:01:12. > :01:17.complain about the deal they are getting on expenses but many are
:01:17. > :01:20.angry about the new system. Nadine Tories joins us.
:01:20. > :01:23.And coming up on Sunday Politics Scotland - 16 and 17-year-olds will
:01:23. > :01:33.get a vote in next year's referendum on independence, so will they vote
:01:33. > :01:33.
:01:33. > :37:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2167 seconds
:37:41. > :37:46.sympathy. You get 66,000 a year and you earn a decent pension. You can
:37:46. > :37:56.earn money outside armament. It is not going to get public sympathy, is
:37:56. > :37:57.
:37:57. > :38:02.it? The public needs of democracy in which MPs can afford to access. The
:38:02. > :38:07.situation is we will have our parliament which will be full of
:38:07. > :38:11.millionaires or poppers. It is coming to a situation for MPs cannot
:38:11. > :38:21.afford to be MPs. I know to MPs are going to stand down because they
:38:21. > :38:22.
:38:22. > :38:27.cannot afford to be MPs. Who do you blame for this? David Cameron and
:38:27. > :38:31.Gordon brown because in the last parliament in a process to save
:38:31. > :38:34.their skins, they agreed to recommendations put forward. It was
:38:34. > :38:43.a knee-jerk reaction and badly thought through. It costs the
:38:43. > :38:45.taxpayer a huge amount of money and should never have been agreed to.
:38:45. > :38:53.understand I am supposed to ask you questions about how much you made
:38:53. > :38:58.going into the jungle? I have not made anything yet. I do not want to
:38:58. > :39:01.talk about it in the same way that if I asked you how much you earn
:39:01. > :39:07.from the British taxpayer by the licence fee including your benefits
:39:07. > :39:12.in trouble and how much you are paid in this job? You say here and now
:39:12. > :39:17.how much you get paid and I will tell you how much I get paid.
:39:17. > :39:25.have been paid nothing to go into the jungle, is that what you are
:39:25. > :39:27.telling us? I have not smelly benefited from it. I do have a
:39:27. > :39:35.company in which I write extensively, I do television
:39:36. > :39:41.appearances extensively and I do get paid. When I benefit personally from
:39:41. > :39:45.that, I will have to declare it to the register and when I do, I will
:39:45. > :39:51.do it immediately. Isn't there a difference between you and Andrew
:39:51. > :39:59.because you're an elected public representative? You took time out of
:39:59. > :40:05.a paid job I did not, I was on holiday. YouTube time out to go and
:40:05. > :40:11.do a television programme? Nick, you must tell the truth. Parliament was
:40:11. > :40:18.on recess when I was in the jungle and I was on holiday. Your job is to
:40:18. > :40:26.represent your constituents. So I am not allowed to have a holiday?
:40:26. > :40:33.saying you need to declare it. declare the money that I am paid.
:40:33. > :40:38.You are public representative. think her expenses for going into
:40:38. > :40:43.the jungle have been well raked over. What do you think of my idea
:40:43. > :40:52.that MPs should be paid much more? Do you think your colleagues would
:40:52. > :40:59.go for that? A salary of say a hundred thousand? Outside earnings
:40:59. > :41:03.and expenses? I think MPs issued be paid in the same level as GPs and
:41:03. > :41:09.headteachers. I figured there were no outside earnings probably a large
:41:09. > :41:13.number of MPs in Parliament today with a bubbly leads. The kind of
:41:13. > :41:17.able you would attract would be a very different type of person.
:41:17. > :41:22.are saying if MPs had 100000 and had no outside earnings they would
:41:22. > :41:29.probably lead? Ella M I think there are more to earn substantially more
:41:29. > :41:35.than that. For many MPs to give up their outside earnings, you have
:41:35. > :41:45.people who write books etc. People who spend far more time on the
:41:45. > :41:47.
:41:47. > :41:57.outside earnings. You are lumbered with it certain, aren't you? I think
:41:57. > :42:07.
:42:07. > :42:11.we probably are and it needs to become a lot more comfortable.
:42:11. > :42:15.Welcome to Sunday Politics Scotland. Coming up - young people and the
:42:15. > :42:21.referendum, we have a new survey which indicates what they make of
:42:21. > :42:28.the information wars, who influences them and their voting intentions.
:42:28. > :42:34.think schools have more of an influence than parents. At home
:42:34. > :42:39.parents boat so that has influenced me more to vote. They want Scotland
:42:39. > :42:44.to be the safest place in the world for children to grow up. How
:42:44. > :42:47.realistic is the Scottish Government's lofty ambition? And MPs
:42:47. > :42:54.behaving badly - white borders cannot recall troublesome
:42:54. > :42:57.politicians despite repeated promises from the UK government.
:42:57. > :43:03.Little has been known about the attitudes of young people who will
:43:03. > :43:08.be eligible to vote next year until now. Major new survey by Edinburgh
:43:08. > :43:12.University suggests only 21% of 14 to 17-year-olds would vote yes to an
:43:12. > :43:18.independent Scotland. We have given exclusive access to the results and
:43:18. > :43:25.I have been back to school to find out more.
