06/12/2011 Newsnight

Good evening, David Cameron is willing to derail plans to save the

euro, if the deal doesn't safeguard Britain's interests. It sounds

tough, but is it anything more than empty words. If the currency can't

be saved convincingly, the whole world will feel the consequences.

What would those consequences be? We have two leading economists, and

a senior parliamentarian from Angela Merkel's party. An official

inquiry concludes the court case, derailed by an undercover policeman,

was all the fault of one lawyer. Is that credible, the Director of

Public Prosecution himself is here. The police in Moscow cart off

protestors unhappy with the elections at the weekend. We talk

to the man who was Vladimir Putin's Prime Minister.

I would say it is the beginning of the end of the regime. As Americans

Republicans consider who should run against Obama, we hear from the

conservative Midwest, about what they want from their candidate.

The secretary of the US Treasury was in Germany today, it wasn't a

social visit. It is testament to the way in which the will they

won't they spectacle leaves them as reluctant participants. It is said

to be four days left for the rescue deal to be achieved. The Germans

and French believe a rescue package more or less in place. The British

Prime Minister tried to send a message that he wouldn't go through

with it if it wasn't in British interests. Let's deal with what

David Cameron had to say first? He has some idea of what the proposal

will be? Around the proposal of stricter proposals on countries

that have the euro, we have a hint of the mechanism on what it will be

to have it agreed. What it will be, we are told from EU sources, is a

treaty amendment agreed by 27 countries, not just the 17

countries that use the euro. That brings into play, of course, the

British veto, then we see British Conservative euro-sceptics thinking

this is the opportunity to get what they want in terms of repatriation

of powers from Europe. The Prime Minister has to sound tough in

order to satisfy them, but not so tough as he upsets the European

leaders. This is what he had to say today. What I'm saying is if, and

eurozone countries do need to come together, do need to do more things

together, if they choose to use the European treaty to do that, Britain

will be insisting on some safeguards too. As long as we get

those, that treaty can go ahead, if we can't get those, it won't.

think on these occasions, an instructive game is to say what he

said in reverse, say the negative of what he said, and work without

whether actually's saying. If the negative doesn't mean anything,

neither does the positive. In which case, does it mean anything to say,

can you imagine a British Prime Minister not saying something like

"I'm prepared to agree to a treaty that is not in Britain's national

interest", the question, is, what is Britain national interest, and

what is that, we get a clue in the Times tomorrow. He says the biggest

national interest is the euro sorts out its problems. He goes on to

make sure that the City of London is defended in terms of the tran

action tax. Making sure the euro survives. That is not how his

backbenchers see our national interest. The threat of a veto is

guff? The threat of a veto, if the financial transaction tax was on

the agenda, and EU sources say it is not on the agenda for Friday,

then perhaps it would be a full threat. In terms of making sure the

euro survives and sorts its problems out, he's very unlikely to

veto something along those lines. Three people who might have some

idea which way is up are an economist and adviser to the UN

Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, author of the Price of Civilisation,

his latest book, he has been clearing up sovereign debt crisis

from around the world for 20 years. And our guest who specialises in

emerging economies is here, and Angela Merkel's Chief Whip in the

German parliament joins us from there. Are you worried about the

prospect of David Cameron exercising some sort of British

veto? No, I'm not worried at all. My impression is we have a very,

very large common interest this time, this is to preserve

sustainability of the eurozone and to prevent international, global

recession. This interest is shared by the UK, by Germany, and all

other countries in the European Union. Next Thursday and Friday is

crucial in the rescue operation for the euro. We have to give a strong

signal of determination of stability and of reform. Therefore

we need and want to get the support of our British friends. OK, so this

is really a comment made for domestic consumption. I would like

to broaden this out beyond Britain, beyond indeed Europe, to some of

the aspects for this for the rest of the world. How big a deal, will

it be, if the euro were to fail, how beige deal for the rest of the

world? -- big a deal for the rest of the world? Very big, potentially

disastrous. When Lehman brothers went down in 2008, we know the

crisis, panic and fear spread through the entire financial system.

