:00:46. > :00:49.Good afternoon and welcome to the day Lee. Believe it or not, we are
:00:49. > :00:56.halfway through this Parliament. Doesn't time fly when you're having
:00:56. > :01:00.fun? Seems like a good day for a half-term report. We will be asking
:01:00. > :01:05.the all-important question, is a day radically reforming government
:01:05. > :01:10.or an omnishambles of a partnership? -- is it a radically
:01:10. > :01:14.reforming government? In America, will it be Obama or
:01:14. > :01:19.Romney? And Giles will be looking at the
:01:19. > :01:26.very expensive and entertaining campaign roller-coaster. Election
:01:26. > :01:36.day, election day! Up and at them! And do you have nightmares about
:01:36. > :01:39.
:01:39. > :01:44.All that in the next hour. With us for the whole programme, the former
:01:44. > :01:49.Labour MP Chris Mullin, who now writes to pass the time of day. He
:01:49. > :01:52.also acts, I bet you didn't know that! He will hit our screens
:01:52. > :01:55.tomorrow as a vicar in an adaptation of his first novel, A
:01:55. > :02:01.Very British Coup. Secret State starts on Channel 4 tomorrow, you
:02:01. > :02:06.will be able to see him in a dog- collar. Have you got a big part?
:02:06. > :02:10.Let us not exaggerate. I said to the directors, I'd like a little
:02:10. > :02:14.walk-on part, if you don't mind. I thought they might make me a
:02:14. > :02:17.backbench MP or minister, but instead they made me a vicar
:02:17. > :02:25.conducting a memorial service foreign debt Prime Minister. It was
:02:25. > :02:30.a speaking part when it started, I had three or four little rolls, my
:02:30. > :02:34.first one was to stand outside the church and welcome the mourners, my
:02:34. > :02:38.second was to greet the grieving widow, a very beautiful woman who I
:02:38. > :02:42.had to take by the hand and escort to the church door. That was
:02:42. > :02:46.reforms about 20 times from different angles. Then I made a
:02:46. > :02:50.short speech from the pulpit, after which the choir would strike up
:02:50. > :02:54.behind me. However, when I got to see the first episode, everything
:02:55. > :03:00.has gone except a few seconds of me standing, but you have to be very
:03:00. > :03:05.quick, standing at the church door. The choir has gone, everybody has
:03:05. > :03:11.gone. That is the television business! All on the cutting room
:03:11. > :03:15.floor, but I am there. We will keep our eyes peeled. It is aren't --
:03:15. > :03:21.based on my first novel A Very British Coup, actually it is
:03:21. > :03:30.inspired by rather than based on. Very loosely inspired. Can you
:03:30. > :03:34.recognise your book? Very loose the. I have been extremely likely --
:03:34. > :03:37.lucky that they bought the rights, it was filmed once in the 80s and
:03:38. > :03:44.they stuck more closely to it. They have changed the title. They rang
:03:44. > :03:50.me up, very embarrassed, and said, do you mind if we do not use the
:03:50. > :03:55.title? It is very good, though, very gritting, -- gripping, Charles
:03:55. > :04:01.Dance, Gina McKee, Gabriel Byrne, it is well worth watching. Is this
:04:01. > :04:06.the start of a new career for you? I think my acting career is over.
:04:06. > :04:16.Before it even began! Time for our daily quiz. The
:04:16. > :04:19.Which political figure is off to Which political figure is off to
:04:19. > :04:24.the jungle? Michael Heseltine, George Osborne, Nadine Dorries or
:04:24. > :04:28.Jacob Rees-Mogg? Chris will give us the answer later. Don't bother e-
:04:28. > :04:31.mailing us, we only give one mug away a week - that is austerity for
:04:31. > :04:37.you! You probably don't even know why
:04:37. > :04:40.today is so momentous. Tuesday the 6th November 2012 marks the exact
:04:41. > :04:43.halfway point of this Parliament. To mark this auspicious occasion
:04:43. > :04:48.the Government was meant to be producing its very own mid-term
:04:48. > :04:53.review, which it was going to publish around now. But like so
:04:53. > :04:57.much else in government it has been delayed. Never mind, we at the
:04:57. > :05:00.Daily Politics are here to help and have produced our very own mid-term
:05:00. > :05:09.report. The most important subject is the economy and tackling the
:05:09. > :05:13.deficit. Overall, the deficit has come down. Britain borrowed �126
:05:13. > :05:17.billion last year, but it was still �10 billion above the target the
:05:17. > :05:21.Government set when it came into tired -- into power.
:05:21. > :05:25.The Government has come up with radical ideas on free schools,
:05:25. > :05:29.academies and the curriculum. It wanted to be radical on health as
:05:29. > :05:32.well, but the Health and Social Care Bill ran into trouble. It was
:05:33. > :05:36.forced to hold a listening exercise to get it through Parliament.
:05:36. > :05:41.On welfare, the coalition has gone where previous governments have
:05:42. > :05:46.feared to tread. From 2013, it will introduce a cap on the total
:05:46. > :05:51.benefits a household can receive up around �500 a week, so it will not
:05:51. > :05:55.exceed the average household pay. The coalition needs to maintain
:05:55. > :06:00.discipline over Europe. There could still be a classroom dispute over
:06:00. > :06:04.boundary changes and, of course, they could do more on banking
:06:04. > :06:09.reform and reforming social care. Joining me now are Rachel Sylvester,
:06:09. > :06:13.political commentator for the Times, and Fraser Nelson, editor of the
:06:13. > :06:21.Spectator magazine. Fraser, what would you give the coalition out of
:06:21. > :06:24.10? Probably six-and-a-half. Five stars for education and welfare.
:06:25. > :06:29.The economy has not been very good, I'd probably give that one-and-a-
:06:29. > :06:33.half stars. And four unforced errors, you should take away stars
:06:33. > :06:37.for the needless mistakes which they seem to keep making. There is
:06:37. > :06:42.an idea of shambles which very cunningly Dist -- disguises a
:06:42. > :06:47.government which is not that bad. Rachel, how would you characterise
:06:47. > :06:52.the coalition? Two party's governing in the national interest
:06:52. > :06:57.or ruling in a constant state of omnishambles? As Fraser says, on
:06:57. > :07:00.education and welfare they have been good, but on fell -- on health
:07:00. > :07:04.reforms they have spectacularly failed to explain what they were
:07:04. > :07:08.doing, constitutional reform has been a constant ding-dong between
:07:08. > :07:13.the parties, and on the economy it is as if they have set the course
:07:13. > :07:18.but we don't know what the result will be, the examiners are still
:07:18. > :07:22.adjudicating the papers. In the next couple of years we will find
:07:22. > :07:27.out whether the question has been answered. You both mentioned they
:07:27. > :07:32.have been radical in certain areas, are on welfare and education.
