:00:46. > :00:51.Afternoon, folks. Welcome to the Daily Politics. 3,500 troops are
:00:51. > :00:57.being drafted in to help the security for the London Olympics.
:00:57. > :01:01.It last-minute measure after the G4s failed to recruit enough staff.
:01:01. > :01:04.The Home Secretary offers 10,000 Olympic tickets to the soldiers'
:01:04. > :01:09.families. We have the late egs.
:01:09. > :01:15.How have David Cameron's relations with his backbenchers turned ugly?
:01:15. > :01:22.After the biggest rebellion on Lord's reform, we hear from the man
:01:22. > :01:32.David Cameron beat to become the Lord of the party. And Britain's
:01:32. > :01:32.
:01:32. > :01:39.canal waterways, a charitable Trust. ? And we hear from the electoral
:01:39. > :01:43.commission about electing today. So, all of that is coming up.
:01:43. > :01:47.With us, senior Conservative backbencher and trouble maker,
:01:47. > :01:53.David Davis. He has no chance of getting into the House of Lords.
:01:53. > :01:58.Welcome back to the Daily Politics. Some things don't change.
:01:58. > :02:01.Let's kick off with the news that William Hague has ordered EU powers
:02:02. > :02:05.and how they impact on the life in the United Kingdom. The Foreign
:02:05. > :02:11.Secretary is due to make a statement to the House of Commons
:02:11. > :02:16.in half an hour. Well, like so many European things
:02:16. > :02:21.this could deliver rather more than is expected. If it is a real audit
:02:21. > :02:26.it will show all sorts of handicaps and prob Lord Mayors coming from
:02:26. > :02:31.Europe. He thoughs that, surely? I asked
:02:31. > :02:35.for, this and the place went into meltdown. Saying that I can't do it
:02:35. > :02:39.Saying that it will be leaked. This will be leaking for weeks.
:02:39. > :02:44.Will it bring on side some of the Tory backbenchers who have been
:02:44. > :02:48.calling for repatriation of powers and a referendum at some stage once
:02:48. > :02:52.renegotiation has taken place? I presume, if they are doing a
:02:52. > :02:57.comprehensive audit, it is a stepping stone to seeing what is
:02:57. > :03:03.not working? I think that is right. Two things will come out of it. One
:03:03. > :03:08.is the people that want out, that situation will be energised by it,
:03:08. > :03:12.but it could also give them a useful negotiation template if you
:03:12. > :03:17.like. That this is the sort of thing they want fixed. It could be
:03:17. > :03:20.a rational thing, but more likely it will raise the temperatures.
:03:20. > :03:25.2014 is the time it will be computed, a year before the general
:03:25. > :03:30.election, how do you think that the Liberal Democrats... It has their
:03:30. > :03:35.agreement? I assume that we have their agreement, but it could be
:03:35. > :03:40.before or after the elections. It does not say specifically wen in
:03:40. > :03:43.2014, the timing could be important. Think of the combination of a bad
:03:43. > :03:49.performance in the Euro elections and this together.
:03:49. > :03:54.What are you hoping for? Nothing. I am hoping for a rational outcome.
:03:54. > :03:56.Is the Foreign Office to be amended? Would you trust the
:03:56. > :04:01.Foreign Office? Has not William Hague gone native.
:04:01. > :04:06.You can stop with that. The Foreign Office is in charge of
:04:06. > :04:10.EU things? It would have to be Whitehall-wide. There are all sorts
:04:10. > :04:13.of things, trade policy, you have all of the various employment laws,
:04:14. > :04:18.everyone will have to have their finger in it.
:04:18. > :04:22.You know there is a tourist walking down Whitehall, he asked a police
:04:22. > :04:27.officer, what side is the Foreign Office on? The police officer said
:04:27. > :04:33.it was a very good question. Now, it is time for our daily quiz,
:04:33. > :04:39.which today is all about UFOs. Yes, the MoD has released the latest
:04:39. > :04:45.batch of documents about UFO sightings. The files show that the
:04:45. > :04:49.MoD launched an investigation in the 1990s, into whether
:04:49. > :04:58.unidentified phenomena were not of this earth, and if so, what their
:04:58. > :05:03.purpose was. So, what was the purpose of the UFO visits? Was it:
:05:03. > :05:07.Military reconassiance, scientific exploration, or tourism? David is
:05:07. > :05:09.going to help us give the answer. The truth is out there.
:05:09. > :05:15.I think they were queuing for Olympic tickets.
:05:15. > :05:20.So, two weeks to go until the greatest show on earth gets under
:05:20. > :05:26.way in London. Yes, the 2012 Olympics is set to go and the man
:05:26. > :05:31.in charge, sew Sebastian Coe, is urging us to get behind the games.
:05:31. > :05:36.I'm going to New York. The stadiums are built. Tens of thousands of new
:05:36. > :05:42.Olympic tickets are arriving on door mats, especially if you are an
:05:42. > :05:45.MP and Britain's athletes are limbering up for the events, but we
:05:45. > :05:50.Brits are never far from have a whinge about something. The
:05:50. > :05:55.Olympics is no exception. So, what do we have to moon about now? There
:05:55. > :06:00.is a fair amount of complaining about the Games, mostly over the
:06:00. > :06:07.security issues. 3,500 troops are on standby as the contractor, G4s
:06:07. > :06:11.may not be able to provide the guards it had guaranteed. Despite
:06:11. > :06:14.being paid �300 million. The Chief Inspector of Borders warned that
:06:14. > :06:18.border officers are Manning immigration desks at Heathrow
:06:18. > :06:23.Airport. This on top of complaints this week from the select committee
:06:23. > :06:28.chairman, Keith Vaz, who said queuing was so bad people were left
:06:28. > :06:34.stacked in corridors. Computers, sorry, commuters are not happy as
:06:34. > :06:38.junctions two and three of the M4, the main motorway link to the
:06:38. > :06:44.airport will not reopen as planned and Transport for London are
:06:44. > :06:51.working on contingis if not re- opened before the Olympics. In East
:06:51. > :06:57.London, the residents lost a high court challenge not to have
:06:57. > :07:02.missiles put on the roof of their toor blocks and the Olympic
:07:02. > :07:07.organisers have banned retailers on site other than McDonald's, from
:07:07. > :07:12.selling chips, unless served with fish. Four MPs are not complaining,
:07:12. > :07:17.members of the select committee, including John Whittingdale who
:07:17. > :07:21.accepted tickets for the men's 100m final. Theresa May has been
:07:21. > :07:26.answering questions in the House of Commons on the Olympic security.
