16/02/2016 Newsnight

Answer: when it's a vital British renegotiation with the rest of

the EU, and the European Parliament reminds us all late in the day,

We'll ask whether the renegotiation is for life,

To be clear, no government can go to the parliament and say this is our

proposal, can you give us a guarantee about the result. In a

democracy that isn't possible. We'll ask whether

the renegotiation is for life, Also tonight, Zac on the attack:

the Tory candidate for London mayor, Zac Goldsmith on his

suitability for the job. And John Sweeney on the economic

crisis in Venezuela. But now he's dead and the poor

living there in the Barrios, have turned against

the movement he created. My goodness, we've been talking

about the EU renegotiation for months now and that particular

drama grinds slowly But a huge potential problem has

loomed into It's that frustrating thing about the EU, that

no-one is quite in charge, so can we know what the rules are,

even if we agree them? There are two issues:

the European Court of Justice may say it's incompatible

with our treaty obligations, and the European Parliament may say

they don't want to enact the bits Is this an important "oops",

or a silly distraction? David Cameron has shaken a lot of

hands and eaten a lot of dinners all in the name of renegotiating

Britain's relationship with the EU. And in the next few days he will

hope he can get written's new terms of membership signed off by the

other member states. -- Coryton's. David Cameron, should all go to

plan, should end up with a meeting here. This is Downing Street and on

Friday if he gets a deal he will be holding a cabinet and that will mark

the official start of the referendum campaign. After that ministers will

be able to campaign for Brexit if they wish. First, the Prime Minister

needs to get a deal from Europe. Some are sympathetic to David

Cameron think he will overcome the hurdles to the deal. It is about

ensuring that non-Eurozone countries cannot be disseminated against by

the Eurozone countries. A mechanism for that hasn't yet been decided. I

think certain Eurozone countries are afraid the UK might be given to Matt

and have effectively what counts as a veto on Eurozone issues. -- too

much. Another European meeting will be happening at the same time. A

pro-exit campaign group, Grassroots Out, will be campaigning. They and

others will argue that the deal David Cameron will bring back will

be incomplete because a huge chunk of it will need the approval of the

European Parliament. Something it will not get until after any

referendum. Good morning. The president of the European

Parliament, meeting the Prime Minister here, wasn't very helpful

today. I encourage British people to vote on the basis of the outcome of

Thursday to vote yes. Then we start procedure, legislative procedure,

between clarify and help to solve the problems addressed by the frame

which will be accepted on Thursday. I hope accepted on Thursday. Certain

things still need to pass through the European Parliament. Most

notably is the emergency brake on migrant' accessed in work welfare.

But certain things are in place immediately. Red cards for national

parliament to block EU legislation where it is unwanted. And also the

understanding that the UK is not bound to an ever closer union. It is

the first time it has an opt out of this. Lots of potential leave voters

migration is a big issue. They would obviously be unnerved if the

European Parliament words and pick the migration part of this package.

Do we think it is likely the MEPs do that? I think the president of the

European Parliament has said that first of all it will be a speedy

process. One that will be studied carefully. I think the other

countries have agreed, through their heads of government, to the package,

I think it is highly likely the European Parliament will consider

that as a good signal. -- I think if the other. But the European

Parliament could fiddle with the deal and water it down. That is what

is the fear of the Eurosceptics. The Prime Minister could make a deal. A

tiny one. But after that deal, and say he wins the referendum, the

European Parliament can scupper the deal. The European Court of Justice

can rule it out of order. It is rather like selling a motorcar and

saying isn't it lovely and shiny, and you can buy it, but you cannot

test the engine first. It simply doesn't work. Could the European

Court strike down the deal? We have spoken to experts who believe

legislation could be drafted which would be safe from that. Tensions

are high, and so are the stakes, and perhaps that is why Prince William

today intervened in a speech. Or did he? You judge. In an increasingly

turbulent world our ability to unite in common action with other nations

is essential. It is the bedrock of our security and prosperity. And is

central to your work. Right now the big question is will be wrestled --

questions. As he hence, it may not change many votes. But nor the

details of what David Cameron has shaken on. We will find out at the

end of June what he hopes Britain will be.

