:01:40. > :01:46.In the East Midlands, on why do people hate politicians? And
:01:46. > :01:56.searchers in debt, at the first students to face fees of �9,000 the
:01:56. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :37:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2117 seconds
:37:13. > :37:17.Good morning. Do you hate to MPs? And coming up: A grapple people who
:37:17. > :37:23.may have reasons to dislike politicians.
:37:23. > :37:28.The first students paying up to �9,000 in fees. Joining me, Gloria
:37:28. > :37:35.de Piero, as a form of journalist she is no stranger to television
:37:36. > :37:38.but this is her debut on our show. And the Conservative MP Nigel Mills.
:37:38. > :37:43.He is back for his second appearance.
:37:43. > :37:52.Gloria, you have this unusual campaign at the moment asking
:37:52. > :37:57.everyone why they hate you. Politicians, and generally. So, yes.
:37:57. > :38:03.We have all seen all the evidence. It is not great, but I thought, I
:38:03. > :38:12.want to go further than that. I want to hear it from people's minds.
:38:12. > :38:18.I want to hear their anger, if you like. The I have done some groups
:38:18. > :38:24.were politicians do not always go. I started off in an aerobics class
:38:24. > :38:30.in Essex. I went to a golf club in Yorkshire and had two events this
:38:30. > :38:36.week in the East Midlands. I talked to some warehouse workers, and also
:38:36. > :38:46.some bingo players. And you have even set up a Twitter account. What
:38:46. > :38:47.
:38:47. > :38:54.sort of response have you had to that? It is not great. No-one likes
:38:54. > :38:59.you? They are very sceptical, maybe even the cynical. I am not sure
:38:59. > :39:04.they think we are in it for the right reasons, I am not sure they
:39:04. > :39:12.believe or trust us. They do not think we understand our lives. We
:39:12. > :39:15.have to wake up about this. What can we do about it, Nigel? That is
:39:16. > :39:21.the million dollar question. I think the whole expenses scandal is
:39:21. > :39:27.a large part of this. We need to put that behind us and show people
:39:27. > :39:33.it is not going on. As politicians we need to act in a more grown-up
:39:34. > :39:38.manner, say what we really believe and stick to what we say. Those are
:39:38. > :39:44.the things I think people really hate. Here is what people had to
:39:44. > :39:49.say when we asked them what they thought of their MPs. I feel that
:39:49. > :39:54.sometimes they're not in touch with the public. They tried to put their
:39:54. > :39:59.needs first rather than everyone else's. They need to be more
:39:59. > :40:04.straightforward and honest with people. They seem to be out for
:40:04. > :40:10.themselves and not the public. were nodding your head the hallway
:40:10. > :40:15.through that, you have your work cut out, don't you? Very familiar
:40:16. > :40:22.messages, that is what people have been saying. Be possible solution
:40:22. > :40:28.is when I have said to people, you can do it. They say, where would we
:40:28. > :40:36.start? I have met some really talented, bright passionate people.
:40:36. > :40:41.Why don't you become a counsellor? In fact, Sharon said to me, it is
:40:41. > :40:46.not advertised at the JobCentre. It is a challenge for political
:40:46. > :40:52.parties. Are we reaching out to people who could be fantastic in
:40:52. > :40:57.the community. I think they're better off being the butt of a few
:40:57. > :41:01.jokes in the bar, it is worse when they patronise the public and tried
:41:01. > :41:08.to be your friend. There is something to say about honesty like
:41:08. > :41:18.Boris Johnson. Maybe he is saying you're just trying too hard to be
:41:18. > :41:22.
:41:22. > :41:26.her friend. And not at sure. They have to see that we are real people.
