:00:37. > :00:40.Morning folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics. Could Britain
:00:40. > :00:42.thrive and prosper outside the European Union? Cabinet Minister
:00:42. > :00:46.Iain Duncan Smith's gave every impression this morning that Yes We
:00:46. > :00:51.Can! We'll ask Business Minster David Willetts what he makes of
:00:51. > :00:54.that. It's our top story. They're flying high in the polls
:00:54. > :00:57.and - they say - winning the arguments on Europe, but can the UK
:00:57. > :01:03.Independence Party really stand up to the scrutiny that comes with
:01:03. > :01:08.success? Leader Nigel Farage joins us for the Sunday Interview.
:01:08. > :01:11.Which of these two men would you like to see in the White House?
:01:11. > :01:17.With the US election three days away Diane Abbott and Dan Hannan go
:01:17. > :01:22.head to head on whether Obama or Romney would be better for Britain.
:01:22. > :01:25.And coming up here in Scotland: Is it time for a radical rethink of
:01:25. > :01:35.Scotland's drug abuse strategy - as more people are becoming addicts
:01:35. > :01:35.
:01:35. > :32:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1842 seconds
:32:17. > :32:22.If you're worried about the debt you should be worried about Mitt
:32:22. > :32:26.Romney. How does he make the deficits good? This is why the
:32:26. > :32:34.Washington Post and be New York Times refused to endorse them.
:32:34. > :32:39.Their economic plans do not add up. He wants massive unfunded tax cuts.
:32:39. > :32:46.He wants an increase in its defence spending. The USA is already in
:32:46. > :32:52.debt to the tune of 14 trillion. you look at the plan, it is a plan.
:32:52. > :33:00.We know that with Barack Obama the deficit will draw. There is the
:33:00. > :33:10.certainty of continued debt. people in Florida thought the plan
:33:10. > :33:14.was good, Mitt Romney would have gone down. Nobody is going to
:33:14. > :33:22.return to a balanced budget within one turn, but with Mitt Romney we
:33:22. > :33:31.have somebody who will try. Even Barack Obama's foreign policy is
:33:31. > :33:41.alien to British values. There has been a rise in drones over Pakistan.
:33:41. > :33:43.
:33:43. > :33:53.There is no progress in Middle East peace. I regret the use of drones.
:33:53. > :33:58.
:33:58. > :34:06.But he has taken America out of a rut -- out of Iraq. Would it be a
:34:06. > :34:12.return it to Bouch? He implies he is prepared to attack Iran. He
:34:12. > :34:15.knows nothing about Britain or Europe. He said there was a
:34:15. > :34:21.cultural component in the success of his real compared to the rest of
:34:21. > :34:28.the region. He had no kind words. That is not the same as despising
:34:28. > :34:35.the Palestinians. He said they did not want peace. Under both US
:34:35. > :34:45.presidents there will be forced on the table as an option as there was
:34:45. > :34:47.
:34:47. > :34:54.in Libya. I was not big on the Iraq war or the Afghanistan war. But to
:34:54. > :35:00.say that they should not be any possibility of taking any kind of
:35:00. > :35:10.action is not responsible. action is on the Pacific Rim. He
:35:10. > :35:20.does not care about Europe and the UK. Barack Obama's foreign policy
:35:20. > :35:20.
:35:20. > :35:30.is cheaper. Mitt Romney is more likely to bomb Iran. The who will
:35:30. > :35:32.
:35:32. > :35:42.win? Barack Obama. If turnout is right it will be Barack Obama.
:35:42. > :35:52.
:35:52. > :35:55.Therefore I will put my money on Good morning.
:35:56. > :35:59.As Holyrood prepares to debate the Scottish governments drugs strategy
:35:59. > :36:04.and will be finding out if this residential rehab centre for
:36:04. > :36:08.addicts is only half full. Alex Salmond is set to become the
:36:08. > :36:14.longest serving First Minister of Scotland. How has he done?
:36:15. > :36:18.And more on the race to the White House. Does the Trident debate give
:36:18. > :36:21.Holyrood and presented focus in Washington.