The tension is building. I'm joined now from the European

Parliament by the German MEP Ska Keller and Conservative Dan

Hannan who led the campaign for the Tory party to leave

the European People's Party. Good evening to you both. Do you

have concerns about what you have heard about you know, the deal

Britain is getting, particularly on migrant benefits? There is a deal

Cameron has achieved. It is clear the parliament will have to play a

role in that. That shouldn't come as a surprise. After all it isn't a

bureaucratic construct where only bureaucrats decide. It is the

Parliament that does legislation and if Cameron wants to change

legislation the Parliament will have a look at it. Many details are still

missing. For us it is important, as the Greens, that we are not applying

certain rules to some citizens and others not. But we will look at the

proposal. After all, this referendum is about much more than what Cameron

has been proposing in his deals with other heads of state and government.

It is really about the future of the UK. It is about the future of the

year and whether we face the challenges of today's world together

or not. Are you really saying that it isn't possible for the government

of the EU to make a deal? That is effectively what you are saying. You

are saying they can sign whatever deal they want but it doesn't pass

through the EU because the MEPs have their say. Let me put the question

again... Or this one... Go on. The European Union has a Parliament like

Britain has a Parliament. And Parliament have some rights as they

should do in any democracy. Part of that is amending legislation. A lot

of bits Cameron has been negotiating actually go past the European

Parliament. We don't have a role in that. There are few pieces of that

that actually have to go through Parliament. But how would you do a

law if not by Parliament? In Britain laws passed through the Parliament,

it is the same for the EU. Suppose you have reservations, which I think

you do about the benefits package, isn't it the case that when you come

to vote on the British deal that you will vote taking into account the

political necessity for the EU to stick by its deal with the British,

or will you just say, I am against changing benefit rules, so I will

vote against? Will you effectively do the right thing, if you like,

taking into account the bigger political question than just the

benefits, or not? As I said, we don't have the proposals. But

everybody will keep in mind the bigger political effects of that

very clearly. But it is also very clear that we cannot just do changes

to laws without asking the Parliament. Everybody is aware of

what is happening at the council. We think that discrimination shouldn't

happen to EU citizens. We are in an area of the rule of law which needs

to apply to all. That is clear. But we are ready to look at proposals

when they come. We hear this word, something of a formality, in

English. You have to get your vote, and distrust a formality. Because

everybody knows how you will vote and it is just noting its three. --

and it is just a formality, because everybody knows how you will vote

and it is just about nodding it through. If Parliaments were just

there like that we would just get rid of them. We don't want to do

that. We want to strengthen it. There has been a lot of talk about

the EU not being democratic enough. Those people should not criticise us

for exercising our democratic power. Citizens of the EE will expect from

us that we have a close look at this. -- EU. Just as we would have a

close look at any other kind of legislative document. Thanks very

much. What probability do you put on the deal actually holding in the

Parliament and in the European court? First, let's get the deal

done. Lots of the elements are still being negotiated. We will see what

happens on Thursday and Friday this week. The principle here is what 28

EU leaders have agreed to, I would say, and indeed it is a legally

binding decision, it is an international law decision... But

the European courts can save your binding position, as you call it,

conflicts with non-discrimination provisions, free movement

provisions, that we already have written into a treaty? You cannot

just signed something like that -- sign something like that. It may not

be EU treaty but it is a binding document. What happens if it

conflicts with the EU treaty and the European Court says that conflicts

with the treaty you have signed? That is what they are negotiating

about now. The menu of options they have been looking at has been

looking at how do you do it within EU law. As Nina said earlier, loads

of these elements will be enforceable straightaway. Making

sure, for example, that the UK Parliament has more of a save. That

we are not dragged into an ever closer union. That the euro zone

countries are not outvoted. Important stuff. What probability do

you put on the benefit package getting through the European

Parliament, 90%, 98%? It cannot be 100%. I would not put a figure on it

because things don't work like that. I think that a really important

principle is there, can Britain, can any EU member state be part of it

and make it better... But the EU was unable to give that because they

cannot, and we have heard the argument, they cannot just put the

Parliament into a position and just agree something Cameron is

negotiating. If 28 EU leaders agree to something then it would almost be

remiss in the Parliament to overturn all of that stuff. By the way, those

leaders have been democratically elected in each of their countries.