:07:32. > :07:36.Fraser, looking at those two in isolation, has it been a radically
:07:36. > :07:41.reforming government? If it succeeds in welfare or education,
:07:41. > :07:45.that will be more than, in my view, Labour managed in 13 years. So you
:07:46. > :07:50.could say it was a success. But the new schools still are not keeping
:07:50. > :07:53.pace with the number of new pupils, so you will end up with even worse
:07:53. > :07:58.shortages than under Labour. In welfare they are continuing what
:07:58. > :08:02.Labour did really well, but a lot depends on the complete rewrite of
:08:02. > :08:07.the welfare system, the universal credits, which will take years to
:08:07. > :08:13.work out if it will succeed or not. The economy, Rachel Sylvester, is
:08:13. > :08:17.still the big challenge? Absolutely. There is a new spending round
:08:17. > :08:21.coming up which the parties will have to try to reach agreement on,
:08:21. > :08:26.which will be yet another flashpoint between the two parties.
:08:26. > :08:32.I think the big test is whether or not coalition can be made to work.
:08:32. > :08:35.Although at the top the two leaders want it to, the two parties at
:08:35. > :08:40.getting increasingly fractious, particularly on the conservative
:08:40. > :08:43.side. The classroom rubber throwing around and Ink spots are getting
:08:43. > :08:49.slightly out of control and immature. They have to decide
:08:49. > :08:54.whether they want to complete the exam or not. I love you analogies,
:08:54. > :08:58.you are doing very well! Fraser, on the workings of the coalition, the
:08:58. > :09:02.idea was the right thing for the right time, in austerity, but has
:09:03. > :09:06.it delivered stability in government or are we now seeing as
:09:06. > :09:11.relationships become more frayed that it has not worked as a
:09:12. > :09:15.concept? The fact that the coalition is still here after two-
:09:15. > :09:19.and-a-half years, I didn't think we would get to the halfway report
:09:19. > :09:22.stage. It has never been done before in peacetime British
:09:22. > :09:27.politics. It is an incredible achievement in the adversarial
:09:27. > :09:32.system, they have kept the class together, to use the analogy. But
:09:32. > :09:36.has it brought stability? It has not brought growth. That has been
:09:36. > :09:42.the biggest single disappointment of the Government, how little there
:09:42. > :09:47.has been in trying to fix the economy. Rachel, on the basis the
:09:47. > :09:51.coalition has lasted thus far, will it last until 2015? I don't think
:09:51. > :09:55.it is in the interests of either party forehead not too. This is the
:09:55. > :09:59.result the electorate delivered, it was not bat Clegg and Cameron
:09:59. > :10:03.wanted to get lovey-dovey and the Rose Garden, the electorate did not
:10:04. > :10:09.deliver an overall majority, so they had to make it work, they have
:10:09. > :10:13.to make it work until 2015. Thank you for your school mid-term report.
:10:13. > :10:18.With us now his former Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell and the former
:10:18. > :10:23.cabinet minister Cheryl Gillan. Is it working, Ming Campbell? Yes. As
:10:23. > :10:26.it has just been pointed out, many thought it would not work at all.
:10:26. > :10:33.We are halfway through, a lot of achievement, maybe lots of things
:10:33. > :10:36.we'd like to have done better, but if you compare the coalition
:10:36. > :10:39.Government's performance against the last two-and-a-half years of
:10:39. > :10:44.the Labour government, you'd be bound to give as much higher marks.
:10:44. > :10:48.They would argue there was more growth coming out of that last
:10:48. > :10:52.government ban over the last two- and-a-half years. But at what
:10:52. > :10:56.expense, at the expense of a deficit right out of control. The
:10:56. > :11:01.only reason we can talk about growth, infrastructure etc is
:11:01. > :11:05.because of the off-air -- austerity of the last two-and-a-half years.
:11:05. > :11:08.We have maintained confidence in the bond market, the Stock Exchange
:11:08. > :11:13.and the pound, everything which would have been subject to very
:11:13. > :11:16.heavy pressure if we went straight into some kind of growth scenario.
:11:17. > :11:22.George Osborne says he will miss some of the key targets. Do you
:11:22. > :11:25.think people feel better than a few years ago? What is interesting is
:11:25. > :11:29.there are still majority support for the economic policy. Of course
:11:29. > :11:35.some people have been hurt, it would be very foolish to argue
:11:35. > :11:38.anything other than that, but the point is we have restored stability.
:11:38. > :11:43.Looking around Europe, you can see some countries where they would
:11:43. > :11:48.give their right hand to have the kind of stability we have. Don't
:11:48. > :11:54.mention Europe, as far as the coalition is concerned! I voted for
:11:54. > :11:59.the Prime Minister against his own rebels! Funny, that. I am very
:11:59. > :12:03.happy to talk about Europe. Cheryl, you have sat around the Cabinet
:12:03. > :12:09.table, was there a perceptible shift in relations during those few
:12:09. > :12:13.years? The coalition operates on two levels, I would agree with
:12:14. > :12:23.Menzies Campbell, at Cabinet level it works extremely well. A right up
:12:24. > :12:24.
:12:24. > :12:28.until the time at which you left? Yes. I would argue it is working
:12:28. > :12:32.now as well. I think there is a responsible and mature attitude.
:12:32. > :12:34.Two parties came together in the interests of the country and they
:12:34. > :12:39.have tried to put together a blueprint for government which will
:12:39. > :12:43.not only heal the economy but will spread some fairness and
:12:43. > :12:47.responsibility and equality. I think lots of those goals have been
:12:47. > :12:50.achieved. However, just listening to the Commons, I think it is
:12:50. > :12:55.different for the pupils in the classroom. I think the prefects
:12:55. > :12:58.have one aspect of the coalition right, I think the pupils in the
:12:58. > :13:03.classroom are a bit fractious and therefore you see the turmoil among
:13:03. > :13:08.some backbenchers. Would you agree the leaders, David Cameron,
:13:08. > :13:12.particularly, in your case, have lost touch with grassroots and MPs?
