:00:44. > :00:52.after the summer recess, and the party conference season is already
:00:52. > :00:56.Democrats. Have a great conference. Nick Clegg has some convincing to
:00:56. > :01:01.do, according to our very own Sunday Politics poll, his troops don't
:01:01. > :01:05.do, according to our very own Sunday his coalition bedmates. The latest
:01:05. > :01:15.poll of the country also has the Lib Dems languishing behind UKIP in
:01:15. > :01:22.Paddy Ashdown! So can the Lib Dems election in 2015? We will talking to
:01:22. > :01:27.former leader, now the party's general election commander-in-chief,
:01:27. > :01:28.George Osborne is a happy bunny these days,
:01:28. > :01:38.And calls to strengthen the planning day.
:01:38. > :01:41.And calls to strengthen the planning rules on solar farms. We reveal how
:01:41. > :01:44.brightest hopes, Sarah Teather is acres
:01:44. > :01:45.brightest hopes, Sarah Teather is now heading for the exit. We will
:01:45. > :01:58.hear from Nick Clegg on what it And freshly showered from the Great
:01:58. > :02:04.North Run and looking as fresh as daisies, the best and brightest
:02:04. > :02:14.Janan Ganesh, Helen Lewis and Iain Now, their leader is our Deputy
:02:14. > :02:18.Prime Minister. They are the junior government. They like the colour
:02:18. > :02:21.yellow and they have not won a general election since dinosaurs
:02:21. > :02:25.walked the earth. Now they are behind UKIP in the polls, so as
:02:25. > :02:29.walked the earth. Now they are party gathers for its annual bash
:02:29. > :02:33.this year in Glasgow, what is on their mind? Who are the people
:02:33. > :02:39.gathering at the Clyde this weekend? their mind? Who are the people
:02:39. > :02:49.Before they started drinking, we councillors in England and Wales,
:02:49. > :02:53.comrade. The first question we asked was, if the next election results in
:02:53. > :02:57.a hung parliament, which team would you rather go into coalition with,
:02:57. > :03:07.the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem councillors said Labour, two to
:03:07. > :03:13.the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem Tories or Labour? It is not for
:03:13. > :03:18.the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem to say. It is for the voters to
:03:18. > :03:22.say. We will decide depending on councillors favoured a coalition
:03:22. > :03:35.is on the table. Who would you rather play table football against?
:03:35. > :03:51.because I am winning. So in the winning 's which ones are heading
:03:51. > :04:02.popular policy was a mansion tax on house is worth more than £2 million,
:04:02. > :04:04.popular policy was a mansion tax on councillors. The next most popular
:04:04. > :04:09.policy was scrapping the Trident nuclear deterrent, supported by
:04:09. > :04:13.policy was scrapping the Trident of councillors. Then there was the
:04:13. > :04:18.reinstatement of the 50p top rate of income tax. 70% of councillors like
:04:18. > :04:22.the look of that. When it came to the idea of banning the burka in
:04:22. > :04:27.public places like schools and airports, 45% of councillors were in
:04:27. > :04:34.favour. Finally, a ban on topless Page three model is won the support
:04:34. > :04:42.of 33% of councillors. Why is it so popular, the idea of a mansion tax?
:04:42. > :04:46.It is a much fairer tax. We know there are people out there with
:04:46. > :04:49.It is a much fairer tax. We know expensive houses. Which of these is
:04:49. > :04:56.most important to you? Banning Trident. The cold war ended in
:04:56. > :04:59.1989. Another one was the idea of banning the burka in public places.
:04:59. > :05:06.whatever they like. If they want to banning the burka in public places.
:05:06. > :05:18.wear the birth or a kilt or if they anything. We are the party of jobs.
:05:18. > :05:23.Thank you. Last night, a fully clothed Nick Clegg rallied his
:05:23. > :05:28.troops, but if he was not around, who would Lib Dem councillors want
:05:28. > :05:33.instead? Business Secretary Vince Cable was most popular, with a third
:05:33. > :05:39.of the votes. In second place, the party's president, Tim Farron, with
:05:39. > :05:45.27%. 10% went to Danny Alexander, while the business minister Joe
:05:45. > :05:50.Swinson received 7%. The Energy Secretary Ed Davey scooped 6%, and
:05:50. > :05:57.in last place, Steve Webb, the pensions minister, who got 5%. If
:05:57. > :05:59.any of these councillors want to talk to me about it, I would be
:05:59. > :06:09.delighted to hear from them. Is talk to me about it, I would be
:06:09. > :06:17.certainly isn't. What do you think contenders. But our survey is not
:06:17. > :06:22.the only one that has got tongues wagging in Glasgow, because the
:06:22. > :06:22.the only one that has got tongues Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:22. > :06:25.their own poll which showed that 75% Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:25. > :06:29.of the country will never vote Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:29. > :06:37.the party, no matter what they do. Also meeting here this weekend,
:06:37. > :06:39.the party, no matter what they do. Democrats like to think they have
:06:39. > :06:46.got just as much va-va-voom, even if a big chunk of the country doesn't.
:06:46. > :06:57.Add, back in his hometown. So, the Much of their party thinks they
:06:57. > :06:58.Add, back in his hometown. So, the moving in the wrong direction.
:06:58. > :07:02.Earlier, I spoke to former party moving in the wrong direction.
:07:02. > :07:06.leader Paddy Ashdown. He has been put in charge of heading up the
:07:06. > :07:11.leader Paddy Ashdown. He has been election campaign. I asked him if
:07:11. > :07:16.the mood in Glasgow was grim. No. In many ways, as you know, Tory old
:07:17. > :07:21.commentator that you are just as I am a hoary old member at the other
:07:21. > :07:30.end of the camera, we have been midterm of a government, especially
:07:30. > :07:34.when you are in government and the country is going for in a deep
:07:34. > :07:38.economic crisis, has almost no relevance to where you might be
:07:39. > :07:43.economic crisis, has almost no the nipple come to consider how
:07:43. > :07:43.economic crisis, has almost no will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:43. > :07:47.the people come to consider how will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:47. > :07:52.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, but they are a snapshot of what
:07:52. > :07:55.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, indication of where we will be.
:07:55. > :07:57.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, guess is, for what it is worth,
:07:57. > :08:01.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, as we come to the election, the
:08:01. > :08:06.public will be in a very serious, probably frightened mood. Their
:08:06. > :08:11.public will be in a very serious, thoughts will be, who maintains
:08:11. > :08:14.public will be in a very serious, job, makes sure I don't have to
:08:14. > :08:18.public will be in a very serious, to higher mortgage? The coalition
:08:18. > :08:23.has delivered not only the required policies to make Britain's economy
:08:23. > :08:28.prosperous, but also its society fair. That is what people will want
:08:28. > :08:30.to see. I think coalition politics are here to stay and we have a role
:08:30. > :08:35.to play in it. But you are in a are here to stay and we have a role
:08:35. > :08:38.mood this morning. You tweeted that you were not happy with how the
:08:38. > :08:45.Observer newspaper handled your there anything we can do to help?