:36:21. > :36:24.An emergency summit is to be held next month to discover why
:36:24. > :36:29.occupancy rates at Scotland's residential drug treatment centres
:36:29. > :36:33.are sold. With Holyrood debating the drug strategy this week one
:36:33. > :36:43.addiction expert says the residential option is dying off in
:36:43. > :36:43.
:36:43. > :36:49.Scotland. There is a bright future for one
:36:49. > :36:59.recovering drug addict. majority of my peer group are doing
:36:59. > :37:00.
:37:00. > :37:05.well. Without this project I do not know where I would be. This man it
:37:05. > :37:13.spent 20 years on methadone until his spell in residential rehab.
:37:13. > :37:18.More than 24,000 people are given methadone in Scotland. The
:37:18. > :37:22.programme is under review after deaths linked to methadone. The
:37:22. > :37:26.Liberal Democrats say the programme should not be used as a scapegoat
:37:26. > :37:29.for what is a complex issue. Labour say methadone is not working. The
:37:30. > :37:36.Conservatives are calling for more residential sectors.
:37:36. > :37:40.There are some incredible stories of recovery, but there is a warning
:37:40. > :37:44.that places like this may not survive in the long term in
:37:44. > :37:54.Scotland. The residential sector is dying.
:37:54. > :37:57.need to know whether we want it to die. When we compare like with like,
:37:57. > :38:03.residential treatment is no more expensive than other forms of
:38:03. > :38:08.treatment. Since last year residential treatment centres have
:38:08. > :38:16.been reporting low levels of occupancy. In Inverness it stands
:38:16. > :38:23.at 40 %. Banner measures to some it is being held next month to find
:38:23. > :38:27.out why people are not being repaired. The policy is there.
:38:27. > :38:33.There is a grassroots momentum. There may be something in the
:38:33. > :38:38.middle blocking it. It may not be one thing or one person. It may be
:38:38. > :38:42.101 different things. Although supporters of residential rehab I
:38:42. > :38:46.knew it is cost-effective there are equally strong arguments about cost
:38:46. > :38:50.on the other side and also on the benefits of methadone. It decreases
:38:50. > :38:57.the death-rate in those were prescribed it at least five or six
:38:57. > :39:00.cold. It decreases drug abuse and crime. It might be possible to get
:39:00. > :39:04.drug three and even mentally healthy while staying in a country
:39:04. > :39:11.house somewhere, but they have to come back, usually to the council
:39:11. > :39:16.estate where they live. A at a debate about treatment continues
:39:16. > :39:19.their race is on to find effective strategies to help the 65,000
:39:19. > :39:24.people struggling with drug addiction.
:39:24. > :39:33.Joining me now in the studio are Ruth Davidson and William Rennie.
:39:33. > :39:37.Also joining the is Mark McDonald. Mike McDonald, and you will be one
:39:37. > :39:42.of the key speakers in the debate. What is the policy of the
:39:42. > :39:48.government on residential care? Very charitable to describe me as a
:39:48. > :39:53.key speaker. Residential rehab has a role to play as part of the
:39:53. > :39:56.bigotry that agenda. The figures that are being shown to me show
:39:56. > :40:02.that there are low levels of waiting list for people who need
:40:02. > :40:06.residential rehab. The issue is about need. It is around clinical
:40:06. > :40:13.assessment of the needs of the individual. No two individuals are
:40:13. > :40:16.the same when it comes to addiction and the need for rehabilitation. So
:40:16. > :40:23.be to categorise residential rehab as a suitable for all addicts would
:40:23. > :40:28.be a mistake. We have to offer a package of measures. Given that
:40:28. > :40:32.there is a residential care package, it all comes as one, it seems that
:40:32. > :40:38.from the numbers that we have discovered in a report, it has not
:40:38. > :40:42.been used as widely as it was being used five years ago. Is that a
:40:42. > :40:48.deliberate policy? Have you decided it is less effective than other
:40:48. > :40:53.methods of treatment? What you need to do is offer a range of different
:40:53. > :40:57.treatments, dependent on the needs of the individual. For some people
:40:57. > :41:02.residential rehabilitation will be the most suitable option. You
:41:02. > :41:06.package was talking about looking further ahead to a sum at which