:13:12. > :13:17.I think it is very important to keep in touch with the backbenchers,
:13:17. > :13:20.I probably was not as good as I ought to have been myself. I
:13:20. > :13:25.remember the Major government when I was a minister, we spent a lot of
:13:25. > :13:29.time talking to backbenchers. Every Secretary of State when I was first
:13:29. > :13:33.elected in 92 had groups of backbenchers in and was really
:13:33. > :13:38.across their subject and took us through each operation of each
:13:38. > :13:42.department of state. It works at the top is the basis of what Cheryl
:13:42. > :13:46.is saying, because there is a need for government to work, and perhaps
:13:46. > :13:52.for the Lib Dems it is their first time in government, but the parties
:13:52. > :13:54.have become disillusioned? I think in the second half of the coalition,
:13:54. > :13:59.the Liberal Democrats, and Menzies will know more about this than I,
:13:59. > :14:03.would like to put water between themselves and the Government. My
:14:03. > :14:07.feeling is that Nick Clegg will not make it as leader of the Liberal
:14:07. > :14:11.Democrats to the next election. I think he will stand down about the
:14:11. > :14:15.year beforehand. I think he will remain Deputy Prime Minister. I
:14:15. > :14:22.would be surprised if he even contest the seat for Parliament at
:14:22. > :14:26.the next election. The answer is no to all three of those. I talked to
:14:26. > :14:30.Nick Clegg from time to time, I see nothing but somebody determined to
:14:30. > :14:36.to see this through, just as the coalition must be determined to see
:14:36. > :14:40.through, particularly the economic programme. Because he is happy?
:14:40. > :14:46.Because it is his duty. Some politicians, and three, I think, in
:14:46. > :14:49.this studio, went into politics out of a sense of duty. Having been
:14:49. > :14:55.elected they felt compelled to continue to discharge their duty
:14:55. > :15:01.and responsibilities, that is how Nick Clegg sees it. Has he changed?
:15:01. > :15:04.You know him. It has been difficult for him at the beginning but also
:15:04. > :15:10.recently with constitutional reform, has he changed as a person and a
:15:11. > :15:17.leader? Is he more tough? He has been through fire and brimstone.
:15:17. > :15:22.Leadership is very difficult. And Minister of a coalition is even
:15:22. > :15:24.more difficult. And leader as the Deputy Prime Minister of a
:15:24. > :15:29.coalition government at a party who has not had any responsibilities
:15:30. > :15:35.for 80 years is very difficult. I think he is different. Is the
:15:36. > :15:38.relationship different with David Cameron? Probably less affectionate,
:15:38. > :15:43.because government is hard and there are difficult decisions to
:15:43. > :15:47.take. People disagree. People often say political parties are like
:15:48. > :15:57.coalitions, but coalitions are like political parties. There are
:15:58. > :15:59.
:15:59. > :16:02.different strains and strands of I think Nick is looking more
:16:03. > :16:07.towards the position in his party. He asked to play towards the
:16:07. > :16:12.Liberal Democrats Gallery, and I think politicians must remember
:16:12. > :16:18.their party members and what they think. Having observed them, I
:16:18. > :16:22.think it is David Cameron who has grown. AC Moore sure footed nurse
:16:22. > :16:32.and it is David Cameron who has have to make some brave decisions
:16:32. > :16:37.in this coalition. Do you agree? he is as sure footed as that, why
:16:37. > :16:43.did he have so many difficulties this week over the issue of Europe?
:16:43. > :16:47.Certainly a lot of the people on the back benches on the
:16:47. > :16:50.conservative side seemed to believe it. As far as Nick Clegg is
:16:50. > :16:55.concerned, of course it has been a baptism but he has learned a
:16:55. > :16:59.tremendous amount and not only to manage his party but to manage his
:16:59. > :17:05.role in government. I should make clear I am not predicting he will
:17:05. > :17:10.stand down as deputy prime minister, but I think as leader of Lib Dems.
:17:11. > :17:17.I would agree that. I think the pact is between the men at the top
:17:17. > :17:22.and if Nick Clegg can't carry his party with him, I think he will
:17:22. > :17:28.stay there as Deputy Prime Minister but I do think the problems in
:17:28. > :17:33.Europe are inherent in our party. am they being dealt with properly?
:17:33. > :17:36.There is a long way to go. I was reliving Maastricht again and I
:17:36. > :17:41.would support the government because I don't want to see David
:17:41. > :17:47.Cameron with one hand tied behind his back but there are temptations.
:17:47. > :17:53.Labour attempted some of our less mature backbenchers and that caused
:17:54. > :18:03.the problem. I was reliving Mrs Thatcher saying no, no, no, and
:18:04. > :18:09.
:18:09. > :18:13.that was the straw that finally broke the back. Cuckoo Europe is
:18:13. > :18:17.where we do need to do some work because the Conservative Party and
:18:17. > :18:22.the majority of our members want the deal with Europe renegotiated,
:18:22. > :18:26.and that is where I stand and my colleagues stand. It is the
:18:26. > :18:34.question of how we do it and how we forge the new relationship with
:18:34. > :18:38.Europe because we don't want to go further into a political union.
:18:38. > :18:42.but you don't achieve influence in Europe so long as you are semi-
:18:42. > :18:47.detached. One of the casualties of last week is that David Cameron
:18:47. > :18:50.formed an alliance with Germany, with France, Finland and the
:18:50. > :18:55.Netherlands, and as a result of the so-called mandate he has been given
:18:55. > :19:01.by his party, he will have to Renee gone that alliance which is deeply
:19:01. > :19:06.damaging in the short term and long term. The charges of incompetence
:19:06. > :19:13.has been levelled at the government. How do you change that perception?
:19:13. > :19:22.A just because the opposition says it, doesn't mean to say it is right,
:19:22. > :19:28.as Chris Mullin knows! How do you change that perception when there
:19:28. > :19:34.have been arguments about wind farms, on Trident, and on Europe.
:19:34. > :19:41.Wait a minute. When Tony Blair determined to make a decision on
:19:41. > :19:47.Trident, about 150 Labour MPs voted against him. When it came to Iraq,
:19:47. > :19:52.there were about 150 Labour MPs who voted against that. Are you saying
:19:52. > :19:58.you are unified on those issues? Some mistakes have been made, and
:19:58. > :20:02.admitting to them is first and foremost what should be done. All
:20:02. > :20:09.of those accidents make it more possible that we may face a Labour
:20:09. > :20:13.government and it is the last thing this country needs. The two
:20:13. > :20:21.consecutive substantial rises in the pension fund Labour's offer of
:20:21. > :20:25.25p to pensioners when Gordon Brown was Chancellor of the Exchequer.
:20:25. > :20:31.low blow there. In fact pensions did go up very substantially under
:20:31. > :20:36.the last government. On Europe, it is an altogether different league
:20:36. > :20:41.from some of the other difficulties we have mentioned. It is the kind
:20:41. > :20:47.of fault line that runs through the Tory party and it does threaten the
:20:47. > :20:53.coalition. It threatens their credibility with the electorate.
:20:53. > :20:57.have been told we have spent far too much time, but stay here.
