:00:44. > :00:52.after the summer recess, and the party conference season is already
:00:52. > :00:56.Democrats. Have a great conference. Nick Clegg has some convincing to
:00:56. > :01:01.do, according to our very own Sunday Politics poll, his troops don't
:01:01. > :01:05.do, according to our very own Sunday his coalition bedmates. The latest
:01:05. > :01:14.poll of the country also has the Lib Dems languishing behind UKIP in
:01:14. > :01:22.Paddy Ashdown! So can the Lib Dems election in 2015? We will talking to
:01:22. > :01:27.former leader, now the party's general election commander-in-chief,
:01:27. > :01:41.And in the North West: Nick Clegg tells me how he aims to stop the rot
:01:41. > :01:56.now heading for the exit. We will hear from Nick Clegg on what it
:01:56. > :02:00.And freshly showered from the Great North Run and looking as fresh as
:02:00. > :02:11.daisies, the best and brightest Janan Ganesh, Helen Lewis and Iain
:02:11. > :02:16.Now, their leader is our Deputy Prime Minister. They are the junior
:02:16. > :02:19.government. They like the colour yellow and they have not won a
:02:20. > :02:21.general election since dinosaurs walked the earth. Now they are
:02:21. > :02:25.behind UKIP in the polls, so as walked the earth. Now they are
:02:25. > :02:33.party gathers for its annual bash this year in Glasgow, what is on
:02:33. > :02:37.their mind? Who are the people gathering at the Clyde this weekend?
:02:37. > :02:43.their mind? Who are the people Before they started drinking, we
:02:43. > :02:51.councillors in England and Wales, comrade. The first question we asked
:02:51. > :02:54.was, if the next election results in a hung parliament, which team would
:02:54. > :02:57.you rather go into coalition with, the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem
:02:57. > :03:07.councillors said Labour, two to the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem
:03:07. > :03:13.Tories or Labour? It is not for the Reds or the blues? Lib Dem
:03:13. > :03:22.to say. It is for the voters to say. We will decide depending on
:03:22. > :03:35.is on the table. Who would you rather play table football against?
:03:35. > :03:51.because I am winning. So in the winning 's which ones are heading
:03:51. > :04:01.popular policy was a mansion tax on house is worth more than £2 million,
:04:01. > :04:04.popular policy was a mansion tax on councillors. The next most popular
:04:04. > :04:09.policy was scrapping the Trident nuclear deterrent, supported by
:04:09. > :04:13.policy was scrapping the Trident of councillors. Then there was the
:04:13. > :04:18.reinstatement of the 50p top rate of income tax. 70% of councillors like
:04:18. > :04:22.the look of that. When it came to the idea of banning the burka in
:04:22. > :04:27.public places like schools and airports, 45% of councillors were in
:04:27. > :04:34.favour. Finally, a ban on topless Page three model is won the support
:04:34. > :04:41.of 33% of councillors. Why is it so popular, the idea of a mansion tax?
:04:41. > :04:46.It is a much fairer tax. We know there are people out there with
:04:46. > :04:49.It is a much fairer tax. We know expensive houses. Which of these is
:04:49. > :04:55.most important to you? Banning Trident. The cold war ended in
:04:56. > :04:58.1989. Another one was the idea of banning the burka in public places.
:04:58. > :05:06.whatever they like. If they want to banning the burka in public places.
:05:06. > :05:18.wear the birth or a kilt or if they anything. We are the party of jobs.
:05:18. > :05:22.Thank you. Last night, a fully clothed Nick Clegg rallied his
:05:22. > :05:27.troops, but if he was not around, who would Lib Dem councillors want
:05:27. > :05:33.instead? Business Secretary Vince Cable was most popular, with a third
:05:33. > :05:39.of the votes. In second place, the party's president, Tim Farron, with
:05:39. > :05:45.27%. 10% went to Danny Alexander, while the business minister Joe
:05:45. > :05:50.Swinson received 7%. The Energy Secretary Ed Davey scooped 6%, and
:05:50. > :05:57.in last place, Steve Webb, the pensions minister, who got 5%. If
:05:57. > :05:59.any of these councillors want to talk to me about it, I would be
:05:59. > :06:09.delighted to hear from them. Is talk to me about it, I would be
:06:09. > :06:17.certainly isn't. What do you think contenders. But our survey is not
:06:17. > :06:22.the only one that has got tongues wagging in Glasgow, because the
:06:22. > :06:22.the only one that has got tongues Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:22. > :06:25.their own poll which showed that 75% Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:25. > :06:29.of the country will never vote Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:29. > :06:36.the party, no matter what they do. Also meeting here this weekend,
:06:36. > :06:39.the party, no matter what they do. Democrats like to think they have
:06:39. > :06:46.got just as much va-va-voom, even if a big chunk of the country doesn't.
:06:46. > :06:57.Add, back in his hometown. So, the Much of their party thinks they
:06:57. > :06:58.Add, back in his hometown. So, the moving in the wrong direction.
:06:58. > :07:01.Earlier, I spoke to former party moving in the wrong direction.
:07:01. > :07:05.leader Paddy Ashdown. He has been put in charge of heading up the
:07:05. > :07:11.leader Paddy Ashdown. He has been election campaign. I asked him if
:07:11. > :07:16.the mood in Glasgow was grim. No. In many ways, as you know, Tory old
:07:16. > :07:21.commentator that you are just as I am a hoary old member at the other
:07:21. > :07:30.end of the camera, we have been midterm of a government, especially
:07:30. > :07:34.when you are in government and the country is going for in a deep
:07:34. > :07:38.economic crisis, has almost no relevance to where you might be
:07:38. > :07:42.economic crisis, has almost no the nipple come to consider how
:07:43. > :07:43.economic crisis, has almost no will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:43. > :07:47.the people come to consider how will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:47. > :07:52.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, but they are a snapshot of what
:07:52. > :07:55.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, indication of where we will be.
:07:55. > :07:57.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, guess is, for what it is worth,
:07:57. > :08:01.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, as we come to the election, the
:08:01. > :08:05.public will be in a very serious, probably frightened mood. Their
:08:05. > :08:11.public will be in a very serious, thoughts will be, who maintains
:08:11. > :08:14.public will be in a very serious, job, makes sure I don't have to
:08:14. > :08:18.public will be in a very serious, to higher mortgage? The coalition
:08:18. > :08:23.has delivered not only the required policies to make Britain's economy
:08:23. > :08:28.prosperous, but also its society fair. That is what people will want
:08:28. > :08:30.to see. I think coalition politics are here to stay and we have a role
:08:30. > :08:35.to play in it. But you are in a are here to stay and we have a role
:08:35. > :08:38.mood this morning. You tweeted that you were not happy with how the
:08:38. > :08:45.Observer newspaper handled your there anything we can do to help?
