The Year in Politics Review


The Year in Politics

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the link. More on those stories at three

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o'clock. Now it is time for a look back at the year in politics with

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Hello. I happen looking back at the last 12 months. The biggest

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political story has been the what story of the press. The humbling of

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the hacks. There have been other big stories - the economy in Europe.

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But surely there have been other villains this year. Bankers, with

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their huge bonuses, we are still viewed by many as public enemy

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number one. Remember Fred Goodwin. The former Royal Bank of Scotland

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chief was stripped of his knighthood and the current boss of

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the Royal Bank of Scotland found himself under pressure to wave his

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own one million-pound bonus. It was not just the bonuses. There was the

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rate fixing scandal. It prompted it more out rage at the banks. It led

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to a furious personal clash between George was born and the Shadow

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Chancellor. He has impugned my integrity. The Labour Party said

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there should have been a fool public inquiry over the rate fixing

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scandal. And then we turned our attention to tax - who was paying

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it and who was not. The from starring at the Royal Jubilee,

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Jimmy Carter suddenly found himself in the spotlight as the

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unacceptable face of tax avoidance. You think of the people who saved

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up their money after paying their taxes to go and see him in concert

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and he is putting all his money abroad. That is simply not fair.

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Many big companies found themselves named and shamed. Starbucks promise

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to pay �20 million to the taxman. regard tax-avoidance as morally

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repugnant. The headline may have gone to the 50p tax cut, but that

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soon led to another wave of other headlines. This is an Allmey

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shambles budget. The there were U- turns over a number of taxes. Even

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I cannot remember the last time I bought one of these. And that sort

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of sums it up. They are too posh boys who do not know the price of

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milk and the short no contrition or compassion to try and understand

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the leaves of others and that is the real crime. And then the threat

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of the petrol strike. I yes, the petrol can in the garage. It

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somehow did not sound like we are all in this together. And then

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there was the controversy it at the gates of Downing Street. What did

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he Chief Whip say or not say? In it is here behind these gates of the

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High Court that some of the real political drama took place. Some of

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the most powerful figures in the world of press and politics forced

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to come here to give evidence to the inquiry. For the dole or family

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and the out rage at their forum of their daughter been hacked lead to

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an eight-month inquiry. Rupert Murdoch and his son James were

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pressed over their influence on ministers. Jeremy Hunt's role in

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their bid for BSkyB he came under fire. He said there was no truth in

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the claims. The idea that there was the back channel through which News

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Corporation could influence my decisions. This is categorically

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not the case. Hints there, it was this man, his adviser, who was

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forced to quit. Ministers rallied to his side. A Icy no evidence that

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he acted in any way contrary to the Ministerial Code. The separate

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legal drama was played out. Rebecca Brits, once chief executive at News

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International and her husband, a friend of the Prime Minister, were

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charged over the phone hacking inquiry. I think we are being used

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as scapegoats. This has been used to ratchet up the pressure on my

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wife, who I think has been the subject of the witch hunt. A former

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adviser to the Prime Minister was also charged. Even the lighter

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moments proved rather awkward for the Prime Minister. What did he

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sign of these four and texts with. He signed off lots of love, and to

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lie explained that the initials went laugh out loud, at which point

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he stopped doing them. I am so rooting for you tomorrow, not just

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as a friend but professionally. gushing words bore an uncanny

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similarity to an old headline in the sun newspaper. Such cosy

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relationships, along with the conduct of the press and the police,

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is exactly why the inquiry was set up in the first place. Find a light,

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in July, the inquiry finished and then we waited and waited. The

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press and politicians wondering what next? And what it it conclude

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- that the press had wreaked havoc on the lives of innocent people.

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His solution? Legislation. That ball is back in the Court of the

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politicians. They must now decide who guards the guardians. But I

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politicians were unable to agree what to do with the ball. There was

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one statement by the Prime Minister: The issue is we have

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crossed the Rubicon on if we write in regulations about the press into

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the law of the land. We should not impinge free-speech and a free

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press. By there was another by his deputy. The sub-dean studied at

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length. He believes changing the law is the only way we can bring in

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self regulation which will cover all of the press. It was a view

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shared by the Labour leader. think they are measured, reasonable

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and proportionate. Week endorsed the principle set out and the

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central recommendations. Now we must wait to see what the editors

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do. We have to see if the politicians will agree on how to

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curb the worst excesses of the press. Of course, it is not just

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the press which had its moment of wreck reckoning. The BBC also

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received a battering. Jimmy Savile was one of the bigger stars of the

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BBC. The scandal over his behaviour cast a dark shadow over the BBC.

