30/06/2013 Sunday Politics Scotland


30/06/2013

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Morning, folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics timewarp edition!

:00:41.:00:44.

It's back to the '70s, as Britain faces the threat of power blackouts.

:00:44.:00:47.

We'll ask the Energy Minister how he will keep the lights on. And

:00:47.:00:51.

it's back to the '80s with Labour, as right clash with left amid

:00:51.:00:54.

claims that comrades at Unite are trying to take the party over from

:00:54.:00:57.

the inside. We go to Falkirk where it has all been kicking off.

:00:57.:01:01.

And if you got a P45 tomorrow, could you wait a week for welfare?

:01:01.:01:04.

That is the Government's plan. But is it fair? The two sides go head

:01:04.:01:11.

to head. And in Scotland: the actor Brian

:01:11.:01:14.

Cox will be live in the studio to talk about playing a politician on

:01:14.:01:24.
:01:24.:01:24.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1681 seconds

:01:24.:29:26.

the small screen versus getting If people have no savings, they can

:29:26.:29:35.

go -- they can get help. There is a massive increase in the use of the

:29:35.:29:39.

banks. There are six jobseekers for every vacancy. Taking away money

:29:40.:29:48.

from people will not make it easy. That is scaremongering. When people

:29:48.:29:58.
:29:58.:30:14.

first Gaiman to -- when we first Sweden's benefits are three times

:30:14.:30:18.

as generous. We have some of the least generous benefits in the EU.

:30:18.:30:23.

In Scandinavia, using the social security system does not leave a

:30:23.:30:30.

person destitute in the way that benefits in the UK do. Let me

:30:30.:30:38.

interrupt you. Let me show you what the TaxPayers' Alliance has said.

:30:38.:30:42.

We think the Government is doing excellent work on welfare reform,

:30:42.:30:47.

particularly in times of making work pay. But there is one concern

:30:47.:30:57.
:30:57.:30:59.

we have. There is this idea that it will dissuade people from taking on

:31:00.:31:09.
:31:10.:31:12.

work. It is something that needs to I do not believe it will. A bug is

:31:12.:31:16.

not logical you would not look for temporary work again very quickly?

:31:16.:31:23.

Would that not be logical in this position? You would wait to be able

:31:23.:31:29.

to sign on, would you not? I think it depends on how we make sure we

:31:29.:31:39.
:31:39.:31:41.

get the detail right on this. already have a three-day wait.

:31:41.:31:45.

point about the seven-day wait policy is it will do what Labour

:31:45.:31:49.

and the Conservatives want to avoid in the benefits system, of which is

:31:49.:31:53.

make it less attractive for people who are already living on the

:31:53.:31:57.

breadline seeking work to take on the short term contracts which are

:31:57.:32:05.

the only work people can find. Balls was prepared to go along with

:32:05.:32:11.

it. At every focus group disagrees with the government and the

:32:11.:32:15.

opposition. It seems it is politicians who do not have any

:32:15.:32:23.

idea of what is going on. Is it worth looking at the nasty party

:32:23.:32:29.

again? I have built a business where we lived on the breadline for

:32:29.:32:33.

the first 12 months because we had to use credit cards to keep the

:32:33.:32:42.

business going. That is not the same as being on the minimum wage.

:32:42.:32:47.

But the idea that you think about work first is a good one. People

:32:47.:32:52.

who do not have jobs think about work 247, and making them more

:32:52.:32:56.

could has no way to help them into jobs that aren't there. Where are

:32:56.:33:06.
:33:06.:33:06.

the jobs you are creating? Coming up in 20 minutes, I will be

:33:07.:33:16.
:33:17.:33:19.

Welcome to Sunday Politics Scotland. Coming up: BMA award-winning actor

:33:19.:33:24.

Brian Cox will be live in the studio. -- the in the award-winning

:33:24.:33:27.

actor. They 200th bill of the Scottish

:33:27.:33:35.

parliament has been signed by the Queen, but how has Holyrood

:33:35.:33:39.

performed in the 14 years? What's cuts and hard choices as austerity

:33:39.:33:42.

continues. Austerity showed how the UK

:33:43.:33:47.

continues to struggle. George Osborne's failure to cut the

:33:47.:33:51.

deficit in time ironically means he has locked down Labour into hard

:33:51.:33:57.

choices. I have been digesting what the Chancellor set out.

