:00:00. > :00:11.The great European project bogged down in a migration crisis,
:00:12. > :00:14.with economic stagnation leaving north and south at one anothers'
:00:15. > :00:16.throats and Britain threatening to walk out.
:00:17. > :00:18.We'll get the insider's take from former EU President,
:00:19. > :00:37.This is an existential crisis of the project, probably the largest crisis
:00:38. > :00:45.in the history of European integration. We will be hearing if
:00:46. > :00:48.Jose Manuel Barroso knows how to sort out the mess.
:00:49. > :00:50.Tonight, the voters of New Hampshire head to the polls.
:00:51. > :00:53.We are with the undecideds, who are making their minds up
:00:54. > :00:59.Kenneth Branagh's theatre company brings us the story of the first
:01:00. > :01:06.The audience for Red Velvet are on the edge of their seats,
:01:07. > :01:08.as if this thing was unfolding on the streets
:01:09. > :01:11.of London right now, and given in a way how little has
:01:12. > :01:28.If the staunchest of Eurosceptics had got to script the circumstances
:01:29. > :01:30.best suited to their cause as referendum day approaches,
:01:31. > :01:32.they'd have struggled to do a better job than reality.
:01:33. > :01:34.Unprecedented numbers of people entering the European Union,
:01:35. > :01:38.the concessions David Cameron is straining to secure from fellow
:01:39. > :01:41.leaders apparently failing to butter many parsnips at home and economic
:01:42. > :01:45.difficulties and disparities growing by the day.
:01:46. > :01:47.In a moment we'll hear from the former President
:01:48. > :01:50.of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso,
:01:51. > :01:52.but first, just how bad might this backdrop prove
:01:53. > :02:05.We sought the views of three prominent Europe watchers.
:02:06. > :02:15.This is the next system shall crisis of the whole European project,
:02:16. > :02:19.probably the largest crisis in the history of European integration. I
:02:20. > :02:23.think you could think of it as potentially a perfect storm. The
:02:24. > :02:32.migration crisis, that's a very big one. The summer will bring a huge
:02:33. > :02:37.peak of refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean. There will be huge
:02:38. > :02:44.pressure on the refugee system. You have the prospect of Brexit, you
:02:45. > :02:48.have Russia and Ukraine, you have the growing strength of Eurosceptic
:02:49. > :02:54.often xenophobic parties of left and right. At the same time in July this
:02:55. > :03:00.year, Greece has got to repay the European Central Bank 3.5 billion
:03:01. > :03:05.euros, it is not clear how Greece will do that. Many of these crises
:03:06. > :03:10.reinforce each other, so the chances of Brexit are reinforced both by the
:03:11. > :03:16.bad performances of the eurozone and the refugee crisis. Putin bombing
:03:17. > :03:20.Syria increases the chances of another refugee crisis, which would
:03:21. > :03:26.destabilise the European Union and divert attention from Ukraine, as he
:03:27. > :03:31.well knows. Each reinforces the other. This is a pretty critical
:03:32. > :03:37.time in geopolitical terms because the US has been accused and is seen
:03:38. > :03:43.as not having shown sufficient leadership in the last few years.
:03:44. > :03:49.You are going now into an election. You have Russia resurgent and very
:03:50. > :03:54.assertive on the other hand, so the role that Europe should be playing
:03:55. > :03:57.is simply not there right now. Even in the core countries of the
:03:58. > :04:04.European Union, even in Germany and France, the reaction that we must
:04:05. > :04:10.say yes whatever it costs is not as strong as it used to be. Europe is
:04:11. > :04:16.being weakened because of its lack of unity at a time when European
:04:17. > :04:22.unity and European leadership is most needed. It takes away from
:04:23. > :04:27.European Union the one great strength it has got which is
:04:28. > :04:35.standing together, offering a credible voice to a belligerent
:04:36. > :04:40.Russia or a troubled Middle East, or uncertain capital markets, one
:04:41. > :04:44.voice. But if Britain votes to leave or votes to stay but with a large
:04:45. > :04:49.percentage wanting to leave, it puts a crack in the credibility of the
:04:50. > :04:51.European Union. A pretty bleak picture for the Prime Minister.
:04:52. > :04:54.Earlier I spoke to the former President of the European
:04:55. > :05:05.I asked him how impressed he was so far by David Cameron's management of
:05:06. > :05:11.the campaign to stay in the EU. I think so far Prime Minister Cameron
:05:12. > :05:16.has done the right thing. He has got to fight for his position. He knows
:05:17. > :05:22.it is a very difficult issue in the European Union and he tried to get a
:05:23. > :05:27.consensus of all the member states so I think the issue is now well
:05:28. > :05:33.prepared and I hope there will be an agreement during the European
:05:34. > :05:38.summit. How optimistic are you? How realistic is full consensus on the
:05:39. > :05:43.brake off in work benefits for migrant workers? From what I know
:05:44. > :05:49.from European Union countries, they are all willing Britain to remain in
:05:50. > :05:54.the European Union. This issue of benefits and freedom of movement is
:05:55. > :05:59.very sensible for some of the countries of European union. We have
:06:00. > :06:04.got to understand that, but in the end everybody wants Britain remain.
