05/02/2014 Newsnight

The Vatican systematically turned a blind eye to the abuse of thousands

of children by priests. The claim comes not from some fringe

organisation or even victims of abuse. It comes from the United

Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. New era or no new era,

this unprecedented attack has left the church aggrieved and angry. Does

the UN speak for natural justice and is the Channel Tunnel capable of

reform? Can you read the new Latin or is the

plan to teach computer code about as practicable as compulsory ancient

Greek. As strike action allows London's buses to offer the kind of

claustrophobic experience normally only reserved for tube passengers,

can there really be Conservative plans to ban strikes. So today's

strike would have been unlawful. And there would have been a judge

deciding between TFL and London over the job cuts. That's right, there

would not be a strike. We will ask the former England cricket captain,

Michael Vaughan, why on earth the game's bosses have sacked our best

batsman. There has never been a report like it. There is the target,

for one thing, the Vatican, vet seat of power in the Catholic Church.

There is the accuser for another, an arm of the United Nations and the

language for one more. It is blistering. The UN committee for the

rights of the child, accuses of Catholic Church of adopting policies

which allowed priests to abuse thousands of children. It is

scathing about the church's behaviour. In a moment I will be

talking to a press spokesman for the Vatican and an abuse survivor.

First we have this report. Pope Francis may be an energetic and

reforming new presence, but he henner incompetents -- inherits an

old problem. Today the scandal that so tarnished Pope Benedict has not

gone away. The report expressed "deepest concern" of the involvement

of Catholic clerics in the abuse of tens and thousands of children

worldwide. It called for the removal of Clergy that are known child

abusers. It wants the Vaticans to open their files on Clergy that

concealed their crimes. It condemned the transfer of child abusers to

other parishes. The report's author said the church remained in breach

of the UN Convention on Child protection. They are in breach of

the convention, because they haven't done all the things they should have

done. These are not only recommendations of best practice,

some of them are real violations of the convention when you don't follow

up and protect children when you have the possibility to do so. We

would consider it a violation for future if they don't follow up on

our recommendations. The scandal has had a devastating effect on the

reputation of the church and much of the developed world. Even in Italy,

congregations of ageing, and the church recruits priests from the

developing world, where the faith is growing. Critics say the church has

been more concerned with protecting its own reputation than with

protecting the children in its care. I think the Catholic Church in the

UK, certainly in England and Wales, has taken huge steps forward, and it

is held up as a good example of child protection procedures and

policies. But worldwide, the United Nations has said that children,

thousands of children have been abused and many are still at risk, I

think that is very significant. Having said that I do place some

faith in Pope Francis, because he has said that child protection is

the most important thing. The church is growing fast in Africa and south

and central America, where local Clergy are held in high public

veneration. Compared to Europe and North America, clerical child abuse

is seldom even acknowledged here. That doesn't mean it is not

happening. One abuse survivor told Newsnight last year that he had been

abused in the very place he thought he was safest. TRANSLATION: In the

house of God, in a church, in a church that didn't pay attention to

what was being done to me. What other priests were doing to other

children. It is complicated really. As a child well you think the church

is there to look after children, not in my case. No-one stopped what was

going on. The UN report has no legal standing, no power to effect change

within these impervious walls. Pope Francis has promised to overhaul the

notoriously secretive, defensive, Catholic hierarchy. Today's report

is a reminder that there is much yet to be done. Well with us now here in

the studio is one of the victims of that abuse. An abuse survivor a

member of Snap, a network of those abused by priests. You were in

Geneva today, what were your feelings about the report when it

was published? It was very validating because we were very

surprised that there was such a strong report. Because basically the

United Nations has ratified what we the victims have been saying for

decades, that there is a need for more transparency and the end of

impunity, that child abuse is prosecuted, even if it is committed

by priests. And also that there is a need for a culture of

accountability. The bishops who protect child abusers have to be

fired. I don't want to go into the details of your space, it happened

in Spain. This pattern that the report refers to, where priests are

moved from parish to parish and even country to country sometimes, rather

than being brought to justice, is that something observably true in

your experience? It was very interesting because there was a

diverse group of survivors in Geneva. We were from different

countries, different ages and the common experience was that when the

Vatican have said they were changed and doing things in a different way,

