Browse content similar to 17/06/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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As the Greek voters go to the polls, we've come to the European | :01:41. | :01:45. | |
Parliament in Strasbourg to see if the East of England can weather a | :01:45. | :01:55. | |
:01:55. | :01:55. | ||
Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1619 seconds | :01:55. | :28:54. | |
euro-zone storm. And how we're Welcome to Sunday Politics for the | :28:54. | :28:58. | |
East. This is the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Coming up, | :28:58. | :29:02. | |
prayers were friends and families as the Greek community in the East | :29:02. | :29:06. | |
comes together to offer support and help to their compatriots. | :29:07. | :29:11. | |
So we have come to Europe, where with Greece holding fresh elections, | :29:11. | :29:15. | |
the future of the euro-zone hangs in the balance. The question is, | :29:15. | :29:23. | |
what will this mean for us? We can ask their guests. We have a | :29:23. | :29:27. | |
conservative MEP and the Labour MP. You were the Conservative Nicolas | :29:27. | :29:33. | |
80 on a package of EU banking reforms. -- Conservative negotiator. | :29:33. | :29:40. | |
What does this mean? This is bringing strong roles for banks, | :29:40. | :29:44. | |
globally and internationally, so that banks should have enough | :29:44. | :29:48. | |
liquidity not to go bust. We won strong international rules, because | :29:48. | :29:55. | |
we know that bank failure in one place can be important for the UK's. | :29:55. | :30:00. | |
And we want to make sure the UK can go further. We want stronger rules | :30:00. | :30:06. | |
for our banks. We do not want rules to prevent that. And coming up now, | :30:06. | :30:11. | |
with the euro-zone talking about banking union, we do not want banks | :30:11. | :30:15. | |
supervised by Brussels, that is like handing the keys to the Bank | :30:15. | :30:22. | |
of England to Brussels. Can we prevent bail-outs in the future? | :30:23. | :30:28. | |
are in a probably worst recession since the 1930s. -- than the 1930s. | :30:28. | :30:34. | |
None of us can be absolutely certain about things. George | :30:34. | :30:38. | |
Osborne is blaming the British recession on the euro-zone when we | :30:38. | :30:44. | |
all know that imports, exports rather, have gone up. That has | :30:44. | :30:49. | |
diminished the time that Britain has gone into recession. This is a | :30:49. | :30:54. | |
recession made in Downing Street, not Europe, an important message. | :30:55. | :31:00. | |
Thank you for now. You are not alone in contributing to the debate. | :31:00. | :31:04. | |
Many of our MPs have penned publications of every kind with | :31:04. | :31:11. | |
opinions on what is the best way forward now. | :31:11. | :31:16. | |
The euro-zone, the European Union, the wider European Community, where | :31:16. | :31:20. | |
should we be? The future of the relationship with Europe is the | :31:20. | :31:24. | |
subject of much debate and many parliamentarians are having their | :31:24. | :31:30. | |
say. We should be negotiating to repatriate much of the structural | :31:30. | :31:35. | |
fund money that currently Britain pays over to the EU, 9 billion of | :31:36. | :31:39. | |
which over seven years the EU then decides to give back to Britain, | :31:39. | :31:44. | |
which is completely bonkers. 4 billion of which gets recycled | :31:44. | :31:49. | |
around wealthier EU member cities. Reforming the relationship with | :31:49. | :31:54. | |
Europe is the fresh that this woman hopes will be the basis of a White | :31:54. | :31:58. | |
Paper adopted by the Government by Christmas. The Nikkei was using | :31:58. | :32:07. | |
effectively out of the EU -- moving out of the EU is something else. | :32:07. | :32:13. | |
you look at the balance of payments situation, the deficit with EU, 16 | :32:13. | :32:19. | |
billion surplus with the rest of the wild. Bearing in mind all her | :32:19. | :32:23. | |
mac attention has been drawn towards Europe, we really have a | :32:23. | :32:28. | |
great opportunity out there to return to global trading routes. | :32:28. | :32:35. | |
the euro-zone did collapse, one MPs argues for some upsides. | :32:35. | :32:40. | |
project we kept clear of, quite rightly, the euro, is imploding in | :32:40. | :32:47. | |
front of us. We have to be prepared for the fall-out. There could be a | :32:47. | :32:51. | |
lot more dodgy water for the UK, but an opportunity, money fleeing | :32:51. | :32:57. | |
the Continent to us. We can put it in stuff that builds up for the UK. | :32:58. | :33:02. | |
And the structure for broadband, roads and so on. There are those | :33:02. | :33:06. | |
who have maintained a federal Europe with us filly in the circle | :33:06. | :33:13. | |
is the only way forward. The last few months have proven that. If we | :33:13. | :33:23. | |