:08:46. > :08:54.There is probably something they arguments with the interview. The
:08:54. > :08:58.headline they chose to put on it late last night was outrageous,
:08:58. > :09:03.misrepresentative and in one case in Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:03. > :09:09.coalition with the Tories, or at Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:09. > :09:13.least they gave that in for us Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:13. > :09:21.inference. Let me make this point. election. I am in charge of the
:09:21. > :09:26.campaign. Any journalist who in these next two years says that any
:09:26. > :09:29.Liberal Democrat prefers anything else in terms of the outcome of
:09:29. > :09:32.Liberal Democrat prefers anything coalition but the result of the
:09:32. > :09:34.ballot box dictating that outcome, that any prefer one side to another
:09:34. > :09:42.coalition determined by the electors that any prefer one side to another
:09:42. > :09:46.in the votes, will get a bloody that any prefer one side to another
:09:46. > :10:08.time from me, no matter who they are. We take the warning. A survey
:10:08. > :10:13.of Lib Dem councillors shows that in coalition with the Tories. That
:10:13. > :10:15.of Lib Dem councillors shows that in clear sign that your activists want
:10:15. > :10:17.a change of direction. I don't think it is news that as a left-wing
:10:17. > :10:20.party, we find it more congenial with those on the left wing, but
:10:21. > :10:24.that is not the issue. You saw it election. We are servants of the
:10:24. > :10:27.ballot box. We do watch the British people require us to do to provide a
:10:27. > :10:30.of our country. I am sure you have stable government in the interests
:10:30. > :10:33.of our country. I am sure you have got the point by now. I have fought
:10:33. > :10:39.the Tories all my life. But when responsibility to amend the economic
:10:39. > :10:46.crisis, was this right for the determine who are going to be in any
:10:46. > :10:53.coalition, should there be one, determine who are going to be in any
:10:53. > :10:59.voters and nobody else. It is not about what we like. I understand
:10:59. > :11:06.that. But your own internal polls leadership are not taking the party
:11:06. > :11:11.with them on that. I don't think that is true. Nick Clegg has done
:11:11. > :11:15.what no other party leader has done. He took the coalition agreement
:11:15. > :11:18.what no other party leader has done. the party, and they voted for it. So
:11:18. > :11:24.it is not true to say that members different direction. I think we
:11:24. > :11:26.it is not true to say that members extraordinarily united. I did not
:11:26. > :11:31.expect them to be so under these pressures, but they have surprised
:11:31. > :11:39.me and made me joyful at the same time. The party has done what it
:11:39. > :11:48.done in local government for a long time. We may have our private likes
:11:48. > :11:54.and dislikes, but the thing that coalition is the ballot box. You
:11:54. > :11:57.have said that three times. I can say it again if you like. Please
:11:57. > :12:02.don't! What if your party votes say it again if you like. Please
:12:02. > :12:12.reinstate tuition fees as party policy afternoon? We will have to
:12:12. > :12:15.listen to that and act accordingly. You must listen to the voice of
:12:15. > :12:18.listen to that and act accordingly. party and take it into account in
:12:18. > :12:26.what you do. I am always quite answering hypothetical questions. I
:12:26. > :12:31.don't think it is likely to happen, but if it did, we would have to
:12:31. > :12:33.don't think it is likely to happen, distinguished Lib Dems was that
:12:33. > :12:36.don't think it is likely to happen, your party conference voted for
:12:36. > :12:42.something, it was in the manifesto. The manifesto is taken in its final
:12:42. > :12:46.form before the party for decision. The party will express views at
:12:46. > :12:49.form before the party for decision. stage in all sorts of ways. It did
:12:49. > :12:53.in my leadership, too. The manifesto is democratically agreed by the
:12:53. > :12:59.party at the time of the election, not before. The Tory conference
:12:59. > :12:59.party at the time of the election, be about how they think they have
:12:59. > :13:03.been vindicated, that austerity be about how they think they have
:13:03. > :13:08.worked, the economy is turning a corner. But Nick Clegg's conference
:13:08. > :13:13.announcements will be about plastic bags. Have you got the hang of this
:13:13. > :13:16.coalition think? Andrew, you can always be guaranteed to put things
:13:16. > :13:24.in the most discreditable form! always be guaranteed to put things
:13:24. > :13:31.is part of your charm. That was about to be a minor announcement in
:13:31. > :13:34.discovered beforehand. It has not the middle of his speech. But it was
:13:34. > :13:37.discovered beforehand. It has not been very popular in terms of how it
:13:37. > :13:41.has been received, but that is not the central message. That leads
:13:41. > :13:47.has been received, but that is not to what I think is the biggest
:13:47. > :13:52.election. Isn't the biggest danger that the Tories, not you, if there
:13:52. > :14:04.is an economic recovery, they will get the credit for it? I don't think
:14:04. > :14:10.think the electorate does gratitude. The only time people cast a thank
:14:10. > :14:13.Thatcher over the sale of council houses. We could have a different
:14:13. > :14:21.discussion over whether that was a good idea. But what you have done is
:14:21. > :14:30.the underpinning for the promise of government, we have stayed firm
:14:30. > :14:37.the underpinning for the promise of very tough economic policy. But
:14:37. > :14:40.the underpinning for the promise of you get the credit? What we have
:14:40. > :14:44.done by ourselves, which the Tories would never have done, is make sure
:14:44. > :14:49.that when the pain is felt, it is not the poor who feel it. We have
:14:49. > :14:53.seen the biggest shift of taxation, lifting the poorest in the country
:14:53. > :14:59.out of taxation, that has ever happened, including in the previous
:14:59. > :15:04.Labour government. You are presiding over the biggest squeeze on living
:15:04. > :15:05.standards in modern times. Because it is the biggest recession in
:15:05. > :15:15.modern times. When you speak to it is the biggest recession in
:15:15. > :15:19.2.5 million people who have been lifted out of taxation altogether
:15:19. > :15:32.because of the Liberal Democrats, tax cut. You may be able to make the
:15:32. > :15:36.because of the Liberal Democrats, connection, Andrew, you are a sharp
:15:36. > :15:39.economic crisis and difficulty for everybody. But it is clear that
:15:39. > :15:41.economic crisis and difficulty for the Tories had been by themselves,
:15:41. > :15:45.none of that would have happened. We have sought to shift the burden
:15:45. > :15:48.none of that would have happened. We from the poorest in this country. I
:15:48. > :15:52.am part of that. So when we go into the next election, the message will
:15:52. > :15:54.am part of that. So when we go into be that if you want to continue
:15:54. > :15:57.am part of that. So when we go into have a prosperous economy and a
:15:57. > :16:07.society, only the Liberal Democrats will deliver that. Tim Farron says
:16:07. > :16:10.want to diss him. Can you confirm he likes Ed Miliband and he does not
:16:10. > :16:15.want to diss him. Can you confirm that there will be no dissing of Ed
:16:15. > :16:19.Miliband? It is not much my style. I've never much liked comments about
:16:19. > :16:27.the other leaders. I do not intend to make it so in the future. Can I'd
:16:27. > :16:30.finish up on Syria? You said after the Syria vote that Britain was
:16:30. > :16:36.finish up on Syria? You said after hugely diminished country. Given it
:16:36. > :16:39.both sides on a course which could now see Syria give up chemical
:16:39. > :16:43.weapons without records to military action, would you like to withdraw
:16:43. > :16:45.these remarks and admit that you should be proud and happy with what
:16:45. > :16:53.Britain has done? No. You and I should be proud and happy with what
:16:53. > :16:59.know, because we are old observers, that that would never have happened
:16:59. > :17:06.underpinning of a threat to use resigned from that. We have no part
:17:06. > :17:09.to play in the fact that Assad and Putin have moved towards peace for
:17:09. > :17:09.to play in the fact that Assad and fear of military action. We decided
:17:09. > :17:15.exactly the opposite. Why would fear of military action. We decided
:17:15. > :17:23.liked to have seen our country join in with those who are serious about
:17:23. > :17:24.upholding an international law which has restrained even than axes and
:17:24. > :17:35.left others to make sure that we talent, but instead we resigned
:17:35. > :17:35.left others to make sure that we moved towards peace. -- even the
:17:35. > :17:43.Maxis and Stalin. But if it had moved towards peace. -- even the
:17:43. > :17:49.would not have had the time to allow this to happen. It has avoided war.
:17:49. > :17:56.Job done, British Parliament. That would be true if it was accurate but
:17:56. > :18:01.it is not. The resolution proposed a delay, that we should wait until the
:18:01. > :18:03.inspectors came back. That time frame was absolutely nothing to
:18:03. > :18:08.inspectors came back. That time with the parliamentary vote. The
:18:08. > :18:15.vote was going to incorporate that. I do not think you can claim what
:18:15. > :18:17.vote was going to incorporate that. remember that diplomacy, which was
:18:17. > :18:21.not reinforced by the threat of military action, does not work.