:06:05. > :06:11.I think compromise is on the table, it is creative, it is always these
:06:12. > :06:16.legal compromises are difficult to build but it is a creative and
:06:17. > :06:24.intelligent one, so I hope at the end there will be a consensus
:06:25. > :06:28.because the main issue is how to express a position that will enable
:06:29. > :06:33.Prime Minister Cameron to go to the British people and say we have a
:06:34. > :06:39.good deal. If the issue was about benefits, and the abuse of social
:06:40. > :06:44.benefits, because it is true different countries have different
:06:45. > :06:49.levels of social benefits, I think this can work as a compromise.
:06:50. > :06:52.Acceptable to fellow leaders. Do you honestly believe it will have the
:06:53. > :07:01.slightest bearing upon the ambitions of Polish, or French workers to
:07:02. > :07:06.come? Do you think it would put anybody off exercising their freedom
:07:07. > :07:14.of movement? Of course the other countries can do the same, it is not
:07:15. > :07:19.only for Britain. The idea is also that it can also exist for the
:07:20. > :07:23.others, so in terms of the general principle of fairness, I think we
:07:24. > :07:29.can defend it. Do you think it would put off anybody from coming here to
:07:30. > :07:37.work? No, frankly not. It depends on the conditions of the Labour market.
:07:38. > :07:41.It depends what will happen in the future. We have seen different
:07:42. > :07:49.situations. There are many British people living outside, but I think
:07:50. > :07:54.people that want to go to Britain, if of course the basic rights of the
:07:55. > :08:03.people are insured, they will be willing to go. But of course with
:08:04. > :08:07.slightly different conditions. Do you understand David Cameron's, the
:08:08. > :08:12.importance he places on the issue of British sovereignty, the desire he
:08:13. > :08:15.holds to somehow safeguard sovereignty in the context of
:08:16. > :08:23.legislation? Does it make sense to you as a former European leader
:08:24. > :08:28.yourself? Former European and national leader so I understand the
:08:29. > :08:33.issues of sovereignty, I was 12 years in my national governments
:08:34. > :08:37.including as Prime Minister, so we should think it is not only Britain
:08:38. > :08:41.that cares about sovereignty. We all want to have the rights of our
:08:42. > :08:49.country respected. The question is how to do it. Frankly, I believe
:08:50. > :08:53.that in the 21st century, in the age of globalisation, we are better
:08:54. > :09:01.protecting our sovereignty, our de facto power in the world, if you are
:09:02. > :09:04.together. A country of 60 or even 80 million people cannot defend its
:09:05. > :09:15.rights and values in front of countries with 1.3 billion or 1.5
:09:16. > :09:20.billion as could happen soon in some countries in the world, if we are
:09:21. > :09:26.alone, so we share sovereignty. At the same time I understand that in
:09:27. > :09:32.the British culture, it is not only Prime Minister Cameron, it has been
:09:33. > :09:35.different governments and parties, there is some kind of
:09:36. > :09:41.exceptionalism. The way the British look at Europe is different from the
:09:42. > :09:47.way the French, German or Spanish and Portuguese look at Europe. This
:09:48. > :09:51.is a common project where Britain is one of the most important
:09:52. > :09:57.shareholders, and from Tony Blair with General climate change to
:09:58. > :10:01.Margaret Thatcher for enlargement and the internal market, and David
:10:02. > :10:07.Cameron, Britain has been leading Europe, and I believe that is where
:10:08. > :10:11.Britain should be. There was nothing incremental about Angela Merkel's
:10:12. > :10:15.decision to welcome 1 million people into Germany, and if they become
:10:16. > :10:19.naturalised that is 1 million people who could set out for any other
:10:20. > :10:26.member state a couple of years down the line. That was not a decision
:10:27. > :10:31.based on consensus, do you think she overreached herself? No, she took
:10:32. > :10:36.the decision and she was entitled to do it. Let's imagine for a second
:10:37. > :10:42.that the first message coming from Germany would be the opposite one.
