:00:42. > :00:48.Good afternoon, welcome to the Daily Politics. The political
:00:48. > :00:50.reshuffle comes of age. David Cameron has been tweeting who is in
:00:50. > :00:57.and who is out. The biggest scalps Cameron has been tweeting who is in
:00:57. > :01:01.so far is the Scottish Secretary, Liberal-Democrat Michael Moore.
:01:01. > :01:06.Labour is expected to reorganised their team this afternoon. We will
:01:06. > :01:11.have all the comings and goings. The 80s are back. This postman
:01:11. > :01:16.wanted you to buy shares in British Gas, now at the Royal Mail is up
:01:16. > :01:20.for grabs, but are the terms of the sale wrong?
:01:20. > :01:23.Could Government help for poor and has proved to be David Cameron's
:01:23. > :01:28.biggest nightmare at the next general election?
:01:28. > :01:34.And as MPs return to Westminster after the conference season break,
:01:34. > :01:41.it will be asking the grassroots if politics has changed one jot.
:01:41. > :01:46.All that in the next hour. With us today we have a pal of MPs who will
:01:46. > :01:51.be checking their Twitter accounts hoping for a direct message from
:01:51. > :01:57.their party leader. Alice they had taken your telephones away. From
:01:57. > :02:01.the Conservatives' Stephen Dorrell, from Labour, Hazel Blears, and
:02:01. > :02:06.Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes. Let's start with the
:02:06. > :02:11.news a ministerial reshuffle is under way. The big announcement
:02:11. > :02:16.this morning is that Michael Moore, the Liberal Democrats Secretary of
:02:16. > :02:21.State for Scotland, has been sacked. He will be replaced by a Alistair
:02:21. > :02:25.Carmichael, the Lib Dem Chief Whip. Last night two Conservative
:02:25. > :02:30.ministers resigned, Chloe Smith who was a minister in the Cabinet
:02:30. > :02:34.Office, and John Randall, the Deputy Chief Whip. On Friday the
:02:34. > :02:37.transport minister Simon Burns stepped down and announced he
:02:37. > :02:43.wanted to stand for the vacant job of Deputy Speaker of the Commons.
:02:43. > :02:50.Let's get the latest from our deputy political editor, James
:02:50. > :02:55.Landale. At this stage of the game we are in the middle of a reshuffle,
:02:55. > :03:00.and as we know they do not always run to plan. There is always a
:03:00. > :03:04.minister who says no and a Cabinet minister who refuses a junior
:03:04. > :03:09.minister being foisted on him. There are cock-ups. I am always
:03:09. > :03:15.slightly cautious before being definitive about these things. As
:03:15. > :03:20.far as we know, only one Cabinet change. But if you think we are now
:03:20. > :03:23.less than a year away from the referendum on independence in
:03:23. > :03:26.Scotland and the Liberal Democrats referendum on independence in
:03:26. > :03:32.have chosen to change their Secretary of Sheikh -- State for
:03:32. > :03:37.Scotland. Michael Moore was a more consensual figure and he was needed
:03:37. > :03:43.to establish the groundwork for the referendum, to agree the rules for
:03:43. > :03:48.the referendum. He outmanoeuvred Alex Salmond on several occasions.
:03:49. > :03:52.But now they are into the campaign proper they need to have somebody
:03:52. > :03:57.who is willing to cross the road and have a fight with Alex Salmond.
:03:57. > :04:01.What about the fact this is a reshuffle of a difference because
:04:01. > :04:06.it is being done on Twitter. Does that mean we are not going to see
:04:06. > :04:12.all those comings and goings in Downing Street? Four years of those
:04:12. > :04:17.ministers have been largely sat behind closed doors. The ministers
:04:17. > :04:27.the Government wants to flag up and show they are allowed to walk up
:04:27. > :04:31.and down the street. Sometimes they were co-ordinated to walk up in
:04:31. > :04:36.twos and threes to have individual pictures to make individual points,
:04:36. > :04:41.such as more women coming to the Cabinet. Topic of women, is that
:04:41. > :04:47.not one of the things David Cameron is considering in this reshuffle?
:04:47. > :04:52.There would be more women and more northerners? That is what we are
:04:52. > :04:58.told. I can remember when Tony Blair had his first reshuffle in
:04:58. > :05:05.1998 with Margaret Jay and Patricia Hewitt. Most prime ministers failed
:05:05. > :05:10.to make as much of an impact as they want. I have bumped into the
:05:10. > :05:14.junior welfare minister and she refused to say anything, but she is
:05:14. > :05:21.looking very happy. The Prime Minister rates her, she is a woman
:05:21. > :05:24.as she is on the north of England. The Prime Minister wants to have
:05:24. > :05:30.them in ministerial position so they can get on to the telly. David
:05:30. > :05:35.Cameron has only carried out one proper reshuffle as such. Does he
:05:35. > :05:40.not like doing them? No, he hates them. Tony Blair used to say they
:05:40. > :05:45.were Glass Lake. The reason they do not like them is that although it
:05:45. > :05:48.is extreme moments of power it is the one time in the Prime
:05:48. > :05:54.Minister's calendar when they can say do this, and it happens. It is
:05:54. > :05:58.pure power. They do not have to worry about Parliament and
:05:58. > :06:03.regulations. But because of that the risks are huge. You had to the
:06:03. > :06:09.pool of the discontented, the overlooked, the unhappy, the sacked.
:06:09. > :06:13.The risks are almost always higher than the potential gains. David
:06:13. > :06:20.Cameron could say, we have got new faces and new women and he could be
:06:20. > :06:24.very happy. But this is not the last reshuffle. This is a holding
:06:24. > :06:28.pattern from the Conservatives. This will not be the whole team
:06:28. > :06:33.that will be fighting the election in 2015. Enjoy the comings and
:06:34. > :06:40.goings. Simon, let's talk about Michael Moore. But, first of all,
:06:40. > :06:43.are any of you expecting a call? Certainly not. I have not got my
:06:43. > :06:57.mobile with a. First of all, Simon, Certainly not. I have not got my
:06:57. > :07:04.why do you think Michael Moore has been sacked? They must think the
:07:04. > :07:10.campaign is in disarray. I think it is unfair when you say, somebody
:07:10. > :07:16.has got the chop. Nick Clegg said at the beginning he wanted to give
:07:16. > :07:20.people various opportunities of having a chance. Michael Moore has
:07:20. > :07:25.done a fantastic job to make sure we keep Scotland as part of the UK.