If Europe some how failed to come together to protect the eurozone,

and it ended up in a chaotic disintegration, the chaos would

also lead to a contagion of fear that could disrupt international

financial markets around the world. It must not happen. It doesn't have

to happen, it should not happen. This problem should be solvable,

and it should be solved. It could have been solved, you might argue?

It should have been solved much earlier. I also feel that the

diagnosis hasn't been exactly on point up until now. We will come to

that in a second or two. Linda, the Europeans were trotting off to

Beijing two or three weeks ago, hoping the Chinese would suddenly

cast charitable glances at Europe, they aparently were less than

enthusiastic about it, what are the consequences for China, the real

powerhouse of the world economy at present? Potentially quite

significant. Not so much because of financial contagion, what Jeffrey

was talking about, because their financial system isn't particularly

exposed to European sovereign debt, but, of course, what the Chinese

have always worried about, if you have a huge disruption in the

global economy, a collapse in global trade, their economy still

is predominantly relying on trade as a driver. That could cause a

downturn in their economy, three years ago, 20 million people lost

their jobs, that is a third of the British population, they are

worried about that kind of upheaval. They are trying to monitor what is

going on in Europe, they want it to be stable, they are really worried

about dislocation in their own economy. One is bound to ask, why

they were so unwilling to bail out the Europeans? Maybe it is because

average Chinese incomes are one tenth of that in western Europe, so

I think they do have...That Is a fair cop! They still obviously,

they do have, I think, an increasing role to play as the

world's second-biggest economy. If there was a multilateral effort,

via the IMF, to supply more credit lines, or what have you, I suspect

the Chinese would go in, if it was truly multilateral, and it wasn't

seen as the Chinese rescuing. do we still find ourselves in this

position, a long time after you seem to suggest we might have got

out of it? There has been too much improve adviceation, and not enough

getting to -- improvisation and not enough getting to the matter. I'm

not against what they are doing this week, but this focus only on

the fiscal situation, really is a bit misdepieded, this crisis had

its or -- misguided. This crisis had its origins in massive lending

in property booms, only in Greece was the fiscal problem the core of

the problem, not in Italy, not in Ireland, not in Portugal. It is the

banking crisis not addressed right now, and together with that it is

the role of the European Central Bank, vis a vis the banks, and

European liquidity, which is not being handled. What is interesting

now, some glimmer of progress, with the new head of the ECB, Mario

Draghi is saying, get something on the budget, and then I will come in

and be a proper Central Bank. That is long overdue.

He's far too polite to say so, but he as suggesting that German policy

has been at fault in all of this, aren't you? The focus that

everything is wrong being profligate abroad has overdone it,

a lot of German banks were also extravagant in their loans, maybe

we ought to look at the banking sector? This is an unprecedented

crisis, and there was no pattern for resolving it so far. What we

have to do was to bring together a number of actors, not just the ECB,

but 27 member states of the European Union. The European

Parliament and the Commission. All of them had to find agreement. It

is all about confidence. There was a lack of confidence that Europeans

would be prepared to rescue their own currency, and therefore, this

meeting on Friday, is so incredibly important, probably the most

important meeting of the European Summit over the last 20 years.

far as China is concerned, India and other countries in that region,

I'm quite confident that all these countries will come in as soon as

they realise there is a political will, there is a political

commitment amongst the member- states of the European Union.

