:00:45. > :00:52.after the summer recess, and the party conference season is already
:00:52. > :00:55.Democrats. Have a great conference. Nick Clegg has some convincing to
:00:55. > :01:03.Politics poll, his troops don't Nick Clegg has some convincing to
:01:03. > :01:07.his coalition bedmates. The latest poll of the country also has the Lib
:01:07. > :01:33.general election commander-in-chief, Paddy Ashdown! So can the Lib Dems
:01:33. > :01:36.general election commander-in-chief, does that leave Labour? We will
:01:36. > :01:36.general election commander-in-chief, to the shadow business secretary
:01:36. > :01:42.In London, once one of her party's to the shadow business secretary
:01:42. > :01:46.brightest hopes, Sarah Teather is now heading for the exit. We will
:01:46. > :01:59.hear from Nick Clegg on what it And freshly showered from the Great
:01:59. > :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. > :02:19.Prime Minister. They are the junior government. They like the colour
:02:19. > :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. > :02:58.a hung parliament, which team would you rather go into coalition with,
:02:58. > :03:08.the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem councillors said Labour, two to
:03:08. > :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. > :03:23.say. We will decide depending on councillors favoured a coalition
:03:23. > :04:04.councillors. The next most popular rather play table football against?
:04:04. > :04:05.councillors. The next most popular policy was scrapping the Trident
:04:05. > :04:11.nuclear deterrent, supported by policy was scrapping the Trident
:04:11. > :04:16.of councillors. Then there was the reinstatement of the 50p top rate of
:04:16. > :04:20.income tax. 70% of councillors like the look of that. When it came to
:04:20. > :04:24.the idea of banning the burka in public places like schools and
:04:24. > :04:32.airports, 45% of councillors were in favour. Finally, a ban on topless
:04:32. > :04:37.Page three model is won the support of 33% of councillors. Why is it so
:04:37. > :04:42.popular, the idea of a mansion tax? It is a much fairer tax. We know
:04:42. > :04:47.there are people out there with It is a much fairer tax. We know
:04:47. > :04:54.expensive houses. Which of these is most important to you? Banning
:04:54. > :04:59.Trident. The cold war ended in 1989. Another one was the idea of
:04:59. > :05:06.banning the burka in public places. whatever they like. If they want to
:05:06. > :05:13.banning the burka in public places. wear the birth or a kilt or if they
:05:13. > :05:21.anything. We are the party of jobs. Thank you. Last night, a fully
:05:21. > :05:25.clothed Nick Clegg rallied his troops, but if he was not around,
:05:25. > :05:30.who would Lib Dem councillors want instead? Business Secretary Vince
:05:30. > :05:37.Cable was most popular, with a third of the votes. In second place, the
:05:37. > :05:42.party's president, Tim Farron, with 27%. 10% went to Danny Alexander,
:05:42. > :05:48.while the business minister Joe Swinson received 7%. The Energy
:05:48. > :05:56.Secretary Ed Davey scooped 6%, and in last place, Steve Webb, the
:05:56. > :06:00.pensions minister, who got 5%. If any of these councillors want to
:06:00. > :06:15.talk to me about it, I would be delighted to hear from them. Is
:06:15. > :06:15.talk to me about it, I would be contenders. But our survey is not
:06:15. > :06:30.the party, no matter what they do. their own poll which showed that 75%
:06:30. > :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. > :06:47.got just as much va-va-voom, even if a big chunk of the country doesn't.
:06:47. > :06:58.Add, back in his hometown. So, the Much of their party thinks they
:06:58. > :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. > :07:17.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. > :07:31.end of the camera, we have been midterm of a government, especially
:07:31. > :07:35.when you are in government and the country is going for in a deep
:07:35. > :07:39.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. > :07:48.the people come to consider how will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:48. > :07:53.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, but they are a snapshot of what
:07:53. > :07:55.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, indication of where we will be.
:07:56. > :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. > :08:26.prosperous, but also its society fair. That is what people will want
:08:26. > :08:35.to play in it. But you are in a fair. That is what people will want
:08:35. > :08:39.mood this morning. You tweeted that you were not happy with how the
:08:39. > :08:54.There is probably something they Observer newspaper handled your
:08:54. > :08:56.There is probably something they headline they chose to put on it
:08:56. > :09:03.late last night was outrageous, misrepresentative and in one case in
:09:04. > :09:09.Something about Ashdown wants a coalition with the Tories, or at
:09:09. > :09:13.Something about Ashdown wants a least they gave that in for us
:09:13. > :09:18.Something about Ashdown wants a inference. Let me make this point.
:09:18. > :09:24.election. I am in charge of the campaign. Any journalist who in
:09:24. > :09:26.these next two years says that any Liberal Democrat prefers anything
:09:26. > :09:31.else in terms of the outcome of Liberal Democrat prefers anything
:09:31. > :09:34.coalition but the result of the ballot box dictating that outcome,
:09:34. > :09:42.that any prefer one side to another coalition determined by the electors
:09:42. > :09:46.that any prefer one side to another in the votes, will get a bloody
:09:46. > :09:49.that any prefer one side to another time from me, no matter who they
:09:49. > :10:08.are. We take the warning. A survey of Lib Dem councillors shows that in
:10:08. > :10:14.coalition with the Tories. That of Lib Dem councillors shows that in
:10:14. > :10:17.clear sign that your activists want a change of direction. I don't think
:10:17. > :10:19.it is news that as a left-wing party, we find it more congenial
:10:19. > :10:23.with those on the left wing, but that is not the issue. You saw it
:10:23. > :10:26.election. We are servants of the ballot box. We do watch the British
:10:26. > :10:27.people require us to do to provide a stable government in the interests
:10:27. > :10:31.of our country. I am sure you have stable government in the interests
:10:31. > :10:34.of our country. I am sure you have got the point by now. I have fought
:10:34. > :10:39.the Tories all my life. But when responsibility to amend the economic
:10:40. > :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 that. But your own internal polls
:10:59. > :11:11.that is true. Nick Clegg has done that. But your own internal polls
:11:11. > :11:16.what no other party leader has done. He took the coalition agreement
:11:16. > :11:16.what no other party leader has done. the party, and they voted for it. So
:11:16. > :11:25.different direction. I think we the party, and they voted for it. So
:11:25. > :11:29.extraordinarily united. I did not expect them to be so under these
:11:29. > :11:34.pressures, but they have surprised me and made me joyful at the same
:11:34. > :11:43.time. The party has done what it done in local government for a long
:11:43. > :11:52.time. We may have our private likes and dislikes, but the thing that
:11:52. > :11:58.coalition is the ballot box. You have said that three times. I can
:11:58. > :12:02.say it again if you like. Please don't! What if your party votes
:12:02. > :12:07.say it again if you like. Please reinstate tuition fees as party
:12:07. > :12:12.policy afternoon? We will have to listen to that and act accordingly.