:20:58. > :21:01.Coalition means tangling with a range of thorny issues, none more
:21:01. > :21:07.thorny than boundary issues and reducing the amount of MPs in the
:21:07. > :21:13.Commons. With opposition to the changes building, it was announced
:21:13. > :21:16.yesterday the Lords vote on the matter would be dropped. The
:21:16. > :21:20.Tories' Lord Strathclyde, the leader of the House of Lords, said
:21:20. > :21:29.senior members of the government needed to discuss the issues before
:21:29. > :21:32.Pearce could hold the vote. That is what he's had to say. All of those
:21:32. > :21:38.involved need time to reflect before this House is invited to
:21:38. > :21:41.make a decision on the amendments all its merits. It will not
:21:41. > :21:46.surprise the house that those involved include senior members of
:21:46. > :21:51.the government, and until their discussions are concluded the
:21:51. > :21:55.electoral administration bill will not proceed further in committee.
:21:55. > :22:00.This House should be considering the amendment itself and the issues
:22:00. > :22:06.raised by the amendment but it is not. Instead, in a move we believe
:22:06. > :22:13.to be unprecedented, the government has pulled the bill from the order
:22:13. > :22:17.paper. Why? We have heard no satisfactory explanation. I have
:22:17. > :22:22.heard the actual reason is that time could not be found for the
:22:23. > :22:27.Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to meet to consider the
:22:27. > :22:32.issues. My Lords, even if that is the case, it is not a sufficient
:22:32. > :22:35.explanation. Not sufficient for the workings of government, but
:22:35. > :22:40.absolutely not sufficient for the relationship between the executive
:22:40. > :22:44.and the legislature. Parliament is not applied in of government. In
:22:44. > :22:52.particular, Parliament is not the plaything of a political party in
:22:52. > :22:56.trouble. That was yesterday in the House of
:22:56. > :23:01.Lords. What is going on exactly? There is a Labour amendment which
:23:01. > :23:09.would have the effect of kicking the whole issue of boundary changes
:23:09. > :23:13.in to 2018. That is an amendment Liberal Democrats peers wish to
:23:13. > :23:18.support, and there is substantial crossbench support as well. The
:23:18. > :23:23.government is committed to - the Conservative Party of the
:23:23. > :23:29.government - is committed to boundary changes. After reforms by
:23:29. > :23:34.the Labour Party and Tory rebels, Nick Clegg said, OK, we will not
:23:34. > :23:42.vote for boundary changes. Another point, quite a few Conservative MPs
:23:42. > :23:51.are not keen, particularly the new intake who find themselves out.
:23:51. > :23:58.government can't keep delaying this Up hoping the government will
:23:58. > :24:01.deliver. Some seats have very few people. They can't because the
:24:01. > :24:06.Liberal Democrats and Labour will vote together to make sure it
:24:06. > :24:11.doesn't happen. I think negotiations are still going on.
:24:11. > :24:13.there any chance the Lib Dems could be talked around? I find it
:24:13. > :24:17.difficult to perceive any circumstances in which Nick Clegg
:24:17. > :24:22.would depart from what he said publicly. It is right there should
:24:22. > :24:26.be a conversation between the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime
:24:26. > :24:31.Minister about any situation which arises. I am not privy to the
:24:31. > :24:35.inside workings of this but it would be difficult for Nick Clegg
:24:35. > :24:39.to change his position. I think we will see this pushed into long
:24:39. > :24:44.grass, but I don't think it has gone off the agenda for the Prime
:24:44. > :24:54.Minister, for the party, or the electorate. We need to reduce the
:24:54. > :24:59.size of the government, and did you meet the coalition agreement...
:24:59. > :25:05.Dems are... It is not going to happen? No, boundary changes Irish
:25:05. > :25:11.extremely destructive and they are trying to slide an extra one threw
:25:11. > :25:17.him five years rather than every 10 years. Will that be the end of the
:25:17. > :25:24.coalition? No, and it is not unknown for governments to
:25:24. > :25:32.manipulate boundary changes. It is not unusual for governments to do
:25:32. > :25:36.so. Thank you very much. If you are a keen scholar of Chris Mullin is'
:25:36. > :25:40.diaries and novels, perhaps you fancy a slice of it glamorous life
:25:40. > :25:47.of the MP, but how do you get on the ballot paper in the first
:25:47. > :25:52.place? Before you can be elected as an MP, you have to be selective as
:25:52. > :25:56.a PPC, a prospective parliamentary candidate. Becoming one of them is
:25:56. > :26:01.very difficult. For the Lib Dems and the Conservatives, you first
:26:01. > :26:06.have to get past a set of tests designed by this psychologist.
:26:06. > :26:09.might have for example a group exercise looking at how people
:26:09. > :26:19.interact, how they solve problems. There would be an interview which
:26:19. > :26:23.is looking at how you can provide evidence. One thing MPs have to do
:26:23. > :26:29.is prioritised and analyse information quickly so we looked at
:26:29. > :26:34.that. You might have an in-tray exercise, dilemmas, how you would
:26:34. > :26:43.solve problems. Past them and you are on to the approved candidate
:26:43. > :26:48.list. Labour miss out that step. Vanities roughly the same process -
:26:48. > :26:55.apply for a seat when it becomes vacant, hope they do not get rid of
:26:55. > :27:00.your application. Then repeat, often at different ends of the
:27:00. > :27:07.country, until you get selected. This man coaches Tory wannabes who
:27:07. > :27:11.want to get into Westminster. body knows everybody and your
:27:11. > :27:18.reputation starts from when you become an activist. Whatever you
:27:18. > :27:23.say in your answers, people will check. There was a lot of informal
:27:23. > :27:28.vetting that goes on. Good is quite a gruelling process, isn't it?
:27:28. > :27:32.is a tough process, ending with a tough job. At to address complaints
:27:32. > :27:36.that this is biased towards a certain kind of go-getter, Ed
:27:37. > :27:42.Miliband has launched a programme where people get training and
:27:43. > :27:46.coaching to help them through the process. To make it seem more
:27:46. > :27:52.transparent, the Tories experimented by selecting Sarah
:27:52. > :27:57.Wollaston as they can do to through an open primary where the public
:27:57. > :28:00.would vote as well. Before you say it isn't this a bit technical?
:28:00. > :28:03.Remember this, around half of constituencies are considered safe
:28:03. > :28:07.seats which means the local party members are not just selecting
:28:07. > :28:14.their candidate, they are really picking your MP.
:28:14. > :28:19.Chris Mullin, you have been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Is it
:28:19. > :28:22.more technical these days in terms of getting selected? He certainly
:28:22. > :28:27.seems like that from the description given there, but you
:28:27. > :28:31.can never stop parties doing what they want to do in the end.
