:00:34. > :00:37.Morning, folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics, where we're talking
:00:38. > :00:46.about the Europe-wide contest that really matters. No, not Eurovision.
:00:47. > :00:49.The European elections. There are local elections across England too
:00:50. > :00:53.on May 22nd. The party leaders are campaigning ahead of polling day.
:00:54. > :00:59.The results could be a pointer to the Big One, May 2015. We'll be
:01:00. > :01:02.speaking to the man in charge of Labour's election battle plan. Has
:01:03. > :01:06.the opposition really got its sights set on all-out victory in 2015? Or
:01:07. > :01:13.will it just be content with squeaking home? And you can't
:01:14. > :01:17.mention elections these days without talking about the impact of this
:01:18. > :01:29.man, Nigel Farage. I'll be asking him if UKIP really
:01:30. > :01:37.boroughs. What will make a difference to the way you vote?
:01:38. > :01:47.And I'm joined by three journalists guaranteed to bring a touch
:01:48. > :01:56.And I'm joined by three journalists dress sense, it's Nick Watt, Helen
:01:57. > :01:59.Lewis and Janan Ganesh. So you might have thought you've already heard
:02:00. > :02:02.David Cameron promise an in-out referendum on EU membership in 2017
:02:03. > :02:08.if he's still Prime Minister. Many times. Many, many times. Well he
:02:09. > :02:11.obviously doesn't think you've been listening, because he's been saying
:02:12. > :02:16.it again today. Here he is speaking to the BBC earlier. We will hold a
:02:17. > :02:20.referendum by the end of 2017. It will be a referendum on an in-out
:02:21. > :02:23.basis. Do we stay in a reformed European Union or do we leave? And
:02:24. > :02:25.I've said very clearly that whatever the outcome of the next election,
:02:26. > :02:28.and of course I want an overall the outcome of the next election,
:02:29. > :02:29.majority and I'm hoping and believing I can win an overall
:02:30. > :04:11.majority, believing I can win an overall
:04:12. > :04:14.think that's unlikely because as I think that's unlikely because
:04:15. > :04:16.there's a huge upside for that for I think what's interesting is the idea
:04:17. > :04:21.he would for minority government. Would you get confidence and look at
:04:22. > :04:25.other options that might well happen with the way the arithmetic is going
:04:26. > :04:27.or is he going to hold out and say the only way I will be Prime
:04:28. > :04:32.Minister is in a majority Conservative government? No, the
:04:33. > :04:36.implication of his remarks was I wouldn't form a coalition government
:04:37. > :04:41.unless my coalition partners would also agree to vote for a referendum.
:04:42. > :04:45.He's basically talking about is negotiating strategy in those
:04:46. > :04:50.coalition talks. It's a red line and a huge opportunity for the Lib Dems,
:04:51. > :04:54.because they know David Cameron absolutely has to do, for accidental
:04:55. > :04:58.reasons, as a person who survives as Tory leader, to ask for that
:04:59. > :05:03.referendum, so they can ask anything they want in return and if I was
:05:04. > :05:06.Nick Clegg, I would work out in the next year one absolute colossal
:05:07. > :05:13.negotiating demand for those coalition talks. For a party around
:05:14. > :05:16.10% in the polls, they will do have the Prime Minister over a barrel on
:05:17. > :05:27.this one, assuming that coalition talks goes well. They could make
:05:28. > :05:31.Michael Gove Tbyte meeting. OK, we need to move on. So, the politicians
:05:32. > :05:34.are out and about on what used to be called the stump ahead of local and
:05:35. > :05:37.European elections in less than two weeks' time. But, without wanting to
:05:38. > :05:40.depress you on a damp Sunday morning, the party strategists are
:05:41. > :05:43.already hard at work on their campaign plans for the General
:05:44. > :05:46.Election next May. Yes, it's less than a year to go. They may have
:05:47. > :05:49.taken their time, but Labour's battleplan for 2015 is starting to
:05:50. > :05:52.take shape. As well as take promising to freeze your energy
:05:53. > :05:55.bills, and reintroduce the 50p rate of tax, Ed Miliband now says he
:05:56. > :06:00.wants to intervene in the housing market to keep rents down. There's
:06:01. > :06:06.even talk that the party leadership wants to bring more railway lines
:06:07. > :06:09.into public ownership. And Labour is gambling that its big push on the
:06:10. > :06:13.cost of living will see it through to the general election despite
:06:14. > :06:16.evidence that growth is firmly back. Labour's campaign chief Douglas
:06:17. > :06:24.Alexander hopes it all adds up to victory next May. But so far, the
:06:25. > :06:27.evidence is hitting home very thin. One survey today shows that 56% of
:06:28. > :06:32.people don't think Mr Miliband is up to the job of Prime Minister. As we
:06:33. > :06:35.head towards one of the least predictable general elections in 70
:06:36. > :06:40.years, has Labour got a message to win seats up and down the country?
:06:41. > :06:41.And Labour's election co-ordinator and Shadow Foreign Secretary,
:06:42. > :06:49.Douglas Alexander, joins me now. Douglas Alexander, joins me now
:06:50. > :06:52.Welcome to Sunday Politics. A lot of these policies announced polar
:06:53. > :06:57.pretty well. By popular with the country. When you add them together,
:06:58. > :07:02.it's a move to the left and what would be wrong with that? I think is
:07:03. > :07:07.your packet suggests, the contours in the coming campaign are becoming
:07:08. > :07:10.clear. Our judgement is the defining issue of the year in British
:07:11. > :07:14.politics will be the widening gap between the wealth of the country
:07:15. > :07:17.and the finances of ordinary families. We believe it will be a
:07:18. > :07:21.cost of living election and we have been setting out our thinking in
:07:22. > :07:24.relation to energy prices and rent, but you will hear more from Labour
:07:25. > :07:29.Party in the coming months because we're now less than one year away
:07:30. > :07:32.from a decisive moment. If the leftish think tank suggested any of
:07:33. > :07:38.his policies in that Tony Blair years, you would have opposed them.
:07:39. > :07:43.Let's be clear, when not going for an interest but seeking to secure a
:07:44. > :07:47.majority for the only way to do that is not simply to appeal to your
:07:48. > :07:52.base, but to the centre ground. I believe we got genuine opportunities
:07:53. > :07:56.in the next year. You have the Conservatives in a struggle with
:07:57. > :07:59.UKIP on the right of politics. The Lib Dems 9% of trying to find their
:08:00. > :08:03.base, and there's a genuine opportunity in the next year for
:08:04. > :08:07.Labour to dominate the centre ground of politics and secure the majority
:08:08. > :08:11.Labour government we are planning for in the coming year. I notice you
:08:12. > :08:21.didn't deny you wouldn't have opposed. You say you have got an
:08:22. > :08:27.message for aspirational voters in the South. This is what John Denham
:08:28. > :08:37.said. He thinks you're talking too much to your core vote.
