:00:35. > :00:41.Morning, folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics. Ed Miliband's on
:00:42. > :00:43.the war path over pay day loans your energy bill and what he calls
:00:44. > :00:47.the war path over pay day loans the bedroom tax. His spinners say
:00:48. > :00:52.he's resurgent though the polls don't show it. We'll be talking to
:00:53. > :00:56.his right hand woman, Labour's Deputy Leader, Harriet Harman. From
:00:57. > :00:59.resurgent to insurgent. Nigel Farage won an award this week for being a
:01:00. > :01:08.political insurgent. We'll be talking to the UKIP leader. And
:01:09. > :01:10.Harriet hates, hates, hates page three. She wants rid of it. But what
:01:11. > :01:13.do you think? We sent Adam out with do you think? We sent Adam out with
:01:14. > :01:21.some balls. Stay. It is good fun Welcome to your lunchtime Look
:01:22. > :01:33.North. In the headlines this Welcome to your lunchtime Look
:01:34. > :01:46.row over the super sewer rumbles on. And with me, fresh from their
:01:47. > :01:52.success at yesterday's Star Wars auditions, Darth Vader. Obi Wan
:01:53. > :01:57.Kenobi and R2D2. Congratulations on your new jobs. We'll miss you. Nick
:01:58. > :02:01.Watt, Helen Lewis and Janan Ganesh. First, the talks with Iran in
:02:02. > :02:11.Geneva. They ended last night without agreement despite hopes of a
:02:12. > :02:14.breakthrough. America and its allies didn't think Iran was prepared to go
:02:15. > :02:17.far enough to freeze its nuclear programme. But some progress has
:02:18. > :02:20.been made and there's to be another meeting in ten days' time, though at
:02:21. > :02:23.a lower level. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, had this
:02:24. > :02:28.to say a little earlier. On the question of, or will it happen in
:02:29. > :02:36.the next few weeks? There is a good chance of that. We will be trying
:02:37. > :02:44.again on 20th, 21st of November and negotiators will be trying again. We
:02:45. > :02:48.will keep an enormous amount of energy and persistence behind
:02:49. > :02:55.solving this. Will that be a deal which will please everyone? No, it
:02:56. > :03:00.will not. Compromises will need to be made. I had discussions with
:03:01. > :03:03.Israeli ministers yesterday and put the case for the kind of deal we are
:03:04. > :03:08.looking the case for the kind of deal we are
:03:09. > :03:14.interests of the whole world, including
:03:15. > :03:15.interests of the whole world, the world, to reach a diplomatic
:03:16. > :03:22.agreement we can be confident in in this issue. This otherwise will
:03:23. > :03:26.threaten the world with nuclear proliferation and conflict in the
:03:27. > :03:30.future. The interesting thing about this is that it seems
:03:31. > :03:36.future. The interesting thing about prepared to go far enough over the
:03:37. > :03:49.Iraq heavy water plutonium reactor it is building. The people who took
:03:50. > :03:56.the toughest line - the French. France has always had a pretty tough
:03:57. > :04:00.line on Iran. They see it as a disruptive influence in Lebanon I
:04:01. > :04:03.am reasonably optimistic a deal will be done later this month when the
:04:04. > :04:07.talks reconvene. Western be done later this month when the
:04:08. > :04:15.sanctions have had such an impact on Iran domestic league. They have
:04:16. > :04:19.pushed inflation up to 40%. Dashes-macro domestically. The new
:04:20. > :04:26.president had a campaign pledge Dashes-macro domestically. The new
:04:27. > :04:31.saying, I will deal with sanctions. I actually think, by the end of this
:04:32. > :04:39.year, we will see progress in these talks. Should we be optimistic? The
:04:40. > :04:45.next round of talks will be at official level. The place to watch
:04:46. > :04:50.will be Israel. The language which has been coming out of there is
:04:51. > :04:53.still incredibly angry, incredibly defensive. They do not want a deal
:04:54. > :05:03.at all. Presumably John Kerry has to defensive. They do not want a deal
:05:04. > :05:12.go away and tried to get Israel to be quiet about it, even if they
:05:13. > :05:18.cannot be happy about it. They cannot agree to a deal which allows
:05:19. > :05:24.cannot be happy about it. They the Iraq reactor with plutonium
:05:25. > :05:26.heavy water. You do not need that with a peaceful nuclear power
:05:27. > :05:33.programme will stop that is why the with a peaceful nuclear power
:05:34. > :05:41.Israelis are so nervous. If there is an international deal, Israel could
:05:42. > :05:48.still bomb that but it would be impossible. The French tactics are
:05:49. > :05:53.interesting. It says the French blocked it in part because they are
:05:54. > :05:58.trying to carry favour with Israel but also the Gulf Arab states, who
:05:59. > :06:04.are really nervous about and Iranians nuclear capability. Who is
:06:05. > :06:10.that? Saudi Arabia. Newsnight had a story saying that Pakistan is
:06:11. > :06:18.prepared to provide them with nuclear weapons. You are right about
:06:19. > :06:24.Saudi Arabia. They are much more against this deal than Israel. Who
:06:25. > :06:28.is Herman van Rompuy's favourite MEP? It is probably not Nigel
:06:29. > :06:31.Farage. He plummeted to the bottom of the EU president's Christmas card
:06:32. > :06:35.list after comparing him to a bank clerk with the charisma of a damp
:06:36. > :06:44.rag. And he's been at it again this week. Have a look. Today is November
:06:45. > :06:49.the 5th, a big celebration festival day in England. That was an attempt
:06:50. > :06:52.to blow up the Houses of Parliament with dynamite and destroy the
:06:53. > :06:59.Constitution. You have taken the Dahl, technocratic approach to all
:07:00. > :07:03.of these things. What you and your colleagues save time and again you
:07:04. > :07:08.talk about initiatives and what you are going to do about unemployment.
:07:09. > :07:15.The reality is nothing in this union is getting better. The accounts have
:07:16. > :07:20.not been signed off for 18 years. I am now told it is 19 and you are
:07:21. > :07:24.doing your best to tone down any criticism. Whatever growth figures
:07:25. > :07:29.you may have, they are anaemic. Youth unemployment in the
:07:30. > :07:34.Mediterranean is over 50% in several states. You will notice there is a
:07:35. > :07:39.rise in opposition dashed real opposition. Much of it ugly
:07:40. > :07:46.opposition, not stuff that I would want to link hands with. And Nigel
:07:47. > :07:55.Farage joins me now. Let me put to you what the editor of the Sun had
:07:56. > :07:59.to say. He says, UKIP will peak at the European election and then it
:08:00. > :08:04.will begin to get marginalised as we get closer to 2015 because there is
:08:05. > :08:11.now that clear blue water between Labour and the Tories. What do you
:08:12. > :08:15.say to that? There may be layered blue water on energy pricing but on
:08:16. > :08:20.Eastern Europe, there is no difference at all. When Ed Miliband
:08:21. > :08:24.offers the referendum to match Cameron, even that argument on
:08:25. > :08:30.Europe will be gone. The one thing that will keep UKIP strong, heading
:08:31. > :08:34.towards 2015, is if people think in some constituencies we can win. I
:08:35. > :08:39.cannot sit here right now and say that will be the case. If we get
:08:40. > :08:44.over the hurdle of the European elections clearly, I think there
:08:45. > :08:51.will be grounds to say that UKIP can win seats in Westminster. You are
:08:52. > :08:57.going to run? Without a shadow of a doubt. I do not know which
:08:58. > :09:01.constituency. The welcome I got in Edinburgh was not that friendly
:09:02. > :09:06.Edinburgh is not everything in Scotland. I think we have a
:09:07. > :09:12.realistic chance of winning those elections. If we do that, we will
:09:13. > :09:17.have the momentum behind us. You might be the biggest party after the
:09:18. > :09:22.May elections. The National front is likely to do very well in France as
:09:23. > :09:28.well. They have won the crucial by-election in the South of France.
:09:29. > :09:37.Have you talked about joining full season in Parliament? The leader has
:09:38. > :09:42.tried to take the movement into a different direction than her father.