:43:25. > :43:29.At this Academy students are thinking about an historic vote. The
:43:29. > :43:33.Edinburgh University survey was roadtested here. Pupils helped
:43:33. > :43:42.define and clarify the questions. The main things we thought about was
:43:42. > :43:45.how can we make this as easy as possible? We looked at all the
:43:45. > :43:50.questions and analyse them and came up with ideas as to how to make them
:43:50. > :43:58.as simple as possible. 94% of those surveys were aware of the referendum
:43:58. > :44:02.would be held last year, -- next year, and the crunch question should
:44:02. > :44:09.Scotland be an independent question - in the survey indicates 21% said
:44:09. > :44:16.yes, 60% said no and 19% were undecided. If anyone was under the
:44:16. > :44:21.illusion that I giving votes to 16 and 17-year-olds Alex Salmond was
:44:21. > :44:31.going to unveil a secret weapon, by doing this, then they should be
:44:31. > :44:33.
:44:33. > :44:38.disabused. This suggests there are is not marked evidence that there is
:44:38. > :44:44.great support among 16 to seven new -- 17-year-olds. This is a
:44:44. > :44:49.significant survey. No survey is definitive and we would be delighted
:44:49. > :44:58.if someone else repeated this. No survey tells us everything, but this
:44:58. > :45:05.is an indication. There has never been a survey like this before.
:45:05. > :45:07.the information taken from this will be put to good use. We will supply
:45:07. > :45:16.materials to schools in Scotland over the next few months so they can
:45:16. > :45:21.use them in the next academic year. It is not in any sense to indicate
:45:21. > :45:26.one side or the other but it will give teachers material on what young
:45:26. > :45:33.people are thinking. Teachers are aware of their responsibilities when
:45:33. > :45:37.it comes to the referendum. We have to show both sides of the debate but
:45:37. > :45:41.you have your own opinions and you talk about it with other adults but
:45:41. > :45:46.when you come into the classroom it is our responsibility to give a fair
:45:46. > :45:54.and balanced viewpoint. A young people look for information, school
:45:54. > :45:57.does not compete with social media. Scoop plays a good role but they do
:45:57. > :46:02.not give you enough about the referendum, not yet. The Internet is
:46:02. > :46:07.probably were young people get most of their information. Politics is
:46:07. > :46:14.used more on social networking sites. Online it is easy to look for
:46:14. > :46:19.what you need and you fight links and you go and find more arguments
:46:19. > :46:23.and find out about things you would not necessarily look for.
:46:23. > :46:27.teachers and survey researchers have been impressed that the awareness
:46:27. > :46:33.and political engagement of young people suggested either survey. We
:46:33. > :46:39.saw that in school. I am always interested in what is going on
:46:39. > :46:45.because at this stage in my life, I am leaving school, it is important
:46:45. > :46:49.to note what is going on and what changes will occur as I get older.
:46:49. > :46:57.take an active interest in politics. I like to know what is going on in
:46:57. > :47:00.the country and I take an interest in foreign politics as well. With
:47:00. > :47:04.young people considering the survey results about identity and parental
:47:04. > :47:10.influence in their voting, there is plenty to think about before heading
:47:10. > :47:14.to the polling booth. Joining me now is then Nisbet, one of the students
:47:14. > :47:24.we saw, a representative from Edinburgh University and Rachel
:47:24. > :47:33.
:47:33. > :47:38.Ormston. -- then Nesbitt. Were you surprised by the results? What was
:47:38. > :47:45.surprising was how low the boat was, even lower than what we see in most
:47:45. > :47:52.of the adult polls. The young people have a strong interest in the survey
:47:52. > :47:55.and getting more information. Two thirds of the students said
:47:55. > :48:04.effectively that they want more information before they make a final
:48:04. > :48:08.decision. Looking at independence, why was the result is so low? Is
:48:08. > :48:11.there a confidence issue? There is something about not knowing what
:48:11. > :48:15.will happen and not having the confidence of knowing what an
:48:15. > :48:21.independent Scotland would be like. It is not so much a strong
:48:21. > :48:24.conviction, but from the survey, it is a lack of information and
:48:24. > :48:27.students say that. They want more specific information and they want
:48:27. > :48:34.to know what is happening in order to make a more informed decision. If
:48:34. > :48:39.they cannot do this, there is a high proportion of no faults. Rachel, how
:48:39. > :48:45.does the survey compared to other results we have seen? As my
:48:45. > :48:51.colleague said, the level of support for a yes vote amongst this age
:48:51. > :48:57.group is a lot lower than we have seen in other surveys. Typically,
:48:57. > :49:03.the polls over the last few months have put the yes vote at somewhere
:49:04. > :49:09.between 28% and 36%, so 21% is a lot lower than that. It was quite
:49:09. > :49:14.surprising finding, because if there is an age pattern amongst adults,
:49:14. > :49:18.tends to be amongst the older age group who are least supportive of
:49:18. > :49:22.independence. Young adults tend to be more supportive, but 14 to
:49:22. > :49:32.17-year-olds are not conforming to that. It is interesting that younger
:49:32. > :49:32.