:07:26. > :07:30.This is what she had to say. Concerns have ariz been the ability
:07:30. > :07:33.of G4s to deliver the required number of guards for the Olympic
:07:33. > :07:36.venues and in the time skails available. The Defence Secretary
:07:37. > :07:40.and I along are other ministers have been monitoringing the
:07:40. > :07:47.situation and security contracts over many months. In consultation
:07:47. > :07:52.with LOCOG and G4s we have agreed it would be prudent to deploy
:07:53. > :07:57.additional military support. I have therefore requested additional MoD
:07:57. > :08:02.support and the Defence Secretary authorised the deployment of a
:08:02. > :08:05.further 3,500 military personnel. That brings the total number of
:08:05. > :08:09.military personnel, supporting the safety and the security of the
:08:09. > :08:14.Games in a variety of roles to 17,000, including the military
:08:14. > :08:17.deployed on wider functions of venue security.
:08:17. > :08:22.Theresa May answering urgent questions in the Commons on Olympic
:08:22. > :08:31.security. Now we are joined by former secure
:08:31. > :08:37.minister, Lord West and by the Conservative MP Mr Nurser.
:08:37. > :08:40.We asked to speak to a Home Office Minister, but none was available.
:08:40. > :08:45.So, Lord West you can't get into the country as Heathrow Airport is
:08:45. > :08:52.blocked. You can't get into London as the M4 is closed and if you
:08:52. > :08:56.manage another way in, the security companies fail to provide security
:08:56. > :09:05.guards, who more can go wrong? latest thing with G4s was a
:09:05. > :09:11.surprise and a worry. I think we have to look at this
:09:11. > :09:15.carefully, G4s are used widely. Think think that they can do things
:09:15. > :09:18.and provide it, but they have not done it they should have let us
:09:18. > :09:22.know before. This is too close to the Games.
:09:22. > :09:26.The last time I looked, two things, it is not a surprise that the
:09:26. > :09:32.Olympics are opening at the end of this month, we have known for a
:09:32. > :09:38.while, years and years! And there are 2.5 million people unemployed
:09:38. > :09:42.in this country? Why could they not get the guards on time? Alarm bells
:09:42. > :09:46.should have gone off earlier, about two years ago it was clear that the
:09:46. > :09:49.number of people required for the Olympic security would have been
:09:49. > :09:54.bigger than predicted and G4s were having difficulty in vetting the
:09:54. > :09:58.people, ensuring that they had clearances, getting them recruited
:09:58. > :10:04.and ensuring that they were available for use. That is why we
:10:04. > :10:11.agreed that 13,500 military... it was originally to be that?
:10:11. > :10:16.was suppose ed -- supposed to be a blue Games, but then it became
:10:16. > :10:19.clear that would not be the case. At that stage I believe the
:10:19. > :10:22.Government should have been over this company like a rash, saying if
:10:22. > :10:26.they cannot deliver here, that we need to be certain that they can,
:10:26. > :10:31.and they should have been drilling down and making sure, clearly, the
:10:31. > :10:37.company kept saying they can, they can, now here at the last moment
:10:37. > :10:46.they cannot. To suddenly find 3,500 extra, 17,000, Theresa May,
:10:46. > :10:50.mentioned, there are also,000 contingency, that is 19,000 army,
:10:50. > :10:55.Navy military personnel. If they are watching in Buenos
:10:55. > :11:01.Aires, now would be a good time?! Maybe we should have just brought
:11:01. > :11:04.them in from the start? Well, in the all-party... I published this
:11:04. > :11:09.yesterday it is an all-party parliamentary group on Olympic
:11:09. > :11:13.security. I discusseded it with Lord West and David Davis. We
:11:13. > :11:18.published this yesterday, but we were looking for some time...
:11:18. > :11:22.you see this coming? We identified a problem with G4s. In fairness to
:11:22. > :11:27.the Government they have therefore started the military contingency
:11:27. > :11:33.planning, but the bitter irony of this is that only last week waerp
:11:33. > :11:38.hearing that the very soldiers and my -- last week we were hearing
:11:38. > :11:45.that the very soldiers and my own regiment, with P45s in tear pocket,
:11:45. > :11:50.have to -- in their pocket, have to come from post Afghanistan tour
:11:50. > :11:54.leave and now are to carry out Olympic security around the Olympic
:11:54. > :11:59.tennis, then they will be fired. A great way to treat people who
:11:59. > :12:04.have risked their lives for this country? All I say is thank God we
:12:04. > :12:10.have an army, Navy and air force that can react to Government plans
:12:10. > :12:14.that can react on short notice. That is the key point. I'm on
:12:14. > :12:17.record as saying that we have cut the forces too far. These people
:12:17. > :12:25.are brilliant in training. They can turn their hand to anything,
:12:25. > :12:31.whether it is foot and mouth, flooding, fires, Olympics, we need
:12:31. > :12:36.to think carefully before we start cutting this down in stature. There
:12:36. > :12:40.we are, we able able to get 20,000. Thank goodness.
:12:41. > :12:44.I was going to ask a question, which is, I remember being briefed
:12:45. > :12:50.on the Special Forces element of this five years ago. It is, is two
:12:50. > :12:55.weeks long nuch to get them trained and planned into the system?
:12:55. > :13:00.problem is, David, we are clearly deploying a brigade. That is what
:13:00. > :13:03.this is. If you sent every Gurkha in the army and sent him, it would
:13:03. > :13:07.not be enough to fulfil the commitment. It is expensive. The
:13:07. > :13:13.ministers have delayed until the last safe moment before pressing
:13:13. > :13:17.the moment on a plan that is going to cost a great deal of money.
:13:17. > :13:22.7,500 were to be planned in checking cars, looking in handbags,
:13:22. > :13:28.now that is increasing to 11,000. That is a juch.
:13:28. > :13:33.I if were an army veteran, to have risked my life in Helmand province
:13:33. > :13:42.and come back here and then told to search handbags in the Olympics, I
:13:42. > :13:47.is the point. You can say to these guys, scrap your leave, you are not
:13:47. > :13:53.going on holiday, scrap all the plans. They will do it, and do it
:13:53. > :14:02.with a smile. People are seeing how brilliant these men and women are.
:14:02. > :14:06.Jo? Can we talk to Katie Rowlett? We have been talking in the
:14:06. > :14:12.pseudoabout the 3,500 additional military personnel to be deployed.
:14:12. > :14:16.What has been revealed is that G4s, in terms of recruitment policy,
:14:16. > :14:20.were given the contract in March, but did not open the recruitment
:14:20. > :14:25.office until January of this year. They did not leave enough time, did
:14:25. > :14:29.they? No. We have heard from a copyle of people employed by G4s.
:14:29. > :14:33.They applied last year and did not hear from the company until April,
:14:33. > :14:38.I think. So they are doing handbag security on the gates of the
:14:38. > :14:42.Olympic Park. There does seem to be some sort of issue arising about
:14:42. > :14:48.the administrative side of G4s. Looking now, the backdrop is
:14:48. > :14:52.amazing, the weather is great. For today, but what is in practical
:14:52. > :15:02.terms, the feeling around the Olympic Park weeks before the
:15:02. > :15:02.