:09:43. > :09:47.The man she beat, to become leader, actually attended the BNP
:09:48. > :09:52.conference. The problem she has with her party and we have with her party
:09:53. > :09:57.is that anti-Semitism is too deep and we will not be doing a deal with
:09:58. > :10:04.the French national government. You can guarantee you will not be
:10:05. > :10:10.joining such groups. I can guarantee that. Let's move on to Europe. Let's
:10:11. > :10:15.accept that the pro-Europeans exaggerate the loss of jobs that
:10:16. > :10:23.would follow the departure of Britain from the UK. Is there no
:10:24. > :10:31.risk of jobs whatsoever? No risk whatsoever. There is no risk at all.
:10:32. > :10:38.There have been some weak and lazy arguments put around about this We
:10:39. > :10:44.will go on doing business - go on doing trade with Europe. We will
:10:45. > :10:49.have increased opportunities to do trade deals with the rest of the
:10:50. > :10:58.world and they will create jobs The head of Nissan, the head of Hitachi
:10:59. > :11:05.and CBI many other voices in British business, when they all expressed
:11:06. > :11:10.concern about the potential loss of jobs and incoming investment, we
:11:11. > :11:20.should just ignore them. With Nissan, the BBC News is making this
:11:21. > :11:26.a huge story. The boss did not say what was reported. He said there was
:11:27. > :11:32.a potential danger to his future investment. They have already made
:11:33. > :11:36.the investments. They have built the plant in Sunderland, which they say
:11:37. > :11:40.is operating well. We should be careful of what bosses of big
:11:41. > :11:45.businesses say. This man said they may have two leaves Sunderland if we
:11:46. > :11:49.did not join the euro. I do not take that seriously. As for the CBI, they
:11:50. > :11:55.wanted us to join the euro and now they do not. Even within the CBI,
:11:56. > :12:00.there is a significant minority saying, we do not agree with what
:12:01. > :12:04.the CBI director-general is saying. The former boss of the organisation
:12:05. > :12:10.is saying we need a referendum and we need a referendum soon. It
:12:11. > :12:16.depends on the renegotiation. There is not the uniformity. What we are
:12:17. > :12:21.beginning to see in the world, is, manufacturing and small businesses
:12:22. > :12:25.are a lot more voices saying, the costs of membership outweigh any
:12:26. > :12:35.potential benefit. If you look at the polls, if Mr Cameron does
:12:36. > :12:41.repatriate some powers and he joins with Labour, the Lib Dems, the
:12:42. > :12:45.Nationalists in Scotland and Wales, most of business, all of the unions
:12:46. > :12:55.to say we should stay in, you are going to lose, aren't you? In 1 75,
:12:56. > :12:58.the circumstances were exactly the same. Mr Wilson promised a
:12:59. > :13:02.renegotiation and he got very little. The establishment gathered
:13:03. > :13:08.around him and they voted for us to stay in. I do not think that will
:13:09. > :13:15.happen now. The scales have fallen. We do not want to be governed by
:13:16. > :13:18.Herman Van Rompuy and these people. These people are Eurosceptic but
:13:19. > :13:22.they do not seem to feel strongly enough about it that they are going
:13:23. > :13:29.to defy all the major parties they vote for, companies that employ
:13:30. > :13:33.them, unions they are members of. I am absolutely confident there will
:13:34. > :13:37.be a lot voices in business saying, we need to take this opportunity to
:13:38. > :13:50.break free, give ourselves a chance of a low regulation lowball trader.
:13:51. > :14:06.-- global trade. In 1970 53 small publications said to vote yes. I am
:14:07. > :14:11.not contemplating losing. The most important thing is to get the
:14:12. > :14:17.referendum. If UKIP is not strong, there will not be a referendum.
:14:18. > :14:21.Earlier in the year, your party issued a leaflet about the remaining
:14:22. > :14:27.sample parents being able to come to this country. The EU will allow 29
:14:28. > :14:37.million Bulgarians and remaining is to come to the UK. That is
:14:38. > :14:49.technically correct but we both know that is not the case. It is an open
:14:50. > :15:00.door to these people. Why take the risk? By make out there are 29
:15:01. > :15:10.million people? I stand by that verdict. It is an open door. 29
:15:11. > :15:16.million are not going to come. They can if they want. Also 29 million
:15:17. > :15:21.people from France can come. After these countries have joined, we will
:15:22. > :15:28.do another leaflet saying that Mr Cameron wants to open the door to 70
:15:29. > :15:35.million people from Turkey. That is scaremongering. I would not say
:15:36. > :15:40.that. We have a million young British workers between 16 and 4
:15:41. > :15:44.without work. A lot of them want work and we do not need another
:15:45. > :15:49.massive oversupply in the unskilled labour market. Why did you have such
:15:50. > :15:59.a bad time on question Time this week? The folk that did not buy your
:16:00. > :16:02.anti-immigration stick. Do you think that group of people in the room was
:16:03. > :16:07.representative of the voters of Boston? What would make you think it
:16:08. > :16:11.was unrepresentative? When the county council elections took place
:16:12. > :16:15.this year in Boston, of the seven seats, UKIP won five and almost won
:16:16. > :16:19.the other two. I don't think that audience reflected that, but that
:16:20. > :16:23.doesn't matter. How an audience is put together, how a panel is put
:16:24. > :16:28.together, on one programme, it doesn't mean much at all. It shows
:16:29. > :16:32.that your anti-immigrant measure doesn't fly as easily as you hoped
:16:33. > :16:35.it would? The opinion polls which will be launched on Monday that we
:16:36. > :16:39.are conducting and nearing completion, they show two things.
:16:40. > :16:44.Firstly, an astonishing number of people who think it's irresponsible
:16:45. > :16:49.and wrong to open the doer to Romania and Bulgaria, secondly and
:16:50. > :16:52.crucially, a number of people whose vote in the European elections and
:16:53. > :16:54.subsequent general elections may be determined by the immigration
:16:55. > :16:58.issues. This does matter. It would be the perfect run group the
:16:59. > :17:03.European elections in May for you if a lot of Bulgarians and remainians
:17:04. > :17:06.flooded in. You would like that to happen? I think it will happen.
:17:07. > :17:11.Whether I like it or not, it will happen. You think it will be good
:17:12. > :17:15.for you, it will stir things up If you say to people in poor countries,
:17:16. > :17:21.you can come here, get a job, have a safety net of a benefits system
:17:22. > :17:24.claim child allowance for your kids in Bucharest, people will come You
:17:25. > :17:30.are ready with the arguments already? You will be disappointed if
:17:31. > :17:33.only ten turn up? Whether lots come or not we should. Taking the risk
:17:34. > :17:36.and yes, we are going to make it a major issue in the European
:17:37. > :17:40.election. Let's leave it there. Thank you very much, Nigel Farage.
:17:41. > :17:44.The summer of 2013 was not good for Ed Miliband, with questions over his
:17:45. > :17:47.leadership, low ratings and complaints about no policies. He
:17:48. > :17:50.bounced back with a vengeance at the Labour Conference in September,
:17:51. > :17:55.delivering a speech which this week won the spectator political speech
:17:56. > :17:58.of the year aword. In that speech he focussed on the cost-of-living and
:17:59. > :18:03.promised a temporary freeze on energy prices. Even said this. The
:18:04. > :18:10.next election isn't just going to be about policy. It's going to be about
:18:11. > :18:17.how we lead and the character we show. I've got a message for the
:18:18. > :18:26.Tories today. If they want to have a debate, about leadership and
:18:27. > :18:30.character, be my guest And if you want to know the difference between
:18:31. > :18:35.me and David Cameron, here is an easy way to remember it. When it was
:18:36. > :18:39.Murdoch v the McCanns, he took the side of Murdoch. When it was the
:18:40. > :18:44.tobacco lobby versus the cancer charities, he took the side of the
:18:45. > :18:49.tobacco lobby. When the millionaires wanted a tax cut as people pay the
:18:50. > :18:52.bedroom tax, he took the side of the millionaires. A come to think of it,
:18:53. > :18:55.here is an easier way to remember it. David Cameron was a Prime
:18:56. > :19:05.Minister who introduced the bedroom tax. I'll be the Prime Minister who
:19:06. > :19:11.repeals the bedroom tax There we go, that will go down with the party
:19:12. > :19:16.faithful on Tuesday. There will be a debate on the bedroom tax. Labour's
:19:17. > :19:24.Deputy Leader, Harriet Harman, joints me now. Let's begin with the
:19:25. > :19:30.bedroom tax or bedroom subsidy. Nearly 11% of people who've come off
:19:31. > :19:33.Housing Benefits all together after their spare room subsidy was
:19:34. > :19:38.stopped, isn't that proof that reform was necessary? No. I think
:19:39. > :19:42.that the whole way that the bet room tax has been attempted to be
:19:43. > :19:46.justified is completely wrong. What it's said is that it will actually
:19:47. > :19:50.help take people off the waiting lists by putting them into homes
:19:51. > :19:55.that have been vacated by people who've downsized by being
:19:56. > :19:59.incentivised by the bedroom tax so basically if you are a council
:20:00. > :20:03.tenant or Housing Association tenant in a property with spare bedrooms,
:20:04. > :20:07.then because the penalty is imposed, you will move to a smaller property.