:49:32. > :49:39.adults are not conforming. They tend to to be more liberal in their
:49:39. > :49:44.views. I think it is a lack of certainty in what the consequences
:49:44. > :49:49.would be, how sure you are about what independence means? That is
:49:49. > :49:57.something that is linked with adults and how likely they are to vote yes
:49:57. > :50:07.no. We often hear that adult abuse from the usual suspects and it is
:50:07. > :50:12.
:50:12. > :50:18.interesting to hear from you, then. It is interesting and table wanted
:50:18. > :50:22.to listen more, especially on social media. There has never been much
:50:23. > :50:26.continuity so maybe one campaign says one thing and on the other
:50:26. > :50:35.campaign they are saying something else. It needs clarification amongst
:50:35. > :50:45.young people and what they want. What was the research indicating
:50:45. > :50:45.
:50:45. > :51:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2167 seconds
:51:47. > :51:51.based on this. Query to you go for information? Information can be
:51:51. > :51:57.accessed anywhere. You can discuss with your parents and family and
:51:57. > :52:05.this can be a place to spark up debate. Social media is a growing
:52:05. > :52:10.force we find this and it is interesting. Independence for
:52:10. > :52:14.Scotland is a completely new idea. In schools, many of the contemporary
:52:15. > :52:21.issues we face there may not be events on the horizon we could
:52:21. > :52:29.change. With this referendum, now we have the chance to vote, that shows
:52:29. > :52:36.a real power behind young people. you discuss the referendum with your
:52:36. > :52:44.friends at school? It is exciting. Because it is categorical in its
:52:44. > :52:54.nature, it means people have to decide so many times have been spent
:52:54. > :52:57.
:52:57. > :53:02.discussing with my peers at about what is happening. The real
:53:03. > :53:08.engagement seems to be there and it has taken us by surprise. It is
:53:08. > :53:18.usually the case that young adults are a little less interested in
:53:18. > :53:18.
:53:18. > :54:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2167 seconds
:54:12. > :54:22.politics. It is important and categorical. What are the scenarios
:54:22. > :54:37.
:54:37. > :54:44.By it was evident from the fact that the suggested one 5th of young
:54:44. > :54:51.people have still to make up their minds. It says I am not confident
:54:51. > :54:56.about making a decision. Two-thirds are saying, I have made a decision,
:54:56. > :54:59.but that could change if I get further information. Many young
:54:59. > :55:06.people are willing to take information on board and I think
:55:06. > :55:10.that is encouraging. Are you feeling fortunate that you can take
:55:11. > :55:15.part in this debate? Yes, it is an amazing opportunity. It is
:55:15. > :55:22.something that will change Scotland for ever. It is new ground for
:55:22. > :55:28.Scotland to cover. This has not been looked at properly for
:55:28. > :55:36.hundreds of years. It is a great opportunity. Do you get quite
:55:36. > :55:41.heated almost when you have these discussions? It can get heated. We
:55:41. > :55:45.are not putting each other down. We are seeking clarity and an
:55:45. > :55:55.agreement on what will happen. is interesting to have this
:55:55. > :55:56.
:55:56. > :56:01.evidence. Do you think it might be replicated by someone else? This is
:56:01. > :56:06.certainly the first time, as far as I am aware, that there has been a
:56:06. > :56:12.serious attempt to look at the views of 14 to 17-year-olds in
:56:12. > :56:17.Scotland. I would hope that there will be further surveys of this age
:56:17. > :56:25.group in the run-up to the referendum. Thank you all very much
:56:25. > :56:28.for joining us. Now, there was positive news this
:56:28. > :56:30.week when it came to child welfare. A Care Inspectorate report said
:56:30. > :56:33.authorities are getting better at protecting at-risk children. It is
:56:33. > :56:37.a difficult and sensitive issue but the Scottish Government is aiming
:56:37. > :56:40.high, saying they want Scotland to be the best place in the world for
:56:40. > :56:45.children to grow up. Craig Anderson has more.
:56:45. > :56:51.The inspectors' report will make relatively comfortable reading for
:56:51. > :56:54.social work departments. It recognises that staff understand
:56:54. > :57:04.the corrosive employment of chronic poor parenting, neglect and
:57:04. > :57:09.
:57:09. > :57:18.emotional abuse. The report recognises the help given by other
:57:18. > :57:22.bodies him alerting social work staff to signs of abuse. Systems
:57:22. > :57:25.have a set up to ensure a high degree of contact with parents and
:57:25. > :57:30.children once it those youngsters had been placed on the child
:57:30. > :57:35.protection register. People who are in charge of services to protect
:57:35. > :57:39.children are working together. People who see children every day,
:57:40. > :57:44.like health visitors and teachers, are much more willing to come
:57:44. > :57:48.forward when they have concerns about children. But the inspectors
:57:48. > :57:57.say there is still room for improvement. For children who are
:57:57. > :58:03.approaching that threshold, they might not be having enough contact
:58:03. > :58:09.with social workers. There is a growing awareness about the impact
:58:09. > :58:14.of neglect on children. We are committed to getting it right with
:58:14. > :58:18.every child. It is about making sure that we are intervening in
:58:18. > :58:23.family life early enough to make a difference. We do not want to get
:58:23. > :58:29.to the stage of children having to be looked after. Another key
:58:29. > :58:32.recommendation is that social services should act faster one so
:58:32. > :58:39.they decide that children should be removed from their home. A
:58:39. > :58:42.permanent home is vital if children are to develop and flourish.
