21/05/2014 Newsnight

The Government runs out of patience with the Police Federation. Evening

all, I'm the mug tonight. It tells it to pull itself together or be

pulled together. The Home Secretary cuts some of the public money it

receives, but why should it get any at all. We tour the high and low of

Europe who meet the bunch of people you have never heard of to meet

those who want to be the President of the EU. Do many people know your

policies? That is not the problem, they have to taken a interest in

what we are proposing, I'm not running after the electorate. Can an

inadequate cake be the reason for a footballer to quit his club. There

is nothing wrong with the report, it is my rider, if you look there it

explicitly says no brown ones! Two years ago when the Home Secretary

went to the Police Federation annual conference in Bournemouth she was

met with jeeres and boos. Today when she went to the same event she stuck

it to them. The standing of the Police Federation could hardly be

lower and today she told them if they didn't improve there would be

laws to make them improve. For good measure, not that they will notice

very much given the tens of millions they are sitting on, she will cut

the grant they get from the taxpayer.

It was a speech watched in near silence by the 2,000 officers in the

room. This is my fifth... Theresa May has never enjoyed a warm

relationship with the Police, this was not the day to build bridges. We

have seen accusations of bullying a lack of transparency in the

accounts, tactical campaign, huge reserve funds worth millions of

pounds and a resounding call for change from your members. It would

be the easiest thing in the world for me to turn a blind eye to these

matters. To let things go on as they are, to deny the need for change. It

would be the easy thing to do, but it would also be the wrong thing to

do. The Home Secretary reeled off a list of police scandals, from

Hillsborough to Stephen Lawrence, to plebgate, it was a forceful speech

and the tone left some in the audience angry. Lots of public

sector bodies under various Governments have gone through

significant changes very quickly and it goes very wrong. You can't hand

brake turn an aircraft carrier. I sat there and listened and didn't

have a prepared question, I listened to everything you say, I would like

to thank you, I know it doesn't correct but through 21 years of

front line service I faced everything, including being

attacked, hospitalised, saving lives, and for six years of

full-time Fed Rep I represent every officer who suffers in the way I

have. I have never had such an attack and personal kicking as every

comment from what you said then. (Applause) It is almost two years

since then Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell, was stopped outside the

gates of Downing Street, when it emerged that PC Keith Wallis lied

about his part in the row, it set off a whole chain of events that

left the federation damaged. A review called bad behaviour, poor

treatment of staff and hoarding of financial information. MPs also

criticised the federation's ?26 million headquarters in Kent, with

its own swimming pool and hotel. Last month the chairman and General

Secretary said they would step down after what was described as a

worrying loss of confidence in the organisation. As a result the Home

Secretary said today that ?190,000 of public funding, to pay the

salaries of the federation's top officials will be stopped. Police

officers will have to opt in to federation membership rather than

being automatically enrolled, and the organisation will have to open

up all its bank its and respond to Freedom of Information requests for

the first time. The federation was created by an act of parliament. And

it can be reformed by an act of parliament. If you do not change of

your own accord, we will impose change on you. Newsnight understands

that some of the measures now being imposed is -- imposed had already

been suggested, but were either dismissed or implemented. Officers

say there is a clear danger for the Home Secretary if she forces this

through without consultation. If you are the Home Secretary you do not

need to make an enemy of the Police Federation. The Government seems at

loggerheads with the Police Federation and seems determined in

some way to punish it. If it punishes the federation it might end

up punishing the whole of the Police Service, the knock I don't know

effect of that is the -- the knock-on effect of that is the

public get punished, the don't get the service they are paying for and

deserve. It is a brutal few years for the Police Federation, the Home

Secretary says it is time for change, and that change may not come

without a fight. We talk about this with Mark Reckless, a Tory MP who

sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, and Tony McNulty, a

former of the committee. You were there? People were stunned, I

thought she was magnificent, for a lot of people it was a stunned

silence. It would have been so easy for her to paper over the cracks, to

massage people's ego, to tell them it was the for the federation to

choose whether to reform. Instead she gave an incredibly powerful and

passionate performance, she just stuck to what she believed in and

did everything possible to drive that through. And earlier on in the

day I spoke to one of the key reformers who was really worried

that actually the motion was going to be watered down, they would vote

down some of the things and they wouldn't get the reform they wanted.