:20:08. > :20:11.That is the justification for it. But actually, something like 96 of
:20:12. > :20:14.the people who're going to be hit by the bedroom tax, there isn't a
:20:15. > :20:18.smaller property for them to move into. I understand that. Therefore
:20:19. > :20:22.they are, like the people in my constituency, if they have got one
:20:23. > :20:28.spare bedroom, they are hit by 700 a year extra to pay and that is
:20:29. > :20:33.completely unfair As a consequence of people losing the subsidy for
:20:34. > :20:37.their spare room, they have decided to go out and get work and not
:20:38. > :20:42.depend on Housing Benefit at all? 11% of them. What's wrong with that?
:20:43. > :20:47.Well, they are going to review the way 2 the bedroom tax is working.
:20:48. > :20:52.What is wrong with that? But that's not working. That's the result of
:20:53. > :20:56.Freedom of Information, 141 councils provided the figures, 25,000 who've
:20:57. > :21:00.come off benefits, of the 233,0 0 affected, it's about 11%. These
:21:01. > :21:04.people were clearly able to get a job was having the Housing Benefit
:21:05. > :21:09.in the first place? But of course the people who're on the benefits
:21:10. > :21:12.who're not in work are always looking for work and many of them
:21:13. > :21:17.will find work which is a good thing, but for those who don't find
:21:18. > :21:21.work, or who find work where it s low-paid and need help with their
:21:22. > :21:25.rent, it's wrong to penalise them on the basis of the fact that their
:21:26. > :21:29.family might have grown up and moved away and so you have either got to
:21:30. > :21:33.move out of your home, away from your family and your neighbourhood,
:21:34. > :21:37.or you've got to stay where you are and, despite the fact that you are
:21:38. > :21:42.low-paid or unemployed, you have got to find an extra ?700 a year because
:21:43. > :21:45.of your rent. So it's very unfair The Government that was
:21:46. > :21:50.commissioning independent research on the impact of this work change
:21:51. > :21:52.and welfare policy, particularly on the impact on the most vulnerable,
:21:53. > :21:56.some of which you have been talking about there, shouldn't they have
:21:57. > :21:59.waited until you have got the independent research, that
:22:00. > :22:02.independent investigation before determining your policy? No. In
:22:03. > :22:07.fact, the Government should have waited until they'd have done their
:22:08. > :22:10.independent research before they bought into effect something and
:22:11. > :22:16.imposed it on people in a way which is really unfair. They could have
:22:17. > :22:20.known. Why didn't you wait? What they could have done is, they could
:22:21. > :22:24.have asked councils, are people going to be able to Manifest into
:22:25. > :22:28.smaller homes if we impose the bedroom tax and the answer from
:22:29. > :22:31.councils and Housing Associations would have been no, they can't move
:22:32. > :22:35.into smaller homes because which haven't got them there. They should
:22:36. > :22:38.have done the evaluation before they introduced the policy. We are
:22:39. > :22:43.absolutely clear and you can see the evidence, people are falling into
:22:44. > :22:46.rent arrears. Many people, it's a terrifying thing to find that you
:22:47. > :22:51.can't pay your rent, and some of the people go to payday loan companies
:22:52. > :22:55.to get loans to pay their rent. It is very, very unfair. The
:22:56. > :22:59.justification for it, which is people will move, is completely
:23:00. > :23:05.bogus. There aren't places for them to go. On the wider issue of welfare
:23:06. > :23:08.reform, a call for the TUC showed that voters support the Government's
:23:09. > :23:13.welfare reforms, including a majority of Labour voters. Why are
:23:14. > :23:16.you so out of touch on welfare issues, even with your own
:23:17. > :23:20.supporters? Nobody wants to see people who could be in a job
:23:21. > :23:24.actually living at the taxpayers' expense. That's why we have said
:23:25. > :23:28.that we'll introduce a compulsory jobs guarantee, so that if you are a
:23:29. > :23:32.young person who's been unemployed for a year, you will have to take a
:23:33. > :23:36.job absolutely have to take a job, and if you have been unemployed as
:23:37. > :23:41.somebody over 25, there'll be a compulsory thing after two years of
:23:42. > :23:45.unemployment. So if you have been on welfare two years? So the main issue
:23:46. > :23:49.about the welfare bill actually is people who're in retirement who need
:23:50. > :23:53.support. We have said for the richest pensioners, they shouldn't
:23:54. > :23:58.have to pay their winter fuel allowance. My point wasn't abouts
:23:59. > :24:02.the sub stance, it's about how you don't reflect public opinion --
:24:03. > :24:07.substance. The Parliamentary aid said the political backlog of
:24:08. > :24:12.benefits and social security is "not yet one that we have won. Labour
:24:13. > :24:17.must accept that they are not convincing on these matters,". Well,
:24:18. > :24:21.redo have to convince people and explain the policies we have got and
:24:22. > :24:24.the view we take. So, for example, for pensioners, who're well off we
:24:25. > :24:27.are saying they don't need the Winter Fuel Payment that. 's me
:24:28. > :24:32.saying to you and us saying to people in this country, we do think
:24:33. > :24:36.that there should be that tightening. For young people, who've
:24:37. > :24:39.been unemployed, they should be offered jobs but they've got to take
:24:40. > :24:45.them. So yes, we have to make our case. OK. The energy freeze which we
:24:46. > :24:49.showed there, on the speech, as popular. The living wage proseles
:24:50. > :24:53.have been going down well as well. Why is Labour's lead oaf the
:24:54. > :24:57.Conservatives being cut to 6% in the latest polls? Ed Miliband's own
:24:58. > :25:02.personal approval rating's gotten worse. Why is that? I'm not going to
:25:03. > :25:06.disdues ins and outs of weekly opinion polls with you or anybody
:25:07. > :25:10.else because I'm not a political commentator, but let me say to you
:25:11. > :25:15.the facts of what's happened since Ed Miliband's been leader of the
:25:16. > :25:21.Labour Party. We have got 1,950 New Labour councillors, all of those...
