:01:19. > :01:23.green, or beware until the economic slump came along. How can voters
:01:23. > :01:33.care about saving the planet when they are struggling to pay their
:01:33. > :01:33.
:01:33. > :33:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1900 seconds
:33:13. > :33:23.That is probably reasonably accurate. If you give these people
:33:23. > :33:25.
:33:25. > :33:29.guns, and more of them guns, a lot more of them will die.
:33:29. > :33:32.The problem at the moment is we cannot force Assad to go into
:33:33. > :33:37.transition. Nobody wants to see a violent overthrow where the country
:33:37. > :33:41.goes to the dogs. It is happening in slow motion right now. The reason is
:33:41. > :33:45.because he has enough power to hang on without being forced to
:33:45. > :33:49.negotiate. We need to change the terms of trade on the ground. We
:33:49. > :33:53.need moderate forces there. That is the only guarantee that we can get
:33:53. > :33:58.pressure on Russia and Iran to change their mind. He says you need
:33:58. > :34:04.to break the logjam in the ground. But not by increasing more deaths in
:34:04. > :34:10.Syria. Even Syria can use chemical power in order to maintain its
:34:10. > :34:13.power. What is the guarantee? It knows it would meet the full
:34:13. > :34:17.weight of the United States if it did that.
:34:17. > :34:20.The only way to pressure Assad is to pressure Iran and Russia in order to
:34:20. > :34:23.involve it in a more political solution.
:34:23. > :34:30.But that pressure just has not worked.
:34:30. > :34:34.It can work if there is more pressure from superpowers such as
:34:35. > :34:44.America and Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Having this solution in Syria will
:34:45. > :34:45.
:34:45. > :36:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1900 seconds
:36:11. > :36:15.Marathon today, congratulations. On the 2nd of May that is another race,
:36:15. > :36:19.this one to elect new County Council is. With 11 days to go, we assess
:36:19. > :36:23.the chances of voters here springing a surprise at the voting station.
:36:23. > :36:25.Plus, if you are struggling to pay this month electricity bill, will
:36:25. > :36:31.you are struggling to pay this month electricity bill, with UK about
:36:31. > :36:37.recycling targets? We ask the Greens if they are still relevant with
:36:37. > :36:41.comments business on Tuesday. The MP for Peterborough has a question for
:36:41. > :36:47.the communities secretary about controversial new planning laws.
:36:47. > :36:54.I am sure you will agree that local Government families is good in parts
:36:54. > :36:58.and good in others. Will he not agree with me that the issues that
:36:58. > :37:06.he raised would have been ventilated to a much better degree had the
:37:06. > :37:12.consultation period on longer along with Cabinet office guidelines? And
:37:12. > :37:18.that the department itself would come to a second consensus after 16
:37:18. > :37:23.weeks, which has not happened. I have always regarded local
:37:23. > :37:28.Government as an omelette of happiness and consensus and it is my
:37:28. > :37:32.hope that by the time I sit down I may have spun together a dish that
:37:32. > :37:38.the honourable gentleman would happily eat.
:37:38. > :37:43.I am delighted to say that Stewart Jackson is here alongside the
:37:43. > :37:46.Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge. Talk of eggs there, but you believe
:37:46. > :37:50.Eric Pickles now has eggs on his face?
:37:50. > :37:54.I don't believe he has cracked the issue. We are very concerned to make
:37:54. > :37:58.sure that householders had not a beetle, but a meaningful say on
:37:58. > :38:02.development in back gardens and it is up to the Government to come
:38:02. > :38:07.forward with proposals. It was not satisfactory and I hope ministers
:38:07. > :38:09.have listened to the very legitimate concerns of people on this issue.
:38:09. > :38:16.Local authorities and Government associations want them to change the
:38:16. > :38:22.policy. Freddie you stand on this? -- where
:38:22. > :38:27.do you stand on this? We largely agree here. I was very
:38:27. > :38:31.pleased that Eric Pickles said he would have concessions to change
:38:31. > :38:35.what the rules look like. But we have not seen exactly what they are.