the feeling that we all had was that didn't happen in my case, they

weren't transparent, they protected the abuser and they didn't punish

him. There was a disconnect between the propaganda the Vatican was

saying and our reality. The Vatican says it is going to "take note" of

this report, which is a polite way of saying, I suspect, we will

register that it has happened and that is about it, were you impressed

by their reaction? No, but I wasn't surprised either. They will be doing

and saying the same thing for the last 30 years. I guess they believe

that they are going fast, taking into account how slowly the Channel

Tunnel changes. But in child protection, a few decades is a

really huge amount of time. They should have changed by now. But on

the other happened the Catholic Church does have a legitimate

complaint against the UN, this UN report has been attacked for its

position on gay marriage and abortion, neither of which are the

issues of the UN committee? I have read the report, from my

understanding it doesn't exactly say what you are implying, they mention

abortion in a very specific case, in which a child was raped and was

pregnant and the bishop, instead of excommunicating the rapist,

excommunicated the parent and the little child had an abortion. What

the United Nations was saying that perhaps in the case of child rape

the church could decide to take a more benevolent approach. I'm going

to interrupt you there, we are joined from Toronto by the English

language assistant to the holy see press office. Father Thomas, what's

your reaction to this report? First of all the central purpose of the

report was to address the question of child abuse by the Clergy. And I

stand firmly with that report in that we have a problem and we have

tried to address that problem as best as possible, especially since

the year 2001. As the Holy See said formally and diplomatically, we have

taken note of this and will respond in a detailed form to the issues

raised. That is a diplomatic response to the report. However I

have certain questions about how this report was generated, and also

some very serious Lacuna or absence in this report of key issues. For

example there is a complete obvious ignorance of the history of the

Catholic Church in addressing the situation, especially since 2001.

Secondly, there is a very clear attempt in this report to have a new

reading of history. The report and those who wrote it do not understand

the structure of the Catholic Church. And the third area of the

report is what other religious group would endure a religious

intervention by the United Nations into doctrinal practice and the

living out of one's faith. This would never be done with other

religious groups. I think the group went over the top in inserting

themselves, or asserting themselves in areas over which they have no

competence whatsoever. The basic thrust of the report on this

question of child abuse, you agree with, that the Catholic Church has

shown itself more concerned with moving priests around and protecting

the reputation of your institution than it has with the welfare of the

child, you accept that do you? We have said very clearly, as the

church, from the highest level, all the way down to the diocese level

that there have been crimes committed and sins committed. Let me

ask you one simple question then. Let me finish the sentence please.

You are saying what you have done in the past, I'm asking you in the

light of the report whether you will now make it an instruction to

diocese that when an allegation of child abuse is reported, the

relevant prosecuting authorities or the police are informed immediately.

That is under way now. It has been under way. So the report shows it is

not ware of the policies and procedures that have been

implemented. Now let me say this too, the report presumes that Rome,

the Vatican, the Holy See sits perched on the hill issuing dictates

to all the branch offices. That is not the reality of the church. The

power of the church in this area resides with the local bishop. It

resides in local situations. We know in some situations more than others

the serious crimes are known to everyone and we have addressed them.

In the numerous diocese in the United States, Canada and Great

Britain where you are, that the bishops have been extremely

courageous in addressing this issue. We know that other people have not

been so assiduous and courageous to do that. We have a victim of abuse

by a Catholic priest in the studio, would you like to react to what

Father Thomas has just said? I would want to ask him two questions. The

first question is the first time there was a report regarding the

problem with child abuse was in 1995 and it was done by Father Thomas

Doyle, I was three years old, they had 13 years to sort it out and

perhaps if they had done something I wouldn't have been abused when I was

16. They only decided to report crimes to the authorities in 2011,

25 years after the first warning sign was shown. To put those two

things together, you are saying that the problem has been one that they

have not seen this as urgent? 25 years. Please let me just say this,

is your name Miguel? Yes. First of all I want to apologise to you for

what you have endured. On behalf of the church and on behalf of me as a

priest, it is disgusting, it is criminal, sinful it is evil, and you

have bourne this and you have suffered from it and I am very, very

sorry, that being said, we are doing our absolute best to make sure that

no more young people will endure what you, Miguel have endured.