:08:38. > :08:45.He is right to recognise we took a terrible beating in 2010. 29%. If
:08:46. > :08:51.you look at what we've done in the last week, for example, the
:08:52. > :08:53.signature policy on rent Ed Miliband announced to launch the campaign,
:08:54. > :08:58.there's now more than 9 million people in the country in the private
:08:59. > :09:02.rented sector, more than 1 million families. Many of them are in the
:09:03. > :09:04.south-east. They are seeing circumstances where, suddenly,
:09:05. > :09:09.landlord will increase the rent and they put the pressure involved in
:09:10. > :09:14.schooling, health care facing the families, so it is important both in
:09:15. > :09:17.terms of policy and in terms of politics that we speak to the whole
:09:18. > :09:21.country, not simply to one part of it falls up what is the average rise
:09:22. > :09:29.in event last year? I don't know. Can you tell me? 1%. 1% not in real
:09:30. > :09:35.terms. I'm not sure what the problem is. It will happen to wages in last
:09:36. > :09:42.year, we are facing circumstances where people will be worse off, up
:09:43. > :09:47.to ?1600 off worse and frankly, if our opponents want to argue that the
:09:48. > :09:51.economy has healed and they deserve a victory lap, good luck to them
:09:52. > :09:53.because actually, what we are hearing from the Buddhist public,
:09:54. > :09:55.not just in the north and south, hearing from the Buddhist public,
:09:56. > :09:58.not just in the north and south is not just in the north and south, is
:09:59. > :10:01.not the cost living crisis is continuing and it affects families.
:10:02. > :10:06.There was nothing aspirational about your party election broadcast for
:10:07. > :10:10.the European elections. It looked like crude class war to money
:10:11. > :10:14.people. That's a bit of it. Bedroom tax. Isn't it going to look bad that
:10:15. > :10:20.two thirds of those affected are disabled? Who cares? They can't
:10:21. > :10:28.fight back. Shall be lay-offs and NHS nurses? The National Health
:10:29. > :10:38.Service? Oh yes. Mr Cameron? Who said that? Me. My gosh. The man has
:10:39. > :10:43.shrunk. He's actually shrunk. What shall we do with him? Can we hunt
:10:44. > :10:49.him? Nothing about Europe, Labour policy. News that the Tories would
:10:50. > :10:55.result in negative campaigning and smear. You didn't tell you would be
:10:56. > :10:59.just as bad. Let's start the party broadcast. The one thing guaranteed
:11:00. > :11:05.to have most people reaching for the remote control these days are the
:11:06. > :11:09.words, there now follows a party but the broadcast. I make no apology in
:11:10. > :11:13.the factory to be innovative in how we presented. It's factual. It was a
:11:14. > :11:18.policy -based critic of this government. And the Lib Dems role
:11:19. > :11:23.within it. So you're claiming it's factual to betray the camera and
:11:24. > :11:30.cabinet is not even knowing what the NHS is, -- the Cameron Cabinet. They
:11:31. > :11:35.attack the disabled because they can't fight back. The Pinellas
:11:36. > :11:42.Tanner severely Prime Minister Sun and he was treated during a short
:11:43. > :11:46.life by the NHS. It's a fact many disabled people across the country
:11:47. > :11:50.including in my constituency have been directly affected by the
:11:51. > :11:53.bedroom tax. And ultimately, this Conservative led government,
:11:54. > :11:58.including the Lib Dems, will be held accountable by the politicians. You
:11:59. > :12:02.say that, the Prime Minister, who had a severely disabled son of. I
:12:03. > :12:09.you not ashamed about? I shadowed Iain Duncan Smith of five months
:12:10. > :12:13.also they don't have the excuses of seeing that saying nobody told them
:12:14. > :12:16.the consequences of the bedroom tax. They went into this with their eyes
:12:17. > :12:19.open. They knew about the hardship and difficulty. If they were
:12:20. > :12:22.one-bedroom properties available across the country for people to
:12:23. > :12:26.move into, their argument would be OK but they knew they were dealing
:12:27. > :12:30.with the most vulnerable people. OK but they knew they were dealing
:12:31. > :12:33.with the most vulnerable people Did you sign off that part of the
:12:34. > :12:38.broadcast? Of course I stand by the fact of it. I wish David Cameron and
:12:39. > :12:42.Iain Duncan Smith would apologise to the disabled people of the country
:12:43. > :12:46.and the poorest people for the effects of the bedroom tax. I hope
:12:47. > :12:51.we get that apology between now and election. As someone who thinks
:12:52. > :12:57.integrity is important in politics, not ashamed of this kind of thing?
:12:58. > :13:00.It's important we scrutinise the policies of this government as well
:13:01. > :13:07.as adding a positive agenda for change. You want that you won't
:13:08. > :13:12.promise this is the last time we'll see such a negative press campaign?
:13:13. > :13:15.I don't think it is negative or personal to scrutinise the
:13:16. > :13:19.government. So we'll get more of this? I'm less interested in the
:13:20. > :13:25.background of the cabinet than their views. You call the upper-class
:13:26. > :13:28.twits. It's for the British public to make a judgement in terms of the
:13:29. > :13:36.British... That's how you depicted them. We are held in accountable for
:13:37. > :13:40.the bedroom tax, the NHS, taxation, and our record they have to defend.
:13:41. > :13:45.One reason are so fearful in this election is actually because they
:13:46. > :13:50.know they have a poor record. Let's look at other part of the election
:13:51. > :13:55.campaign. This poster. Particularly digitally doing the rounds. On that
:13:56. > :14:02.shopping basket, can you tell us which items take the full 20% VAT?
:14:03. > :14:05.It's representative of household shopping, which includes items like
:14:06. > :14:17.cleaning products, and we know that food is not that trouble. People
:14:18. > :14:25.don't go to the supermarket and say this is -- vatable. So you are
:14:26. > :14:33.denying that ?450 extra is being paid? Yes, where'd you get that
:14:34. > :14:40.figure? For an average family to pay ?450 a year extra VAT, they would
:14:41. > :14:46.have to spend ?21,600 a year on vatable products at 20%. The average
:14:47. > :14:51.take-home pay is only 21,009. They have got to spend on all sorts of
:14:52. > :14:55.things which are zero VAT. So in addition to the items, has a range
:14:56. > :15:01.of products people face in terms of VAT. How could an average family of
:15:02. > :15:10.?21,000 a year spent 21,006 and the pound a year on 20% vatable items?