:12:12. > :12:16.You must listen to the voice of listen to that and act accordingly.
:12:16. > :12:24.party and take it into account in what you do. I am always quite
:12:24. > :12:26.answering hypothetical questions. I don't think it is likely to happen,
:12:26. > :12:32.but if it did, we would have to don't think it is likely to happen,
:12:32. > :12:34.distinguished Lib Dems was that don't think it is likely to happen,
:12:34. > :12:40.your party conference voted for something, it was in the manifesto.
:12:40. > :12:42.The manifesto is taken in its final form before the party for decision.
:12:42. > :12:48.The party will express views at form before the party for decision.
:12:48. > :12:52.stage in all sorts of ways. It did in my leadership, too. The manifesto
:12:52. > :12:53.is democratically agreed by the party at the time of the election,
:12:53. > :12:59.not before. The Tory conference party at the time of the election,
:12:59. > :13:03.be about how they think they have been vindicated, that austerity
:13:03. > :13:07.be about how they think they have worked, the economy is turning a
:13:07. > :13:11.corner. But Nick Clegg's conference announcements will be about plastic
:13:12. > :13:16.bags. Have you got the hang of this coalition think? Andrew, you can
:13:16. > :13:24.always be guaranteed to put things in the most discreditable form!
:13:24. > :13:26.always be guaranteed to put things is part of your charm. That was
:13:26. > :13:26.always be guaranteed to put things about to be a minor announcement in
:13:26. > :13:50.election. Isn't the biggest danger been very popular in terms of how
:13:50. > :13:53.election. Isn't the biggest danger that the Tories, not you, if there
:13:53. > :14:05.is an economic recovery, they will get the credit for it? I don't think
:14:05. > :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
:14:38. > :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. > :15:00.out of taxation, that has ever happened, including in the previous
:15:00. > :15:04.Labour government. You are presiding over the biggest squeeze on living
:15:04. > :15:06.standards in modern times. Because it is the biggest recession in
:15:06. > :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. > :15:42.economic crisis and difficulty for the Tories had been by themselves,
:15:42. > :15:46.none of that would have happened. We have sought to shift the burden
:15:46. > :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. > :16:16.Miliband? It is not much my style. have a prosperous economy and a
:16:16. > :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. > :16:44.weapons without records to military action, would you like to withdraw
:16:44. > :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. > :17:25.upholding an international law which has restrained even than axes and
:17:25. > :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. > :18:02.it is not. The resolution proposed a delay, that we should wait until the
:18:02. > :18:06.with the parliamentary vote. The frame was absolutely nothing to
:18:07. > :18:08.with the parliamentary vote. The vote was going to incorporate that.
:18:09. > :18:16.I do not think you can claim what vote was going to incorporate that.
:18:16. > :18:17.remember that diplomacy, which was not reinforced by the threat of
:18:17. > :18:22.military action, does not work. not reinforced by the threat of
:18:22. > :18:49.is when diplomacy runs with a grain is happening over the last two
:18:49. > :18:57.And you we would get to the Balkans eventually, and we did. His biggest
:18:57. > :19:03.challenge is if the economy is get some credit for the Lib Dems,
:19:03. > :19:08.when the Tories will want to halt it all. But his position is not to
:19:08. > :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. > :19:27.of the cuts. Will that work? They them, how they have taken the edge
:19:27. > :19:27.of the cuts. Will that work? They are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:27. > :19:33.if they have lost two thirds of are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:33. > :19:37.polls, I do not know anyone in Westminster methinks that will be
:19:37. > :19:40.matched in their parliamentary representation. If they have 56
:19:40. > :19:47.matched in their parliamentary now, they might lose a dozen but
:19:47. > :19:52.Strategically, they are in a better position than the reading of the
:19:52. > :19:55.polls would tell you. I think Nick Clegg's survival has been one of the
:19:55. > :20:02.stories of this Parliament. He is looking good at the comfort -- at
:20:02. > :20:07.the conference. When he was at his lowest after the AV referendum,
:20:07. > :20:09.people were saying he would survive and lead us into 2015 and beyond and
: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. > :20:22.wrong, you were wrong and... I wasn't. I'm underestimated how bad
:20:22. > :20:27.his rivals are. If you are Lib Dem member, however aggrieved you are
:20:27. > :20:34.with Nick Clegg, you do not think, wouldn't it be great if Christian
:20:34. > :20:40.in charge. Of course, the people do in charge. Of course, the people
:20:40. > :20:44.of the way they vote, a different government and it is a consequence
:20:44. > :20:59.of the way they vote, a different matter. If Janan Ganesh is right,
:20:59. > :21:01.majority, which would be hilarious for the look on Paddy Ashdown's
:21:01. > :21:17.parliament. And they are very puffed face. The danger is they get trapped
: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
:21:26. > :21:32.talking about the issues facing be. While they are talking about the
:21:32. > :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. > :21:53.big split between the Tim Farron line who say they like Ed Miliband,
:21:53. > :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. > :22:12.who wants to be a synthetic party, but that is not where the membership
:22:12. > :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. > :22:41.yielded the same results before would have yielded -- would have
:22:41. > :22:43.2010 election. This is reflected by the arithmetic. Whichever party
:22:43. > :22:45.2010 election. This is reflected by biggest will most likely be the
:22:45. > :22:49.2010 election. This is reflected by in coalition with the Lib Dems.