Gentlemen thank you very much indeed. I'm sorry about the

technical problems we have had with all of this thank you very much both

of you. Every politician knows the National

Health Service is a sacred cow when it comes to talk of the need for

cuts in public spending. If politics is about choices it is one choice

no-one wants to argue for. But if there is a surge in demand for

health care because of growing population, what does it mean to say

the budget is ring-fenced, not much according to the Institute for

Fiscal Studies which warned today that by the end of this decade we

will have gone through a cut in health spending per person of nine.

11%. -- nine. 1%. What want to think

about -- who wants to think about money when this is happening. You

are carrying life in you and billions of other women have done

the same thing. It is knowing how fundamental wishes like that are,

from giving birth and staying alive into old age that led politicians to

ring-fence the NHS budget. With each of the issues fulfilled there is a

new human being with needs, and they will need healthcare for longer than

before. From the roof of the Royal London Hospital, you can get an idea

of how many extra people trusts like these have to serve. It is because

of the surge in population, not budget cuts, that NHS budgets are

getting squeezed. The population growth is down to two factor,

immigration and people living longer. That means that even though

budgets are ring-fenced they are spread across more people, and there

is less money to spend per person. Today the Institute for Fiscal

studios made it clear how flimsy thes fence of the NHS has become.

Between 2010 and 2019 the population will have grown by 3. 5 million. We

are in this tough position where NHS spending is protected, but

everywhere else will see big cuts, but even the NHS will feel tight.

There is 9% less to spend on each individual given what has happened

to the structure of the population. Bart's Health said you can find ways

to care for more patients by the same budget like avoiding

appointments. Missing appointments costs money, instead of women going

to three different appointments for three different sites they come here

and have all three appointments in the same day. So on the same day we

do the bloods, we do the booking history and the scan. In another

example of cuts that can help patients, London's stroke wards were

cut, that cost howls of protest, but health patients avoid the most

expensive part of healthcare. Now you get taken, if you have a stroke,

to one of eight hyperacute stroke centres in London. This is one at

the Royal London Hospital right now. What has happened is the length of

stay across London for stroke has gone down from an average of 19 days

to ten days. That is a significant benefit to patients, and significant

saving for the healthcare economy. If you could well enough keeping

people out of hospital it becomes logical to cut back on hospital

beds. The problem is this isn't a national hospital service, it is a

National Health Service, we tend to focus on hospitals as if they are

the only way that care can be delivered. And one of the problems

is that we find it difficult to demonstrate to the public and to

some politicians the benefits of delivering care closer to home, more

personalised and involving and engaging patients and carers. But as

the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt recent leap found when he proposed

downgrading Accident and Emergency services at Lewisham, what is

clinically logical may not be politically palatable. The

efficiencies can mean innovation, but it can also mean subtley

restricting access to some treatments, otherwise known as

rationing. At what point do you need an operation? What is the threshold

you have to cross over until you need a cataract. How ill do you have

to be before you need a hip operation and so on. These are

clinical judgments and they are judgments, it is not a fixed line in

the sand. But the NHS has looked at those. How in a sense how behind do

you have to be before you have a cataract. However the NHS innovates,

it will be hard to convince the public that a cut of 9% per person

won't hurt a bit. For couples making their on contribution to the

population, every pound spent on healthcare is precious.

How good are you at writing computer code. Once upon a time ambitious

parents discouraged their children from learning keyboard skills

because they might determine their job prospects. Today without

keyboard skills your job prospects are definitely affected for the

worst. There is now a serious effort to encourage teachers to pass on

coding skills, once they have been taught how to do it properly for

themselves, of course. Learning to use code is seen by some as the

three Rs once were. Don't forget to put a semicolon at the end of any of

these lines here, just to tell the browsers you have ended the line. A

group of high-powered women in London's Tech City are learning

though code. They are presented with a series of baffling computer

commands. We are hiding the form in case they are not yet at the

location. This Gobbledegook will help them build apps. Lily Cole, the

actress and model is in the process of launching her own app and

website. I have heard learning code is like learning a foreign language?