For her to give such a powerful speech making the case for

For her to give such a powerful was impressive. Did you ever try to

reform the Police Federation when you were there? We worked alongside

them, you will remember 26,000 of them marched outside the new Home

Office because we to beinged some of their pay in a round of pay

settlements. I would disagree with the analysis. I think she was unduly

gratuitous, going for the person rather than the ball. She could have

done, I agree in substance with most of the things she said, God they

need to reform, I told the constables' committee when I met

them recently. They get that. You thought she was playing politics? I

thought it was to do with tomorrow and post-2015 Mr Cameron on his bike

environment, which is unnecessarily given the seriousness with which

they need to reform. Somebody said to me today she almost pulled the

feet from the jaws of victory and someone who was there, senior fed

person said to me they thought it was as much about revenge as reform.

They get the notion of reform, even the most recalcitrant, I have been

to some of their conferences in the past where it really felt like you

got the claim and the next stop was the 1970s. I did a blog post with

the constables and said you can't be as sluggish as in the past and

expect any sort of respect from people. But she went overboard,

there was too much politics there. There was a lot of politics there,

wasn't there? I think there were politics there, but they weren't

perhaps the politics people expected. When you heard her as a

Conservative Home Secretary list this litany of things that had gone

wrong with the police and say rather than a few bad apples this is more

serious. When she said only 42% of black Caribbean people trust the

police, that is unacceptable, that is why we had to change. What she's

doing with stop and search many people would have thought why

bother, Labour didn't for 13 years, yet she has taken hold of it and

taken a lot of political risks, because she believes it is the right

thing to do. Within you look at that conference, very few young officers,

very few women, hardly any ethnic minorities and any graduates, she

says we need a police force that serve the people they represent. I

have criticised her on some issues in the past, but I was proud so her

as our Home Secretary sitting there today. I think that is part serious

and part pantomime. I'm in this perplexed because much of what she

said I agreed with, but the pantomime was unnecessary. She had

to threaten them, look at the organisation, look at the state it

has got to? I spoke to key figures in the constables, they get the full

36 elements of the report into how they should be changed. The Fed

instigated it, you would think that she did. They had to, look at the

state they were in? They know it is way past the last chance saloon. The

bit of what is her vision for policing, a little bit not the bad

caple routine but something that said to the people in the room, many

of the catalogue of things I have gone through how appalling things

have been through policing are historic and many weren't born in

the room. Within you had a defending of police and crime commissioners

and the passion she put into that, if the police for the first time

don't like what is happening they can elect someone who can change the

budget, the Chief Constable. They can but they don't. She said that is

how we get change in policing. 15% turnout for PCCs. The Government

cuts crime. There was a ballot box in one place where nobody voted.

What about the public money, she mentions the ?190,000, it is a token

figure. There are millions of tax-payers' money going to pay

salaries of people doing nothing but looking after the interests of the

Police Federation, which to all intents and purposes is a type of

trade union? A lot of their members don't feel looked after. Do you

think any public money should go for it? They have all the committees for

different ranks, they didn't strike. They need to make savings so it

costs less for officers and the public money doesn't need to go in.

We don't need to have so much time of police officers spent with the

fed rather than out on the streets. Overall I do think they need a

federation, they are not allowed to strike. The most important element

of this is getting a federation that represents its members as well as

the public interest. I think now the Police Federation will take hold of

this, run and deliver these reforms and we are seeing the changes we

need in policing, crime is coming down. My experience is fed members

and reps up and down the country doing a fantastic job, representing

members through the most mundane of processes, that must continue but

the reforms must happen. Crime is come down and there is the form we

need. The number teenagers self-harming, cutting or poisoning

themselves is increasing at a startling rate according to new

figures prepared for the World Health Organisation. We will discuss

in a moment, first, just how bad is the situation for young people in

England? A decade ago a major study showed

just under 7% of 15-16-year-olds in England self-armed, today that

figure has almost trebled. A new study suggests it is now 20%, one in

five of all 15-year-olds in England. The lead researcher thinks that

level of self-harm indicates a much bigger problem. It is a real tip of

the iceberg phenomena, I think, in terms of our other data also shows

that for example 45% of girls feel low weekly. At age 11 that is

significantly lower. As they progressed through adolescence, a

whole series of markers of poor emotional well being seem to rise.