:33:23. | :33:23. | ||
are not able to take decisive steps to a more federal, more integrated | :33:23. | :33:30. | |
structure, then the whole thing will fall apart. Wife -- we are | :33:30. | :33:34. | |
familiar with a happy medium. But what the future of the European | :33:34. | :33:37. | |
project in doubt, this could be a defining moment when serious | :33:37. | :33:41. | |
decisions have to be made about exactly where we want to be in the | :33:41. | :33:46. | |
future. Let us start with where you see us | :33:46. | :33:51. | |
in the future. The euro-zone, the European Union or the wider | :33:51. | :33:56. | |
European Committee? Where will we stand? Clearly, there is a lot | :33:56. | :34:01. | |
changing within the euro-zone because of this crisis. What used | :34:01. | :34:04. | |
to be just the European Union, they are now talking about this though | :34:04. | :34:09. | |
union, banking union, and in the UK, we cannot get involved with that. | :34:09. | :34:19. | |
We are not in the euro. We cannot be finding a bail-out of that. The | :34:19. | :34:24. | |
question is, how do you hold on to the common single market? And keep | :34:24. | :34:30. | |
the UK and our businesses and jobs that rely on that European trade | :34:30. | :34:36. | |
involved in the single market. That is the discussion that I think is | :34:36. | :34:40. | |
growing all the time. That is when we look at proposals like this we | :34:40. | :34:48. | |
have to have some very clear out lines. The same question to you? | :34:48. | :34:52. | |
sorry for the Conservative member - - the conservative MEP, trying to | :34:52. | :34:57. | |
make this work, when they are completely undermined by colleagues. | :34:57. | :35:01. | |
The idea that Britain should leave the European Union, which is in | :35:01. | :35:05. | |
essence what they are wanting, would be hugely damaging to | :35:05. | :35:11. | |
business and jobs. And the fact that is the deficit, that means the | :35:11. | :35:15. | |
best of Europe is subsidising high standards in Britain. -- the rest | :35:15. | :35:25. | |
of Europe. We decide, British MEP, British can ministers -- British | :35:25. | :35:29. | |
commissioners and ministers decide this. I am proud of the money | :35:29. | :35:32. | |
coming to the East of England, two women projects, Disabled People's | :35:32. | :35:38. | |
Project, and young people getting back into work. That is a good | :35:38. | :35:42. | |
thing. What about the argument that we could benefit from money | :35:42. | :35:46. | |
flooding out of Europe? Should there be a collapse in the euro- | :35:46. | :35:52. | |
zone? The UK already is benefiting from investment. Investment has | :35:52. | :35:56. | |
increased as the euro-zone has become more troubled. How long that | :35:56. | :36:00. | |
stays, and there is an issue with a lot of jobs related to trade in | :36:01. | :36:06. | |
Europe. I think you are over simplifying it. The vast majority | :36:06. | :36:10. | |
of people in the UK think the European federalising Asian has | :36:10. | :36:18. | |
gone too far. They would like to hold on to single market links. -- | :36:18. | :36:22. | |
European federal project has gone too far. People do not want things | :36:22. | :36:27. | |
to go any farther. Whilst I agree there has been some good projects | :36:27. | :36:30. | |
in the East of England, it is an expensive way to spend taxpayers' | :36:30. | :36:38. | |
money. What about the fact that this new money could find new | :36:38. | :36:41. | |
infrastructure for the East? Badly needed better broadband, one | :36:41. | :36:49. | |
example? What about railway links. We know the links across the region | :36:49. | :36:55. | |
at a polling compared with those in London. And environmental projects, | :36:55. | :37:02. | |
including the coastline, birdlife and others restored and enhanced. | :37:02. | :37:07. | |
Look at the money that goes into small businesses and to new | :37:07. | :37:13. | |
business -- sups through enterprise funds. -- Business starting through | :37:13. | :37:20. | |
enterprise buns. That is us at the table coming to the decisions. | :37:20. | :37:25. | |
Thank you for the moment. If Greece does exit the euro-zone, | :37:25. | :37:29. | |
what will it be like for the people? That is the concern from | :37:29. | :37:33. | |
many from our region with friends and family back home in Greece. We | :37:33. | :37:37. | |
have been looking at how the community at home is lending a | :37:37. | :37:44. | |
long-distance helping hand. The Greek community is praying very | :37:44. | :37:52. | |
hard at the moment. Nearly everyone here at this ceremony in Southend | :37:52. | :37:56. | |
has family backing police living through hard times. My sister is a | :37:56. | :38:05. | |
teacher. Her salary was cut by 40%. Her mortgage is similar. They have | :38:05. | :38:09. | |