It is like several foreign languages at a time. It is cool to see how

quickly we can pick it up. We have all built a website in one day which

is cool. Starting to play with design and seeing immediately how

the affects of the text creates visual imagery, it is an amazing

thing to see. What do you make of kids learning about it in school? I

love the idea of kids learning about it in school. I was looking for

coders over the last few years and quite shocked by what a limited

supply there was to meet the growing demand. I taught myself to code when

I was eight. The Government has announced, through this ad that 2014

is the year of code. It wants to tackle the skills shortage by making

coding part of the national curriculum. It will be taught to

5-16-year-olds. I want to make sure that kids in our schools are not

just consumers of technology and computer programmes, they don't just

know how to open up Word and Power point, they also understand how the

computer programmes are put together, they understand coding. It

comes after years of criticism from within the tech industry that

Britain, the country that invented the first electronic computer, is in

danger of throwing that computer heritage away. Great Britain has

something like 10% of our industry is based around IT and computer

science and computer software. We have a great heritage and place to

build on. What hasn't been happening is teaching kids about computer

programming at a young age. So we have lost that background of people

coming up through the schooling system with that experience. Does

anybody know what coding is? You use words and numbers to give the

computer instructions? These 10-11-year-olds have just started

learning about coding. It is a pilot for the lessons the Government is

producing in England and Wales from September. Why can't you just play

and work on a computer, why do you need to know all that stuff? Because

when you are older you might need coding for your work, say if you

were a banker you need coding to do the banks. Do you think you might

need it? Yeah. To do what? To work and to make your own website if you

wanted to. Half a million pounds has been pledged by the Government to

train up more than 170,000 primary and secondary teachers in coding

over the next six months. There is a lot of different apps and softwares

available now that weren't available before. And even adults, we're new

to it as well. We will need to learn things we haven't covered in initial

teacher training. Are you a tiny bit daunted? A little bit. Here in Tech

City they are trying out for people who know how to code. One local tech

entrepeneur have to go abroad to find people to do it. It is war of

who can get the people first. As far as the industry is concerned the

coding lessons can't start soon enough. There is a bit of concern

about how the subject is taught. In terms of your fears what do you

think it could be like if they are not careful? I didn't like learning

French and the reason I didn't like it is because I thought it is

completely irrelevant, I thought I'm learning to pass an example, why

should I care. Where as if it was sold to me that you can go to France

and experience a whole new culture, I would have gone I will go, try it

and experience it. Coding could be taught in a way where you sit down

and it is like let's learn the grammar of html, it is so abstract

and boring. If you ground it in a serious problem in my life or issue

or something really cool I want to do. It is about making it relevant

ultimately. Coursed say where the English language was once an

essential business commodity, now in a digital era, code is the new king

of global communication. The Government helped to launch the

Year of Code campaign, and Lottie Dexter is the director, how easy is

it to learn how to code? I can't code. I have committed this year to

learning to code. A year? You can do a lot in a short space of time. You

can build a website in an hour. From scratch, not knowing how to do it?

Completely from scratch. Over this year I will see what I can achieve.