:41:26. > :41:32.I do not come from a particular background, my parents thought I
:41:32. > :41:36.was mad coming into this particular game. There is a difference between
:41:36. > :41:40.people whose grandfathers and fathers have done it. We have more
:41:40. > :41:46.than our fair share of marginal seats in the region and in most
:41:46. > :41:50.places it's a fight between Labour and Conservatives. As Ed Miliband
:41:51. > :41:59.prepares to set out his conference stall, how does he plan to hold on
:41:59. > :42:07.to marginal seats? Our political editor asked how East Midlands
:42:07. > :42:11.plans to win back for Labour. People had a worries are the last
:42:11. > :42:16.election about economic issues. People wanted change, but see
:42:16. > :42:21.things going backwards not forwards. They see a double-dip recession and
:42:21. > :42:26.are thinking, at there must be a better way. We can get our young
:42:26. > :42:33.people working again by taxing bankers bonuses. That is a key
:42:33. > :42:40.issue isn't it. The bedrock of the economy are the small businesses,
:42:40. > :42:45.what is Labour's messages? There are shocking figures on long-term
:42:45. > :42:49.youth unemployment in the East Midlands. We will get them back to
:42:49. > :42:53.work. One of the things we will be talking about is how I can make the
:42:53. > :42:58.banking system work better for small businesses. Small businesses
:42:58. > :43:06.want to know their local bank is working for them. Police
:43:06. > :43:10.commissioners, two it of the Labour candidates in the East Midlands did
:43:10. > :43:14.down, it does it matter they had those misdemeanours when they were
:43:14. > :43:21.young and should the rules be revisited. As think people will
:43:21. > :43:26.think it is rough justice. If you commit a serious offence, and all
:43:26. > :43:30.criminal offences are serious, then people may say, you cannot be a
:43:30. > :43:34.police commissioner. Before these elections are the rules are the
:43:34. > :43:40.rules. After the elections we will look at them. Gloria de Piero is
:43:40. > :43:45.going around the country listening to why people have a slightly
:43:45. > :43:51.negative view towards elected politicians. Au backing her in this
:43:51. > :43:54.mission? Definitely. It is a really good she is doing it. We will be
:43:55. > :44:00.starting the conference talking to members of the public, not the
:44:00. > :44:05.party faithful. They know some of the reasons why. People think we
:44:05. > :44:12.break our promises and wonder would things be different under us. They
:44:12. > :44:20.would. You got the thumbs up from Ed Miliband. How would you hold on
:44:20. > :44:25.to your marginal seat? Just by working hard. When I get on that
:44:25. > :44:30.train on Monday to Parliament, and we know what happens down there, my
:44:30. > :44:36.heart slightly since. I come back on a Wednesday night or Thursday
:44:36. > :44:40.and they know I am going to be what real people. And I can do things.
:44:40. > :44:46.You can affect people's lives and that is the job for all stock it is
:44:46. > :44:52.an uphill struggle, the Lib Dems were a big threat to you last time
:44:52. > :44:56.and it nearly cost you your seat. Yes, I am just going to work hard.
:44:56. > :45:04.I hope that is all people expect of their politicians, that they do
:45:04. > :45:13.their best. Party political broadcast over. Nigel Mills, what
:45:13. > :45:18.about you? Q and a marginal seat, you cannot be complacent. It is a
:45:18. > :45:23.swing seat. In government there are a lot of hard decisions to make. If
:45:23. > :45:28.people find this very difficult. I agree with Gloria, it is all about
:45:28. > :45:33.hard work to improve the lives of our constituents. Is there a
:45:33. > :45:39.particular issue your constituents want you to tackle? The main issue
:45:39. > :45:45.is the economy, people's jobs, how much money people have to spend.
:45:45. > :45:53.Miliband said in that film, you see unemployment is a key issue. It is
:45:53. > :45:58.a big problem in your area, Gloria, isn't it? It is way above the
:45:59. > :46:05.national average. The actual rise in the last year in youth
:46:05. > :46:10.unemployment is 280 per cent. We did have schemes to tackle that
:46:10. > :46:15.when we stood for election. We guaranteed a everybody between
:46:15. > :46:23.those ages add job or a training scheme or education. But that has
:46:23. > :46:28.not worked, has it? We are talking about this rise. It has gone up. I
:46:28. > :46:33.do not think that the Government is taking this seriously enough. It
:46:33. > :46:38.does not make economic sense to be paying benefits to people who want
:46:38. > :46:43.to work. It is heartbreaking when you meet young people who do not
:46:43. > :46:48.even get replies when they are applying for jobs. It is nonsense
:46:48. > :46:53.to suggest people are just sitting there. It is destroying people's
:46:53. > :46:59.confidence. What about in your area, youth unemployment is above the
:46:59. > :47:03.national average but it is not great either. His is a terrible
:47:03. > :47:09.situation. The Government have invested huge amounts in
:47:09. > :47:14.apprentices. There are various programmes to help people into work,
:47:14. > :47:19.there's a job placement scheme. All of those things are there to give
:47:19. > :47:25.young people the experience they need. It is the key priority and
:47:25. > :47:35.the thing we all worry about. One of the big priorities is to sort
:47:35. > :47:36.
:47:36. > :47:43.this out. We need to sort it out by creating a skilled jobs for people.
:47:43. > :47:49.The previous government was short term. It takes time to rebalance
:47:49. > :47:54.the economy. How long can we wait for that to happen? If there was a
:47:54. > :48:01.magic wand, we would have weighed it. We are trying to make it easier
:48:01. > :48:07.to employ people in the first place, provide support for training.
:48:07. > :48:13.agree you need economic growth, the creation of jobs. Sadly, we have
:48:13. > :48:16.not got that. When we left office, there were tentative steps of
:48:16. > :48:23.growth. But since that Comprehensive Spending Review that
:48:23. > :48:28.happened when the new government came in, no growth, flat lining.
