.

take place without a referendum. George Osborne there.

:35:00.:35:03.

Well, we're joined now by the leader of the Welsh Conservatives,

:35:04.:35:05.

You want to take 5% off the higher rate of tax. That could cost ?255

:35:06.:35:20.

million in Welsh revenue. How would you pay for it It is not taking it

:35:21.:35:26.

off. The tax base would grow and bring entrepreneurs into Wales. Two

:35:27.:35:29.

things we have identified so far that we wouldn't do what Labour are

:35:30.:35:35.

doing, is free prescriptions. 40% taxpayers pay for free prescriptions

:35:36.:35:42.

that would save ?40 million. Also tuition fees, Welsh students are

:35:43.:35:49.

subsidised to a tune of ?3,6 hundred and they can take the grant and go

:35:50.:35:56.

anywhere in the United Kingdom. That is a loss of ?7 ?70 million.

:35:57.:36:11.

Importantly this can aprabgt entrepreneurs -- attract

:36:12.:36:16.

entrepreneurs to Wales. This would only reduce bills by up to ?400, is

:36:17.:36:22.

that enough to attract people to Wales? It could start the process of

:36:23.:36:27.

showing Wales is open for business and sends a positive message that

:36:28.:36:31.

you have a Welsh Conservative Government that believes the best

:36:32.:36:35.

people to spend the money are the people themselves and we are more

:36:36.:36:37.

competitive than other parts of United Kingdom. What we don't have

:36:38.:36:43.

are enough entrepreneurs developing a large private sector to create

:36:44.:36:48.

quality take home pay. You think that would shift business investment

:36:49.:36:52.

in Wales, to justify your income tax changes. But how popular is the

:36:53.:37:05.

policy, the Welsh political Politics Showed is support for income tax

:37:06.:37:08.

devolution is weakest among Conservative supporters in Wales.

:37:09.:37:11.

Because there is a fear what Labour and the others would do with the

:37:12.:37:15.

powers, they have indicated they would increase taxation and we would

:37:16.:37:19.

be opening up the political narrative. At the moment the

:37:20.:37:26.

Assembly and the Government have no means to raise revenue. Now the

:37:27.:37:31.

political debate and argument will move into game-changer mode and the

:37:32.:37:39.

politicians you will eexpect will be delving into rour purses, for the

:37:40.:37:46.

first time. You campaigned on improving public services, how do

:37:47.:37:51.

you do that and cut taxes. You increase the tax base, because you

:37:52.:37:56.

get more people earning more money. It is depends which part of the

:37:57.:38:00.

political spectrum you come from. The left believe you take more of

:38:01.:38:04.

people's income, the right believe you leave wit people to spend. Do

:38:05.:38:10.

you think by cutting income tax you can still improve public services?

:38:11.:38:19.

If I was Welsh I would be sceptical. It is dangerous to get into a

:38:20.:38:23.

bidding war over income tax. When Margaret Thatcher left office the

:38:24.:38:27.

basic rate of income tax and that is the fairest way to raise public

:38:28.:38:34.

money, was 26 pence in the pound. After eleven years of Margaret

:38:35.:38:40.

Thatcher. This gentleman is talking about putting down to 19 pence. If

:38:41.:38:46.

you want to see a collapse of public services this is the way to do it.

:38:47.:38:53.

Public services under Labour have been criticised, admittedly by the

:38:54.:38:56.

Tory government, but they have been criticised and there is a lot of

:38:57.:39:01.

evidence to support what the Conservatives have said,

:39:02.:39:04.

particularly on health. I think under this government if they

:39:05.:39:08.

continue down this road and may might not, you can expect all

:39:09.:39:14.

nonstatutory public services to more or less collapse within the next

:39:15.:39:22.

five or six years. That shows a lack of understanding of the devolution

:39:23.:39:25.

settlement. And what is going on in Wales. Ultimately the government in

:39:26.:39:31.

Wales, not just by political parties, but by independent think

:39:32.:39:38.

tanks, this is a Labour Party that in power since 1999 and whether you

:39:39.:39:42.

take independent analysis or political analysis, Labour have

:39:43.:39:47.

failed to deliver for Wales. Except they still keep being voted back in.

:39:48.:39:53.

On a smaller part of vote. Let's go back to income tax, because most

:39:54.:39:57.

income tax in Wales is paid by the earners in the lower tax bands. You

:39:58.:40:05.

will give a bigger reduction to those on higher incomes, that is how

:40:06.:40:08.

it would work out, so they will benefit from the cut on the lore

:40:09.:40:11.

band and the higher band and benefit twice. It is about the Welsh

:40:12.:40:17.