:15:11. > :15:19.It's not an annual figure, is it? So what is it then? If it's an annual,
:15:20. > :15:22.what is it? The increased VAT in this parliament is calculated over
:15:23. > :15:30.the course of a Parliament. For the whole of the Parliament? And you're
:15:31. > :15:35.illustrated this with a shopping basket which almost has no VAT on it
:15:36. > :15:38.at all? People will be buying a weekly shop in the course of this
:15:39. > :15:43.Parliament every week. Did you sign off on this as well? Of course. It
:15:44. > :15:48.didn't dawn on you you're putting things on it which have no VAT? If
:15:49. > :15:54.you want to argue some people go to the shops and say these are vatable
:15:55. > :16:01.or not, I disagree. Even your rent cap announcement went wrong. You're
:16:02. > :16:11.working on the rent rises and it turns out it wasn't. It was a post
:16:12. > :16:15.your policy. It is the exception rather than the rule to have the
:16:16. > :16:19.position we have at the moment. In Northern Ireland we have seen the
:16:20. > :16:22.continued rise in terms of the rented sector but there is a
:16:23. > :16:30.widespread recognition that for those people in the rented sector,
:16:31. > :16:37.change is necessary. Are you coordinating this campaign? It seems
:16:38. > :16:45.accident prone. This is a party that has set the agenda more effectively
:16:46. > :16:49.than a Conservative party that said when David Cameron was elected he
:16:50. > :16:57.wasn't going to bang on about Europe. The day after the election
:16:58. > :17:04.we expect the Conservative party to be engulfed in crisis. I'm proud of
:17:05. > :17:08.what we talk about and I think there is a clear contrast about a party
:17:09. > :17:13.talking about issues people care about, and a Conservative party
:17:14. > :17:20.talking about exclusively a referendum. Are you in charge of the
:17:21. > :17:25.campaign? I am coordinating the campaign is, yes. The expensive
:17:26. > :17:31.election guru you have hired, has he been involved in any of this? We
:17:32. > :17:35.have started our discussions with him. You are going to have to brief
:17:36. > :17:42.him about British politics because he doesn't know anything about it. I
:17:43. > :17:48.make no apology for hiring him. He has a lot of experience in winning
:17:49. > :17:54.tight elections and that is what we are expecting. If you are expecting
:17:55. > :18:01.us to say, they have passed and we have to hold them accountable, then
:18:02. > :18:05.I am sorry but we have a campaign that holds the Government and the
:18:06. > :18:15.Conservatives to account for what I think is a very hopeless record in
:18:16. > :18:19.government. Thank you. He leads a party with zero MPs but
:18:20. > :18:22.his media presence is huge. He's had an expenses scandal, but the public
:18:23. > :18:24.didn't seem to mind. He's got a privileged background but he's seen
:18:25. > :18:28.as an anti-establishment champion. Nothing seems to stick to him, not
:18:29. > :18:31.even eggs. I speak of course of Nigel Farage. We'll talk to him in a
:18:32. > :18:34.moment, but first Giles has been out on the campaign trail ahead of
:18:35. > :18:37.elections that could make or break the UKIP leader.
:18:38. > :18:40.Nigel Farage likes a stage, and at this stage of the Euro and local
:18:41. > :18:45.election campaign he is, like his party, in buoyant mood. They feel
:18:46. > :18:50.they are on the verge of what they see as causing an earthquake in
:18:51. > :18:55.British politics. Today Nigel is filling thousands seat venues and
:18:56. > :19:03.bigger. Not that there's much sign of that at this press launch. But
:19:04. > :19:06.it's a threat with serious money behind it, that they believe the
:19:07. > :19:09.media and the political elite just haven't realised yet, much less
:19:10. > :19:11.learned how to counter it. Not that it's all been plain sailing.
:19:12. > :19:14.Offensive comments from some candidates has not only seen UKIP
:19:15. > :19:20.labelled as racist, but necessitated a rally by the party to visibly and
:19:21. > :19:24.verbally challenge that. The offensive idiotic statements made by
:19:25. > :19:27.this handful of people have been lifted up and presented to the great
:19:28. > :19:34.British public as if they represent the view of this party, which they
:19:35. > :19:44.do not. They never have and they never will. APPLAUSE
:19:45. > :19:53.I don't care what you call us, but from this moment on, please do not
:19:54. > :20:02.call must trust a racist party. We are not a racist party.
:20:03. > :20:05.The need to say that is not just about the European and local
:20:06. > :20:08.elections even at that campaign launch it's clear UKIP's leader has
:20:09. > :20:11.set his sights firmly on the ultimate prize. I come from the
:20:12. > :20:14.south of England and I would not want to be seen as an opportunist
:20:15. > :20:19.heading to the north, north Norfolk or whatever it will be. I will make
:20:20. > :20:25.my mind up and stand in the general election for somewhere in Kent, East
:20:26. > :20:29.Sussex, Hampshire, somewhere in my home patch. Back at UKIP HQ they are
:20:30. > :20:39.still drilling down how the last fortnight of campaigning should go.
:20:40. > :20:42.They aren't taking any chances, and one imagines having offices above
:20:43. > :20:45.those of Max Clifford is a reminder how fragile built reputations can be
:20:46. > :20:48.of the bubble bursting. They want their reputation to be built on
:20:49. > :20:51.votes and they know anything but significant success on May 22nd and
:20:52. > :20:58.some seats in Westminster in 2015 isn't going to be good enough. And
:20:59. > :21:01.after that, having sold yourselves as the honest outsiders, that stance
:21:02. > :21:05.is harder to maintain once your people are on the inside. And subtle
:21:06. > :21:11.changes from the past are already noticeable. The ordinary man of the
:21:12. > :21:14.people stance is still working. Characteristically outside a pub,
:21:15. > :21:20.Nigel Farage is glad handed by a customer. Two weeks to go, let's
:21:21. > :21:25.cause an upset. Wouldn't that be great? The only sign that such an
:21:26. > :21:37.interaction is different now is the ever presence of bodyguards who
:21:38. > :21:40.shadow his every move. Over lunch ahead of Question Time, a radio
:21:41. > :21:44.appearance, and then off to Scotland, I ask him if some of those
:21:45. > :21:47.minded to vote UKIP who see him as a man they'd be comfortable having a
:21:48. > :21:50.drink with are the sort of people he'd be entirely comfortable sitting
:21:51. > :21:52.down with. Every political party attracts support from across the
:21:53. > :22:01.spectrum and there will be some magnificent people who vote for us
:22:02. > :22:06.and some ne'er-do-wells. The one common thing about UKIP voters is
:22:07. > :22:10.that they are often not very political. And it's that people s
:22:11. > :22:12.army that if UKIP can get to a polling booth might just create that
:22:13. > :22:19.earthquake they want. Nigel Farage joins me now. When you
:22:20. > :22:23.decided not to stand at the new work by election coming said if you lost
:22:24. > :22:43.it that the bubble would have burst. What did you mean by that? I
:22:44. > :22:49.was asked at seven 20p -- at 7:21pm if I would stand, I have decided by
:22:50. > :22:56.the next morning that I would not. I didn't know he was going to resign.
:22:57. > :22:59.You claim only a handful of UKIP candidates have ever said things
:23:00. > :23:08.that are either stupid or offensive, I'm right on that, yes? 0.1%, I'd
:23:09. > :23:11.rather it was non-. But why have you chosen a candidate to fight this
:23:12. > :23:18.by-election that has said many things most people would regard as
:23:19. > :23:23.stupid or offensive? Roger is fighting this for us, someone of 70
:23:24. > :23:28.years of age who grew up with a strong Christian Bible background,
:23:29. > :23:32.in an age when homosexuality was imprisonable. He had a certain set
:23:33. > :23:36.of views which he maintained for many years which he now says he
:23:37. > :23:42.accepts the world has moved on and he is relaxed about it. The comments
:23:43. > :23:49.about homosexuality are not from the dark ages, they are from two or
:23:50. > :23:55.three years ago. From when he was a Conservative, yes, so will you be
:23:56. > :23:59.asking David Cameron that question? I have never seen a single comment
:24:00. > :24:04.from Roger that would be deemed to be offensive. Do you regard his
:24:05. > :24:09.comments on homosexuality as offensive? When he grew up,
:24:10. > :24:14.homosexuality was illegal in this country. But this was in 2012 but he
:24:15. > :24:23.said that. Most people have his country. But this was in 2012 but he
:24:24. > :24:44.still feel uncomfortable about it country. But this was in 2012 but he
:24:45. > :24:46.understand that some people have different views. But he has changed
:24:47. > :24:50.his views now in only two years? different views. But he has changed
:24:51. > :24:52.his views now in only two years He his views now in only two years? He
:24:53. > :25:02.says he is more relaxed about it. Was he your candidate? He is a
:25:03. > :25:07.first-class campaigner who has had 30 years in industry, he served in
:25:08. > :25:10.the European Parliament, he is a good candidate. This morning's
:25:11. > :26:46.papers suggest you are good candidate. This morning's
:26:47. > :26:56.Dems and the Conservatives amongst the indigenous voting.