:41:06. > :41:09.will discuss these matters. I am sure that the government and all
:41:09. > :41:16.politicians will be taking a keen interest to see what the outcome of
:41:16. > :41:21.the sum that is. 40 % occupancy end summer residential rehabilitation
:41:21. > :41:26.centres. As that concern you? it does. The one that has featured
:41:26. > :41:31.in the package there is in my area of Glasgow. That is at 50 %. There
:41:31. > :41:37.is a big problem in Glasgow. This is only have the story. You pack is
:41:37. > :41:42.did not say that the number of rehab centres has been reduced to
:41:42. > :41:45.23 since the new drug strategy for Scotland came in. Fewer beds and
:41:45. > :41:55.still in some cases on they have of them are being filled. We have to
:41:55. > :41:59.find out what the blockage is. People are not get any opportunity
:41:59. > :42:04.to go in there. There seems to be a specific problem with referrals
:42:05. > :42:09.into the system, rather than a specific policy decision, even
:42:09. > :42:14.accepting what you have said about the fall in numbers. If you are to
:42:14. > :42:20.have a sophisticated response to this what should be done? It should
:42:20. > :42:27.be based on need. Budgets are tighter. Residential care is much
:42:27. > :42:33.more expensive. I am sure that is a factor in commiseration. --
:42:33. > :42:43.consideration. 1st May experts said that it is not this sally Moore
:42:43. > :42:46.
:42:46. > :42:53.expensive. -- it is not Mrs Sally more expensive. -- are not more
:42:53. > :42:57.expensive. You need to have the support mechanisms. You have now
:42:57. > :43:03.got things like recovery cafes which create a support network for
:43:03. > :43:09.people to get into. They can extract themselves from their
:43:10. > :43:14.environment that slip into drugs. It is not for politicians to decide
:43:14. > :43:20.what kind of care people should get. It should be left that to the
:43:20. > :43:26.health professionals. They work with this day in and day out.
:43:26. > :43:31.Politicians do not know how to deal with the decisions. Leave it to the
:43:31. > :43:33.health professionals. Just to clarify the policy, I know that you
:43:34. > :43:37.say it is dependent on the individual and that would be
:43:37. > :43:42.reflected in how the doctors allocate places and what a treat at
:43:42. > :43:46.the pink is appropriate, but if the number of residential
:43:46. > :43:50.rehabilitation unit has closed down and there is this ongoing under
:43:50. > :43:57.occupancy and the number of drug users is increasing and the number
:43:57. > :44:03.of drug death is increasing, this would seem to suggest that the
:44:03. > :44:08.policy is dead. We have the lowest level of drug users and the
:44:08. > :44:11.population for one decade. It is constantly in decline. We have the
:44:11. > :44:18.lowest numbers among its young people using drugs for one decade.
:44:18. > :44:26.That is the backdrop to which the debate should be framed. You have
:44:26. > :44:31.to profile the services that should be offered. I think William Rennie
:44:31. > :44:33.and aye are clear on this. It is about need. The point is about
:44:33. > :44:40.clinicians taking the best decisions on behalf of the
:44:40. > :44:44.individuals. If you ask clinicians what people need they will take the
:44:45. > :44:50.decision that is most appropriate for the individual. Just to clarify
:44:50. > :44:59.the statistics. The estimated number of individuals with a drug
:44:59. > :45:06.problem in Scotland A's 59,000, compared with 55,000 in 2006. That
:45:06. > :45:13.is an estimated increase of 4,300 individuals since 2006. There is a
:45:13. > :45:23.particular problem with the number of women regarding drug fatalities.
:45:23. > :45:23.
:45:24. > :45:27.That figure has jumped to 117 % increase. It shows that methadone
:45:27. > :45:30.is reasonably successful. It is quite effective at keeping people
:45:30. > :45:35.alive and healthy. That is part of the reason why these numbers have
:45:35. > :45:40.changed. That is the reality. you look at the methadone programme
:45:40. > :45:45.and leaving aside the cost, even though it is a huge cost, there is
:45:45. > :45:49.also the cost in lives. More people now died taking methadone then be
:45:49. > :45:59.to taking heroin. It cost lives. When the drug strategy was brought
:45:59. > :46:02.