Angela Merkel has agreed to this deal on the half of the German

people and actually Martin Schulz early on in that press conference

today said the European Parliament doesn't have a veto and him himself

has been clear that it is the European Parliament's duty to pass

legislation quickly on this. Thank you both.

On May 5th, London will vote for a new mayor.

The most powerful elected role in England, outside Parliament.

It will be important for London of course,

and more than interesting for the rest of the country.

The health of the capital is economically significant

for the country and politically, London is a swing state.

In a minute, we'll talk to one of the leading candidates,

No scene better encapsulates the weird blend that makes

Local people, ordinary homes, and skyscraper services for big

business, all within earshot of each other.

It's like two strange neighbours living next door to each other,

perhaps not knowing each other well, perhaps not even liking

Without ordinary Londoners, well, London grinds to a halt.

Without the big business, London runs out of money.

And the city only really works when both neighbours are happy.

But when you do the maths, it's not been a great few years

Family incomes as a whole in London have done reasonably well,

But once we account for housing costs the picture looks

Since the start of the crash typical household incomes have fallen

by almost 4% in London which is worse than any other part

Yes, housing is the issue that divides young, old,

In an aspirational city, the aspiration to own a place

I think there's a real risk that within about ten years no

households, aged under 35, on low to middle incomes,

But let's turn to the business side of the equation.

HSBC, under whose tower we are virtually sitting,

made this very important decision to keep its base in the UK,

Does that mean London is sorted for business?

Is that a sign that business is happy here and has nothing

There will always be global competition, people trying

The three things on businesses' mind at the moment in that global

competitive space are, firstly, immigration,

Secondly airports, can you get to and from global market places?

and third, our position in relation to Europe,

A city that works for work, but also for life generally

is the promise of all candidates in May's Mayoral election.

Londoners will argue about specific policies

But elections are often much more visceral.

For a Labour candidate, do you get business?

For a Conservative, do you really understand the ordinary voter?

With me now is Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative London Mayoral.

Good evening. We will speak about some London issues in a moment but

we start with Europe, the story of the week. You said that on the

current terms, you would prefer to come out than staying in. On

reformed Europe is to mark I have always been a Eurosceptic, I believe

the institutions are profoundly undemocratic and in need of reform.