to take emergency tax every month. We have heard stories of people | :38:09. | :38:14. | |
committing suicide because they do not have enough money. One relative | :38:14. | :38:20. | |
has had her telephone removed, then her electricity. She has no money, | :38:20. | :38:25. | |
waiting for money from relatives. There is also a sizable Greek | :38:25. | :38:29. | |
community in Northampton, where many of them listen to this local | :38:29. | :38:37. | |
radio station. The Greek crisis often is a topic of conversation. | :38:37. | :38:40. | |
think it is mainly the politicians of the beasts that have not done a | :38:40. | :38:47. | |
good job. The people voted them in, and the politicians did not live up | :38:47. | :38:52. | |
to the people's expectations. -- politicians of Greece. Rhys has | :38:52. | :38:57. | |
been at the centre of the storm, austerity Harting. -- Greece has | :38:57. | :39:02. | |
been. Many people have been laid off pending the results of the | :39:02. | :39:08. | |
elections. This woman is a lecturer at University of East Anglia. Her | :39:08. | :39:12. | |
parents have seen their pensions cut by 20%, her brother-in-law | :39:12. | :39:16. | |
retired early last year and are still waiting for his. The people | :39:17. | :39:23. | |
who are paying for this mess other people who have always paid their | :39:23. | :39:31. | |
taxes and worked very hard. This is the injustice. What particularly | :39:31. | :39:37. | |
worries fire is how well extreme right Golden Dawn party did in last | :39:37. | :39:41. | |
month's elections. She fears austerity is driving people to | :39:41. | :39:51. | |
support extremism. This is brightening. -- brightening. Greece | :39:51. | :39:56. | |
fought against fascism and dictatorship. To have this is very | :39:56. | :40:04. | |
disheartening. -- this is frightening. This woman stays in | :40:04. | :40:09. | |
regular touch with her family. This teacher from Athens Telstar like | :40:09. | :40:16. | |
this and nightmare, prices keep going up. -- says that this is a | :40:16. | :40:23. | |
nightmare. Feeling that you are the reason why the whole economic | :40:23. | :40:28. | |
system of the whole community, the European Germany, is -- the | :40:28. | :40:32. | |
European Committee, is down to you. It is heavy to Barden. I do not | :40:32. | :40:38. | |
think this has happened any time in history of Greeks being made feel | :40:38. | :40:43. | |
so responsible for so many other country's difficulties. You think | :40:43. | :40:49. | |
the Greeks are being unfairly picked on? Definitely. Back in | :40:49. | :40:56. | |
Southend, two elections. These That uncertain and worrying times. -- | :40:57. | :41:02. | |
two collections. People are hoping for stability and the way forward. | :41:02. | :41:12. | |
:41:12. | :41:24. | ||
We are joined by two more European MPs. -- European MPs. -- MEPs. | :41:24. | :41:33. | |
Thank you all for joining as that. Some of Greek descent. That puts | :41:33. | :41:40. | |
you in a unique position. Unique, but difficult, having to explain to | :41:40. | :41:44. | |
the Germans the Greek situation and to the Greeks why the Germans want | :41:44. | :41:52. | |
austerity. Not an easy job. How has that been? Having been born in | :41:52. | :41:56. | |
Germany, I never expected relations between Germany and Greece to go | :41:56. | :42:01. | |
very close to after Second World War. That is where we at at the | :42:01. | :42:08. | |
moment. It is difficult to build it up again. But that is my job. | :42:08. | :42:11. | |
heard in that report one lady saying that she believes the Greeks | :42:11. | :42:17. | |
are being unfairly picked on. Do you believe -- you agree? This is | :42:17. | :42:22. | |
the general feeling in and two. Greece had a very harsh your last | :42:22. | :42:31. | |
year. -- general feeling in Greece. There are fears about the future. | :42:31. | :42:36. | |
It is not just austerity, but a unique crisis of confidence, now | :42:36. | :42:41. | |
moving all around Europe. The Greek economy cannot move, it is dropping | :42:41. | :42:46. | |
like a rock, because no one knows what will happen next, so there is | :42:46. | :42:52. | |
no investment and no real a new economic activity. How concerned | :42:52. | :42:59. | |
are you by the rise of the right in these elections? The rise of the | :42:59. | :43:03. | |
extreme left and right is extremely concerning. What you have been | :43:04. | :43:10. | |
Greece is at governance problem. People proposing things that are | :43:10. | :43:15. | |
not close to reality, so far away from reality that it is like no | :43:15. | :43:21. | |
political discussion. And those that are keeping their senses are, | :43:21. | :43:25. | |
I am upgrade, not always in the majority. We will see what will | :43:25. | :43:30. | |
happen in the election. Out fire is the German electorate prepared to | :43:30. | :43:37. | |
