Browse content similar to 05/07/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Huffington Post. That is it, thank you very much. Tonight on Newsnight | :00:11. | :00:13. | |
Scotland. Is the Labour Party having an identity crisis? Should | :00:13. | :00:17. | |
its new vision be more Scottish or more unionist? Should its new | :00:17. | :00:22. | |
leader come from Westminster or Holyrood? And isn't it time for the | :00:22. | :00:27. | |
politics of aspiration to replace those of traditional tribalism. And | :00:27. | :00:32. | |
with the M8 closed today for over four hours, we ask what can be | :00:32. | :00:35. | |
learnt from emergency services in other countries when it comes to | :00:35. | :00:41. | |
death dealing with unfor seen events. It's been two months sipbts | :00:41. | :00:44. | |
Labour were defeated at the Scottish elections. Some say the | :00:44. | :00:46. | |
fightback has gun. What is happening within the party? Do | :00:46. | :00:50. | |
people know what they stand for? Will their new leader be from | :00:50. | :00:53. | |
Holyrood or from Westminster? All of these questions are supposed to | :00:53. | :00:58. | |
be naend a review being led by Jim Murphy. With local council | :00:58. | :01:02. | |
elections around the corner is Labour acting fast enough or are | :01:02. | :01:12. | |
:01:12. | :01:12. | ||
they being left behind? A moment for Labour to Saviour. Welcoming | :01:12. | :01:18. | |
the new MP to Westminster that is one they won. It wasn't that close. | :01:18. | :01:23. | |
Are people in Scotland really sure what Labour stands for? I think the | :01:23. | :01:27. | |
party has to show it speak for the people of Scotland and it has a | :01:27. | :01:30. | |
vision for the people of Scotland. I know that is the task which all | :01:30. | :01:33. | |
of our members of the Scottish Parliament and members of | :01:33. | :01:42. | |
Parliament and councillors are focused on. Back in 1997, and look | :01:42. | :01:47. | |
at this political party. All to celebrate the success of Tony | :01:47. | :01:56. | |
Blair's New Labour. In Scotland, the party had clear leadership. | :01:56. | :01:59. | |
Could personality be part of the reason Labour are losing their way? | :01:59. | :02:03. | |
One of the problems is we under estimated the importance of | :02:04. | :02:12. | |
personality up until now. We saw that with Donald Dure a forceful | :02:12. | :02:14. | |
personality who helped us towards success in Scotland. We have seen | :02:14. | :02:19. | |
it with the SNP, it's been as much a victory for Alex Salmond as it | :02:19. | :02:24. | |
has for the SNP. The current crisis in the Labour Party would have been | :02:24. | :02:27. | |
unthinkable to Scotland's first ever First Minister. I have been | :02:27. | :02:30. | |
speaking to several senior party sources today. What they are | :02:30. | :02:33. | |
telling me is that this current review can't happen quickly enough. | :02:33. | :02:40. | |
Some don't have confidence in the process. One told me that, actually, | :02:40. | :02:45. | |
this written branch review has yet to get to the root of the problem. | :02:45. | :02:49. | |
Should it be a party based in Scotland with a future First | :02:49. | :02:55. | |
Minister as leader? Should we keep the status quo where the leader is | :02:55. | :02:59. | |
based in Westminster? One source told me unless we have a uniquely | :02:59. | :03:05. | |
Scottish party Labour will not begin the fightback here in | :03:05. | :03:15. | |
Scotland. Back in 1999 a young up- and-coming MSP, Pauline McNeill was | :03:15. | :03:25. | |
:03:25. | :03:30. | ||
But this year she knew she had a fight on her hands despite a | :03:30. | :03:34. | |
vigorous campaign, she was a victim of her party's's failure to connect | :03:34. | :03:39. | |
with the voters. She's believes it's now time to have a separate | :03:39. | :03:45. | |
Labour Party in Scotland. There has to be clear to the electorate we | :03:45. | :03:48. | |
will stand up for the interests of people in Scotland. That means we | :03:48. | :03:52. | |
have to make our own decisions. People need to be able to see with | :03:52. | :03:58. | |
making our own decisions. The SNP has successfully appealled to | :03:58. | :04:03. | |
aspirational Scots. They say they will put this country first. So has | :04:03. | :04:09. | |
Labour lost its voice here? Who are they trying to speak to anyway? | :04:09. | :04:13. | |
cannot just rely any longer simply on speaking to our core vote. It's | :04:13. | :04:18. | |
clear that we've got to reach beyond the people that we | :04:18. | :04:21. | |
historically represented. That's not to say we don't think we have a | :04:21. | :04:25. | |
job to do for them, we have to broaden our outlook now. I think, | :04:25. | :04:31. | |