:10:43. > :10:47.How do you react? Germany closing the doors? Then I would be more
:10:48. > :10:52.concerned, if I saw a nationalistic Germany. I think what Angela Merkel
:10:53. > :10:59.has done was extremely important for Germany. Now they are trying to
:11:00. > :11:04.adapt and they will do it. But you understand why many British voters
:11:05. > :11:08.worry about the arrival in Germany and EU citizenship making them
:11:09. > :11:16.possible arrivals here imminently? It is a huge issue. No, but I
:11:17. > :11:21.understand the point and it has been exaggerated to some extent. It
:11:22. > :11:26.hasn't been exaggerated, there are 1 million people. It does not mean
:11:27. > :11:33.citizenship. What would the European Union looked like without Britain in
:11:34. > :11:38.it? It can happen, I hope it will not because it will be weaker. The
:11:39. > :11:45.United Kingdom is one of the most important countries in the world,
:11:46. > :11:50.but everyone from Berlin to Warsaw and Madrid understands it to be
:11:51. > :11:54.negative. Jose Manuel Barroso, many thanks. How much of our privacy
:11:55. > :12:14.should we be prepared to surrender to agencies
:12:15. > :12:20.charged with protecting us? Benjamin Franklin was addressing it
:12:21. > :12:23.directly in the 18th Century. Today, though, Parliament's
:12:24. > :12:25.Intelligence and Security Committee reported that Home Secretary
:12:26. > :12:27.Theresa May's draft Investigatory Powers Bill does not
:12:28. > :12:29.do enough to protect the privacy of ordinary citizens or address
:12:30. > :12:32.concerns about spying raised by Edward Snowden's
:12:33. > :12:36.recent revelations. Setting and nets to catch the guilty
:12:37. > :12:41.often snares the innocent too. In this hit TV show, the police tap the
:12:42. > :12:46.calls made from phone boxes, lots of data gathered, most of it useless,
:12:47. > :12:50.but with the technology that existed at that time, there was an absolute
:12:51. > :12:59.limit to how many targets the police could track. The ability of security
:13:00. > :13:03.agencies like MI5 to eavesdrop on people is now infinitely greater
:13:04. > :13:09.than putting a few devices in phone boxes. We are now most people
:13:10. > :13:13.spewing out vast amounts of electronic data without even knowing
:13:14. > :13:18.it, on large numbers of databases and registers, so how can the
:13:19. > :13:22.agencies keep people safe without turning us into some sort of
:13:23. > :13:26.surveillance data? That is the problem parliament is wrestling
:13:27. > :13:31.with. In November the Government set out what it thinks is going on here
:13:32. > :13:40.and at other agencies as well as the police should be regulated. The
:13:41. > :13:43.legislation we are proposing is unprecedented, it will provide
:13:44. > :13:46.transparency about our investigatory Powers, it will provide the
:13:47. > :13:52.strongest safeguards and world leading oversight arrangements.
:13:53. > :13:56.Today the Parliamentary committee gave its verdict, broadly supportive
:13:57. > :14:00.but with some important criticisms. The committee says the draft bill
:14:01. > :14:05.seems unclear on what it is trying to do. It has, says the committee,
:14:06. > :14:10.perhaps suffered from a lack of sufficient time and preparation. The
:14:11. > :14:14.committee says the report doesn't go far enough in protecting privacy,
:14:15. > :14:19.which it says should form the backbone of the draft legislation
:14:20. > :14:23.around which the exceptional powers are built, whilst recent terrorist
:14:24. > :14:33.attacks, it goes on, have shown the importance of the work the agencies
:14:34. > :14:34.do in protecting us, this cannot be used as an excuse to ignore
:14:35. > :14:43.underlying principles. It is to reconcile privacy with
:14:44. > :14:46.national security. We hoped there would be a general statement about
:14:47. > :14:51.privacy and a demonstration as to how that that might be properly
:14:52. > :14:56.intrude into and how the authorisation process would work in
:14:57. > :15:02.each of the activities of agencies. Instead there are different types of
:15:03. > :15:06.protections and authorisations needed for different categories of
:15:07. > :15:10.information. But in some cases the same information can be gathered in
:15:11. > :15:16.different ways. Sometimes I needs authorises, sometimes not. The
:15:17. > :15:21.commission questioned the power for what you or I would call hacking.
:15:22. > :15:27.There are two types - targeted and bulk. But the definition of targeted
:15:28. > :15:32.is so wide that the committee said bulk powers are not needed. That
:15:33. > :15:37.means everybody and targeted powers could mean everybody. Without
:15:38. > :15:41.clarity, how can we feel safe if we are going about our day-to-day
:15:42. > :15:46.business and not involved any criminal activity that we can be
:15:47. > :15:57.left alone to live to be a good citizen? You swear that the
:15:58. > :16:03.affidavit is true. In The Wire the cops get a judge to sign off the
:16:04. > :16:06.wire taps, but with security and intelligence work is not that
:16:07. > :16:11.straight forward. So much has to remain secret. Even from our elected
:16:12. > :16:19.representatives. It is official. You're up.