:38:35. > :38:39.If they are not enough, it will cause a huge problem. If it is just
:38:39. > :38:43.a little bit of seasoning, it will not work. It needs to really space
:38:43. > :38:51.up the dish. We will have to stop the food analogy is there that
:38:51. > :38:54.banks. -- but thank you. We may think that
:38:54. > :38:59.the case for green policies has never been clearer as the ice caps
:38:59. > :39:03.melt. But the environment can often take a back-seat when the economy is
:39:03. > :39:12.going along the bottom. In a moment we will speak to the Leader of the
:39:12. > :39:16.Green party the Green party has been a success over the past few decades.
:39:16. > :39:20.A few years ago, they got their first MP in Parliament. Their
:39:20. > :39:25.success has forced the main parties to take green issues far more
:39:25. > :39:30.seriously. Cycling is now commonplace and there are tax breaks
:39:30. > :39:33.for energy efficiency. We all have efficient light bulbs in our homes.
:39:33. > :39:37.But despite all of this, environmentalists worry that green
:39:37. > :39:40.issues are slipping down the agenda. This is the first time that I've
:39:40. > :39:45.seen the green agenda going into reverse as the Government tries to
:39:45. > :39:49.lean more and more towards the market. They are trying to tear up
:39:49. > :39:52.regulations and remove Government from the process of protecting the
:39:52. > :39:57.national environment. What do you put this down to?
:39:57. > :40:00.I put this down to a combination of ideology and ignorance. And then
:40:01. > :40:04.there is planning. A controversial scheme for 1100 new
:40:04. > :40:12.homes has just been given the go-ahead here in Norfolk, despite
:40:12. > :40:14.protests that it will increase the size of the time by 50%. The
:40:14. > :40:18.Government is leaning on councils to build new homes. Planning policy has
:40:18. > :40:21.been changed in favour of development. The Chancellor will not
:40:21. > :40:25.mind if Britain misses its carbon emission targets.
:40:25. > :40:33.Britain makes up less than 2% of the world's carbon emissions to China
:40:33. > :40:39.to save the planet by putting our country out of business.
:40:39. > :40:44.And what about eco-friendly power? Many Conservative MPs are openly
:40:44. > :40:48.opposed to onshore wind farms. Last month plans for a wind farm in
:40:48. > :40:54.Northamptonshire were rejected. But it is all -- but is it all the
:40:54. > :40:59.Government's fault? The concerns of people, not
:40:59. > :41:05.surprisingly, I dominated by the economy. Jobs, wages, these kinds of
:41:05. > :41:12.things. And green issues and concern for the environment is at quite a
:41:12. > :41:15.low level. Natalie Bennett is leader of the
:41:15. > :41:20.Green party. While ago I put it to her that surely, with things so
:41:20. > :41:25.tight, there is a case for putting business before the environment.
:41:26. > :41:32.We very much believe about worrying about the economy and bringing our
:41:32. > :41:35.economy back from globalisation. We want to build strong local economies
:41:35. > :41:40.around shops and businesses. We want to create jobs that gives workers
:41:40. > :41:45.real job security and no zero are contracts. What we're doing is
:41:45. > :41:48.working towards a kind of economy that really works for people. Also,
:41:48. > :41:54.it is interesting that this week the IMF has come out and said that
:41:54. > :41:58.George Osborne's austerity programme is entirely the wrong direction, and
:41:58. > :42:02.that is what we have been saying since 2010.
:42:02. > :42:10.Let's look at a graph from the University of Essex. It shows how
:42:10. > :42:15.your popularity has happened since 2010. There is a comparison to UKIP
:42:15. > :42:19.there. In comparison, you do not seem to be doing as well.
:42:19. > :42:23.I think the situation is that UKIP has a very simple popular message
:42:23. > :42:27.and also people do not know much about them. I hope that during this
:42:27. > :42:32.campaign a little more light will be shown on them, for example, I do
:42:32. > :42:36.think many people know that their policy is to completely privatise
:42:36. > :42:41.the NHS. That is the opposite of our policy. I think if you look at the
:42:41. > :42:45.Eastern region specifically, we currently have around 40 councillors
:42:46. > :42:48.across the region where as you can only has a handful. We have strong
:42:48. > :42:53.local parties working year after year, campaigning and going
:42:53. > :42:57.door-to-door, running campaigns on local issues, so we are really
:42:57. > :43:02.embedded in the community in a way that UKIP is not.