Isn't the lack of urgency staggering. Here we are talking

about a treaty that might take effect in March, two years after

this crisis began. How does it strike you? I think there is a

sense that it has taken quite a long time to probably realise a

solution that could have been had, when Greece needed to bail out in

May last year. I think probably there needs to be a political will,

but there needs to be at least two parties to this solution. One is

this fiscal union, probably some time of road map that they want to

adapt. That is a political decision. In the near term, the real urgency

you are speaking about is about supporting the banks. If there is

disruption, the eurozone doesn't have a Central Bank, that can

really step in. That is a real problem. It is not clear at all

that there is anything that the eurozone leaders can do about that

point right now, but Jeffrey may well be right. Perhaps Thursday,

Mario Draghi could step in. Let's see what he thinks? I do think we

need that opening for the European Central Bank to play a role of a

Central Bank for the first time. Because, really, I like very much

what was being said, that everybody has to get together to save the

euro. But that hasn't been what has been said up until now. What has

been said up until now is leave the ECB on the sideline, they shouldn't

play a role. Many politicians around Europe, including in Germany

have said, well, the Greeks, let them go, there hasn't been that

commitment that we're seeing this week. I like it. Because the

eurozone needs saving. But we went through a long process where this

hasn't been the clear message. One of the things is that Europe

disarmed itself, it took its own Central Bank out of the battle up

until now. Maybe the Central Bank is going to come back, the European

Central Bank is going to come back into the battle. This would really

calm a lot of nerves. Because what the rest of the world is seeing is

a Central Bank that seems to be allowing I will liquidity and panic

to seize -- ill liquidity and panic to seize markets, which is shocking

without that defence. Do you think Germany has demonstrated sufficient

capacity to lead in this? It is no the first instance a question of

leadership, it is a question of acting and coming together, we

shouldn't forget over the last one- and-a-half years, we have provided

billions of euros in order to guarantee the sovereign debt of

countries like Greece, Ireland and Portugal. We have established the

European financial support facility, and the ECB has played a role, an

active role, over the last couple of months. We made it clear we are

prepared to respect the independence of the ECB. Mr Sachs

is right in saying there has been some contradicting debates in

Germany and other countries, whether Greece should stay within

the eurozone, whether we should preserve the eurozone. Angela

Merkel has made it clear, very, very clear, undoubtedly clear, that

we want to preserve the eurozone with all 17 member-states, and we

are prepared to take the appropriate steps to do it. And the

European Central Bank? The European Central Bank is independent

according to the model of the German banks. What would have

difficulties to imagine would be the role of the ECB as the lender

of last resort. This is an anglo- American model, that is not a

common model in Europe. But below, below this solution, there is range

of possiblities, in all these possiblities they have to be

considered by Mr Draghi, by his board, and probably executed. --

properly executed. You were rolling your eyes when you heard this idea

of not being a lender of last resort as an anglo-American idea?

think there has been a problem in the way the eurowas set up. The

Central Bank was not set up as a lender of last resort. It is not an

anglo-American idea per se, it is what a Central Bank does for a

currency. You think this too? has to act as a lender of last

resort, I liked what was said, that the eurozone needs to be preserved,

this is important. It hasn't been a clear message up until now, if it

can be a clear and resolute message inside Germany first, and then

carried out professionally. Not just happen hazardly, but

professionally, we will see the euro through professionally.

Policemen taking part in illegal activities and policemen lying in

court, what we have learned about the behaviour of undercover police

officers has been shocking. According to an official

investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service as a whole

wasn't responsible. It was all the fault of a single lawyer, and the

lefthand not knowing what the right was doing. Whitewash say

campaigners for the people who got sent to jail as a consequence of

the police operation. Before I talk to the Director of Public

Prosecutions, we have this report. Mark Kennedy infiltrated climate

protestors almost a decade ago, his actions continue to recognise co-

chet. He played a key role in directing an action in side this

school in Nottingham. Kennedy secretly recorded the meeting on an

adapted kasyo catch. Later that night the police raided, arresting

114 people, 26 were charged. Some were convicted of conspiracy to

commit public order offences. These secret recordings would have shown

there was no conspiracy, not all activists had decided to take part

in the action. These tapes weren't disclosed to the defence, nor was

Mark Kennedy's dual role as activist and undercover cop. A role

that might have brought fears of him being an agent provokeure. It

was our report on Newsnight, that forced the CPS to beef up its

rather internal inquiry, after the former director of prosecutions

said this on the programme said this. It is a very serious

allegation, Danny is right in one respect, this is such a serious

question that it calls into play Whether it should be an internal

inquiry. Lord McDonald's call for an independent inquiry was heeded,

the very next day the CPS announced Sir Chris mer Rose, a former Appeal

Court judge would lead it. Who is to blame for failing to disclose

Mark Kennedy's covert role and the secret recordings there are three

candidates, the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, running

him, Nottingham shiver Police, who authorised his deployment, and the

CPS, handling the prosecution case. The relationship between Nottingham

Police and Ian Cunningham, a senior lawyer in the CPS, Nottingham

division, lies at the centre of today's report. The author, Sir

Christopher Rose said if Mark Kennedy's role had been further

discussed it is highly unlikely anyone would have thought it in the

public interest for charges to be brought. Kennedy's role was fully

discussed with CPS lawyers, it was told to Mr Rose, but the police

didn't alert the CPS to the significance of the transcripts of

the tapes, the Police accept some The report piles most of the blame

on one senior CPS lawyer, Ian The Name Of The Rose report

declares the CPS innocent on the most -- the Rose report declares

the CPS innocent on the most serious charge, withholding

evidence from the defence. Those on the outside playing the biggest

role on bringing these matters into the public domain are unimpressed.