:25:22. > :25:23.But you're... All those who've won their seats against the
:25:24. > :25:28.Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats and no, Andrew you don't
:25:29. > :25:33.always get that in opposition. In 1997 after Tony Blair was elected,
:25:34. > :25:40.the Tories carried on losing council seats. Exceptional circumstances and
:25:41. > :25:45.these days Mr Blair was 25% ahead in the polls. You were six. The economy
:25:46. > :25:49.grew at an annual rate of 3% in the third quarter just gone. Everybody,
:25:50. > :25:52.private and public forecasters now saying that Britain in this coming
:25:53. > :25:57.year will grow faster than France, Italy, Spain, even Germany will grow
:25:58. > :26:00.faster. Your poll ratings are average when the economy was
:26:01. > :26:04.flatlining, what happens to them when the economy starts to grow
:26:05. > :26:10.Well, I've just said to you, I'm not a political commentator or a pundit
:26:11. > :26:12.on opinion polls. We are putting policies forward and we are holding
:26:13. > :26:17.the Government to account for what they are doing and we think that
:26:18. > :26:20.what they did opt economy pulled the plugs from the economy, delayed the
:26:21. > :26:24.recovery, made it stagnate and we have had three years lost growth. I
:26:25. > :26:31.understand that, but it's now starting to grow. Indeed. If you are
:26:32. > :26:34.no political commentator, let me ask you this, you anticipated the
:26:35. > :26:37.growth, so you switched your line to no growth to this is growth and
:26:38. > :26:42.living standards are rising. If the economy does grow up towards 3% next
:26:43. > :26:45.year, I would suggest that living standards probably will start to
:26:46. > :26:49.rise with that amount of growth What do you do then? We have not
:26:50. > :26:52.switched our line because the economy started to grow. All the way
:26:53. > :26:57.along, we said the economy will recover, but it's been delayed and
:26:58. > :27:01.we have had stagnation for far too long because of the economic
:27:02. > :27:05.policies. We have been absolutely right to understand the concerns
:27:06. > :27:09.people have and recognise that they are struggling with the
:27:10. > :27:13.cost-of-living. Sure. And we are right to do that. What kind of
:27:14. > :27:19.living standards stuck to rise next year? -- start to rise next year. I
:27:20. > :27:23.hope they will. For 40 months of David Cameron's Prime Ministership,
:27:24. > :27:27.for 39 of those, wages have risen slower than prices, so people are
:27:28. > :27:31.worse off. I understand that. You will know that the broader
:27:32. > :27:34.measurement, real household disposable income doesn't show that
:27:35. > :27:39.decline because it takes everything into account. Going around the
:27:40. > :27:45.country, people feel it. They say where's the recovery for me. Living
:27:46. > :27:50.standards now start to rise? If that happens, what is your next line
:27:51. > :27:52.There is a set of arguments about living standards, the National
:27:53. > :27:58.Health Service, about the problems that there is in A, which caused
:27:59. > :28:04.-- are caused by the organisation. I can put forward other lines. All
:28:05. > :28:09.right. Let me ask you one other question If no newspapers have
:28:10. > :28:12.signed up to the Government-backed Labour-backed Royal Charter on press
:28:13. > :28:18.regular lace by 2015 and it looks like the way things are going none
:28:19. > :28:21.will have, if you are in power, will a Labour Government legislate to
:28:22. > :28:26.make them? They don't have to sign up to the Royal Charter, that's not
:28:27. > :28:29.the system. What the Royal Charter does is create a recogniser and
:28:30. > :28:32.basically says it's for the newspapers to set up their own
:28:33. > :28:37.regulator. They are doing that. My question is... Let me finish. If
:28:38. > :28:41.they decide to have nothing to do with the Royal Charter that was
:28:42. > :28:45.decided in Miliband's office in the wee small hours, will you pass
:28:46. > :28:48.legislation to make them? The newspapers are currently setting up
:28:49. > :28:53.what they call... I know that, Harriet Harman. Just let me finish.
:28:54. > :28:57.OK. Because the newspapers are setting up the independent Press
:28:58. > :29:01.Standards Organisation. Right. If it is independent, as they say it is,
:29:02. > :29:05.then the recogniser will simply say, we recognise that this is
:29:06. > :29:09.independent and the whole point is that, in the past when there's been
:29:10. > :29:12.skaen deals a tend press have really turned people's lives upside down
:29:13. > :29:17.and the press have said OK we'll sort things out, leave it to us
:29:18. > :29:21.then they have sorted things out but a few years later they have slipped
:29:22. > :29:25.back, all this recogniser will do is check it once every three years and
:29:26. > :29:29.say yes, you have got an independent system and it's remained independent
:29:30. > :29:32.and therefore that is the guarantee things won't slip back. Very
:29:33. > :29:37.interesting. Thank you for that That's really interesting that if
:29:38. > :29:42.they get their act right, you won't force the alternative on them. We
:29:43. > :29:47.want the system as set forward by Leveson which is not statute and
:29:48. > :29:52.direct regulation. I want to stick with the press because I want to
:29:53. > :29:56.ask, is this a British institution or an out-of-date image for a by
:29:57. > :30:01.gone age. The Sun's Page 3 has been dividing the nation since it first
:30:02. > :30:06.appeared way back in 1970. That s 43 years ago. Harriet Harman's called
:30:07. > :30:23.for it to be removed, so we sent Adam out to ask whether the topless
:30:24. > :30:35.photographs should stay or go. We have asked people if page three
:30:36. > :30:45.should stay or go. Page three. What do you think? Nothing wrong with it
:30:46. > :30:56.at all. I think it is cheap and exploits women. It is a family
:30:57. > :31:07.newspaper. Should it stay or go Go. I will look like the bad guy. It
:31:08. > :31:16.should go. You have changed your mind. It is free choice. Girls do
:31:17. > :31:30.not have to be photographed. Old men get the paper just for that. Know
:31:31. > :31:34.when your age does that? Not really. Dashes-macro know what your age
:31:35. > :31:45.Page three girls, should they stay or go? I am not bothered. There are
:31:46. > :31:49.other ways of getting noticed. Page three of the Sun newspaper every
:31:50. > :31:58.day, there is a woman with no top on. We got rid of that about 40
:31:59. > :32:05.years ago in Australia. I am not in favour of censorship. It has been
:32:06. > :32:11.long enough. It can stay there. What is wrong with it? We want to
:32:12. > :32:17.encourage children to read the newspapers. I do not want my
:32:18. > :32:24.children to look at that. It is degrading. Do you think we will see
:32:25. > :32:29.the day when they get rid of it Yes, I do. I am wondering if I can
:32:30. > :32:43.turn this into some kind of a shelter. It is tipping it down. I
:32:44. > :32:49.think the council should do something about their car parks
:32:50. > :32:57.Mother nature, the human body. It should stay. Is some people like it,
:32:58. > :33:04.that is fine. I have nothing against it. You know what has surprised me,
:33:05. > :33:11.lots of women saying it should stay. Maybe they are seeing it as
:33:12. > :33:19.empowering. As I have a baby daughter in there, I am happy to see
:33:20. > :33:28.it go. Imagine my grandad opening up his paper and they're being my bats!
:33:29. > :33:36.It should go. There is nothing wrong with it. He wants it to go. What
:33:37. > :33:44.about people who think that page three should be banned? Idiots. Do
:33:45. > :33:53.you know a girl called Lacey, aged 22, from Bedford? Good luck to her.
:33:54. > :34:00.I do not know her as a person that I have heard she is nice. What about
:34:01. > :34:09.her decision to be on page three? Nothing to lose. Do you think she
:34:10. > :34:15.has made Bedford proud? That is not hard. What have we learned? More
:34:16. > :34:25.people want page three to stay down for it to go. Most people do not
:34:26. > :34:31.really seem to care, do they? You have heard a range of views. I am
:34:32. > :34:37.not arguing it should be banned I have not argued for it to be banned
:34:38. > :34:50.but I have disapproved of it since the 1970s. You do not think it
:34:51. > :34:51.should be banned? I do not think there should be dictating content
:34:52. > :34:57.but I do think, if you arrive from there should be dictating content
:34:58. > :34:58.outer space in this country in 21st-century Britain, and asked
:34:59. > :35:03.yourself what was the role of women 21st-century Britain, and asked
:35:04. > :35:07.in society... To stand in their knickers and nothing else, I think
:35:08. > :35:18.women have more to aspire to than to be able to take their clothes off in
:35:19. > :35:20.public. The sun no longer has the circulation, or the political
:35:21. > :35:24.importance, that it had in the 980s circulation, or the political
:35:25. > :35:30.when page three was at its height. Aren't people just voting with their
:35:31. > :35:33.feet anyway? The market is sorting this out. Half the number of people
:35:34. > :35:39.buy it now than they did 20 years this out. Half the number of people
:35:40. > :35:44.ago. Until the time the sun does not have page three any more, I am
:35:45. > :35:51.entitled to my view that it is outdated and wrong. I am happy to
:35:52. > :35:59.ban it. What should happen? Should ban it. What should happen? Should
:36:00. > :36:03.people boycott the paper? I have people boycott the paper? I have
:36:04. > :36:09.never implied or said it should be banned. I have always been
:36:10. > :36:15.forthright. Should people boycott the paper? I have not called for a
:36:16. > :36:20.boycott. The women's movement, of which I am part, and this is not
:36:21. > :36:23.about politicians censoring the press. I am part of the movement
:36:24. > :36:30.which says women can do better than press. I am part of the movement
:36:31. > :36:36.in their knickers in the newspapers. in their knickers in the newspapers.