:33:57.:34:07.
:34:07.:34:10.

It was not any old Aga. It was a luxury bar go. -- burger. The

:34:10.:34:19.

Chancellor set out �11.5 billion of cuts for 2015/2016. It looks as if

:34:20.:34:29.
:34:30.:34:35.

Labour will stick to the spending plans if they regain power. As a

:34:35.:34:45.
:34:45.:34:47.

consequence of the UK Chancellor choosing to ring-fence or keep NHS

:34:47.:34:53.

and not award it any supportive allegation, that support Scotland

:34:53.:34:57.

because every penny in England, Scotland gets its Barnett formula

:34:57.:35:01.

consequence O'Shea's. Critic point out that it is a

:35:01.:35:11.
:35:11.:35:18.

shrinking portion. In capital Part of the challenge for people

:35:18.:35:22.

looking at the numbers regularly is it is not absolutely clear quite

:35:22.:35:28.

what big net position is going to be. It is clear Scotland has been

:35:28.:35:33.

given additional borrowing capacity but it is not clear whether a but

:35:33.:35:43.
:35:43.:35:44.

as a supporting capital spend. it is not clear where it will go.

:35:45.:35:52.

Will it go here? Anyone who wants to take forward a serious programme

:35:52.:35:55.

of beneficial reform has to recognise the importance of taking

:35:55.:36:02.

the workforce with a us. And walked off George Osborne's beefburger?

:36:02.:36:09.

Maybe it ended up in the bin, like his growth figures.

:36:09.:36:16.

Joining me is Stewart Hosie, and in Aberdeen Sir Malcolm Bruce, and in

:36:16.:36:19.

Glasgow I am joined by Labour Shadow Treasury Minister Cathy

:36:19.:36:27.

Jamieson. Good morning. First of you, -- first of all, over

:36:27.:36:33.

to you, Sir Malcolm Bruce. He borrows more than he intends to,

:36:33.:36:41.

and does not inspire a growth. He is the static Chancellor. What we

:36:41.:36:44.

know as the previous Labour government presided over the

:36:44.:36:48.

biggest collapse in the industrial capacity, economic capacity, since

:36:48.:36:53.

the war. It has been difficult to try to rebuild that. There are some

:36:53.:37:01.

signs of recovery beginning to creep in, but the truth is we have

:37:01.:37:08.

not had to deal with the deficit, but we have also cut taxes by

:37:09.:37:16.

raising the tax threshold and increased pensions. That is part of

:37:16.:37:22.

the reason why we have not been able to cut the death -- cut the

:37:22.:37:32.
:37:32.:37:32.

deficit as much as we wish. Stewart Hosie, Scotland is not having the

:37:32.:37:42.
:37:42.:37:43.

same luck. The resource budget has been cut by less than the rest of

:37:43.:37:52.

the country. It is �333 million, even though it is only 2%. That is

:37:52.:37:57.

in addition to the 6.5% cut we had in the last spending review, and in

:37:57.:38:01.

addition to the capital cut we hadn't the last spending review. In

:38:01.:38:05.

terms of capital spend, the conventional capital allocation is

:38:05.:38:11.

down. The so-called extra money is loans that have agreed in the

:38:11.:38:19.

Scotland Act, and funny Money financial transactions in the

:38:19.:38:27.

Budget. As part of George Osborne's ongoing narrative, he has failed so

:38:27.:38:37.
:38:37.:38:38.

far in. There is not that money available for capital spending. The

:38:38.:38:40.

Scottish Government have new borrowing powers, so perhaps they

:38:40.:38:45.

can be used to fund new projects. The Scottish futures trust has been

:38:45.:38:50.

slow in getting on and making new project happen. I am sure the new

:38:50.:38:55.

borrowing powers will be used, but the capital programme in Scotland

:38:55.:39:05.
:39:05.:39:11.

remains unchanged at to 0.5 billion. -- 2.5. Cathy Jamieson, a lot of

:39:11.:39:15.

people said the Spending Review was a political shade but there to put

:39:15.:39:25.