:15:02. > :15:07.I have been here this morning, but did not have entrance to the park.
:15:07. > :15:13.It has been a hive of security. Army personnel manning the entrance
:15:13. > :15:18.gates, as well as security people. There does seem a large-scale
:15:18. > :15:23.security operation going on here. It is a shame for 3,500 extra are
:15:23. > :15:28.needed. For point is this, whilst we were writing the report, it
:15:28. > :15:31.became clear at the were plenty of people who wanted to do it. Some
:15:32. > :15:37.have already been trained and vetted. But the money offered was
:15:37. > :15:43.not good and that there was the recruitment process. If it had not
:15:43. > :15:49.started until January this year, it wasn't enough time. Are they going
:15:49. > :15:55.to be any penalties? All in the usual British way, nobody is to
:15:55. > :15:59.blame? Katie, will there be any penalty against G4S for failing to
:15:59. > :16:05.fulfil the contract? I think there has been some rumours that there
:16:05. > :16:09.may be a penalty, yes. The MoD had said they will be reimbursing any
:16:09. > :16:13.military personnel who have been put out, who have booked holidays
:16:13. > :16:18.and now have to cancel them and they will get they leave
:16:18. > :16:24.entitlement. As far as the military that are involved, they should get
:16:24. > :16:29.their leave back. These are MoD costs. And there has been an
:16:29. > :16:35.agreement already. The MoD are paying for Olympic security. The
:16:35. > :16:40.MoD, as we know, have got no money. It is outrageous. Are we going to
:16:40. > :16:50.get soldiers getting overtime? I do not think so. They will have none
:16:50. > :16:54.of their overseas allowances. will they stay in London? There is
:16:54. > :17:01.accommodation for 3,500 which was built by G4S, but it is not very
:17:01. > :17:10.good. The army will be used to not a very good. Any of you watch the
:17:10. > :17:16.sitcom called 2020? I love it. is so much worse than that. Katie,
:17:16. > :17:21.thanks very much. David Cameron hasn't exactly had a
:17:21. > :17:28.trouble-free time of late. Most of the heavy flak seems to have come
:17:28. > :17:34.from his own side. Backbenchers are in a rebellious mood. That was just
:17:34. > :17:40.the latest in a long line of issues where Tory MPs have got moody and
:17:40. > :17:50.not always over policy. David Thomson found out if morale could
:17:50. > :17:55.
:17:55. > :17:59.Legend has it, or Winston Churchill once advised a young Tory MP who
:18:00. > :18:05.referred to the Labour benches as the enemy. No, that is the
:18:05. > :18:10.opposition party. The enemy is sat around his. David Cameron must know
:18:10. > :18:15.exactly what the great man meant. Lords reform, EU referendum? You
:18:15. > :18:17.get the drift. It is not only policy, according to one of his
:18:18. > :18:25.most senior backbenchers, Conservative MPs are not feeling
:18:25. > :18:29.the love. They are two asides to senior management. One is to set
:18:29. > :18:33.objectives and motivate people to achieve them. But the second is to
:18:33. > :18:38.notice when people are falling by the wayside. Put your arm around
:18:38. > :18:44.them, show some sympathy and ask how you can help. That is one of
:18:44. > :18:48.the management skills David Cameron does not have. Another wise man
:18:48. > :18:54.once said, it is better to be feared than loved. David Cameron
:18:54. > :18:59.does have his teddies, the whips, to you and me, to lean on
:18:59. > :19:05.backbenchers. -- his head lease. What is that about? People who
:19:05. > :19:10.wanted to be promoted can still work to an extent. But MPs have
:19:10. > :19:13.been champions in their local area, they are much more interested in
:19:13. > :19:20.what their constituents might think that what the whips office might
:19:20. > :19:25.think. What if anything, can David Cameron do to stop his backbenchers
:19:25. > :19:30.giving him a kicking? He needs to bring on some of the new people,
:19:30. > :19:35.even though it will be very difficult because there are older
:19:35. > :19:40.people waiting their turn. He needs to get them in and get them
:19:40. > :19:44.involved pretty quickly. He needs to use their talents and get them
:19:44. > :19:50.to help him along the road. even that suggestion is not without
:19:50. > :19:55.dangers. This whole business of quotas, I know it is not called
:19:55. > :20:02.quota, but it is. Wanting more people of a particular gender, or
:20:02. > :20:08.particular background in his front line team, seems to me to be wrong.
:20:08. > :20:12.He put the best people in the best jobs and that is another lacking of
:20:12. > :20:17.management skills. Many people feel no matter what they do, their
:20:17. > :20:23.chance will never come. That is causing concern. Some think that
:20:23. > :20:27.what David Cameron needs is a few more people a bit less like him.
:20:27. > :20:35.want David tamarind to create a tent where everybody is involved in
:20:35. > :20:40.the project. But people are being left behind. -- David Cameron.
:20:40. > :20:43.There is a feeling people being left behind are not quite from his
:20:43. > :20:50.background. Come in under not so friendly fire from the backbenches
:20:50. > :20:55.is not unique to this PM - just ask Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, John
:20:55. > :21:01.Major and even Winston Churchill. But to David Cameron, sometimes it
:21:01. > :21:07.feels like it is personal. David Davis, is David Cameron's
:21:07. > :21:11.problems are rooted in his problems -- policies or structure? Structure
:21:11. > :21:17.is the way policies are right that. A lot of the backbenchers on the
:21:17. > :21:26.conservative side feel the Liberals, who are one 6th of the Government
:21:26. > :21:30.have almost half of the sake. -- says. Part of it is organisation.