I dealing I would like to see a more democratic, more accountable, more

decentralised Europe. The Prime Minister has a tough job, not one

that anyone would envy. We're not there yet. There is time to go and I

always said since the process began that I would wait for the Prime

Minister to make his final offer to the British people and as everyone

else would take a few on whatever is in the national interest. You are

basically a Eurosceptic and London is the second most pro-EU country

next to Scotland. I will take a few months the prime Minster returns

with a final offer. Give us a clue, we are just two days away. Whatever

we decide to do must have a democratic mandate. I wish the

promised well, I've always campaigned for a referendum and I

will wait to see what he comes back with. Do you think that the benefits

changes proposed for migrants will be significant in London? Genuinely,

I am committed to not getting involved in discussions until we

hear back. I'm very happy to come back and talk about the deal when it

is there. The job of the Mayor is not to take us out of Europe or keep

a thin, but to make whatever decision works for London. I'm

confident that whatever decision, we will have a huge, bright future. We

are a global city and it will work whatever we decide. To ask the

broader question on whose side you're on, it is slightly simplistic

people worried that the balance between corporate London, the

bankers, and the Bohemians and others, that it is tilted too far

away. I think this is an issue for London, no one can doubt London has

boomed over the last eight years under Boris Johnson, rather most

important the world not just in financial services but across the

board, culture, media and tech. At the same time there is a real

concern amongst Londoners that they are priced out of their own city and

that is a problem. That is why I'm standing for mayor, to protect that

success that Boris Johnson can take much credit for what make sure it

works for people across the board. The biggest problem London faces is

housing. Jo Valentine said in terms of business concerns but every

single business I spoke to has the housing crisis at the top of the

list. If people cannot afford to live in London it has ramifications

for business as well. A lot of people have been critical about

property developers and their deals with local authorities, sometimes

they pay local authorities to get out of the obligation to build

social housing. You clearly think they should all build social housing

commitments, the target commitments and not be able to bribe their way

out. Every single application should be interrogated with a robust

approach to make sure we get the Massingham possible from it. --

maximum. All new homes built on publicly owned land, which will be

the bulk of the new homes over the next eight years, should be for

Londoners first. There's no point building vast numbers of homes if

they are purchased by overseas investors. Affordable housing on

private land, where you have planning permission for development

and there is an obligation to build social housing, will you enforce

that restaurant absolutely. You will be tougher on developers estimate I

will interrogate every application. I will drive a hard bargain because

the housing crisis is the number one issue for the next mayor. Wealth is

not an issue in London, many wealthy people, many poor people. But

background, being able to understand the needs of everyday Londoners,

that is an issue and I wonder what your answer will be to the voters

about the background of Eden. The same is true about being an MP. I

was elected five years ago in a comfortable Lib Dem seat and I got

that seat against the odds and have worked every single minute since

then on behalf of my constituents, I have delivered a day after day for

my constituents. At the last election I was rewarded with the

biggest increased majority of any incumbent MP in the country. So I

will do my best to speak to every single Londoner, I will not succeed,

there are 8.5 million, but for those I do meet, the people who know me

best know I have campaigned relentlessly on their behalf and

been rewarded with a massive thumbs up from those same people. Let's

talk about tax. It has been a big issue and it gets the issue, between

a corporate London and one for ordinary people. What was your

reaction to the Google tax deal? Much the same as everyone else.

Everyone was angry. We have a situation in London where the high

streets, the heart of the communities, are suffering. They

face high rent, high rates, parking issues in some boroughs, they're up

against a rapid trend towards online shopping. The last thing we want is

for high street to go under and yet they are in unfair competition with

companies who are able to use mechanism not available to the high

street shops. Of course it causes resentment and I want a fair

Saintfield. It has to be fair competition. In your own tax

affairs, to the compromise your ability to speak out on that issue.

Because you wear a non-dom. I have always lived in the UK. If your

assets are offshore and your non-dom, you do not pay tax... I

have always lived in the UK. I have always paid full tax on my income in

the UK. Since I have been paying tax. I have always lived in the UK.

