18/02/2016 Scotland 2016

What sort of deal can David Cameron bring back?

The Prime Minister's trying to rewrite Britain's relationship

with Europe - ahead of a possible referendum this June.

But we'll ask why it seems that Scots are keener to stay

We'll speak to Mark Millar - the comic book writer

from Coatbridge who's behind some of Hollywood's most bankable movies.

And for 40 years, the Motability scheme's

helped people get around. Now thousands of Scots are set

to lose out because of changes to the welfare rules.

Is time running out for the Prime Minister?

After meetings all day he made little ground and talks are now

That may actually help his hand though, because there's another,

and for many of Europe's leaders far more pressing matter

but first here's Catriona Renton who's been watching events unfold.

David Cameron arrived in Brussels ahead of talks determined to fight

his corner. Good afternoon, we have important work to do today and

tomorrow and it will be hard. I will be battling for Britain, if we get a

good deal I will take that deal but I will not take a deal that does not

meet what we need. It is more important to get this right than do

anything in a rush but with goodwill and hard work we can get a better

deal for Britain. Some leaders were supportive, Angela Merkel said she

will do anything to create conditions so Britain remains a part

of the European Union. Others had words of warning. One thing is clear

to me though, this is a make or break summit, I have no doubt.

Europe cannot be ruled for a sham and differently for others. Mr

Cameron has been scooting around Europe visiting 26 countries and

held in ten receptions at Downing Street for leaders. Trying to muster

support for his deal. The key parts of the deal are...

He posed with other leaders for a family photo, they look happy enough

but what is going on behind closed doors? There are definitely

obstacles in his way, some leaders of Eastern European countries like

Poland and Hungary are resisting his plans to cut the amount of child

benefit EU migrants can send home. And France isn't giving into

attempts to secure protections for the city of London by giving

non-eurozone countries the ability to store. Talks have been going on

since this afternoon and will continue tomorrow.

I spoke to Political Correspondent Matthew Karnitschnig.

Bring us up where are the talks standing? Well, it looks like the

talks could go throughout the night, we are told by the assistants who

organised the meeting in the room that there has not been any

breakthrough yet, they broke for dinner and they are talking about

migration but in terms of exit, it does not appear they have made

progress and the big decisions now will be whether Donald Tusk, the EU

Council President decides to keep the leaders throughout the night or

if he brings them back in the morning for breakfast as scheduled.

Will a deal be because of David Cameron's hard work because the

leaders have got other problems to deal with, you mention migration.

The migrant crisis must be high on their list. Migration is definitely

high on their list, my sense is there will be a deal because the

rest of Europe realises it would be a disaster for everybody if the UK

were to leave the EU. Nobody wants that. The delays we are seeing now

are part of the choreography, they want it to appear that Britain has

gotten the best deal possible that Cameron has really come here

fighting as he said earlier and they will negotiate through the night

before they come to a compromise. And I think that is something that

Cameron can sell the deal at home. They have other issues that in

countries like Germany in particular are more important to them with

Brexit, the migrant crisis and it does not look at this point as if

they will make much progress on that front. What Angela Merkel once from

everyone else at the table tonight is for them to agree to take in more

refugees and they are not willing to do that. David Cameron has taken a

stand saying he wants to limit payments of benefits to migrants

from Eastern Europe. As that stand-off with those countries been

resolved? It hasn't been resolved and that is a real issue, not so

much limiting the benefits for those in the UK as much as whether that

part of the deal will apply to other EU countries. And by that I mean if

a Polish citizen is in Germany whether Germany can also start

limiting the in work benefits at work gets. Is what those four

countries in Central and Eastern Europe are really worried about.

That any compromise with the UK on this front could be implied El --

applied elsewhere and since all these countries have thousands of

workers working in western Europe, it would be a disaster for them and

it is something they want to avoid. David Cameron says only a good deal

would do, does he really mean that, is it conceivable he could return

from these talks empty-handed without a deal being done? He won't

return empty-handed, I think he will definitely return with some form of

deal and right now it is about the symbolism and the Europeans wants to

help him with that and what we hear from the French for example, from

the Spaniards and the Italians is that they are quite willing to make

this look as difficult as possible so that he go home tired and and

say, he fought for the best deal possible for the UK. I think the

actual details of what is being discussed tonight is second Cerri.

Especially when you consider it will be several months before the UK

votes on this in a referendum and by then most people will have forgotten

the details of the summer this evening. There we must leave it.

