01/08/2014 The Papers

That was quick and! `` that was quick! Thank you for joining us. I'm

just so pleased when it works. Time for a look at the front pages.

Disagreement between airlines over whether Iraq's airspace is safe to

fly through. A campaign against private parking companies that

threaten drivers with huge fines. Millions of motorists could face

higher diesel costs as the EU puts pressure on Britain to cut air

pollution levels. The latest from Gaza on the front page of the Times,

including the news that an Israeli soldier appears to have been

captured by militants. The picture is of Claudia Fragapane. The World

Health Organization is concerned about containing the Ebola virus.

And the picture is of Usain Bolt at the Commonwealth Games. He is easily

through and beautiful to watch. The Guardian is keeping Gaza on its

front page. Not all of them are by any means. War returns to Gaza as

truce breaks down. Nick Clegg is calling on Benjamin Netanyahu to

talk directly to Hamas. I hate to say this but I'm not sure that his

intervention is going to make a great deal of difference, given that

the entire full force of the American federal government is not

managing to get the Israelis and the Palestinians around the table. It is

a very sensible intervention by Nick Clegg to say that there must be

negotiations at some point but where is the incentive for Benjamin

Netanyahu to do that? He has the military power, he has the force, he

has the Iron Dome protecting his citizens, and he now has a clear set

of military objectives which is to destroy these tunnels which he says

Hamas has made and which will be used and are being used for

terrorism. Until he has done that, I do not see, given that there is no

stick being wielded by the international community, why he will

come to the negotiating table. We understand that a soldier has been

kidnapped by Hamas. Israel will not rest until they have got him back.

We have looked at various versions of this story full of the Guardian

has sources suggesting that they have both claimed they have taken

one Israeli soldier and one source says they have not. There are also

claims a strategy is being deployed by Israel where they will pound the

area around where the man is being seized, even if that is likely to

cause injury to him. It seems that something has certainly happened

there. It is true that in November, 2011, there was an Israeli soldier

released by the Palestinians who had been held for five years and in

return for which 1000 prisoners were released. In terms of getting

something out of this situation, in which Hamas have practically no

credibility whatsoever and no allies, and the allies they used to

have in Egypt are now in jail, and there is no broker on their side...

Although, I understand Turkey is trying to intervene to get the two

sides together in Egypt and to those who stalks. `` to those peace

talks. You bowl out of control. Four countries have seen `` Ebola out of

control. The World Health Organization says that with the

right resources and the right measures, it can be contained. We

have the headline that it is out of control but then when you read the

article carefully, to, three athletes from Sierra Leone have

tested negative for Ebola. You begin to wonder if it is similar to the

kind of scares we have had before. In the other article, it is athletes

from Sierra Leone currently in Glasgow that are begging not to be

sent back to their country, because that is where we have had the

outbreaks. People are suspicious and do not want to dump forward and go

to hospital, which is where they have to be. `` do not want to come

forward. Let's be clear, there has not been a single case in the UK or

outside of west Africa, as far as I know. What they are picking up on is

the fact that the visa seems to be spreading quickly in those West

African countries. `` the disease seems to be spreading quickly. In

this country, we do go to the doctor when we feel sick. And we have good

public advice. When we get to the doctor or into hospital, we have a

relatively well equipped and resourced system. There are good

reasons why we should not necessarily panic yet.

Some airlines are still continuing to fly over Iraq, even though it is

a war`torn part of the world. It has still been allowed, or airlines have

chosen to fly over eastern Ukraine. Even though there is a lot of

conflict there. I am not sure of that we knew the rebels have those

kinds of weapons capable of reaching planes at 30,000 feet. Now we are

looking in the north of Iraq and thinking, do the fighters there, the

insurgents, have these kind of weapons in the same way that the

rebels in eastern Ukraine had them? To my mind, I do not understand what

is in it for an airline. This is involuntary choice. `` a

involuntary. If I was an airline boss, I do not see why I would fly

my planes over any point of even potential risk. It is not like they

have to be changed all over the world. This is one spot on the

globe. Maybe more people will now choose the airlines they fly with

depending on the route. Fair enough. That is a point people

should be able to choose about. Here is the confusing thing. From reading

this article, Rajesh Airways, for example, consider it safe to be

flying over Iraq. But they have not been flying over the Ukraine since

March. I did not know that. `` British airways. I am still puzzled

about how they can have better intelligence than practically any of

our defence sources in the government.