:07:25. > :07:31.I have seen the work he has done, there is no criticism of him. But
:07:31. > :07:36.maybe they want somebody who is a bit more pugilistic. His Alistair
:07:36. > :07:40.Carmichael cover? I know him because I have had dealings with
:07:40. > :07:45.him a few years ago and he might seem a tougher opponent. That may
:07:45. > :07:50.be true and that may be the perception. But if you are the
:07:50. > :07:55.chief whip, you are silent. It is quite an unfair job to be given
:07:55. > :08:00.because you can never speak out on matters that affect your
:08:00. > :08:03.constituents and you issues. It gives Alistair Carmichael a chance
:08:03. > :08:08.to re- emerge and be there speaking for Scotland. I do not know whether
:08:08. > :08:12.Michael will get another job or not. I think we should say thank you,
:08:12. > :08:17.you have done a great job, but change is a good thing with a year
:08:17. > :08:21.to go until the referendum. It is a long time coming. Is that a sign of
:08:21. > :08:29.weakness or David Cameron shying away from it? Or has it been a
:08:29. > :08:32.virtue? A virtue. The point you're making in the introduction that
:08:32. > :08:39.reshuffles cause many more problems than they solve, there is always a
:08:39. > :08:44.tendency for a Government in problems to have a reshuffle, and
:08:44. > :08:48.it always brings in new problems. I think David has been entirely right
:08:48. > :08:53.to appoint people he trusts, to wait and then to stick with it and
:08:53. > :08:59.allow them to get on and do the job. Do you think they need to be more
:08:59. > :09:01.women? Having them more visibly at minister of state level and
:09:02. > :09:07.spreading them geographically to get away from the accusation that
:09:07. > :09:12.the Tory party is full of posh southerners? David Cameron made it
:09:12. > :09:17.clear he wanted a Government where the third of the Government were
:09:17. > :09:21.female and the current numbers do not meet that standard. I am sure
:09:21. > :09:25.he would be looking for opportunities to do that. But he
:09:25. > :09:28.would also say the people he appoints to ministerial office are
:09:28. > :09:34.the people best qualified to do the job. Critics will say this is all
:09:34. > :09:40.about politics, you have to move certain people, certain people need
:09:40. > :09:46.to have a turn. You have to spread around ministerial privilege. Shock,
:09:46. > :09:52.horror. Politicians engaging in politics! Did the best people get
:09:52. > :09:57.the job? All prime ministers have to balance a whole series of
:09:57. > :10:00.factors. But if out of this reshuffle there are more females,
:10:00. > :10:05.including those who speak with accents outside the South East of
:10:05. > :10:11.England, that would be a good thing from the Tory party's. A pupil
:10:11. > :10:15.stock you would be right there in this ministerial reshuffle. Your
:10:15. > :10:24.application would be considered favourably. You are not expecting a
:10:24. > :10:29.call? No, I am not. I have been delighted to have a bit of freedom,
:10:29. > :10:33.to perceive things I really care about. Being a minister is
:10:33. > :10:38.fantastic, it is an immense privilege, but the shackles that
:10:38. > :10:46.bind you sometimes, it is really hard work. What is it like being
:10:46. > :10:50.reshuffled? Tell us the stories. It is amazing. My heart goes out to
:10:50. > :10:55.people who are waiting by the telephone or waiting for a tweet.
:10:55. > :11:00.People will be so desperate, particularly if you are on your way
:11:00. > :11:05.up. This could be you one chance to do something that is exciting and
:11:05. > :11:09.it is a privilege to be making policy for the country. I remember
:11:09. > :11:15.when I was a very junior health minister at the time, at the bottom
:11:15. > :11:20.of the pecking order, and it was a reshuffle and I had not got a phone
:11:20. > :11:25.call. I went to Cornwall and I was in the middle of a field,
:11:25. > :11:27.surrounded by cows, and the Prime Minister rang me up. I said, I
:11:27. > :11:33.cannot talk because there was a cow Minister rang me up. I said, I
:11:33. > :11:38.about to chase me. The Prime Minister gave me 10 minutes to get
:11:38. > :11:44.out of the field. I did not lose the job. What about the cock-ups
:11:44. > :11:49.that James Landale is talking about. How much of that goes on behind the
:11:49. > :11:54.scenes? We have heard of people saying, no I do not want to move.
:11:54. > :12:00.We heard rumours about Iain Duncan Smith. Does a lot of that go on? It
:12:00. > :12:06.certainly went on in John Major's Government. I remember going into
:12:06. > :12:12.Number 10 and being put in a room and I had to wait. I do not think I
:12:12. > :12:17.had anything to read. I was walking up and down, looking over Horse
:12:17. > :12:20.Guards Parade, waiting to be called in to the Prime Minister, he was
:12:20. > :12:25.sorting out whether he had a vacancy. There is not a lot of room
:12:25. > :12:30.for manoeuvre for the Liberal Democrats in a coalition. That is
:12:30. > :12:36.another reason for not doing it so often. If there was a job, what
:12:36. > :12:40.would you go for? I am not going to answer that question. We did a deal
:12:40. > :12:49.at the beginning of the parliament that it was probably a good idea
:12:49. > :12:52.that the deputy debt should not be in the Government so the party
:12:52. > :12:57.thought it has somebody at the top of the party not locked in. But
:12:57. > :13:03.that has been a criticism levelled at Nick Clegg, that he lost some of
:13:03. > :13:09.the influence he might have been able to exert. This was the first
:13:09. > :13:14.coalition Government since the war. I do not think everything was done
:13:14. > :13:19.perfectly, but it was done in five days under huge pressure. It
:13:19. > :13:24.delivered a firm coalition from the beginning and will stay the course.
:13:24. > :13:28.It will show that coalitions can work when the electorate vote in
:13:28. > :13:33.that way. It is much better than a work when the electorate vote in
:13:33. > :13:39.minority Government. It shows we are willing to step up to the plate
:13:39. > :13:42.and take difficult decisions. The criticism in the past wars, why
:13:42. > :13:48.should we vote for you because you have never been in Government? My
:13:48. > :13:51.understanding is that in the coalition both party leaders have
:13:51. > :13:59.been clear they want to change within their own defined ranks. Did
:13:59. > :14:04.they talk to each other? They could have been hardly any crossover at
:14:04. > :14:09.all. Appointments are technically made by the Prime Minister and he
:14:09. > :14:15.will talk to Nick Clegg, but Nick Clegg will make the nominations
:14:15. > :14:21.appropriately. You will see some changes across the Department
:14:21. > :14:28.between the two parties. Don Foster is Lib-Dem Chief Whip. Thank you
:14:28. > :14:35.very much. Replacing Alistair Carmichael. Voices are coming into
:14:35. > :14:40.my head. The Liberal Democrats were very much the junior partner and
:14:40. > :14:44.here they are horse-trading on Cabinet positions without a mandate
:14:44. > :14:49.from the electorate. This is a decision behind closed doors. I
:14:49. > :14:55.think it is very important. Answer that. The Prime Minister has made a
:14:55. > :15:02.change with the support of the Lib Dem leader. The Liberal Democrat
:15:02. > :15:04.Party did not win sufficient votes Dem leader. The Liberal Democrat
:15:04. > :15:14.and here they are with a whole series of Government posts.