:22:49. > :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. > :23:04.remember the structure of the Lib Dems, they can tie themselves up in
:23:04. > :23:14.infighting. -- the choice is not Dems, they can tie themselves up in
:23:14. > :23:17.stable. And Nick Clegg has had a Dems, they can tie themselves up in
:23:17. > :23:37.good conference last year, and will campaigners, labour activists who
:23:37. > :23:41.have not forgotten what he has done in government and are determined to
:23:41. > :23:46.get him. It will be a tough year and a half. Tougher than he imagined.
:23:46. > :23:50.Now, not so long ago they were writing George Osborne's political
:23:50. > :23:55.obituary. Be on the Omni shambles budget of 2012 and a lacklustre
:23:55. > :24:03.performance of the British economy meant his reputation work -- was in
:24:03. > :24:06.the dirt. -- the omnishambles. But things have changed. The Chancellor
:24:06. > :24:15.is saying he has been vindicated. If runway, it looks as though the
:24:15. > :24:20.British economy has taken off, quarter. Forecasts for the rest
:24:20. > :24:23.British economy has taken off, the year have been revised up words.
:24:23. > :24:31.What's more, the office for National recession never actually happened.
:24:31. > :24:40.Unemployment is down in the three months to July and the number of
:24:40. > :24:42.spasticity rate since 1997. On Monday, George Osborne said his
:24:42. > :24:45.policies were bearing fruit. We Monday, George Osborne said his
:24:46. > :24:51.our nerve when many told us to abandon our plans. As a result,
:24:51. > :24:59.thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of the British people, Britain is
:25:00. > :25:02.turning a corner. The message for his Labour critics was clear. The
:25:02. > :25:06.Chancellor thinks he was right and they were wrong. And Chuka Umunna
:25:06. > :25:22.Good afternoon. Good afternoon.Do you accept that the economy has
:25:22. > :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
:25:29. > :25:29.turned a corner? I think it is good three wasted years. We have the
:25:29. > :25:34.worst economic recovery in history. three wasted years. We have the
:25:34. > :25:43.worst economic recovery in history. Debt is up and we have record youth
:25:43. > :26:02.2010. That is the situation. The worse because, on average, wages
:26:02. > :26:04.2010. That is the situation. The talked about, Vince Cable has been
:26:05. > :26:08.talking about this as well, is what is happening in the housing market.
:26:08. > :26:14.It seems that much of the solution to powering the recovery in the
:26:14. > :26:16.It seems that much of the solution of George Osborne lies in sorting
:26:16. > :26:19.out the housing market but the problem is, we are at risk of being
:26:19. > :26:24.another housing bubble. Because problem is, we are at risk of being
:26:24. > :26:26.research that came out this week, we know that housing in the UK is three
:26:26. > :26:30.times more expensive than in the US. know that housing in the UK is three
:26:30. > :26:32.We know that house prices are rising five times faster than wages, but we
:26:32. > :26:38.also know that the government is five times faster than wages, but we
:26:38. > :26:46.building new housing at a slower rate, the slowest rate that we have
:26:46. > :26:52.complaining about a housing bubble, isn't that like Satan complaining
:26:53. > :26:56.about seven? -- seven. We all know that we cannot go back to business
:26:56. > :27:01.as usual. We need to build a new model of growth. But the housing
:27:01. > :27:06.bubble you talk about, it is not a bubble. It might turn into one.
:27:06. > :27:08.bubble you talk about, it is not a said the risk of a bubble. It is
:27:08. > :27:15.nothing like what happened on the I said, in 2009, we had the crash
:27:15. > :27:19.and we knew we needed to reconfigure the way that our economy works.
:27:20. > :27:26.Having an economy based on crisis is rebalance the economy. We saw the
:27:26. > :27:32.unemployment statistics this week, and it is welcomed overall, that
:27:32. > :27:42.unemployment has come down. At half up. And it went down in other parts.
:27:42. > :27:49.We know that we need to rebalance our economy, so that we do not just
:27:49. > :27:55.rely on consumption, but that we 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. > :28:27.scheme? We have not said that we deficit. There was never a trade
:28:27. > :28:31.scheme? We have not said that we does at the moment, at the moment it
:28:31. > :28:37.is inhalation to a new scheme but tomorrow -- next year it will be in
:28:37. > :28:42.you do not sort out the supply of housing, then that is a recipe for
:28:42. > :28:45.the problems we have seen. Our argument is build more houses. Help
:28:45. > :28:48.but if you do not have the supply more people to buy them by all means
:28:48. > :28:53.but if you do not have the supply you will end up with rising prices.
:28:53. > :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. > :29:05.were wrong. We never said that growth would never return. What
:29:05. > :29:05.were wrong. We never said that said was that if you went for an
:29:06. > :29:12.were wrong. We never said that overly extreme deficit reduction
:29:12. > :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. > :29:45.now. That may be the case. But my people undergoing huge stress and
:29:45. > :29:49.worry. It is good that we have growth back again but the question
:29:49. > :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
:29:58. > :30:05.are doubts about it. This is what you said not that long ago. In
:30:05. > :30:37.choked off growth. You were wrong. We were not wrong, because we had
:30:37. > :30:39.choked off growth. You were wrong. not moving. Let's remind ourselves.