:43:02. > :43:06.Let's talk about some local issues. Let's talk about the nuclear power
:43:06. > :43:09.plant in Suffolk. A major construction project which could
:43:09. > :43:14.generate thousands of jobs and of course help to meet future energy
:43:14. > :43:18.needs. As things stand, on the face of it, it sounds as though it might
:43:18. > :43:22.be difficult to argue against it. I find it extremely easy to argue
:43:23. > :43:30.against it. We are looking at negotiations still being described
:43:30. > :43:34.as long and difficult. And we are looking at a potential �40 billion
:43:34. > :43:39.worth of subsidies, that is �1 billion per year that would come out
:43:39. > :43:44.of people 's energy bills. Nuclear is very expensive. Gas is very
:43:44. > :43:50.expensive. Renewables, and energy conservation, can provide many more
:43:50. > :43:53.jobs and really tackle fuel poverty, keep our costs of energy within
:43:53. > :44:00.reasonable bounds, and of course cut our carbon emissions.
:44:00. > :44:04.What about renewable energy that comes from wind turbines? People
:44:04. > :44:07.seem to think it is a good idea, and yet they do not want one in their
:44:07. > :44:11.own backyard. I think something that we are in
:44:12. > :44:15.favour of, and what happens on the continent, is community initiative
:44:15. > :44:20.wind farms. That makes it look and feel very different. If the
:44:20. > :44:23.community, a town or village, actually owns the wind farm on the
:44:23. > :44:26.hill, and the profit slow-down into the village, that is very different
:44:26. > :44:31.to when you have a large multinational energy company. We
:44:31. > :44:36.have found with at least one of them recently, they were not paying any
:44:36. > :44:41.tax in this country. Profit simply blow away in the wind. What we want
:44:41. > :44:46.our community energy schemes. We find that community's fight among
:44:46. > :44:49.themselves to say, we want the scheme, no, we want the scheme.
:44:50. > :44:53.What village can afford to buy a wind turbine?
:44:53. > :44:56.What you can do is you have community bonds, you know what the
:44:56. > :45:00.return is going to be from these kind of scheme so it is perfectly
:45:00. > :45:03.possible to have local investment. Indeed, I was on the Isle of Lewis
:45:03. > :45:07.and earlier this week where there was a huge solar array that has been
:45:07. > :45:11.put up by the community with community investment and the returns
:45:11. > :45:15.are going back into the community. That is the kind of approach which
:45:15. > :45:21.can really deliver and of course, give us the energy we need. So, do
:45:21. > :45:29.you think that when turbines are currently, do you think the
:45:29. > :45:35.Government is going about it wrong? Very much so. We have the Energy
:45:35. > :45:37.Bill in Parliament just now and we call operating with people like the
:45:37. > :45:44.Association Of British Industry, which is saying that the Government
:45:44. > :45:48.is getting energy policy all wrong. Thank you very much. Natalie
:45:48. > :45:53.Bennett, speaking to me earlier. What you think of this idea of towns
:45:53. > :45:57.and villages owning wind turbines? I think it's a great idea. We have
:45:57. > :46:01.to see more of these. Having more of the profits flowing to the people
:46:01. > :46:04.who live near them is great. The question is not whether or not we
:46:05. > :46:09.can afford to invest in these energies, it's whether we can afford
:46:09. > :46:19.not to. As Natalie was saying, the Confederation Of British Industry,
:46:19. > :46:20.
:46:20. > :46:24.Not A Pro Environment Organisation, , says it could be great for this
:46:24. > :46:32.region. Stewart, you are not such a fan.
:46:32. > :46:37.No. I think we have to look at whether or not it has a direct
:46:37. > :46:42.impact on peoples bills and the long-term issue of carbon capture,
:46:42. > :46:46.of reduction in CO2 emissions, things like that. At the moment, the
:46:46. > :46:51.Government has not made a case for the level of subsidy which is
:46:51. > :46:54.currently happening in terms of onshore wind energy.