Thank you very much indeed. So as the talks in Brussels

continue, is Scotland more likely

to opt to remain than Our political correspondent

Nick Eardley has been out Over the centuries, Edinburgh Castle

was designed to keep foreign forces out. Nowadays it is a landmark

attraction for tourists. Hundreds of thousands of Europeans visit

Scotland every year. The ones we spoke to seem happy to be here.

Yeah, a nice place. Are you enjoying Scotland? Yes! A bit cold. Very

good, the place. Only the bad weather. The starting gun will be

fired tomorrow on the referendum campaign. Soon UK voters will decide

whether we want to remain part of the European Union. Most of

Scotland's main parties support remaining in the EU, only you could

argue for exit. Campaigners from other parties also act leaving. The

support goes beyond the political bubble and is mirrored by a poll

saying most Scots are happy to remain. Immigration and the free

movement that comes with being a member is a central part of the

debate in the UK. The number one concern amongst the population is

immigration. And also Ukip were remarkably successful in linking the

issues of immigration and EU membership. Polls in Scotland

suggests there is concern about immigration here. But that does not

appear to have led to a tide of your scepticism north of the border.

Scotland is more pro-European and more likely to say it will vote to

remain, that it banned the UK as a whole. 12 or 13 points also more

likely to say they will vote to remain than in England or the UK.

Polls suggest immigration is still seen as an issue in Scotland like in

the south of England. In the south, it seems to be acquainted with

wanting to leave the EU. Why is that not the case in Scotland? It is true

Scotland is not absolutely concerned about immigration, if more people

from Eastern Europe came, nearly half of people said they agree with

the proposition. Why that does not have as much traction is the SNP has

a very civic notion of what it means to be a Scot, they say if you are

here, you live here and you regard yourself as Scottish then you are

Scottish. What is it Scots are so enthusiastic about when it comes to

the EU? Let's ask. I will vote to remain in the EU. Things like the

equal rights act, maternity pay and things like that are big issues for

me. I don't like the administration but I do like it the ability to work

together. We have been ripped off for years, the money you take off

us. Are people is keen on the journey across the country? The

Ferguson shipyard has lost contracts recently after being forced to

tender and EU laws. We put our questions to people on a

lesser-known street here. It will be better if we stay in the EU that

they can separate. If people come here to work and students and people

like that, when they qualify their won the first and off. You think the

free movement in the EU was a problem? I think it would be a

problem if they stayed in. As the debate progresses in the coming

months, we will find out which issues matter most and how much

concerns over immigration play a part.

Over the years, a select few Scots have made a name

But perhaps the most influential of the lot

Born in Coatbridge, he made a name for himself writing comic books.

But recently he's inspired the Iron Man trilogy,

And he's created a series of blockbusters

On Monday he'll be at the premiere in Glasgow

of a documentary called Marvel Renaissance.

The last movie I saw was the avengers and that was amazing. That

was every comic book fans dream to see those characters on the big

screen. $1.5 billion worldwide and that is how much money the avengers

made. People love escapist movies, it is

modern myth-making of today. When I grew up, I was the only guy

for 500 miles who could tell you he was Ironman. We all know. It's

great. Thanks very much for coming in.

Superheroes. They are back. They make billions for studios. Why the

Renaissance? You forget Marvel Comics was in bankruptcy in the late

90s. That is what this film I am presenting has been all about. It

has been some 15 years, with wars and economic crises, but it makes us

want fantasy and escapers, more than ever. We feed on it, people's fears.

What are people looking for the films, apart from the special the

action, is there a deeper theme? There's no incidents that when the

world turned ugly around the millennium, you had The Lord Of The

Rings and the superhero movies. We thought that it has gone to be a

cycle, and here we are, 16 years on, with the film-making a third of

billion inside six days. And it not letting up. People just want

something that is fun and different from everything else and there will

always be could for it. What does it say about America and the world in

which we live, is it about wanting to sort out the mess that the world

is in? I think circles of superheroes have done well in tough

times. In World War II, these characters were created, and the

Cuban missile crisis saw the creation of the Marvel universe. It

goes back to age in Greece. If you think about it these things go back

5000 years. People need these stories to get them through tough

times. I love them, as well. People tend to undervalue that the best

directors in the world are making these films. When I was a kid, it

was the guys who did the likes of Jaws II who did the superhero

movies. This stuff used to look terrible. When I was growing pile of

that, but I was the only guy who loved it. I love the fact that it

has been embraced by the mainstream. It is quality as well. You are

somebody who has studied politics. You thought of becoming an

economist. You take a sidestep into comic books. Has all that chaos in

the world, the financial crisis, did that set the scene for your work, or

will you looking at these themes, anyway? Stan Lee has been a kind God

to me. I have taken advice from him when I was a kid. He said that what

he did with the Marvel Comics was trying to tell stories about heroes,

and the world that was outside your window. It was not about fairy

tales, it was the real world. I made a very political and real world. I

slipped the American icon thing that Superman and made him a Communist.