:30:39. > :30:42.choked off growth. You were wrong. Claude Osborne was predicting that
:30:42. > :30:44.the economy was going to grow by 6.9% between the start of this
:30:44. > :30:50.Parliament and now. It has grown by 6.9% between the start of this
:30:50. > :30:58.said that austerity would only 1.8%. We did not say we would never
:30:58. > :31:01.said that austerity would only temporarily delay growth. We have
:31:01. > :31:04.said that austerity would only looked through your speeches and Ed
:31:04. > :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. > :31:27.it would choke off growth for ever? choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:27. > :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. > :31:40.around George Osborne, this is not a people's lives, and the people who
:31:40. > :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. > :31:50.businesses, who despite the tough are the ones who have powered this
:31:50. > :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. > :32:39.we are seeing a stalled recovery, but who benefits from the growth? On
:32:39. > :32:48.average, your viewers have sustained a £1500 pay cut. That is the second
:32:48. > :32:55.biggest fall in the G20 since May 2010. Because we had the biggest
:32:55. > :33:21.is falling, but we don't just want financial services sector and took
:33:21. > :33:28.is falling, but we don't just want weight you can live off and that are
:33:28. > :33:34.unemployment figures. Your criticism has been that all the new jobs are
:33:34. > :33:46.part-time. They are not now, they employment, up 94,000. This is a
:33:46. > :33:55.short time frame. It is since the recovery began. Half the jobs that
:33:55. > :34:01.have been part-time jobs. Roughly who would like to work full-time.
:34:01. > :34:04.Over the last 20 years, people now feel more insecure at work than
:34:04. > :34:08.ever. The question is about what feel more insecure at work than
:34:08. > :34:14.kind of growth and employment you are getting. The other point is
:34:14. > :34:22.kind of growth and employment you uneven spread of this across our
:34:22. > :34:31.north-east and north-west, the Humber, the east of England, they
:34:32. > :34:37.agree that there was a regional imbalance, but the service sector is
:34:37. > :34:42.growing, cheering and construction are growing and financial services
:34:42. > :34:45.are in decline, so the rebalance is happening. It is not happening to
:34:45. > :34:51.the degree we need to transform happening. It is not happening to
:34:51. > :35:00.long-term, sustainable model of comprehensive industrial strategy
:35:00. > :35:07.towards. Your party conference is coming up. I am sure you are looking
:35:07. > :35:09.forward to it. Why do Ed Miliband's approval ratings get worse the more
: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.Polls go up and down. I have said his approval rating has consistently
:35:34. > :35:34.Polls go up and down. I have said gone down. What actually matters our
:35:34. > :35:52.Whitney. What is wrong with Whitney? gone down. What actually matters our
:35:52. > :35:57.Whitney. What is wrong with Whitney? We have been putting on votes. Let
:35:57. > :36:01.me show you this. This is the net satisfaction rating. Your leader is
:36:01. > :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. > :37:04.you pledge to renationalise Royal Mail? Because that would be like
:37:04. > :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. > :37:15.judge how much it would cost to sale of Royal Mail? So how can I
:37:15. > :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
:37:43. > :37:47.prospectus, people in the City, cheque. But if you put it in the
:37:47. > :37:52.know more about these things, say it would not happen, so why not do
:37:52. > :37:52.know more about these things, say it Because that would be irresponsible.
:37:52. > :38:04.at the check if it did not happen. I for billions to renationalise Royal
:38:04. > :38:06.at the check if it did not happen. I have to deal with the facts. I
:38:06. > :38:10.at the check if it did not happen. I not good deal with the plot somebody
:38:10. > :38:16.at the check if it did not happen. I City. We have to be careful about
:38:16. > :38:26.renationalise it now would be like government. That is why I am not
:38:26. > :38:29.prepared to do that. Ed Balls will not be talking to you. You are
:38:29. > :38:34.watching the Sunday Politics. Coming up in 20 minutes, I will be looking
:38:34. > :38:46.at the week ahead with our panel. Until then, the Sunday Politics
:38:46. > :38:49.at the week ahead with our panel. Welcome to us. Coming up later,
:38:49. > :38:51.at the week ahead with our panel. one of her party's brightest hopes,
:38:51. > :38:55.the Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather is now heading for the exit door. We
:38:55. > :39:02.will hear from her leader Nick Clegg Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake is
:39:02. > :39:07.with us this week, along with Kate Hoey, Labour MP for Vauxhall. Let's
:39:07. > :39:11.start with something close to your heart. You were giving evidence
:39:11. > :39:14.start with something close to your Lords committee this week about
:39:14. > :39:19.start with something close to your legacy there is or is not, sporting
:39:19. > :39:23.legacy and beyond. You sounded more optimistic than Sir Clive Woodward,
:39:23. > :39:28.who also gave evidence there last week, and raised issues about the
:39:28. > :39:33.need to invest in coaches and so on sensible policy investing money
:39:33. > :39:37.need to invest in coaches and so on in the sportswear we were likely to
:39:37. > :39:43.win medals. Where do you think we stand? It is still early days. But I
:39:43. > :39:56.am pleased with what we are doing in London, because we are getting all
:39:56. > :40:01.has been a great boost. This House of Lords committee will make a very
:40:01. > :40:02.interesting report. I was talking about the grassroots initiatives and
:40:02. > :40:11.what we were doing. A lot of what about the grassroots initiatives and
:40:11. > :40:15.do in sport and recreation is about people. We can all have projects in
:40:15. > :40:24.our communities where there are all about money. I was also pleased
:40:24. > :40:29.that we are beginning to corner all about money. I was also pleased
:40:29. > :40:30.in London. London has 33 boroughs, all doing their own thing, and we
:40:30. > :40:45.many people that they will come all doing their own thing, and we
:40:45. > :40:48.with a good board. Tom, do you feel all doing their own thing, and we
:40:48. > :40:52.optimistic about this, when we know we have got rid of school sports
:40:52. > :40:56.partnerships, and there is concern at primary school level about the
:40:56. > :41:03.quality and amount of sport that kids are doing? Like Kate, I think
:41:03. > :41:07.what we have done in terms of the buildings and stadia is fantastic. I
:41:07. > :41:11.was at the copper box a couple of weeks ago for a basketball event, so
:41:11. > :41:15.those facilities are in use, which is brilliant compared to what other
:41:15. > :41:21.cities have achieved. We don't see growing out of the car parks on
:41:21. > :41:24.cities have achieved. We don't see Olympic site, so that is positive.