:48:28. > :48:32.Schemes are important and we say if you can use money from the bankers
:48:32. > :48:38.bonuses tax and use that to get some a young people into jobs, that
:48:38. > :48:44.is money well spent. Ed Miliband talked about police commissioner
:48:44. > :48:49.elections, there is huge concern about a low turnout. In the East
:48:49. > :48:52.Midlands are people aware of these elections? I have been out on the
:48:52. > :48:58.streets with Simon Spencer the Conservative candidate for
:48:58. > :49:04.Derbyshire. When you explain it to people, they are interested in it.
:49:04. > :49:09.Do people care? We need to get out there and show people about these
:49:09. > :49:14.elections. People care about policing and crime. These people
:49:14. > :49:19.will make a big difference to their communities. Do people in your area
:49:19. > :49:25.care, Gloria? They do not because there has been so little
:49:25. > :49:30.information about it. We go out every week could door knocking. We
:49:30. > :49:38.will be promoting our candidate, but it is crazy to have an election
:49:38. > :49:43.in November. It is freezing, it is dark by 5:00pm, that will depress
:49:43. > :49:49.turnout and that is something which politicians can have some say over.
:49:49. > :49:55.We will see how it all turns out. As hundreds of thousands of
:49:55. > :50:00.students go to university, this year's freshers face new fees of up
:50:01. > :50:08.to �9,000. Many have decided the cost is too much to bear. The
:50:08. > :50:12.University of Derby has seen a 25% drop in applications.
:50:12. > :50:17.They may have the world at their feet, but these freshers at the
:50:17. > :50:25.University of Derby also face a colossal debt on their back. Tom
:50:25. > :50:30.and Beth are paying tuition fees of up �7,500. With the economy the way
:50:30. > :50:34.it is, getting a job will be even harder. It is where the university
:50:34. > :50:38.is value for money. There are certain parts which can be
:50:38. > :50:42.overwhelming when you have to think how much debt you will get in.
:50:42. > :50:49.Obviously paying for your accommodation as well as university.
:50:49. > :50:55.It is a lot to take on. Tom and Beth are not letting debt spoil the
:50:55. > :51:02.fun of Freshers' week. This university is doing its best to
:51:02. > :51:06.contain fees, the average fee being �7,400. Applications were down
:51:06. > :51:10.nationally and we reflected that trend. The uncertainty about the
:51:10. > :51:14.new fees regime this year has probably put off some students at a
:51:14. > :51:20.time when there has never been a more important time to go to
:51:20. > :51:26.university. The burden of student debt is immense. The National Union
:51:26. > :51:34.of students estimates those paying �9,000 tuition fees will, once
:51:34. > :51:39.living costs are added, graduate owing on average �53,000. What does
:51:39. > :51:44.all this mean for students? Freshers' week is changing. Once it
:51:44. > :51:49.was a pretty simple affair, drink a lot, fend off the combined forces
:51:49. > :51:59.of Christians, Socialist Workers and Conservative students and just
:51:59. > :52:06.
:52:06. > :52:11.have fun. Now, they attend seminars on making yourself employable.
:52:11. > :52:16.come from quite a poor background. I do not want to be in the same
:52:16. > :52:19.position that my parents are in. I work hard, want to get myself into
:52:19. > :52:25.a good job and hopefully make money in the future with the skills I
:52:25. > :52:31.have learnt. Higher fees certainly seemed to have focused the mind of
:52:31. > :52:35.these students. Gloria, you have a degree in social sciences and Nigel,
:52:35. > :52:42.I believe you did classics. Would you have paid �9,000 a year for
:52:42. > :52:48.those courses? Think about it. think there might have struggled to
:52:49. > :52:53.convince myself. University is a great experience. Would it have
:52:53. > :52:58.affected your decision? I might have done something a little bit
:52:58. > :53:04.more job based. But actually think you do a subject you're interested
:53:04. > :53:12.in and you're good at. Getting a job at the end is important for
:53:12. > :53:18.people now, you need to see the links. What about you, Gloria?
:53:18. > :53:23.loved it and I enjoyed it, but what I was conscious of at university is
:53:23. > :53:29.you do want to get that bit of an edge over your peers. I threw
:53:29. > :53:38.myself into it lots of things like being a course ralph... So you
:53:38. > :53:43.would have found him the money then? You pay it back. Some kids
:53:43. > :53:52.are out there do think they have to find �9,000... But they have to pay
:53:52. > :53:55.it back at some point. You would pay less under Labour. I know it is
:53:55. > :54:00.still a lot, but you would be better off, you would definitely
:54:00. > :54:05.pay less under Labour. I just wonder if we need to be more
:54:05. > :54:09.imaginative about how we do university. It is awful to face
:54:09. > :54:19.that level of debt. Maybe the kind of way we do degrees for three
:54:19. > :54:20.