Labour into a cocked hat. -- charade. It has been frustrating

:39:25.:39:30.

this week to try to find out what is Labour's position on borrowing?

:39:30.:39:37.

It is unclear. First of all, the spending review has come about as a

:39:37.:39:41.

direct result of the Chancellor and Prime Minister being unable to

:39:41.:39:45.

deliver on what they said they would do in terms of getting the

:39:45.:39:48.

deficit down. They are borrowing more than they said they would, and

:39:48.:39:53.

the impact is being felt across the UK with people feeling their living

:39:53.:39:58.

standards squeezed. We will face some difficult times in 2015 if we

:39:58.:40:02.

are back in government. There is no doubt about that. We will look at

:40:02.:40:07.

the overall spending plans and live within that for the first year, but

:40:07.:40:11.

we have not ruled out the option of borrowing for investment. We

:40:11.:40:14.

believe the Chancellor should have brought forward some of the

:40:14.:40:18.

infrastructure projects now, rather than waiting another two years down

:40:18.:40:26.

the line. So Labour would borrow more? This is the problem because

:40:26.:40:31.

people are saying, will you or want you? What we are saying is we will

:40:31.:40:35.

in order to be responsible, keep within the overall spending limit,

:40:35.:40:39.

but we have not ruled out bringing forward additional investment plans

:40:39.:40:46.

for borrowing if that is the right thing to do, but we will not be

:40:46.:40:48.

borrowing to pay for day-to-day expenditure because they have

:40:48.:40:55.

failed to get growth backed into the economy. This has also been

:40:55.:41:05.
:41:05.:41:08.

called an opportunity for John -- George Osborne. Would you expect

:41:08.:41:18.
:41:18.:41:20.

people to wait seven days before people can claim benefits? We have

:41:20.:41:26.

made some massive reforms to tax, cutting 24 million people stacks

:41:26.:41:30.

and boosting pensions by the biggest level ever, and ensuring

:41:31.:41:35.

non-work related benefits are protected as part of the difficulty

:41:35.:41:40.

we have in getting the deficit down. Growth has not been coming forward

:41:40.:41:44.

us we would have wished. But those who say that we should spend our

:41:45.:41:48.

way out of this should be careful of what the markets might do and

:41:48.:41:52.

what it might do to interest rates. They should also recognise that

:41:52.:41:58.

where there is growth beginning to come back in the oil and gas sector,

:41:58.:42:02.

that instead of knocking it, they should encourage it. Building

:42:02.:42:09.

confidence is the best way to build growth. Stewart Hosie, maybe you

:42:09.:42:15.

have to rein in spending, and Mr Swinney gave me that clear hint on

:42:15.:42:20.

Wednesday that the automatic pay increase would not be ended in

:42:20.:42:26.

Scotland for civil servants. Any news on that? I think his hint was

:42:26.:42:31.

strong enough. In terms of what Malcolm said, if there is good news,

:42:31.:42:36.

I welcome it. We have got to understand that this Government are

:42:36.:42:43.

planning to cut �155 billion a year out of the economy in tax rises and

:42:43.:42:50.

cuts. The proportion of cuts to tax rises is four-to-one. That means

:42:50.:42:55.

the Government are planning to rebalance the books on the back of

:42:55.:42:59.

the poor, in a way that they do so much consumption out of the economy

:42:59.:43:05.

that he is trying to cut his way to growth. The debate within the

:43:05.:43:09.

government was that Conservatives wanted to cut for the the welfare

:43:09.:43:19.
:43:19.:43:19.

budgets but the Liberal Democrats refused to do it. -- to cut further.

:43:19.:43:23.

Cathy Jamieson, Stewart Hosie was pointing out the changes to welfare.

:43:23.:43:29.