look beyond what would be regarded as the traditional Labour vote. | :04:32. | :04:37. | |
Change is a difficult process. It requires unity and faith. Something | :04:37. | :04:44. | |
the Labour Party may need to work on. I'm joined from Millbank by the | :04:44. | :04:47. | |
Labour MP Michael Connarty and in Dundee by the former Labour First | :04:47. | :04:53. | |
Minister, Henry McLeish. Michael Connarty, do you think, in choosing | :04:53. | :04:59. | |
a new leader, that Labour should look to your ranks of MPs or should | :04:59. | :05:02. | |
they lay-down that it has to be someone in the Scottish Parliament? | :05:02. | :05:08. | |
That is the problem to define it in that sort of by cam ral way. The | :05:08. | :05:11. | |
Labour Party should look for a leader who represents best what the | :05:11. | :05:14. | |
Labour Party is about. Which is about representing the people of | :05:14. | :05:17. | |
Scotland. If that is someone who is also in the Scottish Parliament, | :05:18. | :05:21. | |
that is fine. If it is someone who happens to be in the United Kingdom | :05:21. | :05:25. | |
Parliament, that is also fine. If it's somebody not in either but is | :05:25. | :05:29. | |
leader of a community or a leader of trade union, they are also the | :05:29. | :05:32. | |
people we should look to. We are looking for people to come forward. | :05:32. | :05:38. | |
I hope we are looking for people to come forward who are not on any | :05:38. | :05:42. | |
particular ka ral. Someone who actually represents the Scottish | :05:42. | :05:44. | |
people, in Scotland, in the things that the Scottish people want to | :05:44. | :05:47. | |
hear. If they also represent the Scottish people in the UK | :05:47. | :05:52. | |
Parliament, as I do, there is nothing wrong with that. When you | :05:52. | :05:55. | |
look at the Labour representation in the Scottish Parliament, after | :05:55. | :05:59. | |
this election, do you see anyone there who you think is good enough, | :05:59. | :06:03. | |
frankly, to lead the Labour Party in Scotland? I don't think on it in | :06:03. | :06:07. | |
those terms. I see a number of colleagues in the Scottish | :06:07. | :06:10. | |
Parliament who are excellent politicians. If they think they can | :06:10. | :06:13. | |
develop leadership qualities and demonstrate those leadership | :06:13. | :06:17. | |
qualities put themselves forward. Don't exclude anyone. That is the | :06:17. | :06:21. | |
point. We have to reconnect with the Scottish people. We need the | :06:21. | :06:25. | |
right policies and right motivation to speak to the people of Scotland | :06:25. | :06:30. | |
and also to the UK government and beyond. That doesn't - to me it | :06:30. | :06:35. | |
doesn't actually take anyone out of the frame. I'm not prejudice | :06:35. | :06:37. | |
against anyone because of the parliamentary or local government | :06:37. | :06:43. | |
elections they have stood for. you agree with that the ex-leader | :06:43. | :06:48. | |
of Labour in Scotland could be an MP, it depends who is best? I agree | :06:48. | :06:54. | |
with what Michael has said. For what it's worth, I think we should | :06:54. | :06:57. | |
have a leader of the Labour Party in Scotland who is not just a | :06:57. | :07:01. | |
leader in Holyrood. My suggestion, it's only part of the debate would | :07:01. | :07:07. | |
be, it would be best served by an MSP from Holyrood. I think maybe an | :07:07. | :07:11. | |
in an ideal world we would want to have somebody outside both | :07:11. | :07:15. | |
Westminster and Holyrood. That will not happen. The two key issues | :07:15. | :07:22. | |
linked to that are, the party needs to be autonomous in Scotland it | :07:22. | :07:27. | |
needs a credible brand. That is why the SNP do so well. What you need | :07:27. | :07:30. | |
is a transformation of the relationship between the Scottish | :07:30. | :07:35. | |
party and the UK Labour Party. So, I think there are party issues. I | :07:35. | :07:38. | |
don't think the party need get bogged down in where the next | :07:38. | :07:43. | |
leader is coming from. There are more important tasks to be tackled | :07:43. | :07:50. | |
in the interim period. You need to select a new leader? That is right. | :07:50. | :07:55. | |
If we carry on with the current procedure we will elect someone who | :07:55. | :08:01. | |
will elect the party at Holyrood - You would prefer an MSP. You also | :08:01. | :08:04. | |
think it's important there should be an autonomous Scottish Labour | :08:04. | :08:11. | |
Party? The party after May 5th and after the 2007 election faces | :08:11. | :08:13. | |
formidable challenge. You talked about vision and about direction | :08:13. | :08:16. | |
and purpose. What the Labour Party stands for. These are vitally | :08:16. | :08:20. | |
important. We are right to concentrate and talk about the | :08:20. | :08:23. | |