:28:31. > :28:37.thought there was more direction now with a list candidates?
:28:37. > :28:42.there have always been attempt by the machine to impose. The Tories
:28:42. > :28:47.had there A-list, Labour has a certain Inside Track as anybody
:28:47. > :28:52.noticed. The have parachuted candidates in, haven't they? There
:28:52. > :28:59.have been cases when the Chancellor of the Exchequer have sat ringing
:28:59. > :29:04.round in order to get an individual selected. The thing that has
:29:04. > :29:10.happened is they are getting much younger than they were in my day.
:29:10. > :29:14.Is that a good thing? I personally don't think it is. My advice to
:29:14. > :29:18.people is to go out and do something useful in the world, and
:29:18. > :29:23.then you can make a greater contribution once you are elected.
:29:23. > :29:29.It may be the wrong advice because some of these guys get into
:29:29. > :29:34.Parliament in their late 20s, then they are the leader of their party
:29:34. > :29:38.by the time they are 38. In fact all three of the present party
:29:38. > :29:43.leaders were only in Parliament five years before they became the
:29:43. > :29:48.leaders of other parties. That is a phenomenal change. I have been
:29:48. > :29:51.looking back at the diaries of the Attlee government and the Macmillan
:29:51. > :29:57.government and they were so old and tired that they could not cope with
:29:57. > :30:01.the pressure of government. The Attlee government had been through
:30:01. > :30:11.the war and they were on their knees. Do you need to be young to
:30:11. > :30:21.Do you need to be done to deal with the pressures? I don't mind people
:30:21. > :30:23.
:30:23. > :30:31.getting younger in general, but I think I'd world. How old were you
:30:31. > :30:38.when you were selected? I was 39, but I was 545 when I became a
:30:38. > :30:42.minister, which must have raised eyebrows. -- I was 54 off 55.
:30:42. > :30:49.there are lots more women. Especially on the Labour side, but
:30:49. > :30:55.not so much with the Tories. Cheryl Gillan told me she was only the 6th
:30:55. > :31:00.Tory woman to sit in the Cabinet in the history of the Tory party! Is
:31:00. > :31:04.that not astonishing? The Tories have a problem with women and the
:31:04. > :31:10.fact that the top public schools still dominate the selection
:31:10. > :31:14.process. All the parties have a problem with the fact they are all
:31:14. > :31:20.shrinking in size and less and less people are wanting to become an MP
:31:20. > :31:24.now, that is why they tried to hold open primaries, in the case of
:31:24. > :31:31.Sarah Wollaston, for example, but that is unusual. The Tories tried
:31:31. > :31:35.it in my end of the country and just the usual suspects showed up.
:31:35. > :31:39.It is decision time for America, will President Obama have another
:31:39. > :31:44.four years in the White House, or will the Republican challenger Mitt
:31:44. > :31:48.Romney win the day? On this side of the Atlantic, the elections can
:31:48. > :31:52.seem confusing - although swing states and electoral colleges. But
:31:52. > :31:56.fear not, here is Jeremy Vine with a helpful guide of how it works and
:31:56. > :32:01.what to look out for. Should we remind ourselves of a map
:32:01. > :32:06.as it was left in the 2008 elections? It looks a bit like a
:32:06. > :32:10.draw, there is almost as much red as blue. It was a very convincing
:32:10. > :32:16.victory for Barack Obama, and the reason is the electoral college
:32:16. > :32:20.vote system. I have put a bobble on each state showing the number of
:32:20. > :32:25.electoral college votes, California with 55 has the biggest, the
:32:25. > :32:32.Dakotas have relatively small, they are rural and lightly populated.
:32:32. > :32:37.Texas has 38, Florida has 29, you have to get above 270 when you add
:32:37. > :32:42.up the colleges. That is why they have been campaigning in states
:32:42. > :32:44.which are competitive with the electoral votes on offer. States
:32:44. > :32:50.like a Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio.
:32:50. > :32:55.Everyone talks about what -- talks about Ohio, because it seems to
:32:55. > :32:59.predict the winner time after time after time. This is how the
:32:59. > :33:04.candidates have been dealing in Ohio. The one thing about this
:33:04. > :33:08.graph, we get to the third of October and what happens? Romney
:33:08. > :33:13.suddenly snaps into contention in the first debate, he has been close
:33:13. > :33:19.ever since. But looking at the graph, it looks like Obama takes
:33:19. > :33:23.Ohio, and you might say he looks good for a second term.
:33:23. > :33:27.Florida, Florida is fascinating with so many different voting
:33:27. > :33:33.groups and a real indicator of how the Democrats are advancing. They
:33:33. > :33:38.are really, really doing well with Latino voters, single women and
:33:38. > :33:44.college-educated voters. Look at this, you see the trajectory where
:33:44. > :33:48.Obama comes through, and there are lots of heavily Republican parts of
:33:48. > :33:52.Florida, by the way, but the urban parts tend to be democratic. But it
:33:52. > :33:58.is almost as if Romney suddenly connect with the debate and goes
:33:58. > :34:03.into the lead. Florida looks a better bet for the Republicans, but
:34:03. > :34:07.if you see the margin of victory from last time for Obama, Romney
:34:07. > :34:11.need to take Florida and Ohio and some others in order to overtake
:34:11. > :34:14.the Democrats. It really looks like quite a big task for the Republican
:34:14. > :34:22.challenger. Joining me from Washington to give
:34:22. > :34:28.us the latest is Kim Ghattas from the BBC. Is it too close to call?