Treasury being able to afford this. If you look at the 40% tax rate u

:40:18.:40:24.

you're talking of a hit of about 12 to 15 million. If you talk of the

:40:25.:40:28.

basic rate you have to find between 150 and 170 million. So we have

:40:29.:40:35.

costed what we can do and invested in public services and delivering a

:40:36.:40:41.

better state that gets the waiting list down and lifts education

:40:42.:40:47.

standards to get better standards across the board. Thank you.

:40:48.:40:52.

Theresa May is now the longest-serving Home Secretary

:40:53.:40:54.

since Henry Matthews in 1892, overtaking Rab Butler's 2,007-day

:40:55.:40:56.

She's survived what's meant to be one of the trickiest jobs

:40:57.:41:03.

in the Cabinet, and is spoken of as a possible contender for next

:41:04.:41:06.

Giles has been looking into the secret of her success.

:41:07.:41:13.

Home Secretary Theresa May knows the drill. In the wake of the Paris

:41:14.:41:24.

attacks, she was on the BBC, comfortable, reassuring the public.

:41:25.:41:26.

It is the kind of confidence that comes with knowing the job and doing

:41:27.:41:31.

it longer than anyone in modern politics. Inside the Home Office are

:41:32.:41:36.

portraits of those who have been Home Secretary in the past and only

:41:37.:41:39.

one has gone on to be Prime Minister. But the current incumbent

:41:40.:41:45.

is the longest serving Home Secretary since the Second World

:41:46.:41:50.

War. That is quite an achievement, given the job dents reputations

:41:51.:41:54.

rather than makes them. Jack Straw said when he went into it he was

:41:55.:42:01.

advised by a previous Conservative Home Secretary in the words, Jack,

:42:02.:42:09.

somewhere in that department every day, in some corner is somebody

:42:10.:42:14.

doing something that can ruin your whole career. I think that is...

:42:15.:42:21.

Probably pretty accurate. Everybody makes mistakes. We are all fallible

:42:22.:42:27.

human beings. If you're in another department, there is a reasonable

:42:28.:42:31.

chance that the mistake you make will be in some dark hidden corner

:42:32.:42:37.

when no one is looking. There are no dark hidden corners in the Home

:42:38.:42:40.

Office. I would give you the powers... Theresa May is not perfect

:42:41.:42:45.

and for some hasn't always got it right. Stand by your vision... She

:42:46.:42:52.

upset the police federation and nearly didn't and couldn't depart

:42:53.:43:01.

Abu Qatada. ImGriggs But he has endured. If you look at the list of

:43:02.:43:07.

things she has done, it is actually liberal. You have modern slavery

:43:08.:43:14.

bill and scrapped ID cards and she is the first Home Secretary that we

:43:15.:43:21.

can do business can according to The Voice, a leader black newspaper. For

:43:22.:43:27.

a Tory to have that reputation, her moves on stop and search, she is

:43:28.:43:31.

very hard to pin point down. That is one of her quality and why she

:43:32.:43:35.

survives, you can't put her in a box. It is either every day sexism

:43:36.:43:42.

or a political truth that being the most senior woman in government may

:43:43.:43:46.

have helped her secure her place in a cabinet with a Prime Minister

:43:47.:43:49.

often accused of having a woman problem. The first woman to do the

:43:50.:43:54.

job is generous in her appraisal. She is effective in the job that she

:43:55.:43:59.

does. From everything I hear very hard working. It is a slight

:44:00.:44:05.

function I think of the little double standards that happens at the

:44:06.:44:11.

start of Parliament that she got away with some things, but good luck

:44:12.:44:18.

to her. And I think you know I have every respect for the length of time

:44:19.:44:22.

that she has done it and for some of changes she has made as well. There

:44:23.:44:27.

seems no immediate threat of Theresa May leaving the Home Office. The

:44:28.:44:32.

only question everyone are asking, is this a sight she might like us to

:44:33.:44:35.

get used to in the future? We're joined now by

:44:36.:44:43.

the Conservative MP Peter Bone. What do you think is the secret of

:44:44.:44:52.

her success? She's extraordinarily good, to survive for that length of

:44:53.:44:56.

time is remarkable. Success in staying that long, not necessarily

:44:57.:44:59.

her record as Home Secretary. If you looked at what was said in the clip,

:45:00.:45:04.

it's difficult to pin her down. I was involved in the modern slavery

:45:05.:45:07.

bill, absolutely right thing to do, people will say that's from the

:45:08.:45:11.

left. She's very tough on immigration. And I would argue the

:45:12.:45:16.