The thing about non-dom... You pay tax on your British income. Let me

explain, my father died 20 years ago, I became non-dom aged 20. Being

non-dom allows you to change, to make lifestyle choices to avoid

paying tax but I have always lived in the UK. I have an income which

comes to the UK on which I always paid full tax. So you explicitly

deny people who calculate you have saved millions through being a

non-dom. I have never been accused of not paying tax. No one is

accusing you of illegality. But being non-dom, why is your family

office which looks after hundreds of millions of dollars worth, why would

that be in Geneva when you are standing to run as mayor in the city

that has the greatest potential services in the world. I have a huge

family, it covers every continent in the world more or less. I am one of

many siblings and members of the family. My father was an

international businessman and established an overseas trust before

he died. I am a beneficiary of that trust, I have no control over it, I

do have control over the income I get and that income I get is

subjected to the full tax regime in the UK and has always been. Your tax

return was published, it was published by Boris Johnson at the

last election. Of course I will and all candidates should in this

election. If this is something candidates agree to do I will do

that. Thank you very much. When Hugo Chavez came

to power in Venezuela, great hopes were vested in him -

not least by some people There was a democrat,

proffering an alternative model to neo-liberal economics,

and one who had oil revenues Well, the Chavez revolution

is in trouble. Food shortages are hurting

the poor, inflation at 141%, and an economy in meltdown

because of collapsing oil prices. Chavez's successor,

President Nicolas Maduro, lacks the charisma of El Comandante,

and in the midst of material shortages, the government is now

being accused of drastically under-estimating the scale

of the Zika outbreak. But now he's dead and the poor

living there in the Barrios, have turned against the movement

he created, Chavismo. In the country with the world's

biggest oil reserves, they're queueing for

the essentials of everyday life. Filming in Venezuela is tricky,

and that includes the supermarkets. The government has

fixed the price of So a way round the fixed pricing

system is you don't get toilet roll, You can get toilet paper,

but at a price, on the black market. This is illegal, but no

one dares stop it. Without the black market,

the country would crunch to a halt. How about this for some

Venezuelan sorcery? One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, Now if you change the $100

at the official rate, So, not surprisingly,

people change at the And that means the government has

lost control of the economy. But that is not how

the ruling party sees it. Chavismo worked when

it had its folksy Under Chavez's successor,

Nicolas Maduro, But in the Barrios,

the traditionally solid bases And then there's Zika,

the mosquito borne virus linked to cases of paralysis

and deformed babies. Doctors have complained they lack

the critical medicines to fight We went to the main hospital

in Caracas to investigate These people in the neurology ward

have been paralysed. A group of Venezuelan doctors fear

that the government is deliberately playing down the number

of Zika cases. So the government here says

there are 4000 cases I think we have 400,000 cases

of Zika in Venezuela. We have the register

of fever cases in Venezuela. And we have a big growth

in the number of fever cases, For now, petrol is the

cheapest in the world. The government has

to find $10 billion But seems afraid to

lift petrol prices. For fear of triggering

something like this. NEWSREEL: Venezuela's

worst riots in 30 years. These riots in 1989

saw hundreds dead. It might not come to it,

but some people fear this And, the worst-case

scenario, a military coup. Caracas is tense already

because of violent By some estimates, there were nearly

4000 murders here last year. Making it one of the world's

most dangerous cities. Within minutes, we counted

two hearses carrying After dark, middle-class

neighbourhoods are For now, life goes on and for some,

it is full of fun. But soon Venezuela's

revolutionary ride In his masterpiece The Inferno,

the Italian poet Dante reserved the fifth circle of Hell

for dodgy politicians - we'll warn them about that,

in the unlikely event that we get Dante was very fortunate

in his illustrators - one of the first and the best

was the Renaissance artist An entire series of his drawings

for the Inferno was once in British hands - until the feckless Duke

of Hamilton sold them all to the Germans in 1882 to pay

off his gambling debts. But now the Courtauld Gallery

in London is putting them on show. The set includes false prophets,

who have their heads on backwards in Hell, so they can see

what they used to talk out of. That reminds me,

here's Stephen Smith. The lowest circle of hell, just

before the paper 's slot on this show, but never mind, look at these

thrillingly gruesome drawings by the Renaissance master, Sandro

Botticelli. It is the great figure of Lucifer embedded at the bottom of

the pit of hell. He has six wings. That wings. They are flapping

wildly. They are generating icy drafts. He has three heads. The

mouse are open and he is chewing on the bodies of the three arch

traitors. -- mouths. In the middle we see Judas Iscariot who betrayed

Christ, of course. On the left, the unfortunate Brutus. And on the

right, Cassius. The two men who betrayed Julius Caesar.

They are among the most important works of Renaissance that we have,

because in these works Botticelli, one of the greatest artists of Italy

and Renaissance, meets Dante, one of the greatest poets of all time.