:54:20. > :54:26.years, could we condense them? should the students be done out of
:54:26. > :54:29.the chance you had of three or four years? Do you remember when you
:54:29. > :54:35.arrive at university in a tall, your first year does not account
:54:35. > :54:41.for anything. I think some of your viewers might be surprised by that.
:54:41. > :54:47.You both come from areas with lower numbers of people going on to its
:54:47. > :54:51.higher education. This is not going to help, is it? We need people with
:54:51. > :54:56.qualifications. That is why we did not want to cut university funding
:54:56. > :55:02.so less people would go. We wanted to find a way to get universities
:55:02. > :55:07.their extra money they needed. result we are seeing a drop in
:55:07. > :55:13.applications. Universities are a great experience if you were able
:55:13. > :55:18.to go, and if you want to go. You will not have to peg back until you
:55:18. > :55:24.earn more than 21,000 the year. It is not quite the terrible debt that
:55:24. > :55:32.people think they will have. When a tiny number of people went to
:55:32. > :55:36.university, it could be free. Widening access was so important.
:55:36. > :55:41.15,000 fewer university places because of the cuts to the
:55:42. > :55:46.university teaching ground. That really worries me. You could argue
:55:46. > :55:51.that university is not for everyone and not everyone should go to
:55:51. > :55:53.university. We need people with a broad range of skills.
:55:53. > :55:59.Apprenticeships and vocation training are very important for
:55:59. > :56:05.people who prefer that way and are better suited to that way. Is it
:56:05. > :56:11.fair to ask those who do not go to university to pay for those who do?
:56:11. > :56:15.The system is there, we have tried to make it as fair as possible.
:56:15. > :56:21.What about kick-starting the economy, we need people with
:56:21. > :56:26.degrees in engineering... Absolutely. That is why we're
:56:26. > :56:32.finding proper quality courses. talked about this Caporn fees that
:56:32. > :56:39.Labour would bring, a 6,000 pined cap. How would you make on -- make
:56:39. > :56:42.up the shortfall? There was a corporation tax cut for all
:56:42. > :56:48.businesses, we would reverse that for just the banking industry and
:56:48. > :56:55.use that. We would also make that 10% of best earning graduates pay
:56:55. > :57:00.more. So another tax on graduates? Everybody would pay less, but if
:57:00. > :57:10.you're in the top 10% of earners we think it would be fair for you to
:57:10. > :57:10.
:57:10. > :57:16.pay a bit more. Everyone apart from the top 10% earners would pay less.
:57:16. > :57:21.I think it is right that you pay back what you spend otherwise
:57:21. > :57:26.universities will be charging whatever they like. I suppose time
:57:26. > :57:34.will tell if people do actually pay it back in the end.
:57:34. > :57:37.Time to catch up on her other main stories of the week.
:57:37. > :57:44.There is growing pressure on a Derbyshire councillor who made a
:57:44. > :57:50.joke about the shooting of two per David Stevenson has apologised and
:57:50. > :57:55.was removed from his Cabinet post. Members of the Police Federation
:57:55. > :58:01.want him to step down as a councillor. With the benefit of
:58:01. > :58:05.hindsight, I would not do it for all stock Nottingham South's MP has
:58:05. > :58:11.welcomed the report into the cancellation of 3,000 hospital
:58:11. > :58:15.operations in her city. The Labour MPs said the closure of 96 beds
:58:15. > :58:22.added to the problem. There is a new leader at
:58:22. > :58:28.Leicestershire's County Hall. He has promised a more collegiate
:58:28. > :58:31.style. Liberal Democrats from Leicester
:58:32. > :58:41.have won a top award at their annual conference for promoting
:58:42. > :58:44.
:58:44. > :58:48.And there we were earlier in the programme talking about whether
:58:48. > :58:53.people love or hate politicians and then we get ill-advised comments
:58:53. > :59:00.like we heard David Stephenson making. What do you think about
:59:00. > :59:07.that? It does nothing for your reputation as politicians? I cannot
:59:07. > :59:13.imagine what he was thinking. I cannot think why he would say it.
:59:13. > :59:19.Should he resign? He has been stripped of his Cabinet post. He
:59:19. > :59:26.has apologised, it seems a lot of punishment. It is embarrassing for
:59:26. > :59:32.your party. Yes. There had been a few silly mistakes recently,
:59:32. > :59:40.haven't they? Gloria, you're off to Manchester, Party politics on the
:59:40. > :59:45.menu. I also hear you're partial to karaoke. Could this be true?