:26:57. > :27:03.We have not agreed a manifesto for the general election, we will do
:27:04. > :27:09.over the course of the summer. This is in your local election. We are
:27:10. > :27:13.having local elections in some part of the country but we are fighting a
:27:14. > :27:17.European election. It is impossible with the British media to have an
:27:18. > :27:24.intelligent debate on the European question. But as I say, we are also
:27:25. > :27:31.fighting the local elections too. You have promised these tax cuts,
:27:32. > :27:35.how much will they cost? I have met -- read the local election manifesto
:27:36. > :27:37.and it doesn't make those promises. We do talk about local services, we
:27:38. > :27:42.We do talk about local services we do talk about the need to keep
:27:43. > :27:49.council tax down but we don't talk about income tax. Absolutely not. In
:27:50. > :27:56.local election campaigning you say you would restore cuts to policing,
:27:57. > :27:58.double prison places, restore cuts to front line NHS, spend more on
:27:59. > :28:05.roads, how much would that cost You roads, how much would that cost? You
:28:06. > :28:10.are obviously reading different documents to me. We are voting for
:28:11. > :28:17.local councillors in district councils who have got little local
:28:18. > :28:23.budgets. Every party in a manifesto puts his aspirations in it. Have you
:28:24. > :28:29.read it? Of course I have, cover to cover, which is why I'm saying you
:28:30. > :28:35.are misquoting it. By the way, on the bubble bursting, you told that
:28:36. > :28:40.to Norman Smith of the BBC. 75% of British laws are now made in the
:28:41. > :28:46.European Union. Now AstraZeneca is potentially going to be taken over
:28:47. > :28:51.by Pfizer. The BBC is refusing to show the public that that decision
:28:52. > :28:55.cannot be taken here but by an elected European commissioner, and
:28:56. > :29:09.we sit and argue about what is in or not in the local election manifesto.
:29:10. > :29:12.It is my job, but let me come on to AstraZeneca. Is it your view that a
:29:13. > :29:24.British government should stop the takeover of AstraZeneca? It cannot.
:29:25. > :29:28.Can we please get this clear. I sat next to Chuka Umunna the other day
:29:29. > :29:33.at question time and he said what could and couldn't be done. He said
:29:34. > :29:38.I am being studiously neutral, and the reason is we don't have this
:29:39. > :29:44.power. That is what the European elections is about. Should France
:29:45. > :30:02.have the takeover of the food company Danan? We seem to do things
:30:03. > :30:06.to the Nth degree and nobody else does, perhaps because we have this
:30:07. > :30:14.culture and we obey it. In your view, you don't think Pfizer should
:30:15. > :30:18.be able to take over AstraZeneca? There is some good science within
:30:19. > :30:26.AstraZeneca which is in danger of being asset stripped and lost.
:30:27. > :30:31.Because it is run by a Swede and a Frenchman and most of its employees
:30:32. > :30:36.are overseas. I understand that but there are still some good science
:30:37. > :30:39.being produced here. What did you think of the Prime Minister saying
:30:40. > :30:45.he would not form a government after the election unless he was able to
:30:46. > :30:52.have a referendum in 2017? I sat here talking to you and you said to
:30:53. > :30:56.me that David Cameron had given a cast-iron guarantee that if David
:30:57. > :31:00.Cameron becomes Prime Minister he will have a referendum on the Lisbon
:31:01. > :31:05.Treaty, but he didn't deliver on that. He knows that people struggle
:31:06. > :31:11.to believe the renegotiation is worth a row of beans. He is saying
:31:12. > :31:15.he will not form a government unless he can go forward with the
:31:16. > :31:18.referendum. I know he is desperately trying to pretend to be Eurosceptic
:31:19. > :31:23.whilst at the same time saying he will campaign for Britain to remain
:31:24. > :31:27.in. In a sense, that is what this election is about. We have three
:31:28. > :31:30.traditional parties, all of whom passionately believe in the
:31:31. > :31:34.continued membership of the European Union and we have UKIP saying we
:31:35. > :31:40.want trade and cooperation but there is a bigger and better world out
:31:41. > :31:50.there. You are now travelling with I think four bodyguards, has this
:31:51. > :31:55.affected you and your family life? I can't stand it. I've always wondered
:31:56. > :31:59.about the place and on my own thing. Sadly we have a couple of
:32:00. > :32:01.organisations out there headed up by senior Labour Party figures who
:32:02. > :32:07.purport to be against fascism and extremism, who received funding from
:32:08. > :32:11.the Department of communities, from the trade unions, who have acted in
:32:12. > :32:16.a violent wait more than once. You are saying the Labour Party is
:32:17. > :32:20.behind the threats? No, I said a taxpayer funded, trade union funded
:32:21. > :32:23.and headed by senior Labour Party figures, and I'm happy for them to
:32:24. > :32:27.come to my meetings and have an itinerant with me, but it's not so
:32:28. > :32:32.much fun when there are banging you over the head. I is still keen to be
:32:33. > :32:38.an MP? Yes, what UKIP will then do is target before the general
:32:39. > :32:42.election next year for the one life be easier if you just went to the
:32:43. > :32:47.Lords? That's the last thing I want to do. There's an awful lot to do.
:32:48. > :32:51.Most of all, I will not rest until we are free from political union and
:32:52. > :32:54.government from Brussels. Nigel Farage, thank you for being with us.
:32:55. > :32:57.It's just gone 11.30am. You're watching the Sunday Politics. We say
:32:58. > :33:00.goodbye to viewers in Scotland, who leave us now for Sunday Politics
:33:01. > :33:01.Scotland. Coming up here in 20 minutes, our panel talks about the
:33:02. > :33:11.big stories of the week. First big stories of the week. First
:33:12. > :33:16.In the East Midlands, who came out top in Newark when we went to town
:33:17. > :33:20.and gave out party political cupcakes? That's a Conservative
:33:21. > :33:24.cake. I don't want that. That a Labour cake. I'll have that. That's
:33:25. > :33:28.a Lib Dem cake. And that's ` UKIP cake.
:33:29. > :33:31.And is it time to put alternative medicine on the NHS?