:34:28. > :34:34.Yes, it is a dead heat, especially in national polls. But as Jeremy
:34:34. > :34:37.said, it is about the electoral colleges. But even in the key
:34:38. > :34:42.battleground states, sometimes in many of them, it is too close to be
:34:42. > :34:46.able to tell exactly which way things will go. The key
:34:46. > :34:51.battleground of judgment is one state that everybody will be
:34:51. > :34:55.watching. We will start however by watching Virginia. The polls their
:34:55. > :35:01.close and about 12 hours from now. Fairly soon after that we will be
:35:01. > :35:06.able to tell whether Obama or Romney have carried that state. If
:35:06. > :35:11.Obama does, it becomes a lot more difficult for Mr Romney to become
:35:11. > :35:15.the big day in this race, although not impossible. Them we will all be
:35:16. > :35:21.looking at Ohio, which is such a key battleground state. Mr Obama
:35:21. > :35:25.has a small but steady lead which he has had for a bit now. They have
:35:26. > :35:29.been campaigning like mad, I have just discussed with my guests how
:35:29. > :35:34.exhausting the process has been. They can't be many undecided voters
:35:34. > :35:40.left? You look at these men and they seemed so different, and two
:35:40. > :35:44.of the two different visions for America, are there still undecided
:35:44. > :35:48.voters? Yes, and they will possibly make up their mind at the last
:35:48. > :35:54.minute when they go into the polling stations. I already saw
:35:54. > :36:00.people lining up early this morning, polls are open in DEC and Maryland,
:36:00. > :36:03.they open at 7am in Virginia, but it has been a frenzied campaign up
:36:03. > :36:07.until the last minute to try to get every single one of those voters
:36:07. > :36:13.not only to make up their minds but to come out and vote, that is what
:36:13. > :36:17.it is really about. Mr Romney is leaving nothing to chance, he is
:36:17. > :36:23.still campaigning today, he will be going to Cleveland, Ohio, and
:36:23. > :36:27.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, unheard- of in some countries campaigning
:36:27. > :36:32.carrying on until election day. But nobody is leaving anything to
:36:32. > :36:35.chance. It has been exhausting for the two candidates. They looked
:36:35. > :36:42.quite haggard yesterday, very, very tired. They were starting to repeat
:36:42. > :36:45.the same speech over and over. You wonder whether it actually still
:36:45. > :36:51.makes a difference, but it is about getting the boat out. You don't
:36:51. > :36:55.look haggard, Kim Ghattas! Our election campaigns look pretty
:36:55. > :36:58.tame compared to those over the pond. We certainly don't spend as
:36:59. > :37:03.much. Giles has been holed up in the All Star Lanes Diner, someone
:37:03. > :37:09.has to do it, night and day for the last three months, analysing this
:37:09. > :37:14.one! Here are his findings. Eight presidential election seize
:37:14. > :37:17.billions spent on spin and razzmatazz. Balloons and hot air,
:37:17. > :37:25.whipping up enthusiasm and urging the UN decided to make up their
:37:25. > :37:28.minds. Are we fired up?! Are you ready to go?
:37:28. > :37:34.It is the Battle of two big beasts echoing worldwide, even in the
:37:34. > :37:39.wilds of Kenya. This is Obama, a large black bowl
:37:39. > :37:44.from the Kenyan town of Kakamega, and this is his opponent, called
:37:44. > :37:47.What else, Romney. A big beef with an American
:37:47. > :37:51.presidential election is if you want to flame will your opponent,
:37:51. > :37:57.you need an army of creative types with video skills who have seen
:37:57. > :38:01.every clip your opponent has ever screened. It is an ad war, Mad Men
:38:01. > :38:09.meets the West Wing, literally. There are plenty of steps we can
:38:10. > :38:16.take. Right now. Right now. Election day, election day, up and
:38:16. > :38:23.at them! I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message. If you
:38:23. > :38:28.thought that was cheeky, you should shouldn't be with just anybody, it
:38:28. > :38:35.should be a great guy. It is supper uncool to be out and about and
:38:35. > :38:40.somebody saying, don't vote. That advert really -- really upset some
:38:40. > :38:48.of the electoral right. But Romney was accused of not liking a big
:38:48. > :38:51.yellow bird. Big Bird. It's me, Big Bird. Big, yellow, a menace to our
:38:51. > :38:58.economy. Mitt Romney knows it is not Wall Street you have to worry
:38:58. > :39:04.about, it is Sesame Street. some adverts have the thrum of
:39:04. > :39:09.manners. Knock on doors with me! Make phone calls with me! If you
:39:09. > :39:19.are willing to work with me. If you are willing to work harder. Then I
:39:19. > :39:21.
:39:21. > :39:28.promise you. I promise a change For sheer scared the bejiminy out
:39:28. > :39:38.of any Catholic not daring to boot, this one takes some panel beating.
:39:38. > :39:47.
:39:47. > :39:51.After that one, I half-expected orcs, a wizard and Gollum come out
:39:51. > :39:57.to discuss which one should rule their more. But Sauron had some
:39:57. > :40:07.style. # Mitt Romney style.
:40:07. > :40:11.
:40:11. > :40:15.Well, dear! American election, I'm interested. Moments to make you
:40:15. > :40:20.laugh, cry, cry laughing, especially when you realise almost
:40:20. > :40:28.as many as can vote feel like this little girl, who absolutely can't,
:40:28. > :40:33.but he's very astute for a four year-old. I'm crying about Barack
:40:33. > :40:38.Obama and Mitt Romney. It will be over soon!
:40:38. > :40:42.Fancy reducing a four year-old to tears by the Campaign! Two American
:40:42. > :40:47.expats who have closely followed every twist and turn up with me,
:40:48. > :40:52.Stacey her large from Republicans Abroad and Karen Robinson from
:40:52. > :40:58.Democrats Abroad. Have you been reduced to tears? My voice has
:40:58. > :41:02.certainly been reduced. It has been a long slog. Why has it felt and
:41:02. > :41:06.been so long and exhausting? Or did we just forget what the last one
:41:06. > :41:11.was like? The last one was a very long campaign in 2008, on both
:41:11. > :41:15.sides we had really competitive primaries. We had a competitive
:41:15. > :41:19.Republican primary on this side, which went on. Mitt Romney must be
:41:19. > :41:24.on his knees by now. In terms of confidence in your man, how
:41:24. > :41:28.confident are you? Feeling pretty confident. I'm seeing the early
:41:28. > :41:34.voting figures, the numbers of Republicans voting early, and I
:41:34. > :41:40.think... What are those figures? significantly from last time, at
:41:40. > :41:43.25% in some crucial swing states, and Democrat numbers are down. But
:41:43. > :41:49.we can't underestimate the silent majority sitting at home and going
:41:49. > :41:53.out to vote. Are you worried? ecstatic about their early voting
:41:54. > :42:00.figures. Stacey is correct, the Republican figures are up from last
:42:00. > :42:03.time, so full credit from -- to Romney. McCain had a poor record.
:42:03. > :42:08.But Democrats are massively outnumber Republicans in terms of
:42:08. > :42:13.early boat numbers, particularly in the critical states like Ohio and
:42:13. > :42:16.Iowa. But they are significantly down from last time. The numbers
:42:16. > :42:21.are down across the board, but if you look at the total number of
:42:21. > :42:27.votes cast by Democrats early, compared to by republicans, we are
:42:27. > :42:30.still in a lead and we are picking up a significant lead in the
:42:30. > :42:35.National Popular polls. For a little while it was neck-and-neck.
:42:35. > :42:41.Just over the last couple of days we have seen movements of about two
:42:41. > :42:46.points in the direction of the President. It depends on the poll.