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BBC programmes started investigating other BBC programmes.

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The role of senior editors was called into question and inquiries

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were launched. But Labour demanded an overriding investigation to

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bring together all the different claims, including that Jimmy Savile

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had abused youngsters at some of the hospitals where he carried out

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charity work. Every when has been second by the vile abuse

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perpetrated by Jimmy Savile and it is impossible to overstate the

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suffering he caused. Meanwhile, at the BBC, a second crisis erupted.

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The senior Conservative of the Thatcher period had allegedly

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abused the youngster. It brought forward a frenzy of speculation.

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is danger is that this could turn into a witch hunt. But the claims

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were untrue and ended with the resignation of the BBC's top man

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after just 54 days in the job. have decided that the horrible

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thing to do is to step down from the post as director general. The

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political storm only intensified when it was revealed that he would

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receive any pay-off of �450,000. The review concluded that there was

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chaos and conclusion -- confusion on BBC managers. The police also

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suffer day crisis, with the report on the Hillsborough Disaster. After

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23 long years of political pressure back campaigning by the families,

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the report, when it was published, painted a shocking picture of

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police falsifying statements and suck seeking to senior the

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supporters. On behalf of the gunmen and the country, I am deeply sorry

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that this Dublin just as has been left uncorrected for so long.

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Liverpool, it was widely applauded and some police officers may still

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face prosecution. It was also that threat which brought forward one of

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the resignations of Chris Houghton. He became the first serving Cabinet

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minister to defend himself in court over claims he had lied about

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passing penalty points to his wife. To stop any distraction to either

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my official duties or My Defence, I am resigning as the Energy

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Secretary. His place was taken and a string of other cabinet changes

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followed, after the first major reshuffle of the Cabinet. The first

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resignation was that of the health minister. As seemingly less than

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thrilled just been greening was shunted from transport to

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international development. She left just days before her department was

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engulfed in a row about the franchising of the West Coast main

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line. Richard Branson will now run the line again before the new

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contract is sorted out. Another departure said the government could

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be poised to change its mind over a third runway at Heathrow. Instead,

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the opted to delay the report. They will relieve feel it after the next

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election. -- reveal all the details. I have had enough of you are!

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NHS is not for sale, there is no privatisation. The Lib Dems

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insisted there would have to be changes, enabling them to claim

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victory for saving the NHS. Liberal Democrats have all that is

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built to an extent that it is acceptable, genuine health service.

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I am sorry how we got here, that was nothing to do with me, but we

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have done a huge amount to reform the bell and it now supports the

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NHS. Things also got heated over energy policy. David Cameron seemed

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to catch and the Lib Dems on the hop over his plan for cheaper

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energy bills. If left many wondering if they had been left out

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of the loo. We will be legislating so energy bills have to give the

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lowest tariff do their customers. In the Queen's Speech, yet another

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promise to try and reform the House of Lords. The Tory backbenchers

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would not put up with it. Whatever moral authority this Bill had, it

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has now lost. It is the very substantial opposition within the

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party that is responsible for the withdrawal of this motion. Not

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merely the Labour Party, that should be perfectly clear. Nick

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Clegg retaliated and said they would be no deal on boundary

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changes, dashing Tory hopes that it could have helped them win up to 20

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more seats at the next election. As the Liberal Democrat will vote

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against the changes coming into effect.

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Somehow, the rose garden moment seemed an awfully long time ago,

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although the two men did try to recreate it, first in a tractor

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factory, and then in a rail yard. Somehow, it was not quite the same.

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Testing, testing... This is the BBC World Service in London. Oh, and

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Europe came back to haunt Mr Cameron, just as it has done so

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many of his Conservative predecessors. Rulings from the

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European Court over prisoners' votes incensed the Prime Minister

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and many MPs. The judges also delayed the deportation of Abu

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Qatada after the Home Secretary was accused after getting in a muddle

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over her dates. You are saying there is no case whereby the

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British government may inadvertently have broken the law

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by seizing Abu Qatada before the deadline for his right of appeal

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had expired. We are absolutely clear that the deadline had expired,

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that this was a delaying tactic from Abu Qatada, a tactic that he

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chose to use. She said she would keep on trying, but Abu Qatada was

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freed from prison. Theresa May did win plaudits, though, from all

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sides over her refusal to extradite computer hacker Gary McKinnon to

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the United States to stand trial. The biggest row over Europe this

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year, however, erupted over a planned rise in the EU budget. Mr

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Cameron insisted that with cuts at home only a freeze in spending

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would be acceptable. But Tory MPs, backed by Labour, wanted more, a

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cut in the Budget. I think the country is sick and tired of

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eurosceptic words from ministers but very little action on the

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ground. Enough is enough! If we are taking cuts, the union must take

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them, too. The ayes to the right, 307. The noes to the left, 294.