:18:21. > :18:25.not reinforced by the threat of is when diplomacy runs with a grain
:18:25. > :18:30.of military action that it works. illustration of that, look at what
:18:30. > :18:35.is happening over the last two weeks. By regret to say that our
:18:35. > :18:49.country, which has always been in disengagement, had no part to play
:18:49. > :18:56.And you we would get to the Balkans eventually, and we did. His biggest
:18:56. > :19:03.challenge is if the economy is get some credit for the Lib Dems,
:19:03. > :19:07.when the Tories will want to halt it all. But his position is not to
:19:07. > :19:08.when the Tories will want to halt it the necessary axeman. That is George
:19:08. > :19:12.Osborne's role. Their role is to be Osborne's role. Their role is to be
:19:12. > :19:16.the chaser party, taking the edge off. They will because of me going
:19:16. > :19:22.on about the pupil premium and That is what you will hear from
:19:22. > :19:26.of the cuts. Will that work? They them, how they have taken the edge
:19:26. > :19:27.of the cuts. Will that work? They are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:27. > :19:31.if they have lost two thirds of are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:31. > :19:36.popular support, according to the polls, I do not know anyone in
:19:36. > :19:37.Westminster methinks that will be matched in their parliamentary
:19:37. > :19:40.representation. If they have 56 matched in their parliamentary
:19:40. > :19:48.now, they might lose a dozen but Strategically, they are in a better
:19:48. > :19:53.position than the reading of the polls would tell you. I think Nick
:19:53. > :19:59.Clegg's survival has been one of the stories of this Parliament. He is
:19:59. > :20:04.looking good at the comfort -- at the conference. When he was at his
:20:04. > :20:09.lowest after the AV referendum, people were saying he would survive
:20:09. > :20:13.I thought that was fanciful. Believe and lead us into 2015 and beyond and
:20:13. > :20:15.I thought that was fanciful. Believe it or not... Paddy Ashdown was
:20:15. > :20:21.wrong, you were wrong and... I wasn't. I'm underestimated how bad
:20:21. > :20:27.his rivals are. If you are Lib Dem member, however aggrieved you are
:20:27. > :20:31.with Nick Clegg, you do not think, wouldn't it be great if Christian
:20:31. > :20:34.was in charge? Nick Clegg is the best they have. -- Chris Huhne was
:20:34. > :20:40.in charge. Of course, the people do in charge. Of course, the people do
:20:40. > :20:44.government and it is a consequence of the way they vote, a different
:20:44. > :20:51.matter. If Janan Ganesh is right, and they lose 15 seats in the next
:20:51. > :20:57.pivotal in the next government. It Possibly the most amusing outcome
:20:57. > :21:00.would be a Labour or Tory overall majority, which would be hilarious
:21:00. > :21:06.for the look on Paddy Ashdown's face. The danger is they get trapped
:21:06. > :21:09.constantly in talking about the politics of coalition and of a hung
:21:09. > :21:16.parliament. And they are very puffed politics of coalition and of a hung
:21:17. > :21:20.parliament. And they are very puffed up and they enjoy Parliament and
:21:20. > :21:23.there is a possibility they will not be. While they are talking about the
:21:23. > :21:25.Polish and themselves, they are be. While they are talking about the
:21:25. > :21:31.talking about the issues facing be. While they are talking about the
:21:31. > :21:37.coalition. It was interesting that he said that we are a left-wing
:21:37. > :21:44.party, not a centre-left party or a centre party, but a left-wing party.
:21:44. > :21:48.I'm going to put myself in the firing line and say that there is a
:21:48. > :21:52.big split between the Tim Farron line who say they like Ed Miliband,
:21:52. > :21:56.and another one, Jeremy Browne in the Home Office saying that Labour
:21:56. > :22:05.are intellectually lazy. The risk clearly a clique around Nick Clegg
:22:05. > :22:11.who wants to be a synthetic party, but that is not where the membership
:22:11. > :22:16.who wants to be a synthetic party, activists are clearly of the left,
:22:16. > :22:21.not just the centre-left. They are very pro-immigration and they want
:22:21. > :22:26.strategy has to be to take the party to the centre. The something not
:22:26. > :22:30.happen at some stage? The poll suggests it is a left-wing party.
:22:30. > :22:32.happen at some stage? The poll Very left-wing. Other think the
:22:32. > :22:33.happen at some stage? The poll would have yielded -- would have
:22:33. > :22:40.yielded the same results before would have yielded -- would have
:22:40. > :22:43.2010 election. This is reflected by the arithmetic. Whichever party
:22:43. > :22:44.2010 election. This is reflected by biggest will most likely be the
:22:44. > :22:48.2010 election. This is reflected by in coalition with the Lib Dems.
:22:48. > :22:56.2010 election. This is reflected by Clegg's on latitude to choose is
:22:56. > :23:02.exaggerated by us. The choice is no parliamentary arithmetic. But if you
:23:02. > :23:09.remember the structure of the Lib Dems, they can tie themselves up in
:23:09. > :23:16.infighting. -- the choice is not stable. And Nick Clegg has had a
:23:16. > :23:18.good conference last year, and will have another one this year. The
:23:18. > :23:21.economy is better than it was a have another one this year. The
:23:21. > :23:27.ago. It could still go quite well for him. Yes, it is one of the
:23:27. > :23:29.ago. It could still go quite well stories of this Parliament, his
:23:29. > :23:35.survival and the way in which he has prospered. But there are a lot of
:23:35. > :23:38.campaigners, labour activists who have not forgotten what he has done
:23:38. > :23:42.in government and are determined to get him. It will be a tough year and
:23:42. > :23:47.a half. Tougher than he imagined. Now, not so long ago they were
:23:47. > :23:53.writing George Osborne's political obituary. Be on the Omni shambles
:23:53. > :23:57.budget of 2012 and a lacklustre performance of the British economy
:23:57. > :24:04.meant his reputation work -- was in the dirt. -- the omnishambles. But
:24:04. > :24:12.things have changed. The Chancellor is saying he has been vindicated. If
:24:12. > :24:15.runway, it looks as though the British economy has taken off,
:24:15. > :24:20.quarter. Forecasts for the rest British economy has taken off,
:24:20. > :24:27.the year have been revised up words. What's more, the office for National
:24:27. > :24:32.recession never actually happened. Unemployment is down in the three
:24:32. > :24:42.months to July and the number of spasticity rate since 1997. On
:24:42. > :24:45.Monday, George Osborne said his policies were bearing fruit. We
:24:45. > :24:49.Monday, George Osborne said his our nerve when many told us to
:24:49. > :24:54.abandon our plans. As a result, thanks to the efforts and sacrifices
:24:54. > :25:01.of the British people, Britain is turning a corner. The message for
:25:01. > :25:06.his Labour critics was clear. The Chancellor thinks he was right and
:25:06. > :25:21.Good afternoon. Good afternoon.Do you accept that the economy has
:25:21. > :25:27.turned a corner? I think it is good that a stalled recovery appears
:25:27. > :25:29.turned a corner? I think it is good get this in perspective. We have had
:25:29. > :25:34.three wasted years. We have the worst economic recovery in history.
:25:34. > :25:43.Debt is up and we have record youth programme if they feel better or
:25:43. > :25:47.worse off, compared to 2010, the majority will tell you they feel
:25:47. > :25:54.worse because, on average, wages are down by £1500 compared to May of
:25:54. > :26:02.2010. That is the situation. The one of the things we have seen
:26:02. > :26:06.talked about, Vince Cable has been talking about this as well, is what
:26:06. > :26:08.is happening in the housing market. It seems that much of the solution
:26:08. > :26:14.to powering the recovery in the It seems that much of the solution
:26:14. > :26:18.of George Osborne lies in sorting out the housing market but the
:26:18. > :26:21.problem is, we are at risk of being another housing bubble. Because
:26:21. > :26:26.problem is, we are at risk of being research that came out this week, we
:26:26. > :26:29.know that housing in the UK is three times more expensive than in the US.
