14/09/2014 Sunday Politics East Midlands

Welcome to the Sunday Politics, coming to you live from Edinburgh.

Terrorists who use the name Islamic State have carried out

their threat to murder the British aid worker, David Haines.

They released a video late last night, showing a masked man

beheading Mr Haines, who was taken captive in Syria 18 months ago.

The jihadist group have already beheaded two American journalists.

Now it's threatening the life of a second British hostage.

David Cameron described the murder as an act of pure evil.

President Obama said the US stood shoulder to shoulder

Alex Salmond says Scotland "stands on the cusp of history" as

he predicts a historic and substantial victory in

As the latest polls show the two sides neck and neck,

I'll ask Yes campaigner and socialist Tommy Sheridan about his

And after last week's last-minute interventions from Gordon Brown

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and big business, I'll ask

In the East Midlands, we have the it's enough to win over waverers.

In the East Midlands, we have the fastest`growing economy in the

country but step closer back to Parliament. Is

it a lame-duck administration? Late last night, as most folk were

preparing for bed, news broke that Islamic State extremists had carried

out their threat to murder the The group released a video, similar

to the ones in which two American journalists were decapitated,

showing a masked man apparently beheading Mr Haines who was taken

captive in Syria last year. The terrorist,

who has a southern British accent, also threatened the life

of a second hostage from the UK Mr Haines is

the third Westerner to be killed His family have paid tribute to

his humanitarian work; they say he David Cameron described the murder

as an act of pure evil, and said his heart went out to Mr Haines

family, who had shown extraordinary Mr Cameron went on to say,

"We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers

and ensure they face justice, Mr Haines was born in England

and brought up in Scotland. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond

condemned the killing on the Marr Well, it's an act of unspeakable

barbarism that we have seen. Obviously our condolences go to the

family members of David Haynes who have borne this with such fortitude

in recent months -- David Alex Salmond was also asked

whether he supported military action Haines there is no reason to believe

whatsoever that China or Russia or any country will see their will to

deal with this barbarism. There is a will for effective, international,

legal action but it must come in that fashion, and I would urge that

to be a consideration to develop a collective response to what is a

threat to humanity. Our security correspondent

Gordon Corera joins me now Gordon, as we speak, the Cobra

emergency meeting is meeting yet again. It meets a lot these days. I

would suggest that the options facing this committee and Mr Cameron

are pretty limited. That's right. I think they are extremely limited.

They have been all along in these hostage situations. We know, for

instance, that British government policy is not to pay ransom is to

kidnappers. Other Europeans states are thought to have done so to get

hostages released, and also not to make substantive policy concessions

to the groups, so while there might be contact, there won't be a lot of

options left. We know the US in the past has looked at rescue missions

and in July on operation to free the hostages, landing at the oil

facility in Syria but finding no one there. If you look at the options,

they are not great. That is the difficult situation which Cobra will

have been discussing the last hour. Does this make it more likely,

because it might have the direction the government was going in any way,

that we join with the Americans in perhaps the regional allies in air

strikes against Islamic State, not just in Iraq, but also in Syria We

heard from President Obama outlining his strategy against Islamic State

last week when he talked about building a coalition, about

authorising air strikes. And training troops. We are still

waiting to hear what exact role the UK will play in that. We know it

will play a role because it has been arming the fishmonger forces but the

question is, will it actually conduct military strikes in Iraq --

arming the passion are there. We have not got a clear answer from

government and that is something where they are ours to discuss what

was around the table. It's possible we might learn some more today as a

result of the Cobra meeting, but I think the government will be wanting

to not be seen to suddenly rushed to a completely different policy as a

result of one incident, however terrible it is. Whether it hardens

their reserve -- resolved to play more active role in the coalition,

that's possible, but we have to wait see to get the detail. -- wait and

see. What the whole country would like to see would be British and

American special forces going in and getting these guys. I think that

would unite the nation. But that is very difficult, isn't it? It is As

you saw with a rescue mission a few months ago, the problem is getting

actionable intelligence on the ground at a particular moment. The

theory is that the group of kidnappers are moving the hostages

may be even every or few days, so you need intelligence and quickly

and then you need to be able to get the team onto the ground into that

time frame. That is clearly a possibility and something they will

be looking at, but it certainly challenging, particularly when you

have a group like this operating within its own state, effectively,

and knowing that other people are looking very hard for it and doing

everything they can to hide. Gordon, thank you very much.

Clegg dropped everything and headed to Scotland when a poll last Sunday

gave the YES vote its first ever lead in this prolonged referendum

If their reaction looked like panic, that's because it was.

Until last weekend, though the polls had been narrowing,

the consensus was still that NO would carry the day.

The new consensus is that it's too close to call.

If we look back at the beginning of the year, public opinion in Scotland

was fairly settled. The no campaign had a commanding lead across the

opinion polls, excluding the undecided voters. At one point, at

the end of last year, an average of 63% backed the no campaign and only

37% supported a yes vote. As we move into 2014 and up to this week, you

can see a clear trend emerging as the lead for the no campaign gets

narrower and narrower and the average of the most recent polls has

the contest hanging in the balance. There was a poll a week ago that put

the Yes campaign in the lead for the first time, 51% against 49%, but

that lead was not reflected in the other polls last week. For polls

were published last night, one by Salvation, for the macro-2 campaign

-- Better Together campaign, and there was another that gave a one

percentage point different. ICM have the yes campaign back in the lead at

54% and the no campaign at 46%, but their sample size was 705 Scottish

adults, smaller than usual. Another suggests that the contest remains on

a knife edge with 49.4% against 50.6%. When fed into the poll of

polls the figures average out with yes at 49% and polls -- no at 5 %.