Who knows I might be the next Zuckerberg in 12 months time. It is

possible, one can always dream. How long does it take to learn to teach

to code? Well I think you can pick it up in day. The teacher can pick

it up in a day? I think if we start teachers thinking about it now, in

March we're taking coding into the classrooms for the first time and

encouraging all teachers to teach an hour to their pupils. If we start

thinking about it now in time for September when it goes on to the

schools curriculum teachers should feel excited and people should be

about learning code. Isn't it all based on falsehood, the idea that it

is essential to know how to code. It is not essential to know how to code

or how a lightbulb works, is it? In the modern day economy code is

really a vital skill. Technology has completely changed our economy, our

Labour market, our society. To know how to do it? Unless we understand

technology we don't really understand how the world works. When

I was at school I was taught you know so much about the human body,

in physics I was told to wire up a lightbulb, it is important to know

how it works. Knowing how to code is crucial for so many people for

getting jobs in the new economy. We need a work force for the new

economy. But also to increase your earnings potential and to start your

own business. In this new economy wouldn't it be more useful to

learning something like mandarin? I think the code is an international

language. I think that if you can learn to code you can interact

across boundaries and you can, I think the important thing is that

you can get yourself started, it is a great leveller. Having code in

schools and giving every pupil the ability to code, they can, you know,

start their own business, it is not something that is just marginalised

for middle-class parents. It can be whatever you want it to be, the

schools on the Internet are so cheap and easily available now. You can

set up your on-line profile and start a website. I started a

campaign last year. If I would have learned code at school I could have

done my own website. I could have done my own app and graphics, I

would have saved a hell of a lot of time and money. I think I could have

done it a lot better. For the sake of old duffers like Mark You are --

Urban, what is code? It is the language of instructing computers.

It is how you make computers do things. So it is different symbols?

But it doesn't mean anything? It doesn't mean anything to you or

indeed to me yet, because I don't know how to code. It is a set of

instructions you type into a computer to get an output. When this

goes on to the schools curriculum, every pupil from the age of five

will learn how to code. They will pop into a box a set of instructions

and they will see what you put in you get it out. It is how you make

computers do something. What is an e-card. It is a virtual card. There

is a national initiative to teach people how to make cards? And

websites and apps, they are fun ways of learning a very important skill

that you really need. It is the future. You really need it for the

21st job market. Three Rs and a C. Thank you very much. An Australian

reporter, a Canadian-Egyptian producer and Egyptian cameraman are

spending their 39th night in custody in Cairo. All three work for

Al-Jazeera, they are accused of links to terrorism and broadcasting

false news. Where would we be if that was an offence in this country.

Footage of their arrest was put on a Cairo TV channel set to music. Our

diplomatic editor is here. This all seems to have ratcheted up recently?

Absolutely, in the past couple of days. These journalists were

arrested at the end of December. It is a cause for concern they are

still there. Things start to change, the Tahir TV station airs this

footage designed to make them look like people involved in some kind of

conspiracy. On the right is a former BBC man, I worked beside him in

Baghdad morning places. The other man has a Canadian passport. They

are making these serious-sounding charges. They have also announced

they want to talk to another 20 people son similar-sounding charges,

like aiding the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Jazeera says only nine worked for

them. Another fled Egypt having been in hiding. The situation escalated

last night and the White House expressed its grave concern. Sorry I

thought we were about to hear the White House expressing grave concern

there. Tell me, journalists generally, it seems to me, are now

finding it extremely difficult to work there, aren't they? It has

before difficult. There are different levels of aggro, people

right from the fall of Mubarak are angry, they blame us and other news

organisations. There is aggro on the streets. Sometimes sexual aggro

towards female reporters. Then at intermediate -- interimmediate level

you have bureaucracy thrown at reporters about them being

registered. At this top of the tree this type of thing, arrest and

serious charges. What is paying out here goes beyond an irritation that

the people have with foreign media and what part they played. There is

a battle of influence between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Al-Jazeera is

based in Qatar, the Egyptian Government claim it acts as an arm

of the Government there. They were supporting Mohammed Morsi, the

ousted President, the Egyptian military regards clamping down on

them and favouring the rivals. One Egyptian journalist said to me

frankly this will go on until the Emir of Qatar changes his mind.

We're joined now from Doha by our guest, director of news at

Al-Jazeera English Channel. What have you heard about your three or

four hostages in Egypt? There are three from the English Channel and

one from the Arabic channel in detention. The one from the Arabic

channel is in detention for six months now, and he is on a hunger

strike. The three Al-Jazeera men are in one cell in a high-security

prison in Cairo. They were served charges. Conveniently the charges

were split between the Egyptian journalists and non-Egyptian

journalists. The Egyptians were accused of being members of

terrorist organisations and non-Egyptians of aiding them. It is

actually fabrication and nonsense and intimidation and irritation of

journalists in order to get one side of the story coming from Egypt only.