:58:43. > :58:45.I'm joined now in the studio by Anne McTaggart, the Scottish Labour
:58:45. > :58:52.MSP and by Stewart Maxwell the SNP MSP.
:58:52. > :58:55.Good morning. A very positive report, things are obviously going
:58:55. > :59:03.well in this sector. By the Scottish government do what
:59:03. > :59:07.Scotland to be the best place for children to grow up. We must not be
:59:07. > :59:17.complacent. This is a very good report and highlights many
:59:17. > :59:17.
:59:17. > :59:20.improvements across many areas. They have been positive results and
:59:20. > :59:25.much better multi- agency working they may have seen in the past. But
:59:25. > :59:29.there are still problems. For example, children who are suffering
:59:29. > :59:34.from neglect but two were just below the threshold so they are not
:59:34. > :59:37.being bought to the attention of services quickly enough.
:59:37. > :59:45.Scottish government are co- ordinating the agencies quite well.
:59:45. > :59:48.Yes, they are. But there is still room for improvement. There are
:59:48. > :59:56.still children who are below that threshold level that still need to
:59:56. > :59:59.be looked at and given a service. The Care Inspectorate were pointing
:59:59. > :00:07.out that child care is everyone's responsibility. Social workers,
:00:07. > :00:12.police, members of the public as well. Is that important to
:00:12. > :00:18.remember? It is one of the most important changes over the last few
:00:18. > :00:23.years, the coming together of these agencies. In the past, there was a
:00:23. > :00:27.problem were health might identify someone, but police and social
:00:27. > :00:34.workers have no idea. We are beginning to see some positive
:00:34. > :00:39.changes in that regard. It is important that we look forward. In
:00:39. > :00:43.Parliament, we have to get her teeth into the new children Bill
:00:43. > :00:47.that has been introduced. If we get that right, we will see further
:00:48. > :00:54.improvement in the future. Is there still a problem about children who
:00:54. > :01:02.fall through the cracks, who have come off the register, who have
:01:02. > :01:08.missed the threshold for getting on the register? Yes, there is.
:01:08. > :01:16.However, we have got to congratulate the health agencies
:01:16. > :01:20.and all those who work more closely together. Education, police, they
:01:20. > :01:30.are all coming together to try to identify these young people that
:01:30. > :01:32.
:01:32. > :01:39.you are talking about. But it is important to recognise the
:01:40. > :01:46.Invisible children. We need to identify and multi-agency approach.
:01:46. > :01:49.It can be very difficult to identify the children. It is almost
:01:49. > :01:55.inevitable that some children would fall through the cracks according
:01:55. > :01:58.to the Care Inspectorate. But you cannot accept that. Do you have a
:01:58. > :02:04.pragmatic view that there may be children who fall through the gaps
:02:04. > :02:07.and there is very little that the authorities can do? There is no
:02:07. > :02:12.system in the world that anyone can produce that will guarantee
:02:12. > :02:19.absolute protection of all children. That is impossible. What we can do
:02:19. > :02:24.is improve things. But there are children who are being missed. They
:02:24. > :02:34.are suffering long-term neglect. But there is no single incident
:02:34. > :02:41.that brings them to the attention of support mechanisms. But there
:02:41. > :02:44.are particular groups, children with learning disabled parents, for
:02:44. > :02:48.children with parents who have addiction problems, and they are
:02:48. > :02:53.not getting the attention they require. That is one thing we must
:02:53. > :02:58.focus on. That is why we have this you programme to make sure that
:02:58. > :03:01.inspections take a broader look at children, rather than focus on a
:03:01. > :03:07.narrow group. It can be very difficult for social workers to
:03:07. > :03:16.identify these children? I totally agree. There is not a politician
:03:16. > :03:21.who would not agree. The new approach and the aspirations in the
:03:21. > :03:28.new Bill totally agree with that. It is a super way to move forward.
:03:28. > :03:33.However, if we are not going to fund local authorities to enable us
:03:33. > :03:38.to highlight that service and to produce that service, to support
:03:38. > :03:44.some of the staff and the communities to enable us to try and
:03:44. > :03:52.ensure that is done. But the services are very expensive? What
:03:52. > :03:59.concerns are there in the sector about funding and cuts? At no point
:03:59. > :04:02.in history have people said there is enough funding. Every pressure
:04:02. > :04:06.is -- every budget is under pressure. That is why we have to
:04:06. > :04:13.look at how the services work together and bring them together in
:04:13. > :04:17.a more efficient manner. I think we can make progress. Local-government
:04:17. > :04:22.has had an increasing share of the Scottish government budget. At
:04:22. > :04:27.times there have been cuts... it is very difficult with the
:04:27. > :04:32.council tax freeze. The council tax freeze is funded from the Scottish
:04:32. > :04:38.government. But over and above that, the share of the Scottish budget
:04:38. > :04:45.has increased over the period that the SNP has been NPower. That has
:04:45. > :04:54.been of benefit to their social services. But cuts from whence Mr
:04:54. > :04:59.will have an impact. -- cuts from Westminster. People are aware that
:04:59. > :05:03.things have to be done differently. But I do not agree with them that
:05:03. > :05:10.government, local government, has to take what they get. It is
:05:10. > :05:16.totally impractical. The services that are there just now, they are
:05:16. > :05:21.struggling to deal with what they have to do with just now. That is
:05:21. > :05:25.without pudding those and people who are already in contact with
:05:25. > :05:35.social services who are not already on the register. There is a range
:05:35. > :05:49.