Maybe it is being Scottish as well, we are very political people. These

heroes are often nerds all losers. I can relate to that! I wonder, the

trends in the world, you said seem to be continuing this theme.

Stopping it from just dying out. There's a rebellion against the

establishment, powerlessness, I wonder, where does it go from here?

I just wonder, does art, does life start imitating art, with Donald

Trump presenting himself as a superhero? Is that where we are

going in the world now? Comics and movies have always been reflective

of what is going on around them. When I was doing Kick-Ass, we had

people going out trying to fight crime like the character in the

story. It works the other way, I rip stuff from the headlines and put it

into comics, and sometimes, the comics seek out into the real world,

as well. What do you make of Donald Trump, presenting itself as the guy

who can fix America, it is like a theme from one of your films. You

can see why it is attracting, when you have got Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie

Sanders, the SNP in Scotland, it is an attractive, simple solution to

difficult times. When the establishment has let you down, it

is exciting to have these antiestablishment figures.

Superheroes are quite radical, maverick kind of characters and that

is attractive in these difficult times as well. You talk about that

going back through fixed -- through history, back to ancient Greece.

This is something that is very deep in people. It is essential. We make

these things up. All of these stories are made up. Nothing is

based on reality. The stories based -- made up because we need them. We

need these things to get us through. Through the boring mundanities of

daily life. You have come so far. You are a big shot in Hollywood. But

you have stayed close to home and a sense. You're still in Glasgow, you

live and work here. How does that go? It was a decision I made. When

the children were born I made this choice that I could either let them

grow up with people whom they love, or with people with whom we have a

four picture deal with. I did not want to be one of those horrible

Hollywood families. When I see my friends' kids in the States, I'm

always horrified. I don't want them to be ten-year-olds with cocaine

habits and things! I don't hang out with any sort of film or comic book

people. Every one of my friends has a real job. I can relate to that

kind of thing, I commute to and then I come back to reality. My pals that

I to the pub with, they will still hang out with me regardless of what

my grocers are in my films. Whereas in Hollywood, you are as cool as

your last movie. -- what my grosses are.

For nearly 40 years the Motability scheme has helped people to get

about by exchanging their Motability allowance to lease a car,

Seventy thousand people in Scotland receive such payments,

but UK Government welfare changes mean that many are now

Our reporter Ian Hamilton met one disabled woman

who is being forced to give up her car after 26 years.

Gillian has been on the Motability scheme for 26 years. She says that

without her car, life would be very difficult. I have a weakness of the

whole left side of my body. Therefore, I struggle with walking

and I need my car to get about, because, to walk from here to the

end of the lane is a struggle. If I did not have my car, I could not

have a life and I could not look after and care for my family. I have

a caliper that I have got on my leg. Jolene was born with cerebral palsy.

She also has arthritis and other hip troubles. She finds it hard to walk

any distance. -- Gillian. If I don't have that, I don't have any muscle

on my foot. I cannot walk without it. Because she made a mistake

filling out her application form, or the Personal Independence Payment

which replaces the Disability Living Allowance, she will have two hand

back her car to a dealership. There were three questions on how far you

could walk. The answers were 20 metres, 20-50 metres, or 50 and

over. I ticked 20-50. I made a mistake. I should have ticked the

20, and the 20 and 50 blocks, but I did not. Sometimes, I can walk about

40 metres, other times, 25 metres, it just depends on how my body is.