:36:37. > :36:43.Why don't you do something about it? I am doing something about it by
:36:44. > :36:48.saying it is outdated. I am not doing anything more about it. Should
:36:49. > :36:52.people buy the paper as long as there is a page three? Would you
:36:53. > :36:56.like to say to viewers, as long as like to say to viewers, as long as
:36:57. > :37:05.page three is in the sand, you should not buy it? Dashes-macro be
:37:06. > :37:09.Son. I am saying, wake up to what the role of women in society should
:37:10. > :37:13.be, which is more than page three. If they changed it in Australia
:37:14. > :37:20.which is where Rupert Murdoch came from, why can they not change it in
:37:21. > :37:24.this country? You're watching the Sunday Politics. Coming up in just
:37:25. > :37:25.over 20 minutes... I'll be talking to man
:37:26. > :37:29.Welcome to your lunchtime Look North. In the headlines this
:37:30. > :37:30.Welcome to your lunchtime Look North. In the I Hello
:37:31. > :37:33.Welcome to your lunchtime Look Hello and a warm welcome to your
:37:34. > :37:44.local part of the show for the North East and Cumbria. Coming up: are we
:37:45. > :37:48.doing enough to help foster children once they reach 18? A charity calls
:37:49. > :37:52.for a change in the law. And my guests this week: the
:37:53. > :37:54.Gateshead Labour MP, Ian Mearns, and Northumberland Conservative
:37:55. > :37:57.Councillor Wayne Daley. A warm welcome to you both.
:37:58. > :38:00.And we start this Remembrance Sunday with continuing arguments over the
:38:01. > :38:04.size and scope of the Government's cuts to the Armed Forces. The number
:38:05. > :38:08.of regular soldiers is set to fall from 102,000 to 82,000 over the next
:38:09. > :38:12.decade, leaving the Army half the size it was during the Cold War era.
:38:13. > :38:15.A campaign is under way to save the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of
:38:16. > :38:19.Fusiliers, which recruits heavily in the North East and North West and is
:38:20. > :38:23.one of those due to be lost. It was an issue raised this week in the
:38:24. > :38:26.Commons. I joined over 100 supporters of the
:38:27. > :38:29.2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers as they marched on
:38:30. > :38:32.Parliament against the government's decision to scrap it. Ministers
:38:33. > :38:35.believe that the 2nd Battalion can be replaced by reservists, yet the
:38:36. > :38:37.chairman of the Northumberland Fusiliers Association is very
:38:38. > :38:43.concerned that it simply won't be possible to recruit the numbers
:38:44. > :38:47.needed. The Government wants the number of
:38:48. > :38:49.reservists to double to 30,000 but ministers say they are not a direct
:38:50. > :38:53.replacement for regular troops. The change of the role of reservists
:38:54. > :38:56.and the changes in the structure of the Army are not simply about trying
:38:57. > :38:59.to recruit reservists to replace disbanded battalions of infantry.
:39:00. > :39:09.Most of the reservists we are recruiting will be specialists,
:39:10. > :39:12.unlike the infantry role. Ian Mearns, I gather the Battalion
:39:13. > :39:19.of Fusiliers is one that is close to your heart?
:39:20. > :39:22.Indeed, my dad was a member of the Northumberland Royal Fusiliers
:39:23. > :39:28.before and during the Second World War.
:39:29. > :39:32.Clearly there is emotional resonance but I suppose the danger is that we
:39:33. > :39:36.could let emotions cloud the hard decisions that have to be made with
:39:37. > :39:43.the lack of resources meaning that some regiments will have to go.
:39:44. > :39:46.That is probably right but we have to look at the criteria the
:39:47. > :39:52.Government are using for the decisions that they have taken. When
:39:53. > :39:54.we look at The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, there are two
:39:55. > :39:58.well`recruited battalions ` one in the North East, the other in the
:39:59. > :40:01.North West. If we take out one of those battalions it brings the whole
:40:02. > :40:04.regiment into question because under the government's own criteria,
:40:05. > :40:11.single battalion regiments are ones they are looking to cut further.
:40:12. > :40:14.Wayne Daley, the whole process of this doesn't seem right.
:40:15. > :40:21.Conservatives are presiding over cuts that a lot of people in your
:40:22. > :40:23.own party will be horrified by. It is important to understand that
:40:24. > :40:26.Northumberland Conservatives have supported a motion which supports
:40:27. > :40:29.the retention of the 2nd Battalion, particularly the Northumberland
:40:30. > :40:36.Regiment within that. It is very important for us to retain
:40:37. > :40:39.historical links. This goes back to something much wider, which was the
:40:40. > :40:42.defence review in 2010. Both parties at that general election were
:40:43. > :40:48.committed to doing this and the reason was simple: there was a ?3.3
:40:49. > :40:51.billion overspend in the last year of the Labour Government, a ?38
:40:52. > :40:54.billion hole in total over the last ten years on defence expenditure.
:40:55. > :40:57.That's the context but the reality is that as an unintended
:40:58. > :40:59.consequence, a historic regiment which recruits from the North East,
:41:00. > :41:03.particularly Northumberland, is now likely to be disbanded and as
:41:04. > :41:06.Conservatives in the area we are fundamentally opposed to that and we
:41:07. > :41:17.are writing to Philip Hammond to ask him to review the situation because
:41:18. > :41:20.it is the wrong decision. The Government says that reservists
:41:21. > :41:27.aren't supposed to be a replacement but realistically people will look
:41:28. > :41:34.at them as such. The plan is to have 30,000
:41:35. > :41:37.reservists by 2020. In the first month of recruitment, around 1500
:41:38. > :41:45.have been recruited so the MOD are saying they are on track. I don't
:41:46. > :41:48.know whether that's correct but what I am seeing as a Conservative is
:41:49. > :41:52.that I have concerns about that and many in my party have concerns about
:41:53. > :41:55.replacing a full`time Regiment with reservists and we need to monitor it
:41:56. > :42:02.very carefully because the MOD does not have a good history of delivery
:42:03. > :42:05.of its projects. Ian Mearns, I understand there is
:42:06. > :42:08.some emotion around this particular Regiment but every week Labour
:42:09. > :42:11.politicians come on here to say "don't cut this", "don't cut that",
:42:12. > :42:14.but realistically there is only so much money and the Government has
:42:15. > :42:17.got to take action. If you look at what the two
:42:18. > :42:22.battalions deliver on the ground, they are exactly what the modern
:42:23. > :42:25.army would need in the future. The MOD's website tells you exactly what
:42:26. > :42:29.the range of skills are within these two battalions and it exactly fits
:42:30. > :42:35.the criteria of what needs to be retained. I think that the MOD and
:42:36. > :42:39.the Army need to look elsewhere. Thank you both for now.
:42:40. > :42:42.Many of our local councillors have been running campaigns to attract
:42:43. > :42:46.more foster parents and it does seem to have worked. But what happens
:42:47. > :42:48.when those children reach 18? It seems many social service
:42:49. > :42:51.departments are not willing to keep funding of their foster placements
:42:52. > :42:55.and that can leave vulnerable young people faring for themselves without
:42:56. > :43:02.a job or a secure family home. The Government is now being urged to
:43:03. > :43:06.change the law. Like a lot of 18`year`olds, Arran
:43:07. > :43:09.has a busy schedule. Along with work as a swimming pool lifeguard, he is
:43:10. > :43:14.also training to be a sports coach. That means trips to the gym as well
:43:15. > :43:17.as study at college and through all this has foster mum is vital.