:21:30. > :21:34.I'm afraid the Government has not done enough to make their own
:21:34. > :21:38.backbenchers feel involved and engaged in policy. This issue on
:21:38. > :21:43.the Lords shouldn't been a surprise. The opponents to the Lords reform
:21:43. > :21:48.have been coming for a long-time, there are 110 of them, how could
:21:48. > :21:52.you not notice? It is not one single thing. Some of it is not
:21:52. > :21:57.unique, John Major had bigger troubles. Even Margaret Thatcher
:21:57. > :22:02.had trouble from time to time. spoke to someone from the US state
:22:02. > :22:06.department whose job it is keeping an eye on British policy. They have
:22:06. > :22:10.been over visiting and they said to me, they were amazed how little
:22:10. > :22:19.support or warmth that there was for David Cameron on the Tory back
:22:19. > :22:26.benches? He wouldn't be the first person to say it. To be fair to him,
:22:26. > :22:32.he has a difficult knife-edge to walk on, to do we the Liberals and
:22:32. > :22:38.his own side. But I am surprised at how little care has been put in to
:22:38. > :22:44.managing his own party. He cannot give out ministerial posts because
:22:44. > :22:48.over 20 have gone. The house he dealt with the Lib Dems better than
:22:48. > :22:52.he has dealt with his own backbenches? I suspect that is what
:22:52. > :22:59.the feeling is in the Tory backbenches. When the coalition was
:22:59. > :23:05.first signed up, the Liberals had a vote on it. It was not put to the
:23:05. > :23:10.Tory backbenchers. But they had several votes on it. So, there is a
:23:10. > :23:16.feeling to some extent it is more their property than ours. Or so,
:23:16. > :23:21.they talk about the coalition agreement as if it has some
:23:21. > :23:25.constitutional gravitas. It is just a deal between the parties. It does
:23:25. > :23:30.not have the standing of a manifesto. And manifesto was
:23:30. > :23:35.approved by the people. A coalition agreement is have proved by hook,
:23:35. > :23:41.exactly? When you are dealing with the Lords, you cannot claim the
:23:41. > :23:45.same rights as a leader, as you could as if it was explicitly laid
:23:45. > :23:49.out in a manifesto. Are Tory backbenchers right to think if
:23:50. > :23:55.you're not from the right set, you won't get into the David Cameron
:23:55. > :24:00.Government? We will only know that question after the reshuffle. In
:24:00. > :24:06.your package, there were people hinting at that. Paul Goodman was
:24:06. > :24:11.hinting at it, Brian Binley was hinting. People being left behind,
:24:11. > :24:15.are people not quite from his background. That is a remarkable
:24:15. > :24:20.thing for a Tory MP to say of the Tory Prime Minister in the 21st
:24:20. > :24:25.century? That is what I am saying, it will show. The first time around
:24:25. > :24:30.he had to do the reshuffle, not the reshuffle, created Government on
:24:30. > :24:35.terms he was not expecting, as part of the coalition. This time he has
:24:35. > :24:39.had time to think about it. We will see what the outcome is. I would
:24:40. > :24:45.actually put up a reshuffle for a long time. The moment he does it,
:24:45. > :24:49.lots of people will say, we told you so. Or they will feel left out
:24:49. > :24:54.and for what other reason they will be irritated. What Brian Binley was
:24:54. > :24:58.talking about of course, you have got to be a woman or a minority
:24:58. > :25:02.group in order to get promoted. I don't think that is as strong as it
:25:02. > :25:07.is claimed, but we will see. regional coalition agreement you
:25:07. > :25:12.have been talking about has kind of run its course. They have either
:25:12. > :25:18.done what they agreed to do, or they are unable to agree to do.
:25:18. > :25:23.They used to be talk of there would be a 2.0 coalition agreement, the
:25:23. > :25:31.next stage. Am I right in thinking it has gone? There is nothing much
:25:31. > :25:41.they can agree on? It looks like it has gone. On Wednesday, it was
:25:41. > :25:45.
:25:45. > :25:50.asked and was pushed back. The person who asked the question is a
:25:50. > :25:55.capable young businessman, and the sort of things you would expect to
:25:55. > :25:59.be in the Government. Are their feelings among story MPs, on the
:25:59. > :26:03.basis of that question, if there isn't much you can agree on, will
:26:03. > :26:10.we get there sooner or later? of them will think that is what the
:26:10. > :26:15.last year looks like. I don't believe that. The Liberals have the
:26:15. > :26:19.best seats on the aeroplane but no parachutes. They cannot get out.
:26:19. > :26:25.They could agree to go to a minority Government and leave the
:26:25. > :26:31.Tories in Government but not go to an election? What happens for
:26:31. > :26:35.example to the fiscal rebalancing programme? The major parts of the
:26:35. > :26:40.cuts come in the second half. What other things hitting the Liberals?
:26:40. > :26:44.Cutting back on spending, tuition fees was driven by that. All those
:26:44. > :26:47.sorts of things will be political poison to the Liberals. If they
:26:47. > :26:53.will be pulling back out of the Government and giving up the
:26:53. > :26:59.benefits of governments, they won't be delivering the prize. Let's go
:26:59. > :27:05.on to the Lords reform, David Cameron floating the idea may be we
:27:05. > :27:10.could get rid of the 1992 hereditaries and elect another 92
:27:10. > :27:16.people in their place as a first stage. Any kind of that ducking and
:27:16. > :27:19.diving compromise it going to work? I doubt it. They will take three to
:27:19. > :27:26.six months over this and try and pick of people and ask what weeks
:27:26. > :27:30.they would like. There are 110. 110 rabbles. But there are probably
:27:30. > :27:36.more now. Now he has effectively said he is only going to have one
:27:36. > :27:43.more go, others may join up. You have to get that to under 74 him
:27:43. > :27:49.having a chance of winning. They are over 800 people in the Lords
:27:49. > :27:55.anyway. David Steel put down a motion which we could pass tomorrow.
:27:55. > :28:00.Which was? Retirement, criminals getting thrown out and all this
:28:00. > :28:07.sort of thing. We could be down to 200 by the end of the year.
:28:07. > :28:12.will have to get a Lord on to do about that. Are you enjoying your
:28:12. > :28:18.rebellious years? You have come late to them. I am enjoying my
:28:18. > :28:22.freedom. It is seen by some as an attempt to
:28:22. > :28:27.refloat David Cameron's Big Society idea. England and Wales 2000 miles
:28:27. > :28:32.of canals and rivers were handed over to the Canal and River Trust,
:28:32. > :28:40.a shiny new charity. Ministers say it is a milestone. But can it keep
:28:41. > :28:46.its head above water? We have generations of history in
:28:46. > :28:51.our canals. Initially set up and created to refill the Industrial
:28:51. > :28:55.Revolution and transport goods around. Now it is a leisure pursuit.
:28:55. > :29:00.Millions of people use the canals in England and Wales every year.
:29:00. > :29:06.Scotland will stay under public ownership. What is happening with
:29:06. > :29:10.this, ownership and responsibility for the waterways transfers to a
:29:11. > :29:15.specially formed canals and rivers Trust, away from which was British
:29:16. > :29:20.Waterways. It will mean it has a secured income from the Government
:29:20. > :29:25.that for the next 15 years, �800 million has been handed over by the
:29:25. > :29:30.Government. It will cover the overheads. The rest of things, the
:29:30. > :29:33.charity status, recruiting volunteers, any money it can make
:29:33. > :29:38.from its commercial exploits on the water, that will give the trust the
:29:38. > :29:43.rest of the money it needs to run the canals. It is not just the wet
:29:43. > :29:47.bits, but a historic buildings like this. It takes it almost into the
:29:47. > :29:51.League of the National Trust, but on a smaller scale. He will become
:29:51. > :29:53.the third largest owner of historic buildings in the UK after the
:29:53. > :29:56.Church of England and the National Trust.