What makes teenagers self-harm? Another large survey of young people

earlier this year showed a water of those who self-harmed did so because

they were bullied. But some of it was down to the every day trials of

teenagehood. Difficult family relationships, and pressure to do

well at school were also likely triggers. Now we have a clinical

psychologist and author of the Skeleton Cupboard, Kat worked with a

charity that intervenes to improve the mental health of young people.

She herself self-harmed during the ages of 14-21. During that time you

were self-harmling, what were you doing? Mostly cutting but also

scratching, overdoses, anything I could do really. Why were you doing

it? I mean I started when I was 14 and it kind of started by accident

and what I found was the first time I did it I got a release from it.

Ith very quickly came a very negative coping mechanism for me.

You felt better afterwards that is what you mean? It is very

counterintuitive. I imagine it is painful? Yeah. But afterwards you

feel better? And also you get a certain adrenaline release when you

self-harm, a lot of people get addicted to that sensation as well.

Did you want people to know you were self-harming? No. I hid it for the

first five years, which is no mean feat, and you know it took me five

years to kind of come out of the closet about mental health problems

so it was a really big deal to tell people for the first time. You were

cutting on your arm were you? Yeah. So you wore long sleeves? For about

six or seven years. What do you think you were doing? The first time

I had never, ever heard of anyone self-harming, it wasn't one of those

things where I had been on the Internet or seen someone else doing

it, it was an accident and then I found out actually by going on-line

that other people were doing it as well and actually I wasn't alone.

Were you doing it because of a particular trigger, you were unhappy

at a particular moment or a generalised thing? I started getting

depressed when I was about 13. I have always been very anxious and

had obsessive compulsive disorder, I was in a really low place and it

just seemed to click and help for some reason. How did it help? It was

just a kind of relief, I think a lot of people think self-harm is similar

to suicide, but for a lot of young people they

to suicide, but for a lot of young they stop them doi anything worse.

It is a way of leasing emotions slowly. Tania Byron you see a lot of

cases and deal with the families of people who self-harm, can you

generalise about which social class it is most common in or which

gender, it is most common among girls? It is but we are seeing more

and more boys self-harming. You know the report today has really

confirmed what mental health practicers who work with children

and young people have known for years, there has been an increase in

68% for admissions to hospital for young people self-harming, it

crosses classes. We are seeing a lot of kids from back groupeds you

wouldn't presume would have difficulties. Kids from nice homes

and aspirational families, particularly those around exam time,

they are under so much pressure that self-harming becomes a trigger. The

intriguing question is why it is growing so much, it is not just

exams is it? It is not, and chirp and young people do it for different

reasons. A lot of people say it is attention seeking and a fad. And

there are some young people who flirt with these behaviours and will

stop. But there are young people like Kat who have significant

issues, that self-harm is a coping mechanism. You see the self-harm but

you need to understand what is triggering it, what is that young

person anxious about, the depression, what else is going on in

their life. In a sense it is more of a manifestation of other problems.

Are there more sources of anxiety and depression now than then? We are

seeing increasing numbers of children being diagnosed with

anxiety and depression, and certainly in clinical services we

are overwhelmed by young people who are presenting with these issues. We

are also diagnosing more, that is not necessarily a God thing.

Different the fact that 6% of the mental health budget is spent on

children and young people's services, we are seeing services cut

across the country. Waiting lists are so long that kids are chronic by

the time they can be seen. We have a real crisis on our hands. We don't

have the provision for these young people. They either end up in A or

we don't know they are doing it, because they do it secretly until it

becomes a chronic problem. I don't want to sound cynical, they grow out

of it doesn't they? Some do, like they grow out of other adolescent

behaviours which they transition through it. 50% of all mental health

problems will show by the age of 14, 75% of all mental health problems

excluding dementia will show by 24. Here we have a time in life that we

know, neurobiologically we will see mental health problems, we are not

invest anything that and spending the money we need to provide the

services to people like Kat who need the support. When you go into

schools to talk about this, what sort of response do you get, what

are you saying to them apart from anything else? A lot of the team I

will go on when there has already been an incident, a suicide attempt

or there is knowledge that self-harm is going on. A lot of the time the

kids, they are quite shocked that someone is coming in and talking to

them so openly about their own experience, but they are relieved

and you get a lot of young people come up to you after the class and

confide in you and some of them are telling me things that they have

never, ever told anyone Do they feel they are getting the support they

need at school? No. We have been campaigning to get mental health on

the curriculum. I have certainly been campaigning on that for about

five years and we have seen no change at all. It seems like we are

missing a real trick with PSHE lessons. If we could do mental

health lessons in the way we do sex and relationship education we would

target a huge amount of young people. You would support that view?