Many Labour supporters would be horrified at what Ed Balls is it

:43:29.:43:39.

said thing. -- accepting. We will need to look at the money we have

:43:39.:43:47.

available and make it fairer. We have not said we will take any

:43:47.:43:51.

action that will put more people in the hands of the loan sharks. The

:43:51.:44:01.
:44:01.:44:03.

present government can not have it all ways. At the same time, they

:44:03.:44:06.

are giving tax breaks to millionaires, which does not see

:44:06.:44:10.

sensible. Let us look to another item making the news today. It is

:44:10.:44:14.

the latest paper from the UK Treasury. Sir Malcolm Bruce, it has

:44:14.:44:18.

been claimed that Scots may have to face roaming charges if there is

:44:18.:44:25.

independence on the mobile phones. A Tory MP says some of the

:44:25.:44:31.

arguments against independence are becoming silly. Some of them are

:44:31.:44:35.

real. If you have a single market and break it up there are potential

:44:35.:44:39.

consequences that could increase costs. I have not seen this paper,

:44:39.:44:44.

but I think it is suggesting that breaking up the single market in

:44:45.:44:50.

telecommunications and broadband could have implications. If you

:44:50.:44:53.

remove the Universal Postal Service from Scotland because you take

:44:53.:44:58.

Scotland out of the UK, the chances are you will not be able to send a

:44:58.:45:03.

package or a letter from John o'Groats to Land's End for next-day

:45:03.:45:07.

delivery at a flat rate. You cannot do it between Ireland and the UK.

:45:07.:45:14.

There are real issues here which need to be considered. It is like

:45:14.:45:18.

unscrambling an omelette. There are a lot of difficulties. Stewart

:45:18.:45:23.

Hosie, Sir Malcolm picks out the wider issue that if there is

:45:23.:45:26.

independence there could be difficulties with Telecom

:45:26.:45:30.

indications and the postal service. This is just more scaremongering

:45:30.:45:39.

nonsense. Let us look at the issues in the story. We have higher mobile

:45:39.:45:44.

phone charges which the European Union are about to outlaw. And

:45:44.:45:50.

between a liberal, a Tory and Labour MSP, they signed up to the

:45:50.:45:53.

Scottish Parliament motion welcoming that. This is simply

:45:53.:45:57.

wrong. In relation to the Post Office, the only threat comes from

:45:57.:46:02.

UK governments. These people have shut 400 post offices in the last

:46:02.:46:12.
:46:12.:46:12.

10 years. Hang on, be protected them. 400 have been closed! There

:46:12.:46:19.

will be a proper postal service in Scotland, and we will do everything

:46:19.:46:25.

we can to preserve this. Roaming charge is about to go. This is a

:46:25.:46:30.

rather silly scare story from the project fear people. The good news

:46:30.:46:40.
:46:40.:46:41.

is no one is listening to them any more. There are serious issues that

:46:42.:46:44.

Scotland want answers to. John Swinney says one thing in public

:46:44.:46:47.

while the work he is doing in the background says something else.

:46:47.:46:51.

People deserve answers on pensions, passports and a whole range on

:46:51.:46:58.

other a dash of other thing is. want to pick up another final issue.

:46:58.:47:01.

Scottish Labour's financial spokesperson was sacked in the

:47:01.:47:04.

latest reshuffle. He said about Johann Lamont, disagreements we may

:47:04.:47:10.

have run the direction in which the party is headed. Is there a war

:47:10.:47:15.

within the party? No, Johann Lamont has a good team of people around

:47:15.:47:22.

her, now look forward to working with her. -- I look forward. I

:47:22.:47:32.
:47:32.:47:38.

Note one Scotland 's most famous exports. Brian Cox has come a long

:47:38.:47:46.

way from his career started in Dundee. He has spoken at the launch

:47:46.:47:56.
:47:56.:47:57.

of the Yes campaign. I have got a few parasites on me. There are few

:47:57.:48:02.

people wanting to take me for a ride and maybe there are few trying to

:48:02.:48:07.

send me to the glue factory. This was Brian Cox working in his native

:48:07.:48:13.