:08:45. > :08:53.There is probably something they arguments with the interview. The
:08:54. > :08:58.headline they chose to put on it late last night was outrageous,
:08:58. > :09:03.misrepresentative and in one case in Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:03. > :09:09.coalition with the Tories, or at Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:09. > :09:13.least they gave that in for us Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:13. > :09:21.inference. Let me make this point. election. I am in charge of the
:09:21. > :09:25.campaign. Any journalist who in these next two years says that any
:09:26. > :09:29.Liberal Democrat prefers anything else in terms of the outcome of
:09:29. > :09:32.Liberal Democrat prefers anything coalition but the result of the
:09:32. > :09:34.ballot box dictating that outcome, that any prefer one side to another
:09:34. > :09:42.coalition determined by the electors that any prefer one side to another
:09:42. > :09:45.in the votes, will get a bloody that any prefer one side to another
:09:45. > :10:07.time from me, no matter who they are. We take the warning. A survey
:10:08. > :10:13.of Lib Dem councillors shows that in coalition with the Tories. That
:10:13. > :10:15.of Lib Dem councillors shows that in clear sign that your activists want
:10:15. > :10:17.a change of direction. I don't think it is news that as a left-wing
:10:17. > :10:20.party, we find it more congenial with those on the left wing, but
:10:20. > :10:24.that is not the issue. You saw it election. We are servants of the
:10:24. > :10:27.ballot box. We do watch the British people require us to do to provide a
:10:27. > :10:30.of our country. I am sure you have stable government in the interests
:10:30. > :10:33.of our country. I am sure you have got the point by now. I have fought
:10:33. > :10:39.the Tories all my life. But when responsibility to amend the economic
:10:39. > :10:45.crisis, was this right for the determine who are going to be in any
:10:45. > :10:53.coalition, should there be one, determine who are going to be in any
:10:53. > :10:59.voters and nobody else. It is not about what we like. I understand
:10:59. > :11:06.that. But your own internal polls leadership are not taking the party
:11:06. > :11:11.with them on that. I don't think that is true. Nick Clegg has done
:11:11. > :11:15.what no other party leader has done. He took the coalition agreement
:11:15. > :11:18.what no other party leader has done. the party, and they voted for it. So
:11:18. > :11:24.it is not true to say that members different direction. I think we
:11:24. > :11:26.it is not true to say that members extraordinarily united. I did not
:11:26. > :11:30.expect them to be so under these pressures, but they have surprised
:11:30. > :11:39.me and made me joyful at the same time. The party has done what it
:11:39. > :11:48.done in local government for a long time. We may have our private likes
:11:48. > :11:54.and dislikes, but the thing that coalition is the ballot box. You
:11:54. > :11:57.have said that three times. I can say it again if you like. Please
:11:57. > :12:02.don't! What if your party votes say it again if you like. Please
:12:02. > :12:12.reinstate tuition fees as party policy afternoon? We will have to
:12:12. > :12:15.listen to that and act accordingly. You must listen to the voice of
:12:15. > :12:18.listen to that and act accordingly. party and take it into account in
:12:18. > :12:25.what you do. I am always quite answering hypothetical questions. I
:12:25. > :12:31.don't think it is likely to happen, but if it did, we would have to
:12:31. > :12:33.don't think it is likely to happen, distinguished Lib Dems was that
:12:33. > :12:36.don't think it is likely to happen, your party conference voted for
:12:36. > :12:42.something, it was in the manifesto. The manifesto is taken in its final
:12:42. > :12:46.form before the party for decision. The party will express views at
:12:46. > :12:49.form before the party for decision. stage in all sorts of ways. It did
:12:49. > :12:53.in my leadership, too. The manifesto is democratically agreed by the
:12:53. > :12:58.party at the time of the election, not before. The Tory conference
:12:59. > :12:59.party at the time of the election, be about how they think they have
:12:59. > :13:03.been vindicated, that austerity be about how they think they have
:13:03. > :13:08.worked, the economy is turning a corner. But Nick Clegg's conference
:13:08. > :13:13.announcements will be about plastic bags. Have you got the hang of this
:13:13. > :13:15.coalition think? Andrew, you can always be guaranteed to put things
:13:16. > :13:24.in the most discreditable form! always be guaranteed to put things
:13:24. > :13:31.is part of your charm. That was about to be a minor announcement in
:13:31. > :13:34.discovered beforehand. It has not the middle of his speech. But it was
:13:34. > :13:36.discovered beforehand. It has not been very popular in terms of how it
:13:36. > :13:41.has been received, but that is not the central message. That leads
:13:41. > :13:47.has been received, but that is not to what I think is the biggest
:13:47. > :13:52.election. Isn't the biggest danger that the Tories, not you, if there
:13:52. > :14:04.is an economic recovery, they will get the credit for it? I don't think
:14:04. > :14:10.think the electorate does gratitude. The only time people cast a thank
:14:10. > :14:13.Thatcher over the sale of council houses. We could have a different
:14:13. > :14:20.discussion over whether that was a good idea. But what you have done is
:14:20. > :14:30.the underpinning for the promise of government, we have stayed firm
:14:30. > :14:37.the underpinning for the promise of very tough economic policy. But
:14:37. > :14:39.the underpinning for the promise of you get the credit? What we have
:14:39. > :14:44.done by ourselves, which the Tories would never have done, is make sure
:14:44. > :14:49.that when the pain is felt, it is not the poor who feel it. We have
:14:49. > :14:53.seen the biggest shift of taxation, lifting the poorest in the country
:14:53. > :14:59.out of taxation, that has ever happened, including in the previous
:14:59. > :15:04.Labour government. You are presiding over the biggest squeeze on living
:15:04. > :15:05.standards in modern times. Because it is the biggest recession in
:15:05. > :15:14.modern times. When you speak to it is the biggest recession in
:15:15. > :15:18.2.5 million people who have been lifted out of taxation altogether
:15:19. > :15:32.because of the Liberal Democrats, tax cut. You may be able to make the
:15:32. > :15:36.because of the Liberal Democrats, connection, Andrew, you are a sharp
:15:36. > :15:39.economic crisis and difficulty for everybody. But it is clear that
:15:39. > :15:41.economic crisis and difficulty for the Tories had been by themselves,
:15:41. > :15:45.none of that would have happened. We have sought to shift the burden
:15:45. > :15:48.none of that would have happened. We from the poorest in this country. I
:15:48. > :15:52.am part of that. So when we go into the next election, the message will
:15:52. > :15:54.am part of that. So when we go into be that if you want to continue
:15:54. > :15:57.am part of that. So when we go into have a prosperous economy and a
:15:57. > :16:07.society, only the Liberal Democrats will deliver that. Tim Farron says
:16:07. > :16:10.want to diss him. Can you confirm he likes Ed Miliband and he does not
:16:10. > :16:14.want to diss him. Can you confirm that there will be no dissing of Ed
:16:15. > :16:19.Miliband? It is not much my style. I've never much liked comments about
:16:19. > :16:27.the other leaders. I do not intend to make it so in the future. Can I'd
:16:27. > :16:30.finish up on Syria? You said after the Syria vote that Britain was
:16:30. > :16:35.finish up on Syria? You said after hugely diminished country. Given it
:16:35. > :16:39.both sides on a course which could now see Syria give up chemical
:16:39. > :16:43.weapons without records to military action, would you like to withdraw
:16:43. > :16:45.these remarks and admit that you should be proud and happy with what
:16:45. > :16:52.Britain has done? No. You and I should be proud and happy with what
:16:52. > :16:56.know, because we are old observers, that that would never have happened
:16:56. > :17:02.underpinning of a threat to use that that would never have happened
:17:02. > :17:06.underpinning of a threat to use resigned from that. We have no part
:17:06. > :17:09.to play in the fact that Assad and Putin have moved towards peace for
:17:09. > :17:09.to play in the fact that Assad and fear of military action. We decided
:17:09. > :17:15.exactly the opposite. Why would fear of military action. We decided
:17:15. > :17:23.liked to have seen our country join in with those who are serious about
:17:23. > :17:24.upholding an international law which has restrained even than axes and
:17:24. > :17:35.left others to make sure that we talent, but instead we resigned
:17:35. > :17:35.left others to make sure that we moved towards peace. -- even the
:17:35. > :17:43.Maxis and Stalin. But if it had moved towards peace. -- even the
:17:43. > :17:48.would not have had the time to allow this to happen. It has avoided war.
:17:48. > :17:56.Job done, British Parliament. That would be true if it was accurate but
:17:56. > :18:01.it is not. The resolution proposed a delay, that we should wait until the
:18:01. > :18:03.inspectors came back. That time frame was absolutely nothing to
:18:03. > :18:08.inspectors came back. That time with the parliamentary vote. The
:18:08. > :18:15.vote was going to incorporate that. I do not think you can claim what
:18:15. > :18:17.vote was going to incorporate that. remember that diplomacy, which was
:18:17. > :18:21.not reinforced by the threat of military action, does not work.