Is it true that some of your people there are or were there without

being properly accredited. Let's set a few things clear from the

beginning. The accreditation is part of the charges. As I read in the

charges here they are always mentioned that they are

nonaccredited with the intention of harming security. It is a simple

charge and doesn't refer journalists to criminal courts. Were they

properly accredited there or not? Al-Jazeera media network is

officially accredited to work in Egypt. It has been working for all

the time. Were those officials accredited there? Some of the

journalists are accredited, and some applied for accreditation. It

happens with all media organisations, this is not the

charge, they are being charged with. It is a nonaccredited

journallingists with the intent of harming national security. If they

were only not accredited that is a very simple administrative offence.

So you say, it is the case, is it not that Qatar has been playing a

role in recent events in Egypt. That it is at odds with the military

Government there and Al-Jazeera is largely run by the Government of

Qatar, is that not correct? I'm not a spokesman for the Government of

Qatar, and Al-Jazeera is not run by the Government of Qatar. Actually

the BBC is like Al-Jazeera, BBC World Service is funded by the

Foreign Ministry. It is not owned by a member of the Royal Family? No,

but the British Government has the support of governors. It is not

owned by them either? By the Foreign Ministry, BBC World Service. I was

an editor on there and I know that. It has a board of governors and

editorial guidelines and it answers for this. The same thing here we are

an independent organisation, funded by the Qatar Government and we have

our own board of governors and code of ethics and conduct that we answer

for. All our products and our reports are on-line and they are, we

are of high quality and objectivity. You can see how the Egyptian

Government, which is at odds with the Qatary Government might feel

that an organisation funded by the Qatar Government was about some

other business than nearly as you put it, objectily reporting the

news. I know the accusations and the same accusations were put to the BBC

by Zimbabwe when you weren't able to report from there and other places.

Governments were at odds together but we are free journalists. We are

independent and we cherish our quality of work and integrity. And

our mission to get to the viewer the story from all sides regardless of

the price for them. Thank you very much for joining us thank you. It is

surely no surprise when an England sporting team and fails

spectacularly, heads sooner or later will role. It is usually preceded by

the sports pages clicking their knitting needles together. Today it

is the other way round, for reasons they didn't bother to explain the

England Cricket Board dumped Kevin Pietersen, because the national

cricket team put up such a pathetic performance this winter. Now the

journalists are up in arms at the dismissal of the captain Michael

Vaughan? What do you think of the way Kevin Pietersen's case has been

handled. It needs clarity, reasoning from the ECB for the fans to

understand what has Kevin Pietersen been doing behind the scenes to

bring the sacking of the player that has scored more runs than anybody

else. I have captained him and at times he's difficult and a Payne in

the back side, but a maverick that can win you games of cricket. You

know him and you have captained him, if anybody who can divine why he was

going it has to be you? There is times when Kevin Pietersen and that

character is difficult around the team. He has played 100 test matches

and has an opinion. You as a leader you have to take on opinion. At

times when you are leading and the team aren't doing well, the opinion

from senior players and outside world will not always be the opinion

you want to hear. But you have to deal with it. Management of players

is like management. If you can't manage a maverick like Pietersen you

need to think bin again. England have a lots of matches coming up, I

just think it is sad for the game that we don't have a group of people

that can manage one player through that period of play in three big

series, big tournaments for England. They feel the only way to move

forward is getting rid of Pietersen without explaining what he has done

wrong. Did he have any friend in the dressing room? There is always

devisive moments and cliques of people getting on with a certain

penalty more than another. What I hear from the tour is Pietersen is

fight. It was only last week that Swanson who retired came out and

said Pietersen, his attitude was spot on, since he has been

reintegrated into the side. He felt Kevin had plenty more runs to score

for England. That is somebody in the dressing room. I don't think it is a

be proem. He has stood up to the coach, Andy Flower, on the tour of

Australia, he didn't like it, but they have listen to Flores and Cook,

I don't think Ashley Giles could have said too much. Pietersen wasn't

in Australia on the one day series, but English cricket feel the only

way to move forward without Pietersen. I would have taken a

tougher call and said somebody needs to manage him better. How difficult

is it to manage a brilliant and you have used the word wise now about

Pietersen, a "brilliant maverick". Well it is training -- draining and

hard. It is very rewarding, if you look at English cricket over the

last ten years, Flintoff had the same quality. You manage him and

2005 he delivered, as did Pietersen in the last over. Go through the

last six or seven years, he was man of the tournament in Barbados, the

T20, he averaged 106 against independent. We got a double century

in the Test Match. England would have drawn going down 1-0 at Perth.