:26:29. > :26:32.know that housing in the UK is three We know that house prices are rising
:26:32. > :26:38.five times faster than wages, but we also know that the government is
:26:38. > :26:40.five times faster than wages, but we building new housing at a slower
:26:40. > :26:47.rate, the slowest rate that we have complaining about a housing bubble,
:26:47. > :26:54.isn't that like Satan complaining about seven? -- seven. We all know
:26:54. > :26:57.that we cannot go back to business as usual. We need to build a new
:26:57. > :27:01.model of growth. But the housing bubble you talk about, it is not a
:27:01. > :27:06.bubble. It might turn into one. bubble you talk about, it is not a
:27:06. > :27:13.said the risk of a bubble. It is nothing like what happened on the
:27:13. > :27:16.I said, in 2009, we had the crash and we knew we needed to reconfigure
:27:16. > :27:24.the way that our economy works. Having an economy based on crisis is
:27:25. > :27:28.rebalance the economy. We saw the unemployment statistics this week,
:27:28. > :27:40.and it is welcomed overall, that unemployment has come down. At half
:27:40. > :27:45.up. And it went down in other parts. We know that we need to rebalance
:27:45. > :27:51.our economy, so that we do not just rely on consumption, but that we
:27:51. > :27:55.grow our productive sectors. And also that we grow our exports as
:27:55. > :28:02.well. We know we have a continuing deficit. We always have a trade
:28:02. > :28:12.deficit. There was never a trade surplus under Labour. Want to come
:28:12. > :28:14.onto what you have mentioned but would you scrap the help to buy
:28:14. > :28:18.scheme? We have not said that we would you scrap the help to buy
:28:18. > :28:21.scheme? We have not said that we would do that. Why not if it is
:28:21. > :28:27.causing the bubble? If you let me finish, on one hand what that scheme
:28:27. > :28:34.does at the moment, at the moment it is inhalation to a new scheme but
:28:34. > :28:38.tomorrow -- next year it will be in you do not sort out the supply of
:28:38. > :28:43.housing, then that is a recipe for the problems we have seen. Our
:28:43. > :28:45.argument is build more houses. Help more people to buy them by all means
:28:45. > :28:48.but if you do not have the supply more people to buy them by all means
:28:48. > :28:52.but if you do not have the supply you will end up with rising prices.
:28:52. > :28:54.That is obvious. Labour said that government austerity would prevent
:28:54. > :29:00.the return of growth. Austerity government austerity would prevent
:29:00. > :29:04.were wrong. We never said that growth would never return. What
:29:04. > :29:05.were wrong. We never said that said was that if you went for an
:29:05. > :29:11.were wrong. We never said that overly extreme deficit reduction
:29:11. > :29:17.recovery and you would choke growth. That is what we saw for three years.
:29:17. > :29:24.If you say, look at the US economy, it has grown at three times the
:29:24. > :29:28.If you say, look at the US economy, economy has grown at twice the rate.
:29:28. > :29:31.But the British economy is growing quicker than the American or German
:29:31. > :29:37.economy is now. But over time we have not seen that happen. But it is
:29:37. > :29:42.now. That may be the case. But my point is that those three years
:29:42. > :29:44.now. That may be the case. But my people undergoing huge stress and
:29:45. > :29:48.worry. It is good that we have growth back again but the question
:29:48. > :29:55.is, what kind of growth? What we have said... I'm going to come onto
:29:55. > :29:57.that but your credibility depends on your previous analysis. And there
:29:57. > :30:05.are doubts about it. This is what you said not that long ago. In
:30:05. > :30:33.You and the Labour Party said it had choked off growth. You were wrong.
:30:33. > :30:38.We were not wrong, because we had three years where the economy was
:30:38. > :30:41.not moving. Let's remind ourselves. Claude Osborne was predicting that
:30:41. > :30:46.the economy was going to grow by 6.9% between the start of this
:30:46. > :30:55.Parliament and now. It has grown by 1.8%. We did not say we would never
:30:55. > :30:58.have a return to growth. You never said that austerity would only
:30:59. > :31:03.temporarily delay growth. We have looked through your speeches and Ed
:31:03. > :31:09.Balls'. We can't find any reference to say this is simply delaying the
:31:09. > :31:13.recovery. You said austerity would choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:13. > :31:19.why has it returned now? Did we choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:19. > :31:26.it would choke off growth for ever? choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:26. > :31:29.We did not. You have changed your tune. I think your package at the
:31:29. > :31:34.top of this programme, to frame tune. I think your package at the
:31:34. > :31:39.around George Osborne, this is not a people's lives, and the people who
:31:39. > :31:46.deserve huge credit for the growth we are seeing are our country's
:31:46. > :31:49.businesses, who despite the tough economic times, have succeeded.
:31:49. > :31:49.businesses, who despite the tough are the ones who have powered this
:31:49. > :31:57.Westminster to take credit. But are the ones who have powered this
:31:57. > :32:03.blame the government for lack of growth. So therefore, when the
:32:03. > :32:09.growth comes, the government has to situation Britain is in now. We
:32:09. > :32:12.growth comes, the government has to the recovery still has to reach
:32:12. > :32:16.growth comes, the government has to parts of the country, but this is
:32:16. > :32:21.the OECD annualised growth in the G-7, the world's guest economies.
:32:21. > :32:30.That is looking pretty healthy. G-7, the world's guest economies.
:32:30. > :32:33.is a recovery. I am not denying G-7, the world's guest economies.
:32:33. > :32:38.we are seeing a stalled recovery, but who benefits from the growth? On
:32:38. > :32:48.average, your viewers have sustained a £1500 pay cut. That is the second
:32:48. > :32:54.biggest fall in the G20 since May 2010. Because we had the biggest
:32:54. > :33:07.financial services sector and took services are still in decline.
:33:07. > :33:12.the economy. They are not the only contributor to the economy. The
:33:12. > :33:15.point is, who benefits? Unemployment is falling, but we don't just want
:33:15. > :33:18.people to have any job, we want is falling, but we don't just want
:33:18. > :33:23.to have decent jobs that pay a weight you can live off and that are
:33:23. > :33:29.more secure. Let me show you the unemployment figures. Your criticism
:33:29. > :33:41.has been that all the new jobs are part-time. They are not now, they
:33:41. > :33:48.employment, up 94,000. This is a short time frame. It is since the
:33:48. > :33:58.recovery began. Half the jobs that have been part-time jobs. Roughly
:33:58. > :34:03.who would like to work full-time. Over the last 20 years, people now
:34:03. > :34:07.feel more insecure at work than ever. The question is about what
:34:07. > :34:07.feel more insecure at work than kind of growth and employment you
:34:07. > :34:14.are getting. The other point is kind of growth and employment you
:34:14. > :34:23.uneven spread of this across our north-east and north-west, the
:34:23. > :34:33.Humber, the east of England, they agree that there was a regional
:34:33. > :34:40.imbalance, but the service sector is growing, cheering and construction
:34:40. > :34:44.are growing and financial services are in decline, so the rebalance is
:34:44. > :34:50.happening. It is not happening to the degree we need to transform
:34:50. > :34:54.happening. It is not happening to long-term, sustainable model of
:34:54. > :35:04.comprehensive industrial strategy towards. Your party conference is
:35:04. > :35:09.coming up. I am sure you are looking forward to it. Why do Ed Miliband's
:35:09. > :35:17.people see of him? I don't accept approval ratings get worse the more
:35:17. > :35:22.people see of him? I don't accept that. I have given you the figures.
:35:22. > :35:28.Polls go up and down. I have said that on this programme before. But
:35:28. > :35:33.his approval rating has consistently gone down. What actually matters our
:35:33. > :35:39.leadership, the Labour Party have gone down. What actually matters our
:35:39. > :35:50.put on almost 2000 extra councillors in places like Canada case, even
:35:50. > :35:56.Whitney. What is wrong with Whitney? We have been putting on votes. Let
:35:56. > :36:00.me show you this. This is the net satisfaction rating. Your leader is
:36:00. > :36:07.now more unpopular than Gordon Brown was when he took Labour to the worst
:36:07. > :36:14.defeat in living memory. Gordon Brown did not put on anything like
:36:14. > :36:21.this number of councillors. Votes are what matter, Andrew. Few people
:36:21. > :36:26.think Ed Miliband is a capable leader. Twice as many people think
:36:26. > :36:32.over Spurs who lives on the moon. These are polls. If you are talking
:36:32. > :36:43.to me about over Spurs lit, that puts this into context, Europe
:36:43. > :36:46.Presley. Since 2010, we have put on thousands of members. Compare that
:36:46. > :36:54.to the Conservative Party, which has not won a general election since
:36:54. > :37:00.1992. They will not disclose their membership figures. Why -- why won't
:37:00. > :37:03.you pledge to renationalise Royal Mail? Because that would be like
:37:03. > :37:07.writing a blank cheque. We don't know at the moment how much the
:37:07. > :37:09.government would receive for the sale of Royal Mail? So how can I
:37:09. > :37:14.judge how much it would cost to sale of Royal Mail? So how can I
:37:14. > :37:22.irresponsible. But the government does not need to do this right now.