:18:21. > :18:25.not reinforced by the threat of is when diplomacy runs with a grain
:18:25. > :18:30.of military action that it works. illustration of that, look at what
:18:30. > :18:35.is happening over the last two weeks. By regret to say that our
:18:35. > :18:48.country, which has always been in disengagement, had no part to play
:18:48. > :18:56.And you we would get to the Balkans eventually, and we did. His biggest
:18:56. > :19:02.challenge is if the economy is get some credit for the Lib Dems,
:19:02. > :19:07.when the Tories will want to halt it all. But his position is not to
:19:07. > :19:08.when the Tories will want to halt it the necessary axeman. That is George
:19:08. > :19:12.Osborne's role. Their role is to be Osborne's role. Their role is to be
:19:12. > :19:15.the chaser party, taking the edge off. They will because of me going
:19:16. > :19:22.on about the pupil premium and That is what you will hear from
:19:22. > :19:26.of the cuts. Will that work? They them, how they have taken the edge
:19:26. > :19:27.of the cuts. Will that work? They are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:27. > :19:30.if they have lost two thirds of are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:31. > :19:35.popular support, according to the polls, I do not know anyone in
:19:35. > :19:36.Westminster methinks that will be matched in their parliamentary
:19:36. > :19:40.representation. If they have 56 matched in their parliamentary
:19:40. > :19:48.now, they might lose a dozen but Strategically, they are in a better
:19:48. > :19:53.position than the reading of the polls would tell you. I think Nick
:19:53. > :19:58.Clegg's survival has been one of the stories of this Parliament. He is
:19:58. > :20:04.looking good at the comfort -- at the conference. When he was at his
:20:04. > :20:08.lowest after the AV referendum, people were saying he would survive
:20:08. > :20:13.I thought that was fanciful. Believe and lead us into 2015 and beyond and
:20:13. > :20:15.I thought that was fanciful. Believe it or not... Paddy Ashdown was
:20:15. > :20:21.wrong, you were wrong and... I wasn't. I'm underestimated how bad
:20:21. > :20:26.his rivals are. If you are Lib Dem member, however aggrieved you are
:20:26. > :20:31.with Nick Clegg, you do not think, wouldn't it be great if Christian
:20:31. > :20:34.was in charge? Nick Clegg is the best they have. -- Chris Huhne was
:20:34. > :20:40.in charge. Of course, the people do in charge. Of course, the people do
:20:40. > :20:44.government and it is a consequence of the way they vote, a different
:20:44. > :20:51.matter. If Janan Ganesh is right, and they lose 15 seats in the next
:20:51. > :20:57.pivotal in the next government. It Possibly the most amusing outcome
:20:57. > :21:00.would be a Labour or Tory overall majority, which would be hilarious
:21:00. > :21:06.for the look on Paddy Ashdown's face. The danger is they get trapped
:21:06. > :21:08.constantly in talking about the politics of coalition and of a hung
:21:08. > :21:16.parliament. And they are very puffed politics of coalition and of a hung
:21:16. > :21:20.parliament. And they are very puffed up and they enjoy Parliament and
:21:20. > :21:23.there is a possibility they will not be. While they are talking about the
:21:23. > :21:25.Polish and themselves, they are be. While they are talking about the
:21:25. > :21:31.talking about the issues facing be. While they are talking about the
:21:31. > :21:37.coalition. It was interesting that he said that we are a left-wing
:21:37. > :21:44.party, not a centre-left party or a centre party, but a left-wing party.
:21:44. > :21:48.I'm going to put myself in the firing line and say that there is a
:21:48. > :21:52.big split between the Tim Farron line who say they like Ed Miliband,
:21:52. > :21:56.and another one, Jeremy Browne in the Home Office saying that Labour
:21:56. > :22:05.are intellectually lazy. The risk clearly a clique around Nick Clegg
:22:05. > :22:11.who wants to be a synthetic party, but that is not where the membership
:22:11. > :22:16.who wants to be a synthetic party, activists are clearly of the left,
:22:16. > :22:21.not just the centre-left. They are very pro-immigration and they want
:22:21. > :22:26.strategy has to be to take the party to the centre. The something not
:22:26. > :22:30.happen at some stage? The poll suggests it is a left-wing party.
:22:30. > :22:31.happen at some stage? The poll Very left-wing. Other think the
:22:31. > :22:33.happen at some stage? The poll would have yielded -- would have
:22:33. > :22:40.yielded the same results before would have yielded -- would have
:22:40. > :22:43.2010 election. This is reflected by the arithmetic. Whichever party
:22:43. > :22:44.2010 election. This is reflected by biggest will most likely be the
:22:44. > :22:48.2010 election. This is reflected by in coalition with the Lib Dems.
:22:48. > :22:56.2010 election. This is reflected by Clegg's on latitude to choose is
:22:56. > :23:02.exaggerated by us. The choice is no parliamentary arithmetic. But if you
:23:02. > :23:08.remember the structure of the Lib Dems, they can tie themselves up in
:23:09. > :23:16.infighting. -- the choice is not stable. And Nick Clegg has had a
:23:16. > :23:18.good conference last year, and will have another one this year. The
:23:18. > :23:21.economy is better than it was a have another one this year. The
:23:21. > :23:26.ago. It could still go quite well for him. Yes, it is one of the
:23:26. > :23:28.ago. It could still go quite well stories of this Parliament, his
:23:28. > :23:35.survival and the way in which he has prospered. But there are a lot of
:23:35. > :23:38.campaigners, labour activists who have not forgotten what he has done
:23:38. > :23:42.in government and are determined to get him. It will be a tough year and
:23:42. > :23:47.a half. Tougher than he imagined. Now, not so long ago they were
:23:47. > :23:53.writing George Osborne's political obituary. Be on the Omni shambles
:23:53. > :23:57.budget of 2012 and a lacklustre performance of the British economy
:23:57. > :24:04.meant his reputation work -- was in the dirt. -- the omnishambles. But
:24:04. > :24:12.things have changed. The Chancellor is saying he has been vindicated. If
:24:12. > :24:15.runway, it looks as though the British economy has taken off,
:24:15. > :24:20.quarter. Forecasts for the rest British economy has taken off,
:24:20. > :24:27.the year have been revised up words. What's more, the office for National
:24:27. > :24:32.recession never actually happened. Unemployment is down in the three
:24:32. > :24:42.months to July and the number of spasticity rate since 1997. On
:24:42. > :24:45.Monday, George Osborne said his policies were bearing fruit. We
:24:45. > :24:49.Monday, George Osborne said his our nerve when many told us to
:24:49. > :24:54.abandon our plans. As a result, thanks to the efforts and sacrifices
:24:54. > :25:00.of the British people, Britain is turning a corner. The message for
:25:01. > :25:06.his Labour critics was clear. The Chancellor thinks he was right and
:25:06. > :25:21.Good afternoon. Good afternoon.Do you accept that the economy has
:25:21. > :25:27.turned a corner? I think it is good that a stalled recovery appears
:25:27. > :25:28.turned a corner? I think it is good get this in perspective. We have had
:25:28. > :25:34.three wasted years. We have the worst economic recovery in history.
:25:34. > :25:42.Debt is up and we have record youth programme if they feel better or
:25:42. > :25:47.worse off, compared to 2010, the majority will tell you they feel
:25:47. > :25:54.worse because, on average, wages are down by £1500 compared to May of
:25:54. > :26:02.2010. That is the situation. The one of the things we have seen
:26:02. > :26:06.talked about, Vince Cable has been talking about this as well, is what
:26:06. > :26:08.is happening in the housing market. It seems that much of the solution
:26:08. > :26:14.to powering the recovery in the It seems that much of the solution
:26:14. > :26:18.of George Osborne lies in sorting out the housing market but the
:26:18. > :26:21.problem is, we are at risk of being another housing bubble. Because
:26:21. > :26:26.problem is, we are at risk of being research that came out this week, we
:26:26. > :26:29.know that housing in the UK is three times more expensive than in the US.