:05:49. > :05:55.of young people are still the bus on early years intervention and
:05:55. > :06:00.making sure that children do not suffer more neglect. It will be more
:06:00. > :06:05.efficient. Let us turn our attention to the story at the top of the
:06:05. > :06:13.programme? Your reaction to the Edinburgh University survey that 21%
:06:13. > :06:19.of young people would vote yes to our independent Scotland. It is an
:06:19. > :06:25.interesting poll. A poll two weeks ago showed that amongst the younger
:06:25. > :06:28.age group the split was roughly 50-50 in terms of yes and no. You
:06:28. > :06:34.will get different results with different surveys but what is
:06:34. > :06:41.important is the fact that when people come to vote, they will look
:06:41. > :06:46.at individual questions. They will think do they want Scotland to
:06:46. > :06:50.control welfare, benefits and taxation except? When it comes to
:06:50. > :06:54.the boat, those are the choices people will make and they will
:06:54. > :07:01.choose a positive future and vote yes. You heard people talking about
:07:02. > :07:04.the lack of information? Could? Could there be more information?
:07:04. > :07:09.Scottish Government has said it will publish a number of papers leading
:07:09. > :07:12.up to the final paper towards the end of the year. There is lots more
:07:12. > :07:17.information to come and those young people said they could be swayed in
:07:17. > :07:21.terms of the boat. They will definitely get the information they
:07:21. > :07:26.need and in the end, I am sure they will vote yes. Thank you both very
:07:26. > :07:32.much. Coming up after the news - MPs
:07:32. > :07:34.behaving badly, but what can be done? Legislation to deal with
:07:35. > :07:39.misbehaving MPs was part of the coalition agreement but has been
:07:39. > :07:44.kicked into the long grass. We will discuss that and we will also look
:07:44. > :07:52.at the big stories of the week. You are watching Sunday Politics
:07:52. > :07:56.Scotland and now it is time for a news up date.
:07:56. > :08:01.Good afternoon. The latest official figures indicate that more pregnant
:08:01. > :08:06.women in Scotland are trying to stop smoking. Last year the NHS in
:08:06. > :08:09.Scotland recorded just under 3000 attempts by pregnant women to stop.
:08:09. > :08:13.The Scottish Government says women will now be offered carbon monoxide
:08:13. > :08:20.monitoring early in their pregnancy to check the levels of exposure to
:08:20. > :08:25.cigarette smoke. It is a simple breath test. Carbon monoxide is
:08:25. > :08:30.exhaled if women are smokers in a certain amount. There is a sensitive
:08:30. > :08:37.equipment that will account as level of carbon monoxide that we feel is
:08:37. > :08:42.dangerous. We know that in combination with women being advised
:08:42. > :08:47.and referred to smoking stopping clinics, has been shown as a
:08:47. > :08:52.combination of interventions that are successful. Reports of salts in
:08:52. > :08:58.young children in the Fortwilliam area are being investigated. It is a
:08:58. > :09:04.merged -- it has emerged that a 28 euros man been arrested in
:09:04. > :09:09.connection with the inquiry and a report is being prepared.
:09:09. > :09:15.A survey of teenagers eligible to vote for the first time in the
:09:15. > :09:22.referendum vote says most do not think that Scotland should be
:09:22. > :09:29.independent. 94% of 14 to seven new -- 17-year-olds surveyed were not
:09:29. > :09:35.aware that are referendum will be held next year is 60% said no to
:09:35. > :09:41.independence and just over one and said they believed Scotland should
:09:41. > :09:43.be an independent country and 20% were undecided. Just over 1000
:09:43. > :09:49.people were questioned by researchers for Edinburgh
:09:49. > :09:54.University. As 15-year-old boy is in hospital
:09:54. > :09:59.after falling down a cliff in Aberdeenshire. The accident happened
:09:59. > :10:03.and at Castle ruins early yesterday evening. The leaves have issued a
:10:04. > :10:09.warning over what they say is the hazardous conditions in the area.
:10:09. > :10:12.In Iqbal, the Scotland manager Gordon Strachan says it's our huge
:10:12. > :10:18.disappointment to be without the cap on for the World Cup qualifying
:10:18. > :10:23.match in Croatia. He is on the sidelines and the Hibernian striker
:10:23. > :10:33.in -- striker Leigh Griffiths is fit to travel. Time for a weather
:10:33. > :10:53.
:10:53. > :11:01.will be misty and murky around the coast. Tomorrow it will be dry and
:11:01. > :11:05.bright, particularly further east. Along the West Coast it will be
:11:06. > :11:10.misty and murky. That is all for now.
