25/05/2014 Sunday Politics East Midlands

Good morning, welcome to the Sunday Politics. Senior Liberal Democrats

say the public has lost trust in Nick Clegg. They call for him to go

after the local election meltdown. And before the likely Europa rove a

catastrophe tonight. Labour and Tories struggled to cope with the

UKIP insurgency as Nigel Farage hosts his success and declares the

UKIP Fox is in the Westminster henhouse.

And in the East Midlands: The latest on what the local elections mean in

our area. And fasten your seat belts, it's Ken

Clarke versus UKIP in the studio. hall spread, the Liberal Democrats

disappeared, UKIP failed to show. More analysis in just over half an

hour. Cooped up in the Sunday Politics

henhouse, our own boot should -- bunch of headless chickens. Nick

Watt, Helen Lewis, Janan Ganesh. The Liberal Democrats lost over 300

councillors on Thursday, on top of the losses in previous years, the

local government base has been whittled away in many parts of the

country. Members of the European Parliament will face a similar

comment when the results are announced tonight. A small but

growing chorus of Liberal Democrats have called on Nick Clegg to go

This is what the candidate in West Dorset had to say.

People know that locally we worked incredibly hard on their councils

and as their MPs, but Nick Clegg is perceived to have not been

trustworthy in leadership. Do you trust him? He has lacked bone on

significant issues that are the core values of our party.

This is how the party president responded.

At this time, it would be foolish for us as a party to turn in on

ourselves. What has separated us from the Conservatives is, while

they have been like cats in a sack, we have stood united, and that is

what we will continue to do. The major reason why is because we

consented to the coalition, unlike the Conservatives. We had a vote,

and a full conference. Is there a growing question over

Nick Clegg's leadership? Different people have different views. My own

view is I need to consult my own activists and members before coming

to a conclusion. I am looking at holding a meeting for us to discuss

the issue. I have been told by some people they do not think a meeting

is required, they think he should stay, and other people have decided

he should go. As a responsible Democrat, I should consult the

members here before coming to my conclusions. What is your view at

the moment? I have got to listen to my members. But you must have some

kind of you. Because I have an open mind, I do not think he must stay, I

am willing to say I have not made my mind up. From a news point of view,

that is my official position. I can assure you there is not much news in

that! I said earlier I am not going to say he must go must stay, I am

consulting my members. But you must have some kind of view of your own

before you have listened to your members. There are people who are

wrongfully sanctioned and end up using food banks, I am upset about

that, because we should not allow... I do not mind having a

sanctioning system, that I get constituents who are put in this

position, we should not accept that. I rebel on the issue of a referendum

on membership of the EU. I am also concerned about the way the rules

have been changed in terms of how parents are treated in their ability

to take children to funerals out of school time. There are questions

about the leader's responsible T for those policies. Nick Clegg has made

it clear he is a staunch pro-European, he wants the Liberal

Democrats to be in, he does not want a referendum, if you lose a chunk of

your MEPs tonight, what does that say about how in June you are with

written public opinion? There are issues with how you publish your

policies. I do not agree 100% with what the government is doing or with

what Nick Clegg says. I do think we should stay within the EU, because

the alternative means we have less control over our borders. There is a

presentational issue, because what UKIP want, to leave the EU, is worse

in terms of control of borders, which is their main reason for

wanting to leave, which is strange. There are debate issues, but I have

got personal concerns, I do worry about the impact on my constituents

when they face wrongful sanctions. You have said that. A fellow Liberal

Democrat MP has compared Nick Clegg to a general at the Somme, causing

carnage amongst the troops. I am more interested in the policy

issues, are we doing the right things? I do think the coalition was

essential, we had to rescue the country from financial problems. My

own view on the issue of student finance, we did the right thing in

accordance with the pledge, which was to get a better system, more

students are going to university, and more from disadvantaged

backgrounds. But there are issues. But Nick Clegg survive as leader

through till the next election? It depends what odds you will give me!