:46:02. > :46:09.in, drug deaths was cited as one of the reasons. That was one of the
:46:09. > :46:14.reasons why needed strategy to work. Look at the soaring numbers. The
:46:14. > :46:17.number has gone up. One of the reasons that we were so supportive
:46:17. > :46:23.of the drug strategy was to be wanted treatment to be part of a
:46:23. > :46:29.cure so that people could be help of long term at use. Met the don't
:46:29. > :46:35.can stabilised people's lives, but some people need to be put on a
:46:35. > :46:40.reducing does so that they do not spend 20 years on it. A I am not
:46:40. > :46:47.suggesting we should not have different approaches. But you said
:46:47. > :46:50.it was a simplistic approach. problem with what Ruth Davidson is
:46:50. > :47:00.saying is that she is saying that methadone as part of the problem.
:47:00. > :47:10.But the good that she quotes -- the figures that she courts include
:47:10. > :47:10.
:47:10. > :47:15.other drugs. What about the tone of the debate? The Daily record
:47:15. > :47:19.campaign was deplorable. It was unacceptable. Methadone has changed
:47:19. > :47:24.the lives of drug users dramatically. Russia does not have
:47:24. > :47:30.the programme that Scotland has got. HIV rates among subjecting drug
:47:30. > :47:35.users in the Russia is 35 %. It is below five % year. That is
:47:35. > :47:40.staggering. We should not blame methadone for that problem. This
:47:40. > :47:48.overall strategy and it was introduced have wide support. Will
:47:48. > :47:52.that support hold or does this strategy you require to be refined?
:47:52. > :47:59.The support is there for the strategy. The comments of Ruth
:47:59. > :48:02.Davidson are over the top. We do not want to see people dying as a
:48:02. > :48:08.result of drug use whatever drug that may be, but we are talking
:48:08. > :48:14.about less than one-fifth of drug users in treatment or on prescribed
:48:14. > :48:19.drugs. There is a big picture out there. To focus the debate so
:48:19. > :48:22.narrowly on to the use of methadone misses the bigger picture. I would
:48:22. > :48:26.hope that the Scottish Conservatives when they come to the
:48:26. > :48:32.debate will have something more to say that simply bashing the
:48:32. > :48:36.methadone programme. Do you accept that the bigger picture includes
:48:36. > :48:41.deprivation, poverty, lack of job opportunity in many of the
:48:41. > :48:46.communities? Absolutely. There are a range of different factors that
:48:46. > :48:52.affect an individual becoming a drug user. One of the. It was made
:48:52. > :48:58.earlier during the discussion was around support. I have met a number
:48:59. > :49:03.of organisations who are supporting families to enable them to support
:49:03. > :49:08.the individual because one of the worst things that can happen is if
:49:08. > :49:14.the individual loses their ties to the family. We need to look at it
:49:14. > :49:17.as our whole strategy. We need to look at how are families and others
:49:17. > :49:27.can play a role in the support of the individual. And you'll have
:49:27. > :49:31.
:49:31. > :49:36.Alex Salmond will soon become the longest serving First Minister. How
:49:36. > :49:39.has he done? We have been looking back. The modern Scottish
:49:39. > :49:46.Parliament has seen four first ministers.
:49:46. > :49:52.Death took Donald Stewart, a so- called middle over office removed
:49:52. > :49:56.Henry McLeish. Defeat did for Jack McConnell, but Alex Salmond goes on.