A lot of police officers on duty because of the Commonwealth Games

taking place in Glasgow. They have got leave to take, holiday to use

up. They are probably working overtime. Is this really a concern

for people in Scotland? After London hosted the Olympic Games we did not

see a massive surge in crime. I do not think people are actively

worried that the place is suddenly going to be hit by a rash of

unsolvable crime. But I have spoken to police officers who have pointed

out that a lot of what is normally delegated or contracted to private

security firms is being done by the police in the Glasgow Commonwealth

Games. Partly because they can see there are cuts ahead and they are

trying to bolster income. I think there probably is a state at the

moment where there are not so many police around the rest of Scotland.

They will probably be problems ahead. A Labour MP, a former chief

constable, says the backlog will be enormous. Is this a green light to

criminals? As far as I know, we did not see a rash of burglaries or

worse after London 2012. What we did see in 2011 were the riots in

London. It seemed after the games that London was a more united, a

proud city with its head held high. That is a broad, impressionistic,

almost jingoistic thing to say. I do not know whether there was any

effect on crime whatsoever. But the effect on Glasgow after the

Commonwealth Games will be more along the positive lines. The city

feeling great about itself. The Daily Telegraph. Larger UK this

Scotland better off than peers in smaller countries. Scots have more

disposable income because there are part of the UK. This will not make

happy reading for the Nationalists who are in favour of independence.

But people might prefer freedom and independence to having money in

their pocket? Freedom comes at a price. The rationale is that at the

moment the Scots apparently enjoy a greater level of disposable income

than their contemporaries in Denmark or Finland. The rationale here is

the supermarkets, for example, sell products at the same price all over

the UK, even though transportation costs to the north of Scotland are

higher. The argument goes, after independence that might change.

There could be variation in prices. There was a point earlier on how the

Nordic countries have things like better childcare and more cohesive

societies. Those other things Scotland could aim for. But that is

not the platform on which Alex Salmond is fighting the election. He

says, we will be better off. We will keep our oil. There will be more

pounds in your pocket. Once we escape the cover the English. This

story is a saying that is not true. Will it be the main thing that

people want their pocket? That might well be the way people think, since

money seems to be the only standard of value in Britain these days. If

we look at the countries that we have just mentioned, we are

currently 16`20 of the child well`being index. Denmark and

Finland are probably one and two. Money cannot buy you love, it

probably cannot buy you the things you did in life, which are social

goods provided by governments that are responsible. We are not living

in a government that has those priorities. We could have some more

quids in our pockets, but I do not think it will make people feel any

better. What money will get you though, is a tad too. Many tattoos,

depending on your preference. The Times is looking at how the Jews are

the new social climate. `` tattoos. Are you a fan of it? No. I cannot

get it. I remember getting the transfers when I was young. I have

never liked the idea. The more they seem to proliferate, the less I can

see any point of doing it. In the old days it was a bit of a

statement. Now it seems to be part of the uniform. Everybody seems to

have one. Do you? I do not. I have always rather wanted a Diet Coke

logo on my shoulder. I love Diet Coke. They might pay you to have

that. Yes indeed. But now I learn that 27% of my middle`class compete

to its habitat use, compared to only 26% of people who are working class.

`` have tattoos. Maybe it is time for us to alter out and get into.

The thing like this, you think about the 70s and platform shoes and

flares, you can get rid of those. I know somebody who had a lot of

tattoos in his late 20s, early 30s. He is spending a fortune on getting

rid of them. That seems like an expensive way to spend your free

time. So could it be classy? Helen Mirren get away with it. I think the

pendulum is about to swing. 90% of the upper class could also get them.

We will end up with the pendulum swinging right back. Much easier to

stick with the flares and the platform shoes. Thank you. Thank you

very much. That is it for the papers. Now it is time for

Commonwealth Games Sportsday.