Completely support that view. Absolutely, we are not helping

children learn to grow in their emotional resilience, and children

really do struggle with anxiety, there is a lot of pressure on kids,

a lot of targets, a lot of testing, a risk avest society, kids raised in

captivity, I could go on and on. This has to be a wake-up call, we

have an election next year, where is is the investment in child and young

adult mental health services and the most vulnerable of our generation.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin was doubtless a bit busy signing a

$400 billion deal to supply China with energy to pay much attention to

wh Prince Charles has said about him. He is said to have compared him

to Hitler in German. Germany, it is not too controversial, more about

the law on internet discussions, more or less sooner or later some

fool will liken someone to the Nazis. Is he right, we have been

getting the reaction from the streets of action. He has no right

to speak anything in England. There is freedom of -- he has a right to

speak anything in England, there is a freedom of speech in England and

Russia. Prince Charles is crazy, Putin is a good man. He has a right

to have this opinion Putin is a good man. He has a right

think Putin is like Hitler. I think Prince Charles is a little bit

afraid of Putin. He doesn't kill people, Hitler killed people and he

had a philosophy that was based on putting people into prison camps and

killing them. It is not correct, our President is good. With us now is

historian and author of Berlin, and Stalin grabbed, two a-- Stalingrad,

two accounts of the Second World War. Does this account hold water?

There is always a great danger in making any historical parallels, I

am afraid the Second World War has become the dominant reference point

for every crisis and conflict. It is dang us from that point. Having said

that there is no doubt that there are certain disturbing echos, 1938

and 1939, for example the whole question of Odessa, claims on a

corridor to. Also discussion and mum merits that Ukraine should be

partitions with Poland. The Poles wanted nothing to do with it. It is

interesting to see the particular echos. Much more than the historical

parallels is a question of mentality. German, of course, had

this burning resentment, which Putin echoed with his fear that the

collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopoliticle... You are

comparing Hitler's and Germany's anxiety and anger about the treaty

of Versailles with the way that Putin and much of modern Russia

feels about the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet

Union? Indeed. But also there is a similar national self-centeredness.

A feeling that they are hemmed in and the rest of the world doesn't

stand them. Thank God, on the other side, I don't think that Putin will

be like Hitler who was furious he didn't have a war in 1938, in

September. I don't think didn't have a war in 1938, in

is crazy enough to want to actually have a war. If you were a real

pessimist, you could see if this comparison would lead naturally to a

comparison we are going to have some sort of confrontation? History is

never predictive and it doesn't necessarily mean that anything is

going to follow in the same pattern but you can see certain echos which

is enough to make one fairly nervous. I think a lot of people

have mentioned that and seen T As far as tactics go there are some

similarities, if you look at German behaviour? The same game of playing

four national self-determination amongst minorities and so forth. Do

you think that we in the west, you have alluded to this already, that

we in the west really understand how the world works to people

we in the west really understand how themselves on the other side of the

fence? I don't think we do. This is one of the problems, we have failed

to understand why Russia feels the way it does. It doesn't recognise

Ukraine as a separate one, they believe it is little Russia and an

integral part of what they see as greater Russia. You could say that

Hitler had a notion of huge Deutschland and the other parts that

should belong. What is your prescription for that? I wouldn't

dare make one, but I do think there are, thank God, differences, there

is no way that Putin would dare to go to war in this particular way.