:16:20. > :16:23.It may feel as though we've already gorged on hyperbole,
:16:24. > :16:26.shock tactics and unprecedented challenges to the political status
:16:27. > :16:29.quo, but the story of November's American presidential
:16:30. > :16:33.Just the second page will be turned later tonight when the ballot closes
:16:34. > :16:35.in the New Hampshire Primary and self-styled mavericks
:16:36. > :16:37.Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders discover whether they've translated
:16:38. > :16:43.impressive poll leads into votes that could take them closer
:16:44. > :16:45.to becoming, respectively, the Republican and Democrat
:16:46. > :16:54.Emily's live in Manchester, New Hampshire, reading the runes.
:16:55. > :16:56.Good evening from New Hampshire, where they have reported record
:16:57. > :16:59.turnout for this first US presidential primary.
:17:00. > :17:03.More than half a million people are expected to vote today -
:17:04. > :17:07.many beating a path through heavy snow to do so.
:17:08. > :17:11.This is a famously late deciding state -
:17:12. > :17:17.a third of Republican voters still trying to decide.
:17:18. > :17:20.And it's a state which lives by its own motto -
:17:21. > :17:26.They like to surprise people here - none more so than pollsters.
:17:27. > :17:31.All of which adds last minute volatility to a wild campaign.
:17:32. > :17:35.This is the state where Barack Obama seemed a safe bet in 2008 -
:17:36. > :17:40.until Hillary went from ten points behind to beating him.
:17:41. > :17:44.This is the race that landed John Maccain a landslide victory
:17:45. > :17:49.in 2000, but he lost the nomination to George Bush.
:17:50. > :17:53.This state is overwhemlingly white and overwhelmingly secular -
:17:54. > :18:02.for that reason it doesn't represent the constituecies that make up
:18:03. > :18:04.the Democrats or Republicans as a whole.
:18:05. > :18:06.But here's an early snapshot of polling day so far.
:18:07. > :18:09.They take their role seriously here in New Hampshire.
:18:10. > :18:11.As early indicators of the electoral race, and they start
:18:12. > :18:17.Catherine has come here to vote, but she still doesn't know who for.
:18:18. > :18:20.I guess we'll figure out once we get into the booth where my pencil
:18:21. > :18:25.It's the Catherines of New Hampshire that make this
:18:26. > :18:32.30% of likely Republican voters say they go to the polls
:18:33. > :18:35.But some tell me their decision has been easy.
:18:36. > :18:39.I want to bring the United States back to where it used to be
:18:40. > :18:43.We found the man himself almost by accident when he walked
:18:44. > :18:45.into a diner this morning and my cameraman threw
:18:46. > :18:48.Are you done with being in second place?
:18:49. > :18:59.Trump has led here in New Hampshire in the last 75 polls,
:19:00. > :19:01.it would be astonishing - in polling terms -
:19:02. > :19:04.But this is a state that thrives on surprise.
:19:05. > :19:05.Famously independent-minded, new voters can
:19:06. > :19:10.Those unregistered with either party can still vote for them today.
:19:11. > :19:13.On the Democratic side, momentum may be
:19:14. > :19:15.with Bernie Sanders, but all those we found
:19:16. > :19:20.And was that an easy choice for you?
:19:21. > :19:26.I think she is going to do the best in a general election
:19:27. > :19:31.Throughout the day more than half a million people
:19:32. > :19:36.But if there's one thing you need to know about the result tonight
:19:37. > :19:39.it's this - the polls got Iowa wrong, historically they get
:19:40. > :19:42.New Hampshire wrong too and indeed the two new ones that emerged
:19:43. > :19:47.If you're waiting for a result that makes any sort of sense,
:19:48. > :20:03.We get the results about 9 o'clock tonight. But let's unpick the race
:20:04. > :20:07.with Caitlin Collins. She has been following the Trump campaign. You
:20:08. > :20:14.were last night at the event behind us and it was an extraordinary sort
:20:15. > :20:19.of thing. Yes if there is one thing about New Hampshire, they love
:20:20. > :20:24.Donald Trump. He held a rally here and although it was snowing like
:20:25. > :20:29.crazy, 5,000 people came to see Donald Trump. Was loud and insane
:20:30. > :20:35.and it is obvious they love Donald Trump. What is it about this place
:20:36. > :20:39.or him? They like how outspoken he is and refreshing and they have had
:20:40. > :20:43.eight years of same thing and they're ready for a change and
:20:44. > :20:46.candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have done so well
:20:47. > :20:51.here. There was expectation on him ahead of Iowa, do you think it might
:20:52. > :20:59.be over hyped here? I don't think so, because innist wo, it was
:21:00. > :21:05.tougher for Donald Trump to win, it is a state of conservatives and a
:21:06. > :21:08.lot of his supporters are not registered with the Republican Party
:21:09. > :21:14.or don't decide until the last minute. He needs those voters. It
:21:15. > :21:19.makes him easier to win here. When you hear record turn out, do you
:21:20. > :21:23.think that will favour people like Trump and Sanders, the less
:21:24. > :21:28.conventional candidates? Yes, these are people who have never voted
:21:29. > :21:34.before and every where you turn you find a Donald Trump supporters, a
:21:35. > :21:38.way tress told me she voted for him. Everyone loves Donald Trump. I think
:21:39. > :21:43.he is going to sweep the state. You're suggesting that he will
:21:44. > :21:48.eventually be the nominee? Without a doubt. He has a good chance. If he
:21:49. > :21:53.wins New Hampshire, he will take the south, because they love him there.