:33:32. > :33:36.Do you think it should be available on the NHS? If people believe in it,
:33:37. > :33:38.yes. Not everybody believes in it, and therefore you're asking people
:33:39. > :33:40.to pay for it as well, as p`rt and therefore you're asking people
:33:41. > :33:42.to pay for it as well, as part of to pay for it as well, as part of
:33:43. > :33:44.their contributions as well. Hello, I'm Marie Ashby and ly guests
:33:45. > :33:47.Hello, I'm Marie Ashby and my guests this week by David Tredinnick, the
:33:48. > :33:49.Conservative MP for Bosworth, and Chris Leslie, Labour's MP for
:33:50. > :33:51.Nottingham East and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
:33:52. > :33:55.First, the great recession is almost First, the great recession hs almost
:33:56. > :34:00.over ` at least according to one respected think tank. The N`tional
:34:01. > :34:01.Institute of Economic and Social Research says the UK economx
:34:02. > :34:01.Institute of Economic and Social Research says the UK economy is
:34:02. > :34:06.Research says the UK economx is about to return to its pre`recession
:34:07. > :34:13.peak. So, are there celebrations in Nottingham East? Well, I'd like to
:34:14. > :34:17.hope that if we are in a recovery it is widely felt, and I have to say
:34:18. > :34:20.whilst David and I, when we're down in Westminster, you can see in parts
:34:21. > :34:23.of London if you're talking to those, bankers and others, they're
:34:24. > :34:27.doing quite well currently, I'm afraid to say there's a lot of other
:34:28. > :34:28.parts in the country where we are not yet seeing that recovery
:34:29. > :34:29.parts in the country where we are not yet seeing that recoverx widely
:34:30. > :34:30.not yet seeing that recovery widely felt, and I think the challdnge
:34:31. > :34:31.not yet seeing that recoverx widely felt, and I think the challenge for
:34:32. > :34:35.felt, and I think the challdnge for the Chancellor and for the Treasury
:34:36. > :34:37.is to make sure that if we do have a recovery, it is felt by all, and
:34:38. > :34:38.it's sustainable, that we'rd recovery, it is felt by all, and
:34:39. > :34:41.it's sustainable, that we're not going to find ourselves with a
:34:42. > :34:43.lopsided situation and an imbalance as well. We know for exampld
:34:44. > :34:43.lopsided situation and an ilbalance as well. We know for example in
:34:44. > :34:46.as well. We know for exampld in Nottingham we've still got real
:34:47. > :34:48.problems ` 18 food banks currently, and big problems with the cost of
:34:49. > :34:55.living. So positive signs hdre, living. So positive signs hdre,
:34:56. > :34:56.David, but a long way to go, is what Chris is saying. Well, a stunning
:34:57. > :35:00.Chris is saying. Well, a sttnning figure today to show that the
:35:01. > :35:04.economy's back to where it was in 2008 before the recession. So we've
:35:05. > :35:09.made huge progress, we've created a million new jobs in this cotntry in
:35:10. > :35:11.the last two years. And that's an astonishing achievement. And we ve
:35:12. > :35:14.astonishing achievement. And we've got people off benefits, we've
:35:15. > :35:19.managed to re`stimulate the British economy, and manufacturing now is
:35:20. > :35:21.racing ahead. We have huge car exports, a new car going abroad
:35:22. > :35:29.every 60 minutes. `` 16 minttes every 60 minutes. `` 16 minttes
:35:30. > :35:33.Sounds like some sort of achievement really for the Government, Chris.
:35:34. > :35:35.Well, if you believe the gloss. I don't think you can really say
:35:36. > :35:36.you've got people off benefits don't think you can really say
:35:37. > :35:37.you've got people off benefhts when you've got people off benefits when
:35:38. > :35:41.the cost of welfare has gond up the cost of welfare has gond up
:35:42. > :35:44.We've seen more people on housing benefit, we're having to subsidise
:35:45. > :35:46.low wages. The labour market is changing so it's about insecurity
:35:47. > :35:48.now, so people might be abld to changing so it's about insecurity
:35:49. > :35:50.now, so people might be abld to pick up a few hours here and there but
:35:51. > :35:53.it's zero`hours contracts. Ht's up a few hours here and there but
:35:54. > :35:55.it's zero`hours contracts. It's the it's zero`hours contracts. Ht's the
:35:56. > :35:59.sense that they're having to take on multiple jobs just to make ends
:36:00. > :36:01.meet. And I don't understand why Conservative members of Parliament,
:36:02. > :36:05.the Lib Dems in particular, the Government, are so blinkered as to
:36:06. > :36:06.refuse that there is a cost of living crisis still. Becausd
:36:07. > :36:06.refuse that there is a cost of living crisis still. Because wages
:36:07. > :36:08.living crisis still. Becausd wages have not been keeping pace with
:36:09. > :36:09.prices. People still not fedling prices. People still not feeling
:36:10. > :36:11.this recovery in their pockdt, prices. People still not fedling
:36:12. > :36:14.this recovery in their pockdt, and may not for some years to come
:36:15. > :36:18.according to analysis, David. I don't agree with that at all, and Ed
:36:19. > :36:22.Miliband never raises the economy in Parliament now because he knows he's
:36:23. > :36:25.lost the battle. And what about all the apprenticeships we've created?
:36:26. > :36:27.There's a sense that we are really moving ahead now, and that hs why I
:36:28. > :36:30.moving ahead now, and that is why I think that this will be reflected in
:36:31. > :36:31.the forthcoming elections in favour of the Conservatives.
:36:32. > :36:32.OK. Well, the economy is bound of the Conservatives.
:36:33. > :36:35.OK. Well, the economy is botnd to OK. Well, the economy is bound to
:36:36. > :36:37.play a big role in the Newark by`election, where a safe
:36:38. > :36:38.Conservative seat is facing a full`scale assault from the UKIP.
:36:39. > :36:45.It's a largely rural seat with a It's a largely rural seat with a
:36:46. > :36:47.population of 72,500. `` electorate. The main population centres are
:36:48. > :36:49.Newark itself and nearby Southwell, Newark itself and nearby Southwell,
:36:50. > :36:51.but there are many villages scattered around the constituency
:36:52. > :36:55.like Collingham and Sutton`on`Trent. Well, after boundary changes before
:36:56. > :36:58.the last election it gained parts of Rushcliffe and Bassetlaw, t`king
:36:59. > :37:00.over being in the South and Markham Moor in the North, but losing the
:37:01. > :37:03.town of Retford. It is affluent by town of Retford. It is affluent by
:37:04. > :37:06.East Midlands standards ` the average wage there is ?517 a week,
:37:07. > :37:08.compared with an average for the East Midlands of ?484, although it's
:37:09. > :37:14.just below the UK average of ?5 8. over being in the South and Markham
:37:15. > :37:17.Moor in Well, this week we decided to set up
:37:18. > :37:21.stall in the marketplace to watch the action and take the pulse of the
:37:22. > :37:29.town. Our political editor John Hess found an unusual way of attracting
:37:30. > :37:32.interviewees. With that crucial parliamentary
:37:33. > :37:43.by`election around the corner, we have come to market to do the
:37:44. > :37:49.cupcake challenge. Which party is likely to lick their lips in June,
:37:50. > :37:53.and which will end up with crumbs? Giving away tasty cupcakes isn't
:37:54. > :38:11.that easy, until at I would take the that easy, until at I would take the
:38:12. > :38:15.UKIP one. I am sticking with Labour. And look who doesn't want to miss
:38:16. > :38:21.out. The candidate with the blue research. The Conservative
:38:22. > :38:29.candidate, until recently an auctioneer. What could that majority
:38:30. > :38:34.of 16,000 end up going, going, gone? `` but could. Most people I have
:38:35. > :38:38.spoken to after a long`term constituency MP who wants to be a
:38:39. > :38:43.real champion for the area, somebody who will make a life here and follow
:38:44. > :38:43.in the tradition of some of the other Nottinghamshire MPs we
:38:44. > :38:51.in the tradition of some of the other Nottinghamshire MPs wd have
:38:52. > :38:58.had. Our cupcake swingometer lurches to
:38:59. > :39:02.UKIP. But this veteran MEP faced renewed
:39:03. > :39:09.criticism over past remarks which critics claim are homophobic. What I
:39:10. > :39:11.am concerned with is the by`election, I am not interdsted in
:39:12. > :39:12.scraping the barrel of comments by`election, I am not interested in
:39:13. > :39:16.scraping the barrel of commdnts that scraping the barrel of commdnts that
:39:17. > :39:22.were made 15 years ago. The world has moved on.