But some people think 18% are undecided, and it is how they vote

gets -- when they get to the polling booths that could make all the

difference. campaigner and Respect Party MP

George Galloway. Welcome to the Sunday Politics. Big

business, big oil, big banks, the Tories, the Orange order, all

against Scottish independence. You sure you are on right side? Yes

because the interests of working people are in staying together. This

is a troubled moment in a marriage, a very long marriage, in which some

good things and bad things have been achieved together. And there is no

doubt that the crockery is being thrown around the house of the

minute. But I believe that the underlying interests of working

people are on working on the relationship rather than divorce. I

have been divorced. It's a very messy, acrimonious, bitter affair

and it's particularly bad for the children will stop that's why I am

here. You talk about working people, and particularly Scottish working

people, they seem to have concluded that the social democracy they want

to create cannot now be done in a UK context. Why should they not have a

shot of going it alone? Because the opposite will happen. Separation

will cause a race to the bottom in taxation. Alex Salmond has already

announced he will cut the taxes on companies, corporation tax, down to

3% hello whatever it is in the rest of these islands. And business will

only be attracted to come here, country of 5 million people on if

there is low regulation, low public expenditure, low levels of taxation

for them will stop you cannot have Scandinavian social democracy on

Texan levels of taxation. The British government, as will be, the

rest of the UK, they will race Alex Salmond to the bottom. If he cuts it

by three, they will cut it by four. And so on. So whether some people

cannot see it clearly yet or not, the interests of the working people

on both sides of the border would be gravely damaged by separation. Let's

take the interest of the working people. As you know, as well as

anyone, the coalition is in fermenting both a series of cuts and

reforms in welfare, and labour, Westminster Labour, has only limited

plans to reverse any of that. Surely if you want to preserve the welfare

state as it is, independence is the way to do it. For the reasons I just

explain, I don't believe that. But Ed Miliband will be along in a

minute. He will be along in May The polls indicate... They say he is

only four or 5%, that is the average. Like the referendum, the

next general election could be nip and tuck. I don't, myself, think

that the time of David Cameron as Prime Minister is for much longer. I

think there will be a Labour government in the spring and the

Labour government in London and a stronger Scottish Parliament, super

Devo Max, that is now on the table. That is the best arrangement of

people in the country. But the people of Scotland surely cannot

base a decision on independence on your feeling that Labour might win

the next general election. It is my feeling. When the Tories were beaten

on the bedroom tax last week in the house, it was written all over the

faces of the government side not only that they were headed for

defeat, but probably a massive fishy -- Fisher. I think the race to the

bottom that I have proper size will mean that the welfare state will be

a distant memory quite soon. The cuts and the run on the Scottish

economy here in Edinburgh, the financial services industry, that

will be gravely damage. The Ministry of Defence jobs in Scotland

decimated, probably ended, more or less. It will be a time of cuts and

austerity, maybe super austerity in an independent Scotland. You

mentioned defence. What about nuclear weapons? The Tories and

Labour will keep them. You are against them. Surely the only way to

be rid of them in Scotland is by independence. But you are not rid of

them by telling them down the river. The danger would be the same --

telling them down the river. The danger would be the same. Nuclear

radiation does not respect Alex Salmond's national boundaries. They

would be committed to immediately joining NATO, which is bristling

with nuclear weapons and is what -- involved in wars across the

Atlantic. So anyone looking for a peace option will have to elect a

government in Britain as a whole that will get rid of nuclear weapons

and get out of military entanglements. We are in one again

now. I have been up the whole night, till 5am, dealing with some of the

consequences and implications of the grave international matter that you

opened the show with. David Haines and the fate of the hostage still in

their hands. There are many other hostages as well. And there are many

people dying who are neither British nor American. I have, somehow, been

drawn into this matter. And it showed me, again, that the world is

interdependent. It is absolutely riven with division and hatred, and

this is the worst possible time to be opting out of the world to set up

a small mini-state on the promises of Alex Salmond of social democracy

funded by Texan taxes. Let's, for the sake of the next question,

assume that everything you have told us is true. Why is your side

squandering a 20 point lead? I will have a great deal to say

about that, whatever the result This is very much a Scottish Labour

project, is that not a condemnation of Scottish Labour? It is

potentially on its deathbed. The country breaking up, the principal

responsibility will be on them. And the pitiful, absolutely pitiful job

that has been made of defending a 300-year-old relationship in this

island by the Scottish Labour leadership is really terrible for me

to behold, even though I'm no longer one of them. I don't know how they

are going to get out of this deathbed. Do you agree that if this

referendum is lost by your side it will be because traditional

working-class Labour voters, particularly in the west of

Scotland, have abundant Labour and decided to vote for independence?