Sir Christopher Rose was not asked to address that question, he was

asked to look at one particular, serious but ring-fenced apparent

failure of disclosure. There were 11 other inquiries taking place,

and there is much wider issues beyond those 12 inquiries. Without

a report robust, publicly accountable inquiry, a single one,

none of us can have confidence with any of these reports that are

coming through now. Defence solicitor, here, has revealed

details of several other police officers whose role has not been

properly disclosed. The latest involves hunt saboteurs from 1996,

infiltrated by undercover cop Jim Sutton. This is Jim Sutton coming

from the left. He approaches the policemen and the person he

arrested. Interesting. Bat on raised there. Simon Taylor, one of

the original activists pointed him out. He swings him out, Jim Sutton

backs off. These documents show he volunteered to give evidence for

the defence, they were written by none other than Keir Starmer, then

a defence bars te, now the Director of Public Prosecutions. --

barrister, now the Director of Public Prosecutions. They are se

sitting on a huge number of irregularities in justice,

irregularities of disclosure and police non-disclosure to them. It

it is not the position of the CPS doing nothing, they must do

something now. The CPS plans to review the

disclosure between police and the lawyers, will they be forced to

review cold cases. With us now is Keir Starmer, the Director of

Public Prosecutions. There has been an investigation into one case, a

fall guy has been found, are you absolutely certain that there are

no other cases in which people have been convicted on the basis of the

evidence of undisclosed undercover police officers? Can I be clearer

about what the Rose Inquiry looked at, because what was just reported

was a part of it, but not the whole of it. Sir Christopher Rose was

given access to all of the materials in relation to Ratcliffe-

on-Soar, police and prosecutors and my staff. He looked at the entirety

of the material. He wasn't asked a single question, as you would have

us believe, but a series of questions. It he was asked about

one particular case? He was. But we wanted to know the arrangements in

place, the guidance, the approach we were taking, right or wrong, and

he answered those questions, by saying that the guidance and

approach is right. Can you be confident that was the only case of

its kind? He said that he found individual failings in that

particular case. Are you confident, are you confident that there are no

other cases of this kind? He found no systemic problems. Are you

confident? The approach I have taken is whenever anybody raises a

case with me. Whether it is a defence solicitor, a judge, a

prosecutor, or our inspectorate,ly always look at those issues. And

where case -- I will always look at those issues. Other cases have been

raised recently, and I will always look into them. Why don't you look

at the whole lot? Because there was no finding of systemic failure,

there is no point looking at the loss. Why not? Because there was no

systemic failure. How many other cases are there? Much better to

look at cases brought it attention for reasons. How many other cases

are there? There is about half-a- dozen a year. It is not that many

to look through, is it? There is no reason, based on the Rose Report,

to consider anything has gone wrong in those cases. I'm not shutting my

mind to the possibility of looking at those cases. Let's take the case

of Jim Sutton, the undercover police officer? The case raised in

that report, goes back 15 years. 19196, it is not a recent case.