:43:18. > :43:20.Heather takes me everywhere, pretty much. She makes all my food. She
:43:21. > :43:22.gives me encouragement to do what I want and I have confidence that
:43:23. > :43:35.Heather believes in me. Of course, in most households,
:43:36. > :43:41.staying in the family home into your 20s has become the norm rather than
:43:42. > :43:48.the exception. But foster children are different. The vast majority
:43:49. > :43:54.still leave care before their 18th birthday. Campaigners say that's too
:43:55. > :43:58.young. Arran's foster carer agrees. There aren't a lot of people who
:43:59. > :44:02.leave home at 18 and most people of that age don't want to think about
:44:03. > :44:05.it, so I think all young people in foster care should be given the
:44:06. > :44:12.choice and the opportunity if they wish to stay on after 18.
:44:13. > :44:16.All the evidence suggests that people who have been in the care
:44:17. > :44:19.system are much more likely to end up unemployed or with poor health.
:44:20. > :44:25.But those who remain with their foster families for longer tend to
:44:26. > :44:28.do better. Why then, across the country, does only one in 20 remain
:44:29. > :44:32.fostered until the age of 19? It might be that there is just not
:44:33. > :44:36.that expectation, that principle that says come 18, you can stay with
:44:37. > :44:40.your foster carer. We have to try and break through that and make it
:44:41. > :44:44.clear to everybody that it is a good thing to do and that the thought of
:44:45. > :44:47.moving into a flat, which might be attractive to some young people,
:44:48. > :44:52.actually isn't so attractive once you have done it as it can be a very
:44:53. > :44:55.lonely time. That sense of isolation is something
:44:56. > :44:59.Ashleigh knows all about. She is now 19, living in supported
:45:00. > :45:03.accommodation and doing well. But after a childhood in the North East
:45:04. > :45:05.that alternated between foster care and unsuccessful returns to her
:45:06. > :45:12.birth family, she was placed alone in a hostel, aged only 16.
:45:13. > :45:18.It was horrible, people knocking on your door all the time, shouting and
:45:19. > :45:21.fighting. What sort of people?
:45:22. > :45:24.Like, alcoholics... How much help and support did you
:45:25. > :45:33.get at that time? Not really much... None.
:45:34. > :45:36.The answer, say some MPs, is to give teenagers like Ashleigh a new legal
:45:37. > :45:39.right to stay in foster care until 21.
:45:40. > :45:42.I think that we as a society have a responsibility to support young
:45:43. > :45:46.people who end up in the care system through no fault of their own. We
:45:47. > :45:48.should give them some of the advantages that young people in
:45:49. > :45:52.stable family relationships end up with.
:45:53. > :45:55.The Government has so far resisted new legislation but ministers say
:45:56. > :45:59.that they are pushing councils to support those in foster care for
:46:00. > :46:03.longer. They appear to share the view that teenagers like Arran
:46:04. > :46:09.deserve someone else to share their burden.
:46:10. > :46:14.Wayne Daley, isn't it a dereliction of duty that we saw someone like
:46:15. > :46:16.Ashleigh there aged only 16, ending up in a hostel facing the things she
:46:17. > :46:22.described? It's not good. In fact, on Friday
:46:23. > :46:24.the Government produced a wide`ranging cross`departmental
:46:25. > :46:27.strategy which is looking at young people in care. It is encouraging
:46:28. > :46:33.local authorities to continue that care and support for them post`18.
:46:34. > :46:36.Encouraging, but not forcing or providing resources.
:46:37. > :46:37.At the moment, it is a cross departmental strategy...
:46:38. > :46:44.A "cross`departmental strategy" ` that doesn't cut any ice...
:46:45. > :46:47.What that means is, let's look at Northumberland. In Northumberland,
:46:48. > :46:51.we have a 'staying put' strategy, which means we can help young people
:46:52. > :46:55.stay with their foster families past the age of 18. In Northumberland, to
:46:56. > :47:00.the age of 25 we have dedicated workers who will support those young
:47:01. > :47:04.people. There are pilot projects, we need to look at that and as we have
:47:05. > :47:08.seen in the film, the Government may be minded to look at legislation. My
:47:09. > :47:12.personal view is that it is such an important issue for those young
:47:13. > :47:19.people that we need to enshrine it in legislation. But at the moment
:47:20. > :47:22.what the Government is saying to local authorities is: continue to
:47:23. > :47:26.give the ?2000 grant to help set up a home, if they want it. Continue to
:47:27. > :47:29.provide the educational bursary of ?1200 a year, but also continue to
:47:30. > :47:32.provide that post`18 care, and like in Northumberland, which is a very
:47:33. > :47:39.good example, continue to offer that one`to`one support, and I think we
:47:40. > :47:42.can learn from that. Ian Mearns, some councils seem to be
:47:43. > :47:45.able to offer support, others don't. Is this more about their will to do
:47:46. > :47:49.it rather than resources? It's very patchy across the country
:47:50. > :47:52.and one of the things we have to accept is that previous governments
:47:53. > :47:55.have introduced the concept of local authorities as corporate parents and
:47:56. > :47:58.from my perspective, the corporate parenting responsibility does not
:47:59. > :48:01.end when a young person becomes 18 years old. If we're going to take
:48:02. > :48:05.the role of corporate parenting as seriously as we would parenting our
:48:06. > :48:08.own children, then it has to go on into young adulthood and into
:48:09. > :48:10.adulthood itself. These are vulnerable young people who have
:48:11. > :48:12.been through traumatic experiences, so we cannot cast them aside at the
:48:13. > :48:27.age of 18. We're does it stop, though? 21? 25?
:48:28. > :48:32.30? I mean, there are limits to resources.
:48:33. > :48:36.I think in the role of the corporate parent should be as a back`up
:48:37. > :48:39.facility, a guardianship role. I don't think we can get away from the
:48:40. > :48:43.fact that that will be resource`intensive but I think the
:48:44. > :48:46.problem we have to face up to is that far too many youngsters come
:48:47. > :48:50.through the care system and end up in the criminal justice system,
:48:51. > :48:53.which has far too many youngsters in it who've been failed by the care
:48:54. > :48:57.system. The costs there are dramatic to the criminal justice system. So
:48:58. > :49:01.we need to think about spending some money to support those young people
:49:02. > :49:05.into adulthood in order to prevent later unnecessary expenditure and
:49:06. > :49:11.harm. Thank you very much.
:49:12. > :49:17.There was a time when bus companies were owned and run by local councils
:49:18. > :49:20.but then Mrs Thatcher came along and the industry was deregulated. These
:49:21. > :49:23.days, it is the big transport operators like Stagecoach and Arriva
:49:24. > :49:26.which control bus services across the North East and the taxpayer
:49:27. > :49:30.still contributes ?62 million a year in subsidy. But could things be
:49:31. > :49:32.about to change? In Tyne Wear, the transport authority is consulting on
:49:33. > :49:37.plans that could see politicians taking back control over buses.
:49:38. > :49:43.The transport authority says that bus companies profits are excessive.
:49:44. > :49:46.If they took control, they'd promise better services and more joined up
:49:47. > :49:50.ticketing with the metro. But the bus companies have hit back. They
:49:51. > :49:54.say that the councils want to take money out of bus services to pay for
:49:55. > :50:01.the loss`making Metro and Shields ferry, while council tax bills will
:50:02. > :50:05.rise. So, who's right? Both sides in an
:50:06. > :50:09.increasingly bitter dispute are with me now. Jonathan Bray, tell us why
:50:10. > :50:11.this would be good news for bus passengers.
:50:12. > :50:15.This proposition is to take the ?60 million that the authorities have
:50:16. > :50:18.already put in and use also the excessive profits that the operators
:50:19. > :50:21.are making to provide a single integrated public transport network
:50:22. > :50:24.for Tyne Wear, where we can guarantee through contracts that the
:50:25. > :50:27.fares will be protected to RPI and also that 80% of passengers will
:50:28. > :50:32.start off any position where they will be better off or the same as
:50:33. > :50:34.they are now. This will be the first city outside of London to have a
:50:35. > :50:38.fully integrated transport system where buses coordinate with each
:50:39. > :50:42.other and with the Metro and it will be something similar to the Oyster
:50:43. > :50:45.card that will allow you to use all of the system together.
:50:46. > :50:47.OK, that is the case for. Phil Medlicot, why is it such a bad idea?