500 years after his death, Botticelli is having a bit of a

moment. Another showed this spring at the Victoria and Albert Museum

will look at his last impact on art and design. The interesting thing

about this exhibition of drawings came to light at a time that

Botticelli's status was re-emerging, and contributed very substantially

to defining the artist that we know today, who is clearly not just a

painter of, you know, beautiful, seductive he needs his -- seductive

Venuses floating around seductively. But it shows an artist who had

ideas. Trying to grasp a powerful poem which he is trying to

illustrate. The Botticellis once belonged to the 12th Duke of

Hamilton, who embarked on a journey of his own which was Dante-esque. He

was involved in yachts, gaming, horse racing, and managed to rack up

a debt of some ?1 million. Another contemporary on his death said he

was beset by all the deadly sins to a greater degree than any other man

of his standing, which gives you a little bit of the flavour of how

much he enjoyed life, I think. To clear his debts the Duke parted with

all of his art treasures over 17 days. The sale of the century it was

dubbed. Including wonderful illustrations of Alexander the great

in a makeshift escape. It all went to a museum in Berlin, including the

so-called Hamilton Bible, which had once been consulted by the Pope

according to Rafael's painting. For people like me... The Courtauld

Gallery is laying on magnifying glasses to help us appreciate

drawings like Botticelli's Paradise. They are in a stream of light,

flowing towards God. And a stream of light which is surrounded by

fantastical flowers. It is a wonderful way of depicting just pure

joy. That is what is depicted there in paradise. This is the other side

of the Elgin marbles, isn't it? These are our treasures which are

lost. CHUCKLES

Is there anything we can do, can we twist Angela Merkel's arm? I fear

not. I think the opportunity has gone. I think we have to just

celebrate the fact that these wonderful drawings are in a

fantastic public collection in Germany. They are freely available

to a very wide public. The fact they are here, back in the UK, is really,

I think, testimony to how cultural property is shared internationally

these days. Before we go let's remember the

Bataclan. On the 13th November gummen stormed

into the Bataclan concert hall - less than three hours later,

they and 89 fans were dead. The Eagles of Death Metal were

playing that evening. Tonight they came back to "Resume their get". Not

at the Bataclan, but in Paris. Many of the survivors returned this

evening as an act of remembrance Lydia was in the Bataclan and

attended the concert this evening. Good evening. How important was it

to you to go back to this very poignant gig? I needed it. That was

the final chapter. It was more than important. How have you been since

the 13th of November? Sad. I was really sad. Have you been able to go

to concerts, to go to theatre, or anything... Yeah, I have been to

Paris, I have been to Giggs, I have been to the theatres, I have been to

the cinema. I have been shopping, taking transport like everyone. --

gigs. It hasn't been the same since. What happened at the concert

tonight? It could not have been ordinary... It was the most

extraordinary league of my life. -- gig. It was emotional. Not in the

way I thought it would be. But I think everybody needed it. Tonight

the show proved it. Did they finish the gig they had started on the 13th

of November? It must have been more special than that, a little

different somehow. They played longer. They asked us to have a few

moments of silence to remember those we lost that night. They told asked

that they love it asks. Even more than last time. -- they told us that

they love us. The lead singer, Jesse Hughes, has talked about guns and

the need... He thinks had there been guns and there more people would

have survived. It isn't a very European view. I just want it you

have reflected on that kind of response to that awful night -- I

just want to know how you have reflected. As we have seen in

America, there is a lot of accidents, and crazy people use guns

to kill people all the time. Had I a gun on that night, I would have

killed them, just for protection. You have been to this event. I don't

like this word, but the word closure, has it closed the chapter?

Is that how it feels to you now, I know you said it is a final chapter.

Not closure. I managed to finish what I started. That was really

necessary. They court us while we were having fun and all of a sudden

we had to run for our lives. Tonight was away or us finishing what we

started. -- a way of us. Thanks very much.

A weather front moving south and east bringing rain and mountain snow

continues across the country. Behind it, cold air and a scattering of

snow showers even at low levels from Northern Ireland and Scotland first