:26:29. > :26:31.know that housing in the UK is three We know that house prices are rising
:26:32. > :26:38.five times faster than wages, but we also know that the government is
:26:38. > :26:40.five times faster than wages, but we building new housing at a slower
:26:40. > :26:46.rate, the slowest rate that we have complaining about a housing bubble,
:26:47. > :26:54.isn't that like Satan complaining about seven? -- seven. We all know
:26:54. > :26:57.that we cannot go back to business as usual. We need to build a new
:26:57. > :27:01.model of growth. But the housing bubble you talk about, it is not a
:27:01. > :27:06.bubble. It might turn into one. bubble you talk about, it is not a
:27:06. > :27:12.said the risk of a bubble. It is nothing like what happened on the
:27:13. > :27:16.I said, in 2009, we had the crash and we knew we needed to reconfigure
:27:16. > :27:24.the way that our economy works. Having an economy based on crisis is
:27:24. > :27:28.rebalance the economy. We saw the unemployment statistics this week,
:27:28. > :27:40.and it is welcomed overall, that unemployment has come down. At half
:27:40. > :27:45.up. And it went down in other parts. We know that we need to rebalance
:27:45. > :27:51.our economy, so that we do not just rely on consumption, but that we
:27:51. > :27:55.grow our productive sectors. And also that we grow our exports as
:27:55. > :28:02.well. We know we have a continuing deficit. We always have a trade
:28:02. > :28:12.deficit. There was never a trade surplus under Labour. Want to come
:28:12. > :28:14.onto what you have mentioned but would you scrap the help to buy
:28:14. > :28:18.scheme? We have not said that we would you scrap the help to buy
:28:18. > :28:20.scheme? We have not said that we would do that. Why not if it is
:28:20. > :28:27.causing the bubble? If you let me finish, on one hand what that scheme
:28:27. > :28:34.does at the moment, at the moment it is inhalation to a new scheme but
:28:34. > :28:38.tomorrow -- next year it will be in you do not sort out the supply of
:28:38. > :28:43.housing, then that is a recipe for the problems we have seen. Our
:28:43. > :28:45.argument is build more houses. Help more people to buy them by all means
:28:45. > :28:48.but if you do not have the supply more people to buy them by all means
:28:48. > :28:52.but if you do not have the supply you will end up with rising prices.
:28:52. > :28:54.That is obvious. Labour said that government austerity would prevent
:28:54. > :29:00.the return of growth. Austerity government austerity would prevent
:29:00. > :29:04.were wrong. We never said that growth would never return. What
:29:04. > :29:05.were wrong. We never said that said was that if you went for an
:29:05. > :29:11.were wrong. We never said that overly extreme deficit reduction
:29:11. > :29:17.recovery and you would choke growth. That is what we saw for three years.
:29:17. > :29:24.If you say, look at the US economy, it has grown at three times the
:29:24. > :29:27.If you say, look at the US economy, economy has grown at twice the rate.
:29:27. > :29:31.But the British economy is growing quicker than the American or German
:29:31. > :29:36.economy is now. But over time we have not seen that happen. But it is
:29:36. > :29:42.now. That may be the case. But my point is that those three years
:29:42. > :29:44.now. That may be the case. But my people undergoing huge stress and
:29:44. > :29:48.worry. It is good that we have growth back again but the question
:29:48. > :29:54.is, what kind of growth? What we have said... I'm going to come onto
:29:54. > :29:57.that but your credibility depends on your previous analysis. And there
:29:57. > :30:05.are doubts about it. This is what you said not that long ago. In
:30:05. > :30:33.You and the Labour Party said it had choked off growth. You were wrong.
:30:33. > :30:37.We were not wrong, because we had three years where the economy was
:30:37. > :30:41.not moving. Let's remind ourselves. Claude Osborne was predicting that
:30:41. > :30:46.the economy was going to grow by 6.9% between the start of this
:30:46. > :30:55.Parliament and now. It has grown by 1.8%. We did not say we would never
:30:55. > :30:58.have a return to growth. You never said that austerity would only
:30:58. > :31:03.temporarily delay growth. We have looked through your speeches and Ed
:31:03. > :31:09.Balls'. We can't find any reference to say this is simply delaying the
:31:09. > :31:13.recovery. You said austerity would choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:13. > :31:18.why has it returned now? Did we choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:19. > :31:26.it would choke off growth for ever? choke off growth. If that is true,
:31:26. > :31:29.We did not. You have changed your tune. I think your package at the
:31:29. > :31:33.top of this programme, to frame tune. I think your package at the
:31:33. > :31:39.around George Osborne, this is not a people's lives, and the people who
:31:39. > :31:46.deserve huge credit for the growth we are seeing are our country's
:31:46. > :31:49.businesses, who despite the tough economic times, have succeeded.
:31:49. > :31:49.businesses, who despite the tough are the ones who have powered this
:31:49. > :31:56.Westminster to take credit. But are the ones who have powered this
:31:56. > :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. > :32:29.That is looking pretty healthy. G-7, the world's guest economies.
:32:29. > :32:33.is a recovery. I am not denying G-7, the world's guest economies.
:32:33. > :32:38.we are seeing a stalled recovery, but who benefits from the growth? On
:32:38. > :32:48.average, your viewers have sustained a £1500 pay cut. That is the second
:32:48. > :32:54.biggest fall in the G20 since May 2010. Because we had the biggest
:32:54. > :33:07.financial services sector and took services are still in decline.
:33:07. > :33:12.the economy. They are not the only contributor to the economy. The
:33:12. > :33:15.point is, who benefits? Unemployment is falling, but we don't just want
:33:15. > :33:18.people to have any job, we want is falling, but we don't just want
:33:18. > :33:23.to have decent jobs that pay a weight you can live off and that are
:33:23. > :33:29.more secure. Let me show you the unemployment figures. Your criticism
:33:29. > :33:41.has been that all the new jobs are part-time. They are not now, they
:33:41. > :33:48.employment, up 94,000. This is a short time frame. It is since the
:33:48. > :33:58.recovery began. Half the jobs that have been part-time jobs. Roughly
:33:58. > :34:03.who would like to work full-time. Over the last 20 years, people now
:34:03. > :34:07.feel more insecure at work than ever. The question is about what
:34:07. > :34:07.feel more insecure at work than kind of growth and employment you
:34:07. > :34:13.are getting. The other point is kind of growth and employment you
:34:14. > :34:23.uneven spread of this across our north-east and north-west, the
:34:23. > :34:33.Humber, the east of England, they agree that there was a regional
:34:33. > :34:39.imbalance, but the service sector is growing, cheering and construction
:34:39. > :34:44.are growing and financial services are in decline, so the rebalance is
:34:44. > :34:50.happening. It is not happening to the degree we need to transform
:34:50. > :34:54.happening. It is not happening to long-term, sustainable model of
:34:54. > :35:04.comprehensive industrial strategy towards. Your party conference is
:35:04. > :35:09.coming up. I am sure you are looking forward to it. Why do Ed Miliband's
:35:09. > :35:17.people see of him? I don't accept approval ratings get worse the more
:35:17. > :35:22.people see of him? I don't accept that. I have given you the figures.
:35:22. > :35:28.Polls go up and down. I have said that on this programme before. But
:35:28. > :35:33.his approval rating has consistently gone down. What actually matters our
:35:33. > :35:39.leadership, the Labour Party have gone down. What actually matters our
:35:39. > :35:50.put on almost 2000 extra councillors in places like Canada case, even
:35:50. > :35:56.Whitney. What is wrong with Whitney? We have been putting on votes. Let
:35:56. > :36:00.me show you this. This is the net satisfaction rating. Your leader is
:36:00. > :36:06.now more unpopular than Gordon Brown was when he took Labour to the worst
:36:06. > :36:13.defeat in living memory. Gordon Brown did not put on anything like
:36:13. > :36:20.this number of councillors. Votes are what matter, Andrew. Few people
:36:20. > :36:25.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. > :36:42.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. > :36:53.to the Conservative Party, which has not won a general election since
:36:53. > :36:59.1992. They will not disclose their membership figures. Why -- why won't
:36:59. > :37:03.you pledge to renationalise Royal Mail? Because that would be like
:37:03. > :37:07.writing a blank cheque. We don't know at the moment how much the
:37:07. > :37:09.government would receive for the sale of Royal Mail? So how can I
:37:09. > :37:14.judge how much it would cost to sale of Royal Mail? So how can I
:37:14. > :37:22.irresponsible. But the government does not need to do this right now.