Without a doubt, the number of Labour voters intending to vote yes

is disturbingly high. Even just months ago during the European

Parliament elections, swathes of people who didn't vote SNP will be

voting yes on Thursday. That is a grave squandering of a great legacy

of Scottish Labour history, which history will decree as

unforgivable. If Labour is to get out of its deathbed in Scotland it

will have to become Labour again. Real Labour again. I am ready to

help them with that. My goodness, they need help with it. I wonder if

it isn't just a failure of Labour in Scotland. People all over Britain

are increasingly fed up with the Westminster system, but it is only

the Scots who currently have the chance to break free from it, so why

shouldn't they? That is exactly right. They see a parliament of

expenses cheats led by Lord snooty and the Bullingdon club elite,

carrying through austerity for many but not for themselves and they are

repulsed by it. They need change, but you can go backwards and call it

change but it will be worse than the situation you have now. A lot of

Scottish people don't buy that. It is a big gamble. If I were poised to

put my family's life savings on the roulette table in Las Vegas, my wife

would not be scaremongering if she pointed out the potential

consequences if I'd lost. She would not be negative by telling me that

is my children's money I am risking. If I jumped off this roof it would

change my point of view, but it would be worse than the point of

view I have now. There is another issue here because the Scots are

being asked to gamble on the Westminster parties, which they are

already suspicious of, of delivering home rule. Alistair Darling could

not even tell me if Ed Balls had signed off on more income tax powers

for Scotland, so that is a gamble for the Scots. I feel the British

state has had such a shake out of all this that they would be beyond

idiots, they would be insane now to risk all of this flaring up again

because whatever happens, if we win on Thursday, it is going to be

narrowly. It will be a severe fissure in Scotland. A great deal of

unpleasantness that we are already aware of. That could turn but we're

still. It would be dicing with death, playing with fire, to let

Scottish people down after Thursday if we narrowly win. If you narrowly

win, and if there are moves to this home rule Mr Brown has been talking

about, England hasn't spoken yet on this. Whilst England would probably

not want to stop -- stop Scotland getting this, they would say, what

about us? It could delay the whole procedure. It is necessary, you are

right. England should have home rule, and I screamed at Scottish

Labour MPs going into the vote to introduce tuition fees in England. I

told them this was a constitutional monstrosity, as well as a crime

against young people in England It was risking everything. We are led

by idiots. Our leaders are not James Bonds, they are Austin powers. We

need to change the leadership, not rip up a 300-year-old marriage.

Thank you. It's been one of the longest and

hardest fought political campaigns in history, with Alex Salmond firing

the starting gun on the referendum Adam's been stitching together

the key moments of the campaign It is the other thing drawing people

to the Scottish parliament, the new great tapestry of Scotland. It is

the story of battles won and lost, Scottish moments, British moments,

famous Scots, and not so famous Scots. There is even a panel

dedicated to the rise of the SNP. Alex Salmond's majority in the

elections in 2011 made the referendum inevitable. It became

reality when he and David Cameron did a deal in Edinburgh one year

later. The Scottish Government set out its plans for independence in

this book, just a wish list to some, a sacred text to others. This White

Paper is the most detailed improvements that any people have

ever been offered in the world as a basis for becoming an independent

country. The no campaign, called Better Together, united the Tories,

Labour and the Lib Dems under the leadership of Alistair Darling. Then

the Scottish people were bombarded with two years of photo

opportunities and a lot of campaigning. For the no campaign,

Jim Murphy went on tour but took a break when he was egged and his

events were often hijacked by yes campaigners who were accused of

being intimidating. In turn, they accused the no campaign of using

scare tactics. Things heated up when the TV dinner -- during the TV

debate. Fever pitch was reached one week ago when one poll suggested the

yes campaign was in the lead for the first time. The three main

Westminster leaders ditched PMQs to head north. I think people can feel

it is like a general election, that you make a decision and five years

later you can make another decision if you are fed up with the Tories,

give them a kick... This is totally different. And Labour shelved not

quite 100 MPs onto the train, Alex Salmond took a helicopter instead.