:29:56. > :30:02.What has been the political motivation?
:30:02. > :30:06.It is an example of the Big Society. What was formerly British Waterways,
:30:06. > :30:09.an agency of the Government must have thought we cannot secure our
:30:09. > :30:13.income for years to come. It was their decision, almost like a
:30:13. > :30:17.management buyout to go to the Government and say, what if we took
:30:17. > :30:21.control of everything, ran things ourselves? With the guaranteed
:30:21. > :30:27.income for the next 15 years, in England and Wales, we are only
:30:27. > :30:31.talking about England and Wales, but the guaranteed income with
:30:31. > :30:35.their maintenance costs, so much history here, expensive and
:30:36. > :30:38.difficult to maintain, is covered. They then can decide how they want
:30:38. > :30:43.to grow the business and Grove Charity in the future. It brings
:30:43. > :30:47.their destiny under their own controls. What they're doing is
:30:47. > :30:51.launching an appeal for thousands of volunteers across England and
:30:51. > :30:55.Wales to take part in 50 projects to rejuvenate, especially the
:30:55. > :30:59.towpath. So many people come here for leisure, we have seen boats,
:30:59. > :31:04.people jogging and walking dogs. The idea is to get some of those
:31:04. > :31:13.people to put their money where their mouth is and help out, to be
:31:13. > :31:17.part of the Big Society plans for Well you are bound to encourage
:31:17. > :31:22.more volunteers on a day like this. The perfect occasion to be messing
:31:22. > :31:26.about on boats. Thank you very much. We are joined by the Environment
:31:26. > :31:30.Minister Richard Benyon and by the poet, Ian McMillan who support the
:31:30. > :31:35.change. Welcome to you both. Is this a success story for the Big
:31:35. > :31:39.Society? It is massive. There is nothing new about the Big Society.
:31:39. > :31:44.What the Government is doing is making it easier for people to
:31:44. > :31:49.volunteer, to get involved and handing over this massive asset.
:31:49. > :31:54.Which troughis have down the years salivated over. �14 million of
:31:54. > :31:58.assets. This is now handed back to the people who know, use and love
:31:58. > :32:03.the waterways, it is a great moment. And a great idea, but what about
:32:03. > :32:08.the streams of money, literally, where will it come from when the
:32:08. > :32:11.Government money dries up? We have had tough negotiations from the
:32:11. > :32:16.charity trustees. The words used at the end was tough by fair. The
:32:16. > :32:21.Government is putting in a lot of money. How much? �39 million as a
:32:21. > :32:26.basic core funding amount. We are dealing with the pensions
:32:26. > :32:31.entitlements and many or aspects of the funding have been sport sorted.
:32:31. > :32:38.For the long-term as well. Is a years? That is a long time.
:32:38. > :32:43.It is not that long? It is in terms of Government spending and
:32:43. > :32:47.commitments. This is 2,000 miles of canals. A very exciting moment when
:32:47. > :32:53.we are handed something that the public should own, back to them.
:32:53. > :32:58.Are you excited, Ian McMillan? this is collectivism and
:32:58. > :33:01.interconnectedness. This was the first kind of information
:33:01. > :33:07.superhighway. Somehow this reminds us of the great industry that built
:33:07. > :33:11.it. If we can move it along it will be a great thing it reminds us that
:33:11. > :33:17.correctivism is a great thing. But will the people put hands to
:33:17. > :33:21.the pumps? There is a lot of canal enthuse yafpl. The next bit is the
:33:21. > :33:24.ones in stilettos and brogues who should be convinced to put their
:33:24. > :33:28.wellies on. Well, maybe, anything gimmick to
:33:28. > :33:33.get people down to help. Looking at the canals, there, they look
:33:33. > :33:39.wonderful, peaceful, a different pace of life, but in terms of the
:33:39. > :33:44.volume of people actively engaged, does it involve that many people?
:33:44. > :33:48.Probably not, but if you see it on days like this, how it connects
:33:49. > :33:54.people. Somehow a canal is like a labour rather. A library of water.
:33:54. > :33:57.So if we get people excited, it is getting people excited about
:33:57. > :34:01.picking rubbish on the streets is the hard thing.
:34:01. > :34:05.Have you been on a canal holiday? Many times.
:34:05. > :34:09.I think that people are more likely to volunteer for an organisation, a
:34:09. > :34:14.charity that they feel a sense of ownership rather than a Government
:34:14. > :34:17.body. In my part of the world, there is a core, in my part of the
:34:17. > :34:21.world the canal is run by volunteers.
:34:21. > :34:24.So, we have massive charities that people are involved in, this is yet
:34:24. > :34:29.another one. We have the National Trust. People have local causes
:34:29. > :34:33.that they are involved in. It could look like a money-saving exercise
:34:33. > :34:38.on the Government's side and relying on people to take up the
:34:38. > :34:42.slack? I don't this think that the Treasury would agree! We have
:34:42. > :34:46.handed over hundreds of millions for them. I think this is
:34:46. > :34:51.everywhere I go, David is right, there is huge enthusiasm and
:34:51. > :35:01.passion, not just from boaters. I have caught my first pike in the
:35:01. > :35:03.
:35:03. > :35:08.Avon Can ap when I was nine -year- old. I know the passions that exist.
:35:08. > :35:13.Was that legal? If there are police around they may arrest you! There
:35:13. > :35:18.are kaurls from the opposition to ask the Government to put their
:35:18. > :35:21.hands in pockets and supply cash to hit areas, are you going to do it?
:35:21. > :35:25.There is the Bellwin Scheme it kicks in when the local authorities
:35:25. > :35:30.are hit. They have been hit what you
:35:30. > :35:36.planned? They will receive money under the Bellwin Scheme. Places
:35:36. > :35:42.such as heb done bridge, many of us have visited since the first flood.
:35:42. > :35:46.Now they have been visited again, they shrn flooded again. We want to
:35:46. > :35:51.ensure that the Government is doing its bit alongside the local efforts
:35:51. > :35:56.that are made. Will we have to get used to more
:35:56. > :36:01.flash flooding and you have to change the way that we deal with
:36:01. > :36:07.it? We know that the climate weather patterns are changing. We
:36:07. > :36:11.have been facing two droughts and now really horrendous rain. I'm not
:36:11. > :36:15.saying it will be as extreme as that, but yes, we have to plan for
:36:15. > :36:20.this kind of weather patterns to continue. We have to make sure that
:36:20. > :36:25.Government carries on doing what it is supposed to do. That is building
:36:25. > :36:30.flood defence schemes. That is what we are doing, investing �2 .1 7
:36:30. > :36:34.billion on that and helping out when we can when the emergencies
:36:34. > :36:39.occur. I think that the response has been good, but most of the
:36:39. > :36:44.people that have been flooded, you could not stop the torrent of water
:36:44. > :36:49.that they faced. On the public paths on the canals,
:36:49. > :36:55.are they a public right of way? They are part of the deal.