:37:22. > :37:25.The entire country is against it. Sources in the City and Whitehall
:37:25. > :37:29.tell me that if Labour pledged to renationalise it, it would kill
:37:29. > :37:29.tell me that if Labour pledged to the flotation. So if you are against
:37:29. > :37:35.it, why don't you do it? For me the flotation. So if you are against
:37:35. > :37:42.pledge to renationalise Royal Mail cheque. But if you put it in the
:37:42. > :37:46.prospectus, people in the City, cheque. But if you put it in the
:37:46. > :37:51.know more about these things, say it would not happen, so why not do
:37:52. > :37:53.know more about these things, say it Because that would be irresponsible.
:37:53. > :37:59.It would be like writing a cheque for billions to renationalise Royal
:37:59. > :38:04.Mail. You would not have too right at the check if it did not happen. I
:38:05. > :38:09.have to deal with the facts. I am not good deal with the plot somebody
:38:09. > :38:15.might be speculating about in the City. We have to be careful about
:38:15. > :38:22.renationalise it now would be like writing a bank cheque . We are going
:38:22. > :38:27.government. That is why I am not prepared to do that. Ed Balls will
:38:27. > :38:29.not be talking to you. You are watching the Sunday Politics. Coming
:38:29. > :38:51.I'm Arif Ansari. Coming up in the North West: Nick Clegg on stopping
:38:51. > :39:02.councillors on why she ditched him for Labour. We have reached a point
:39:02. > :39:06.Welcome back. You can tell Summer's over when the Liberal Democrats
:39:06. > :39:10.start gathering. My interview with Nick Clegg later. Joining me in
:39:10. > :39:13.start gathering. My interview with studio, Jo Crotty, who chairs the
:39:13. > :39:18.regional party and the head of Russell. And from the conference in
:39:18. > :39:26.Andrew Stunell. But let's start Russell. And from the conference in
:39:26. > :39:28.the Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans who resigned this week as Deputy Speaker
:39:28. > :39:30.of the Commons after being charged with eight sex offences including
:39:30. > :39:39.rape. He denies the charges and with eight sex offences including
:39:39. > :39:42.independent. What do you make of his political position now? It is a
:39:42. > :39:46.difficult personal position. He political position now? It is a
:39:46. > :39:52.to resign as the deputy speaker political position now? It is a
:39:52. > :40:03.Conservative whip. He did talk in the Commons about being inside
:40:03. > :40:09.Westminster. Do you think he can continue as an independent MP to the
:40:09. > :40:15.general election? Whilst the legal course runs its course but there are
:40:15. > :40:22.things like selection for the next general election coming up and the
:40:22. > :40:25.local party may take a view on that. Let's have a listen to part of his
:40:25. > :40:28.personal statement to the Commons. Winston Churchill said, when you are
:40:28. > :40:32.going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill said, when you are
:40:32. > :40:40.advice. So I will see this through to the end. With the support of
:40:40. > :40:43.advice. So I will see this through people who mean so much to me. I am
:40:43. > :40:48.proud to serve the people of the Ribble Valley. The best tribute
:40:48. > :40:50.proud to serve the people of the can give them now is to get on with
:40:50. > :40:59.the job that they sent me here to do. Thank you. Andrew Stunell,
:40:59. > :41:02.clearly a lot of support from Nigel Evans in the House of Commons but
:41:02. > :41:07.uncomfortable that he seemed to Evans in the House of Commons but
:41:07. > :41:13.using the House of Commons almost to mount his defence. What did you
:41:13. > :41:18.think of it? The first thing I would do is to agree with the other Andrew
:41:18. > :41:23.on the programme and say Nigel Evans has been a good deputy speaker and
:41:23. > :41:28.is a popular member of the house. I don't want to comment on any of
:41:28. > :41:30.is a popular member of the house. I charges he faces nor the likely
:41:30. > :41:36.outcome of any court hearings that follow. I think he did what he
:41:36. > :41:43.thought was right for himself and for his constituency. Looking ahead,
:41:43. > :41:52.it is very much a matter of wait and proceedings are. Every member is
:41:53. > :42:01.entitled to make a statement to proceedings are. Every member is
:42:01. > :42:04.position in relation to the house if they think they need to. The speaker
:42:04. > :42:09.would never deny it and members would never refuse to hear a member
:42:09. > :42:10.who made a personal statement. There is a long—standing tradition which
:42:10. > :42:16.goes back several hundred years is a long—standing tradition which
:42:16. > :42:21.members doing that. If by no means indicates that his popular support
:42:21. > :42:27.for an understatement so much as respect for a member 's decision to
:42:27. > :42:30.make such a statement. Jo Crotty, in terms of the Liberal Democrat party,
:42:30. > :42:36.what are you hoping is going to terms of the Liberal Democrat party,
:42:36. > :42:43.out of this conference? We come together in a confident mood after
:42:43. > :42:48.holding Eastleigh earlier in the year. I think we have got some
:42:48. > :42:54.strong messages coming out in terms taxation. We are trying to push
:42:54. > :43:00.forward an idea that we want to taxation. We are trying to push
:43:00. > :43:09.everybody who is earning the minimum wage —— wage out of tax. We are
:43:09. > :43:21.moving forward and starting to set Back to the Lib Dems and their
:43:21. > :43:24.The six MPs will be defending seats at the next general election. Three
:43:24. > :43:32.of them could go with a swing of grassroots where you can see the
:43:33. > :43:38.real cost of being in government. Three years ago they were more than
:43:38. > :43:42.400 Lib Dem councillors in the region but that is now down to less
:43:42. > :43:46.than 230. In Liverpool the party had 47 councillors five years ago and
:43:46. > :43:49.controlled the authority. This year that figure dropped to just nine.