:15:14. > :15:22.You negotiate a coalition. I would prefer a majority Labour government.
:15:22. > :15:30.It is not likely to happen. When you lost power and did not make a
:15:30. > :15:38.majority, the logical conversation was to serve the Liberal Democrats.
:15:38. > :15:41.It is worth saying that at the time the coalition was formed, everybody
:15:41. > :15:46.said it would break down within a year and it has not. It is has a
:15:46. > :15:51.majority in the House of Commons and the majority of people have voted
:15:51. > :15:58.for it. It has carried through a programme that has put us in a much
:15:58. > :16:12.better place economic leave. -- economically. Hazel! Hazel! No harm
:16:12. > :16:17.in that. We will come back to this. Chloe Smith, who we mentioned at the
:16:17. > :16:23.beginning, we said it was her decision to go and that is why she
:16:23. > :16:27.resigned, she was not purged. I do believe that. She made it clear she
:16:27. > :16:31.wanted to do other things with our lives. She has a marginal seat and a
:16:32. > :16:39.big fight in Norwich. Politics, gosh. It could be a red letter day
:16:39. > :16:42.for owners of Royal Mail shares when the company is officially floated on
:16:42. > :16:46.the stock market next week. There's been a last minute dash by
:16:46. > :16:49.stockbrokers in the City to buy up the shares, as a number of firms and
:16:49. > :16:52.individuals believe the company is significantly undervalued. The
:16:52. > :16:56.Government announced last month that shares in the company would be worth
:16:56. > :16:59.between £2.60 and £3.30 each, after the company was valued at £3.3
:16:59. > :17:03.billion. But analysts at City firm Panmure Gordon said the company was
:17:03. > :17:06.worth up to £4.5 billion, with Labour's Chuka Umunna also warning
:17:06. > :17:14.the company is being sold off on the cheap. Investors have until midnight
:17:14. > :17:17.on Tuesday to apply for the shares, which is expected to be
:17:17. > :17:25.oversubscribed as many of the sell-offs in the '80s were. There
:17:25. > :17:28.will then be a three day period of "conditional trading" when City
:17:28. > :17:31.institutions can buy and sell the shares between each other. The final
:17:31. > :17:35.price will then be announced on Friday and shares in Royal Mail will
:17:35. > :17:38.be traded on the London Stock Exchange from Tuesday next week.
:17:38. > :17:41.That could mean investors making up to 40% profit in just a few days.
:17:41. > :17:45.Labour are warning the sell-off should be halted so that it offers
:17:45. > :17:49.better value for the taxpayer, and doesn't end up in a bonanza for the
:17:49. > :17:58.City. I'm joined now by former City trader David Buik. Welcome to the
:17:58. > :18:12.programme. Is the Royal Mail undervalued? Yes. Good. You are
:18:12. > :18:17.talking about the company being worth more than £1 million more than
:18:17. > :18:24.it was estimated as. You need to look at the small print. It is easy
:18:24. > :18:27.to criticise the government. Labour have had an enormous problem trying
:18:27. > :18:33.to get Gordon Brown to agree with Peter Mandelson. Things are very
:18:33. > :18:37.much better and more scaled down now. The great thing we have had
:18:37. > :18:42.with initial public offerings is that they have tended to agree on
:18:42. > :18:50.getting the price right. You drain every last sense then there is no
:18:50. > :18:54.nickel and dime for every person that comes in. The real problem with
:18:54. > :18:59.trying to evaluate the Royal Mail is the question of what importance you
:18:59. > :19:05.attach to what I call a pretty free and light touch regulation. The
:19:05. > :19:10.regulators have given Royal Mail the opportunity of moving prices for as
:19:10. > :19:15.many as 29 million people. To date, the profit margin of Royal Mail has
:19:15. > :19:19.been 3%. Over the next five years or so, if they get the opportunity to
:19:19. > :19:25.remain competitive, they could increase their margin of
:19:25. > :19:28.profitability by 10%. That significantly gives them the
:19:28. > :19:37.opportunity. You never know quite what the likes of FedEx or TNT or
:19:38. > :19:44.other people who have been in business on an international basis
:19:44. > :19:48.will do. It is difficult for Vince Cable but I think he has done a
:19:48. > :19:53.fantastic job and he should not be criticised for undervaluing eight
:19:53. > :19:56.grossly. If you give people the encouragement to support businesses
:19:56. > :20:05.like this you get a good shareholder register. Are investors set to make
:20:05. > :20:13.a big buck? I think they are. The issue is likely to be ten times
:20:13. > :20:21.oversubscribed. Whether it is the 70% of institution shareholders or
:20:21. > :20:31.others, we will be disappointed with what we get. It gives us a good
:20:31. > :20:40.shareholder register. It could easily be £3 85. Is the Royal Mail
:20:40. > :20:47.undervalued to the tune of £1 billion? I am not an expert. Are you
:20:47. > :20:52.worried? Of course. The government should always try get maximum money.