:37:22. > :37:25.The entire country is against it. Sources in the City and Whitehall
:37:25. > :37:29.tell me that if Labour pledged to renationalise it, it would kill
:37:29. > :37:29.tell me that if Labour pledged to the flotation. So if you are against
:37:29. > :37:35.it, why don't you do it? For me the flotation. So if you are against
:37:35. > :37:42.pledge to renationalise Royal Mail cheque. But if you put it in the
:37:42. > :37:46.prospectus, people in the City, cheque. But if you put it in the
:37:46. > :37:52.know more about these things, say it would not happen, so why not do
:37:52. > :37:54.know more about these things, say it Because that would be irresponsible.
:37:54. > :37:59.It would be like writing a cheque for billions to renationalise Royal
:37:59. > :38:05.Mail. You would not have too right at the check if it did not happen. I
:38:05. > :38:09.have to deal with the facts. I am not good deal with the plot somebody
:38:09. > :38:16.might be speculating about in the City. We have to be careful about
:38:16. > :38:22.renationalise it now would be like writing a bank cheque . We are going
:38:22. > :38:28.government. That is why I am not prepared to do that. Ed Balls will
:38:28. > :38:29.not be talking to you. You are watching the Sunday Politics. Coming
:38:29. > :38:46.Hello, and welcome to the first of up in 20 minutes,
:38:46. > :38:52.Hello, and welcome to the first of this new series. Later in the
:38:52. > :38:57.programme, passions run high over plans the solar farms as hundreds of
:38:57. > :39:01.acres of agricultural land in the region are developed. It is right
:39:01. > :39:07.adjacent to the village, within yards of the nearest house. It is
:39:07. > :39:13.going to ruin the whole character of the village. And, as the Lib Dem
:39:13. > :39:16.conference opens, we hear from Nick Clegg, who defends their record in
:39:16. > :39:21.the east. A lot has happened since we were
:39:21. > :39:29.away, not least the plans for the post —— first toll road. But first,
:39:29. > :39:34.let us meet our guests, Peter and Julian. This week, we had the
:39:34. > :39:42.controversial news that the long awaited a 14 upgrade is to be a
:39:42. > :39:50.compulsory toll road. It will rejoin the old A14 after Ellington. The
:39:50. > :39:58.government has decided to remove a crucial role bridge in Huntington,
:39:58. > :40:03.forcing cars onto the toll road. Most MPs relate —— remained
:40:03. > :40:12.tight—lipped, with the exception of one MP. The taxpayers paid for this
:40:12. > :40:17.road and the infrastructure, and I don't think we can take it away for
:40:17. > :40:22.what is seen to be a ruse to get people onto a toll road. As the Lib
:40:22. > :40:25.Dem party conference gets underway this weekend, our political
:40:25. > :40:30.correspondent met up with Nick Clegg and Aston what he thinks about those
:40:30. > :40:35.controversial plans for the A14. We all need to ask ourselves questions
:40:35. > :40:39.about how we get the new roads and bypasses and the capacity on
:40:40. > :40:45.congested parts of our road network but don't make sure the taxpayer is
:40:46. > :40:51.on the hook for everything. The plan for the A14 is not that the toll
:40:51. > :40:55.would cover all the costs, but some of the costs, so the general tax
:40:55. > :40:58.paying public would therefore have their contribution somewhat reduced.
:40:58. > :41:03.We've obviously had the significant announcement from the highways
:41:03. > :41:11.agency about the timetable, but I hope people will see that they will
:41:12. > :41:17.be persuaded. But you knocking down existing parts meaning most people
:41:17. > :41:22.will have no choice but to pay the toll. That seems unfair. Well, there
:41:22. > :41:28.are other bottlenecks where people do pay tolls and are used to doing
:41:28. > :41:34.so. I think, frankly, it is part of a new world where we cannot just
:41:34. > :41:38.expect the tax paying public to pay for everything. You have to somehow
:41:39. > :41:45.share the burden between everyday pet —— payers and people who use the
:41:45. > :41:50.road in question. People have said that using that toll road is going
:41:50. > :41:57.to add £300,000 a year to his annual bill. This is hardly helping
:41:57. > :42:04.business, is it? Well, I'm sure they are also using —— losing money
:42:04. > :42:10.because of delays. You need to combat the problem of paying the
:42:10. > :42:15.toll with being on the road as it is at the moment and not moving. We
:42:15. > :42:20.want to have the traffic moving on the right road at the right speed at
:42:20. > :42:25.the right price. Julian, you on the record saying this toll road is not
:42:25. > :42:31.a good idea. Well, on the bigger issue, we're making some progress. I
:42:31. > :42:35.argued over a decade now when I was a counsellor that we need to do
:42:35. > :42:39.something about the A14, both because of the safety problems and
:42:39. > :42:46.also because of things like the Huntington viaduct, which is well
:42:46. > :42:52.past its sell by date. It is not a viable part of the road network
:42:52. > :42:57.anymore. And I think it is right to get rid of it. But paying a toll can
:42:57. > :43:07.lead to people rattling along other roads. Peter, where are you on this?
:43:07. > :43:13.I think I agree with Nick. I understand what Julian is saying as
:43:13. > :43:17.well, but if we're going to get large infrastructure projects
:43:17. > :43:22.going, not everything can be paid for by the taxpayer. But we're
:43:22. > :43:27.talking about not being people a proper alternative to paying the
:43:27. > :43:32.toll. Well, I think of the M6 and you have the alternative, and that
:43:32. > :43:36.works well. Sometimes you pay because you want to go quickly,
:43:36. > :43:40.other times you go on the other road. I'm surprised they have done
:43:40. > :43:45.this, but I understand it is because of damage to an existing bridge. So
:43:45. > :43:49.you can still use the old route, but it will take longer. Gillian, a
:43:49. > :43:54.school of thought says that people can be forced to use this toll road
:43:54. > :44:00.to make it financially viable, unlike the M6, which people avoid. I
:44:00. > :44:08.think there is a genuine issue about the old road, but I am concerned
:44:08. > :44:13.about the toll. I was concerned that another plan was going to drive
:44:13. > :44:18.traffic through Cambridge, and I do remained concerned about this
:44:18. > :44:23.approach. It wouldn't apply overnight, but I am reluctant to see
:44:23. > :44:26.it go ahead. I would encourage people to have a look at the
:44:26. > :44:31.consultation, because they are consulting on the toll road and
:44:31. > :44:36.there is a chance for people to make a difference. Do you think this sets
:44:36. > :44:42.a precedent? Yes, I think if we're going to see new roads built
:44:42. > :44:43.quickly, they are going to be toll roads. But they need to be
:44:43. > :44:47.alternatives. Life in the countryside can be
:44:47. > :44:52.anything but peaceful. The latest battle in our field is over the
:44:52. > :44:57.explosion in the number of solar farms. The East is now dotted with
:44:57. > :45:01.solar farms built or being built right across this region. Many more
:45:01. > :45:05.are waiting for approval. Opposition is growing. Now there are calls to
:45:05. > :45:12.strengthen powers given to residents to reject them.
:45:12. > :45:20.We're all going to see it. You will not see it. We do not need your
:45:20. > :45:26.construction year. There is no mistaking the strength of feeling
:45:26. > :45:32.over solar farm applications. Here, 173 acres of farmland surrounded by
:45:32. > :45:38.a conservation area are at stake. I sympathise with their views in terms
:45:38. > :45:44.of the change of the use of the land, but I would ask that they just
:45:44. > :45:49.consider whether or not a growing pool of objectors in one village
:45:49. > :45:55.should really be denying surrounding villages and towns with the right to
:45:55. > :45:59.clean, green, renewable energy. I think it will totally ruined the
:45:59. > :46:07.village. It will dominate the scenery. It is twice as big as the
:46:07. > :46:13.village itself, at least. Why take arable land out of production? Why
:46:13. > :46:17.put solar panels on sites where there are nesting birds who are
:46:17. > :46:24.listed as protected species? People come to this area for walking and
:46:24. > :46:27.bird—watching. That is going to be the first thing that they see.
:46:27. > :46:32.Despite objections from the majority of the residents, there is nothing
:46:32. > :46:39.the parish council can do. Can you stop it? We will do our best. If it
:46:39. > :46:45.counted on public opinion, certainly, public opinion is against
:46:45. > :46:51.the setting. But we're not certain that that counts in planning policy.