go to support Greece? -- how far. It is not that the bail-out would | :43:37. | :43:41. | |
be paid. The reality is that no politician tells them that Germany | :43:41. | :43:48. | |
has made some 45 billion only because of interest rates. There is | :43:48. | :43:53. | |
a very good thing in the crisis for the Germans, politicians have to be | :43:53. | :43:57. | |
authentic, telling the electorate that the Greek politicians do not | :43:57. | :44:02. | |
always tell the truth. We have a big misunderstanding in Europe. We | :44:02. | :44:10. | |
should be more open and true to each other. What do you say to | :44:10. | :44:15. | |
politicians, the belief that politicians have failed? It is the | :44:15. | :44:20. | |
political system that has not succeeded. We have those elected | :44:20. | :44:24. | |
that have big responsibilities and those that have smaller | :44:24. | :44:31. | |
responsibilities. Voices in that report saying they feel responsible | :44:31. | :44:36. | |
for pulling down the whole European Community. Some Greek people saying | :44:36. | :44:45. | |
that. Is it their fault? The Greek Conservatives And New Democracy to | :44:45. | :44:51. | |
have some responsibility. I have some sympathy for the Greek | :44:51. | :44:54. | |
community in the East of England. It is great to see Europeans, | :44:54. | :45:02. | |
Greeks, in our universities, places of work, churchs. And the | :45:02. | :45:06. | |
contribution we all make to each other. But I feel for the Greek | :45:06. | :45:10. | |
community. Although there is some political blame, it is true the | :45:10. | :45:16. | |
suicide rate has gone up 40%. Wages have gone down 50%. Huge increases | :45:16. | :45:21. | |
in prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases. This is a | :45:21. | :45:24. | |
society which has been ultimately challenged. It has some | :45:24. | :45:31. | |
responsibility, but the idea that we should be somehow immune or | :45:31. | :45:34. | |
disinterested in the fate of an important country in Europe, and | :45:34. | :45:38. | |
one with a huge history and huge contribution to make, that would be | :45:38. | :45:44. | |
a mistake. Bringing this back to banking, we have learnt that | :45:44. | :45:49. | |
several local authorities in the East have money invested in the | :45:49. | :45:56. | |
euro-zone. For example, Essex County Council has more than �230 | :45:56. | :46:00. | |
million denominated in euros as part of its pension funds. Some of | :46:00. | :46:05. | |
that in shares, some cash. With your banking background, would you | :46:05. | :46:11. | |
at the moment put money into European banks? Into the banks on | :46:11. | :46:16. | |
into the economy of Europe? I do what the economy is going to grow. | :46:16. | :46:20. | |
Still a lot of can -- there is still concern a lot of the backs up | :46:20. | :46:25. | |
a lot of problems. This has never have been a question about Greece, | :46:25. | :46:31. | |
but contagion into other countries, particularly Spain and a downgrade | :46:31. | :46:36. | |
in France. Thank goodness the UK, through its own programme, has | :46:36. | :46:43. | |
managed to maintain a strong credit going into the UK. There are still | :46:43. | :46:48. | |
a lot of problems and this has a long way to run. I think the Greek | :46:48. | :46:52. | |
people here, acute sympathy, but they have never been offered the | :46:52. | :46:57. | |
choice. -- huge sympathy. The choice has been to kick them out of | :46:58. | :47:02. | |
the euro or keep them in. Not to offer them rich rights. It is up to | :47:02. | :47:09. | |
the Greek people to have that and that is difficult when it is an | :47:09. | :47:13. | |
election in such a high frenzy. I wish that the electorate was last | :47:13. | :47:19. | |
year. Thank you, we leave it there. Now it is time for the round up in | :47:19. | :47:29. | |
:47:29. | :47:30. | ||
60 minutes -- 60 seconds. When you are rushing from A2 B, do | :47:30. | :47:37. | |
not take the Midland Mainline says the MP campaigning for an upgrade. | :47:37. | :47:42. | |
Due to under investment, trains cannot walk but there top speed on | :47:42. | :47:52. | |
any stretch of the track. Moffat and Suffolk MP lobbying to the end | :47:52. | :47:58. | |
of a bottleneck. -- Norfolk. This will have a big boost to the East | :47:58. | :48:04. | |
Anglian economy and especially in places in my constituency. | :48:04. | :48:09. | |
Majesty the Queen continued her Diamond Jubilee tour in our region, | :48:09. | :48:14. | |
hosting at adding party at Sandringham. -- hosting a garden | :48:14. | :48:21. | |
party. Adrian Ramsay decided not to stand as leader of the Green Party. | :48:21. | :48:25. | |
And taking us by surprise, Anglian Water with the dog hosepipe ban | :48:25. | :48:30. | |
after what has been dubbed it the wettest drought on record. -- | :48:30. | :48:34. |