:20:52. > :20:56.The Post Office struggled and Royal Mail struggled over the years
:20:56. > :21:00.because it had pension liability which has been sorted. It was making
:21:00. > :21:06.loss after loss. The government has delivered a policy which means we do
:21:06. > :21:13.not have closures of Royal Mail services like we have had in the
:21:13. > :21:20.past. The issue for me is whether, in the end, the private sector has
:21:20. > :21:24.the majority or not of the shares. Are you not convinced about the
:21:24. > :21:30.privatisation? I support our manifesto which was 10% employees
:21:30. > :21:35.and is not a majority for the private sector. A combination of
:21:35. > :21:40.government and employees. I hope that is what we end up with. This
:21:40. > :21:44.sounds like a dream for the hedge fund managers and investors. We need
:21:44. > :21:49.to remember that investors in this fund managers and investors. We need
:21:49. > :21:54.context means pension funds. It is the man and woman in the street,
:21:54. > :21:59.through their pension funds. The second thing to remember is that by
:21:59. > :22:05.far the most important argument for transferring Royal Mail into the
:22:05. > :22:10.private sector is to allow it to compete against FedEx and other
:22:10. > :22:14.companies. The male market has changed. We communicate by e-mail
:22:15. > :22:20.and the letter post has declined dramatically. It is a parcel service
:22:20. > :22:25.with a lot of competitors and by moving it into the private sector we
:22:25. > :22:31.have allowed it to take on its competitors in the UK market and to
:22:31. > :22:36.look beyond the UK market so that it becomes a proper competitor in a
:22:36. > :22:40.global business. That is the argument for doing it but you must
:22:40. > :22:43.accept that the Royal Mail is profitable at the moment. I think it
:22:43. > :22:53.is a good thing that it is profitable because that is what
:22:53. > :22:56.allows it to take on global competitors and deliver value to
:22:56. > :23:04.shareholders, the vast majority of whom are men and women in the
:23:04. > :23:12.streets contributing to their pensions. Do you think it is too
:23:12. > :23:18.high? It is quite a lot. Wherever you put a cut off, it reduces the
:23:18. > :23:20.number of people who can participate. What we need to
:23:20. > :23:24.number of people who can remember is that everyone of us
:23:24. > :23:29.participates through our pension funds and life insurance. What about
:23:29. > :23:34.you? Are you in favour of the sell-off? The number one concern of
:23:34. > :23:40.government is to protect the public interest. That means if you go down
:23:40. > :23:46.this route... Are you in favour? We would not have done this. Peter
:23:46. > :23:52.Mandelson would have done it! He is long gone! We would not have done
:23:52. > :23:54.this in the way it is proposed now. The important thing is about
:23:54. > :24:02.regulation and public interest. If this is going cheap then I want to
:24:02. > :24:08.see the interests of the taxpayer protected. The public are concerned
:24:08. > :24:13.that the public get a good deal. If this goes ahead then we will protect
:24:13. > :24:18.the universal service obligations so people get a proper service. We will
:24:19. > :24:23.regulate prices because they have gone up by 30% in the last few
:24:23. > :24:29.years. You are talking about people who see the Royal Mail as essential
:24:29. > :24:33.and we need to see that it is affordable. If it is overvalued then
:24:33. > :24:34.that is a big issue of money not coming into the public purse. Are
:24:34. > :24:40.you comfortable that the public is coming into the public purse. Are
:24:40. > :24:46.being protected? Every day there will be a delivery to wherever you
:24:46. > :24:51.live, whether it be in Bermondsey the Shetlands. It is protected
:24:51. > :24:55.legislation and it can only be changed by legislation. There is no
:24:55. > :25:01.will in any party to change that. As I said earlier, the price is going
:25:01. > :25:05.to be determined by the market. If you want more money then the
:25:05. > :25:11.argument for selling shares is valuable, and you sell it on the
:25:11. > :25:15.open market. If there is a market then you sell it for the price you
:25:15. > :25:20.can raise. These shares are going to be oversubscribed by ten times. You
:25:20. > :25:25.not think it is too low? No, I do not. If the guy from Panmure Gordon
:25:26. > :25:29.had gone on he would have said is not. If the guy from Panmure Gordon
:25:30. > :25:35.they would have difficulties getting it on. They did seem to say that
:25:35. > :25:38.they had done a great job in getting the valuation right. There is the
:25:38. > :25:42.world of difference between getting the valuation right. There is the
:25:42. > :25:46.rid of something and something being oversubscribed. The Royal Mail is
:25:46. > :25:51.profitable and is in the right position and I want to make sure
:25:51. > :25:58.that the public is not ripped off by these shares being sold at the
:25:58. > :26:01.Varsity reduced price. Can I ask you about strikes? That is still on the
:26:01. > :26:06.table, and do you think it can be justified? The trade unions have to
:26:06. > :26:11.protect the interests of their members. I am not in favour of
:26:11. > :26:16.strike action on a utility like this because people depend on it, but the
:26:16. > :26:24.trade unions have a legitimate job to do to make sure their members are
:26:24. > :26:27.protected. The NHS has always been a crucial
:26:27. > :26:31.issue to voters and the political parties who woo them - but perhaps
:26:31. > :26:34.never more than at the next general election. The union Unite believes
:26:34. > :26:36.it has identified 11 English marginal constituencies - currently
:26:36. > :26:40.held by the Conservatives, but only by a handful of votes from Labour -
:26:40. > :26:43.where failings in the health service locally mean they're ripe for the
:26:43. > :26:46.taking, with voters blaming the Coalition for the problems. And
:26:46. > :26:49.Unite claims these seats could be key to Ed Miliband's chances of
:26:49. > :26:51.winning the next election. David Thompson reports.
:26:51. > :26:58.The NHS is an election battlefield and in a dozen corners of England it
:26:58. > :27:04.is a decisive one. The Unite union have identified constituencies where
:27:04. > :27:08.Tory MPs are facing defeat because of problems with the health service,
:27:08. > :27:13.and they say that as a golden opportunity for Labour. If these
:27:13. > :27:18.seeds go to Labour then that could swing the election. That is good
:27:18. > :27:23.because the Shadow Secretary of State for health has said in the
:27:23. > :27:30.first queen's speech that he will repeal the health care act which is
:27:30. > :27:35.costing a fortune and nobody wanted. It is fragmenting our NHS and worse
:27:35. > :27:41.still, it is handing it over to private sector companies. The
:27:41. > :27:46.marginals include direct in Essex. Hospitals have been criticised by
:27:46. > :27:50.health-care watchdogs. The seat is held by Jackie Doyle Price with a
:27:50. > :27:58.majority of 92, but she's coming out fighting. I think Unite are of beam.
:27:58. > :28:02.They have identified that there are a lot of places in the country with
:28:02. > :28:08.health service problems which are represented by Tory MPs but they
:28:08. > :28:11.have interpreted that as being a problem for us. It is not. People
:28:11. > :28:14.have interpreted that as being a have been grappling with these
:28:14. > :28:19.problems and we have put these issues on the desk and the Secretary
:28:19. > :28:23.of State has taken action. Far from highlighting weaknesses of the
:28:23. > :28:27.Coalition Government, Unite are highlighting the fact that I have
:28:27. > :28:33.been on the front line fighting for better care. Unite believe that if
:28:33. > :28:37.it comes to a choice between trusting politicians and trusting
:28:37. > :28:46.health care professionals, they are on the right side of the argument.
:28:46. > :28:54.80% of us believes are GP. 17% of us believe Cabinet members. GPs are
:28:54. > :29:03.saying that the funding for the NHS in England is catastrophic. Whatever
:29:03. > :29:07.the rights and wrongs of the claims by Unite, the future of the NHS will
:29:07. > :29:13.be a key part of the campaign and whoever wins that argument may win
:29:13. > :29:17.the election. Do you agree with that analysis?