:43:49. > :43:53.Well, that figure in Liverpool slipped to nine earlier this year
:43:53. > :43:59.when one councillor, Rosie Jolley, defected to Labour. Our reporter,
:43:59. > :44:05.Councillor Jolley to find out why she'd swapped yellow for red. The UK
:44:05. > :44:12.nomination to be capital of culture From leading Liverpool ties to the
:44:12. > :44:19.lows of their former leader being defeated by a teenager. Liverpool 's
:44:20. > :44:26.Liberal Democrats are becoming an endangered species. We have reached
:44:27. > :44:27.the point where I just could not be Liberal Democrat any longer. The
:44:27. > :44:32.welfare reforms and things like Liberal Democrat any longer. The
:44:32. > :44:38.bedroom tax which we have an impact on vulnerable people in this city
:44:38. > :44:42.was one policy too far. Liverpool 's Liberal Democrats have seen the
:44:42. > :44:44.numbers plummet since the glory Liberal Democrats have seen the
:44:44. > :44:48.of leading the city 's capital of culture celebrations but here in
:44:48. > :44:50.Manchester is a similar story with all nine Lib Dems up for election
:44:50. > :44:57.this May. People are responding well. People are coming on board to
:44:57. > :44:59.help us in a way we have not seen for a couple of years. I really
:44:59. > :45:05.think that is a strong prospect for a couple of years. I really
:45:05. > :45:06.will turn the corner. MP John Leech believes his motion to conference
:45:06. > :45:14.government welfare reforms will believes his motion to conference
:45:14. > :45:17.changes have worked. It has led believes his motion to conference
:45:17. > :45:20.hardship for a number of people believes his motion to conference
:45:20. > :45:21.I would like to see those changes reversed. There is a motion to
:45:21. > :45:26.conference and I have signed up reversed. There is a motion to
:45:26. > :45:28.support of that motion to get rid of the housing benefit changes but
:45:28. > :45:33.we'll have to wait and see what the housing benefit changes but
:45:33. > :45:39.party decides. The Liberal Democrats in the Northwest say they are far
:45:39. > :45:47.from a spent force and will prove How much sympathy do you have for
:45:47. > :45:53.people like Rosie Jolley? I know that personally and she is a great
:45:53. > :46:01.counsellor. I am disappointed. We coalition because of the state of
:46:01. > :46:12.the economy and we needed to say we can step up. But of course in trying
:46:12. > :46:15.to correct the economy we were always going to have to make some
:46:15. > :46:21.very difficult decisions. If you didn't address some of the big
:46:21. > :46:27.ticket items like welfare we were never ever going to get out of the
:46:27. > :46:33.whole. Is she wrong to not stick the course and go with it or do you
:46:33. > :46:39.whole. Is she wrong to not stick the sympathy that actually she is saying
:46:39. > :46:44.don't have sympathy for her in that sense. As a coalition, we have tried
:46:44. > :46:46.to set out a clear direction that welfare is there and it is a safety
:46:46. > :46:52.net that everyone who needs it. welfare is there and it is a safety
:46:52. > :46:57.it should never pay more than work. We have done a lot of restructuring
:46:58. > :47:01.to say those of us who go out to work and pay our taxes actually
:47:01. > :47:05.to say those of us who go out to in a position where we have made a
:47:05. > :47:09.choice and people not working at earning more than that and people
:47:09. > :47:16.are seeing the disparities between them. Why are people leaving the
:47:16. > :47:23.party? 2013 has been a good year for the Lib Dems. But the interesting
:47:23. > :47:28.thing is not really what happens in conference because that is about the
:47:28. > :47:36.faithful it is about how they talk to the country at large. Those
:47:36. > :47:41.people who are leaving the party. That is different. The party is
:47:41. > :47:43.people who are leaving the party. confident amongst themselves but it
:47:43. > :47:52.is about expressing that confidence on a wider canvas. Isn't the problem
:47:52. > :47:57.for your party for people like Rosie Jolley, that you are supporting
:47:57. > :48:03.things like changes to housing benefit and lots of your members
:48:03. > :48:17.think it is unfair? We set out to make sure that whilst we were going
:48:17. > :48:25.to take some very tough decisions, but we're going to protect the most
:48:25. > :48:31.vulnerable. What we want to do is make sure the welfare reforms and
:48:31. > :48:38.the rise in pensions and the tax rise which has taken no pay out
:48:38. > :48:39.the rise in pensions and the tax tax, they are all designed to make
:48:39. > :48:47.sure the most vulnerable in society are protected. John Leech is one of
:48:47. > :48:50.those who is supporting that motion to water down the bedroom tax. He
:48:50. > :49:01.believes it is unfair. John and to water down the bedroom tax. He
:49:01. > :49:07.don't agree about everything and what I would say is when conference
:49:07. > :49:16.decides, the core point you is that if you are having to borrow £1 in
:49:16. > :49:23.four which is what we were doing, something has to give. That is
:49:23. > :49:32.tough. We have had to put higher taxes on the rich, takes drastic
:49:32. > :49:36.quite the way through we have kept to a basic theme. We have got more
:49:36. > :49:42.council houses going up than Labour ever had, we have got higher pension
:49:42. > :49:47.rises, we have got the tax threshold rises for the low—paid which has
:49:47. > :49:50.taken 2 million people out of tax altogether. If you are not worried
:49:51. > :49:55.that you have alienated a large number of people —— are you not
:49:55. > :50:04.worried? The reality is we have number of people —— are you not
:50:04. > :50:08.tackle the tremendous problems we inherited. That is why we went into
:50:08. > :50:18.government. We are making sure that vulnerable. Today we are debating
:50:18. > :50:28.further education and we are on vulnerable. Today we are debating
:50:28. > :50:33.vulnerable in society are protected. Is the party drifting to the right?
:50:34. > :50:42.The problem is about management Is the party drifting to the right?
:50:42. > :50:52.communication. The party is often drifting. The problem is it is on
:50:52. > :50:59.government. The message is quite nuanced. They are talking to that ——
:50:59. > :51:04.about the difference is they are making to the coalition rather than
:51:04. > :51:10.fresh items on the menu. That means protest votes are harder to come by.
:51:10. > :51:12.Well, it wasn't a bad Summer for Nick Clegg. Colleagues didn't queue
:51:12. > :51:16.up to attack his leadership and Nick Clegg. Colleagues didn't queue
:51:16. > :51:24.wasn't photographed in a Mickey certainly been a difficult few
:51:24. > :51:28.years. I asked the Lib Dem Leader if he can stop the rot in places like
:51:28. > :51:33.Manchester. Of course we can. We actually have succeeded already
:51:33. > :51:37.Manchester. Of course we can. We by—elections. We won a by—election
:51:37. > :51:42.in the Ribble Valley just recently. We have been winning hands down
:51:42. > :51:46.in the Ribble Valley just recently. the Lake District. We are winning
:51:46. > :51:59.way we are able to get out on the doorstep. In my own constituency, we
:51:59. > :52:03.predicted we would lose and we doubled our majority. We tend to win
:52:03. > :52:08.where we are able to get out on doubled our majority. We tend to win
:52:08. > :52:09.doorstep and explain that it is because of the Liberal Democrats
:52:09. > :52:14.that the state pension has gone because of the Liberal Democrats
:52:14. > :52:20.But I am talking about the overall trend over the last few years. This
:52:20. > :52:26.year we had elections in Lancashire county council and I am not even
:52:26. > :52:32.Have you given up on the Northwest in terms of your electoral ability
:52:32. > :52:37.via? Of course not. We have some great figures in the Northwest.
:52:37. > :52:41.via? Of course not. We have some have excellent politicians. We will
:52:41. > :52:47.speak up for the Northwest as we do for the country as a whole. I'd
:52:47. > :52:50.speak up for the Northwest as we do any political party you invest a lot
:52:50. > :52:57.of time in places where you feel you can get your message across. If
:52:57. > :52:59.of time in places where you feel you look at what is happening in British
:52:59. > :53:07.politics now, the Labour Party is being pulled to the left and you
:53:07. > :53:10.have the Tory party being pulled to the right. The Liberal Democrats are
:53:10. > :53:19.the only party committed to both things. Councillor Rosie Jolley
:53:19. > :53:28.defected to Labour on Liverpool things. Councillor Rosie Jolley
:53:28. > :53:32.statement. I don't think the Liberal Democrats have been challenging
:53:32. > :53:37.enough towards the Conservatives on key policies like benefits and the
:53:37. > :53:44.bedroom tax. In other words a lot of your supporters don't think you
:53:44. > :53:58.bedroom tax. In other words a lot of that was the case, many more people
:53:58. > :54:04.happened. It has.The party has remained united and resilient.
:54:04. > :54:10.Conservatives were in government on situation where employees could
:54:10. > :54:10.Conservatives were in government on fired at will. You'd have profits
:54:10. > :54:21.being made in state schools. We fired at will. You'd have profits
:54:21. > :54:26.that. You would have regional pay so that teachers and nurses in the
:54:26. > :54:31.Northwest would be paid less than teachers and nurses elsewhere. I
:54:31. > :54:38.stop that. There are so many things with the Liberal Democrats stand at
:54:38. > :54:45.the fairness. We do the difficult job of protecting the economy. I
:54:45. > :54:51.understand people might not like it and some people might disagree but
:54:51. > :54:59.Democrats believe what we're doing And we will have interviews with the
:54:59. > :55:05.other main party leaders over the next couple of weeks. How damaged is
:55:05. > :55:11.the Liberal Democrats as a regional force? You cannot lose councillors
:55:11. > :55:17.without losing some of that base but I know that our six MPs are some of
:55:17. > :55:22.the scrappy as campaigners in the region. I am confident that in
:55:22. > :55:25.the scrappy as campaigners in the months time or six will be returned
:55:25. > :55:31.to the House of Commons. But you have lost people who are willing to
:55:31. > :55:34.go out knocking on doors. The first two years after the general election
:55:34. > :55:39.were to —— were very difficult. two years after the general election
:55:39. > :55:44.we are now reaching out to different people. That is a hard—core of
:55:44. > :55:50.people in the country and the region who respond to a liberal message. A
:55:50. > :55:55.message that says we want a fairer society and a strong economy. There
:55:55. > :56:07.is a group of people that respond to that message and I think we have
:56:07. > :56:16.leadership in London worry about what's happening in places like
:56:16. > :56:20.leadership in London worry about Northwest? We're working very hard
:56:20. > :56:26.in the Northwest. In Hazel Grove we have knocked on more doors in the
:56:26. > :56:32.last 12 months than we have in any We're not having any difficulty
:56:32. > :56:39.getting our message across and getting people signing to help us.