:39:23. > :39:24.Labour's candidate hopes to bite into that conservative majority. But
:39:25. > :39:30.into that conservative majority But is UKIP a help or a hindrance? I am
:39:31. > :39:35.going to concentrate on getting out and talking to people here who want
:39:36. > :39:36.an alternative. The only way they concerned that clear messagd to
:39:37. > :39:45.concerned that clear message to David Cameron is by voting for
:39:46. > :39:49.Labour. Will the Lib Dems bloom or fade? They polled 20% in the last
:39:50. > :39:52.fade? They polled 20% in thd last General Election. We are the
:39:53. > :39:53.fade? They polled 20% in the last General Election. We are thd party
:39:54. > :39:57.General Election. We are the party of Government. Add what we want to
:39:58. > :40:04.show is the real benefits of voting Lib Dem. `` am. `` and what we want
:40:05. > :40:06.to show. What if our cupcakes reflected local
:40:07. > :40:17.issues. This campaign says you end issues. This campaign says xou end
:40:18. > :40:18.up with a hot potato. Nine candidates are speaking abott
:40:19. > :40:18.up with a hot potato. Nine candidates are speaking about local
:40:19. > :40:22.candidates are speaking abott local issues. Listen to be dodging the
:40:23. > :40:27.local issues they don't want to be the hot topics.
:40:28. > :40:32.First yellow one we have got rid of today.
:40:33. > :40:38.Why are you sticking with Labour? It just looks nice.
:40:39. > :40:41.Our cupcakes have gone like hotcakes. If there is one ottcome,
:40:42. > :40:47.hotcakes. If there is one outcome, it is that the Conservatives and
:40:48. > :40:50.UKIP seemed to be neck and neck But look how many cupcakes are left
:40:51. > :40:54.here, and maybe that is an indication that the turnout in this
:40:55. > :40:59.by`election might not be th`t high. We are joined now by ten won,
:41:00. > :41:03.UKIP's campaign manager in the East Midlands. You are throwing
:41:04. > :41:10.everything at this election. `` row Paul Oakden.
:41:11. > :41:14.This is Newark's chance to speak up for the people of Britain. There are
:41:15. > :41:20.about `` there were about 20 of you when we were there. Yes, and those
:41:21. > :41:22.20 people were the result of a couple of phone calls the night
:41:23. > :41:26.couple of phone calls the nhght before. We have since then been able
:41:27. > :41:29.to send out notable e`mail requests, make hundreds of calls. Do you think
:41:30. > :41:36.make hundreds of calls. Do xou think we can win? Absolutely, the 16,000
:41:37. > :41:41.we can win? Absolutely, the 16, 00 majority means nothing now. I
:41:42. > :41:46.Conservative MP that has had to leave out of disgrace, a Lib Dem
:41:47. > :41:47.party who are disintegrating. There are votes to be picked up, `nd
:41:48. > :41:47.party who are disintegrating. There are votes to be picked up, and we
:41:48. > :41:50.are votes to be picked up, `nd we are confident UKIP can do it.
:41:51. > :41:56.Fighting talk, David. If yot vote Fighting talk, David. If you vote
:41:57. > :41:57.conservative you will get a referendum in the next Parlhament,
:41:58. > :42:05.referendum in the next Parliament, and that is what you have to
:42:06. > :42:11.remember. Nigel Farage did not want to stand in this election. H wonder
:42:12. > :42:13.why? He has got no connection to Newark, which is a sensible attitude
:42:14. > :42:17.to take. David talks about ` to take. David talks about a
:42:18. > :42:19.referendum. They might be offering a referendum, but the Conserv`tives
:42:20. > :42:21.referendum, but the Conservatives are still fighting heart and soul to
:42:22. > :42:28.remain in the U `` EU. We met a lot remain in the U `` EU. We mdt a lot
:42:29. > :42:34.of people who are turning to UKIP. I am sure we could find many who are
:42:35. > :42:37.turning to the Conservatives, because we are addressing the
:42:38. > :42:42.immigration issues. We have got ourselves away from bailing out
:42:43. > :42:44.other European countries and we still have this great trading bloc
:42:45. > :42:45.which has enabled our econoly to which has enabled our economy to
:42:46. > :42:48.grow. We are the ones who c`n which has enabled our econoly to
:42:49. > :42:50.grow. We are the ones who can lead grow. We are the ones who can lead
:42:51. > :42:53.on Europe, and UKIP is a protest vote. Chris, we are told thhs is a
:42:54. > :42:56.vote. Chris, we are told this is a safe seat. Have Labour rid ht of?
:42:57. > :43:01.safe seat. Have Labour rid it of? No, it is useful you are putting the
:43:02. > :43:09.spotlight on some of these right wing candidates. People need to know
:43:10. > :43:12.what they are standing for. Your party believes there should be
:43:13. > :43:17.charges for people to see GPs. Maybe you could clear that one up. We are
:43:18. > :43:25.happy for the spotlight to be on UKIP. Chris has done what the Labour
:43:26. > :43:28.Party seem... Talking about UKIP only taking votes from the
:43:29. > :43:30.Conservative Party which is not true. People want to know what your
:43:31. > :43:33.policies are. People were s`ying to policies are. People were saying to
:43:34. > :43:39.us they are concerned that the issues that added to them locally
:43:40. > :43:46.are being sidelined. Local issues are important. We know about the
:43:47. > :43:51.closure of the A services in Newark. Wind farms are a good
:43:52. > :43:56.example. You have 13 new wind turbines and posed for an ex`RAF
:43:57. > :44:00.airfield. Our candidate has led the argument nationally. But yot will
:44:01. > :44:01.argument nationally. But you will not answer questions about what your
:44:02. > :44:04.true agenda is. Our agenda hs to not answer questions about what your
:44:05. > :44:08.true agenda is. Our agenda is to win true agenda is. Our agenda hs to win
:44:09. > :44:14.a seat in Westminster. Does UKIP believe that people should pay to
:44:15. > :44:17.see a GP? UKIP believes in common`sense policies, and our
:44:18. > :44:23.policies are driven by what the electorate are telling us they want.