:36:55. > :37:00.So no tolls put up for us to walk along the canals, is that right?
:37:00. > :37:08.Yes, and we want to see them wider so that the cyclists and walkers
:37:08. > :37:13.can use them. So, we know where to come to now...
:37:13. > :37:16.Send the bills to Richard Benyon. He will send a fish back! Now, the
:37:16. > :37:21.Olympics are posing a massive challenge to the security services
:37:21. > :37:25.and shining a spotlight on the tools that Government has to keep
:37:25. > :37:30.us safe. How effective are they? Last week a suspected terrorist was
:37:30. > :37:34.charged with breaching conditions imposed ats part of the
:37:34. > :37:41.Government's new terror monitoring powers. It is believed to be the
:37:41. > :37:44.first time that there has been breach of the so-called TPIMs, this
:37:44. > :37:48.is Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures.
:37:48. > :37:51.They replace control orders earlier this year as the system for dealing
:37:51. > :37:57.with terrorist suspects who cannot be tried or deported.
:37:57. > :38:01.People who are subject to a TPIMs can be electronically tagged and
:38:01. > :38:06.restrictions placed on who they can meet and where they can go.
:38:06. > :38:13.Unlike control orders, though, TPIMs are time-limited to two years.
:38:13. > :38:16.Some say that TPIMs are no more than control orders lite, that they
:38:16. > :38:22.place restrictions on the freedoms of people not charged with offence.
:38:22. > :38:26.We are joined now to discuss this by Robin Simcox from the Henry
:38:26. > :38:32.Jackson Foundation who writes about Al-Qaeda and other terrorists and
:38:32. > :38:36.David Davis, you are still against TPIMs, because they are too
:38:36. > :38:41.draconian or not draconian enough? I am against them because they
:38:41. > :38:45.don't work. This is not the first occasion that this has happened.
:38:45. > :38:51.This man went there five times before he was pulled up. Lord knows
:38:51. > :38:56.what he was doing. Another one under the previous control orders
:38:56. > :39:00.got to within ten foot of Jack Straw and Dominic grieve, until he
:39:00. > :39:04.announced himself. So again, they don't work. They are not control
:39:04. > :39:09.orders. They are uncontrol orders. So we corrupt the system and we
:39:09. > :39:13.have a system that does not work. What do you say to that? Nobody
:39:13. > :39:18.would say that these are a perfect, ideal system, but unfortunately it
:39:18. > :39:22.is the best that we have. This is something that came about as
:39:22. > :39:25.detention, deportation, prosecution, control orders were not seen as
:39:25. > :39:30.acceptable. So we were left with basically what we could get through
:39:30. > :39:34.legally of the with some of the individuals, the people that David
:39:34. > :39:39.Davis mentioned that got within ten feet, after he was released after a
:39:39. > :39:43.big civil rights campaign on his behalf, he ended up back in
:39:43. > :39:46.Afghanistan and killed in a US missile strike. So it proves the
:39:46. > :39:50.point that these are serious individuals. The man that breached
:39:50. > :39:57.the Olympic security, he would not be there at all if the control
:39:57. > :40:04.orders were in place. Originally he was under a relocation order. It is
:40:04. > :40:09.when the TPIMs came back and we lost the power to relocate, we were
:40:09. > :40:13.Australian unable to track him. Well, he walked away, he was not
:40:14. > :40:18.released. He absconded, so let's get the fact right. He left the
:40:18. > :40:23.country. Secondly, you said that they, the
:40:23. > :40:27.reason was done because prosecuting them was wrong? Absolutely the
:40:27. > :40:33.opposite. We said ewe should be prosecuting them, put him in prison,
:40:33. > :40:38.then they could not walk around either near leading politicians or
:40:38. > :40:42.into the Olympic Park. The problem, in fact, was brought about as the
:40:42. > :40:45.Government said we could not deport people. Not one of the people on
:40:46. > :40:51.control orders are subject to deportation orders. They are all
:40:51. > :40:57.British citizens. We have taken a problem and created a mefplnifpl
:40:57. > :41:02.and used it for something differently -- mechanism and used
:41:02. > :41:12.something different as the orders do not do the job it is supposed to
:41:12. > :41:15.do. The American FBIs put their men in prison, we put them under a
:41:15. > :41:20.control order. With every single control order
:41:20. > :41:25.case, not a single case at that time, could have been prosecuted
:41:26. > :41:30.unless there was evidence allowed. Who did the review? A Government
:41:30. > :41:35.review. The Americans do prosecute more, but America places a lot more
:41:35. > :41:40.for example, FBI agents under cover and they have plea bargaining, but
:41:40. > :41:45.would we be happy with that? We don't have the exact same legal
:41:45. > :41:49.system in the UK as in the US. Is it your position, David Davis,
:41:49. > :41:53.that there should be nothing inbetween walking free, without a
:41:53. > :41:57.control, and prosecution? Nothing inbetween? For British citizens, I
:41:57. > :42:02.think that prosecution is the be all and the end all. I'm afraid
:42:02. > :42:06.that the Government's arguments on this are plum wrong on interception.
:42:06. > :42:11.You go to the Department of Justice, as I have, talk to the Australians,
:42:12. > :42:16.New Zealanders, the Canadians, they say you don't use intercept
:42:16. > :42:20.evidence? They clean up every single trial on terrorism in the
:42:20. > :42:26.United States and most of trials on organised crime, using intercept
:42:26. > :42:29.tape, all of them. You can't do it without that. They could not clean
:42:29. > :42:35.up the Mafia without the intercept tapes, now they do it. We should be
:42:35. > :42:38.doing it here. We should not be prissy about it, if we not, we
:42:39. > :42:42.would not have to corrupt the whole legal stement.
:42:42. > :42:47.Do you side with the security services when they say they don't
:42:47. > :42:53.want intercept material used? That is still their position? Well, no,
:42:53. > :42:57.they don't. This is one of those things where
:42:57. > :43:02.to the extent, I believe if that is what they say it would weaken the
:43:02. > :43:08.security system, perhaps. Why do our people say that, when
:43:08. > :43:13.the Americans and the Canadians are saying that it doesn't? If you look
:43:13. > :43:16.at the Government review they did a lot of models replacing intercept
:43:16. > :43:20.evidence into the British legal system, they said it would not work.
:43:20. > :43:25.That is their position, but it comes back to the point they looked
:43:25. > :43:30.at every case with control orders and tried to use intercept evidence
:43:30. > :43:34.and said it would not lead to prosecution. Lord Lloyd was the
:43:34. > :43:37.Intercept Commissioner, he knows the system backwards and forwards.