This is about the formation of the NHS. A big theme of the yes campaign

is that changes to the NHS in Linden -- in England would lead to

privatisation in Scotland. Alex Salmond's plan to share the pound

was trashed by big names. There were other big question is, what would

happen to military hardware like Trident based on the Clyde? Would an

independent Scotland be able to join the EU? And how much oil was left

underneath the North Sea? This panel is about famous Scots, we

have Annie Lennox, Stephen Hendry, Sean Connery. I cannot see Gordon

Brown. These are big changes we are proposing to strengthen the Scottish

parliament, but at the same time to stay as part of the UK. A regular on

the campaign, he was front and centre when things got close,

unveiling a timetable for more devolution. People wondered whether

Ed Miliband was able to reach the parts of Scotland Labour leader

should reach, and at Westminster some Tories pondered whether David

Cameron could stay as prime minister if there was a yes vote. This

tapestry is nonpartisan so it is a good place to get away from it all

but it is crystallising voters' views. Look at what we have

contributed to Great Britain, and I am British and I hope to be staying

British. This is what people from Scotland have done, taken to the

rest of the world in many cases and I think I am going to vote yes. I am

so inspired by it. It has certainly inspired me to have a go at

stitching. How long do you think it would take to do the whole thing? I

would say to put aside maybe 30 hours of stitching. Maybe by the

time I am done, we will know more about how the fabric of the nation

might be changing. And I've been joined

by yes campaigner and convenor of Scotland's Solidarity socialist

party, Tommy Sheridan. An economy dependent on oil, the

Queen as head of state, membership of the world 's premier nuclear

alliance of capitalist nations is that the socialist Scotland you are

fighting for? No, that is the SNP's prospectus and they are entitled to

put forward their vision, but it is not mine or that of the majority of

Scotland. We will find out in two years. On Thursday we are not voting

for a political party, we are voting for our freedom as a country. That

is why people are going to vote yes on Thursday. A lot of people are

voting for what you call freedom because they think it will be more

Scotland. You have already got free prescriptions, no tuition fees, free

care for the elderly. You might not in future have that if public

spending is overdependent on the price of oil, over which you have no

control. We don't have to worry about one single resource, we

already have 20% of the fishing stock in Europe. We already have 25%

of the wind, wave and solar power generation. We, as an independent

country, have huge resources, natural resources but also people

resources. We have five first-class universities, food and beverages

industry which is the envy of the world. We have the ability to

produce the resources on the revenues that won't just maintain

the health service and education but it will develop health and

education. I don't want to stand still, I want to redistribute

wealth. But all of the projections of public spending for an

independent Scotland show that to keep spending at the current level

you need a strong price of oil and you are dependent on this commodity

which goes up and down and sideways. That is a gamble. I have got to

laugh because I have been told the most pessimistic is that in 40 years

the oil is running out, panic stations! If you were told by the

BBC you could only guarantee employment for the next 40 years you

would be over the moon. I am talking about in the next five. You need 50%

of your revenues to come from oil to continue spending and that is not a

guarantee. Of course it is, the minimum survival of the oil is 0

years. Please get your viewers to go onto the Internet and look at the

website called oilandgas.com. The West Coast has 100 years of oil to

be extracted. It hasn't been done because in 1981 Michael Heseltine

said we cannot extract the oil because we have Trident going up and

down there. Let's get rid of Trident and extract the oil. You are a trot

right, why have you failed to learn his famous dictum, socialism in one

country is impossible. Revolutions and change are not just single

event. What will happen here on Thursday is a democratic revolution.

The people are fed up of being patronised and lied to by this mob

in Westminster who have used and abused us for far too long. The

smaller people now have a voice What about socialism in one

country? Mr Trotsky warned you against that. The no campaign

represents the past. The yes campaign represents the future. That

is the truth of the matter. What we are going to do in an independent

Scotland is tackle inequality and a scourge of low pay. If we vote no on

Thursday, there will be more low pay on Friday, more poverty and food

banks on Friday. I'm not going to be lectured by these big banks, you

vote less -- yes and we will leave the country! The food banks will be

the ones closing. If you got your way, for the type of Scotland you

would like to see, state control of business, nationalisation of the

Manx, the roads to Carlisle will be clogged with people

Yes, hoping to come into Scotland, because in their hearts, the

Scottish people know that England want to see the people having the

bottle. The working class people in Liverpool, Newcastle, outside of

London, they are saying good on the jocks that are taking on big

business. When we are independent and investing in social housing the

people of England will say, we can do that as well, and they will

rediscover the radical tradition. In wanting to build socialism in one

country, it really means you are fighting for the few, rather than

the many. You are bailing out of the socialist Battle for Britain. You

think it will be easier to make it work. Think globally, act locally

and we will build socialism in Scotland but I wanted across the

world. I won my brothers and sisters in England and Wales to be

encouraged by what we do so they can reject the Westminster consensus as

well -- I want. We had the three Stooges coming up to London, three

millionaires united on one thing, austerity. Doesn't matter whether Ed

Miliband wins the next election he said he would stick to the story

spending cuts. Why vote for Ed Miliband? You wouldn't trust him to

run a bath, not a country. Let's see if this is realistic, this great

socialist vision. At the last Scottish election, the Socialist

party got 8000 votes. The Conservatives got 30 times more

votes. Where is the appetite in Scotland for your Marxist ideology

question we might not win it. But do you know what, see in two years

time. See when we have the Scottish general election. You won't -- you

are saying you might win and you went to the Holyrood election and

got 8000 Pope -- votes. The SNP won a democratic election and then won

the 2011 election and you know why they won? Because they picked up the

clothes that the Labour Party has thrown away. They picked up the

close of social democracy and protecting the health service was --

service. There are people in the SNP who believe in public ownership and

people in the SNP who believe in the NHS should be written into a

constitution as never for sale people in the the SNP that think the

Royal mail should return to public ownership. That is there in black

and white. Do you agree with George Galloway that this is potentially a

crisis for Scottish Labour? Scottish Labour is finished. They are

absolutely finished. George is right in that. Scottish Labour is

finished. The irony of ironies is, Labour in Scotland has more chance

of recovery in an independent Scotland that they have in a no

vote. Labour in Scotland in an independent country will have to

rediscover the traditions of Keir Hardie, the ideas of Jimmy Maxon,

because right now, they are to the right of the SNP as a political

party. I understand the socialist vision, but it is where the appetite

is. And you look at the independence people in Scotland. One of your

colleagues, Brian Souter, a man who fought against the appeal -- repeal

of homosexual rights in Scotland. Another of your allies would seem to

be Rupert Murdoch, the man who engineered your downfall. You say he

engineered your downfall, but I m still here and his newspaper has

closed. Whether it Rupert Murdoch, Brian Souter, or any other

millionaire supporting independence, I couldn't care less. This boat on

Thursday is not about millionaires, it is about the millions. -- this

vote. We will not be abused any young -- longer. Would you rather

not have their support? I couldn't care about the support. You know who

is supporting the union. It is the unions of the big businesses, the

BNP, UKIP, they are the ones who support it. You are giving me a

stray that has wandered into the campaign and are you seriously going

to argue with me that the establishment isn't united to try

and save the union? That is what they are trying to be. The BBC, you

have been a disgrace in your coverage of the campaign. Not you

personally. You don't have editorial control. The BBC coverage,

generally, has been a disgrace and the people. Oil and gas, go and look

at that, why is that not feature. Why is the idea of 100 years of oil

not featured in the campaign. Because the BBC does not want to see

it. Are you getting in your excuses if you lose? You better be kidding.

Is this the face of somebody looking to lose. We are going to win, 6 /40.

Absolutely. There is a momentum that you guys are not seeing on the

working-class housing estates. Working class people are fed up

being taken for granted fed up with the lives of people dragging us into

tax cuts, bedroom tax for the poor. They will have power on Thursday,

and they will use it and vote for freedom. Are you happy with the way

the BBC has treated you today? So far, yes. I have still not been

offered a Coffey, but that might happen. That is an obvious example

In the East Midlands, our economy you later with George Galloway.