:21:54. > :22:00.We have two guys from Florida and in Florida, Trump is polling so well
:22:01. > :22:03.and beating them. One of the guys is Marco Rubio, who seemed to be on a
:22:04. > :22:13.high before the debate on Saturday, when he got as it were verbally
:22:14. > :22:18.knifed by Chris Christie. We have no idea of third or fourth place. Now,
:22:19. > :22:25.what Trump should be worried about is who he will be his opponent in
:22:26. > :22:31.the Republican Party. It could be Rubio or Cruz or Carson. You don't
:22:32. > :22:36.dmoe. -- know. People need to see who is going to be in second. Thank
:22:37. > :22:41.you. They say that New Hampshire doesn't always get the whippers
:22:42. > :22:47.right, but it tends to get out the losers. That is still not clear, the
:22:48. > :22:51.list of Republican candidates is very long and we don't have a clue
:22:52. > :22:55.where second and third and fourth will take us. On the democratic side
:22:56. > :22:59.there are two candidates, but that win could be just as complicated
:23:00. > :23:02.going forward. Back to you. Thank you.
:23:03. > :23:10.This seems to be the credo of developers determined
:23:11. > :23:13.But what of the 'starchitects' and foreign billionaires behind
:23:14. > :23:15.many of the mooted 250-odd tower blocks -
:23:16. > :23:17.each with 20 or more storeys - set to rise
:23:18. > :23:20.in the nation's capital in the next few years.
:23:21. > :23:22.Are they compelling proof of a thriving economy,
:23:23. > :23:25.or bankrolling sky-high vanity projects set
:23:26. > :23:28.to become follies of the future while permanently polluting a vista
:23:29. > :23:30.once dominated, even defined, by the dome
:23:31. > :23:34.of Sir Christopher Wren's St Paul's.
:23:35. > :23:38.Or, to borrow Prince Charles's description of another London
:23:39. > :23:43.development, so many monstrous carbuncles?
:23:44. > :23:56.Speaking of which, here's Stephen Smith.
:23:57. > :24:04.Are we looking at the bright new face of nation's thriving capital?
:24:05. > :24:11.Are could this be the uncle of all carbuncles? We have taken data of
:24:12. > :24:15.more than 250 new high rises, either under construction or awaiting
:24:16. > :24:22.approval, to reveal how some of London's best known and most
:24:23. > :24:25.expensive views could change. If you're going to change the skyline,
:24:26. > :24:31.you have to consider what the buildings are for. It is not enough
:24:32. > :24:35.simply to have maximum construction activity and we are not making land.
:24:36. > :24:39.London doesn't have enough land for homes. It would be fine if you're
:24:40. > :24:47.building office towers that people will work in and boost the economy.