:42:46. > :42:50.The Gallup poll had Romney winning. I think with the Poles being as
:42:50. > :42:56.tight as they are in the swing states and nationally, it plays in
:42:56. > :42:59.the favour of the opponent -- I think with the polls being as tight.
:42:59. > :43:03.What is the point in the last few days of saying the same thing again
:43:03. > :43:07.and again and again? It is motivating people to get out and
:43:07. > :43:11.vote, and reminding them that you cannot make any of these changes we
:43:11. > :43:16.have been talking about without casting a ballot. It is getting
:43:16. > :43:22.people out there, motivating. We have seen that in those key swing
:43:22. > :43:27.states, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, the Romney campaign team has been in
:43:27. > :43:34.touch with more people than the Democrats. That is what happened in
:43:34. > :43:39.2000 and in 2004, when Bush won Ohio. I think it has been negative,
:43:39. > :43:45.that is how it has been betrayed over a year, would you agree?
:43:45. > :43:48.think the President has still run a positive campaign... Really?!
:43:48. > :43:52.People know who the president is and what he stands for, it was very
:43:52. > :43:57.important that we make very clear - - that they make very clear what
:43:57. > :44:03.Mitt Romney stands for, he has not made it clear. He has been quite
:44:03. > :44:11.Jupiter to us. I couldn't disagree more. -- he has been quite
:44:11. > :44:16.duplicitous. We like deja .com! The President has run extremely
:44:16. > :44:20.negative campaign. The fact he has been trying to attack Mitt Romney
:44:20. > :44:25.shows he has not had the record he is able to run and, he has gone out
:44:25. > :44:31.to say these are the improvements we made, this is how it will be
:44:31. > :44:37.better in four years. Let me pick up on that, personally I am
:44:37. > :44:41.incredibly proud of the President's record. We have moved forward, the
:44:41. > :44:45.economy is improving, we have had 32 statements of economic growth,
:44:45. > :44:50.the economy is picking up, we have seen passage of major healthcare
:44:50. > :44:53.reform, which has been an ambition of Americans for a long time. If
:44:53. > :44:59.you were running purely on his record I think there would be an
:44:59. > :45:04.enormous reason to be very excited. We have one in six Americans in
:45:04. > :45:14.poverty, median incomes down by $4,000 a year and we have 47... For
:45:14. > :45:16.
:45:16. > :45:26.every one person with the job, 15 Do you think Romney has come from
:45:26. > :45:27.
:45:27. > :45:36.behind to possibly snatch this election question cooker cooker has
:45:36. > :45:46.had to change his views. I worked on Mitt Romney in Massachusetts and
:45:46. > :45:47.
:45:47. > :45:53.there are things you do have to be where it is a federal system and
:45:53. > :45:56.Mitt Romney is talking about giving the States the ability to manage
:45:56. > :46:00.these programmes and put them in place and that is the clear
:46:00. > :46:07.difference. That is pragmatic politics, playing to a different
:46:07. > :46:10.audience. When Stacey talks about Mitt Romney wanting to take away
:46:10. > :46:16.the federal health care so that it can be delivered on a state basis,
:46:16. > :46:20.what he means is that if elected he is promising that on day one he
:46:20. > :46:28.will immediately remove health care from millions of Americans who
:46:28. > :46:33.already have read, including people in Massachusetts who are currently
:46:33. > :46:37.benefiting from Mitt Romney's health care plan. If he became
:46:37. > :46:42.President, do you think he would not do a lot of the things he has
:46:42. > :46:48.said on this campaign, on Medicare and the foreign policy? I think he
:46:48. > :46:54.would, and you have to look at the wider race. As nice as it is to win
:46:54. > :47:01.the presidential race, it is more important to win the house. It is
:47:01. > :47:05.an important point. If Obama wins, will he be allowed to govern? The
:47:05. > :47:11.Republicans said last time his Kabul we will make sure he can't
:47:11. > :47:17.govern. A if he comes in, he has to be willing to compromise. He has
:47:17. > :47:22.been given partisan proposals and he has not taking anything up. He
:47:22. > :47:27.has not shown the ability to compromise. How does he break the
:47:27. > :47:31.deadlock? That is an excellent question, and looking at Congress,
:47:31. > :47:36.going into this election Democrats were convinced we would lose the
:47:36. > :47:41.Senate. The Republicans put up a lot of extreme unpopular candidates
:47:41. > :47:46.and it now looks like we will be gaining seats in the Senate. The
:47:46. > :47:52.Republicans are moving backwards. am so sorry - I have to finish, but
:47:52. > :47:57.you are coming back. David Dimbleby will be in Washington to host the
:47:57. > :48:00.US Election Special on BBC One at 11:35pm tonight and Stacey and
:48:00. > :48:08.Karen will be back with us this time tomorrow to discuss the
:48:08. > :48:15.results. To be continued. It is a dream to work on a programme like
:48:15. > :48:19.this, but believe it or not, some people find our guests a bit scary.
:48:20. > :48:24.A survey like this has found that George Osborne tops a list of
:48:24. > :48:28.celebrities people have nightmares about. He was not the only
:48:28. > :48:33.politician named. In a moment we will discuss whether being the
:48:33. > :48:37.stuff of nightmares is better than being ignored by the electorate,
:48:37. > :48:47.but first they met see who else is in the fight Club. There is some
:48:47. > :49:14.
:49:14. > :49:24.flash photography coming up. -- # The monster mash # It's a
:49:24. > :49:25.
:49:25. > :49:31.After that scary lot, let's seek the safety of Quentin Letts. Have
:49:31. > :49:37.you ever had nightmares about a politician? Two nights ago, Tony
:49:37. > :49:42.Blair. I was walking on May Hill in Gloucestershire, and suddenly Tony
:49:42. > :49:49.Blair arrived and started hitting golf balls at me. What does that
:49:49. > :49:53.mean? If I have not got a clue. What about you - ever had
:49:53. > :49:57.nightmares about a politician? not that I can recall. Quentin once
:49:57. > :50:04.described me as a deck chair that looked like it had been left out
:50:04. > :50:09.all night, which I thought was quite good. They used to be a
:50:09. > :50:14.forceful Tory old battle axe, and Keith Joseph always looked like the
:50:14. > :50:20.kind of man who might prole up on you in your bad moments. There
:50:20. > :50:25.don't appear on the list. George Osborne, Gordon Brown, Katie Price,
:50:25. > :50:32.Ann Widdecombe, Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney, Marilyn Manson, and
:50:32. > :50:36.Ed Balls. Of them, who do you think is the most nightmarish? It is the
:50:36. > :50:44.ones who have been Chancellor, dipping their hands into your
:50:44. > :50:47.wallet. None of the women on the list? And Widdecombe in her home
:50:47. > :50:52.Office days may have put the frighteners on a few people.