Dundee for the first time in decades. He took on the role of a

:48:13.:48:17.

self-styled people 's champion. Campaigning in his unique style as

:48:17.:48:24.

an independent candidate in a by-election. The city of Dundee has

:48:24.:48:29.

played a big part in shaping Brian Cox 's outlook and continues to have

:48:29.:48:37.

a strong influence on his beliefs. He now lives in America where he has

:48:37.:48:46.

gone on to establish himself as one of Scotland 's greatest actors. But

:48:46.:48:51.

despite his Hollywood success, he is increasingly drawn back to Scotland.

:48:51.:48:55.

He retains a keen interest in issues here. Recently he gave his backing

:48:55.:49:01.

to the equal marriage legislation and he is a firm supporter of

:49:01.:49:04.

independence for Scotland, describing himself as a democratic

:49:04.:49:11.

socialist he spoke at the launch of the Yes Scotland campaign. we have

:49:11.:49:15.

arrived at the moment to realise our potential. Please, let us not

:49:15.:49:25.
:49:25.:49:26.

wasted. so, can we expect to see and hear more of Brian Cox in Scotland

:49:26.:49:31.

over the next 12 months? I am elated to see that Brian Cox

:49:31.:49:38.

joins me live in the studio. -- delighted. You grew up in Dundee.

:49:38.:49:45.

Did you ever imagine how your career would end up? not a clue. It has

:49:45.:49:51.

been such a surprise. The irony is that when I was a kid I used to look

:49:51.:49:55.

at the River Tay and think, I want to get over there. Now I come the

:49:55.:50:01.

other way and think, I cannot wait to get back on the Dundee side. I

:50:01.:50:05.

had no idea. But it was important for you to go down to London when

:50:05.:50:10.

you were quite young to get your career going. It is very

:50:10.:50:17.

different... We are talking 50 years ago. It was a very different world.

:50:17.:50:20.

Scotland really has... I do not think that people really realise how

:50:20.:50:24.

much Scotland has come into its own in the last 50 years. When I was a

:50:24.:50:29.

child it was very much in North Britain. It was post-Warren and it

:50:29.:50:39.

was tough for everybody. Then there was this great period of social

:50:39.:50:42.

mobility in the 1960s and I was a product of that myth of social

:50:42.:50:52.
:50:52.:50:53.

mobility and so I went to study my craft. -- that atmosphere of social

:50:53.:50:57.

mobility. London was the same distance to me as Glasgow was, so I

:50:57.:51:01.

went there and had a great time studying. and then things took off

:51:01.:51:09.

in Hollywood. yes, they did. I did not go to Hollywood until I was

:51:09.:51:14.

nearly 50. I always wanted to do movies. That was my influence as a

:51:14.:51:18.

child. Dundee was historically known as having more cinemas than any

:51:18.:51:25.

other town in Scotland. At one time in my life I visited all of them.

:51:25.:51:30.

That was the kind of actor I wanted to be, it wanted to be a film actor.

:51:30.:51:36.

And then I realised that because I worked in the theatre, I started

:51:36.:51:46.
:51:46.:51:53.

work at the Dundee Rep. There was talk about the British film

:51:53.:51:58.

industry. There was a television industry, but there was never a film

:51:58.:52:02.

industry as such. I decided to make the move to America in the mid-19

:52:02.:52:10.

90s. You are being drawn to Scotland more. What attracts you to the

:52:10.:52:20.
:52:20.:52:23.

Scottish roles? You still have the Hollywood career. His work dried up?

:52:23.:52:29.

In Scottish culture, the East Coast does not get represented very well.

:52:29.:52:33.

There is not a lot of east coast humour. East Coast tumour is very

:52:33.:52:39.

different from West Coast humour. We have seen all the great West Coast

:52:39.:52:42.

comedians but there was never anything about the East and Dundee.

:52:42.:52:52.
:52:52.:52:55.

It is a very particular, surreal kind of humour. The writer is from

:52:55.:53:01.

Broughty Ferry and he seemed to capture something extraordinary.