:44:24. > :44:28.It is a straight question, though. You are talking about GPs and
:44:29. > :44:33.charging. That is a manifesto commitment that we will look to make
:44:34. > :44:40.before 2015. We have a manifesto being drafted at the moment. We are
:44:41. > :44:43.the party who are suggesting that GP surgeries are open longer. Is
:44:44. > :44:46.the party who are suggesting that GP surgeries are open longer. Hs it a
:44:47. > :44:51.yes or a no? At the moment there is nothing confirmed. Your health
:44:52. > :44:57.spokesman has said he believes that people should pay to see a GP. So he
:44:58. > :45:01.is wrong? He is your health spokesman. The old parties `re
:45:02. > :45:03.suggesting that the view of one person is the policy of an dntire
:45:04. > :45:07.arty. I don't want to intervene, but arty. I don't want to intervene, but
:45:08. > :45:11.the facts are if you are gohng arty. I don't want to intervene but
:45:12. > :45:14.the facts are if you are going to make progress in making change in
:45:15. > :45:15.Europe you have to vote conservative. UKIP hasn't got the
:45:16. > :45:22.power to do it. We have alrdady made power to do it. We have already made
:45:23. > :45:28.important changes will stop in this constituency we have a first`class
:45:29. > :45:35.local candidate, and we need to see a referendum in the next Parliament
:45:36. > :45:37.to renegotiate. UKIP cannot do that. But there was a sense that people
:45:38. > :45:40.want a change. They feel th`t this want a change. They feel th`t this
:45:41. > :45:46.is a time for change. Nobody else is a time for change. Nobody else
:45:47. > :45:48.can deliver the change. We have rebuilt the economy of the TK. We
:45:49. > :45:51.are racing ahead now, and we are the are racing ahead now, and wd are the
:45:52. > :45:52.only ones who can bring about are racing ahead now, and we are the
:45:53. > :45:58.only ones who can bring about change in Europe. Labour cannot do it, UKIP
:45:59. > :46:01.cannot do it. If you want changes in Europe, if you want to power brought
:46:02. > :46:04.back for the new K, food Conservative. I think you need
:46:05. > :46:06.back for the new K, food Conservative. I think you nded to
:46:07. > :46:13.Conservative. I think you need to show leadership in Europe. Going
:46:14. > :46:22.down that more Thatcherite than Thatcher route with UKIP, would be a
:46:23. > :46:26.big mistake. We are talking about UKIP taking votes from the
:46:27. > :46:31.Conservatives. It is just not true. UKIP are having more success if
:46:32. > :46:32.anything in Labour areas. Not if you're going to charge people to see
:46:33. > :46:40.a doctor. You keep talking `bout a doctor. You keep talking `bout
:46:41. > :46:43.that. The Lib Dems are not represented here. At least we know
:46:44. > :46:52.where they stand in Europe, they want to remain. You have got an MEP
:46:53. > :47:42.standing in the Newark. A safe pair of hands? `` Newark.
:47:43. > :47:48.therapies, and David's a long time `` long`term advocate. But are they
:47:49. > :47:55.a waste of time and money? I think the bouncer to a lot of
:47:56. > :49:11.problems medically are out there, and you
:49:12. > :49:11.on integrated health care. Should alter remedies be available on the
:49:12. > :49:18.NHS? They already are, including NHS? They already are, including
:49:19. > :49:23.homoeopathy. We desperately need an expansion of alternative medicine,
:49:24. > :49:26.because the Chief Medical Officer has published a book saying that
:49:27. > :49:30.antibiotic resistance is a major antibiotic resistance is a lajor
:49:31. > :49:33.problem. But herbal remedies cannot replace virtually? They can take the
:49:34. > :49:37.strain, they can replace sole strain, they can replace some
:49:38. > :49:43.treatments. Treatments that have been in use for 1000 years.
:49:44. > :49:47.Homoeopathic medicine, you can treat all kinds of minor complaints, keep
:49:48. > :49:54.people away from dog was, and empower them. And people `` keep
:49:55. > :49:56.them away from doctors. Jeremy Hunt asked the Chief Medical Offhcer to
:49:57. > :50:03.asked the Chief Medical Officer to look at them is a smack somd
:50:04. > :50:06.studies, `` some studies, and they were not seem to be inconclusive.
:50:07. > :50:08.Chris, what do you make of ht were not seem to be inconcltsive.
:50:09. > :50:08.Chris, what do you make of it all? Chris, what do you make of it all?
:50:09. > :50:11.Lots of people will have thdir own Lots of people will have their own
:50:12. > :50:13.views, and science has not xet views, and science has not yet
:50:14. > :50:18.discovered all the potential viewers out there, but if it is taxpayers'
:50:19. > :50:21.money it has got to be eviddnce lead. There might be a placebo
:50:22. > :50:26.lead. There might be a placdbo effect with some of these, but it is
:50:27. > :50:28.not good enough. I was looking at not good enough. I was looking at
:50:29. > :50:30.studies this week that show if France were dog is who use
:50:31. > :50:31.homoeopathic medicine can rdduce France were dog is who use
:50:32. > :50:34.homoeopathic medicine can reduce the homoeopathic medicine can reduce the
:50:35. > :50:40.drugs bill for the NHS by 14%. `` drugs bill for the NHS by 15%. ``
:50:41. > :50:50.doctors. So alternative medicine increases choice, reduces cost. You
:50:51. > :50:53.cannot just say... There is evidence, the National Insthtute for
:50:54. > :50:58.evidence, the National Institute for clinical excellence now provides
:50:59. > :51:01.acupuncture for lower back pain. At one time medics couldn't understand,
:51:02. > :51:05.right, then they discovered it was to do with contaminated watdr. They
:51:06. > :51:15.to do with contaminated water. They couldn't understand cholera. We
:51:16. > :51:19.should turn our blind eye to the fact that there are finite
:51:20. > :51:24.resources. Medical evidence has got to come first. It is cheap, safe and
:51:25. > :51:29.effective. And you are a fan. I have used it
:51:30. > :51:36.for 25 years. And you should be allowed to. But don't ask the
:51:37. > :51:41.taxpayer to do it. We have to leave it there!
:51:42. > :51:44.Time for a round`up of some of the other political stories in the East
:51:45. > :51:49.Midlands this week; here's John with 60 Seconds.
:51:50. > :51:52.The Green Party has condemndd a The Green Party has condemndd a
:51:53. > :51:57.decision by the struggling Co`op Group to sell off 15 farms as a job
:51:58. > :51:59.lot to raise cash. One of the farms is Staunton Estate in
:52:00. > :52:02.Leicestershire. The Greens say community groups should be given a
:52:03. > :52:05.chance to bid. The argument over the final resting
:52:06. > :52:09.place for Richard III broke out in the Commons this week. A Yorkshire
:52:10. > :52:11.MP said it should be decided by public consultation. The Lehcester
:52:12. > :52:13.public consultation. The Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth leapt to his
:52:14. > :52:17.city's defence. And the reldvant city's defence. And the relevant
:52:18. > :52:20.licence granted by the Ministry of Justice was very specific, that
:52:21. > :52:23.should Richard be found, his remains should be buried in Leicester.