:24:48. > :24:50.I take exception them building safety deposit boxes for rich
:24:51. > :25:02.Russians and China to stash their cash. Up here on the cable car it is
:25:03. > :25:09.positively alpine. The air is fresh and him pied. You can almost smell
:25:10. > :25:14.the flowers. But what about the visual environment. How will it look
:25:15. > :25:21.on the old industrial units in a few years if the go ahead is given for
:25:22. > :25:27.all the planned skyscrapers developers want to build? Greenwich
:25:28. > :25:35.is practically the home of time and time is money to developers keen on
:25:36. > :25:39.a slice of it. Barbara Vice is part of a resistance movement. Much as
:25:40. > :25:44.people think that these towers deliver housing and contribute to
:25:45. > :25:51.making the housing shortage less severe, in fact they're only flats
:25:52. > :25:55.for the very wealthy 1% and the average Londoner will never be in a
:25:56. > :26:01.position to be able to afford to buy or rent in them. So we are
:26:02. > :26:06.sacrificing our skyline and some of our best monuments and views, views
:26:07. > :26:16.from parks, from conservation areas, for a result that does not benefit
:26:17. > :26:20.London as a whole. No, it is not Newsnight's range of gifts for
:26:21. > :26:27.Valentine's Day, but an ID parade of London's tallest towers. They have
:26:28. > :26:36.their admirers. Well designed tower blocks are wonderful, I love them. I
:26:37. > :26:41.love The Shard and the Gherkin and I think the 11 Hall building is one of
:26:42. > :26:47.my favourites. I have come back from New York where there are some
:26:48. > :26:50.spectacular tall buildings that enhance the skyline. We have to look
:26:51. > :26:54.at the quality of the architecture and look at the location and also
:26:55. > :27:01.how they hit the ground is important. The new blocks going up
:27:02. > :27:06.in London right now light up the path of the Thames, spelling out a
:27:07. > :27:13.welcome to foreign investment - for better or worse. This maybe be the
:27:14. > :27:20.first unburstable housing bubble. Think of it this way if you live in
:27:21. > :27:25.Russia and you're rich and you could wake up tomorrow and finds yourself
:27:26. > :27:30.in prison. In Hong Kong it could be re-nationalised. To have half of
:27:31. > :27:33.your capital secure in London or New York is a good deal. The more
:27:34. > :27:38.expensive the better the investment opportunity and the more like old
:27:39. > :27:43.bricks it becomes and hence these flats are people are leaving empty
:27:44. > :27:48.or buying an an investment for buy-to-let. It is a commodity and no
:27:49. > :27:55.longer linked with supply and demand. On a clear day, you can see
:27:56. > :28:01.the work on London's high rises going like gang busters. But as to
:28:02. > :28:04.exactly what it all means, and writ might ends, must of us gaze through
:28:05. > :28:07.a bubble darkly. I'm joined now by the architect
:28:08. > :28:10.Eric Parry, who has designed 1 Undershaft, what is set
:28:11. > :28:12.to be the tallest buiding And Simon Jenkins, the former
:28:13. > :28:31.chairman of the National Trust. Why do they have to be so big? In
:28:32. > :28:40.the city of London it is obviously a response to a demand and to a
:28:41. > :28:45.limited area that can be built on. So naturally, there has been I think
:28:46. > :28:50.it is fair to say over the last 20 years a carefully thought through
:28:51. > :28:56.topography that won't disturb those key views, that it is within what is
:28:57. > :29:02.called the eastern cluster. It is one that has be consulted over and
:29:03. > :29:09.thought through and it is coming towards a conclusion. Because there
:29:10. > :29:12.isn't that much more space. So the critical element is what these
:29:13. > :29:17.buildings give back in that limited territory. This is the city of
:29:18. > :29:23.London, as opposed to Westminster and the other areas. And the key
:29:24. > :29:30.ingredient there is the public realm, in a diminishing set of
:29:31. > :29:34.circumstances. So I think the architects' responsibility in that
:29:35. > :29:39.particular circumstance is to make great public space. As an urbanist,
:29:40. > :29:41.that is what I feel, the buildings that rise out of that have to be as
:29:42. > :29:56.good as they possibly can be. We can see some of your projections
:29:57. > :29:59.for the next project. You paint a professional and responsible
:30:00. > :30:04.picture, there must be some bragging rights involved. You must, when you
:30:05. > :30:11.get together, boast about who has got the biggest building. There is
:30:12. > :30:16.maybe a frisson of interest but it is much more the composition of the
:30:17. > :30:21.whole, and I'm keen, given the density of the cluster, that this
:30:22. > :30:26.and other buildings are able to be identified within that grouping. I
:30:27. > :30:31.think they are buildings that identified within that grouping. I
:30:32. > :30:36.speak for the civic rather than simply for the developer or the
:30:37. > :30:45.individual. Simon Jenkins, do these buildings speak for the Civic for
:30:46. > :30:49.you? No, they don't. Why not? The city cluster is no longer a policy
:30:50. > :30:56.because they are building them everywhere. The important thing is
:30:57. > :31:05.that it is just anarchy at the moment. There are 250 towers going
:31:06. > :31:09.up... Not all in the Square Mile. No, but most of them are empty