You look at a year-and-a-half ago when he produced problem the best

England hundred I have seen for many years. England win that series with

Kevin Pietersen. 100 hold Trafford last year, it would have been 2-1,

with two to play for Australia. You have to accept with people like

Pietersen and Flintoff they train you a bit but they reward you with

the performance levels, not just the mediocrity. The best teams and best

attacks in the world. That is what Petersen has done, he can be --

Pietersen has done, he can be a Payne and difficult, but also the

person who makes you win games of cricket. You have to be careful you

shouldn't bin someone like that and don't reward him in a way and say

thanks for your time with us, thanks for winning us all those gapes. And

don't know him out like they have, and they could have moved the team

on. Aclots -- across the south of England men and women have been

drying off their shoes ready for a walk to work tomorrow. Trains and

depots and commuters were left in fury, which is probably more

accurately designed as sullen, resentment. Much dark talk in

political circles of plans for the MPs to change the law and half

people having to vote yes to industrial action. Once upon a time

the BBC had an industrial correspondent. Strike reporters.

Time to resurrect the last of them. It was tough getting to work, the

two unions that represent the tube station staff are not the drivers

who are out on strike. They are in a dispute over the loss of 750 jobs

from closing the direct offices. Lots of people are faced disruption

today, more London Underground lines and stations have been closed in

this strike than any tube business pute for the last ten years. It is

said to be costing London ?50 million a year. And with another

two-day stoppage plan for next week, the Conservatives are determined to

stop them happening again. Boris Johnson says:

The Prime Minister want to go further, imposing a minimum service

level agreed so they provide a little service. The Conservatives on

a Greater London Authority wants an all-out ban on strikes. They should

be replaced by binding arbitration. We want to replace strikes, so

damaging to the economy and London. The idea if the Government were to

accept that it is binding arbitration in the case of an

argument going on between Transport for London and the union. A judge

would look at it and decide which was the case that he was going to

support. Today's strike would have been unlawful. There would have to

be a judge deciding in favour of TFL or the unions in the job cut. That's

right, there would not be a strike. In the 1970s and 80, I was always

coming to the then headquarters of the Conservative Party, to hear of

their latest plans for curbing the trade unions. And it became an

all-out war against the British trade union movement. The 1984

miners' strike was a turning point in Britain's troubled industrial

relations. In a war of attrition Margaret Thatcher said she was

taking on the enemy within. And her defeat of the shocked troops of the

union movement ended the all out strikes in the past. Successive

Conservative Government have curbed union power imposing secret ballots

before strike. Ending pass picketing but trying to stop essential

services and striking is unfinished business. With the coalition

Government, Liberal Democrats are a break on the Conservatives. Vincent

Cable won't be rushed into changing the law. If we legislate on

industrial relations we have to look carefully at the evidence, not

rushing into strike laws on the back of a bad dispute in London it is a

bad way to proceed. The tube train drivers have previously staged their

own strikes and like the station staff they would fight back against

any new laws. Its It is time for trade unions to stand up for

themselves with the general public. -- I think you will see massive

backlash against this from civil society. The reality is trade union

numbers are growing. We believe that is a direct reaction to the policies

that are currently in place. People now see a greater need for trade

unions and they will become more powerful as we go forward, I think.

While the unions claim they have the backing of two thirds of passengers,

the Conservatives are convinced the strikes are unpopular and present a

fresh opportunity to introduce legislation they have been working

on for years, to curb stoppages in the essential services, a policy

that is more likely to be in the Conservatives' next election

manifesto. Now the front pages: That's it at the close of another

day of rain and general glum wintriness. The railway line was

washed away in Dawlish in Devon. And in Torquay the seafront took a

pasting. Nice to think not all Februarys are quite like this.

The glorious Devon coast bathed in winter sunshine, equalising any

Mediterranean beauty spot. Don't you think. How is this for climate. Why

even from the screen you can imagine yourself in the sub-topics.

Sub-topics. Bathing too all the year round. The gulfstream is as warm as

the Mediterranean, not August, remember. This is February.