But he is certainly going to extract everything he can without of the

stablisation of Ukraine. We could think more broadly about the way the

world is and how people in the different parts of the world might

see it differently from us? Absolutely, the Chinese see it

differently. They are very easy at the way Putin is playing the

self-determination card. They are worried about Tibet and the extreme

North West of China. They don't like any notions of playing very

dangerous games. Thank you very much. Thank you. Dove droned on much

of this week about the elections to the European Parliament. This is of

course charity work, because the overwhelming likelihood is that most

voters simply won't turn out tomorrow. This is not unconnected

with the fact that so many consider the European Parliament a gross

irrelevance. But there is another European election campaign being

waged from which voters are even more estranged. It is the

competition to become President of the European Commission, a position

as subject to popular democracy as being head of the Chinese politic

bureau. They are the candidates you have

never heard of and you may know nothing about in the elections, we

bring you the campaign for the top job in Europe, President of the

Commission. Apparently this time it is different, you get to decide.

Sort of. We try out the names on the unsuspecting electorate. What do you

feel about Gida Hofstad. What about Martin Shults? No idea. I used to be

ballad. By choice. It is a great hairstyle, easy to take care of. One

joke curtesy of winninger of -- winner of Eurovision is this man,

this centre right politician wants to be the next President of the

European Commission, the law makers of Europe. We joined his battle bus

in Athens with an ever-present police escort. It is the 35th

European city he has visited since his campaign began. Do you think

many people know your policies? I don't know, but that is not really

my problem, of course it is my problem, but they have to take

interest in what we are proposing. I'm not running after the

electorate, they have to inform themselves. The President right now

is Jose Manuel Barroso. He was chosen, like all his predesows --

predecessors in a back room deal. The EU leaders must now pick a

President taking into account the results of the elections of the

European Parliament. What does that mean, stick with me here, it depends

on interpretation, but some MEPs say Europe's 400 million voters will

influence who gets the top job. That is why he's touring Europe. A hard

hat essential these days for politicians interacting with the

electorate. Here he is checking out the extension to the Athens Metro.

The Greek Prime Minister also made him welcome. Mr Samaras is on the

European Council, it doesn't look like he's waiting until the election

results to let us know who he wants to be President. They understand

about democracy in Athens, they invented the concept, literally

"power to the people", that is what the European Parliament claims is

happening in the up coming elections, that voters are being

given power in a way they have never had it before. But things aren't

always as they seem. Perspective often shapes our view. That's clear

in mini-Europe, Brussels tribute to the EU, here appearances can be

deceptive, and critics say the same of the new European-style democracy.

It is a very imperfect procedure, because in Britain you cannot vote

for Mr Juncker, there is no party supporting him. Mr Shulz is the

party of the socialist family, people can only vote for him in

Germany. In Britain you didn't vote for him and Labour does not support

him, what is the legitimacy of his nomination, I don't see that. To

counter criticism the presidential candidates have held a series of

live TV debates to an audience of... . Best skip over that. But Newsnight

won't accept the long-held view that European politicians are frankly

boring. We have scoured the biographies so you don't have to.

Juncker is favourite, chosen by the centre right EPP. Martin Shulz was

picked by socialist. Mr Hofstad is the choice of liberals and

democrats. The far left have Greece's opposition leader. Mr

Keller is one of two grown candidates. Take note though, this

race is a Conservative and euro-sceptic free zone. Because none

of those parties buy into it. Everybody nowadays is complaining

about the low voters turnout, and for once we are doing a big leap

forward for democracy, and giving people real choice, also putting

faces on party programmes. Do you really believe TWHAUN of you will be

the President of the Commission? Yes, absolutely, I strongly believe

that one of us five will be commissioned President, because that

would be following the treaties. I think the member states would deal a

great blow to democracy if they were to disregard the vote of European

citizens. But disregard it they may, despite

all the trips around Europe, primarily on public fund, the treaty

says the EU leaders still nominate the President. MEPs will vote or

veto that choice. It is thought many, including David Cameron have

no plans for any of the candidates on public view. Outside the pulse

parliament amongst clued up Europeans I road tested the concept.

As I understand it the MEPs say you vote, your vote counts towards

choosing which party is the largest party in the parliament, the Lisbon

commission nominates somebody and the MEPs vote on it? The general

public get a superficial say in it, we don't get a vote, we just kind

of, it is kind of pretending. Lots of people say this is the big new

democracy in Europe, the big change? It don't like or sound like that to

me. What it is, is an attempt to link

the voters of Europe with the institutions that affect their

lives. If they are paying attention the EU citizens will find out how it

plays all out. Back now to the election, we do have

a vote in, and it was the last day of campaigning for them today, din

at the end by the enthusiasm for UKIP, Nick Clegg was still out there

selling the healthy delights of the European all you can eat buffet.