:46:51. > :46:57.The government has recently changed the planning guidelines for wind
:46:57. > :47:00.farms, but solar farms can still be imposed on local communities. A
:47:00. > :47:06.growing number of MPs believes that has to change. The government has
:47:06. > :47:11.changed the rules. They said that for wind farms much greater account
:47:11. > :47:16.needs to be taken of local opinion, and where they do get set up, the
:47:16. > :47:20.local community should get some benefit. I think the arguments for
:47:20. > :47:24.those two measures, which are very welcome, are just as strongly
:47:24. > :47:29.applicable to solar farms. The huge growth in the number of solar farms
:47:29. > :47:33.like this one being built on 38 acres near Suffolk was not
:47:33. > :47:40.anticipated by the government, which barely mentioned solar in its energy
:47:40. > :47:43.road map only two years ago. It is going to be a big player.
:47:43. > :47:48.Obviously, the government didn't realise at that moment in time. They
:47:48. > :47:53.should've looked at what was happening in Europe. We've gathered
:47:53. > :48:01.a huge momentum in terms of solar in the UK. Here, a 35 acre solar farm
:48:01. > :48:09.was welcomed. Now, there is an application for another, double its
:48:09. > :48:14.size. For an opportunity to have a solar farm on the farm is absolutely
:48:14. > :48:22.marvellous. It is guaranteed income with no cost going into it. A survey
:48:22. > :48:29.found 76% of farmers save renewables could play a Gator —— greater role
:48:29. > :48:35.in their business. Most of our solar farms have been built in the last
:48:35. > :48:39.three years. This one went up in 2011. According to our figures,
:48:39. > :48:43.there is at least 850 acres in the east that have solar farms built or
:48:43. > :48:48.being built, and another 450 acres with applications pending for more
:48:48. > :48:52.solar farms. And the building looks set to continue despite opponents
:48:52. > :48:57.like these in Norfolk, his campaign is backed by the MP. There is no
:48:57. > :49:01.point in having energy production on one hand if we are seeing a
:49:01. > :49:10.reduction in food production. I want to see balance. By 2020 the UK's
:49:11. > :49:18.target is to get 15% of its energy from renewables. Last year, the
:49:18. > :49:23.scene was less than 20% —— 10%. The Green Party have been meeting in
:49:24. > :49:27.Brighton for their conference. They are in favour of solar farm
:49:27. > :49:32.developments and earlier I spoke to the campaign for this region, Doctor
:49:32. > :49:37.Rupert Read. I asked him whether food security should be sacrificed
:49:37. > :49:44.for energy security. Well, most of the land used the solar farms is low
:49:44. > :49:51.quality agricultural land, marginal land. If you are a farmer, you've
:49:51. > :49:57.got some good land and some not so good land. You will obviously put
:49:57. > :50:00.your solar panels on the not so good land. So the problem is overstated.
:50:00. > :50:07.The land is not good land, because that would not make sense. Are you
:50:07. > :50:13.saying no solar panels are on high—grade land? I'm saying that any
:50:13. > :50:23.farmer that does put solar panels on good land is not very illiterate ——
:50:23. > :50:31.economical and financially literate. IU backing solar power because the
:50:31. > :50:38.battle has been lost on offshore wind power? What we need is a mixed
:50:38. > :50:44.bag of renewables. We need tidal power, river power, solar and wind
:50:44. > :50:49.energy. We need a combination of them so we never have an absence of
:50:49. > :50:54.power at any one time, and we need them soon. These are going to
:50:54. > :50:59.produce good, green jobs as well. It is a win—win situation for
:50:59. > :51:05.everybody. What about the visual impact? Local people in some areas
:51:05. > :51:11.don't like them at all. If you compare the visual impact of solar
:51:11. > :51:17.farms to wind farms, solar farms are generally less impactful. And many
:51:17. > :51:22.people want wind farms in the area and many people want solar farms. If
:51:22. > :51:26.there are a growing dissatisfaction with green policies at the moment?
:51:26. > :51:29.Is that something you will be addressing at your conference this
:51:29. > :51:33.week? We are very optimistic. Support is growing nationally and
:51:33. > :51:38.regionally. The latest opinion poll puts us on track to win a seat at
:51:38. > :51:44.the European elections, that would be me, the first parliamentarian in
:51:44. > :51:49.this region. We're the party of the future and I think everybody in
:51:49. > :51:52.their hearts knows that. When they hear is talking about community
:51:52. > :52:00.renewable energies schemes they understand we combine fairness and
:52:00. > :52:10.at the logical sanity. Thank you. Peter, you have solar farms in your
:52:10. > :52:15.constituency. What is your opinion? There is a controversial application
:52:15. > :52:20.at the moment. I don't think the council really have the right to
:52:20. > :52:25.turn it down. Where do you stand? I think it's a load of rubbish. They
:52:25. > :52:30.are only there because of the subsidy which puts everyone's
:52:30. > :52:36.electricity prices up. Totally the wrong idea. But if there are
:52:36. > :52:41.community 's electricity prices up. Totally the wrong idea. But if there
:52:41. > :52:46.are communities that do want them and local councils want them, that's
:52:46. > :52:48.fine. But if the local residents don't want them, they should not be
:52:48. > :52:52.allowed. Should the planning rules be strengthened? We've seen all this
:52:52. > :52:56.with wind farms, they are going up everywhere despite what local
:52:56. > :52:59.communities are saying. The government has changed that, they
:52:59. > :53:03.should shade —— change the same rules the solar panels. Gillian,
:53:03. > :53:10.where do you stand? Food security or nuclear energy? I don't think that
:53:11. > :53:15.you are opposed. We've seen energy prices rocketing up because of gas
:53:15. > :53:19.prices. As a country, we cannot see our prices going up because of
:53:19. > :53:25.international prices. I do think solar power has a part to play. But
:53:26. > :53:30.I'm taken by the idea that the community should benefit if they are
:53:30. > :53:34.something nearby. That would be a sensible way to go. Overall, that
:53:34. > :53:37.would be better for the communities, for the country,
:53:37. > :53:41.because we could generate more of our own energy. Do you think the
:53:41. > :53:47.energy laws should be changed? I would like to see the local people
:53:47. > :53:53.benefiting more. Peter, it seems that because the tariffs are being
:53:53. > :53:59.cut, the farms have to be bigger and bigger. Where do you stand on that?
:53:59. > :54:03.If he thinks that such a good idea, why subsidise them? They are only
:54:03. > :54:10.being built because of subsidies. We should be looking at other sources.
:54:10. > :54:16.Why not look at fracking? Wind farms and now old hat because people have
:54:16. > :54:21.realised people do not want them and they are inefficient. Now, they have
:54:21. > :54:26.switched to solar farms. But we have to reach these new route ——
:54:26. > :54:32.renewable targets. Well, I don't think we should because they are
:54:32. > :54:36.putting prices up. I'm afraid Peter is wrong, they are not pushing
:54:36. > :54:41.energy prices up. It is the increasing cost of gas around the
:54:41. > :54:46.world that is increasing prices. There are subsidies for renewable
:54:46. > :54:51.energy because we have to get that going as an alternative to gas. If
:54:51. > :54:54.you look at projections of what is happening to prices without this,
:54:54. > :54:59.you will have problems. Fracking has huge risks, we don't know how much
:54:59. > :55:03.it will generate and cost. We have to have a share of renewables. He
:55:03. > :55:12.seriously banks solar panels are going to do the trick. What about
:55:12. > :55:16.the visual impact? I think there are visual concerns about any of these
:55:16. > :55:21.schemes, where it is fracking as solar or wind or anything else. We
:55:21. > :55:25.will talk about fracking another day.
:55:25. > :55:31.The conference season is well and truly underway. This week sees the
:55:31. > :55:37.mid——— the Lib Dems meeting in Glasgow. They are stuck around 10%
:55:37. > :55:39.in the opinion polls and there is concern about them being in the
:55:39. > :55:46.coalition. So we went to Cambridge to see what people there make of the
:55:46. > :55:52.party now. A lot of people who would support the Lib Dems have seen their
:55:52. > :55:58.colour tone from yellow to a kind of yellow—blue. I don't think it is a
:55:58. > :56:00.party anymore. They have just merged into the back seats of the
:56:00. > :56:05.Conservatives. I think they are doing a lot better than the Tories
:56:05. > :56:18.Labour can do. Labour have said a lot of things. RMP has got a bicycle
:56:18. > :56:22.scheme in Cambridge which is fantastic. I think the whole point
:56:22. > :56:27.of the coalition government was that it was a very hard choice to make.