:43:37. > :43:41.He moved a private members' bill in the House of Lords to try to bring
:43:41. > :43:46.intercept into court. The man who knew the most about it, things that
:43:46. > :43:50.we should bring it back. The people who don't have an interest in not
:43:50. > :43:52.going to court, they have interest in disruption, rather than
:43:53. > :43:57.conviction. It is the wrong approach.
:43:57. > :44:02.Is there a chance of it happening? It may be. It will be revisited
:44:02. > :44:06.again this year. The Committee that is dealing with it is still sitting.
:44:06. > :44:10.They nearly recommended the use of intercept, then there was a last-
:44:10. > :44:15.minute scare on a finish case. It may well happen. It will allow us
:44:15. > :44:19.to cut back on silly things that bring us into disrepute.
:44:19. > :44:24.If we are going to solve the evidence on waiting intercept
:44:24. > :44:27.evidence coming in, we are in for a long wait. There is real and
:44:27. > :44:32.necessary security threats that we have to deal with today, that is
:44:32. > :44:36.why TPIMs is still used. Now, just over 65% of us made the
:44:36. > :44:41.trip to the polling station at the last election. That is down from a
:44:41. > :44:44.high of 83% in the 1950 election. It seems that the young are the
:44:44. > :44:50.least likely to vote. Research suggests that go thirds of 18-year-
:44:50. > :44:57.olds have little trust in politicians. Radio's Newsbeat took
:44:57. > :45:00.young people to meet the Conservative MP, lie ease
:45:00. > :45:10.Menchmench and others to see what they made of politics and
:45:10. > :45:13.
:45:14. > :45:17.I and 22, from south-west London and I want to know why MPs that
:45:17. > :45:21.don't care about young people unless it is election time. I am
:45:21. > :45:28.from Glasgow and I want to know why you think you should be trusted
:45:29. > :45:38.after that there expenses scandal. I am from Portsmouth. I was about
:45:38. > :45:45.to become a student and now I have to pay up to �9,000. Your age group
:45:45. > :45:48.is the least likely to vote. have got to wonder why that is.
:45:48. > :45:52.There is a responsibility the young people to get in touch and get
:45:52. > :45:56.involved. The public perception with young
:45:56. > :46:01.people is you are all the same, you fiddled your expenses, you have
:46:01. > :46:09.these cushy pension deals and they have not taken on board all of the
:46:09. > :46:15.reforms that have happened. A lot of people voted because of the
:46:15. > :46:21.tuition fees and then you made a U- turn on that. I am a Lib Dem and
:46:21. > :46:28.I'm will put my hand and say I voted not to increase tuition fees.
:46:28. > :46:33.When was the last time you had to make a perfect decision?
:46:33. > :46:37.One of the problems in this job, is it we spend so much time in this
:46:37. > :46:44.building, in means I spent the vast majority of the week with the same,
:46:44. > :46:47.slightly strange people - no offence! And very little time with
:46:47. > :46:55.the people I represent. It is one of the reasons politicians get out
:46:55. > :47:00.of touch. You are an MP and you are calling other MPs strange. Imagine
:47:00. > :47:04.how young people feel? I agree, we should rebalance it so
:47:04. > :47:09.all MPs get the chance to spend time in their constituencies.
:47:09. > :47:18.have to do a lot more to change your lineage and rather than come
:47:18. > :47:25.in and say "we are different." you have a lot more to do. David Davis.
:47:25. > :47:31.-- change your image. But young people don't vote.
:47:31. > :47:34.What is new? They don't vote anywhere? You are quite right. When
:47:34. > :47:41.you and I were student politicians we had trouble getting them out to
:47:41. > :47:48.vote. They're interested in politics. But the number of people
:47:48. > :47:52.voting is going down throughout the population in Britain. In France,
:47:52. > :47:57.80 this cent turnout in the French presidential election? Why? Because
:47:58. > :48:00.there was a really big difference between the candidates. If this can
:48:00. > :48:05.do that is over here, and this candidate is over there and they're
:48:05. > :48:11.having a real argument, there is a reason to go and vote. It you think
:48:11. > :48:15.they are broadly the same, orc as during the Tony Blair years, you
:48:15. > :48:18.think they will win anyway, which is another problem you just might
:48:18. > :48:22.as well stay at home and watch Coronation Street. We did not know
:48:22. > :48:29.who was going to win the last election, but nobody did win it in
:48:29. > :48:33.the end. We are surprised the turnout was not higher? I was. It
:48:33. > :48:37.was a challenge and a potential turning point. We also had the TV
:48:37. > :48:43.debates. And they were quite good. They were watched by a lot of
:48:43. > :48:46.people. When we were watching the first one, my family had a
:48:47. > :48:52.sweepstake on how soon I would leave the room. I stayed until the
:48:52. > :48:56.end. I suspect I am typical in that respect. I don't find it terribly
:48:56. > :49:01.exciting. But they were very good debates and it did not galvanise
:49:01. > :49:06.people to turn out. The lack of difference, lack of idealism is the
:49:06. > :49:11.problem. Too much managerial politics. The research from this
:49:11. > :49:17.University says 63% of young people are interested in politics, even if
:49:17. > :49:21.they don't vote. And I am told if some of them get out of bed in time,
:49:21. > :49:26.they watch this programme. Politicians are estranged Reid,
:49:26. > :49:31.that is why people don't vote. was normal about Winston Churchill?
:49:31. > :49:35.Hands up if you are political anorak? If you think of yourself as
:49:35. > :49:38.the top political nerd, you should be interested in this. The
:49:38. > :49:45.Electoral Commission has published its report on the way election
:49:45. > :49:49.counts are organised and what happens next will change the all-
:49:49. > :49:55.night election night. And yes, staying up all night to enjoy
:49:55. > :50:05.scenes like these. Can we predict something in this
:50:05. > :50:09.
:50:09. > :50:13.election. I was looking at some of these results. Just half a dozen
:50:13. > :50:20.results to come throughout London and the South East. Now I am
:50:20. > :50:25.handing you back to David Dimbleby. I think that about wraps it up this
:50:25. > :50:32.morning. A 4th Conservative term with a substantial majority is in
:50:32. > :50:42.prospect. Peter? As Jon Sopel was saying, not an uplifting time for
:50:42. > :50:43.
:50:43. > :50:51.the Liberal Democrats. 1979, Mrs Thatcher beat Mr Callaghan. We will
:50:51. > :51:00.interrupted because Labour has victory and a guaranteed third term.