:46:54. > :46:59.Would you want a turbine in your back garden?
:46:59. > :47:02.I am not sure it would fit. What we must do is find a way of getting
:47:03. > :47:07.that energy. Stewart is right that people care about what their bills
:47:07. > :47:12.are. Energy bills are shooting up because we are dependent on gas
:47:12. > :47:17.which is increasingly imported from overseas. If we do not very
:47:17. > :47:25.seriously find alternatives, bills will continue to go up and up and
:47:25. > :47:33.up. Up I reject that analysis because I think it is fair to say
:47:33. > :47:39.the Government is either so buying sources. We are looking at nuclear
:47:39. > :47:42.energy and the Green Investment Bank. We're looking new tariffs. I
:47:42. > :47:47.think the idea that we're going backwards on the environment is not
:47:47. > :47:51.the case. Thank you. Let's take a closer look
:47:51. > :47:54.at the County Council elections. Voters in Northamptonshire have an
:47:54. > :47:59.interesting scenario. They have the lowest Council tax bills in England,
:47:59. > :48:04.which is great, say the ruling Tories. But opponents say it has
:48:04. > :48:09.been achieved at the cost of massive cuts to services. Let's have a look
:48:09. > :48:14.at how the parties currently stand. The Tories have a commanding 54
:48:14. > :48:20.seats. The Liberal Democrats have ten, and labour six. On the 2nd of
:48:20. > :48:26.May, there will be 16 fewer seats to contest, which could make for a more
:48:26. > :48:30.uncertain outcome. Northamptonshire is a county of
:48:30. > :48:34.contrast. Rolling countryside dotted with large centres of population.
:48:34. > :48:38.Traditional industries exist alongside motor sport and high-tech
:48:38. > :48:42.engineering. Like all candles, Northamptonshire has had to make
:48:42. > :48:47.cuts. Streetlights have been switched off and lollipop patrols
:48:47. > :48:50.axed. It is Labour's time. People are fed
:48:50. > :48:55.up with this happening in Northamptonshire, people out of
:48:55. > :48:59.work, the police being threatened, lack of jobs. If we cannot make
:48:59. > :49:03.gains and take control of this County Council now, then I don't
:49:03. > :49:06.think we ever can. The Liberal Democrats also feel that the axe has
:49:06. > :49:09.cut too deeply. They also believe that under the
:49:09. > :49:13.stewardship of the Conservatives, standards in the county's children's
:49:13. > :49:16.services had dropped to unacceptable levels.
:49:16. > :49:22.We have had disastrous reports. The Ofsted report in hope they look
:49:22. > :49:26.after young children, for example. For years we have word that these
:49:26. > :49:32.cuts will cut too far. And here we are, we have a County Council that
:49:32. > :49:37.is inadequate in all categories. I think that is disgraceful.
:49:37. > :49:40.The Conservatives say that, overall, they have a record to be proud of.
:49:40. > :49:43.The county was recently voted the most enterprising in England and
:49:43. > :49:51.despite having to make cuts, they say they have done all they can to
:49:51. > :49:57.limit their impact. As result of each year tenure here,
:49:57. > :50:01.we have the lowest Council tax in England. All of those sort of things
:50:01. > :50:03.really way in with people when they are thinking about their own
:50:03. > :50:06.livelihoods and their own households.
:50:06. > :50:11.This year 's elections will be very different. Because of boundary
:50:11. > :50:14.changes, the number of councillors elected will reduce from 73 to 57,
:50:14. > :50:19.which means that predicting the outcome will be harder than ever.
:50:19. > :50:23.And to some extent these changes are dictating the way the parties are
:50:23. > :50:29.fighting these elections. Labour will be targeting Northampton and
:50:30. > :50:33.Kettering. And the more rural areas, both the Conservatives and the
:50:33. > :50:38.Liberal Democrats will be working hard to maintain their support as
:50:38. > :50:42.well as in some urban strongholds. But the real challenge to all
:50:42. > :50:44.parties is managing the potential impact of UKIP whilst also heading
:50:44. > :50:50.off the threat of border apathy which could throw up some surprising
:50:50. > :50:55.results. We are joined by the regional court
:50:55. > :51:02.nature for the Green party. Pretty you strike a balance between
:51:02. > :51:09.providing services and providing a reasonable level of Council tax?