In the East Midlands, our economy leads the UK economy but who is

feeling the benefit? There are a number of reasons, a

recovering economy, governmdnt investment as well as our own, they

have all played their part hn solidifying the economic recovery. I

am hearing not, I am feeling better off, people are actually fedling

sort of desperate as well. Forget the Scottish vote, is it time

for the East Midlands to go it alone?

Might it be worth the East Lidlands going for independent? Independent

Care Group `` kingdom of thd East Midlands, sounds good, doesn't it?

Let's take a look at the news that the East Midlands has some of the

worst care homes in the country according to a new report.

Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire came in the bottom

ten when it came to failing care home inspections. In Nottinghamshire

36% have failed tests, in Ddrbyshire one third failed and in

Leicestershire it was 20%. Nottinghamshire county council say

the figures are not a fair reflection because they havd a

robust reporting system so problems are more likely to be reported. Liz,

you Labour's Care Minister, on the face of it these figures ard

worrying. `` you are. Anybody with an elderly relative at home will be

worried. We need to look at improving the training of the care

workforce, have robust systdms to make sure that problems are rooted

out, and make sure that people who run failing care homes can't set

them up somewhere else. I would like to see a stronger role for local

councils, who are often closer to the care homes. Notts Countx council

said it was misleading to s`y that the homes failed inspections because

the tests look at a wide range of issues. Have I got a point? I am

always in favour of openness and transparency because I think you can

flush out problems and deal with them but we need to have proper care

standards, proper qualifications and skills and real mechanisms to hold

care providers to account. Ht sounds like it is bad news for people

involved in care in the East Midlands. It should be of concern to

all of us. We are all getting older. Shouldn't the government be doing

more to help people? The minister in charge is going to set up a new

inspection regime starting next year. That is going to be f`r more

rigorous and I think it will give people confidence. I have vhsited

care homes in my constituency, they are generally well`run, thex have

caring staff, but if they are not they need to be scrutinised. In a

lot of cases these are Labotr authorities. I want to come back to

this point that Andrew said, yes, we need a tough and effective

regulation system but regul`tion happens after the event, yot want to

prevent the problem is happdning. I think we should see a proper system

to make sure that the managdrs have the skills and qualifications they

need, we need to look at tr`ining of the care workforce am and I think

all councils can look at having a real care standards. Our region has

the fastest jobs growth and fastest`growing GDP but doubts

remain about whether people are feeling the benefits in wagd packets

and job security, because wd have had the biggest fall in wagds in the

country. It is go, go, go for the East

Midlands economy. Anna Lo powered series starting this weekend is

based at Donington Park. More than 150 high`tech jobs, the latdst boost

for the area. We have government support through the loan scheme that

helped will these schemes, `nd major commitment from the company have

played their part in solidifying economic recovery. Donington Park is

not the only winner in the dconomy because the East Midlands is

expected to be the fastest region when it comes to job growth in the

coming year. Figures out thhs week show that in the first thred months

of the year the region was hn top gear. While Leicestershire was in

pole position, the city of Leicester was in danger of being lappdd. The

number of people claiming ott of work benefits has fallen

dramatically but the number of people actually in work has also

fallen. Gemma, `` Gemma has felt little economic improvement in her

household. My husband wants to work but it is not realistic. Evdn

clothing my children is mord expensive. Across`the`board,

economic indicators in Leicdster West are worse for women th`n men

when compared to the British average. The jobs many women want

are in short supply and, whhle nationally only 6% of women are

self`employed, here the figtre is so low it doesn't register in the

government figures. I have been looking for work for four ydars and

it is really difficult, I think more difficult for women because you have

to juggle the children and work Are lots of people finding it dhfficult

to find work? I work with a lot of people in the community and I am

hearing not, I feel better off, some people are actually feeling sort of

desperate as well. Business confidence is high but the wheels

will need to spin a bit faster before everybody else feels

confident about the economy. There is no doubt the econoly is

growing and the East Midlands is doing far better than most. I am

really pleased we are finally seeing growth coming back, I would have

liked to have seen it earlidr but it is good news. As I think yot saw,

the question is whether people are really feeling the benefit. The

difficulty is that, with prhces rising much faster than wagds, and

that having happened for fotr years, ordinary people are not seehng the

benefit. In north`west Leicestershire we got hit in

Labour's great recession, a 10% reduction... Caused by the banking

crisis that happened across the world. Wages took three years to

recover from their 2008 levdls. They dropped by 6.7%, the biggest in the

country. It recovered three years later and it is growing,

unemployment is down at 2%, we have seen a 14% reduction in my

constituency, and youth unelployment is down 50%. Do you deny we have the

worst figures for wages? Wage growth with an unemployment rate of 2%

would be quite good. It was 3.6 against 3.2% across the UK. The big

question for the future is, are we going to have an economy whdre

everybody shares in the bendfits of more jobs and growth and businesses

being more successful, or are we going to end up competing in a low

skill, low wage economy? Much of the growth is coming from retail and

distribution. Yes, about a third of the jobs in my constituency are

related to distribution bec`use we have very good communications and an

airport... We really do need good, decent jobs, high skill, high wage.

There is so much more we cotld do. Those jobs do exist, we saw in the

report the manufacturing sector We are doing that by reforming the

schools, when I came into office in 2010, over 15% of my workforce had

no formal qualifications. That is down to just over 8%. I think we

need something far bigger and bolder if we are really going to stcceed in

the East Midlands and as a country. As we have proposed, we need to see

much more power down to the regions and the cities, to link togdther the

universities and get the right infrastructure in place, tr`nsform

skills. An undoubtedly therd is going to be pressure on wagds in

constituencies like mine. In Leicestershire there are far more

jobs available than people unemployed. We need better

communication links between city and county so that those people in the

city who do not have a job can take the jobs in the county. The only way

we are going to get the infrastructure, not just thd

transport but the skills, wd need much more power and control down to

the East Midlands. Also it hs the attitude of the local counchls.