:31:10. > :31:20.residential, there is no planning concept at all. Nobody says we want
:31:21. > :31:25.this sort of high building, there is no concept of the civic space around
:31:26. > :31:32.them, they are just being crammed in as dense as they can possibly make
:31:33. > :31:37.it to make money, for people most of whom don't live here. Would you be
:31:38. > :31:42.comfortable with the scale of the development if people were moving
:31:43. > :31:49.into them? If people living here already were moving in? There is no
:31:50. > :31:53.need to build high. The Paddington shard, one of the most absurd vanity
:31:54. > :32:04.projects of all time which Boris Johnson wanted, it had 330 flats in
:32:05. > :32:08.it. You would get more flat in a ten story terraced house than that
:32:09. > :32:13.tower, it was a total vanity project. I see with reference to
:32:14. > :32:18.residential projects the wisdom of what you are saying, but you are
:32:19. > :32:25.comfortable then with the 1 Undershaft? Their resistance of how
:32:26. > :32:33.big do you want to go. How big do you want to go, Eric? I object to
:32:34. > :32:39.the accusation that architects want to build as high as they can, that
:32:40. > :32:44.is nonsense. We are between a planning system and the developers'
:32:45. > :32:50.will, and it is important we take that role responsibly. Bigger isn't
:32:51. > :32:56.best, it is dependent entirely where the development occurs. Are there
:32:57. > :33:03.any in London you don't think should have been built? Yes, particularly a
:33:04. > :33:08.number of the gated residential towers that don't know what they are
:33:09. > :33:11.doing when they get to the ground, I therefore concur completely that
:33:12. > :33:18.what we should be doing is building in this European city in a sense
:33:19. > :33:23.street and lower rise buildings for residential use that create
:33:24. > :33:28.interiors and amenities. I think there is a place for high-rise, but
:33:29. > :33:36.there is also a need to plan better what happens on the ground. I should
:33:37. > :33:45.ask you in the interest of balance whether you like any skyscrapers? I
:33:46. > :33:57.like the Shard, but I would like to see it in the cluster. The policy
:33:58. > :34:00.was a good one, broken by one government minister. You break the
:34:01. > :34:09.rule once, you have broken the rules. The Shard was going to be a
:34:10. > :34:14.one-off, there is now a second one. Each one of them wants to be bigger.
:34:15. > :34:25.You have got to have a bigger one in the city, at Canary Wharf. You might
:34:26. > :34:31.not agree, but they generate kudos from the size of their skyscraper. I
:34:32. > :34:35.think that is a reality but there are equal and opposite forces in
:34:36. > :34:43.this business. What I do think is the Shard is an interesting example.
:34:44. > :34:52.When I think of great city skyline is like Lubeck for instance, they
:34:53. > :34:58.speak of tall buildings in that gritty juxtaposition that lends
:34:59. > :35:06.itself, it creates a historic moment. I think that's where we are
:35:07. > :35:13.here. The Shard is an odd one. The Lubeck is nothing to do with these
:35:14. > :35:17.colossal... We are going to have to continue this after the programme, I
:35:18. > :35:19.look forward to it. Thank you very much indeed.
:35:20. > :35:22.The row over the lack of nominations for actors and directors of colour
:35:23. > :35:25.in this year's Oscars has sounded loudly on both sides
:35:26. > :35:28.The ceremony on February 28th is being boycotted by actors such
:35:29. > :35:31.The night before, the leading British actor Adrian Lester
:35:32. > :35:34.will have taken his final bow in a production of Red Velvet
:35:35. > :35:38.The play, written by the actress and writer Lolita Chakrabarti,
:35:39. > :35:40.imagines the life of Ira Aldridge, the black American actor who rose
:35:41. > :35:43.to fame all over Europe in the early 1830s,
:35:44. > :35:49.but whose story has all but been forgotten.
:35:50. > :36:00.Kirsty Wark spoke to the writer and to Kenneth Branagh,
:36:01. > :36:02.in whose season at the Garrick Red Velvet is playing.
:36:03. > :36:04.How did you actually find Ira Aldridge?
:36:05. > :36:07.It was 1998 and Adrian Lester had done reading about him at a theatre
:36:08. > :36:10.festival in Brighton, and he came back and told me a few
:36:11. > :36:12.facts about Ira Aldridge and I couldn't believe I haven't
:36:13. > :36:18.Once you actually researched him, what kind of character did
:36:19. > :36:24.He's a construct of my own imagination really,
:36:25. > :36:28.so I've taken all the facts I have found out about him over the years
:36:29. > :36:30.and there are diary entries and reviews and information
:36:31. > :36:33.about him, and I've infused him with my own experience as an actor.
:36:34. > :36:37.Why did you want to involve it in your season?
:36:38. > :36:40.We've got two or three plays in this season as well as the Shakespeare
:36:41. > :36:44.plays themselves, which comment often on the theatre as a kind
:36:45. > :36:48.of metaphor for human existence that's very illuminating.
:36:49. > :36:51.Mostly it's because I felt the writing itself was multilayered
:36:52. > :36:54.and very strong, the production is excellent, and at the centre
:36:55. > :36:58.of it is a really remarkable performance by Adrian Lester as Ira.
:36:59. > :37:15.You have talked about it being not about race but about being different
:37:16. > :37:19.I think the central thing about being the outsider is prejudice.