These elections present his party with something novel the their

opponents used to be able to say what is the point of voting Lib Dem,

they will never form a Government. But now they are the Government, or

a bit of it at least, problem, we report now from Kingston where they

have been a big force for years, but are now looking at quite another

prospect. Doesn't look like a hot bed of

activism. But when it came to turfing people out of their homes,

house boats, Kingston river so Ied was the scene of high political

drama and the local liberals' big chance. The pride in the Riverside

heritage has come in for harsh criticism recent low. Last night 40

families who lived right on the river, descended on the build hall

in furious of the council's destruction of a long standing river

tradition. Protesting with the safely middle-class boat people

helped them bed into the council where they eventually took control

from the Tories. Now the Liberal Democrats have won this town for 12

years, this time tomorrow it could be all over. Roger rose to be leader

of the only, having fought for the rights of those who prefer life on

the Thames gentle way. Tories hate it, they can't understand why anyone

would want to lead such an alternative life, they prefer to

them as river gypsies and they were people like you and I? Now you are

in Government you can't be the house boat campaigners, but y can't be the

recipients of the protest vote? It has made it harder, there is no

denying that, some people feel let down, I suppose, by some of the

things which our parliamentary colleagues have had to do. In a

sense that is coalition politics. There is no coalition in Kingston.

You wait so long to be in power, and when we are it doesn't go the way we

would hope. A polite understatement. Escaping third party obscurity has

meant major unpopularity. In tomorrow's vote the Lib Dems might

lose half their councillor, officials are briefing they could

say goodbye to all of their MEPs. Lovely as it is to mess around on

the river, campaigning in the local and European elections is more than

just a past time, more than their rivals, the Lib Dem base is built on

councillors, envelope stuffers and door knockers, they are all vital to

the pet. Members of the European Parliament are a crucial part offier

infrastructure, even if a training ground for future leaders. After six

months of the worst-ever polls since they joined the coalition, can the

Lib Dems face challenge from either two. It took years of local graft to

build their place. So the Lib Dem's best chance at a

decent scorecard is holding places where they are already dug in.

Broadly keeping Tories out in southern spots like Kingston and

Labour at bay elsewhere. Do these Thames side voters want more of the

same? There are sometimes when you think oh my God what are they doing,

on the whole they are not do too bad. We haven't got a post box on

the estate, the bus doesn't run on Sunday, anyone with their 80s has to

walk to the main road to get a bus. I'm lucky I live there. We have

bikes riding on the pavement all the time. I don't think they have done

wadly but Mr Cameron early in charge. I'm not so sure about that.