:41:24. > :41:27.There has been investment back into school sports. My local schools
:41:27. > :41:28.There has been investment back into got something like £8,000 each to
:41:28. > :41:36.ensure that they have got teachers got something like £8,000 each to
:41:36. > :41:36.ensure that they have got teachers activities. In relation to some
:41:36. > :41:40.sports like cycling, the legacy activities. In relation to some
:41:40. > :41:44.continued and is being built on activities. In relation to some
:41:44. > :41:49.government are making at national level to invest in cycling. If you
:41:49. > :41:49.government are making at national look around London and walk on any
:41:49. > :41:54.street at any time, you have to look around London and walk on any
:41:54. > :41:58.you are seeing more people running and cycling. But it is too early to
:41:59. > :42:05.make a complete judgement on the legacy. Comeback in ten years.If
:42:05. > :42:07.make a complete judgement on the either of us or around. Moving on
:42:07. > :42:11.the strains of coalition government on the Lib Dems have been evident
:42:11. > :42:14.again, with Sarah Teather's public declaration that she can't be part
:42:14. > :42:18.of it any more and will be standing down at the next election. The Brent
:42:18. > :42:22.Central MP said her party was no longer seen as fighting for social
:42:22. > :42:26.justice. She claimed the final straw for her was Nick Clegg's tougher
:42:26. > :42:30.approach to immigration, including a plan for some immigrants to pay
:42:30. > :42:30.approach to immigration, including a £1000 bond or deposit when applying
:42:30. > :42:34.for visas. She also regretted the This was seen as a critic of Nick
:42:34. > :42:50.party's support for the benefit This was seen as a critic of Nick
:42:50. > :42:58.make of it? This week, I asked him This was seen as a critic of Nick
:42:58. > :43:01.have known Sarah for many years and I was aware of that, so I was
:43:01. > :43:08.had been disillusioned for some and I was aware of that, so I was
:43:08. > :43:16.disappointed. I don't agree with the reasons she has given. I wish her
:43:16. > :43:20.luck for whatever she goes on to do. Is it a problem with her or with the
:43:20. > :43:25.identity of the party under your leadership? Well, the take one of
:43:25. > :43:30.the things that Sarah cited as being one of the reasons she lost heart,
:43:30. > :43:35.it was this decision to say that no households can receive more in
:43:35. > :43:42.benefits than if you are a household earning £35,000 in work before tax.
:43:42. > :43:51.I think most people would accept 35,000 before tax is set quite high
:43:51. > :43:55.will stop that is something many households that watch this programme
:43:56. > :44:00.would be earning themselves. Many would accept that it is not an
:44:00. > :44:10.unfair thing to do, so I disagree with her on that. But I wish her
:44:10. > :44:15.luck. Do you think she was not able to do what was required by grown-up
:44:16. > :44:20.coalition politics? No, I take what Sarah said at face value. She is a
:44:20. > :44:24.sincere person and she expressed her views in a heartfelt way. I am
:44:24. > :44:31.disappointed that she slightly achieved. I worked hand in glove
:44:31. > :44:39.with Sarah to stop the appalling act is under Labour of imprisoning
:44:39. > :44:44.children in the immigration system. I worked with Sarah on something I
:44:44. > :44:51.announced the week before I last -- the week before last, providing
:44:51. > :44:51.announced the week before I last -- hours of preschool support for
:44:51. > :44:54.toddlers. That was delivered because hours of preschool support for
:44:54. > :44:58.of the work of Sarah Teather and other Liberal Democrats. Do you
:44:58. > :45:04.think she was disloyal in the way she announced her feelings? These
:45:04. > :45:08.things happen. How do you feel when a key member of your party...? It
:45:08. > :45:29.critics predicted. If we had not Democrats have not lost our nerve.
:45:29. > :45:42.critics predicted. If we had not worse shape. The emerging economy
:45:42. > :45:44.critics predicted. If we had not achieved. But the problem is that
:45:44. > :45:50.she has done that and she is likely feeling that the Lib Dems have
:45:50. > :45:55.become desensitised to coalition government, not concentrating on the
:45:55. > :46:01.key things like social justice. justice. The biggest expansion
:46:01. > :46:01.key things like social justice. apprenticeships is social justice.
:46:01. > :46:06.The pupil premium, £2.5 billion apprenticeships is social justice.
:46:06. > :46:12.extra money for poor children is social justice. Those things would
:46:12. > :46:18.Liberal Democrats. Remember one proposed that we raise the point
:46:18. > :46:20.which you pay income tax, taking 3 million people in low pay out of
:46:20. > :46:25.tax. David Cameron said that it million people in low pay out of
:46:25. > :46:30.a nice idea and it cannot be done. It has been done because of us.
:46:30. > :46:33.a nice idea and it cannot be done. not bow to anyone in my commitment
:46:33. > :46:37.commitment but I think we have to fairness. Not only do feel that
:46:37. > :46:48.commitment but I think we have delivered it in schools, workplaces
:46:48. > :46:51.Menzies Campbell, one of your former leaders, described it as an act
:46:51. > :46:54.Menzies Campbell, one of your former disloyalty. Do you agree? Clearly
:46:54. > :47:03.Sarah made a important contribution on the instance -- made an important
:47:03. > :47:08.division. She thinks she cannot continue and I regret that. In a
:47:08. > :47:12.number of areas, including stopping children being put into prison for
:47:12. > :47:19.immigration reasons, it was a huge achievement on her part. And we
:47:19. > :47:24.immigration reasons, it was a huge disloyalty? What do you say about
:47:24. > :47:31.newspaper to express those beliefs before conference. I'd prefer to
:47:31. > :47:36.fantastic record in government. I'm focus on the fact that she had a
:47:36. > :47:36.fantastic record in government. I'm think when she does this two Shias
:47:36. > :47:47.facing a big challenge and a couple that similar to yours, but you're
:47:47. > :47:47.facing a big challenge and a couple of years. I hope she will also be
:47:47. > :48:03.leader says it has detracted. It is of years. I hope she will also be
:48:03. > :48:15.unfortunate and Menzies Campbell says it was disloyal. Do you think
:48:15. > :48:18.that? I think clearly Sarah felt she could not continue. Notwithstanding
:48:18. > :48:23.the areas where the Lib Dems have government in relation to social
:48:23. > :48:30.justice. But that is her decision. Some of the things you have to be
:48:30. > :48:37.Presumably that has happened to Some of the things you have to be
:48:37. > :48:43.like it has happened to a lot of Lib Dem members. She was not able to
:48:43. > :48:54.deal with that. That is her problem, coalition, there are going to be
:48:54. > :48:56.tough issues. The result was going to be negotiation and sometimes
:48:56. > :48:58.tough issues. The result was going Liberal Democrats have succeeded in
:48:58. > :49:03.getting our viewpoint across. In others, we have not. But we have had
:49:03. > :49:07.real successes. The Conservatives wanted to introduce a policy of
:49:07. > :49:11.real successes. The Conservatives at will in relation to employees and
:49:11. > :49:15.that is something that we blocked. Kate Howey, not always known as
:49:15. > :49:17.that is something that we blocked. loyalist, an independent thinker.