:51:09. > :51:15.As was said in the report, we don't want to have a small reduction in
:51:15. > :51:18.Council tax which leads to a big cut in services. The Green councillors
:51:18. > :51:22.in Northampton have been strongly resisting Conservative cuts which
:51:22. > :51:26.have been damaging crucial services such as mental health services and
:51:26. > :51:31.social services. We have been the real opposition to the
:51:31. > :51:36.Conservatives. On this issue of streetlights. Would
:51:36. > :51:41.you turn streetlights of? Again, if I use my experience from
:51:41. > :51:46.Norfolk, Green councillors have defended areas where residents did
:51:46. > :51:49.not want their street switched off. We have proposed that we should have
:51:49. > :51:53.solar tariffs for the streetlights instead of turning them off in
:51:53. > :51:57.certain areas. But having said that, I do think it is terribly important
:51:57. > :52:01.that politicians treat this kind of issue responsibly. I am very
:52:01. > :52:04.concerned that some politicians are going around fear mongering about
:52:04. > :52:09.the issue of crime. It is very important to note is that police
:52:09. > :52:15.officers, for example, have said to me that sometimes having lights on
:52:15. > :52:19.and can encourage groups of jobs. This is a complicated issue.
:52:19. > :52:23.Let's talk about the Tories in Northamptonshire. Clearly, they have
:52:23. > :52:27.made cuts, things like crossing patrols. The public will pass their
:52:27. > :52:32.opinion on the 2nd of May. How well do you think they will do?
:52:32. > :52:36.You have got to remember that they were at the top of the electoral
:52:36. > :52:40.cycle at 2009 and the last Government was enormously unpopular.
:52:41. > :52:46.It would be foolish of me to say there will be no losses for the
:52:46. > :52:49.Conservatives. However, they have a very strong local record and that
:52:49. > :52:52.balance of delivering strong local services while keeping Council tax
:52:52. > :52:59.them. Quite rightly, we are looking not just that a challenge from
:52:59. > :53:01.Labour but you can as well. UKIP or protest party. Labour do not have a
:53:01. > :53:06.coherent and credible alternative for the Council tax payers of
:53:06. > :53:09.Northampton. It is a fine line, is it not,
:53:09. > :53:16.between keeping services and keeping Council tax low.
:53:16. > :53:19.Absolutely. Council taxes people who can sometimes struggle to pay it.
:53:19. > :53:23.What I have seen is Conservative and Labour councils around the country
:53:23. > :53:26.spending money they could have saved. For instance, we have the
:53:26. > :53:30.guided bus subject which is now a multi-million pound dispute with
:53:30. > :53:34.tens of millions of pounds likely to be spent on legal fees. We have the
:53:34. > :53:39.leader of the County Council who says that, while times are tough, is
:53:39. > :53:42.also trying to have a 25% increase in councillors allowances. There is
:53:42. > :53:46.money being wasted on interest payments. There is a lot more that
:53:46. > :53:50.could be done. Rather than spending money on communications and legal
:53:50. > :53:53.fees, you could spend it on better services, so Cambridgeshire could
:53:53. > :53:58.have much better cycle routes and six pavements and a whole range of
:53:58. > :54:01.things. That is happening across the country for a whole range of things.
:54:01. > :54:05.You mention people who are struggling to pay Council tax. What
:54:05. > :54:10.about those who have been asked to pay it for the first time because of
:54:10. > :54:17.changes to benefits? We in the Green state that Council
:54:17. > :54:21.tax be abolished. Council tax is a very un-progressive tax. We favour
:54:21. > :54:25.moving to a system where it would be much more proportional to your
:54:25. > :54:30.ability to pay and we also favour bringing in land value tax, when
:54:30. > :54:35.those who are enormously wealthy because of land that they all will
:54:35. > :54:41.pay their fair amount. Could there be an alternative?