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Defeat for Mr Cameron. European leaders smiled for the cameras, but

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behind the scenes no-one could agree, and the deal on the budget

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was put off for yet another summit. With a deal on the table from the

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President of the European Council, it was not good enough for Britain,

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and neither was it good enough for a number of countries. For Mr

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Cameron, it meant more and more pressure to agree to a referendum

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on Europe. The British public have been promised a referendum by the

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three major parties, and everyone has not delivered. They may have

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their reasons, but they have not delivered, so the public feel they

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have been lied to and will not believe any more promises. And with

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UKIP breathing down their necks, Tory MPs fretted and Mr Cameron

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promised he would set out his views If Europe came back to warned Mr

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Cameron, the difficulties with the economy never went away, and

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despite endless growth initiatives, the UK slumped into a double dip.

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But Labour insisted... It is a recession made in Downing Street,

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some agree with that, Mr Deputy Speaker! The only bright in use was

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the steady fall in unemployment. -- right in use. The Chancellor said

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it was all taking a lot longer than planned with more austerity and a

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cap on benefit increases. Tougher economic conditions mean that while

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the deficit is forecast to go on falling, instead of taking three

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years to get it falling, it is gilded day four. The PM told his

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party... Sink or swim, do what decline. -- do for decline.

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Labour leader stole a traditional Tory slogan. One nation, a country

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where everyone has a stake, where prosperity is fairly shared, where

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we have a shared destiny. And a Canadian, to the surprise of almost

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everyone, was brought in to run the Bank of England. My wife is a

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British and Canadian national... will succeed Mervyn King, whose

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bleak warnings about the state of the economy seemed to match the

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mood of the times. In Afghanistan, it was also another difficult year,

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with 44 British soldiers killed, but the PM announced almost half of

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the remaining 9,000 troops would be It was not all doom and gloom,

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though, and for the government, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

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celebrations were a welcome pick me up, time to forget the grim

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economic backdrop. The weather may have been a bit dodgy, but no-one

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And that was as nothing compared to the national celebration that was

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to follow. The Olympics brought with them a feel-good factor, to

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the huge relief of an anxious government, everything was even

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finished on time. Even the Queen Many said it was one of the best

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games ever, and the UK even enjoyed a medals bonanza, 65 in total, 29

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Thousands turned out onto the streets of London to celebrate

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Allah Olympic success. -- hour. The only hiccup, well, the army had to

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be called in after G4S admitted that they did not have and that

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staff to provide the security. Oh, and there was one minor transport

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He was more successful in getting re-elected as mayor of London. In

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the locals, Labour swept-back, winning more than 800 seats with

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big gains in Wales and a victory over the SNP in Glasgow. The only

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setback for the Labour leader was an egg. For the government, it was

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a bad night, with voters also overwhelmingly rejecting plans for

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more city mayors. A Labour by- election victory in Corby later in

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the year seemed to end the doubts about Mr Miliband's leadership.

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This, despite the embarrassment he suffered at the hands of Respect's

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George Galloway, who snatched the previously safe Labour seat of

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Embarrassment, too, for the coalition over police commissioners,

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with a record low turnout of just 15%. And the end of the electoral

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Meanwhile, in Scotland, a deal was reached paving the way for a vote

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on Scottish independence in 2014 with just one question on the

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In the same year, Mr Cameron said he wanted the first gay marriage

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ceremonies to take place, despite the furious opposition are many in

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What a busy year it has been! It has been 12 months in which we

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journalists have gone from harrying and hounding others to being

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harried and hounded ourselves, but one man has managed to use that to

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his advantage, albeit using new # And sorry, so sorry.

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# I am sorry... Do you know what, I think he fancied himself as a bit

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# We made a promise before the election.

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# We would vote against any rise in fees.

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# It was a pledge made with the best intentions.

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