:49:17. > :49:22.Sometimes your colleagues are not going to come down upon. What did
:49:22. > :49:28.you make her decision to say what she did and go public? She obviously
:49:28. > :49:35.timed it to be just before the conference, which leads to a lot of
:49:35. > :49:45.self planning. Aiming to damage conference, which leads to a lot of
:49:45. > :49:49.clearly not so happy since she was no longer a minister. When you stop
:49:49. > :49:53.being a minister, you have to work out how you're going to work in
:49:53. > :49:56.being a minister, you have to work way that is supportive of the party
:49:56. > :50:00.being a minister, you have to work yourself to be able to represent
:50:00. > :50:05.your constituents in a way. And difficult. I do not buy what a lot
:50:05. > :50:09.of people were saying, that she difficult. I do not buy what a lot
:50:09. > :50:32.definitely going to lose her seat, because I do not know. It also,
:50:32. > :50:34.definitely going to lose her seat, sometimes... Why would you not want
:50:34. > :50:36.to fight that? She won a famous by-election and has built up a
:50:36. > :50:45.constituency. Do you feel it is by-election and has built up a
:50:45. > :50:51.to pack it in? I'm going to fight my seat very hard. I am absolutely
:50:51. > :50:55.certain that whoever is selected as the candidate for her seat will
:50:55. > :50:57.certain that whoever is selected as fight it hard and rely on the base
:50:57. > :51:06.that she has built up. Kate is entrenched. But it indicates that
:51:06. > :51:14.she does not think it is winnable? indicates. She has made the decision
:51:14. > :51:22.but they do not think that reflects will try very hard. She has made it
:51:22. > :51:26.selected because it will be able to be used by the other parties against
:51:26. > :51:28.them. By wonder if Labour are going to put anything on the literature
:51:28. > :51:40.about this? Do you think they might some stage. One of the debates that
:51:40. > :51:43.the Liberal Democrats are having at this moment is the impact on private
:51:43. > :51:47.finance on the National Health Service. They accuse of the last
:51:47. > :51:51.Labour government of insufficient transparency about which companies
:51:51. > :51:58.were involved and a lack of regard for the long-term affordability
:51:58. > :51:59.were involved and a lack of regard Tonight, there are concerns that
:51:59. > :52:08.dozens of private finance projects could be under threat... A spiral of
:52:08. > :52:11.future... A cloud has been hanging over private finance initiatives for
:52:11. > :52:15.a few years, with many high-profile problems. PFI schemes were started
:52:16. > :52:20.by the Conservative government in the 1990s. Despite initial criticism
:52:20. > :52:29.from the Labour Party, they became PFI is an arrangement between a
:52:29. > :52:31.private company in the public sector to build and maintain infrastructure
:52:31. > :52:37.projects like hospitals with private capital. The state and then repays
:52:37. > :52:42.that over 30 years, often at a high large debts have been stored up
:52:42. > :52:46.that over 30 years, often at a high future taxpayers. Although the next
:52:46. > :52:59.30 years of the contract might be favourable picture. I think some of
:52:59. > :53:06.the processes that we have gone through have fallen short of the
:53:06. > :53:11.accuracy and importance that should have been given to them. Through
:53:11. > :53:15.that mechanism, we have not always received good value. One of the
:53:15. > :53:20.worst examples is the South London health care trust. In 1998, new
:53:20. > :53:24.hospitals were needed in South London and they were funded through
:53:24. > :53:30.PFI deals. One of those was the Princess Royal Hospital. It was
:53:30. > :53:35.PFI deals. One of those was the by a company called United Health
:53:35. > :53:38.PFI deals. One of those was the care Bromley Ltd. Sunday Politics
:53:38. > :53:44.has learned that public sector pension funds -- pension funds
:53:44. > :53:47.invest in the parent company. These include Transport for London and the
:53:47. > :53:51.London pensions authority which looks after several councils. The
:53:51. > :53:57.deal with the South London health care trust is not untypical of PFI
:53:57. > :54:01.arrangements. But the trust has struggled to repay its debt and
:54:01. > :54:05.critics argued that it is ironic that other public bodies in the
:54:05. > :54:14.relationship with the parent company crumbles. Trust board for London and
:54:14. > :54:20.available for interview but both invested in the parent company.