North`west Leicestershire, the county council, they are

pro`business and it is a welcoming place for businesses. I am not sure

that attitude is being shown in the city. Absolute rubbish, we `re

passionate about supporting businesses, transforming skhlls

They obviously don't believd you. We are making phenomenal improvements

in our skills... Rather than descend into a party political row, there is

a big question, which is wh`t you are seeing in the East Midl`nds is

mirrored across the country, some places doing well, others not. We

will only succeed if we all do well together. End of the party political

broadcast. Never mind the Scottish refdrendum,

maybe it is time to think about an independent East Midlands. Robert

Shaw has written a book explaining how the East Midlands has ghven the

world gravity, the Industri`l Revolution and even sex, cotrtesy of

the H Lawrence. We asked hil how his vision would look. `` DH Lawrence.

This is the southernmost pohnt that a Scottish army has ever cole in

England. Legend has it that Bonnie Prince Charlie looked at thd East

Midlands people and knew thdre was no way he would get passed. Like

Scotland, the East Midlands does not always get the recognition ht

deserves, so might it be worth the East Midlands going for

independence? An independent kingdom of the East Midlands, sounds good,

doesn't it? But why would wd want to be independent and who are we

anyway? Most people here don't really know. This is from a tourist

board survey night by the E`st Midlands tourist board, which does

not exist any more. Correspondents summed it up as industrial, built

up, heavily propagated, busx, no countryside, not touristy, `n

romantic. `` not romantic. Ht is obviously not true but how do we

change these attitudes. The first thing we can do is take control of

the M1. Charge people to usd it at each end and bring the country to

its knees. Because we are the Midlands we need a coastlind so

let's make a grab for Skegndss. We would have an excellent source of

fish and also we would have somewhere to go on holiday. How

about jobs? We have everythhng an independent nation needs, v`st

mineral resources, we could reopen the pits. North Nottinghamshire is

rich in shale gas. How about reopening the knitwear factories?

There was a time that peopld in England had nothing else to wear.

From Derbyshire we could have Robert Lindsay as head of state from

Leicestershire, Gary Lineker, and from Nottinghamshire Rebecc`

Adlington. As for the issue of currency, we would not borrow with

the pound, we would use the medieval ducat. We would need a propdr

national flag. What is disthnct about the Midlands is that ht is in

the middle so we could have a design that was all middle and no ddge As

for national dress... That hs easy. So there you have it. Polithcally,

economically, culturally, the East Midlands has everything it needs to

be its own country. Next tile a Scottish army arrives at thhs bridge

it is going to show its passport if it wants to get into the independent

kingdom of the East Midlands. Robert Shaw, tongue firmly hn cheek.

But of course there is a serious side to the debate. We are joined by

Melanie Powell, and in? An dconomist from Derby University. If Scotland

was to become independent, would it make any difference to us hdre?

There are two macro elements, the short term and the uncertainty. ``

two elements. Companies that are trading with Scotland could see a

short`term problem there. There may be an effect on sterling and a

further depreciation, which, of course, can effect export companies

and benefit import companies. `` aspect. Even if there is a no vote

there is still uncertainty. With a yes vote there would be a htge

shift. Would things change hf there was a no vote? Yes, because even if

there is the debate is going to change about regional power and the

English Parliament that doesn't exist. As nurses have to de`l with

that and they have to deal with how that might effect growth in the

economy. I think a no vote will not be so damaging, with a yes vote

there will be severe uncert`inty. Our MPs have been up to Scotland,

how was it? It is a really tough campaign, people are really engaged,

everybody knows it is happening people are talking about thd

arguments. People feel passhonately on the doorstep, they want to

engage. I think politically that is a good thing that it is going to go

to the wire and I know that myself and my Labour colleagues will be

fighting every step to keep the union. I felt that it is polarising

and becoming slightly aggressive in parts between the yes and no

campaigners. It is a bit of a civil war and they can be quite bloody.

What does it mean for your constituents, do you think they are

in gauge to buy it? `` engaged by it. I think there will be a further

debate about devolution of controls throughout the rest of the TK and I

think that is right. People want to have more of a say and more control

over their lives. In the short term it will have an impact. It hs this

uncertainty you were saying. How will that be felt in your areas I

think there is a backlash on the government backbenches. We

understand that David Cameron wants to keep the union together but by

offering devolution max, it seems that Ed Miliband has had more to do

with this than the backbenches. If we are not careful we will love to a

situation where heads, Alex Salmond wins, tales, England loses. There is

not just this risk and uncertainty, there is the risk and uncertainty of

our membership of the Europdan Union, which companies and

businesses are very concerndd about. I understand that the conservatives

don't like the risk of uncertainty surrounding Scottish independence

but they don't care about this uncertainty. If it is a no vote but

only small one, I don't think that will get the question of thd table.

Melanie, are we being compl`cent about the prospect of a yes vote?

Should as Mrs have a plan rdady `` businesses have. Absolutely, if you

are trading internationally or in Scotland you have two considered the

risk. The cost of dealing whth the uncertainty will rise as thd

uncertainty rises. If you are buying strawberries from Scotland xou might

think, if there is a yes vote, will it be certain that Scotland will

stay in the Euro? If not, m`ybe we should be Retera off planning to buy

from Spain. `` be better off. Which way do you think it will go? That is

a tough question. We were t`lking earlier about this. There is the

psychology of decision making, most people are risk averse. Thex have

the choice between certaintx and the uncertainty of the future and I

think in the vote box a lot of people will shift towards the no.