:49:56. > :50:04.This is him arriving at this week's First Minister's Questions, a
:50:04. > :50:08.familiar routine five years after he first got the job. He often
:50:08. > :50:14.starts conversations with advises asking, are we winning? In recent
:50:14. > :50:19.years, the answer has been yes, but sometimes only just. The 2007
:50:19. > :50:25.elections saw Mr Salmond to beat Labour by a slim margin, just one
:50:25. > :50:33.seat, but it was enough. I heard a rumour. I think we won the
:50:33. > :50:36.election! I think the election of Alex Salmond as the first SNP First
:50:36. > :50:40.Minister of Scotland was significant, because until then
:50:40. > :50:44.they were just an oppositional party, marginal to British politics
:50:44. > :50:50.and devolution. Even after devolution, it took a number of
:50:50. > :50:53.years before the SNP were fit to govern. One of his first challenges
:50:53. > :50:59.was winning the Commonwealth Games for Glasgow. He lobbied delegates
:50:59. > :51:03.and voters. It was a formula which would deliver him the biggest
:51:03. > :51:10.victory of his political career four years later. I heard another
:51:10. > :51:13.rebuff. We have won another election! It certainly was an
:51:13. > :51:17.endorsement of Alex Salmond, but also the team that he had built
:51:17. > :51:21.around him. That is one of his skills, the teams he built around
:51:21. > :51:24.him. It was about his vision for the future. His days as First
:51:24. > :51:27.Minister have not been uncontroversial, not least the
:51:27. > :51:34.release of the Lockerbie bomber. The last fortnight has probably
:51:34. > :51:38.been his worst as a row has reached over EU legal advice. But the
:51:38. > :51:45.politician remains personally popular. He is doing extremely well
:51:45. > :51:51.by any yardstick. Only in recent times could Tony Blair in his
:51:51. > :51:59.heyday have had ratings which exceed where Sam and -- Alex
:51:59. > :52:05.Salmond is. Alex Salmond is more popular. It is no coincidence that
:52:05. > :52:08.support for independence is going down, support for the SNP is going
:52:08. > :52:12.down, and satisfaction with the First Minister is going down, and
:52:12. > :52:16.that is all happening at the same time. And that is tied up with the
:52:16. > :52:20.referendum. Alex Salmond's place in Scottish history does but depend on
:52:20. > :52:24.the length of his service as First Minister. Delivering the referendum
:52:24. > :52:30.guarantees he will be remembered. His next challenge will be winning
:52:30. > :52:36.that vote. Victory, and he will be in the job for many more years to
:52:36. > :52:40.come. Defeat, and his time as First Minister it may be more limited.
:52:40. > :52:45.With me now is Murray Ritchie, the longest serving Scottish Political
:52:45. > :52:52.Editor of the Herald. That itself deserves an award! And in an hour
:52:52. > :52:56.and the studio, Henry McLeish, former Labour First Minister.
:52:56. > :53:01.If you look at Alex Salmond's personal journey, he has
:53:01. > :53:07.fundamentally changed personal positions on NATO, most recently,
:53:07. > :53:11.on the monarchy, on Stirling, yet he has always maintained his social
:53:11. > :53:18.justice position. What does that tell us? He is obviously the major
:53:18. > :53:22.figure in Scottish politics by a mile row. He has changed his
:53:22. > :53:32.position of all the parties on major issues. If you look now at
:53:32. > :53:36.
:53:36. > :53:43.the Labour Party, their attitude on Trident has changed. Johann Lamont
:53:43. > :53:47.has embraced Trident now, and that is a weapon in store for the SNP.
:53:47. > :53:51.The Tories, David Cameron has said that if we reject independence,
:53:51. > :53:55.there will be a new constitutional settlement for Scotland, which is
:53:55. > :54:02.new. The Tories have not said that for a while. The last time they
:54:02. > :54:11.said it, it turned up to Peter Reid -- to be true. And the Liberals are
:54:11. > :54:15.rediscovering federalism. They are talking about a federal Scotland if
:54:15. > :54:20.we reject independence. So he is not just changing SNP policy, but
:54:20. > :54:25.the policies of the other parties as well. This is all down to the
:54:25. > :54:29.SNP's success in the last election and his leadership which was the
:54:29. > :54:34.major factor in that success. he is not a man he was burdened by
:54:34. > :54:40.self doubt. What is the balance here? If you have someone he was
:54:41. > :54:45.very dynamic and can have the sort of influence that Murray has
:54:45. > :54:50.outlined, you cannot afford to be coming across as arrogant to the
:54:50. > :54:53.public. What kind of balance is he striking? The balance he strikes is
:54:53. > :55:03.the one that in politics, it is always better to get respect and to
:55:03. > :55:04.