The Personal Independence Payment which is replacing the Disability

Living Allowance, and to be able to get a Motability vehicle you have to

get the higher section of that or you're not entitled to plan. It is

not just disabled people who have fears about the benefit changes. The

motor trade are equally concerned. The new car industry in Scotland is

220,000 units in 2015. 30% of that, 28,000 vehicles went on to the

Motability lease scheme. That is Scotland's largest fleet of over

80,000 units that are maintained, repaired and then given an MOT or

within the industry. This is public money. Surely, there should be some

kind of restriction on who gets a beagle and who does not. We believe

a lot of the money will be substitution money. Effectively, if

this PIP scheme removes people from the system, then those people may

well have to call in local authority money or local council money for

taxis and buses and all the rest of it. Would it not make more economic

sense to let disabled people hold onto their vehicles until after the

interview? But the Department of Work and Pensions gave me this

statement. Julian was unsuccessful with

application so her car goes back to the dealership tomorrow. She intends

to appeal, and with 60% success rate, she has a good chance of

getting her car back, which begs the question, why is the Department of

Work and Pensions putting disabled people through this in the first

place? Joining me now to take

a look at the day's news is the Observer Columnist Kevin

McKenna, and Amy Dalrymple, Vice Chair of the Centre

for Scottish Public Policy. Let's pick up on first but Ian

Hamilton the question at the end, the success rate in these appeals

against decisions to remove that allowance is so high, it makes you

wonder what the point of processing all of these cases is, the point in

putting people with a disability through it in the first place. I

think the policy itself is rather short-sighted. The health and

emotional value of somebody maintaining their independence is so

great, in terms of future savings for the public sector, I think it is

a real example of silo policy decision-making, short-term thinking

and the point about the appeal just demonstrates as well how

short-sighted overlooking the wider factors around this there is,

because what the appeals are doing is taking that into account and

taking into account why people need these allowances. It is all publicly

funded. I wonder, will this attempt to try to trim benefits, it might

well appeal to some voters. This goes along with recent Conservative

Party policy in the area of work and pensions and benefits. And it is

almost designed to dehumanise people, to make them tick boxes, and

it fails to take account of individuals' needs, and personal

circumstances. The point is that the appeals would take care of that. You

could on the other hand say, why are they bringing in a private company

who, presumably, get bonuses or earn their money on how much money they

save, and they have a target? Presumably, what would happen at the

end of the day when they have processed 100 and find that they are

all fit to receive an effect or qualify for benefits, will they go

back and take ten off because they have not reached the quota? When you

are trying to cut back on any benefits, it is an exercise about

trimming round the edges and checking to see who is eligible and

who is not. It is a hard business. The more holistic way of juicing the

benefit bill would be to look at it in the longer term, to keep people

healthy, to educate people better, it would be to make sure that they

are -- there are fewer people than any benefits, rather than trying to

penalised those who do, and if we come back to that appeals rate, that

is not an efficient way of going about trimming benefits, when you

cut them back and have to reinstate them. It is adding increased

bureaucracy and it costs the system more. What has been a political row

of the day is the Pope questioning the Christianity of Donald Trump.

The Pope apparently said, that a person who thinks of walls and not

building Bridges is not Christian. Let's see how Donald Trump

responded. If and when the Vatican is attacked

by ISIS, which, as everyone knows, is ISIS' ultimate trophy, I can

promise you that the Pope would only have wished and prayed that Donald

Trump would have been president, the Gos... It is true, it is true.

Donald Trump likes to hammer his opponents. Can you win this one, do

you think? I am a Catholic and I like the Pope, but you cannot help

but admire the chutzpah of Donald Trump. Any other political leader

would be looking for the PR questions to come up with. And he

said that it is a disgrace that this man questions my religion. I have to

laugh, given that he has a Scottish grandmother and a couple of Scottish

golf courses, and he is talking about how violated he feels about

having his religion question. He obviously does not spend enough time

in Scotland or he would be used to it. But France's has been called a

very political person. Is that how he appears to you -- Pope Francis.

He seems to have been moved on to promoting a wider worldview, the

Pope, this is, not Donald Trump. It is less about personal morality and

more how he wants to see the world. And yes, as Kevin said, a lot of

people like him for that. Again, I think that Kevin is right about the

interesting bit in this, Donald Trump's reaction after the clip you

show, which is that he does not have the right to question my religion.

That is a really interesting debate, when you think about how closely

religion has become intertwined into political debate in America, this

idea of who can ask the questions around that, and how far religious

leaders can wade into the debate, it has in itself become really quite

religious. Could this harm Donald Trump's Yaz try to reach out to

evangelical voters, to Catholic voters, and there's the Pope saying,

he is not a Christian. On one hand he is trying to portray

himself as a quest that -- as a Christian, and as such, having done

that in the political sphere, then why is he getting upset when

somebody calls him out on one aspect, a very big aspect, of his

political philosophy? Do you see Hamas President? Goodness me, no.

Can you make it, that is the question? No, no, he won't. I have

that much faith in the American public. There are, we must leave it.

Amy and Kevin, thank you very much. Thank you for watching. Shelley is

back on Monday. From all of us, good night.

A world full of your favourite Dickens characters.