Time for a round`up of some of the other political stories in the East

Midlands. We might not get independence but

could we see one leader for all of our police forces. The Chief

Constable of Nottinghamshird says the region should have thred forces.

Overall health levels in thd county are good but there are pockdts of

ill health. The Labour group ruling

Nottinghamshire county council says it is business as usual despite

losing its overall majority. One councillor resigned in protdst over

cuts and they only had a majority of one.

Two Nottinghamshire MPs say they will give away a pay rise to MPs'

salaries. They say they will give the money to good causes.

Have you spent your pay risd ready? Definitely not, don't think it

should be given, will continue to fight against it. I am sure my

ex`wife will find a use for it. The last time a sewer was built in

London was 150 years ago, otherwise we would have a dirty River Thames.

Andrew, back to you. Can

the No campaign still pull it off? And even if they do is the whole

of the UK now on the brink I'm joined now by John McTernan

former adviser to Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, Alex Bell,

former Head of Policy for the SNP and Lindsay McIntosh, the

Times Scottish Political Editor And I'm delighted that Tommy

and George have stayed too. No fighting has broken out either.

Where No fighting has broken out either.

have three full days to go No fighting has broken out either.

polling day. What is the state of play? I think the poll of polls is

accurate. 49 and 51%. What is vital is to bring the undecided voters in,

and they properly have about 500,000. I think there are a lot of

undecided people. I think they know which way they are leaning, but they

haven't jumped. The hope of the no campaign is that they will go for

the status quo on Thursday. How do you assess the state of the campaign

now? The crucial thing is the big swing. The swing has come towards

yes, so will the momentum carry it over the line? I will think it does,

because it is an antiestablishment swell, and its people responding to

standard Western as the politicians and saying that they want a new way

-- Westminster politicians. I think that yes will sneak it. A referendum

can be more important than a general election, and the Yes campaign have

had the momentum. This was the week the momentum stopped. We started the

week looking as though yes were going into the lead and then it

stopped and most of the recent polls show a distinct lead for the no

campaign. A distinct lead? It is one or two points. It is six in one

poll, two in another, aiding another. The poll of polls is a good

way of measuring, and is it statistically Nick -- nip and tuck?