:50:48. > :50:51.Where we are today is that the Tyne Where we are today is that the Tyne
:50:52. > :50:55.Wear bus network, outside of London, is the next`most heavily
:50:56. > :50:58.used network in the whole of the UK. We also have one of the most
:50:59. > :51:08.satisfied customer bases outside of London, in fact including London. We
:51:09. > :51:11.have said that we will work with the Tyne Wear ITA and Nexus to
:51:12. > :51:22.introduce a partnership, as in many other cities in the UK. That is the
:51:23. > :51:26.normal process nowadays. From that, we can introduce a lot of things
:51:27. > :51:28.that Jonathan is talking about, for example, guaranteed levels of
:51:29. > :51:44.investment, real`time information, Wi`Fi, etc.
:51:45. > :52:07.Is is that this is about you protecting profits. . That is not
:52:08. > :52:10.true. ?42 million of that 62 million is actually to pay for concessionary
:52:11. > :52:21.fares so it is actually paying for the travellers that use the service.
:52:22. > :52:27.Are you making profits of 20%? Around that amount but we reinvest
:52:28. > :52:35.back into the service. We have invested over ?10 million into the
:52:36. > :52:40.economy in Tyne Wear. This is about taking money away from
:52:41. > :52:49.profitable alias and subsidising the loss`making metal and Shields
:52:50. > :52:51.ferry. It is all about profit. In London, where they have the same
:52:52. > :52:59.system that Tyne Wear want to bring in here, the only nickname
:53:00. > :53:11.percent. It is all about profit levels. If councils get the figures
:53:12. > :53:32.wrong it is the taxpayer that will suffer. This is the normal system
:53:33. > :53:52.for providing services. This system works. Argos is safe in your hands?
:53:53. > :53:57.`` are buses safe in your hands? Statistics are classic and you can
:53:58. > :54:09.always go back far not to say whether or not asked passengers have
:54:10. > :54:14.or haven't fallen. Actually, bus passenger levels are relatively
:54:15. > :54:33.stable. It is the numbers on the Metro but have fallen. Are bus
:54:34. > :54:44.passengers getting a good deal? I use the buses a great deal. We have
:54:45. > :54:51.one area of regional Government in England, that is London, but why is
:54:52. > :54:58.it one rule for London and another rule for provincial England? I use
:54:59. > :55:06.an Oyster card in London and it is so convenient. Let's not forget that
:55:07. > :55:17.when the buses where the regulated, the bus companies were sold off from
:55:18. > :55:30.public ownership at a very cheap premium. That actually proves that
:55:31. > :55:40.they were just about giving them away. What about support a
:55:41. > :55:47.Northumberland? The town council are supporting the proposal for these
:55:48. > :55:58.buses because they come into Northumberland. I think it would be
:55:59. > :56:05.good for our area. From the information that I have seen, it
:56:06. > :56:12.looks like a good idea because it provides a surety of service. This
:56:13. > :56:22.is curious that a conservative is backing what is in effect a kick in
:56:23. > :56:33.the teeth to private companies. It is not a kick in the teeth, it is
:56:34. > :56:47.falling Boris Johnson's example. It is taking profits. It is not about
:56:48. > :57:19.taking profits. It works in London and can work for the people in Tyne
:57:20. > :57:28.Wear and Northumberland. It is a. . The police caught on
:57:29. > :57:54.one key study identified that young lady has been taxed and now only has
:57:55. > :58:00.84p per day to live on. It is an absolute scandal. The head of Nissan
:58:01. > :58:04.wants the car`maker would have to reconsider its future in the UK if
:58:05. > :58:14.Britain pulled out of the European Union.
:58:15. > :58:19.Former DJ Mike Reed will be in the region next weekend for his new role
:58:20. > :58:34.as culture spokesman. I will be interviewing the party
:58:35. > :58:41.leader Nigel farads. That is next week.
:58:42. > :58:43.It came as a surprise when a Northumberland MP said he wanted to
:58:44. > :58:49.take over the studio and grill me for a change. Here I am, facing a
:58:50. > :59:04.quickfire question round for Children In Need.
:59:05. > :59:09.Here with me today as Richard Moss. You are a celebrity here in the
:59:10. > :59:14.North East so we have if you questions to ask you. Who would play
:59:15. > :59:22.you in the film your life? That is a good question and I would like to
:59:23. > :59:29.think it would be Brad Pitt. But party there might be a better
:59:30. > :59:44.match, in all honesty. You work`out? Songs in my head, yes! What is your
:59:45. > :59:53.message to the world? If you want Mr universe? I want to promote world
:59:54. > :00:04.peace. Daniel Craig Sean Connery? Daniel Craig. What do you want to
:00:05. > :00:13.be? I harbour ambitions to be a bus driver.
:00:14. > :00:25.Your consumer of that this Friday for Children In Need.
:00:26. > :00:37.more equipment so they can see cyclists. Back to you, Andrew.
:00:38. > :00:42.We learned this week that no more warships will be built at
:00:43. > :00:46.Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy since the days of the Mary Rose
:00:47. > :00:49.and Francis Drake. But has the city been sacrificed to save jobs on the
:00:50. > :00:53.Clyde in Scotland? Is England the loser in an effort to keep the
:00:54. > :01:03.United Kingdom intact? Let's speak to Eddie Bone, he leads the campaign
:01:04. > :01:07.for an English Parliament. Is England the loser in this attempt to
:01:08. > :01:15.doubt, Andrew. We would look at it from the campaign for the English
:01:16. > :01:20.Parliament that the British governance is bribing the Scots to
:01:21. > :01:26.stay with the union at the cost of English jobs. What is the best
:01:27. > :01:30.outcome for England when Scotland votes in the referendum next year?
:01:31. > :01:33.We have got to have an English parliament. What I mean by that is
:01:34. > :01:40.an endless governor and with a first minister speaking on behalf of the
:01:41. > :01:44.people of England. -- and English government. If Scotland votes for
:01:45. > :01:51.independence, that is the union coming to an end. It will be
:01:52. > :01:58.dissolved legally. England would be going to negotiating table without
:01:59. > :02:03.true representation. The union continues but it continues without
:02:04. > :02:08.Scotland. I want to come back to my... That is the constitutional
:02:09. > :02:13.position. You may not agree with me but that is the constitutional
:02:14. > :02:19.position. Do you want Scotland to vote for independence next year We
:02:20. > :02:24.want a fair deal with equality for England. If that can be maintained
:02:25. > :02:29.or England can have a fair deal within the union, that is brilliant.
:02:30. > :02:33.Let's have a federal system are all the nations are treated equally If
:02:34. > :02:42.that cannot happen and Scotland decides to stay, if Scotland goes,
:02:43. > :02:47.it is an independent England, isn't it? If Scotland votes to leave the
:02:48. > :02:51.union, what is left of the United Kingdom would be so dominated by
:02:52. > :02:56.England at Westminster would, in effect, Beale English Parliament,
:02:57. > :03:03.wouldn't it? I do not agree with you. I think that is a British, deny
:03:04. > :03:08.list approach. The act of union was a fusion with the King of England to
:03:09. > :03:12.the King of Scotland. That would come to an end. The Welsh are very
:03:13. > :03:17.concerned. They are a very small nation. If you have a botched
:03:18. > :03:22.British come English Parliament the Welsh would be in a very vulnerable
:03:23. > :03:27.situation. They would not be listened to. Also a situation with
:03:28. > :03:30.Northern Ireland. There are voices in Northern Ireland talking about
:03:31. > :03:35.trying to reunite Northern Ireland. It would be a very volatile
:03:36. > :03:40.situation. Would you prefer England to become an independent nation
:03:41. > :03:44.separate from what was left of the UK, which would be Wales and
:03:45. > :03:50.Northern Ireland? Would you like to see England have a seat in the UN? I
:03:51. > :03:57.want their representation for the people of England. English jobs were
:03:58. > :04:04.sacrificed because the British government wanted Scotland to
:04:05. > :04:13.remain... You have answered that very quickly. I am -- very clearly.