a-- 1996, it is not a recent case. You appeared for the man? It was

announced some press conference I wasn't at, he hasn't provided

details to me. Do you recall the case? I won't talk about individual

cases I may have been involved in 15 years ago. Let me ask you a

simple question. Mike Short has raised a number of cases. A simple

question, were you aware that the man who was suffering to appear on

behalf of the man you were defending, as a defence witness, Mr

Sutton, was an undercover police officer? I'm not prepared to enter

into that discussion, on the hoof. This is an allegation, made during

a press conference at lunchtime that I wasn't involved in. It is

the sort of thing you would remember? There are hundreds of

questions. The solicitor involved knows if he writes to me with

details, as he has done in recent cases, I will look at it, that is

what I promise him. It is not right for me to sit here on the basis of

what he may have said at lunchtime and speculate on what might have

gone on. You said yourself, this was 15 years ago, that does

indicate, you say six cases a year that is 15 years ago. There could

be dozens and dozens of similar cases involving undeclared

undercover police officers? clear what b what went wrong in the

Ratcliffe case, that is the authorisation and activities of

Mark Kennedy were not made known to the prosecution when they should

have been, that shouldn't happen again. If it is right 15 years ago

there was a similar failing, I don't know without looking at it,

it was raised at lunchtime today, I don't know without looking,

obviously, that is something, if it is taken up with me, I will look

into. Afterall, it was me that brought in Sir Christopher Rose, it

was me that asked him to look at everything in this case, it is me

that has put the entire report into the public domain so everyone can

see it. I'm not against looking at these allegations. I can only take

them as they come. You commissioned the inquiry, and the results of the

inquiry have been disclosed, no-one can fault you. In the case of

public confidence, isn't it better to look at every case? Had there

been a finding of systemic problems or the approach or process that

might have been sensele. Since it wasn't the better a-- sensible.

Since it wasn't, the better approach was to look at it like

this, the Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes about a million

defendants, the prosecution rate is 86%. You don't have to look at a

million, just half-a-dozen a year. As concerns are raised with me, I'm

happy to look at them. 250 people discovered the limits of legitimate

protest in Moscow today, they were arrested after being accused by

police of obstructing traffic. The police swooped with cries of sit

Kens, move, do not stand here, side walks are designed for movement. As

so often in Russia, things aren't quite what they seem, there were

elections at the weekend, in which Vladimir Putin did less well than

he hoped for, but just well enough to ensure he still controls

parliament. "fix" cry his opponents, hence the protests. Our diplomatic

editor is here. What happened? Politics in Russia is getting

interesting again. There were demonstrations yesterday, and there

were demonstrations again today, in Moscow in particular. Some reports

on the news agency suggesting as many as 5,000 people involved in

these scenes. Without permission to be there, therefore, the police

were intent on breaking it up. They waded in and started arresting

people by the hundred. We also know that there were demonstrations in

St Petersburg. Tahrir Square in January this ain't, it is a few

thousands, this man giving an account of his grievances to a TV

crew, carried off by the riot police. It isn't a huge populist

thing on the pattern of the Arab Spring. It is important, for years

Vladimir Putin and the people around him have managed to keep

things really buckled down in Moscow. Now there are signs of him

being booed at a recent sports event, these demonstrations, of a

really serious public discontent with what is going on. He wants

everything nice and calm for his run for the presidency in March.