:52:24. > :52:27.should be buried in Leicestdr. And finally, what do you do when
:52:28. > :52:31.your MP boss is forced to rdsign in disgrace? Patrick Mercer's former
:52:32. > :52:35.parliamentary assistant Ed Baker is also a talented musician. Hd's off
:52:36. > :52:39.to America to promote his jazz to America to promote his j`zz
:52:40. > :52:49.album, which has broken into the top 40 in the States. `` he is off to
:52:50. > :52:54.California. Nice(!) That's the Sunday Politics here in the East
:52:55. > :52:58.Midlands. Thanks to my guests, Chris and
:52:59. > :53:01.David. Next week we'll be looking at the local council and Europdan
:53:02. > :53:04.elections. Time to hand you back to Andrew Neil.
:53:05. > :53:17.the website now. Now it is back to you, Andrew.
:53:18. > :53:25.Welcome back, let's go straight to our panel. What did you make of Mr
:53:26. > :53:29.Alexander's defence of the Labour party election broadcast? It is
:53:30. > :53:32.difficult for them because they started by saying they were not
:53:33. > :53:38.going to do negative campaigning and they have thrown that away for an
:53:39. > :53:46.advert which is funny but crude in the class war sense. He didn't look
:53:47. > :53:51.thrilled to be defending it. There is a page in Tony Blair's memoirs
:53:52. > :53:55.talking about negative campaigning, and he says that anything too
:53:56. > :54:07.extreme turns off the average voter so his line of attack on Hague was
:54:08. > :54:12.funny jokes but... I think this failed the Blair test, it was too
:54:13. > :54:19.vicious. If your strategy is to shore up your car vote, that advert
:54:20. > :54:25.was genius. If your strategy is to reach out to a broader number of
:54:26. > :54:29.voters, Middle Britain, then that advert was a complete disaster. It
:54:30. > :54:33.looks like there is a lot of negativity and smears all round in
:54:34. > :54:51.the next year. That definitely looks the way we are going. They will be
:54:52. > :55:03.essentially trying to re-run by -- the American election. I am slightly
:55:04. > :55:08.puzzled why we cannot have our own election gurus who live here and
:55:09. > :55:15.understand the country. I should point out that the ?450 extra VAT
:55:16. > :55:20.that was claimed in that Labour poster, both Ed Balls and the Labour
:55:21. > :55:27.Treasury team have said that is ?450 per year. Nonsense the VAT rise, one
:55:28. > :55:31.year. I should also point out that Nigel Farage said to Norman Smith,
:55:32. > :55:38.the BBC is always reliable Norman Smith that if you run in Newark and
:55:39. > :55:43.lost the bubble would burst. I should also point out that although
:55:44. > :55:48.a number of the tax rises I mentioned on council tax, minimum
:55:49. > :55:53.wage tax and some other things that UKIP wants to cuts, a couple of
:55:54. > :55:59.these are in the local manifesto but several are not. They are on the
:56:00. > :56:06.UKIP website, which is still current and dated 2014. We like to make sure
:56:07. > :56:11.we are absolutely right. Let's talk about Nick Clegg and Michael Gove
:56:12. > :56:19.and the latest spat. Let me show you this headline in the Observer this
:56:20. > :56:31.morning. From both the Independent, he called him a zealot, lunatic is
:56:32. > :56:36.of -- another word. Do we take this seriously? It hinges on this
:56:37. > :56:40.question of what counts as an area of need in education. The Lib Dems
:56:41. > :56:45.say an area of need is one where there are not enough school places
:56:46. > :56:49.to meet local demand. He says it can also be a place where there are
:56:50. > :57:00.surplus places but that is for a reason. Local places don't trust
:57:01. > :57:07.those schools to do a good job for their kids. It surprises me because
:57:08. > :57:10.there isn't a yawning distance between David Laws and Michael Gove.
:57:11. > :57:16.David Laws has found himself between a rock and a hard place because I
:57:17. > :57:19.asked -- as I understand it most Lib Dems don't like the free schools but
:57:20. > :57:27.Mr laws was quite sympathetic to it and he is now having to this respect
:57:28. > :57:31.it. When they asked people who are the most hated politicians in a poll
:57:32. > :57:47.were this week, Michael Gove is off the charts, far above David Cameron
:57:48. > :57:50.or George Osborne. This is tit-for-tat war. The Liberal
:57:51. > :57:54.Democrats believe Michael Gove had a hand in leaking the document that
:57:55. > :57:58.showed Nick Clegg was opposing the tougher Chris Grayling position on
:57:59. > :58:03.knife crime. They are saying there were Cabinet ministers who never
:58:04. > :58:07.usually attend the sub Cabinet meeting, they turned up and the
:58:08. > :58:12.document is leaked so what we are getting is tit for tat on that. It
:58:13. > :58:16.is inevitable but it is not good for either side of the Coalition. Voters
:58:17. > :58:22.will look at it and say it is politics of the playground. I read
:58:23. > :58:33.in the Mail on Sunday this morning that some Tory insiders are accusing
:58:34. > :58:37.Lib Dems of spreading rumours about the camera in marriage. The
:58:38. > :58:51.rebuttals of education story is that the free school meals is sucking
:58:52. > :58:57.money away. I always thought they would work together without fuss and
:58:58. > :59:02.yet it has been more the source of disagreement then I would have
:59:03. > :59:06.expected a couple of years ago. Is it serious? It is serious obviously,
:59:07. > :59:12.using that language, but is it fatal for the Coalition? I think it is a
:59:13. > :59:16.road bump because I don't think anybody wants to dissolve the
:59:17. > :59:21.Coalition. It is a challenge for Labour because where do they stand
:59:22. > :59:25.on the free schools? They invented the Academy programme so it is
:59:26. > :59:28.difficult for them to take a hands-off approach at this stage.
:59:29. > :59:31.There was a danger for Michael Gove that he looks ideological but the
:59:32. > :59:35.danger for the Liberal Democrats is that they are breaking the rules for
:59:36. > :59:38.the Coalition they said that they wouldn't break which is that they
:59:39. > :59:47.looked like opposition in government. Is Michael Gove's
:59:48. > :59:54.position safe? Very safe. If he moves in a reshuffle that will be to
:59:55. > :59:57.a a job. That's all for today. The Daily Politics will be back on BBC
:59:58. > :00:01.Two at lunchtime from Tuesday onwards. I'll be back here on BBC
:00:02. > :00:02.One at 11am next week. Remember if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday
:00:03. > :00:50.Politics. What if the person
:00:51. > :00:52.that killed her... I found out she'd been taking drugs.
:00:53. > :00:56.Just let me explain. You wasn't at that party all night.
:00:57. > :00:59.Yeah, I was. What was she even doing there?
:01:00. > :01:01.Oi, you keep your mouth shut. She was exchanging a significant
:01:02. > :01:04.number of texts and calls with someone in the weeks
:01:05. > :01:07.leading up to her death. It's like we didn't
:01:08. > :01:13.really know her at all. You never know what goes on
:01:14. > :01:17.behind closed doors.