:56:39. > :56:44.But you have lost almost all of getting people signing to help us.
:56:44. > :56:57.councillors on Manchester City Council. And Liverpool City Council.
:56:57. > :57:00.And in Stockport and Hazel Grove. You can always find examples. Nick
:57:00. > :57:05.Clegg acknowledged that we have You can always find examples. Nick
:57:05. > :57:15.some damaged then to us. —— damage done to us. As you heard from the
:57:15. > :57:19.they have had the same experience as us. People are beginning to see
:57:19. > :57:26.they have had the same experience as the economy is turning around. They
:57:26. > :57:30.are beginning to see that what we have been saying about protecting
:57:30. > :57:35.the most vulnerable and making sure that children who need the support
:57:35. > :57:40.in schools are getting the pupil premium, that pensioners who need
:57:40. > :57:44.the support and getting it in the state pension, that low—paid workers
:57:44. > :57:50.are getting the support they need in the raising of the tax threshold. I
:57:50. > :57:57.have heard the same message for the raising of the tax threshold. I
:57:57. > :58:02.last few years that people are beginning to realise that things are
:58:02. > :58:07.getting better but what can the party specifically do to turn things
:58:07. > :58:13.around? The Lib Dems have been bleeding away so 2013 leaves them
:58:13. > :58:20.more confident than they were in the last two years. But they were not
:58:20. > :58:24.any big elections for Manchester Liverpool this year. They will be
:58:24. > :58:28.next year. Apart from the police and crime commissioners. The European
:58:28. > :58:33.elections are going to be massive for the Lib Dems. Looking at how the
:58:33. > :58:36.Lib Dems differentiate themselves within government and if you look in
:58:36. > :58:40.our region it is interesting to within government and if you look in
:58:40. > :58:59.how the party plays against the other two parties. People don't
:58:59. > :59:03.parties ask about the Lib Dems. Do you foresee any possibility of
:59:03. > :59:11.changing leader before the general election? Absolutely not. There
:59:11. > :59:11.changing leader before the general no conspiracy. You always ask me
:59:11. > :59:17.that that conference time! I am no conspiracy. You always ask me
:59:17. > :59:29.looking for options for you! Thanks Time for a round—up of the rest
:59:29. > :59:35.looking for options for you! Thanks the week's news now. Here's Euan
:59:35. > :59:38.Was Cyril Smith too big to bring to justice? Fresh evidence this week
:59:38. > :59:46.that MI5 helped cover—up allegations of sex abuse against the former
:59:46. > :59:59.Liberal MP for Rochdale. Abuse was The row over high speed rail rumbles
:59:59. > :00:04.on. The Government says HS2 will Critics called the latest figures
:00:05. > :00:09.The former leader of Lancashire County Council Geoff Driver accused
:00:10. > :00:17.They wouldn't confirm it but said officials of accessing his emails.
:00:17. > :00:17.They wouldn't confirm it but said possible 20,000 jobs and 15,000
:00:17. > :00:19.They wouldn't confirm it but said homes. They're the headline figures
:00:19. > :00:30.after Preston and South Ribble Government. This deal gives us the
:00:30. > :00:42.dodgers. The Prime Minister says new rules should mean a rethink on how
:00:42. > :00:47.Cyril Smith, do you think the party let people down by not investigating
:00:47. > :00:50.those rumours about him sooner? Probably but these things are very
:00:50. > :00:58.difficult. We are learning lots Probably but these things are very
:00:59. > :01:05.following the Jimmy 's Gap —— Jimmy Savile scandal. It is not an excuse
:01:05. > :01:11.to say it was a different time and differently. Hopefully now we will
:01:11. > :01:17.find out the truth. Is it damaging to the party? Not particularly to
:01:17. > :01:28.the party but Cyril Smith was a investigation into some of these
:01:28. > :01:44.more than pay is going up. Which deserves a programme all to itself.
:01:44. > :01:51.In a moment, more from our political Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:51. > :01:55.victory for either the Conservatives Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:55. > :01:59.or labour at the next election would put at risk the economic recovery
:01:59. > :02:00.is. Speaking in Glasgow at the Liberal Democrat annual conference,
:02:00. > :02:04.he said a coalition would allow Liberal Democrat annual conference,
:02:04. > :02:09.party to balance politics and enable the government to finish the job of
:02:09. > :02:15.repairing the economy fairly. It is my genuine belief that if we go
:02:15. > :02:19.repairing the economy fairly. It is coalition and Islands politics,
:02:19. > :02:22.repairing the economy fairly. It is dominating blood on their own, you
:02:22. > :02:24.will get a recovery which is neither fair nor sustainable. Labour would
:02:24. > :02:28.wreck the recovery, and under the fair nor sustainable. Labour would
:02:28. > :02:35.same commitment to fairness as ours, you would get the wrong kind
:02:35. > :02:37.Two 19-year-old woman arrested after a stabbing on Thursday have been
:02:37. > :02:41.released without charge. Police a stabbing on Thursday have been
:02:41. > :02:45.trying to discover if there is a link between the killing and a fire
:02:45. > :02:49.four hours later in which four Five people are being questioned in
:02:49. > :02:54.government minister has described connection with that blaze. A Syrian
:02:54. > :02:58.government minister has described the agreement drawn up by America
:02:58. > :03:04.country's chemical weapons as a The minister claims the deals helps
:03:04. > :03:07.the Syrians out of a crisis and others war. The US Secretary of
:03:07. > :03:11.State John Kerry is in Israel to brief the prime minister, Benjamin
:03:11. > :03:14.Netanyahu, on the proposal. China and France have also welcomed the
:03:14. > :03:19.deal, which says Syria has until Friday to submit a competence of
:03:19. > :03:22.list of its chemical stockpile. Britain's Mo Farah has missed out on
:03:22. > :03:27.winning his first half marathon Britain's Mo Farah has missed out on
:03:27. > :03:31.He was taking part in the Great North Run between Newcastle and
:03:31. > :03:33.South Shields. Farrar, who was the favourite following his two gold
:03:33. > :03:43.Ethiopian's can mean many Serb favourite following his two gold
:03:43. > :03:52.Kenenisa Bekele in a sprint finish. A carnival atmosphere for the start
:03:52. > :04:00.walking it, so I have no time in simply dressing up for fun. I am
:04:00. > :04:02.walking it, so I have no time in mind. I just want to enjoy it and
:04:02. > :04:08.appreciate the crowds and have a fantastic time. For elite athletes,
:04:08. > :04:13.today's race was about who would be first over the line. Despite the
:04:13. > :04:17.wind and rain, large crowds turned out for the world's most popular
:04:17. > :04:25.half marathon, which attracts some of the finest women runners, two,
:04:25. > :04:29.including the Kenyan. There were high hopes for Britain's double
:04:29. > :04:36.Olympic champion Mo Farah, but after Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:36. > :04:46.Ethiopian's Kenenisa Bekele. It Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:46. > :04:50.thought I would come back and close the gap slowly. I managed to close
:04:50. > :04:56.it a little bit, but you can't take away what he has. Wheelchair athlete
:04:56. > :05:00.David Weir won his race for a fourth time. More than £200 million has
:05:00. > :05:16.been raised since the Great North That is it for now. There will be
:05:16. > :05:19.more news on BBC One at 6:35pm. So, did anything happen while we
:05:19. > :05:26.were away this summer? I thought heading now? Who better to answer
:05:26. > :05:33.than the best political panel we could cobble together for a tenner?