:11:10. > :11:17.I will be back with more news later. Now back to Sunday Politics
:11:17. > :11:24.Now back to Sunday Politics Scotland. Patrick Mercer's
:11:24. > :11:28.resignation of the flip has raised accusations that MPs are behaving
:11:28. > :11:33.badly. A bill was promised by the coalition government but despite
:11:33. > :11:38.high profile cases north and south of the border, nothing has
:11:38. > :11:47.happened. Our Political Correspondent has asked why?
:11:47. > :11:54.Remember this? Flipping MPs abusing the expenses system. They had the
:11:54. > :12:02.cheek to try and keep it all secret until the courts stepped in. People
:12:02. > :12:08.are dismayed. If an MP has done something seriously wrong that has
:12:08. > :12:14.been proved, people should have the right to sack them and a sack them
:12:14. > :12:19.now. A change in the law allowing people -- voters to force a
:12:19. > :12:23.by-election was part of the caller illusion agreement. The government
:12:23. > :12:27.published proposals to allow for recall if an MP was sent to jail or
:12:27. > :12:33.of other MPs thought it was appropriate. For some people, that
:12:33. > :12:38.does not go far enough. I would like the people to be able to decide.
:12:38. > :12:44.That is the only way the right of recall is going to be anything but a
:12:44. > :12:51.paper tiger. These proposals are a designed as such and will frighten
:12:51. > :12:57.and very few MPs. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge. A bill of
:12:57. > :13:07.recall was conspicuous by its absence from the Queens Speech. No
:13:07. > :13:10.
:13:10. > :13:16.one at Westminster expected move any time soon until this happened.
:13:16. > :13:20.Patrick Mercer's decision to stay on despite resigning the Tory whip over
:13:20. > :13:24.cash for questions allegations has brought the issue back to the front
:13:24. > :13:33.pages as has the ongoing issue surrounding this MP, suspended by
:13:33. > :13:41.Labour last year. Those eager for reform are sceptical that recall is
:13:41. > :13:45.the right course of action. It is not a tool for the public, it is a
:13:46. > :13:53.tool for the really wealthy, elite people, or big political players who
:13:53. > :14:00.spend lots of money running huge campaigns. For ordinary people to be
:14:00. > :14:03.able to finance or organise such a campaign would be a huge jump.
:14:03. > :14:11.Walker's suspension from the SNP following allegations of domestic
:14:11. > :14:17.abuse has raised the issue at Holyrood. It is constituents will
:14:17. > :14:23.not be able to sack him before the 2016 election. There are two
:14:23. > :14:28.franchises in operations here. It would be very hard with the regional
:14:28. > :14:32.board, which is designed to be proportional or two top up the
:14:33. > :14:38.constituency elections, and at the moment, there is no possibility for
:14:38. > :14:43.a by-election in the region, so if an MSP resigns, then the next person
:14:43. > :14:50.down the list in the party gets elected and we saw that recently in
:14:50. > :14:53.Aberdeen. It would be a big change for Holyrood to introduce this.
:14:53. > :14:57.If the enthusiasm or the political class for people power is
:14:57. > :15:00.diminished, the anger over errant MPs has not. All the tissues remain
:15:00. > :15:07.divided over the right of recall and we are stuck with the politicians we
:15:07. > :15:12.have got, for the moment. We are joined by John Finnie, the former
:15:12. > :15:17.SNP MSP and he is now an independent and we have the Labour MP for
:15:17. > :15:23.Edinburgh South, Ian Murray. Ian Murray, in Bristol, how necessary is
:15:23. > :15:26.the right to recall? It is important to give able the power to be able to
:15:26. > :15:34.determine whether the member of Parliament should stay on. Your
:15:34. > :15:38.article mentioned Patrick Mercer. What we are left with at the moment,
:15:38. > :15:42.is not just parties having to determine whether or not the elected
:15:42. > :15:47.officials stay in their positions, but individuals themselves. Eric
:15:47. > :15:52.Joyce has been thrown out of the Labour Party and he is no longer a
:15:52. > :15:57.Labour member of Parliament, it is left with that individual to decide
:15:57. > :16:01.whether he should stay on and I think legislation should be brought
:16:01. > :16:06.in to ensure it's the people who elect these people have the decision
:16:06. > :16:13.whether they wish these people to continue. How optimistic are you
:16:14. > :16:17.about this legislation coming in? Francis Maude said earlier it was in
:16:17. > :16:27.the coalition agreement? He is being slightly disingenuous. It has been
:16:27. > :16:34.