A dreadful set of results won't be a surprise to any Lib Dem. Says this

former adviser to Nick Clegg. But might bring forward the moment when

bigger realities have to be face. Local Lib Dems have been in power

locally over the years. They are paying the penalty for party at

national level finally getting into power for the first time. The party

is kinding it difficult to deal with understandably, but it is a

challenge they have to face. If in the long-term the next five or

sentence years that will clearly have an impact on the ability to

calm pan. Whether fending off the Conservatives here or fighting

Labour in the northern towns, or the SNP, UKIP or greens in other parts

of the country. Being a national Government has Scotched the question

Lib Dems used to get on the doorstep. What is the point of

voting for you, you will never be in charge. But if decisions taken in

coalition erode local support dramatically, in the long-term how

will the party really sustain. The next few days will be painful,

although they don't directly dictate next May. But the demand they will

urge is what happens if the Lib Dems keep on losing, how does the party

now in power stop its relevance floating away. The deputy leader of

the Liberal Democrats is in Aberdeen. What's your explanation

for why you are doing so badly? I'm not prepared to say that until the

polls are closed and votes counted. That may be your line, but Nick

Clegg's word published in the Guardian tomorrow, in the event of

you getting no seats or up to two seats you should say you are

disappointed but the party remains resolute this was expected at this

point in electoral cycles? To be clear what we are saying is some of

the polls if they were right would lead to a setback. I don't think we

should judge them before they are closed, that is the point. As far as

the overall position is concerned. We have fought the European

elections on a straight and honest and pro-European ticket. We have to

be it clearly a taken on UKIP, and we are in favour of European reform

or to contemplate Britain leaving. We have nothing to be ashamed of and

people do not say they don't know what the Liberal Democrats stand

for. Perhaps they know too much and that is why you are predicting you

will get a hammering? I'm not prepared to accept that. Your party

is? Why is it issuing guidance to people as to bah they should say

when -- to what they should say when confronted with terrible guidance? I

will make a judgment of the results when I see them. If we have setbacks

we have to evaluate how we mean and take it back. We have gone into

coalition something that is a political party. I have been a

member of this party for half a century. I didn't join it as a quick

fix in Government. I believe we have accepted our responsibility and

delivered radical changes on the tax cuts. Something that David Cameron

said couldn't be done. We have probably delivered the most radical

reform of pensions since Lloyd job. We have delivered apresent at

thisesships for young people that wouldn't have happened without the

Liberal Democrats. We have waived the way of coalition. Even at the

price of the -- emplosion of the party? We are in Government and

shouldn't walk away, but neither apologise for the things we have

achieved. We have a situation, not from your point of view I understand

it, but I find it extraordinary that a party that has helped bring down

the deficit, interest rates low, seeing sustainable growth across all

sectors, that has contributed t tax threshold to ?10. , 500. It is

reasonable to say to people this is what we have done and more like

that, but we didn't do it unless you vote for us. We have to fight for

those votes. Thank you very much. The world of sport has spent the day

trying to recover from the news that Tour de Romandie maying Yaya Toure

might be considering leaving his club. He doesn't feel loved. There

was confusion about whether the club it given him a birthday cake with

enough icing on it. When you are screwing them for a rumoured

?200,000 a week these things matter. We gave Stephen Smith a packet of

Hob-Nobes for his birthday, which helped him consider shows of

affection in the media. Not since Mary Antoinette decided to eat only

cake has a scandal caused such a furore.

# Happy birthday to you. Is he trying to have his cake and you

know... . Cakegate is the truth. Have we seen the cake? Has the

footage been doctored. Are you City engaging in a British Bake Off

subterfuge. I won't believe a cake was involved until they send me a

piece. It is an extraordinary saga. A grown man, he's 31, he should have

reached the able where he doesn't want to be reminded of his birthday.

There is a suggestion linked to Yaya Toure's agent where he felt that

cake wasn't close to the one the middle eastern owners had. It is

very childish f it was his mum and dad that forgot it that would be

something. He has made this perhaps to get the recognition he wants and

deserves really. He has been a fantastic and crucial player for us

this year. Of course it is difficult for hard-working people like you and

me to understand how highly strung they can attach such importance for

a few FRIP rows. -- friperies. When it comes to perks and sweet meat,

football is the new rock 'n' roll. Classic right to demand, Van Halen

wanted the promoter to provide bowls of M with the brown ones taken

out. There is method behind that apparent madness, if a promoter is

bothered enough to extract the brown M, he will be bothered to supply

the power supply and the clean towns that you have asked for and the

aspect that you asked for and the security. As long as there are

winners like Yaya Toure, clubs will indulge their players and agents,

particularly as the summer transfer window opens. The Premier League is

England as Hollywood, the power structures within it are very

similar to Hollywood. The whole pressure comes from the talent. So

the money comes into the game in huge amounts and is required to draw

talent. Talent recognises that and therefore plays all sorts of games

to ensure it gets more of that. Fans might wonder at the hissy fits,

but if Yaya Toure stays with the champions this summer, what are the

odds that season tickets will sell like... . Very popular things.

That is the end of the round up about worries and dysfunction, we

should maybe count our blessings, we don't live in Iran where it has

apparently become a crime to be happy or dance to Farrell Williams'

cheerful song of that name. Young people dancing on a video from were

arrested and paraded on state TV before eventually being released. It

just looks like they are having fun to most of us.

# Because I'm happy # Clap along if you feel like

happiness is a truth # Because I'm happy

# Clap along if you know what happiness is for you.

# Lap along if you feel that's what you want to do

# Clap along if you know # What happiness is to you

# Clap along if you feel like that's what you want to do.

# Clap along if you feel like that's what you want to do. Good evening,

could be a bit noisy tonight across England and Wales, heavy thundery

rain working northwards. Heavy rain still there across northern England

to