:29:18. > :29:26.Is held a crucial issue? It is always a crucial issue in a general
:29:26. > :29:31.election campaign. What's Unite is saying is that there are marginal
:29:31. > :29:35.seats, yes, and the NHS operates in marginal seats. I do not think that
:29:35. > :29:40.has advanced the argument. The reality is that in every seat in the
:29:40. > :29:44.country, voters care about the quality of care delivered by the
:29:44. > :29:50.health service and everyone of us needs to answer questions about it.
:29:50. > :29:54.In those marginal constituencies those issues become more critical
:29:54. > :29:55.and there has been a big reorganisation. On the doorstep,
:29:55. > :30:13.have these reforms been popular or The issue will be whether we are
:30:13. > :30:20.able to change the health service that can meet the needs of the
:30:20. > :30:25.elderly for joined-up, health care services. The irony is it is the
:30:25. > :30:30.piece of legislation that created health and well-being boards which
:30:30. > :30:36.provide the basis for building a more joined-up health care service.
:30:36. > :30:40.You are behind that? Stephen always tops a great deal of sense on this
:30:41. > :30:48.issue. The biggest challenge is their health care of the elderly,
:30:48. > :30:54.particularly those with dementia. Stephen has long campaigned on that.
:30:54. > :30:59.We need to get more results from the money we have got to spend. But
:30:59. > :31:03.there is an issue about disqualified provider where people
:31:03. > :31:06.are genuinely worried about people coming into the health service
:31:06. > :31:11.simply to make money. That goes against the grain of what most
:31:11. > :31:16.people think the health service is far. Tony Blair started those
:31:16. > :31:22.reforms when he was prime minister. Let's look at it from a minority
:31:22. > :31:27.seat perspective. This could be rich pickings for the Liberal
:31:27. > :31:33.Democrats. You could do something completely different. Everybody
:31:33. > :31:39.will fight for good, local health services. Many years ago we had the
:31:39. > :31:44.Battle of Guy's Hospital being closed and St Thomas's survived
:31:44. > :31:48.with a campaign. In the neighbouring borough in Lewisham
:31:48. > :31:56.recently there was a big battle I supported. Because of other
:31:56. > :32:00.people's failings, not Lucienne, we fought so they did not lose their
:32:00. > :32:06.accident and emergency and maternity units. However, the
:32:06. > :32:10.challenge is how you get very good, specialist care, which you cannot
:32:10. > :32:14.have in every town in the country, but secondly, how you have really
:32:14. > :32:18.good community care which means you are not in hospital unless you
:32:18. > :32:23.really need to beat. It is not good enough. Are you signed up to the
:32:23. > :32:29.idea some hospitals have to close? It would be better to have bigger,
:32:29. > :32:34.more specialised units? That seems to be the way medical officials
:32:34. > :32:38.would like to go. Nobody was a hospital shack in their
:32:38. > :32:43.constituency. Of course not. Are they going to stand by it even when
:32:43. > :32:48.the services are bad? People do not go into that for bad services. It
:32:48. > :32:53.is the quality of service that is delivered to the individual patient.
:32:54. > :32:58.It is not just the clinicians. The National Audit Office has just done
:32:58. > :33:03.her review and reckons that 30% of people should not be in hospitals
:33:03. > :33:09.if we had proper joined-up care. That is why we need to take
:33:09. > :33:11.resources away from picking up the pieces and invest more into
:33:11. > :33:18.community-based services and prevention. How much damage has the
:33:18. > :33:23.accident and emergency crisis had on voters? It is one of the ways of
:33:23. > :33:27.the health service gets into the headlines, but it is a
:33:27. > :33:31.manifestation of this issue, that we do not have a system that
:33:31. > :33:35.intervenes earlier and supports people to avoid unnecessary
:33:35. > :33:39.attendances at accident and emergency. But it has happened and
:33:39. > :33:44.do you think you will be blamed for that? Governments are accountable
:33:44. > :33:48.for what goes on in the health service. The way you deal with it
:33:48. > :33:53.is not by focusing on the departments, they are the symptom
:33:53. > :33:58.and not the cause. Andy Burnham was a target, rightly or wrongly,
:33:58. > :34:02.because of what went wrong when he was Health Secretary, looking at
:34:02. > :34:08.the target culture. Is it time at four Andy Burnham to go? No, I do
:34:08. > :34:13.not. This whole issue has become extremely personal and that is bad
:34:13. > :34:18.for politics. Let's talk about acute care, community care, people
:34:18. > :34:23.with dementia, that is what the public care about. It is not a good
:34:23. > :34:31.idea to turn it into a personal vendetta. How do you think it has
:34:31. > :34:36.been challenged and handled? A on besides there is more politics and
:34:36. > :34:41.policy and voters are more interested in policy. Would it
:34:41. > :34:46.defuse the issue if Andy Burnham was moved? You could say if he was
:34:46. > :34:50.moved, he was caving in to what Jeremy Hunt wants to see happen. I
:34:50. > :34:56.think we should talk about the issues. That research shows many of
:34:56. > :35:01.those areas in the airport are whether hospitals are in special
:35:01. > :35:06.measures. Let's sort that out and get the health service to the point
:35:06. > :35:11.where it can look after people. The issues over the last five years
:35:11. > :35:17.have been policy and many hospitals have been unable to deliver quality.
:35:17. > :35:21.Local GPs have not been able to open when people want to go to them.
:35:21. > :35:27.It is now time to look at the political agenda. It is a busy week.
:35:27. > :35:31.Tomorrow nominations open for the post of Deputy Speaker in the
:35:31. > :35:36.Commons. Also on Tuesday, the Lobbying Bill has its report stage.
:35:36. > :35:43.On Wednesday the Privy Council is expected to meet to decide whether
:35:43. > :35:47.to improve proposals for a royal charter poor press regulation. On
:35:47. > :35:52.Wednesday the Business Committee holds a one of hearings on Royal
:35:52. > :35:57.Mail privatisation. On Thursday Lord Justice Leveson gives evidence
:35:57. > :36:04.to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Turning us from the
:36:04. > :36:11.green is Kieran Stacey of the Financial Times and Alastair Little.