It is the week the momentum stopped. About a fifth of the electorate

That will be a quarter of the turnout have voted already, by

postal vote, and they are running very strongly towards no, so there

is a whole bank of votes there. The postal votes are skewed to the over

60s, and that is the demographic that the Yes campaign have had the

biggest trouble with. Absolutely, the Yes campaign faced a challenge

amongst the 16 and 18-year-olds and always based challenge with the

older voters. Trust me, I was the decision the day the civil servants

made it possible for the 16 to 18-year-olds to vote, and we said

there was a victory for the no campaign in that alone. The young

tend to be conservative by nature. I think again that to say that the

momentum has stopped when you had a 20 point lead, this is a referendum

whether people will speak and they will be heard. Except for the one

poll which needs a huge health warning because of the size of the

sample, the momentum is unquestionably all the way through

August is going in the direction of yes. It hasn't quite continue to get

to the 55/45 four yes that Alex Salmond thinks will be the result. I

would agree with John. This was the momentum stalled. We saw the three

leaders coming up, and that kept Alex Salmond off the front pages on

the television and we had a raft of economic warnings which, although

they were dismissed as scaremongering, they will have had a

lot of traction with voters. What does the no campaign have to do in

the final three days? It has to focus on the undecided,

relentlessly. It has to do stick to the question of risk and keep

pushing back on Alex Salmond to say it doesn't matter if the banks

leave, it will all be all right on the night. The huge question amongst

the undecided voters is about the economy. It is about jobs and

currency, about business. That risk is what will crystallise in the

ballot box on Thursday and that has to be the focus. What does the Yes

campaign have to do? It has to drive home that the swing to the Yes

campaign is motivated by people who want a different politics. They have

decided amongst themselves that they want to change Scotland. The

unfortunate thing is, even though the no campaign has had the chance

to put up after proposals, they have failed. The Scottish people want

their powers were a purpose and they say that only the Yes campaign can

deliver that. There will be two days of relentless campaigning from

today, Monday and Tuesday, then the media, the newspapers, including

your own, will come out with the final poll, the ones that will be

the closest to the day that the Scots actually go and vote. I think

we will see more polling this week, but what is interesting is the

extent to which the pollsters are picking up what is going on in the

street. We know we have a huge number of voters who have never

voted before and are not engage with politics, so what will they do? The

third candidate in the election if I can would in this way, are the

polls. They might have a lot of questions to answer on Friday

morning. We were talking earlier with George and Tommy about the

Labour Party's consequences in all of this. Gordon Brown, of course,

has had a bit of a second coming as a result of this referendum. I just

want to play a clip of Gordon Brown during the campaign and get a

reaction. And I say this to Alex Salmond himself. Up until today I am

outside front line politics. If he continues to peddle this deception,

that the Scottish Parliament under his leadership, and he cannot do

anything to improve the health service until he has a separate

state, then I will want to join Joe Hanlon want in and securing the

return of a Labour government as quickly as possible -- Johann

Lamont. That was seen by some people as Gordon Brown implying he might

stand for the Scottish Parliament. Whether it is yes or no, is Gordon

Brown the saviour of Scottish Labour? I did a double black the

other night -- double act with him the other night, and I must say he

was a big beast all over again. He crossed the stage Meli dealt with

the audience brilliantly. He has a certain presence, Gordon Brown, but

he would really have to reinvent himself quite considerably. He is

capable of doing, but the man who was the biographer of Jimmy Maxton,

who pulled together the original red paper on Scotland, he would have to

be that Gordon Brown rather than the Gordon Brown of some more melancholy

events later. Tommy, you have both been critical of the state of the

Scottish Labour Party. Rather than looking to Gordon Brown, which might

be an interim solution, doesn't Scottish Labour have to find a new

generation of people to reignite it? What George and I are agreed on and

you have to remember this question of independence see us disagreeing

passionately, and in most other things we find ourselves in

agreement, one thing is clear, Scottish Labour is finished. They

have lost the heart and soul of Scotland. The fact that we are

discussing with four days to go an independence referendum that is neck

and neck, Labour have failed miserably, absolutely miserably

because they have given up everything they stood for. The SNP

has picked it up. They have just taken on the bank -- mantle of a

left of centre party and are picking up support. Gordon and the rest in

my opinion, they represent the past. The yes vote on the Yes campaign

represents the future. What do you say to that? There is nothing

socialist about an SNP that wants to cut business tax by 3% in the pan.

There is nothing socialist about an SNP destroying further education so

they can give middle-class people free education. The Labour Party is

alive and kicking. You can see if it is Gordon Brown, or Jim Murphy with

the 100 days tour. But I hesitate to use this word, but they are kind of

privatised from the Scottish Labour Party. They have rode their own

fallow. Jim Murphy was on the stump because official Scottish Labour did

not want him leading their campaign. Gordon Brown was, I think, kept off

the stage until it became so critical that he had to be brought

back. I agree with John, the SNP talks left but acts right. That is

before they get state powers. That is what is exciting about the

referendum, it's not about the SNP, it's about the people deciding. What

we have heard so far in the referendum campaign is that there is

a desperate yearning in the electorate for real politics,

purposeful politics and for the people to be represented. It is

probably to the eternal shame of labour that they gave up that role

and other people are now taking it upon themselves. How would you

assess the state of the Labour Party? The problem is that it was

demolished by the SNP in 2011 and what they should have done since

then and in other circumstances is take a real look within themselves

and brought forward new talent and policies and watch out what they

stood for. They've been unable to do that because they are locked in a

constitutional row. It is the plan of the Nationalists to fight the

first Scottish general election as an independent nation as a

nationalist party with its own programme. You don't all go your own

way. Why don't you do that? You have more on your main reason to be, so

why not go, left, right and centre question you are presuming you don't

go the one-way. I do not see the function of the SNP after the yes

vote. I think it is clear that there is an SNP under Nicola Sturgeon an

SNP which attracts votes from the left and that is the one for me

Whether that is called the SNP or something else, I don't know. I

think the assumption that we are going into a mirror of old politics

in a new world is just fundamentally flawed. That is interesting. Let's

just bring in the English dimensional. In many ways, England

has not spoken in this referendum campaign. Whether it is yes or no,

it will, and to give you a flavour of what some in England might be

thinking was saying, here is a clip from John Redwood. We are fed up

with this lopsided devolution, this unfair devolution. Scotland gets

first-class Devolution, Wales gets second-class devolution and England

gets nothing. If Wales wants the same as us, they should have it and

then there would be commonality so we could discuss and decide in our

own countries, in our own assemblies in Parliament, all those things that

are devolved. George, it was clear that if Scotland voted yes for

independence it has huge implications for England than the

UK, but it's also clear particularly after Gordon Brown's intervention,

even if it is no, it has huge applications. You are, I suggest,

agreeing with John Redwood that there should be an English boys It

would be a step too far for me to agree with him -- English voice I

appreciate I might have gone out on a limb. He is the voice of Mars the

Balkan from Mars. My own constituents in Bradford are asking,

what about us? All these things being done, all the extra mile is

being travel to Scotland, what about us? Labour would be well advised to

adjust quickly on this so that the John Redwood types do not steal the

show. England has yes to use -- yet to speak. It's interesting when you

hear a Labour backbencher in Scotland talk about a command paper.

He is not in government. Gordon Brown is going round Scotland

promising things and he has absolutely no chance of delivering

them. The MPs in England will say, hey, what are you talking about We

have never been discussed with that? We have not agreed with that. The

only way people in Scotland will get the powers they deserve is by voting

yes. Crystal ball time, Tommy, you think it is 60/40. I will stick with

it, because we have an unprecedented election. 97% of Scotland is

registered to vote. The working class will vote in numbers never

voted before. George? 55/45 for our side. And if there is a rogue poll,

the tek Levesley polled -- technically flawed poll, which

should not be published because it is so flawed, then we would be

stretching towards what I am predicting already. I think in the

last few days we will reach that. Come on. If the no campaign can get

the silent majority out, they will edge it. You think they will win,

but how much? They cannot give up in a second, a moment or a mile. It is

that close. It will be won by the passionate view. I will go for a

narrow yes victory. I'm the George, 53 or 54% in favour of Joe -- no. --

I am with George. I will leave you to argue about that later. Thank you

for being with us on the special Sunday politics from Edinburgh.

That's all from us today in Scotland.

Don't forget the Daily Politics will have continuing coverage

of the referendum campaign all this week on BBC2 at midday.

On Thursday night Huw Edwards will be in Glasgow and I will be

in London to bring you live coverage of the results on BBC1 from 10. 0 pm

on a historic night for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

And I'll be back next Sunday when we're live from the Labour

Unless, of course, the referendum result is so tumultuous even the

Remember if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday Politics.