:56:27. > :56:33.If we hadn't made it we would have been running away. There were tough
:56:33. > :56:37.decisions to make. Before he headed north, Nick Clegg had time to talk
:56:37. > :56:42.to us about those views. Of course some people won't like the fact that
:56:42. > :56:48.we went into a coalition in the first place and will be entitled to
:56:48. > :56:52.that view. But I think quite a few other people are developing a
:56:52. > :56:57.grudging respect that we have stuck with it and that that is why the
:56:57. > :57:01.economy is starting to recover. If we had buckled and you turned like
:57:01. > :57:06.our critics said we would, the economy would be in a greater mass
:57:06. > :57:10.and we would have fewer new jobs. So I'm very proud of that. And I'm
:57:10. > :57:14.proud of what we've delivered for the people in the East of England?
:57:14. > :57:22.Fairer taxes, more apprenticeships, better pensions. These are great
:57:22. > :57:32.achievements of which I am proud. Julian we better give you the first
:57:32. > :57:39.word. I don't think it is true that we have merged into the back—seat of
:57:39. > :57:45.the Tory party. Part of a coalition is compromise. It is not an easy
:57:45. > :57:50.time. I would not have chosen now to be in government. When we came in to
:57:50. > :57:55.government, for every £4 the government was spending it was
:57:55. > :58:01.borrowing one of them. Gordon Brown doubled income tax. We've done a
:58:01. > :58:04.whole range of things with promoting Civil Liberties, making
:58:04. > :58:10.apprenticeships, stopping the extremes of the conservative
:58:10. > :58:15.parties. For example, the proposals to stop under 25 is from getting
:58:15. > :58:22.housing benefit. It is important we are protected that. Peter, you are
:58:22. > :58:26.not thrilled, but your party did not win the last election. Well, we
:58:26. > :58:32.could have governed as a minority party, which would have been my
:58:32. > :58:36.interest. But arguably the two leaders came together because of the
:58:36. > :58:44.enormous mess Labour left doesn't. My argument is that now that Labour
:58:44. > :58:49.—— the crisis is over, there is no reason for the party to be joined
:58:49. > :58:56.together with the Lib Dems. I don't think we are joined together, I
:58:56. > :59:05.think we are separate parties. There is an —— there are a number of
:59:05. > :59:10.issues that I want to get to. I'm proud of many things that we have
:59:10. > :59:15.been able to do. The huge increase in apprenticeships, for example, the
:59:15. > :59:22.transport schemes, there is a huge range of things.
:59:22. > :59:29.The nights are drawing in, but let's remember those sunny summer days in
:59:29. > :59:37.our 62nd political round—up. —— 60 second. This summer 's exam
:59:37. > :59:43.results were cause for celebration according to Southend's MP. Will she
:59:43. > :59:54.congratulate all Southend schools for its wonderful results? That old
:59:54. > :59:58.chestnut again. Another Essex MP put on a display at his local summer
:59:58. > :00:03.carnival. It was the roads themselves on the mind of Norfolk MP
:00:03. > :00:12.George Freeman, particularly the development of the a 47. The 847 is
:00:12. > :00:18.a key economic artery. And the summers delight at the Royal
:00:18. > :00:22.birth prompted a debate in the house where one MP warned that not
:00:22. > :00:26.everyone is rosy for George. He will be a public figure. In some
:00:26. > :00:31.respects, children born into the Royal family are the least fortunate
:00:31. > :00:39.in society. Clearly, not quite as famous as
:00:39. > :00:43.Prince George, but you two are in the public eye. Is it a blessing or
:00:43. > :00:48.a burden? Well, to be an MP is a huge blessing and you extra ——
:00:48. > :00:53.accept all the scrutiny that goes with it. I don't think either of us
:00:53. > :01:01.could think of something we would rather do. It is hard work to be in
:01:01. > :01:03.the public eye but I don't think many people would agree with that
:01:03. > :01:07.suggestion that Prince George is the least forced Jeanette —— fortunate.
:01:07. > :01:14.I think many people would be happy to is —— to swap to have that
:01:14. > :01:21.lifestyle. Immensely privileged. Absolutely. He was making a point.
:01:21. > :01:27.You can't take it literally. We will have to leave it there. Thank you
:01:27. > :01:30.both very much. That's over now. As always, you can keep in touch via
:01:30. > :01:32.our website always, you can keep in touch via
:01:32. > :01:45.more than pay is going up. Which deserves a programme all to itself.
:01:45. > :01:51.In a moment, more from our political Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:51. > :01:55.victory for either the Conservatives Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:55. > :01:59.or labour at the next election would put at risk the economic recovery
:01:59. > :02:00.is. Speaking in Glasgow at the Liberal Democrat annual conference,
:02:00. > :02:04.he said a coalition would allow Liberal Democrat annual conference,
:02:04. > :02:09.party to balance politics and enable the government to finish the job of
:02:10. > :02:15.repairing the economy fairly. It is my genuine belief that if we go
:02:15. > :02:19.repairing the economy fairly. It is coalition and Islands politics,
:02:19. > :02:22.repairing the economy fairly. It is dominating blood on their own, you
:02:22. > :02:24.will get a recovery which is neither fair nor sustainable. Labour would
:02:24. > :02:29.wreck the recovery, and under the fair nor sustainable. Labour would
:02:29. > :02:35.same commitment to fairness as ours, you would get the wrong kind
:02:35. > :02:37.Two 19-year-old woman arrested after a stabbing on Thursday have been
:02:37. > :02:41.released without charge. Police a stabbing on Thursday have been
:02:41. > :02:45.trying to discover if there is a link between the killing and a fire
:02:45. > :02:51.four hours later in which four Five people are being questioned in
:02:51. > :02:54.connection with that blaze. A Syrian government minister has described
:02:54. > :03:01.the agreement drawn up by America country's chemical weapons as a
:03:01. > :03:06.The minister claims the deals helps the Syrians out of a crisis and
:03:06. > :03:08.others war. The US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Israel to
:03:08. > :03:13.brief the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the proposal. China
:03:13. > :03:17.and France have also welcomed the deal, which says Syria has until
:03:17. > :03:22.Friday to submit a competence of list of its chemical stockpile.
:03:22. > :03:27.Britain's Mo Farah has missed out on winning his first half marathon
:03:27. > :03:29.Britain's Mo Farah has missed out on He was taking part in the Great
:03:29. > :03:33.North Run between Newcastle and South Shields. Farrar, who was the
:03:33. > :03:42.favourite following his two gold Ethiopian's can mean many Serb
:03:43. > :03:45.favourite following his two gold Kenenisa Bekele in a sprint finish.
:03:46. > :03:52.A carnival atmosphere for the start was about the challenge. For others,
:03:52. > :04:00.walking it, so I have no time in simply dressing up for fun. I am
:04:00. > :04:02.walking it, so I have no time in mind. I just want to enjoy it and
:04:02. > :04:08.appreciate the crowds and have a fantastic time. For elite athletes,
:04:08. > :04:13.today's race was about who would be first over the line. Despite the
:04:13. > :04:17.wind and rain, large crowds turned out for the world's most popular
:04:17. > :04:25.half marathon, which attracts some of the finest women runners, two,
:04:25. > :04:29.including the Kenyan. There were high hopes for Britain's double
:04:29. > :04:36.Olympic champion Mo Farah, but after Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:36. > :04:46.Ethiopian's Kenenisa Bekele. It Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:47. > :04:50.thought I would come back and close the gap slowly. I managed to close
:04:50. > :04:56.it a little bit, but you can't take away what he has. Wheelchair athlete
:04:56. > :05:01.David Weir won his race for a fourth time. More than £200 million has
:05:01. > :05:16.been raised since the Great North That is it for now. There will be
:05:16. > :05:19.more news on BBC One at 6:35pm. So, did anything happen while we
:05:19. > :05:27.were away this summer? I thought heading now? Who better to answer
:05:27. > :05:33.than the best political panel we could cobble together for a tenner?