:51:00. > :51:05.We should look at Big Ben 1 small and see things how they are on the
:51:05. > :51:10.ta Big Ben. The country cannot afford to just not have a
:51:10. > :51:18.Government for a week or more, why people do the rounds and talk to
:51:18. > :51:23.each other. Everybody feeling warm and nostalgic. Is the traditional
:51:23. > :51:28.election night safe? We have been joined by Alex Robinson and
:51:28. > :51:33.Jonathan Isaby. Welcome to the programme. Alex, pressure from
:51:33. > :51:36.returning officers to count the next day, what are you saying?
:51:36. > :51:40.we have been doing is talking to returning officers who are
:51:40. > :51:44.responsible for conducting elections. We have been talking to
:51:44. > :51:49.politicians and broadcasters and there are a number of different
:51:49. > :51:53.elections taking place, sometimes on the same day. Although we don't
:51:53. > :51:57.think there is a single answer for any of them. Although for a General
:51:57. > :52:02.Election, default counting should be overnight. But returning officer
:52:02. > :52:05.should consult but politicians and broadcasters early. They should
:52:05. > :52:09.make a decision in January for an election in May. They should make
:52:09. > :52:13.their decision public and that will lead to the right decision being
:52:13. > :52:17.arrived at. You have to persuade them to count overnight hoping the
:52:17. > :52:22.pressure will bear fruit? It is the dialogue between politicians and
:52:22. > :52:27.broadcasters which I think will lead to the right decision. Does
:52:27. > :52:31.that satisfy you? I am happy Electoral Commission has decided
:52:31. > :52:36.overnight counting is the right thing to do. Before the last
:52:36. > :52:39.General Election I ran a campaign to save General Election night. A
:52:39. > :52:44.lot of returning officers were talking about counting on the
:52:44. > :52:49.Friday. It was a retrograde step. If people are taking the trouble to
:52:49. > :52:53.vote, they should be counted. as it matter, bearing in mind,
:52:53. > :52:58.quite a lot of people sleep when they have voted and don't sit up
:52:58. > :53:03.all night and this is about just having a very good television
:53:03. > :53:08.programme? She is talking as out of a job!
:53:08. > :53:11.not just political nerves. It is the one time, every five years
:53:11. > :53:15.where there is this national carnival of democracy where people
:53:15. > :53:21.sit around the television and watch results coming in and fill part of
:53:21. > :53:25.the Democratic Process. If you're going to get more counts coming
:53:25. > :53:29.together and one might, mistakes will be made? Let's look ahead to
:53:29. > :53:33.the next General Election. We could have constituencies with new
:53:33. > :53:37.boundaries. We could have House of Lords reform - I grant you not
:53:38. > :53:42.looking too hopeful. There could be local elections. How will they
:53:42. > :53:48.manage it all? The important thing is the result is accurate and
:53:48. > :53:52.timely. Accurate is probably the key. From talking to returning
:53:52. > :54:02.officers, in some circumstances, last year we had geographical
:54:02. > :54:05.
:54:05. > :54:11.constituencies. The Western Isles do it. They count on the night and
:54:11. > :54:16.a helicopter the vote between islands. It is done in 45 minutes
:54:16. > :54:20.because they throw resources at it and it is a small constituency. You
:54:20. > :54:24.cannot roll that out across the rest of the nation? Over the last
:54:24. > :54:28.50 years more counts have happened on the night. Northern Ireland
:54:28. > :54:33.counted on the Thursday night, previously they had to do it on a
:54:33. > :54:37.Friday night for security reasons. It should be everyone counts on the
:54:37. > :54:42.night and we can find out on the Friday morning he the Prime
:54:42. > :54:45.Minister is. On the Friday morning, a lot of the council not coming in
:54:45. > :54:49.until halfway through the Today programme. Would a few more hours
:54:49. > :54:55.make that much difference? If you started on the Friday and got all
:54:55. > :54:58.the results? It you counted on the Friday you wouldn't have the shared
:54:58. > :55:02.experience of people following the results coming in. Most people on
:55:02. > :55:09.the Friday would be at work, looking after the kids or doing
:55:09. > :55:14.something else. What do you think? I used to like having the next day
:55:14. > :55:19.count because then I could watch people suffering all night. I agree,
:55:19. > :55:24.but the sooner the better. Returning officers can make the
:55:24. > :55:28.decision themselves, they cannot be forced to do overnight count?
:55:28. > :55:35.their decision and the need to make sure it is an accurate results and
:55:36. > :55:41.practically, as soon as possible afterwards. The campaign Jonathan
:55:41. > :55:45.was involved in, is they were not going to count the votes before the
:55:45. > :55:48.end of the poll. Would it be sensible to hold a national
:55:48. > :55:55.referendum on something like Europe and the same day as a General
:55:55. > :56:00.Election? Unique to look at each set of elections on their own merit.
:56:00. > :56:04.We look at the one last May, which took place at the same time as
:56:04. > :56:14.Northern Ireland, and we decided it was important they took place and
:56:14. > :56:14.
:56:14. > :56:20.got them out of the way. That was use saying no, wasn't it? We need
:56:20. > :56:27.to have a vote on Europe before the next General Election Next this
:56:27. > :56:30.next item is called screamer. of you had been in touch to ask a
:56:30. > :56:36.replay of our splendid highlight from yesterday's Prime Minister's
:56:36. > :56:42.Questions. As humble public servants we are happy to oblige. It
:56:42. > :56:52.was a question from Tory MP called Anne Marie Maurice.
:56:52. > :56:53.
:56:54. > :56:58.This Government has a greater Records on reform. After the
:56:58. > :57:08.success of the university's technical college, would become --
:57:08. > :57:12.
:57:12. > :57:21.Prime Minister confirmed he will support...
:57:21. > :57:28.What was the point at of the sling if you are going to wave your arm
:57:29. > :57:35.around. How is your hearing? What? It's was incredibly loud close-up.
:57:35. > :57:41.What was she saying? I do not know. I was worrying about her arm. I
:57:41. > :57:47.thought she was going to break her arm again. It was quite a drama.
:57:47. > :57:52.Will she have that down? It will haunt her? I think people will have
:57:52. > :57:57.affection for that. It was done with some passion. If her arm
:57:57. > :58:07.wasn't broken, it is now after that. Do we have time for the quiz?
:58:07. > :58:17.
:58:17. > :58:21.David? As a keen UFOs sturdier? Military reconnaissance. It is all
:58:21. > :58:28.three. Some of them were asylum-seekers. I
:58:28. > :58:34.like the idea of tourism. That's it for today. Thanks to our
:58:34. > :58:39.guests. Thanks to David Davis. I will be back at 11:25pm tonight on
:58:39. > :58:46.BBC One with this week. It is earlier than usual as there is no
:58:46. > :58:49.question time tonight. I will be joined by Alan Johnson, Michael
:58:50. > :58:55.Portillo plus Gloria Hunniford talking about care for older people.