:16:34. > :16:37.in many parties's manifesto. The government has had an opportunity to
:16:38. > :16:47.legislate for this and bring the legislation in and they are not
:16:47. > :16:52.doing it. It has been suggested that there will be a campaign run against
:16:52. > :16:58.Nick Clegg over his broken promises. John Finnie, there has been a lot of
:16:58. > :17:04.talk at Westminster at about this but not at Holyrood? How necessary
:17:04. > :17:09.is the right of recall for Holyrood? It is only proper that the public
:17:09. > :17:14.feel they are adequately represented by people of integrity. I have read
:17:14. > :17:19.the report and I think there are challenges. Committee members have
:17:19. > :17:22.said it was not evidence that this within hounds public opinion, and it
:17:22. > :17:27.was here that it could raise potential that could not be
:17:27. > :17:34.realised. There are challenges connected with the procedure when it
:17:34. > :17:38.has been used in other jurisdictions. Do we want elected
:17:38. > :17:42.representatives to be of high integrity? There have been knee-jerk
:17:42. > :17:47.reactions and legislation is following the expenses scandal and
:17:47. > :17:52.there was anger in the streets, quite understandably. It is
:17:52. > :17:56.important we get the legislation right. It has to be fair to the
:17:56. > :18:01.individual and third to the public and that means an exhaustive
:18:01. > :18:07.process. That could take more than the duration than a period of
:18:07. > :18:13.government. Do you think you should have been recalled by your
:18:13. > :18:20.electorate when you resigned from the SNP? You resigned in the row
:18:20. > :18:25.over NATO? I do think -- do not think that is the case. I was
:18:25. > :18:32.elected as a manifesto and that gave a clear commitment and without
:18:32. > :18:37.reference to the public, the party whose list I was on to their
:18:38. > :18:41.decision. I do not subscribe to the view. I saw one political
:18:42. > :18:45.commentators say it was the people who changed the fundamental policy.
:18:45. > :18:49.They also in the House of Commons report, say there is no substitute
:18:49. > :18:54.for elections and I think that is the case. I am very open-minded
:18:55. > :19:02.about the recall issued what one of the frailties is there potential for
:19:03. > :19:12.it to be hijacked. It is like Donald Trump hijacking events in the
:19:12. > :19:21.north-east of Scotland! mentioned the possibility of Nick
:19:21. > :19:29.called being -- Nick Clegg being recalled because of broken promises?
:19:29. > :19:36.Is this not sent the rough-and-tumble of daily politics?
:19:36. > :19:42.What John has just said about his own situation is that he should not
:19:42. > :19:46.have been recalled, but the entire SNP for changing its policies! If we
:19:46. > :19:50.want to instil new trust in politicians and politics, we have to
:19:51. > :19:55.give power to the people to be able to make those choices. They make
:19:55. > :19:59.those choices at the ballot box. If they think those choices are bad,
:19:59. > :20:03.and the legs did representative acts badly, they should have the power to
:20:03. > :20:09.be able to recall that member of Parliament. It is clear that rules
:20:09. > :20:14.would we complicated. The report from the committee showed that this
:20:14. > :20:24.was a complex issue and all parties are committed to doing this. If we
:20:24. > :20:33.
:20:33. > :20:43.come to an agreement that will work, we can make it work. Do you think it
:20:43. > :20:49.
:20:49. > :20:55.would be sensible to recall? We this is about the integrity that people
:20:55. > :20:58.expect and there is no substitute for elections. The frailty of the
:20:58. > :21:05.process is that if you apply for this across-the-board, then any
:21:05. > :21:15.appeal system, if you talk about the significant issues of financial
:21:15. > :21:29.
:21:29. > :21:35.irregularities, I tell you there are This was to instil public
:21:35. > :21:44.confidence. Confidence includes participation of course. We want to
:21:44. > :21:50.see the maximum participation. just want to get your reaction to
:21:50. > :21:53.the survey of young people that we have seen. 21% supporting
:21:53. > :21:59.independence in that survey. But it looked as if there is a big
:21:59. > :22:03.potential for done people to change their minds? The survey has shown
:22:03. > :22:08.what people are telling me that my visit schools. This is not the
:22:08. > :22:12.issue they are interested in. Whilst Scotland is on pause,
:22:12. > :22:17.obsessed by this constitutional issue, young people are saying to
:22:17. > :22:21.me that the Scottish Government is asking them to take a risk with
:22:21. > :22:25.their future when the other issues have not been mapped out. Young
:22:25. > :22:29.people want jobs, they want a secure and stable future. They want
:22:29. > :22:34.to be able to come into an education system at that age,
:22:34. > :22:40.flourished for the future. But Alex Salmond is saying to young people,
:22:40. > :22:50.take a risk with your future. Young people in that survey have given a
:22:50. > :22:53.
:22:53. > :22:56.very clear message to Alex Salmond. The thank you both. Now in a moment,
:22:56. > :23:00.we will be discussing the big events coming up this week at
:23:00. > :23:01.Holyrood but, first, let's take a look back at the week in Sixty
:23:01. > :23:06.Seconds. The Scottish government announced
:23:06. > :23:12.it would press ahead with plans for same-sex marriage, introducing
:23:12. > :23:18.legislation in the next month. People are waiting longer than ever
:23:18. > :23:22.in Scottish Accident and Emergency departments.
:23:22. > :23:28.The Health Secretary Alex Neil said there is more to be done. Across
:23:28. > :23:33.Scotland as a whole, the figure is 92%. It is not as high as I would
:23:33. > :23:39.like to see it, but it is moving in the right direction. We need to get
:23:39. > :23:41.to 95 of they said. The Pope's representative in Britain said
:23:41. > :23:47.Cardinal Cathal Bryan had made mistakes but also did a lot of good
:23:47. > :23:57.work. Lawyers have advised Scottish
:23:57. > :24:01.universities that it may be legal to carry on charging fees.