:55:04. > :55:09.be like to -- light. He does not show popularity in all quarters of
:55:09. > :55:13.Scotland, but he does show dynamic leadership. He is changing the face
:55:13. > :55:18.of Scottish politics. More importantly, he is also defined the
:55:18. > :55:21.laws of politics by winning the majority in 2007. Parliament was
:55:21. > :55:26.set up in Scotland to make sure that did not happen. He has brought
:55:26. > :55:31.his party from being a protest party on the fringe to being a
:55:31. > :55:34.majority force in Scotland. The tea -- the judicious combination of
:55:34. > :55:38.Scottishness and firm leadership has won through with the public.
:55:38. > :55:42.The public do not support independence to any great extent,
:55:42. > :55:46.but they have nevertheless voted for competent government and a
:55:46. > :55:50.Scotland that is moving forward. Unlike predecessors, including
:55:50. > :55:58.myself, he does speak for the nation. This is the important
:55:58. > :56:03.difference. He is the lead of Polly route, but also a national leader.
:56:03. > :56:08.That is important when they are discussing constitutional issues.
:56:08. > :56:14.You are right. Alex can be arrogant, he can be insistent on things, but
:56:14. > :56:17.look also at the fact that he has shown courage. The Libyan bombing
:56:17. > :56:23.incident, that was good for Scotland, not liked by the public
:56:23. > :56:27.at the time, but a fair decision, and he took it. Just before we
:56:27. > :56:31.leave this, I use saying that Johann Lamont, as leader of
:56:31. > :56:35.Scottish Labour in Holyrood, she cannot speak for Scotland?
:56:35. > :56:41.course she can, she aspires to be the leader in that parliament and
:56:41. > :56:44.to be a national leader. That is not the issue. Since the Alex
:56:44. > :56:47.Salmond's election, he has dominated Scottish politics, and
:56:47. > :56:53.the reason for that is that the Unionist parties have lost traction
:56:53. > :56:57.in the post devolution period. He has taken the idea of Scottishness,
:56:57. > :57:01.the Saltire, patriotism and pride, and he has wrapped his party around
:57:01. > :57:08.it. The other parties have failed to do that. The other parties could
:57:08. > :57:11.learn from the First Minister's and reconfigure their policies. That is
:57:11. > :57:19.the great weakness, currently top of the Unionist parties. Let me
:57:19. > :57:29.give you a quote from the former chair of the Scottish Council for
:57:29. > :57:29.
:57:30. > :57:36.Voluntary organisations. She said that loyalties were negotiable, but
:57:36. > :57:40.now politics is a punter free zone of poisonous tribalism. Is that a
:57:40. > :57:49.picture you recognise? Yes, it is. I think there is a poisonous
:57:49. > :57:57.tribalism in Scottish politics. I can go back to the days of the
:57:57. > :58:01.original Scottish Labour Party. But the vitriol that was poured on some
:58:01. > :58:05.people at that time was awful. This is the attitude that a lot of
:58:05. > :58:15.senior people in the Scottish Labour Party have, you are either
:58:15. > :58:17.
:58:17. > :58:20.for us are your against us. -- or you are against us. All the parties
:58:20. > :58:24.have to recognise that the parliament was supposed to be
:58:24. > :58:28.consensual, the opposite of the Westminster adversarial system. We
:58:28. > :58:34.were supposed to work together a lot more. When you watch First
:58:34. > :58:40.Minister's Questions now, as I do it my retirement, it is not
:58:40. > :58:45.inspiring to watch people standing up and reading scripted insults and
:58:45. > :58:48.name-calling. We have to rise above that. Henry, I'll have to ask you
:58:48. > :58:51.to come back to that later, because you are both staying with us, and
:58:51. > :58:57.we will be looking at the American election and some of the latest
:58:57. > :59:05.from the newspapers, but right now, let's cross over to London for the
:59:05. > :59:10.race with -- news with Maxine Mawhinney and Andrew Kerr.
:59:10. > :59:14.Good afternoon. The US presidential candidates are heading into the
:59:14. > :59:20.final two days of campaigning, with the outcome still too close to call.