:54:20. > :54:23.There is an awful irony about it PFI situation where a private company
:54:23. > :54:31.set up to run public services with public money is being propped up by
:54:31. > :54:45.another public company also paid for on the one hand South London trust
:54:45. > :54:50.backed by the same parent company. I backed by the same parent company. I
:54:50. > :54:55.think it is appropriate for the pension funds to question what has
:54:55. > :55:13.invest in a broad range of assets. PFI is. But it would be normal
:55:14. > :55:24.in Woolwich and the Queen Mary in here as well as the Queen Elizabeth
:55:24. > :55:26.in Woolwich and the Queen Mary in trusts. The hope is that these
:55:26. > :55:36.hospitals will come out from under the shadow of a trust that could not
:55:36. > :55:40.How does that strike you, that there is a kind of public pension fund
:55:40. > :55:44.investment in these companies that are making this money out of these
:55:44. > :55:50.deals? As your contributors said, it is ironic, but I think the principal
:55:50. > :55:53.issue that we need to address is just the fact that PFI deals do
:55:53. > :55:53.issue that we need to address is really represent good value from
:55:53. > :55:59.money. In the NHS, we have had really represent good value from
:55:59. > :56:06.billion worth of capital that is going to be paid for by £80 billion
:56:06. > :56:10.worth of repayments by hospital trusts. That is why they have got
:56:10. > :56:15.the difficulty that they have got. They are paying 6% of the revenue
:56:15. > :56:17.that they get towards the PFI deal. It meant that some neighbourhoods
:56:17. > :56:22.got hospitals now that they would It meant that some neighbourhoods
:56:22. > :56:25.got hospitals now that they would spending. That is the point, we
:56:25. > :56:28.needed the infrastructure. It is true that the info structure was
:56:28. > :56:34.built, but at what cost in terms of the long-term legacy? They are
:56:34. > :56:40.repayments. We have seen in the the long-term legacy? They are
:56:40. > :56:46.three years that repayments have gone up by a third. It was the
:56:46. > :56:48.Conservatives who started this but Gordon Brown and Tony Blair loved
:56:48. > :56:52.them. If you are honest, do you Gordon Brown and Tony Blair loved
:56:52. > :56:57.that perhaps as a Labour MP, they did not look at the detail? You
:56:57. > :57:01.that perhaps as a Labour MP, they bought by the idea of a gleaming new
:57:01. > :57:07.hospital, but you did not see the about it. I think it was a classic
:57:07. > :57:13.example of whatever party is in power, politicians generally do
:57:13. > :57:18.example of whatever party is in look at the long-term. They are
:57:18. > :57:27.time. They said the debt was saved up for their children. I have had
:57:27. > :57:42.is that yes, we have a new school, more. Isn't the central criticism
:57:42. > :57:56.caveats that did not allow the users caveats that did not allow the users
:57:56. > :58:01.cost, we have heard the anecdotal stories about how much money it
:58:01. > :58:05.costs to change the light bulb because of the way the contracts are
:58:05. > :58:09.configured. What we are debating is trying to go back over the existing
:58:09. > :58:15.re-negotiate them down words in terms of price and also trying to
:58:15. > :58:19.ensure that those who run the PFI contracts are not allowed to put
:58:19. > :58:25.them offshore, thereby not paying quite as much tax to the UK taxpayer
:58:25. > :58:39.Let us move on. It is time for the From 2009 at 22011, the Metropolitan
:58:39. > :58:46.Police fired taser guns more often than any other force in in God and
:58:46. > :58:52.Wales. They fired in 30 2% of cases. country. Labour MPs Chuka Ummuna and
:58:52. > :58:58.Tessa Jowell have called for a change in the law to prevent shops
:58:58. > :58:59.from squatters. Since a crackdown in Lambeth, the problem has increased
:58:59. > :59:04.for commercial party owners in the Lambeth, the problem has increased
:59:04. > :59:10.Four councils are taking legal decision to set affordable rents at
:59:10. > :59:16.Four councils are taking legal 80% of Margaret -- market prices.
:59:16. > :59:23.renting in the boroughs would not be Half of London's roads will be over
:59:24. > :59:28.legal pollution limits in 2020 according to Jenny Jones from the
:59:28. > :59:31.Green party. She says that 45% of the main road and network will have
:59:31. > :59:45.harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide Two Labour colleagues who want to
:59:45. > :59:49.see legislation to tackle squatting in commercial properties. Do you
:59:49. > :59:54.agree? I do not. I think that is an easy thing to come out with but
:59:54. > :59:56.agree? I do not. I think that is an believe that the people they are
:59:56. > :00:04.commercial companies were buildings mostly good squatters, who have
:00:04. > :00:15.commercial companies were buildings shocking and young people can, even
:00:15. > :00:18.commercial companies were buildings ways where the owners of those
:00:18. > :00:22.buildings are encouraged to enter into short-term agreements, as that
:00:22. > :00:24.people will leave when they need the building. You cannot justify office
:00:25. > :00:30.buildings sitting empty for long periods of time and people not being
:00:30. > :00:40.able to use them. I do not think that this will happen. In let me ask
:00:40. > :00:47.This concerns a number of London boroughs, where the mayor is now
:00:47. > :00:54.rent. He will only put money into affordable rent is 80% of market
:00:54. > :00:58.rent. He will only put money into affordable housing if the registered
:00:58. > :01:01.landlord charges 80%. Is that right? Many people would think that is
:01:01. > :01:05.landlord charges 80%. Is that right? affordable housing. 80% of market
:01:05. > :01:12.rent in many parts of London will be unaffordable for many people. The
:01:12. > :01:17.housing. The government are moving on that, but until we have addressed
:01:17. > :01:23.the issue of supply, because the demand is social wrong, there will
:01:23. > :01:27.always be pressure on rent and existing properties. We have got to
:01:27. > :01:32.stop the rent is automatically going up every year by huge amounts, far
:01:33. > :01:45.more than pay is going up. Which deserves a programme all to itself.
:01:45. > :01:52.In a moment, more from our political Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:52. > :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,
:02:05. > :02:09.party to balance politics and enable the government to finish the job of
:02:09. > :02:10.party to balance politics and enable repairing the economy fairly. It is
:02:10. > :02:15.my genuine belief that if we go repairing the economy fairly. It is
:02:16. > :02:20.coalition and Islands politics, repairing the economy fairly. It is
:02:20. > :02:26.fair nor sustainable. Labour would will get a recovery which is neither
:02:26. > :02:28.fair nor sustainable. Labour would wreck the recovery, and under the
:02:28. > :02:31.fair nor sustainable. Labour would same commitment to fairness as
:02:31. > :02:52.ours, you would get the wrong kind Five people are being questioned in
:02:52. > :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. > :03:09.others war. The US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Israel to
:03:09. > :03:13.brief the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the proposal. China
:03:13. > :03:18.and France have also welcomed the deal, which says Syria has until
:03:18. > :03:23.Friday to submit a competence of list of its chemical stockpile.