:05:33. > :05:38.Putting foreign affairs to one side for a moment, it seems that what
:05:38. > :05:41.happened mystically was that it became more apparent that some sort
:05:41. > :05:48.of recovery was underway at last, and that Mr Miliband still has not
:05:48. > :05:54.yet resonated with the British public. These things are a problem
:05:54. > :05:56.for Labour. Ed Miliband's mistake over the summer holiday was to take
:05:56. > :06:00.a summer holiday. And it looked over the summer holiday was to take
:06:00. > :06:04.the rest of the Labour Party had taken one too. They were not finding
:06:04. > :06:09.issues they could make their own. The only person who made an impact
:06:09. > :06:12.was Stella Creasy on online abuse. That is a huge problem, and it is
:06:13. > :06:15.partly down to the fact that there is this intense message discipline.
:06:15. > :06:18.They don't want to say anything is this intense message discipline.
:06:18. > :06:21.of line until they have got all their ducks in a row. It makes the
:06:21. > :06:26.party do at the moment. The terms of party do at the moment. The terms of
:06:27. > :06:30.trade have swung in David Cameron's favour, but the political rhetoric
:06:30. > :06:39.look at this headline from the is still with Mr Miliband. Let's
:06:39. > :06:44.look at this headline from the Sunday Telegraph. That headline
:06:44. > :06:46.might not be right, but the story is significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:46. > :06:51.still in danger on his right flank significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:52. > :06:59.doesn't need an enormous share of the vote to get an overall majority?
:07:00. > :07:04.Westminster group think. Of course Ed Miliband is in trouble. The
:07:04. > :07:08.Tories are reserved and. They are better organised, the economy is
:07:08. > :07:15.recovering. That poses difficulties for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:15. > :07:18.is happening on the ground, UKIP still pose a danger to Cameron.
:07:18. > :07:19.is happening on the ground, UKIP don't need to poll 15% in a lot
:07:19. > :07:22.is happening on the ground, UKIP those marginal seats, they just
:07:22. > :07:24.is happening on the ground, UKIP to get five or 6% of the vote, and
:07:24. > :07:34.that could potentially destroy the Tory lead. Lots of commentators
:07:34. > :07:39.that could potentially destroy the to say, this guy will never be prime
:07:39. > :07:45.minister, but it is possible that by default or by accident, in a very
:07:45. > :07:50.Miliband could end up as prime minister. It is still all to play
:07:50. > :07:56.for on both sides. If UKIP remains a threat to the Tory right flank and
:07:56. > :07:59.the Tories themselves are not really a national party any more, I am
:07:59. > :08:02.the Tories themselves are not really they will only target a few seats in
:08:02. > :08:05.Scotland, they don't get any big seats in the big cities of the north
:08:05. > :08:09.any more, they don't get the Ulster vote they used to get, so it is
:08:09. > :08:12.possible that Labour, which is more nationally based and has seats in
:08:12. > :08:18.the Midlands and the north and in Wales, so they could get in. I
:08:19. > :08:25.agree. The advantage of having a bad summer is that Ed Miliband can go to
:08:25. > :08:29.expectations. All he has to do is not dribble on the lectern, and
:08:29. > :08:31.expectations. All he has to do is will be written up as spectacular.
:08:31. > :08:38.expectations. All he has to do is He might not even use a lectin.
:08:38. > :08:44.position. The electoral vagaries of the system work in his favour. He
:08:44. > :08:47.still has a narrow poll lead, he is not out of the game at all. Of the
:08:47. > :08:54.three main party leaders, the only one who can be confident about being
:08:54. > :09:00.three main party leaders, the only in government after 2015 is Nick
:09:00. > :09:06.electorally. But if it is this bad for Labour at the moment, what will
:09:06. > :09:14.it be like if this recovery turns out to be real? It depends how much
:09:14. > :09:16.they succeed. Chuka Umunna was shifting the debate are living
:09:17. > :09:20.standards. They don't want to keep arguing about who called it right.
:09:20. > :09:24.Do people feel richer than they arguing about who called it right.
:09:24. > :09:28.in 2010? The data suggests that people don't feel richer than in
:09:28. > :09:33.2010. Because they are not.That people don't feel richer than in
:09:33. > :09:38.the basis on which Labour will fight the next election. It is clear that
:09:38. > :09:42.Labour are unclear on what to say or do next. They have just got to hope
:09:42. > :09:45.and pray that the economy is not as soundly based as it appears to be
:09:45. > :09:53.and that George Osborne is Tony Barber, who thought he fixed the
:09:53. > :09:57.just before the next crash. There are all sorts of uncertainties
:09:57. > :10:00.just before the next crash. There China, the bond market, the housing
:10:00. > :10:01.bubble might be blown up, and Labour just had to hope something goes
:10:01. > :10:07.wrong for Osborne. Chuka Umunna just had to hope something goes
:10:07. > :10:11.he would not get rid of help to just had to hope something goes
:10:11. > :10:14.There are all these criticisms about just had to hope something goes
:10:14. > :10:19.artificial schemes pumping up house prices, but he would not say that.
:10:19. > :10:27.It is tortuous. You see this again and again. When asked if Labour
:10:27. > :10:29.would repeal the bedroom tax, or the same thing with Royal Mail, it
:10:29. > :10:41.happens again. They will be falling on people who have not had a meal in
:10:41. > :10:45.coming out of the Labour Party. There is a kind and Gillette in
:10:45. > :10:47.coming out of the Labour Party. them to a politician's career. When
:10:47. > :10:51.they are under attack for a long time, the media get bored after
:10:51. > :10:55.they are under attack for a long while and switch the story. It
:10:55. > :11:00.happened to Osborne, who had a horrific 2012 and has recovered
:11:00. > :11:08.bad press as he is getting at the moment, because people find it
:11:08. > :11:10.tedious. Syria has been the big foreign-policy event this summer. It
:11:10. > :11:19.has remarkably led to a Soviet- American initiative to get Syria to
:11:19. > :11:24.give up its chemical weapons. The world will now expect the Assad
:11:24. > :11:27.regime to live up to its public commitments. As I said at the outset
:11:27. > :11:44.anything less than full compliance. John Kerry. Is this too good to
:11:44. > :11:46.anything less than full compliance. true? Even superficially, it is
:11:46. > :11:49.anything less than full compliance. very good. The only people who
:11:49. > :11:53.emerge with any sense of triumph are the Russians, who have had their
:11:53. > :11:56.emerge with any sense of triumph are biggest diplomatic coup. They are
:11:56. > :12:02.back on the stage again. B if you want to know why Putin even has
:12:02. > :12:04.back on the stage again. B if you because of moments like this. They
:12:04. > :12:09.were humiliated after the end of the Cold War, and a Nou Camp is a great
:12:09. > :12:13.power again. Then you have the Obama situation, because he has ended
:12:13. > :12:16.power again. Then you have the Obama where he wanted to end up. He has
:12:16. > :12:16.power again. Then you have the Obama concession from Syria, but the way
:12:16. > :12:21.he got there was so embarrassing. It concession from Syria, but the way
:12:21. > :12:25.made him look weak and erratic as a leader. There were contradictions
:12:25. > :12:32.between himself and his Secretary of State last week, and it has not
:12:32. > :12:37.between himself and his Secretary of him any good. I was in the States,
:12:37. > :12:41.and it was open season on him. I have never understood the idea of
:12:41. > :12:45.chemical weapons as a red line when you can massacre people in their
:12:46. > :12:50.thousands through other means. But chemical weapons are beyond the
:12:50. > :12:57.pale. The rebels are miserable. chemical weapons are beyond the
:12:57. > :12:59.have run out of time. I will have to ask you what you think about Syria
:12:59. > :13:05.next week, which gives you time ask you what you think about Syria
:13:05. > :13:11.prepare. Your book on Fred the shred is going well? It is.I am back
:13:11. > :13:14.tomorrow at noon with the Daily Politics at noon on BBC Two, where
:13:14. > :13:18.we will have more from the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow.
:13:18. > :13:18.we will have more from the Liberal is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:18. > :13:21.conference coverage. Next week, is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:21. > :13:24.will be back here at our normal is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:24. > :13:30.of 11am, when we will be joined is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:30. > :13:50.Grant Shapps. Remember, if it is Sunday, it is the Sunday Politics.