:53:01.:53:06.

saw you speak at the launch of the Yes campaign, where I saw you

:53:06.:53:09.

describe yourself as a democratic socialist. Do you have any

:53:10.:53:14.

particular attachment to a party? You are in favour of independence of

:53:14.:53:20.

course. I am not. I'm very much not a Scottish Nationalists did they

:53:20.:53:24.

think that people should see the issue in terms of... I think that

:53:24.:53:29.

people get confused. We're not talking about Scottish National is,

:53:29.:53:34.

we are talking about Scottish independence. They are two entirely

:53:34.:53:37.

different issues. It happens that the Scottish Nationalists have taken

:53:37.:53:42.

up the pattern, but I come from a social democratic position. I come

:53:42.:53:47.

from a position of experience. I lived in London for 40 years. It is

:53:47.:53:52.

living in the south and seeing what has happened in England. I am a

:53:52.:53:57.

federalist. I watched Leslie Redeker put weeks ago. I was impressed with

:53:57.:54:07.
:54:07.:54:08.

what she said about that. How do you think that the Yes campaign has

:54:08.:54:13.

performed over the last year? doing relatively well. But on both

:54:13.:54:18.

campaigns, the no campaign, there is a lot of fear being thrown out which

:54:18.:54:26.

is needless. I think we have tried to be honest in the Yes campaign. We

:54:26.:54:34.

do not tell lies. I was watching a clip of you in Braveheart. It is

:54:34.:54:38.

very much the nationalism of the heart as opposed to the head. How

:54:38.:54:41.

can you attract people to independence, head or heart, what

:54:41.:54:47.

makes the difference? It has to be a balance of both. We balance our

:54:47.:54:52.

ahead and our heart. Life is made up that way. The whole thing of

:54:52.:54:56.

Scottish independence has come to me... I was never for that when I

:54:56.:55:02.

was a child. I was never for that in my 20s. But having seen how the poor

:55:02.:55:06.

have got poor and the rich have got richer and that seems to be across

:55:06.:55:09.

these islands, I think it is time to start again and I think an

:55:09.:55:14.

independent Scotland as a way of starting again. It is also something

:55:14.:55:19.

which is about the particular as well as about the general. I am an

:55:19.:55:23.

internationalist, but I believe in their particular element of what

:55:23.:55:28.

Scottish independence represents. was when you went to London that you

:55:28.:55:35.

felt that you were a Scot? really feel it, I was from Dundee.

:55:35.:55:43.

That is very different from being a Scot! But going there, I suddenly

:55:43.:55:48.

realised what Scotland was about. I loved my time in London, but even

:55:48.:55:53.

now living in London, it is a great place, but we have become so focused

:55:53.:55:59.

on London. The healthiest thing for it Great Britain would be to have a

:55:59.:56:06.

parliament that was not based in London but was based somewhere else.

:56:06.:56:11.

We are heading to the news in a moment. Then we will look at the 200

:56:11.:56:17.

act of Swiss Scottish Parliament becoming law. -- of the Scottish

:56:17.:56:26.

Parliament. What has Holyrood ever done for you? No time for the news.

:56:26.:56:36.
:56:36.:57:02.

between Pakistan and Afghanistan was of vital importance. He said that

:57:02.:57:07.

Britain and Pakistan had a shared interest in establishing a stable,

:57:08.:57:13.

peaceful and democratic Afghanistan. the friends of Pakistan are friends

:57:13.:57:17.

of Britain. Enemies of Pakistan are enemies of Britain. We will stand

:57:17.:57:19.

together and conduct this fight against extremism and terrorism

:57:19.:57:29.
:57:29.:57:29.

together. I have assured Prime Minister Cameron of our firm resolve

:57:29.:57:35.

to promote the objective of a stable and peaceful Afghanistan. So that

:57:35.:57:39.

those currently living in Pakistan can return with honour and dignity.

:57:40.:57:43.

David Cameron also hopes his visit here will provide more opportunities

:57:43.:57:47.

for British businesses. Building on the historic and cultural ties

:57:47.:57:53.

between the two countries. He has announced a new goal of �3 billion

:57:53.:57:58.

in bilateral trade by 2015. There have been press accusations

:57:58.:58:02.

about the extent of spying by America 's National Security

:58:02.:58:07.

Agency, this time involving the European Union. The former CIA

:58:07.:58:14.

contractor Edward Snowden told a German newspaper that millions of

:58:14.:58:22.