:03:23. > :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. > :03:34.North Run between Newcastle and South Shields. Farrar, who was the
:03:34. > :03:43.favourite following his two gold Ethiopian's can mean many Serb
:03:43. > :03:46.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. > :04:09.appreciate the crowds and have a fantastic time. For elite athletes,
:04:09. > :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
:04:46. > :04:48.thought I would come back and close Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:48. > :04:50.the gap slowly. I managed to close Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:50. > :04:56.it a little bit, but you can't take away what he has. Wheelchair athlete
:04:56. > :05:18.more news on BBC One at 6:35pm. David Weir won his race for a fourth
:05:18. > :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?
:05:34. > :05:38.Putting foreign affairs to one side for a moment, it seems that what
:05:38. > :05:42.happened mystically was that it became more apparent that some sort
:05:42. > :05:48.of recovery was underway at last, and that Mr Miliband still has not
:05:48. > :05:55.yet resonated with the British public. These things are a problem
:05:55. > :05:56.for Labour. Ed Miliband's mistake over the summer holiday was to take
:05:57. > :06:01.a summer holiday. And it looked over the summer holiday was to take
:06:01. > :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. > :06:13.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. > :06:19.They don't want to say anything is this intense message discipline.
:06:19. > :06:21.of line until they have got all their ducks in a row. It makes the
:06:21. > :06:27.party do at the moment. The terms of party do at the moment. The terms of
:06:27. > :06:31.trade have swung in David Cameron's favour, but the political rhetoric
:06:31. > :06:40.look at this headline from the is still with Mr Miliband. Let's
:06:40. > :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. > :06:52.still in danger on his right flank significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:52. > :07:00.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. > :07:10.recovering. That poses difficulties for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:10. > :07:18.is happening on the ground, UKIP for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:18. > :07:23.don't need to poll 15% in a lot for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:23. > :07:24.to get five or 6% of the vote, and for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:24. > :07:39.to say, this guy will never be prime that could potentially destroy the
:07:39. > :07:45.to say, this guy will never be prime minister, but it is possible that by
:07:45. > :07:51.Miliband could end up as prime minister. It is still all to play
:07:51. > :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. > :08:13.possible that Labour, which is more nationally based and has seats in
:08:13. > :08:19.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. > :08:39.expectations. All he has to do is He might not even use a lectin.
:08:39. > :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
:09:01. > :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. > :09:17.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. > :09:47.and pray that the economy is not as the next election. It is clear
:09:47. > :09:51.and pray that the economy is not as Barber, who thought he fixed the
:09:51. > :10:06.are all sorts of uncertainties Barber, who thought he fixed the
:10:06. > :10:08.wrong for Osborne. Chuka Umunna Barber, who thought he fixed the
:10:08. > :10:11.he would not get rid of help to Barber, who thought he fixed the
:10:11. > :10:14.There are all these criticisms about Barber, who thought he fixed the
:10:14. > :10:19.artificial schemes pumping up house prices, but he would not say that.
:10:20. > :10:27.It is tortuous. You see this again and again. When asked if Labour
:10:28. > :10:29.would repeal the bedroom tax, or the same thing with Royal Mail, it
:10:29. > :10:42.happens again. They will be falling on people who have not had a meal in
:10:42. > :10:45.coming out of the Labour Party. There is a kind and Gillette in
:10:45. > :10:48.coming out of the Labour Party. them to a politician's career. When
:10:48. > :10:51.they are under attack for a long time, the media get bored after
:10:51. > :10:56.they are under attack for a long while and switch the story. It
:10:56. > :11:00.happened to Osborne, who had a horrific 2012 and has recovered
:11:00. > :11:09.bad press as he is getting at the moment, because people find it
:11:09. > :11:11.tedious. Syria has been the big foreign-policy event this summer. It
:11:11. > :11:19.has remarkably led to a Soviet- American initiative to get Syria to
:11:20. > :11:25.give up its chemical weapons. The world will now expect the Assad
:11:25. > :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. > :11:53.emerge with any sense of triumph are biggest diplomatic coup. They are
:11:53. > :11:58.back on the stage again. B if you biggest diplomatic coup. They are
:11:58. > :12:02.want to know why Putin even has biggest diplomatic coup. They are
:12:03. > :12:06.because of moments like this. They were humiliated after the end of the
:12:06. > :12:09.Cold War, and a Nou Camp is a great power again. Then you have the Obama
:12:09. > :12:13.situation, because he has ended between himself and his Secretary of
:12:13. > :12:32.where he wanted to end up. He has between himself and his Secretary of
:12:32. > :12:40.him any good. I was in the States, and it was open season on him. I
:12:40. > :12:44.have never understood the idea of chemical weapons as a red line when
:12:44. > :12:50.you can massacre people in their thousands through other means. But
:12:50. > :12:57.chemical weapons are beyond the pale. The rebels are miserable.
:12:57. > :12:59.chemical weapons are beyond the have run out of time. I will have to
:13:00. > :13:04.ask you what you think about Syria next week, which gives you time
:13:04. > :13:09.ask you what you think about Syria prepare. Your book on Fred the shred
:13:09. > :13:13.is going well? It is.I am back tomorrow at noon with the Daily
:13:13. > :13:15.Politics at noon on BBC Two, where we will have more from the Liberal
:13:15. > :13:18.Democrat conference in Glasgow. we will have more from the Liberal
:13:19. > :13:22.is the start of our Daily Politics conference coverage. Next week,
:13:22. > :13:24.is the start of our Daily Politics will be back here at our normal
:13:24. > :13:29.is the start of our Daily Politics of 11am, when we will be joined
:13:29. > :13:30.is the start of our Daily Politics Grant Shapps. Remember, if it is
:13:30. > :13:50.Sunday, it is the Sunday Politics.