leadership. Frankly, Michael Connarty made a good point that the | :08:23. | :08:27. | |
Labour Party leader has to be selling something. What is the | :08:27. | :08:32. | |
vision? What does Labour stand for? It's right to put it in context. | :08:32. | :08:35. | |
The review should be concentrating on a whole host of issues. In the | :08:35. | :08:40. | |
autumn or beyond that we will be electing our new leader. Michael | :08:40. | :08:45. | |
Connarty I want to establish from you, do you agree with heny ri that | :08:45. | :08:51. | |
the party in Scotland should have new leader over MPs as well as | :08:51. | :08:56. | |
MSPs? What, in practical terms, does that mean? Henry and I come up | :08:56. | :09:02. | |
through the same school. We were leaders of a council fighting | :09:02. | :09:07. | |
against thatcher speaking for Scotland against one of the worst | :09:07. | :09:12. | |
governments we ever had. The people want to see us focus on their needs | :09:12. | :09:17. | |
and wishes. I think that can only be done if the party is seen as | :09:17. | :09:27. | |
autonomous unlike my good friend I do not agree it should be separate | :09:27. | :09:31. | |
or independent. It must speak for Scotland, to Scotland and to the UK | :09:31. | :09:35. | |
government for Scotland. It must do both things. It must speak about | :09:35. | :09:40. | |
Scotland's aspiration in the UK and beyond. We are not a nationalist | :09:40. | :09:44. | |
accept rattist party. We are the party of the United Kingdom. People | :09:44. | :09:49. | |
of Scotland is who we are sent to represent. The party leadership | :09:49. | :09:53. | |
must represent. That I agree with him entirely. It's time for a party | :09:53. | :09:57. | |
in Scotland to speak for Scotland. The UK party leadership to accept | :09:57. | :10:06. | |
we need and we deserve that aatomy. It's not a threat it's addition to | :10:06. | :10:16. | |
:10:16. | :10:18. | ||
You mention the word aspiration. There is a few that the Labour | :10:18. | :10:26. | |
Party has ceased to be a party in Scotland. That the SNP has been | :10:27. | :10:34. | |
better. I am curious as to why you think Labour has got itself into | :10:34. | :10:39. | |
this position. I think the reason was partly | :10:39. | :10:44. | |
because the Labour Party seemed to... I am looking at this from an | :10:44. | :10:50. | |
outside position because I am not in the Executive. We did not seem | :10:50. | :10:54. | |
to have a separate programme that was a Labour programme for Scotland | :10:54. | :11:00. | |
that people could aspire to. That is something that came about | :11:00. | :11:09. | |
because there was possibly a process whereby there was too much | :11:09. | :11:14. | |
subservience to the interest of the UK party. Maybe if they repeated | :11:14. | :11:19. | |
the formula for the parliamentary elections, it would win for the | :11:19. | :11:25. | |
Scottish Parliament. That has not been the case. When you are in your | :11:25. | :11:29. | |
own environment, people want to see what you are saying about their | :11:29. | :11:37. | |
lives. Maybe we forgot that and did not have a genuine programme. | :11:37. | :11:43. | |
Is there a broader issue, which might apply to the Labour Party in | :11:43. | :11:48. | |
the UK as well, Alex Salmond appeared to speak for poor people | :11:48. | :11:53. | |
and for deprived areas. He could also speak to where people wanted | :11:53. | :12:03. | |
to be and not just where they are. Somehow, Labour comes across as if | :12:03. | :12:07. | |
it is directing at deprived areas and poor people, which is important, | :12:07. | :12:14. | |
but it has to be more than that. It has. I raised the issue of | :12:14. | :12:21. | |
justice and fairness, and it means talking about social mobility. The | :12:21. | :12:27. | |
politics of Westminster and Holyrood are diverging. We have | :12:27. | :12:35. | |
failed to adapt. I in greed, this - - I agree. We thought being | :12:35. | :12:41. | |
Scottish was a threat to the union but we cannot think about that. The | :12:41. | :12:45. | |
question of sentiment and the symbolism, this is not the monopoly | :12:45. | :12:51. | |
of the SNP. These are issues for us. If we fight elections at Holyrood, | :12:51. | :13:00. | |
we need to fight on a vision for Scotland. The SNP stands for | :13:00. | :13:04. | |
nationalism and independence. Labour should stand for nationality | :13:04. | :13:10. | |
and identity, which makes a difference between the two. If we | :13:10. | :13:15. | |
adopt those positions, we can compete with the SNP. | :13:15. | :13:23. | |
We have to leave it there. We will continue this in the future. | :13:23. | :13:27. | |
There was a reminder today of how vulnerable the transport system can | :13:28. | :13:32. | |