German phone calls have been monitored, as well as e-mails. Today

:58:22.:58:26.

marks the first anniversary of President Mohammed Morsi 's election

:58:26.:58:34.

in Egypt. There is predicted to be demonstrations in support and

:58:34.:58:39.

against his leadership. The Rolling Stones and their legions

:58:39.:58:42.

of fans are recovering this morning after they completed their first

:58:42.:58:48.

ever appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.

:58:48.:58:56.

The band played for over two hours, with the Glastonbury organiser

:58:56.:58:59.

describing it as his highlight of the 43 years of organising the

:58:59.:59:09.
:59:09.:59:11.

event. The three-day festival ends this weekend.

:59:11.:59:14.

Good morning. The UK government is to claim that Scottish independence

:59:14.:59:20.

with lead to more phone users here facing higher bills. In his

:59:20.:59:24.

statement looking at the impact of a Yes vote, it raises the possibility

:59:24.:59:30.

of Scottish callers facing roaming fees when they visit England. It is

:59:30.:59:35.

also claimed that independence could threaten postal services and rope

:59:35.:59:43.

broadband position. Scottish consumers benefit from UK wide

:59:43.:59:46.

postal and telephone networks. We know that it costs more to provide

:59:46.:59:52.

the services to rural areas, but across the UK we benefit from

:59:52.:59:55.

economies of scale and spreading that cost. An independent Scotland

:59:55.:00:01.

would have a higher proportion of rural, sparsely populated areas, and

:00:01.:00:06.

so the cost of posting a letter or your mobile phone bills could go up.

:00:06.:00:11.

to terror bills are due to be demolished in Dundee today. They

:00:11.:00:16.

have stood at the top of the city 's held town for 40 years. Nearby homes

:00:16.:00:22.

have been evacuated and 20 wrote in the area have been closed. The

:00:22.:00:23.

congregation at St Martin's Episcopal Church which stands

:00:23.:00:27.

between the two buildings are worshipping elsewhere today. Time

:00:27.:00:37.

afternoon and with that comes outbreaks of rain for western

:00:37.:00:42.

Scotland. Turning more sherry for the afternoon, elsewhere some

:00:42.:00:46.

brightness getting through. The best of it across Aberdeenshire and

:00:46.:00:54.

Angus. That will lift temperatures up to new 20 Celsius.

:00:54.:01:02.

More in the early evening News at 6:50pm.

:01:02.:01:05.

Brian Cox is still with me in the studio. We have done your career,

:01:05.:01:11.

your politics. One series that fascinated me over Christmas was

:01:11.:01:15.

looking at opium, whiskey and sugar in Scotland. Things that have

:01:15.:01:18.

brought a lot of wealth to this country, but a lot of ill-health as

:01:18.:01:26.

well. Sugar in particular. We are all becoming a nation of diabetics.

:01:26.:01:33.

What appals me, and this is on a recent visit, when I visited my home

:01:33.:01:40.

Hospital in Dundee, I went and had my tests with the chief scientist of

:01:40.:01:44.

Scotland, Arnold friend of mine. He did my eye tests and feet tests and

:01:44.:01:49.

my tests for diabetes. Then went down to the shops in the hospital

:01:49.:01:55.

and they are selling the most appallingly high sugar stuff. On the

:01:55.:01:59.

one hand you have this health going on and in the basement there is

:01:59.:02:04.

Christ casting the people out of the temple. What is going on? All of

:02:04.:02:11.

this rubbish that is being served up. It is our diet. We do not pay

:02:11.:02:16.

enough attention to ever doubt. series was hugely informative. He

:02:16.:02:20.

were looking at the effect of whiskey as well and the way that

:02:20.:02:23.

alcoholism has spread throughout Scotland. You exploit that in the

:02:23.:02:32.

series. Timmy whisky is very honest because it has a social base to it.

:02:32.:02:39.