EU Tough on immigration, but net migration figures have Soared. The

:45:17.:45:20.

Tory Party has utterly failed on that. Absolutely the Government's

:45:21.:45:28.

failed on it and it's... A lot of people believe if she was let free

:45:29.:45:31.

from what she wants to do, she would solve the problem. You think she is

:45:32.:45:36.

being hampered by the leadership on that particular issue, it's nothing

:45:37.:45:39.

to do with her? They will say, that's your area and you have

:45:40.:45:46.

failed. No, but you can't, for instance, say you want to reform the

:45:47.:45:51.

European Court of Human Rights or you want to cut down the number of

:45:52.:45:55.

immigrants without having collective support of the Government. She's

:45:56.:46:01.

made so many hints and I think, you touched on it at the end, she's

:46:02.:46:06.

clearly a very credible candidate to be the next Prime Minister when this

:46:07.:46:10.

one has clearly said he will retire sometime before the end of this

:46:11.:46:13.

parliament Rather than George Osborne? He is clearly a credible

:46:14.:46:22.

candidate but if you ask me who attracts more, I would say perhaps

:46:23.:46:26.

she does at the moment. They're both talented people and can be Prime

:46:27.:46:29.

Minister, of course. You would rather it was Theresa May? I don't

:46:30.:46:34.

think I said that. No, I am asking. I said she would, there is clearly a

:46:35.:46:37.

number of Conservative colleagues who would be very good Prime

:46:38.:46:40.

Ministers but Theresa May, someone who has held that office of state

:46:41.:46:45.

for so long and done such a good job clearly has the right to be

:46:46.:46:48.

considered as the next Prime Minister. Right. She certainly

:46:49.:46:51.

succeeded where Labour Home Secretaries have failed and that's

:46:52.:46:54.

to stay in the job for a substantial length of time. There were so many

:46:55.:46:58.

of them. Clearly over a fairly long period of time. Jack Straw was there

:46:59.:47:02.

four years and he was a successful Home Secretary. Yes, you are right.

:47:03.:47:06.

If you go and see the Home Secretary as I have done from time to time,

:47:07.:47:09.

there are pictures down the corridor and back up the other side...

:47:10.:47:13.

They've run out of space! You have forgotten who they are.

:47:14.:47:17.

Extraordinary list of people since the war. One of the sensible things

:47:18.:47:24.

Cameron has done is not have reshuffles and that's the habit

:47:25.:47:26.

Labour and I think the reshuffles and that's the habit

:47:27.:47:30.

Government got into and that was destabilising for Government, you

:47:31.:47:32.

can only make a difference if you are left somewhere, you make

:47:33.:47:36.

mistakes at first, of course you do, if you are left somewhere long

:47:37.:47:39.

enough to make a difference and she is a very formidable woman and yes,

:47:40.:47:43.

she's done very well. Right. Done very well do you think from a policy

:47:44.:47:47.

perspective too? Harry Coal in that film said his assessment is she's

:47:48.:47:53.

quite liberal having wons been described as really hardline in many

:47:54.:47:59.

ways, since liberal on things like stop and search, for example, and

:48:00.:48:03.

there were too many white police forces in England and Wales. I don't

:48:04.:48:11.

see her as a liberal Home Secretary, she did take on the Police

:48:12.:48:13.

Federation and she faced them down and I have been waiting for a long

:48:14.:48:18.

time for a Home Secretary to do that. Yes, on this immigration

:48:19.:48:22.

business I bet she's been hinting that leave it to her and she could

:48:23.:48:27.

solve the problem because she wants the votes of people like Peter Bone

:48:28.:48:34.

and others. It's a huge change going on in the world in terms of

:48:35.:48:39.

migration. It's difficult. Maybe that's one of the, I think that will

:48:40.:48:43.

be one of the tests for candidates if we are talking about future

:48:44.:48:47.

leadership, which way they go on the EU issue. I would think Theresa May

:48:48.:48:53.

will maybe on the out campaign. You are a fortress Britain man? I am for

:48:54.:48:57.