:24:01. > :24:09.Campaigners have cold for a memorial to Mary Barbour.
:24:09. > :24:12.-- called. That was the week that was. Now let's take a look at the
:24:12. > :24:21.week ahead. This week I'm joined in the studio by the journalists
:24:21. > :24:29.Maurice Smith and Anna Burnside. First of all, the young people's
:24:29. > :24:34.serve it. Researchers coming up with interesting facts and figures.
:24:34. > :24:37.Quite surprising that so few of the young people seem to be excited
:24:37. > :24:41.about independence. You would think that everything about youth,
:24:42. > :24:49.optimism, I would have got more of them would have been enthusiastic
:24:49. > :24:54.about it. There is still so much to play for. They are open minded
:24:54. > :25:03.about it. I was surprised by these results. It was quite surprising
:25:03. > :25:07.and still a lot to play for. Yes, I was surprised as well. Perhaps it
:25:07. > :25:14.disappointing for the yes campaign at this stage. But it is very early.
:25:14. > :25:19.You can see a sense that they may be reflecting general opinion, the
:25:19. > :25:24.opinion of people around them, that they do not have enough information.
:25:25. > :25:29.They may be weary of the debate in this current phoney war staters.
:25:29. > :25:35.They are trying to get accurate sources of information? That came
:25:35. > :25:40.out from the figures and also that lovely, articulate young man that
:25:40. > :25:45.you had on the programme. That is what they want, some clarity and
:25:45. > :25:53.some facts. They do not like the nonsense. They want to get an idea
:25:53. > :25:59.of what is happening. I was very encouraged by what Dr Jan Eichhorn
:25:59. > :26:07.was same, that the understand it cannot be signed, sealed and
:26:07. > :26:12.delivered, but they want to look at the different scenarios. They want
:26:12. > :26:21.to do with this on quite a higher level. More adult wars going on in
:26:21. > :26:29.the papers again today. This Sunday Herald has got quite a striking
:26:29. > :26:38.headline. It is an interesting report about the UK's dysfunctional
:26:38. > :26:43.economy. I would say, they are pro- independence without being pro SNP.
:26:43. > :26:46.Especially on the economic side of the argument. It is very
:26:46. > :26:53.interesting what Margaret Cuthbert has done here. She has laid out the
:26:53. > :26:58.economic details behind the rhetoric. Many of us who remember
:26:58. > :27:04.the debate in the 1970s and 1980s will be familiar with that, but we
:27:04. > :27:10.have not heard this question in the debate recently, this whole
:27:10. > :27:14.question of London's influence on the rest of the UK economy.
:27:14. > :27:18.response from Better Together, they did not pick up on the London point,
:27:18. > :27:22.they just said you could be excluding your biggest market.
:27:22. > :27:27.to me, the Better Together of response did not strike me as
:27:27. > :27:33.interesting about that report. It just seemed a bit thrown away at
:27:33. > :27:37.the end of it. I think it is great to hear those arguments. I would
:27:37. > :27:42.like these children who do the survey to read this kind of thing.
:27:42. > :27:47.That is what we are leading. Looking ahead to this week, we are
:27:47. > :27:54.going to discuss the Scottish Conservative conference next week.
:27:54. > :27:58.The Scots Tory leader slaps down Scots critics. She is having quite
:27:58. > :28:05.a tough ride in the press these last few days. The party does not
:28:05. > :28:15.seem to be behind her? No, not long after she became leader, she seemed
:28:15. > :28:22.
:28:22. > :28:29.to have gained some unity, but the cracks appearing. -- or appearing.
:28:29. > :28:35.What is the issue with Ruth Davidson, is it her performance?
:28:35. > :28:44.Why is she not getting us support from her MSPs? If I knew that, I
:28:44. > :28:49.would move into political consulting. I do not know... It is
:28:49. > :28:53.a poisoned chalice. I do not think you can play that might just now.
:28:53. > :28:58.The party is so divided. It is being attacked on so many fronts. I
:28:58. > :29:08.do not think it knows what it wants as leader to do. In at this Sunday
:29:08. > :29:11.
:29:11. > :29:17.Times, this is quite a scandal. We have been discussing it the right
:29:17. > :29:26.to recall. What did you make of that conversation we just have?
:29:26. > :29:31.Both are quite keen on it. Yes, politicians are quite keen on doing
:29:31. > :29:38.these things. But not keen on implementing them. It seems strange
:29:39. > :29:44.that we are going round in a circle you. We had the expenses scandal,
:29:44. > :29:48.and here we are, three years later, not a move has been made. The
:29:49. > :29:53.public are going to look at this very sceptically. Our you sceptical
:29:53. > :29:57.about it? I am not sure if it could work. We would have to be very
:29:57. > :30:04.careful it did not just become another annoying way for interest
:30:04. > :30:13.groups to give politicians are a hard time. I have mixed feelings
:30:13. > :30:20.about it. The chance of that happening just now or slight.
:30:20. > :30:26.are slight. It could be used maliciously? Yes, how do you
:30:26. > :30:33.legislate for that? It could only be used in deserving cases and not