How is it playing with western observers? That is where this

becomes much more significant and interesting than just those, so far,

quite small numbers of people on the streets of Russia. There has

been really some strong condemnation today. There were

observers at these elections on Sunday, from the OSCE, the

Organisation for Security and Co- operation in Europe, and they have

said, pretty frankly, this was not a free and fair election. They have

made various allegations about other candidates not being able to

run. About dodgy practices, and they have been very clear about

that. That brought condemnation today from the US a second, Hillary

Clinton. We have serious concerns about the conduct of those

elections, independent political parties such as PARNAS were denied

the right to register. The preliminary report by the OSCE

cites election day attempts to stuff ballot boxes, manipulate

voter lists and other troubling practices. The EU has added its

condemnation, there are other people too. The Russians are

responding in a tetchy way. It all threatens is the reset Hillary

Clinton herself announced at the beginning of the Obama

administration, to Russian relations, all that is looking in

danger. There is a possibility of going back to a more fractious and

difficult relationship. Earlier I spoke to the former

Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, who is now a loader of

the opposition PARNAS party, I asked him why people are choosing

to come out in protest now? days ago it was a work voting day

of called elections, which we as the party PARNAS is not registered,

we say it is a non-election. This started off by the implementation

of important democratic institutes that it should be a free election

by Vladimir Putin's party. It is not free or fair. That is why the

people reacted appropriately. I would say that is just the

beginning of the end of the regime. Really, you think this is the

beginning of the end of Putin's time in power? The whole process of

disillusionment of the regime will not last overnight and will not

happen tomorrow or in two days. But in two or three or four years,

maximum, definitely, it would come to the end. But by that stage he

could have got himself elected President? We shall see how all

this develops. We have just quite a number of opposition leaders,

growing, maturing, opposition leaders, and right now we are quite

prepared to step in, but we don't have elections. That is why our

political goal will be, would be, for the up coming period to create

such public pressure on the authority, just to show them the

way out. Not through, I would say, Arab revolutions, Arab Springs,

which we can call Slavic Spring. There were also people protesting

in favour of Mr Putin today, weren't there? Yes, we agree with

that. In fact, we agree that approximately 30% of the population

still supports Mr Putin, and his party. That's right. Almost 20% of

people support communist party, but the other 50% of people, they

cannot find their party, which could represent their political

preferences. That is why right now we have a turning point. When the

popularity of the regime and Mr Putin in particular, fall down

dramatically, not to the zero, but from 70% down to 30%, actually 30%,

and that is why, that is what I'm saying, that is the beginning of

the end. When the west protests, as the west has protested today, the

OSCE, Mrs Clinton, and the European Union, one organisation after

another, says these elections, we think, were not fair, do you think

President Putin will pay any attention at all? Absolutely he

will pay. And he already is paying attention, those statements, which

are absolutely elections were not free, elections were not fair. That

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

is absolutely the case. Also the Tell us what's up? It has a

colourful feel to it. It is like a demolition derby, wheels going all

over the place and candidates up all over the place. What is going

on here for some months is finding a candidate that is not Mitt Romney,

it is not that he's a bit dull or a bit insip pid or doesn't enspire

anyone, for the Tea Party movement he's not right-wing enough. We have

one candidate zooming up the polls, dropping a clanger and then down

again. The last one was Herman Cain, the black businessman, who ran

Godfather's Pizza, he was not a politician and spoke the language

of the people, he made huge errors about the foreign policy. That

wasn't the problem, women came forward with accusations of sexual

harassment, a woman came forward and said she was having a long-

running affair with him. He denied it but has quit. We have at the top,

Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker, that clashed with Bill Clinton so

much in that era. It is narrowing down to a two-horse race, and Mitt

is there. I went to small town Iowa, clutching a DVD of a very famous

music video. The much-loved 60s film The Music

Man is as American as a movie about small town American values could be.

Lurking amid the smaltz is a moral, about dreams and deceptions, it

happens to be set in the state that is the first battleground for the

Republican presidential hopefuls. Surely there must be a lesson for

them in this gem of Hollywood wisdom.

Ploughing through the Midwest, the train used to be the best way to

get to small towns like Mason City in northern Iowa, where the movie

is set. It opens with salesmen travelling to the town, warning

outsiders Iowa is a tough nut to crack. # Cash for the crackers and

the pickles # Look what do you talk

# What do you talk # Where do you get it

# You can talk all you want to # But it is different than it was

Now it is the Republicans who want to know the -- to be the President,

who have to know their wares and sell them to a very conservative

crowd. # He doesn't know the territory.

will promise you this, I will work every day to try to make Washington

DC as inconsequential in your life as I can.

We need an American campaign, not a Republican campaign. She's not a

politician. That's the difference. Because you see I'm a real person.

Here is Harold Hill, the film's star, a conman out to persuade

River City, that what it really needs is a boys' marching band,

complete with uniforms, instruments, he will supply for a price.

band will do it # A boys' band

# River City has to have a boys band

The author and composer of the The Music Man, Meredith Wilson was born

here, it draws on his growing up memories of small town Iowa. The

city has set up this museum in his honour. At the heart of the story

is a tension, from the natural desire to believe in something, and

the Iowa wariness of the superslick. Dough has run a business selling

engine oil for 30 years, he has been a leading Republican for all

that time. He has met many of the main figures of the past three

decades, including Barack Obama, he wouldn't vote for him, but might

have voted for him, but now feels he was conned. I feel like I was

fooled, he's a very capable politician. Why fooled? Again, I

believed him to be true to his core principles, and I believed he was

going to try to make changes, and some of them, frankly, I thought we

needed to do. I haven't seen the change that he told us was going to

happen. All I have seen is the Government has gotten a lot bigger,

a lot more intrusive, and a lot more expensive.