:37:20. > :37:23.There are lots of characters throughout it.
:37:24. > :37:31.You've got the black actor in the white acting society,
:37:32. > :37:34.into a male-dominated career when her country is being denied.
:37:35. > :37:37.You've got a French gay theatre manager.
:37:38. > :37:39.The plays that are going to be written, presumably,
:37:40. > :37:43.over the next 20, 30 years are going to be about Syrians coming
:37:44. > :37:46.here, going to be about Somalians coming here,
:37:47. > :37:51.Do you think we're going to become more receptive to their story?
:37:52. > :37:53.Gosh, you know, doing the research for Red Velvet,
:37:54. > :37:59.I thought it's just the same old stuff recycled again.
:38:00. > :38:03.It used to be blacks and moors, then it was the Asians,
:38:04. > :38:06.then the Irish, then it turns into eastern Europeans.
:38:07. > :38:09.It's the same argument that's had about immigration again and again.
:38:10. > :38:11.The audience for Red Velvet are on the edge of their seats
:38:12. > :38:15.as if this thing was unfolding in the streets of London right now,
:38:16. > :38:20.and given in a way how little has changed, frankly it could be.
:38:21. > :38:24.It's also the most diverse audience I have ever sat in.
:38:25. > :38:27.But by and large audiences in London in the West End are white
:38:28. > :38:32.For what it's worth, I'd throw a few statistics your way.
:38:33. > :38:34.We have this ticket lottery for the first couple of rows,
:38:35. > :38:37.the tickets are 15 quid, it goes on sale at midnight,
:38:38. > :38:46.30,000 people have joined up for that.
:38:47. > :38:49.40% of them got into it through social media,
:38:50. > :38:51.which tends to be a younger demographic, a more diverse
:38:52. > :38:58.demographic, and in terms of cinema screenings,
:38:59. > :39:01.which are a fairly new phenomena, our Winter's Tale has now been seen
:39:02. > :39:04.I think it's also about diverse voices really.
:39:05. > :39:07.That's why the audience for Red Velvet is so diverse,
:39:08. > :39:09.because it's a story for all of us about British history
:39:10. > :39:13.A man that all this time had founded his good fortunes
:39:14. > :39:17.on your love, shared dangers with you!
:39:18. > :39:21.I grew up on a staple of period drama on TV and film,
:39:22. > :39:26.as we all did, and there was never anyone of colour in any of them,
:39:27. > :39:33.But when I was researching Red Velvet, there were so much
:39:34. > :39:38.Now I look at it and I think of course there was,
:39:39. > :39:40.we were the centre of international trading.
:39:41. > :39:43.I found a huge diverse culture within London in my research,
:39:44. > :39:46.but I did history O-level, history A-level, and I never see it
:39:47. > :39:49.on TV and film and I think that's where the problem is because Ira
:39:50. > :39:52.was written out of history, for whatever reason.
:39:53. > :39:56.Actually we need to look back at history.
:39:57. > :39:59.So I think it's a wider discussion of how we portray
:40:00. > :40:03.Can we just talk a little bit about the Oscars.
:40:04. > :40:10.I think the issue about the Oscars is not so much about prizes in art,
:40:11. > :40:15.which are always prone to subjectivity and opinion
:40:16. > :40:21.and contention, and I think really it's about inclusion and equal
:40:22. > :40:29.opportunity at the grass-roots level, to be for consideration.
:40:30. > :40:37.I think that that's what this issue is really about.
:40:38. > :40:39.This debate, this very noisy debate right now,
:40:40. > :40:44.Because the desire of the Academy is to double the representation
:40:45. > :40:46.of women and ethnic minorities by 2020.
:40:47. > :40:55.If the Oscars are the pinnacle, allegedly, of film achievement -
:40:56. > :40:58.as you say, it's very subjective who gets a prize -
:40:59. > :41:04.but it has to reflect the whole of society that it's serving
:41:05. > :41:06.and that's what art and culture is about, about
:41:07. > :41:10.So, when it comes to the Oscars and Clint Eastwood is telling
:41:11. > :41:16.everyone to stop whining, what do you say to Clint Eastwood?
:41:17. > :41:22.Come see Red Velvet, it is on right now.
:41:23. > :41:25.You might want to make a film about it and hope that people jump
:41:26. > :41:36.We leave you in Guangzhou City in China, where they've been
:41:37. > :41:38.celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival in the traditional style
:41:39. > :41:41.Happy Chinese new year to them and to you.
:41:42. > :42:31.It is a fairly chilly wintry prospect for the next few days, a
:42:32. > :42:35.cold start of the day. A few showers around, particularly across southern
:42:36. > :42:36.and eastern areas initially. Many other