:59:20. > :59:30.The latest survey suggests that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are
:59:30. > :59:30.
:59:30. > :59:34.level, with 48% each of support. No matter how bad a storm is, we
:59:34. > :59:39.bounced back. No matter how tough times are, we are all in this
:59:39. > :59:44.together. We rise or fall as one nation and one people.
:59:44. > :59:50.A final push for votes as the clock ticks towards Tuesday's vote.
:59:50. > :59:56.Barack Obama is asking for more time to change America. The former
:59:56. > :00:01.president was brought into help him make his case. His challenger at
:00:01. > :00:04.Mitt Romney is not letting up either. Both candidates are truth -
:00:04. > :00:09.- are frantically trying to attract undecided voters in battleground
:00:09. > :00:14.states. The economy is the big issue of this election.
:00:14. > :00:18.question of this election can stand this. Do you want more of the same,
:00:18. > :00:24.what do you want real change? Barack Obama promised change, but
:00:25. > :00:29.he could not deliver it. I promise change, and I have a record of
:00:29. > :00:32.achieving change. The two contenders both have a punishing
:00:32. > :00:38.Schedule ahead of them today. Barack Obama will go to New
:00:38. > :00:44.Hampshire and then Florida and Ohio. Mitt Romney will go to Ohio first
:00:44. > :00:48.and then to Pennsylvania. In this vast country, millions of Americans
:00:48. > :00:58.have already cast their ballots in the early voting to. I am voting
:00:58. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:03.for Barack Obama. He is making some changes. I feel like with Barack
:01:03. > :01:07.Obama being in office for the next election, things will change for
:01:07. > :01:13.the better in America, regardless. An opinion poll today but the
:01:13. > :01:19.candidates each at 48%, with just two days of campaigning left. The
:01:19. > :01:24.election is still too close to call. Previously unseen text messages
:01:24. > :01:29.between David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks have been published by the
:01:29. > :01:33.Mail on Sunday. The messages are from a series of text messages and
:01:33. > :01:38.e-mails handed to Lord Justice Leveson during his media standards
:01:38. > :01:42.inquiry. The Children's Commissioner for
:01:42. > :01:47.Wales has backed calls for a new inquiry into the abuse of children
:01:47. > :01:53.in care homes in North Wales in the 1970s and 80s. The commissioner
:01:53. > :01:56.says he suspects a group of people were protected, enabling MPs to
:01:56. > :02:00.continue. Winter is definitely here and snow
:02:00. > :02:04.has been falling in the South West of England, covering parts of
:02:04. > :02:08.Somerset and Wiltshire in up to three inches of the white stuff. He
:02:08. > :02:11.was have sent in their pictures of the snow. It has already caused
:02:12. > :02:21.disruption on the roads as well as a suspended do service this morning.
:02:21. > :02:26.That is all the news for now. There is more news on BBC One at 5:50pm.
:02:26. > :02:32.Good afternoon. A huge piece of an aircraft carrier is to be floated
:02:32. > :02:36.in the Clyde. It is the last part of a ship to be moved to Rosyth.
:02:36. > :02:39.Stephen Cottrell is at the BAE yard systems -- BAE Systems yard in
:02:39. > :02:42.Govan. This is the largest section of the
:02:42. > :02:46.Queen Elizabeth class career built here in Govan. It will be assembled
:02:46. > :02:49.in Fife. The process of getting it there has already been affected by
:02:49. > :02:53.the weather. The original plan was to take it round the northern tip
:02:53. > :02:56.of Scotland, but it will now go around the southern coast of
:02:56. > :03:00.Scotland. It will be in Fife in nine days.
:03:00. > :03:05.Trains between Dundee and Aberdeen are suspended after a minor
:03:05. > :03:08.derailment. The cross-country service came off the tracks that
:03:08. > :03:13.Inverkeilor in Angus before 10am today. No-one was injured. It is
:03:13. > :03:18.not clear when the line will reopen. The Aberdeen shares in at -- Emeli
:03:18. > :03:26.Sande was a big win at the medal awards last night. She scooped
:03:26. > :03:34.three separate titles. The event was held in Liverpool.