If you are not going to give me is, I am not going to get! If you listen

to John hemming, he has got nothing to worry about. He does have

something to worry about, they lost 300 seats, on the uniform swing, you

would see people like Vince cable and Simon Hughes lose their seats.

But nobody wants to be the one to we'll be nice, they would rather

wait until after the next election, and then rebuild the party. Yes

there is no chance of him walking away. Somebody like Tim Farron or

Vince Cable, whoever the successor is, though have to close the dagger

ten months before an election, do they want that spectacle? If I were

Nick Clegg, I would walk away, it is reasonably obvious that the

left-wing voters who defect had towards the Labour Party in 2010

will not return while he is leader. And anything he was going to achieve

historically, the already has done. Unlike David Miliband, sorry, Ed

historically, the already has done. transformed the

-- what is Vince Cable going to do? Vince Cable is in China, on a

business trip. It is like John Major's toothache in 1990. What is

Tim Farron doing? He is behind Nick Clegg,

Tim Farron doing? He is behind Nick next election? Yes. Yes. Yes. I am

sorry, Nick Clegg, you are finished! We will speak to Paddy

Ashdown in the second part of the show to speak about the Liberal

Democrats. The UKIP insurgency could not deliver the promised earthquake,

but it produced enough shock waves to discombobulated the established

parties. They are struggling to work out how to deal with them. We

watched it all unfold. Behind the scenes of any election

night is intensely busy. Those in charge of party strategy and

logistics want their people focused, working with purpose and rehearsed

to make sure their spin on the results is what viewers remember and

take on board. A bit of a buzz of activity inside the BBC's studio,

kept and primed for the results. What this does not show due is the

exterior doubles up for hospital dramas like Holby City, there are

doorways that are mock-ups of accident and emergency, but the

electorate will discover which of the parties they have put into

intensive care, which ones are coming out of recovery and which

ones are in rude health. We joined David Dimbleby. Good evening,

welcome to the BBC's new election centre. When three big beasts become

for on the political field, things have changed. Eric Pickles says we

will be seen off next year, we will see you at Westminster! This party

is going to break through next year, and you never know, we might even

hold the balance of power. Old messages that gave voters in excuses

to go elsewhere on the ballot paper exposed the older players to

questions from within their ranks. In the hen house of the House of

Commons, the fox that wants to get in has ruffled feathers. The reason

they have had amazing success, a rapid rise, partly what Chuka Umunna

says about being a repository, but they have also managed to sound like

human beings, and that his Nigel Farage's eight victory. For some

conservatives, a pact was the best form of defence. It would be

preferable if all members of UKIP and voters became Tories overnight.

That seems to be an ambitious proposition. Therefore, we need to

do something that welcomes them on board in a slightly different way.

Labour had successes, but nobody but they're wizards of Spain was

completely buying a big success story. Gaffes behind the scenes and

strategic errors were levelled at those who have managed the campaign.

They have played a clever game, you shuffle bedecked around, and if UKIP

does quite well but not well enough, that helps Labour get in. That kind

of mindset will not win the general election, and we saw that in the tap

ticks and strategy, and that is why, on our leaflets for the European

elections, we chose deliberately not to attack UKIP, that was a bad

error. Not so, so somebody who has been in that spotlight. If you look

at the electoral maths, UKIP will still be aiming at the Tories in a

general election. They are the second party in Rotherham, Labour

will always hold what the room, it is safe, there is no point being

second in a safe seat. UKIP have taken Castle Point, a Tory seat they

will target. The question for the next election, can they make a

challenge? The Tories will be under the gun from UKIP. The substance of

these results is UKIP not in government, they do not have any

MPs, they do not run a single Council, at dismissing them ceased

to be an option. The question is, who will they heard most and how do

you smoke the keeper's threat? Joining me now, day about and

Patrick O'Flynn. Do you agree not enough was done for the elections?

No, we have very good results around Hammersmith and Fulham, Croydon

Redbridge, and we picked off council wards in Haringey meaning that Lynne

Featherstone and Simon Hughes worked on. The Ashcroft polling shows that

in key marginals, we are well ahead and on course to win in 2015. I will

be