Britain in the world leading, not stuck in this European superstate of

:48:58.:49:01.

backward looking countries. Would you like Theresa May to lead the out

:49:02.:49:07.

campaign? The out campaign is a cross-party thing, there is going to

:49:08.:49:11.

be no single leader. What about for the Tory side? You have just said

:49:12.:49:15.

how strong she is. Doesn't have to continue. The person I would like to

:49:16.:49:18.

lead from the Conservative is the Prime Minister when he realises he

:49:19.:49:21.

can't get what he wants and he has hinted that's what he might do. I

:49:22.:49:26.

want as many Secretary of States on the out campaign or leave side as

:49:27.:49:29.

possible. I would have thought Theresa May is a possible one. Do

:49:30.:49:34.

you see her as a future leader of the Conservative Party? Well, she is

:49:35.:49:38.

certainly a candidate as Peter says. I think at the moment if the economy

:49:39.:49:43.

continues to go in the way that it's going, it's likely to be George

:49:44.:49:49.

Osborne. Well, you know, the economy can go either way at any time. You

:49:50.:49:54.

can't rely - of course, we might have our second woman Prime Minister

:49:55.:49:58.

again from the Conservatives. You know, it's a very interesting game.

:49:59.:50:02.

But clearly she's done a very good job as Home Secretary. I think she's

:50:03.:50:06.

got a lot of support, not only inside parliament but across the

:50:07.:50:07.

country. Peter bone, thank you. Now there are two big galactic

:50:08.:50:12.

events happening this week that have The first is the launch

:50:13.:50:15.

of the the rocket carrying Briton Tim Peake on his landmark

:50:16.:50:18.

flight to the International Space Everyone was watching,

:50:19.:50:21.

including the Prime Minister. Here he is, watching the launch

:50:22.:50:24.

on the TV at Number 10 about an hour ago, and he tweeted: It was great

:50:25.:50:29.

to watch Tim Peake blast off But, of course, the big political

:50:30.:50:32.

event of the week is on Thursday with the UK release

:50:33.:50:40.

of the new Star Wars film. If you can't see the subtle

:50:41.:50:42.

political messages in a story about an elite group of Jedi Knights

:50:43.:50:46.

helping an idealistic Rebel Alliance fight against a totalitarian

:50:47.:50:49.

Galactic Empire - then there's Let's have a look at what we can

:50:50.:50:51.

expect from Star Wars: The force is strong in my family. My

:50:52.:50:56.

father has it. I have it. My sister has it.

:50:57.:51:18.

I have my tickets already. So that was a snippet

:51:19.:51:29.

of the new Star Wars film which had its world premiere

:51:30.:51:32.

in America last night. It's due to have its premiere

:51:33.:51:34.

here in London tomorrow before it goes on general release

:51:35.:51:37.

across the UK and is tipped to break Well, fans of the franchise

:51:38.:51:39.

will debate most things it seems, and that even extends to discussing

:51:40.:51:44.

whether the Star Wars universe We're joined by Stephen Bush

:51:45.:51:48.

from the New Statesman, who thinks that the film

:51:49.:51:54.

is a confirmation of the left-wing values of solidarity

:51:55.:51:57.

and collective action. And we're also joined

:51:58.:51:58.

by the journalist James Delingpole, Surprise, surprise! Welcome to both

:51:59.:52:07.

of you. So you can obviously see the political side of this. What is the

:52:08.:52:11.

message behind Star Wars? Well, it depends on which set of the six

:52:12.:52:16.

films you take. In the first of the three the Jedi are an elite group

:52:17.:52:20.

who try and fail to prevent the rise of the dark side. In the original

:52:21.:52:24.

you effectively have a cross-coalition, on the one hand the

:52:25.:52:34.

elite Jedi, and then small traders and the Ewoks who rise up against

:52:35.:52:40.

what is clearly a kind of quasi-fasistic empire. You look at

:52:41.:52:46.

the Storm Troopers and I think see where people think that's a cult and

:52:47.:52:49.

the heros are left-wing Everyone wants to claim Star Wars for

:52:50.:52:53.

themselves, everyone wants to project their own ideology on the

:52:54.:53:02.

film. Can I just say I concede Ja Ja, I think he is what would happen

:53:03.:53:06.

if Jeremy Corbyn was in charge. He is sort of the person who would be

:53:07.:53:12.

overpromoted in the Labour world. Generally, I think it's pretty

:53:13.:53:15.

obvious that the rebels, I am not going to talk about the more recent

:53:16.:53:22.

ones which I can't stand, but the in the early classic Star Wars I would

:53:23.:53:32.

say you were right on one thing, Hans and Chewbacca would be voting

:53:33.:53:37.