:36:11. > :36:18.Are you excited by the reshuffle? More than I can possibly say. It is
:36:18. > :36:22.ongoing as we speak. Some journalists have to admit they will
:36:22. > :36:27.struggle to recognise the names involved in the reshuffle. We are
:36:27. > :36:34.getting a few hints and we have not had the whole of it yet. We are
:36:34. > :36:41.fascinated by it. I can tell. Let's not do any tests of whether we
:36:41. > :36:44.recognise the faces. But I can tell you that estimate the bay has been
:36:44. > :36:52.promoted, but we do not know to what. Do you think this will build
:36:52. > :36:57.a stronger team even if it is not the last reshuffle going into the
:36:57. > :37:01.election? I do not think it will be the last reshuffle. We are
:37:01. > :37:05.expecting a more substantial reshuffle sometime next year,
:37:05. > :37:10.probably after the European elections, when he can assess what
:37:10. > :37:14.he needs to do for that final push to the election. He is moving a few
:37:14. > :37:19.people up to the level below Cabinet so they are ready for that
:37:19. > :37:29.final push. That is if she was to bring in more women -- if he wants
:37:29. > :37:34.to bring in more women. Let's look at the reshuffle in Labour's team.
:37:34. > :37:39.That will be more substantial. There are very clear signals of
:37:40. > :37:45.where Ed Miliband once his team to go. As the guests were discussing,
:37:45. > :37:51.there is a huge interest in Andy Burnham's future. At the moment the
:37:51. > :37:56.betting is on him remaining as a shadow Health Secretary. Of course,
:37:56. > :38:03.I could be 100% wrong on that one. Andy Burnham has raised the stakes.
:38:03. > :38:07.As scandals emerge about the NHS that took place under the last
:38:07. > :38:12.Labour Government, Andy Burnham inevitably has to spend a lot of
:38:12. > :38:15.time defending his own and his Government's record rather than
:38:15. > :38:20.getting on the front foot and attacking the Conservative policy.
:38:20. > :38:26.But I think if Andy Burnham was moved, a lot of people would say it
:38:26. > :38:32.is a skull for the media, which Ed Miliband would hate. Yes, indeed.
:38:32. > :38:37.Let's have a look at press regulation. Is this all going to be
:38:37. > :38:41.signed and sealed? I was talking to some campaigners and they were
:38:41. > :38:46.absolutely convinced this was going to be signed and sealed at the next
:38:46. > :38:50.meeting of the Privy Council. They thought it was done. They always
:38:50. > :38:57.wanted press regulation of the press. I am not so sure. Just
:38:57. > :39:01.before the summer or they were being pretty slow about consulting
:39:01. > :39:06.on the various options. There are two options on the table. There is
:39:06. > :39:10.one that the cross-party agreement has put forward and there is one
:39:10. > :39:15.that the press has put forward. Neither side likes the other one's
:39:15. > :39:19.proposal. We have not come to a stage where either side has managed
:39:19. > :39:23.to get over that. We could just do it anyway and say to the papers,
:39:23. > :39:29.here it is. I do not think they would do that. I think there will
:39:29. > :39:33.be more stagnation. None of the parties want to make this a big
:39:33. > :39:38.issue right now a. Do you agree with that? I think it is a
:39:38. > :39:43.compelling argument and we will all be looking forward to seeing Lord
:39:43. > :39:47.Levison appear. He is a member of the Privy Council ironically, but I
:39:47. > :39:54.gather he will not take part in the discussions on it. A bit of revenge
:39:54. > :39:57.I feel. The Conservative backbencher Adam Afriyie told the
:39:57. > :40:00.BBC he does not like creating a stir. He has got a funny way of
:40:00. > :40:05.going about it. His latest bid to stir. He has got a funny way of
:40:05. > :40:11.help the party leadership is to call for an end-out referendum next
:40:11. > :40:16.year, saying many voters are not convinced David Cameron would be
:40:16. > :40:22.able to deliver the vote in 2017 as promised. Here he is. The only
:40:22. > :40:24.struggle I have had is not a fight with my party, but a fight with my
:40:24. > :40:26.struggle I have had is not a fight conscience as to whether or not we
:40:26. > :40:30.struggle I have had is not a fight give Parliament and the British
:40:30. > :40:36.people the opportunity to have their say in 24 it in. I wanted
:40:36. > :40:42.people to have that opportunity. It is for each individual MP to search
:40:42. > :40:47.their souls. You decided it would get you in the headlines again, so
:40:47. > :40:51.you would do it. You are so cynical. I have no ambition in that
:40:51. > :40:56.direction, I am not a publicity seeker. I would not be able to
:40:56. > :41:01.sleep that night if I did not bring forward this opportunity for
:41:01. > :41:08.Britain to have its say. We have left it far too long. Nobody under
:41:08. > :41:13.the age of 56 has had a save. That was Adam talking to Andrew
:41:13. > :41:18.yesterday. We can speak to the Conservative MP behind the Commons
:41:18. > :41:23.Bill designed to ensure there is a referendum by the end of 2017. He
:41:23. > :41:28.has wrestled with his conscience, so he is doing your party in favour.
:41:28. > :41:34.He is sincere in what he is bringing forward, but I also think
:41:34. > :41:40.he is wrong. I got a bill through that will guarantee their
:41:40. > :41:43.referendum by 2017. This amendment could derail that. It will cost
:41:43. > :41:48.time and it will make it more difficult to deliver the bill. I do
:41:48. > :41:54.not doubt Adam's reasons are genuine, but he should reconsider.
:41:54. > :41:58.But he is not alone in thinking it would be better to have a
:41:58. > :42:01.referendum sooner rather than later. There are not many colleagues I
:42:01. > :42:08.have spoken to who are keen to support it. Then maybe one or two.
:42:08. > :42:13.The Conservative Party is united behind the bill. There are
:42:13. > :42:17.differences of opinion. Some people agree with the policy that we
:42:17. > :42:23.should get the best possible deal. Some MPs do not want a referendum
:42:23. > :42:27.at all. All this does is play into the hands of those who do not want
:42:28. > :42:31.a referendum. Is he a publicity seeker? I think he has certainly
:42:31. > :42:36.had the predictable effect of seeker? I think he has certainly
:42:36. > :42:38.taking headlines. I am a co-sponsor of James' Bill and agree with
:42:38. > :42:43.everything James has said. I am a of James' Bill and agree with
:42:43. > :42:47.strong supporter on the principle of a referendum, but before you
:42:47. > :42:54.have a referendum it is a good idea to know what the question is.
:42:54. > :42:59.Labour could support Adam Afriyie's amendment and then see what happens.