:50:52. > :50:55.Price, she is the glamour model, isn't she? Are you sure this is
:50:55. > :51:02.nightmares or a different kind of dream?
:51:02. > :51:06.We don't want to know about those dreams! We have one person saying I
:51:06. > :51:11.have nightmares every night about Gordon Brown, but the one about
:51:11. > :51:15.George Bush in hell is worse. George Osborne reminds me of the
:51:15. > :51:24.joker from that man. That is your theory, the Chancellor's. Then we
:51:24. > :51:30.have got Beverley, who says George Osborne, Eric Pickles... Jacob
:51:30. > :51:37.Rees-Mogg... I could go on, but starting to feel ill. Michael
:51:37. > :51:43.Howard, by far the scariest. these all Labour contributors you
:51:43. > :51:53.have on Twitter? They do sound like they have an agenda. You are right.
:51:53. > :51:53.
:51:53. > :51:58.What about some more Labour ones? It does come down to the thing that
:51:58. > :52:05.in dreams, a lot of people dream about the Queen, being naked at
:52:05. > :52:09.Buckingham Palace. Also in a crowd, isn't that a common thing? He does
:52:09. > :52:14.show you politicians do have an influence over one's psyche and it
:52:14. > :52:19.is troubling. Isn't it better to be in someone's nightmare than
:52:19. > :52:25.ignored? That's is the worst thing, popping out press releases and
:52:25. > :52:28.nobody even notices. Yes, but there must, point that which being in
:52:28. > :52:38.people's nightmares would prevent you from being an attractive
:52:38. > :52:41.
:52:41. > :52:46.proposition. Now, hold those thoughts for a moment. We will find
:52:46. > :52:53.out the answer to the quiz. The question was, which political
:52:53. > :52:59.figure is often the jungle? Michael Heseltine, George Osborne, Nadine
:52:59. > :53:03.Dorries, or Jacob Rees-Mogg? suspect the correct answer is
:53:03. > :53:09.Nadine Dorries. I would have thought there will be a few people
:53:09. > :53:14.in her own party hoping she will not return. I think this is a pity.
:53:14. > :53:18.My natural reaction is that she is terrific box office for sketch
:53:18. > :53:24.writers. She brings a refreshing approach to the Commons. You will
:53:24. > :53:30.miss her. Yes, but there is a broader point that we want
:53:30. > :53:35.politicians who are exciting, but bring the voice of the constituency.
:53:35. > :53:41.I think she is a gift to sketch writers, I don't dispute that for a
:53:41. > :53:47.moment. She is different. I feel she will reduce herself. Why has
:53:47. > :53:51.she gone to join this list of celebrities in Australia? What
:53:51. > :53:56.about her constituents? Sarah Wollaston said she should resign.
:53:56. > :54:02.She is a colleague, not a constituent. She is saying that she
:54:02. > :54:06.should resign. There is that view. I wish she would reconsider event
:54:06. > :54:10.at this late minute because she will diminish her currency as a
:54:10. > :54:16.politician and that is a pity because she has a lot to contribute.
:54:16. > :54:21.I have heard she said she is going out there to speak politics to an
:54:21. > :54:28.audience that would have not otherwise heard it. Constituents
:54:28. > :54:31.are holding an emergency meeting tonight following reports their
:54:31. > :54:36.politician is going on to I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!.
:54:36. > :54:40.be a parliamentarian is actually a really important thing in our
:54:40. > :54:46.society and to be a celebrity is a less important thing. The traffic
:54:46. > :54:51.is the wrong way here, and she is underselling herself. A bit of
:54:51. > :54:56.dignity is required. I agree with Quentin, having held some minority
:54:56. > :55:03.positions myself in my own party, that just as she speaks up in
:55:03. > :55:06.public out of line with the whip, that is in her favour, but doing
:55:06. > :55:11.this defeat of an elective or sensitive and I would have thought
:55:12. > :55:16.the constituency may have something to say about that. On that note,
:55:16. > :55:20.thank you for coming on to the programme. Now to a story that has
:55:20. > :55:25.dominated headlines recently. The Home Secretary Theresa May has been
:55:25. > :55:30.making a statement in the Commons outlining the details of a new
:55:30. > :55:40.investigation into child abuse scandal in North Wales here is what
:55:40. > :55:53.
:55:53. > :55:58.she had cooker at least has invited Keith Bristow, the director general
:55:58. > :56:00.of the crime agency to assess the allegations recently received to
:56:00. > :56:05.review the historic police investigations and investigate any
:56:05. > :56:09.fresh allegations reported to the police into the alleged historic
:56:09. > :56:16.abuse in North Wales care homes. will lead a team of officers from
:56:16. > :56:19.the organised crime agency, other investigative assets as necessary,
:56:19. > :56:25.and the child exploitation and Online Protection Centre who will
:56:25. > :56:29.act as the single point of contact for fresh referrals relating to
:56:29. > :56:34.historic abuse in North Wales care homes. A deputy political editor
:56:34. > :56:42.was listening to the statement and he joins me now. The government has
:56:42. > :56:44.for a pretty swiftly upon it is a would be fines have been around for
:56:44. > :56:53.some time, but clearly the government feels the need to move
:56:53. > :57:01.swiftly on this. They are all aware of the way the BBC responded to
:57:01. > :57:06.allocate cooker and that is why Theresa May spent a large part of
:57:06. > :57:13.last night making this investigation become a reality. We
:57:13. > :57:17.are talking about the allegations relating to North Wales, just
:57:17. > :57:23.topping up it and the investigation in those days. What was interesting
:57:23. > :57:26.was not just Yvette Cooper for the Labour Party but also Tim Lawton
:57:26. > :57:30.the Conservative saying there are too many investigations here now.
:57:30. > :57:37.We need to have won over arching investigation that looks at Jimmy
:57:37. > :57:41.Savile, the police, and Paul the other investigations. Is there
:57:41. > :57:46.cross party support for that the you? Because otherwise there is
:57:46. > :57:52.just too much going on, too many people involved in too many
:57:53. > :57:58.investigations? No, the government view is to let the investigations
:57:58. > :58:02.do their work. They don't rule out a single inquiry once the other
:58:02. > :58:12.inquiries have done their work. you checks showed that the
:58:12. > :58:16.
:58:16. > :58:19.government can do anything else but to launch an inquiry, even, they're
:58:19. > :58:29.doing the right thing, but I do think we should be very careful
:58:29. > :58:29.
:58:30. > :58:39.cooking cuckoo Cox. We are talking about allegations which occurred a
:58:40. > :58:40.
:58:40. > :58:45.very long time ago. At on that note, thank you for bringing the latest.