be when a lorry crash caused the closure of the main motorway | :13:32. | :13:36. | |
between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Shades of last winter when snow | :13:36. | :13:41. | |
brought chaos. What is said in the aftermath of the disaster is almost | :13:41. | :13:48. | |
as important as during. It does not take much to block a | :13:48. | :13:53. | |
motorway and bring Scotland's busiest road to a standstill. This | :13:53. | :13:59. | |
lorry crash on the M8 left one man dead and thousands of commuters | :13:59. | :14:09. | |
:14:09. | :14:11. | ||
stranded. The road partially reopened four hours later. It was | :14:11. | :14:16. | |
not trouble on the same scale as winter, when traffic ground to a | :14:16. | :14:20. | |
halt for days. But it would have sent a shiver down the spines of | :14:20. | :14:29. | |
those who plan for emergencies. Yet again, it begged the question, is | :14:29. | :14:35. | |
Scotland resilient in the face of adversity? Good timing for an | :14:35. | :14:39. | |
international conference on emergency planning held in Glasgow. | :14:39. | :14:45. | |
It attracted experts from around the globe, including Christchurch | :14:45. | :14:49. | |
in New Zealand. The city was devastated by earthquakes and | :14:49. | :14:56. | |
aftershocks. The mayor of Christchurch is a keynote speaker. | :14:56. | :15:01. | |
It is the overwhelming emotion that people first feel. Information is | :15:01. | :15:06. | |
the pathway that can take them from that place to getting controls back. | :15:06. | :15:11. | |
People can get that feeling of control back to some degree and to | :15:11. | :15:16. | |
know what to do, where to go. It makes a difference to their ability | :15:16. | :15:22. | |
to survive physically and mentally. For the high-tech equipment on show | :15:22. | :15:28. | |
here, the human dimension matters more than ever. Do those affected | :15:28. | :15:36. | |
stay on board after the ship hits the rocks? Emergencies present a | :15:36. | :15:42. | |
challenge to all people. individuals affected by them and | :15:42. | :15:48. | |
two governments. The Government message, if it proves toxic to the | :15:48. | :15:54. | |
public, it can leave them in need of the contamination. Of course, | :15:54. | :15:59. | |
what happened in Scotland last winter was not on the same scale as | :15:59. | :16:06. | |
Christchurch, or other disasters. But the same issues arise. Some of | :16:06. | :16:10. | |
the anger aimed at the Government came from frustration of the | :16:10. | :16:15. | |
official line. What we have done today, bringing resources from | :16:16. | :16:20. | |
elsewhere in Scotland and ensuring we are responding to this | :16:20. | :16:26. | |
widespread snowfall that caught Scotland during the rush hour this | :16:26. | :16:32. | |
morning, that has been a first- class response. Today, one of the | :16:32. | :16:36. | |
experts tell me that the lesson from Christchurch is that people | :16:36. | :16:40. | |
are remarkably tolerant in emergency situations as long as | :16:41. | :16:45. | |
they are kept informed. People are more forgiving with the truth, | :16:45. | :16:51. | |
however bad it is, than people who cover up things. Not knowing what | :16:51. | :16:58. | |
is happening is not weakness, it is the reality of disasters. No | :16:58. | :17:02. | |
minister will ever know what is happening. It is about being honest | :17:02. | :17:09. | |
about what we do know and keeping communication open for the public. | :17:09. | :17:18. | |
The Japanese tsunami and devastation it brought a shows that | :17:18. | :17:22. | |
governments are one voice in an emergency. The internet has | :17:23. | :17:32. | |
:17:33. | :17:33. | ||
influence. The power of Twitter was really big. People were tweeting | :17:33. | :17:39. | |
all over the place. Saying there is a risk their, we need to send teams | :17:39. | :17:47. | |
there. And they were giving information. The social media is | :17:47. | :17:54. | |
important. It plays a role in emergency response. Information is | :17:54. | :18:01. | |
key, but, today, a word of warning. The response to an emergency is a | :18:01. | :18:07. | |
one thing, but preventing one is another. It is about money. That is | :18:07. | :18:13. | |
the fact. It needs to be made available. To be more resilient we | :18:13. | :18:18. | |
have to spend money. These guys are constantly telling mean they are | :18:18. | :18:23. | |
fighting for budgets. They know they need training. They know what | :18:23. | :18:31. | |
to do now. They have to have money to do it. And, with government | :18:31. | :18:36. | |
budgets being squeezed, there is a dilemma. Nobody wants to spend more | :18:36. | :18:41. | |
on things that might not happen. Then, again, can we afford to take | :18:41. | :18:46. |