:42:59. > :43:05.I am not in charge of deciding our policy position. I would say this,
:43:05. > :43:08.here we are again squabbling about Europe and what the public see is
:43:08. > :43:14.they are interested in jobs, the economy, the NHS and here we are
:43:14. > :43:19.again within the Conservative Party. You cannot get your act together to
:43:19. > :43:23.sort it out. Labour is not united on this. There would be some end
:43:23. > :43:26.sort it out. Labour is not united Labour's Wrens who would dearly
:43:26. > :43:32.like to sign up to Adam Afriyie's amendment. There will be a debate
:43:32. > :43:38.on this as there is in all political parties. Because Labour
:43:38. > :43:40.is split. I look forward to the day that Labour announces they will
:43:40. > :43:46.support the Bill because there would be a national consensus about
:43:46. > :43:51.the need to negotiate a new settlement for Britain in the EU.
:43:51. > :43:56.Personally, I think there is a very strong case for giving people a say
:43:56. > :44:04.on something as big an issue as the pupil stock rock the boat, he is a.
:44:04. > :44:12.You want me to support a Tory Bill? You are kidding. A cross-party Bill.
:44:12. > :44:17.But I genuinely think, here you are again squabbling about Europe. Stop
:44:17. > :44:22.it and deal with the issues the public want to talk about. One
:44:22. > :44:26.Conservative MP has come out and said, I think it should be
:44:26. > :44:34.different. Everybody else is united behind this Bill. You are not
:44:34. > :44:37.worried at told that Adams said in five weeks support will start to
:44:38. > :44:41.come for the amendment and as you say, that could wreck your bill
:44:41. > :44:48.altogether. Are you totally relaxed he is not going to get it? I am not
:44:48. > :44:53.relaxed at all. If it gets selected by the Speaker, that will have to
:44:53. > :44:58.be debated and that would take time. It is not going to get past and he
:44:58. > :45:02.will not get the support from the Conservative Party, but it is
:45:02. > :45:07.putting at risk our chances of delivering the referendum. People
:45:07. > :45:15.are not convinced. What happens in 2015, we do not know. David Cameron
:45:15. > :45:20.might not be prime minister. You could pass legislation to undo it.
:45:20. > :45:28.That is why some people are saying, let's go for it now.
:45:28. > :45:37.we need to negotiate a new settlement for this country and seek
:45:37. > :45:40.the support of the public for that new settlement. How likely is it
:45:40. > :45:47.that you will get new powers back and there will be this great new
:45:47. > :45:54.settlement? There may be some chance if we can get renegotiation. There
:45:54. > :45:57.may be some change. We have not remembered that within this
:45:57. > :46:05.Parliament we have legislated to provide for a referendum already.
:46:05. > :46:10.Our view has been that that is the time to do it rather than picking an
:46:10. > :46:17.arbitrary date such as 2017 or next year. It is better to do it when
:46:17. > :46:27.there is a process. My fear is that a lot of people are looking at a
:46:27. > :46:33.celibate argument. I am clear for my constituents and everywhere else in
:46:33. > :46:37.the country, coming out of the EU, in jobs terms and in investment
:46:37. > :46:43.terms, will be the worst thing for Britain. I understand that we can go
:46:43. > :46:50.alone but in terms of real jobs, real trade and real investment, we
:46:50. > :47:01.are clear that the referendum will be arguing towards staying in the
:47:01. > :47:08.EU. I'm a campaign with you! I will have to finish it there.
:47:08. > :47:12.MPs return to Parliament tomorrow after three weeks of knocking back
:47:12. > :47:14.the ginger ale at the party conference season. Now, by all
:47:14. > :47:17.accounts, probably theirs, David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg
:47:17. > :47:21.have all had 'a good conference' with no major mishaps. But just how
:47:21. > :47:24.happy are party members with their political leaders? I'm joined from
:47:24. > :47:27.College Green by Conrad Landin from Left Futures, Gareth Epps, from the
:47:27. > :47:33.Liberal Democrat Social Liberal Forum, and James Joshua of
:47:33. > :47:39.Conservative Grassroots. Welcome to all of you. Can I start with Gareth?
:47:39. > :47:46.Did you hear what you wanted to hear from Nick Clegg? I think some of the
:47:46. > :47:51.party will be happy with what he said but there is a difference of
:47:51. > :47:55.opinion amongst the Lib Dems from those who want us to go into the
:47:55. > :48:06.next election campaigning loudly on Liberal Democrat principles and
:48:06. > :48:08.those who want to adjust their positions with regards to short-term
:48:08. > :48:17.expediency. There is a mix of opinion. There are some who will be
:48:17. > :48:26.happier than others. What about you? Were you happy? Personally speaking,
:48:26. > :48:33.I would like more differentiation. What epitomised it was over the
:48:33. > :48:41.economy where we had a debate, and we have seemed to have ended up with
:48:41. > :48:44.a situation where we have a dangerous initiative in the housing
:48:44. > :48:49.market being brought forward. It runs the risk of taking us back to
:48:49. > :48:53.the days of Gordon Brown with a housing bubble fuelled by debt. We
:48:53. > :49:03.want to see real investment going in. James Joshua, there was a
:49:03. > :49:07.consensus that the speech of David Cameron was a holding speech and did
:49:07. > :49:15.not set the world on fire. Do you agree? I think the Prime Minister
:49:15. > :49:19.states his positions very well. There is time until the elections
:49:19. > :49:27.and he has set out policies. He is now focusing on getting through the
:49:27. > :49:30.next two budgets and I think he has set things in motion. We are heading
:49:30. > :49:36.in the right direction in terms of policy. We need to start creating a
:49:37. > :49:43.clear dividing line between us and the other parties so we can have a
:49:43. > :49:47.vision for the future. Do you think the marriage tax allowance did
:49:47. > :49:55.that? It is a step in the right direction but I do not think it went
:49:55. > :50:02.far enough. There is more that needs to be done. Conrad, Ed Miliband was
:50:02. > :50:09.criticised for being in visible over the summer. Do you think he seized
:50:09. > :50:13.the initiative? Yes, I do. I think he made a good speech overall and it
:50:13. > :50:20.shows that Ed Miliband is not only a strong leader, and not only can he
:50:20. > :50:28.challenged the government on their disastrous record, but he can set
:50:28. > :50:32.the agenda. When he made his announcement on energy prices,
:50:32. > :50:39.empower changed their website so it said, why wait for Ed? They offered
:50:39. > :50:45.customers the opportunity to set their energy prices there and then.
:50:45. > :50:50.I think, for some years, Labour Party activists have been saying
:50:50. > :50:56.that we need bold policies and the front bench have been saying, no, we
:50:56. > :51:00.need caution and we cannot afford to make a commitment at this point. I
:51:00. > :51:04.think the party activists and the party grassroots have been proved
:51:04. > :51:09.right. There is an opportunity for the Labour Party. We have been very
:51:09. > :51:16.unpopular privatisation of Royal Mail that is about to happen, and at
:51:16. > :51:20.the party conference I was very pleased that the party unanimously
:51:20. > :51:27.agreed to renationalise the Royal Mail after a general election win.