:05:33. > :05:37.Putting foreign affairs to one side for a moment, it seems that what
:05:37. > :05:41.happened mystically was that it became more apparent that some sort
:05:41. > :05:48.of recovery was underway at last, and that Mr Miliband still has not
:05:48. > :05:54.yet resonated with the British public. These things are a problem
:05:54. > :05:56.for Labour. Ed Miliband's mistake over the summer holiday was to take
:05:56. > :06:00.a summer holiday. And it looked over the summer holiday was to take
:06:00. > :06:04.the rest of the Labour Party had taken one too. They were not finding
:06:04. > :06:09.issues they could make their own. The only person who made an impact
:06:09. > :06:12.was Stella Creasy on online abuse. That is a huge problem, and it is
:06:12. > :06:14.partly down to the fact that there is this intense message discipline.
:06:14. > :06:18.They don't want to say anything is this intense message discipline.
:06:18. > :06:21.of line until they have got all their ducks in a row. It makes the
:06:21. > :06:26.party do at the moment. The terms of party do at the moment. The terms of
:06:26. > :06:30.trade have swung in David Cameron's favour, but the political rhetoric
:06:30. > :06:39.look at this headline from the is still with Mr Miliband. Let's
:06:39. > :06:43.look at this headline from the Sunday Telegraph. That headline
:06:43. > :06:46.might not be right, but the story is significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:46. > :06:51.still in danger on his right flank significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:51. > :06:59.doesn't need an enormous share of the vote to get an overall majority?
:06:59. > :07:04.Westminster group think. Of course Ed Miliband is in trouble. The
:07:04. > :07:08.Tories are reserved and. They are better organised, the economy is
:07:08. > :07:15.recovering. That poses difficulties for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:15. > :07:18.is happening on the ground, UKIP still pose a danger to Cameron.
:07:18. > :07:19.is happening on the ground, UKIP don't need to poll 15% in a lot
:07:19. > :07:21.is happening on the ground, UKIP those marginal seats, they just
:07:22. > :07:24.is happening on the ground, UKIP to get five or 6% of the vote, and
:07:24. > :07:33.that could potentially destroy the Tory lead. Lots of commentators
:07:33. > :07:39.that could potentially destroy the to say, this guy will never be prime
:07:39. > :07:45.minister, but it is possible that by default or by accident, in a very
:07:45. > :07:50.Miliband could end up as prime minister. It is still all to play
:07:50. > :07:55.for on both sides. If UKIP remains a threat to the Tory right flank and
:07:55. > :07:58.the Tories themselves are not really a national party any more, I am
:07:58. > :08:01.the Tories themselves are not really they will only target a few seats in
:08:01. > :08:05.Scotland, they don't get any big seats in the big cities of the north
:08:05. > :08:09.any more, they don't get the Ulster vote they used to get, so it is
:08:09. > :08:12.possible that Labour, which is more nationally based and has seats in
:08:12. > :08:18.the Midlands and the north and in Wales, so they could get in. I
:08:18. > :08:25.agree. The advantage of having a bad summer is that Ed Miliband can go to
:08:25. > :08:29.expectations. All he has to do is not dribble on the lectern, and
:08:29. > :08:31.expectations. All he has to do is will be written up as spectacular.
:08:31. > :08:38.expectations. All he has to do is He might not even use a lectin.
:08:38. > :08:43.position. The electoral vagaries of the system work in his favour. He
:08:43. > :08:47.still has a narrow poll lead, he is not out of the game at all. Of the
:08:47. > :08:53.three main party leaders, the only one who can be confident about being
:08:53. > :09:00.three main party leaders, the only in government after 2015 is Nick
:09:00. > :09:06.electorally. But if it is this bad for Labour at the moment, what will
:09:06. > :09:13.it be like if this recovery turns out to be real? It depends how much
:09:14. > :09:16.they succeed. Chuka Umunna was shifting the debate are living
:09:16. > :09:19.standards. They don't want to keep arguing about who called it right.
:09:19. > :09:24.Do people feel richer than they arguing about who called it right.
:09:24. > :09:27.in 2010? The data suggests that people don't feel richer than in
:09:27. > :09:33.2010. Because they are not.That people don't feel richer than in
:09:33. > :09:38.the basis on which Labour will fight the next election. It is clear that
:09:38. > :09:42.Labour are unclear on what to say or do next. They have just got to hope
:09:42. > :09:45.and pray that the economy is not as soundly based as it appears to be
:09:45. > :09:53.and that George Osborne is Tony Barber, who thought he fixed the
:09:53. > :09:57.just before the next crash. There are all sorts of uncertainties
:09:57. > :10:00.just before the next crash. There China, the bond market, the housing
:10:00. > :10:01.bubble might be blown up, and Labour just had to hope something goes
:10:01. > :10:07.wrong for Osborne. Chuka Umunna just had to hope something goes
:10:07. > :10:11.he would not get rid of help to just had to hope something goes
:10:11. > :10:14.There are all these criticisms about just had to hope something goes
:10:14. > :10:19.artificial schemes pumping up house prices, but he would not say that.
:10:19. > :10:27.It is tortuous. You see this again and again. When asked if Labour
:10:27. > :10:28.would repeal the bedroom tax, or the same thing with Royal Mail, it
:10:28. > :10:41.happens again. They will be falling on people who have not had a meal in
:10:41. > :10:45.coming out of the Labour Party. There is a kind and Gillette in
:10:45. > :10:47.coming out of the Labour Party. them to a politician's career. When
:10:47. > :10:51.they are under attack for a long time, the media get bored after
:10:51. > :10:55.they are under attack for a long while and switch the story. It
:10:55. > :11:00.happened to Osborne, who had a horrific 2012 and has recovered
:11:00. > :11:08.bad press as he is getting at the moment, because people find it
:11:08. > :11:10.tedious. Syria has been the big foreign-policy event this summer. It
:11:10. > :11:19.has remarkably led to a Soviet- American initiative to get Syria to
:11:19. > :11:24.give up its chemical weapons. The world will now expect the Assad
:11:24. > :11:27.regime to live up to its public commitments. As I said at the outset
:11:27. > :11:44.anything less than full compliance. John Kerry. Is this too good to
:11:44. > :11:46.anything less than full compliance. true? Even superficially, it is
:11:46. > :11:49.anything less than full compliance. very good. The only people who
:11:49. > :11:52.emerge with any sense of triumph are the Russians, who have had their
:11:52. > :11:56.emerge with any sense of triumph are biggest diplomatic coup. They are
:11:56. > :12:02.back on the stage again. B if you want to know why Putin even has
:12:02. > :12:04.back on the stage again. B if you because of moments like this. They
:12:04. > :12:09.were humiliated after the end of the Cold War, and a Nou Camp is a great
:12:09. > :12:13.power again. Then you have the Obama situation, because he has ended
:12:13. > :12:16.power again. Then you have the Obama where he wanted to end up. He has
:12:16. > :12:16.power again. Then you have the Obama concession from Syria, but the way
:12:16. > :12:20.he got there was so embarrassing. It concession from Syria, but the way
:12:21. > :12:25.made him look weak and erratic as a leader. There were contradictions
:12:25. > :12:32.between himself and his Secretary of State last week, and it has not
:12:32. > :12:37.between himself and his Secretary of him any good. I was in the States,
:12:37. > :12:41.and it was open season on him. I have never understood the idea of
:12:41. > :12:45.chemical weapons as a red line when you can massacre people in their
:12:45. > :12:49.thousands through other means. But chemical weapons are beyond the
:12:50. > :12:57.pale. The rebels are miserable. chemical weapons are beyond the
:12:57. > :12:59.have run out of time. I will have to ask you what you think about Syria
:12:59. > :13:05.next week, which gives you time ask you what you think about Syria
:13:05. > :13:10.prepare. Your book on Fred the shred is going well? It is.I am back
:13:10. > :13:14.tomorrow at noon with the Daily Politics at noon on BBC Two, where
:13:14. > :13:18.we will have more from the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow.
:13:18. > :13:18.we will have more from the Liberal is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:18. > :13:21.conference coverage. Next week, is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:21. > :13:24.will be back here at our normal is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:24. > :13:30.of 11am, when we will be joined is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:30. > :13:50.Grant Shapps. Remember, if it is Sunday, it is the Sunday Politics.