:04:14. > :04:19.Would you want England, without Northern Ireland and Wales to become
:04:20. > :04:23.a separate nation state? If that is what it takes for people of England
:04:24. > :04:27.to have their representation - representation that looks at
:04:28. > :04:31.policies of the NHS, education very different from Wales and Northern
:04:32. > :04:35.Ireland - then so be it. Independence will need to be the way
:04:36. > :04:47.forward. We have a small window of opportunity that the federal system
:04:48. > :04:55.might still work. D1 indenting have a system like Scotland? -- do you
:04:56. > :05:01.want England to have a system like Scotland? What we need to do now is
:05:02. > :05:07.implement the process is to get their representation for England. I
:05:08. > :05:12.would urge your viewers to join our campaign because it is the only way
:05:13. > :05:18.to protect jobs in England, protect the NHS, protect education.
:05:19. > :05:20.Otherwise we will see the people in England continually penalised by the
:05:21. > :05:26.British government is trying desperately to save the union by
:05:27. > :05:31.giving more to Scotland and Wales. Nice to talk to you. Helen, on this
:05:32. > :05:36.business of the Clyde versus Portsmouth, it would have been
:05:37. > :05:40.pretty inconceivable of the British government that believes in the
:05:41. > :05:45.union to have allowed the Clyde to close. That would have been a
:05:46. > :05:50.disaster. It would have been. It's dumped Nicola Sturgeon. Hang on a
:05:51. > :05:53.minute, if there was Scottish independence, England were not allow
:05:54. > :05:58.its warships to be built in a foreign country. She was unable to
:05:59. > :06:03.admit there were any downsides to Scottish independence. It would be
:06:04. > :06:07.dangerous for Scotland to talk about this. You have a Lib Dem and a
:06:08. > :06:12.Conservative MP with reasonable majorities. They will find that a
:06:13. > :06:18.killer on their doorstep in the next election. There are no results in
:06:19. > :06:23.this for Mr Cameron. He has one MP and he will be lucky to have two.
:06:24. > :06:29.And the South of England, I know Portsmouth is quite an industrial
:06:30. > :06:33.area, but the South of England is overall Tory territory. He has
:06:34. > :06:37.backed the Clyde where there are no Tory votes. The Tory problem in
:06:38. > :06:41.Scotland is crucial. The trend to look out for is the rise of English
:06:42. > :06:46.nationalism within the Conservative Party. They have the word Unionist
:06:47. > :06:50.in their official title. If, in election after election, they failed
:06:51. > :06:53.to win a significant presence in Scotland, and they are failing to
:06:54. > :07:00.win a majority in Westminster because of that, it is not hard to
:07:01. > :07:08.imagine that in ten years time that would be a party which has more
:07:09. > :07:13.autonomy. One person we know who does not sign up to that. David
:07:14. > :07:17.Cameron is a romantic Unionist at heart he may say that are not any
:07:18. > :07:24.vote in Scotland but he want to keep the union together. With the Clyde,
:07:25. > :07:28.you saw a rival together of economic and political interests. It is
:07:29. > :07:31.economic or the case the greatest shipbuilding capability in the
:07:32. > :07:35.United Kingdom is in the Clyde. It is politically very helpful for this
:07:36. > :07:39.government to say to people in Scotland, look at the benefits of
:07:40. > :07:43.being in the United Kingdom and under their breath, or in the case
:07:44. > :07:50.of Alistair Carmichael to a camera, look what might go if you leave
:07:51. > :07:54.That came together very conveniently to the government. Now, how do you
:07:55. > :07:57.like your politicians? Squeaky clean with an impeccable past? Or are you
:07:58. > :08:00.happy for them to have a few skeletons in the closet? Well, last
:08:01. > :08:03.week the Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted smoking crack cocaine. He
:08:04. > :08:07.said he took the drug about a year ago whilst in a drunken stupor. So,
:08:08. > :08:11.what impact do confessions have on a political career? In a moment, we'll
:08:12. > :08:20.hear what our panel has to say, but first, take a look at this. Yes I
:08:21. > :08:24.have smoked crack cocaine. Am I an addict? No. Have I tried it?
:08:25. > :08:31.Probably one of my drunken stupor is, about a year ago. I have used
:08:32. > :08:38.drugs in the past. I have used class a drugs in the past. About 30 years
:08:39. > :08:44.ago at university, I did smoke cannabis. I took cannabis is a few
:08:45. > :08:51.times at university and it was wrong. Have you snorted cocaine I
:08:52. > :09:16.tried to but unsuccessfully years ago. I sneezed. The people around
:09:17. > :09:23.you who took cocaine, they went .. Is it better to confess or the that
:09:24. > :09:29.get you into even more hot water? It is absolutely better. The confession
:09:30. > :09:35.by Jacqui Smith was without glamour. Finding a Labour politician who once
:09:36. > :09:41.smoked cannabis 25 years ago... I do not think it makes you think that
:09:42. > :09:45.she cannot be a serious politician. Politicians should brace thing about
:09:46. > :09:51.them which everyone knows. In the case of Ed Miliband, he should not
:09:52. > :10:02.deny being geeky. That would reek of in authenticity. The Tory MP meant
:10:03. > :10:07.to be regarded as a rising star turns out he was claiming to heat
:10:08. > :10:13.his horses stables at the expense of the tax payer. He had made a
:10:14. > :10:16.generous claim for energy bills in his constituency home. He went
:10:17. > :10:20.through the papers and found he had been using it to heat the stables
:10:21. > :10:26.and he laid it all out and did the right thing. He was completely
:10:27. > :10:34.honest. Is that the end of it? It will still haunt in because energy
:10:35. > :10:39.is such a big issue. He was right to be honest about it. Helen was
:10:40. > :10:43.saying, absolutely, you need to be honest about your past. Harriet
:10:44. > :10:48.Harman said she smoked pot at university. If you have smoked pot,
:10:49. > :10:56.you can have a front line career. If you have taken class a drugs, you
:10:57. > :10:58.cannot have a front line career There is the politician confessing
:10:59. > :11:03.and the remarkable willingness of the public to forgive. It is
:11:04. > :11:08.enlightened and progressive to forgive a politician for an affair
:11:09. > :11:13.or taking soft drugs at university. To smoke crack cocaine and demand be
:11:14. > :11:18.mad of following the Mayor of Toronto does astonishes me. There
:11:19. > :11:24.was an example in America a few years ago. It was crack cocaine He
:11:25. > :11:31.was elected having confessed to smoking crack cocaine. I draw the
:11:32. > :11:37.line around class a drugs. We will put the team on to investigate him.
:11:38. > :11:40.Help to Bible come back into the headlines again. Mr Cameron will
:11:41. > :11:44.surroundings by the people who are benefiting from buying their homes
:11:45. > :11:50.on this scheme in the same way that this is that you used to visit those
:11:51. > :11:54.who had bought their council houses. It will become hugely politicised.
:11:55. > :12:02.The Bank of England thinks that unemployment will drop late 201 ,
:12:03. > :12:07.early 2015. They will put interest rates up. Those with 95% mortgages
:12:08. > :12:12.will have two find an extra ?40 a month to pay them off. I would not
:12:13. > :12:24.be surprised if David Cameron is setting up himself with this
:12:25. > :12:33.trouble. They will not want to raise interest rates. Mark Carney was very
:12:34. > :12:37.careful to give himself three get out clauses. If unemployment hits a
:12:38. > :12:41.certain level, Key has three measures which have to be fulfilled
:12:42. > :12:45.before he goes ahead and raises interest rates. As a Tory
:12:46. > :12:50.strategist, would you rather go into the election with low and implement
:12:51. > :12:59.or low interest rates? I think they would stick to low interest rates.
:13:00. > :13:03.-- low unemployment. It is not just panellists who are raising questions
:13:04. > :13:10.about it, it is senior figures people in senior economic positions.
:13:11. > :13:14.They are saying the scheme is fine at the moment. David Cameron will be
:13:15. > :13:19.surrounded by people who have taken mortgages out at low levels and it
:13:20. > :13:25.is all fine right now but if interest rates go up, it will not be
:13:26. > :13:28.cosy. That's all folks. The Daily Politics is back tomorrow on BBC Two
:13:29. > :13:31.at midday. I'll be back next Sunday at the normal time of 11am.
:13:32. > :13:42.Remember, if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday Politics.