:51:28. > :51:32.My message to the leadership is, no, do not ignore that and do not
:51:32. > :51:44.undermine that and accept that the party grassroots will pledge to
:51:44. > :51:51.renationalise. James, you were concerned by the threat of UKIP. I
:51:51. > :51:58.think, at the grassroots level, we are concerned by the threat of UKIP.
:51:58. > :52:03.I speak for myself and not the Conservative grassroots, but I am in
:52:03. > :52:12.favour of local linkups with UKIP. It will not split the centre-right
:52:12. > :52:15.vote, and in my view that would be disastrous for the country. We had
:52:15. > :52:19.13 years of Labour and we have a mess we need to clean up now. It
:52:19. > :52:27.would be unrealistic to go back to that mess. Thank you, gentlemen.
:52:27. > :52:36.Thank you for joining us. Local linkups. Let's pick up on that
:52:36. > :52:41.issue. Nigel Farage said it could be done on a local level. What you
:52:41. > :52:46.think M I am not in favour with the UKIP party or the Lib Dems or any
:52:46. > :52:51.other party. I think the Tories should go into the election and aim
:52:51. > :52:52.to win a majority. On your big question about party conferences, I
:52:53. > :52:57.to win a majority. On your big think we have a bigger division
:52:57. > :53:06.coming up. The key point from Ed Miliband was about price control.
:53:06. > :53:12.David Cameron enabled us to see rising standards and I think the
:53:12. > :53:16.party can win a majority without support from other parties. There is
:53:16. > :53:19.clear water between Labour and the support from other parties. There is
:53:19. > :53:28.Conservatives, is there not? There is no doubt about it. The activists
:53:28. > :53:34.who are knocking on doors will be happy with the way the party is
:53:34. > :53:39.going. I you happy that socialism is back? I have been knocking on doors
:53:39. > :53:43.for the last two months. We had two by-elections and I am delighted we
:53:43. > :53:48.have tangible policies to talk about. It was time to talk about
:53:48. > :53:55.it. I think what Ed Miliband bid was clever but heartfelt. It was about
:53:55. > :54:00.standing up to vested interests and acting on behalf of the public, the
:54:00. > :54:05.little guy, if you like. The energy companies have behaved
:54:05. > :54:12.irresponsibility, I think all parties would agree with that. Good
:54:12. > :54:20.politics and Bonk economics, somebody said. I do not think the
:54:20. > :54:25.public would feel that. 25 experience -- 25 years of experience
:54:25. > :54:30.of this. They understand that moving a freer economy delivers better
:54:30. > :54:36.living standards. You also need good regulation to stand up for the
:54:36. > :54:42.public. Interesting words from Gareth who said he would like more
:54:42. > :54:45.differentiation. He felt and feels that Nick Clegg and the Liberal
:54:45. > :54:49.Democrats are far too close on that Nick Clegg and the Liberal
:54:49. > :54:56.spending cuts to welfare, for example. Look, I think there is
:54:56. > :55:02.differentiation. The key policy from this government came from our
:55:02. > :55:07.manifesto which was raising the tax threshold. It was our policy and the
:55:07. > :55:13.Conservatives agreed to it. We wanted people to be less oppressed
:55:13. > :55:16.and keep more of their money. We wanted to collect more money from
:55:16. > :55:25.people at the top. We need to do more. What would you like to see? I
:55:25. > :55:33.want it to continue in that direction and to lift the minimum
:55:33. > :55:39.wage level. On energy, very quickly, we had a real failure by the
:55:39. > :55:45.regulators. When Labour win government, the energy supplier did
:55:45. > :55:50.not do the job properly. I do not think that Vince Cable would argue
:55:50. > :55:55.that price control is the best way. I must stop you. More details are
:55:55. > :56:02.emerging of the reshuffle. Michael Moore has been given his reaction
:56:02. > :56:06.from moving as Secretary of State for Scotland. I am disappointed to
:56:06. > :56:10.be moving away from this office. I am pleased about what I have
:56:10. > :56:16.achieved, in particular with regard to the constitutional Scotland. This
:56:17. > :56:20.big decision we are taking as a Scotland is bigger than one
:56:20. > :56:23.particular individual and 1-party. I look forward to playing a role in
:56:23. > :56:28.the constitutional debate in the next 12 months. Let's get the latest
:56:28. > :56:34.from our political correspondent. What more can you tell us? A few
:56:34. > :56:43.more bits and pieces. Esther McVeigh who qualifies as a woman, moves up
:56:43. > :56:50.to a minister at state level. I cannot see any other women or
:56:50. > :56:57.Northerners. Mike Penny, born in Luton, he moves over to DWP. Greg
:56:57. > :57:07.hands moves up to the whips office. There are no women at the moment. We
:57:07. > :57:14.are promised there will be. The big story is the removal of Michael
:57:14. > :57:19.Moore. A bit of feedback on it. A lot of people are questioning it.
:57:19. > :57:26.They wanted a more abrasive approach, some people. A lot of
:57:26. > :57:30.feedback I have been getting is that Michael Moore pitched its just
:57:30. > :57:34.right. He did not allow Alex Salmond is to pitch it as an anti-Scotland
:57:34. > :57:39.campaign. Though some questions about whether it was the right
:57:39. > :57:49.move. They want somebody to take on Alex Salmond day today. We are
:57:49. > :57:56.seeing pictures there of Nick Clegg. That is done. Sadly Davitt has been
:57:56. > :58:01.appointed as the Secretary to the Prime Minister 's financial
:58:01. > :58:06.concerns. We no longer have the walk of shame. If you lose your job you
:58:06. > :58:16.no longer have to remove it and people will not shouted you! If you
:58:17. > :58:22.get a job, you get a walk of joy. Esther McVeigh went in, Greg hands
:58:22. > :58:29.went in. If you walk up the street, you are going to get promoted.
:58:29. > :58:35.Everybody else, it is a no-go. If you see people walking up the
:58:35. > :58:38.street, Norman, it makes the job a bit easier for you! I hope your day
:58:38. > :58:42.is not too long. Thank you for bit easier for you! I hope your day
:58:42. > :58:47.joining us. Have we got a few seconds more, briefly? It does not
:58:47. > :58:54.sound that dramatic, does it? Apart from Michael Moore. That is the big
:58:54. > :59:00.story this afternoon. Later on, maybe the women will emerge, I do
:59:00. > :59:02.hope so. We need more women in government.