:03:34. > :03:37.The showers we have had in the South and West will begin to pull
:03:37. > :03:43.away into the Atlantic, and then the bulk of the country will be dry
:03:43. > :03:47.and bright, with sunshine in the North and West. Today, we have a
:03:47. > :03:56.south-easterly wind which is coming off the North Sea, so cloudier in
:03:56. > :04:06.the North East. Top temperature, Strap yourselves in. It is time for
:04:06. > :04:10.
:04:10. > :04:17.With the in the studio is Dr Christopher Carman from Strathclyde
:04:17. > :04:21.University. Still with me is Murray Ritchie and Henry McLeish. Looking
:04:21. > :04:31.at their headlines today regarding the presidential election, it has
:04:31. > :04:34.
:04:34. > :04:39.been described as the longest, got ears, silliest election ever.
:04:39. > :04:46.There are some of the other headlines. How are you calling it
:04:46. > :04:56.at this stage? Their close. There is a disconnect between national
:04:56. > :05:04.polls and state level polls. The national polls have it very close.
:05:04. > :05:13.The state level polls are the interesting ones. Or high York is a
:05:13. > :05:20.big one. Wisconsin and Florida at others. -- Ohio. It is where the
:05:20. > :05:30.polls break in these states. We are interested in Ohio, Wisconsin -
:05:30. > :05:30.
:05:30. > :05:39.they are breaking four or armour -- they are breaking for Barack Obama.
:05:39. > :05:46.If we look at the possibility of a Trident free Scotland and a nuclear
:05:46. > :05:52.disarmed UK how would that be seen in the White House? Mitt Romney
:05:52. > :05:57.tends to reflect Barack Obama in some of these big issues. Mitt
:05:57. > :06:02.Romney kept saying he supported a lot of what Barack Obama had said
:06:02. > :06:06.in the third televised debate. They have not specifically committed on
:06:06. > :06:13.Trident, but I would speculate they would both be in favour of keeping
:06:13. > :06:21.Trident actor of. They would be in favour of a strong NATO. If we look
:06:21. > :06:27.at something else, Gordon Brown is saying that an independent Scotland
:06:27. > :06:32.would be a British colony. He said under SNP plans that would be
:06:32. > :06:37.perfect. What you think of that and by
:06:37. > :06:43.saying it now? It is unfortunate that the word Colonial has been
:06:43. > :06:46.used. It was a thoughtful piece. He is saying that no matter what the
:06:46. > :06:50.relationship between Scotland and the UK is after independence, we
:06:51. > :06:54.will still be dealing with the United Kingdom. For me it does
:06:54. > :07:00.highlight the point that we're based with two options.
:07:00. > :07:06.Independents or Unionism. If you read between the lines of the
:07:06. > :07:11.Gordon Brown article he is saying we need more devolution. I suspect
:07:11. > :07:15.that idea of being part of the UK is acceptable to most Scots, but I
:07:15. > :07:21.want to see more home rule powers. I think basically that Gordon Brown
:07:21. > :07:27.is reinforcing my message. What about the timing? He has been
:07:27. > :07:31.below the radar or a lot of this. That is true. I have spoken to
:07:31. > :07:38.Gordon Brown over the last six months about his views on the
:07:38. > :07:43.constitutional question. I did he has shifted in his view. He does
:07:43. > :07:47.not have much truck with independence. On other hand
:07:47. > :07:51.hopefully he will start to argue that secures Scotland in the UK is
:07:51. > :07:57.the best bet for the future. If you do not want independence let us
:07:57. > :08:03.have maximum home rule. With an independent Scotland be a British
:08:03. > :08:06.colony? He was talking about the Bank of England under control might
:08:06. > :08:13.have over the Scottish economy. The bag of England is a British
:08:13. > :08:16.institution and therefore some of it belongs to Scotland. Alex
:08:16. > :08:24.Salmond will welcome Gordon Brown coming back into the political
:08:24. > :08:31.scene and asking questions. This referendum will be won or lost on
:08:31. > :08:35.the economy. If enough people could be persuaded that they would be
:08:35. > :08:45.better off, the SNP would win the referendum. We should welcome
:08:45. > :08:46.