It is this move from being very... We moved almost overnight from an

:02:39.:02:43.

agrarian to an industrial culture. People still have a farming

:02:43.:02:52.

mentality. They removed out to big flats in cow cartons and places like

:02:52.:03:01.

that. Suddenly alcoholism went through the roof and the Temperance

:03:01.:03:04.

movement, which was an amazing movement at the time, we have only

:03:04.:03:12.

just got -- caught up with it. have been here, there and

:03:12.:03:15.

everywhere. But when you come back to Scotland do you see a nation that

:03:15.:03:21.

is changing? I see a nation that is extraordinary. I am so proud of this

:03:21.:03:28.

country. I am so proud of the way it has moved in last 40 or 50 years. It

:03:28.:03:32.

has done phenomenally. Just in terms of itself and its own identity. It

:03:32.:03:37.

is more itself than it ever was. It was not like that when I was a kid.

:03:37.:03:44.

I am very proud of it, I'm very proud to be Scottish. Will BBC more

:03:44.:03:49.

review in Scotland? Anything else coming up? I will be doing some

:03:49.:03:56.

stuff here and in Shetland. I am really looking forward to that.

:03:56.:04:01.

detective series. I am going to do a spot on that. I like being back here

:04:01.:04:08.

and working. But the great thing for me is that I have been elected for

:04:08.:04:11.

another three years as director of Dundee University. The University is

:04:11.:04:14.

one of the big things in my life and it is something I'm really dedicated

:04:14.:04:22.

to. When it comes to the referendum, will you be voting? I cannot fault.

:04:22.:04:29.

I cannot thought, sadly. I would board, you know how I would thought.

:04:29.:04:35.

That I just want all of these fears to be evaporated. There are a lot of

:04:35.:04:38.

people fear mongering. I think that independence is the way forward, not

:04:38.:04:44.

just for us but for the size as well. It has been a pleasure

:04:44.:04:49.

speaking to you. 14 years after it was first

:04:49.:04:54.

established, the Scottish Parliament this week celebrated the passing of

:04:54.:04:58.

its 200th act. The Forth Road Bridge Act became law according to the

:04:58.:05:05.

usual conventions. The milestone offered politicians are chance to

:05:05.:05:14.

reflect on Holyrood 's records. in a week when the new Queensbury

:05:14.:05:19.

Crossing has enjoyed the limelight, its neighbour was in the limelight

:05:19.:05:29.
:05:29.:05:33.

too. The Great Seal of Scotland has not changed much in 800 years and

:05:33.:05:38.

this is a key stage. Pouring the hot wax into these moulds, waiting for

:05:38.:05:44.

it to set, ready to be applied to the document. Over the course of two

:05:44.:05:48.

hours the delicate work continued towards its conclusion. The moment

:05:48.:05:53.

that the heavy mould is removed is the moment that the act becomes law,

:05:53.:05:59.

maintaining strong links with the past. the seal has been used in its

:05:59.:06:04.

current form since 1707 at the union of the Parliaments. Before that it

:06:04.:06:08.

would have been used by the monarch in Scotland. After 1707 at Kendall

:06:08.:06:15.

declined. Since the Scottish Parliament it has been used much

:06:15.:06:20.

more. Legislation has influenced most aspects of Scottish life, from

:06:20.:06:26.

the legal system to the environment. Act that brought about the smoking

:06:26.:06:36.
:06:36.:06:37.

ban and free personal care for the elderly. The Presiding Officer who

:06:37.:06:47.
:06:47.:06:53.

was there at the beginning of the Parliament believes that there have

:06:53.:07:01.

been great advantages. the only thing is that there is no revising

:07:01.:07:11.
:07:11.:07:22.

chamber. That is something that is on some legislation, there needs to

:07:22.:07:25.

be sunset clauses on some legislation so that after three or

:07:25.:07:28.

four years it his to come back to parliament for approval before it

:07:28.:07:35.

can continue. Another bone of contention comes from the SNP 's

:07:35.:07:44.

convincing victory. the Parliament was designed so that a minority

:07:44.:07:54.
:07:54.:07:54.

government could not rule. democratic will of the SNP

:07:55.:08:03.

Government of the Scottish people chose the SNP Government. We have

:08:03.:08:07.

always come to a consensual view, which has included constructive

:08:07.:08:17.
:08:17.:08:23.

criticism and recommendations for the Scottish Government.

:08:23.:08:27.

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