It's clear that the tyranny is the tyranny of the left, not the right.

:53:38.:53:45.

There is no way two characters which can do be against the free movement

:53:46.:53:52.

of Labour. Maybe they're Lib tearians but Ukip voters... Is that

:53:53.:53:59.

the key? Every successful left-wing movement in British history has been

:54:00.:54:02.

able to get swash-buckling heros over to their side. Let's think of

:54:03.:54:07.

who the politicians might represent. Obi, could that be Jeremy Corbyn? I

:54:08.:54:13.

think Jeremy Corbyn is more like, if you look at Pete are Curbing in the

:54:14.:54:19.

first film, that would be Jeremy Corbyn. I think Jabba is probably

:54:20.:54:25.

someone like Al Gore, making his money out of something like carbon

:54:26.:54:33.

credits. In the end who are the villains in terms of politically?

:54:34.:54:37.

Can you see the point that perhaps the Storm Troopers could be

:54:38.:54:41.

left-wing communists, Stalinists wanting everyone to be the same? No,

:54:42.:54:48.

because the Storm Troopers are cloned, which is a classic of the

:54:49.:54:54.

typical right-ling inherited privilege. They're not... The Jedi

:54:55.:54:58.

talk about inheritance, forces within families. This is something

:54:59.:55:03.

they passed on through generations and that is inherited one would

:55:04.:55:06.

associate with Conservatives or Tories. The classic Conservative

:55:07.:55:10.

position would be you shouldn't judge somebody even if they're a

:55:11.:55:15.

Princess or a poor farmer as Luke starts out. We don't judge people on

:55:16.:55:20.

their back combround. We judge them on behaviour. Do you think this is

:55:21.:55:23.

sad, this discussion about seeing politics in Star Wars? Well, I am

:55:24.:55:30.

way out of my departmenths here, I have never seep a Star Wars. I live

:55:31.:55:35.

in Northumberland and I notice it's coming to the Playhouse after

:55:36.:55:40.

Christmas, it's possible the Mullins will take a trip down there and

:55:41.:55:43.

after which I will be better informed. I can't promise we will do

:55:44.:55:46.

this argument again. Thank you very much. Enjoy the film.

:55:47.:55:51.

Now we may not have got the Daily Politics Christmas Tree up yet.

:55:52.:55:54.

It's still in the cupboard under Andrew's stairs.

:55:55.:55:56.

But that's not because we lack the festive spirit -

:55:57.:55:58.

perish the thought - it's just that for us,

:55:59.:56:00.

Christmas isn't marked by the start of Advent or mince pies appearing

:56:01.:56:03.

No, of course it's when we start to get Christmas cards

:56:04.:56:07.

Here's our traditional look through the best of this year's

:56:08.:56:10.

I have just realised that was us. Are you feeling festive as an MP?

:56:11.:57:21.

Did you start early on Christmas cards? I did. I start signing them

:57:22.:57:26.

on the train about beginning of November, batches of 100. One of the

:57:27.:57:30.

great joys of not being an MP any more is that I don't send so many as

:57:31.:57:34.

I used to. Did you like any of those? Yeah, there were some good

:57:35.:57:41.

ones there. Peter Bone's was good. Yes, with the grumpy face. I suspect

:57:42.:57:50.

a bit of Scrooge there. I did like the Corbyn one. Bus of the --

:57:51.:57:57.

because of the bikes. Yes. Should these cards reflect the politician

:57:58.:58:06.

and that does. I would say that's an idealogically Christmas card. What

:58:07.:58:10.

about David Cameron's? It looks as though it was taken in May, the day

:58:11.:58:15.

he walked back into Number 10 Downing Street. It's not very

:58:16.:58:19.

Christmassy. I don't blame him for sticking it up there but it isn't

:58:20.:58:24.

Christmassy. Right. Favourite Christmas cards from politicians,

:58:25.:58:28.

should they have families in, that used to be the trend, it's usually

:58:29.:58:33.

from a local school. A lot of them organise competitions in primary

:58:34.:58:37.

schools. Some very good ones. I am looking forward to getting mine from

:58:38.:58:39.

the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn.

:58:40.:58:46.

Thank you to Chris for being our guest of the day.

:58:47.:58:49.

The 1.00pm news is starting over on BBC One now.

:58:50.:58:53.

I'll be back at 11.30am tomorrow with Andrew for live coverage

:58:54.:58:56.

of the last Prime Minister's Questions of 2015, and I promise

:58:57.:58:59.

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