One of his best-selling products is the Diplomat, a mixture of soap and

oil. But he doesn't want his politicians slippery,'s looking for

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

is the same sense that it is as much about moral debegincy as bread

and butter issues. Iowa isn't doing too badly, unemployment is better

than the national average, and agriculture is booming with sales

to China. Many conservatives are less worried about jobs and more

about the $15 trillion deficit. In the slow empty towns like this,

Americans feel a desperate need to change their country's direction,

they are uncertain who of the candidates is up to the job. Bill

is manager of a Christian radio station, and co-chair of the Iowa

Republican party. He has to be coy about who he favours, but not about

what's needed. When you look at the ordinary people of River City, they

look at the total inability of our leaders in Washington to be able to

solve the deficit, to be able to balance the budget, and do things

that give the people confidence in our economy that's very frustrating.

So, yes, our leaders can have a huge impact on the ability of

ordinary people to do extraordinary things and get things done. We're

going to do it, either way, but we need some help. Can you lead a

band? No. Are you a big liar? Are you a dirty rotten crook?

Let me go you big liar. You're a wonderful kid, I thought some so

from the first, that is why I wanted you in the band, so you

would stop mope ping around and feeling sorry for hur -- moping

around and feeling sorry for yourself. What band? I always think

there is a band, kid. The conman, Harold Hill starts off

cynically selling dreams, and ends up believing in them himself, the

question is, do politicians do the same. When Republican candidates

come here to Iowa, they have to appeal to hardline conservatives,

the primary process is one of the things that forces American

politicians away from the centre While these Republican candidates

are certainly not aiming for the centre, Ron, a former county Party

Chairman, worries the public notices when they are not being

frank enough. It is sinking in on them, the politicians are dancing

around the issue, and I understand that, because things are going to

get awful, and you are going to suffer. It is not a winning

platform to get voters. You can't get elected with that. Honestly, I

have to say they are not doing a bad job of slowly inculcating that

view, people will have to accept it. Ron's fond of the Music Man, and

still watches it sometimes, and thinks it promises redemption, even

for politicians? He does produce a boys' band because he believes in

it and the kids. There is a possibility that politicians

starting out, I hate to compare them to a snake oil salesman, but

you can, sometimes, that they might too come to have more sincere

beliefs about what needs to be done. I hope in these trying times all of

them do, things are kind of tense right now. In Iowa the fading

sunlight barely warms the fields, so outsiders the brand of

conservative favoured here can seem harsh, but it doesn't yet have a

voice. There seems a quiet desperation, they don't, of course,

want a conman, but they would welcome a bit more charisma, flair,

a band leader worthy of the march ahead.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

What a very odd piece. Tomorrow That's all for now, it was reported

today that the man who gave us the West Wing, Charley Wilson's War and

the Social Network, is starting to make a new series on a television

newsroom, with a fictional programme called Newsnight, some

might find it interesting, if it is well scripted and well acted, it

might be as interesting as the average day in our office! Good

Hello, some rain for most of us overnight. But there is a spell of

snow in Scotland. It could be icey across Lothian and the borders.

That is where the Met Office warning is. Tomorrow sunshine and

showers, most in the west. More sunshine than today. The winds

strong and it will feel cold. It will force showers not just into

the North West of England but the mid-lapbtsdz. East Anglia and the

south -- Midlands. Temperatures may sneak up to double figures in the

south west of England, the showers becoming fewer in the afternoon, as

the winds gradually ease down a bit. It will be windy for most of the

day in Wales, the showers continue across the north of the country.

These are expected to be rain for the most part. Showers for the

north of Northern Ireland, very windy for much of the day. Sunshine,

it will feel cold. The cold in Scotland as well, wintryness in the

hills over the showers. Quite a cold feel for the day really I

suspect on Wednesday. It does briefly turn very much milder on

Thursday. It will be a very strong south-westerly wind, gales, or even

severe gales developing across the north. Further south you can see

how the temperatures rise. It won't last long, the wind direction

changes, later Thursday and into Friday. Drawing down colder air,