:54:41. > :54:47.I think you have to see that change in Council tax in the wider
:54:47. > :54:51.context. Universal Credit, for instance, the bedroom tax. Really,
:54:51. > :54:55.basically, focusing on the idea that work should always pay and trying to
:54:55. > :54:58.get people off of welfare dependency and into training or work that is
:54:58. > :55:00.meaningful and changes their life for the better. I think people
:55:00. > :55:05.understand that that is what we are about.
:55:05. > :55:09.I just want to ask all of you what your feelings are about an election
:55:09. > :55:12.which is 11 days away. What is the best the Liberal Democrats can hope
:55:12. > :55:17.for? I think that we can gain seats
:55:17. > :55:24.around the region. In Cambridge City Council we managed not to hit anyone
:55:24. > :55:32.with a new Council tax, so there are solutions. I hope it will make a
:55:32. > :55:36.difference. And the Tories? I think they may take some from the
:55:36. > :55:40.Liberal Democrats. Some loyalists may go to UKIP. It will not be as
:55:40. > :55:45.good as 2009 but not a disaster. And the Green's?
:55:45. > :55:49.We are looking to break through in Suffolk and we have a real prospect
:55:49. > :55:56.in Northamptonshire with the former Labour MP, Tony Clark, joining as
:55:56. > :55:58.last month. Thank you. Of course, it has been a
:55:59. > :56:05.momentous week in Westminster with the funeral of Baroness Thatcher.
:56:05. > :56:13.And in Suffolk, a family tragedy which opportunity. Chris will round
:56:13. > :56:16.it all up. The death of a young mother and her
:56:16. > :56:21.children and Lowestoft shocked the region this week.
:56:21. > :56:26.The community is very close-knit. They have very much pull together in
:56:26. > :56:30.difficult times and are giving the family all of the support that they
:56:30. > :56:32.can. Meanwhile, while spread the
:56:32. > :56:35.management failures and the resignation of the region's
:56:35. > :56:41.ambulance chief were laid before the Health Secretary.
:56:41. > :56:45.Can he joined me in calling for the Trust to also reflect upon their own
:56:45. > :56:47.position? Elsewhere in the NHS, the campaign
:56:47. > :56:52.to keep services at Kettering continued.
:56:52. > :57:00.We must maintain a proper Accident and Emergency service in Kettering.
:57:00. > :57:03.It was thumbs up from a local MP as the culture secretary signalled the
:57:03. > :57:06.start of better broadband in secretary. And among mourners at
:57:06. > :57:09.Saint Pauls Cathedral this week was an Essex artist with a special
:57:09. > :57:15.collection of portraits of Lady Thatcher.
:57:15. > :57:25.With that final portrait, I was able to see a very quiet, retiring,
:57:25. > :57:26.
:57:26. > :57:30.reflective side of Lady Thatcher. Clearly, Lady Thatcher's funeral was
:57:30. > :57:33.a very momentous event this week. There was a lot of discussion about
:57:33. > :57:37.it in the run-up. Was it the right way to do it?
:57:37. > :57:41.I think it is important to have a funeral to mark somebody who was a
:57:41. > :57:47.great figure in British history. People will look back and see that
:57:47. > :57:55.she made a big difference, some good things, some bad things. I drew up
:57:55. > :57:58.-- I grew up in a period that was defined by disagreeing with her. We
:57:58. > :58:02.should be clear about what these funerals will look like. It would be
:58:02. > :58:07.nice to have a standard pattern. Do you think we will see another
:58:07. > :58:13.funeral like that for a politician? Probably not. She was a unique
:58:13. > :58:17.figure. I believe she led with principal and integrity, not just a
:58:17. > :58:23.domestic politician but clearly an international stateswoman. The
:58:23. > :58:29.ceremony, which I was honoured to be a part of, was absolutely perfect.
:58:29. > :58:33.What was it like to be there? It was so long, but at the same time
:58:33. > :58:36.uplifting. I thought the words of the bishop were gracious and
:58:36. > :58:40.beautiful and reflected a great national occasion and even those
:58:40. > :58:43.people who were opposed to her and wanted to demonstrate did it, I
:58:43. > :58:47.believe, in a respectful and appropriate way so I think it was a