:00:41. > :00:44.Morning, folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics timewarp edition!
:00:44. > :00:47.It's back to the '70s, as Britain faces the threat of power blackouts.
:00:47. > :00:51.We'll ask the Energy Minister how he will keep the lights on. And
:00:51. > :00:54.it's back to the '80s with Labour, as right clash with left amid
:00:54. > :00:57.claims that comrades at Unite are trying to take the party over from
:00:57. > :01:01.the inside. We go to Falkirk where it has all been kicking off.
:01:01. > :01:04.And if you got a P45 tomorrow, could you wait a week for welfare?
:01:04. > :01:11.That is the Government's plan. But is it fair? The two sides go head
:01:11. > :01:14.to head. And in Scotland: the actor Brian
:01:14. > :01:24.Cox will be live in the studio to talk about playing a politician on
:01:24. > :01:24.
:01:24. > :29:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1681 seconds
:29:26. > :29:35.the small screen versus getting If people have no savings, they can
:29:35. > :29:39.go -- they can get help. There is a massive increase in the use of the
:29:40. > :29:48.banks. There are six jobseekers for every vacancy. Taking away money
:29:48. > :29:58.from people will not make it easy. That is scaremongering. When people
:29:58. > :30:14.
:30:14. > :30:18.first Gaiman to -- when we first Sweden's benefits are three times
:30:18. > :30:23.as generous. We have some of the least generous benefits in the EU.
:30:23. > :30:30.In Scandinavia, using the social security system does not leave a
:30:30. > :30:38.person destitute in the way that benefits in the UK do. Let me
:30:38. > :30:42.interrupt you. Let me show you what the TaxPayers' Alliance has said.
:30:42. > :30:47.We think the Government is doing excellent work on welfare reform,
:30:47. > :30:57.particularly in times of making work pay. But there is one concern
:30:57. > :30:59.
:31:00. > :31:09.we have. There is this idea that it will dissuade people from taking on
:31:10. > :31:12.
:31:12. > :31:16.work. It is something that needs to I do not believe it will. A bug is
:31:16. > :31:23.not logical you would not look for temporary work again very quickly?
:31:23. > :31:29.Would that not be logical in this position? You would wait to be able
:31:29. > :31:39.to sign on, would you not? I think it depends on how we make sure we
:31:39. > :31:41.
:31:41. > :31:45.get the detail right on this. already have a three-day wait.
:31:45. > :31:49.point about the seven-day wait policy is it will do what Labour
:31:49. > :31:53.and the Conservatives want to avoid in the benefits system, of which is
:31:53. > :31:57.make it less attractive for people who are already living on the
:31:57. > :32:05.breadline seeking work to take on the short term contracts which are
:32:05. > :32:11.the only work people can find. Balls was prepared to go along with
:32:11. > :32:15.it. At every focus group disagrees with the government and the
:32:15. > :32:23.opposition. It seems it is politicians who do not have any
:32:23. > :32:29.idea of what is going on. Is it worth looking at the nasty party
:32:29. > :32:33.again? I have built a business where we lived on the breadline for
:32:33. > :32:42.the first 12 months because we had to use credit cards to keep the
:32:42. > :32:47.business going. That is not the same as being on the minimum wage.
:32:47. > :32:52.But the idea that you think about work first is a good one. People
:32:52. > :32:56.who do not have jobs think about work 247, and making them more
:32:56. > :33:06.could has no way to help them into jobs that aren't there. Where are
:33:06. > :33:06.
:33:07. > :33:16.the jobs you are creating? Coming up in 20 minutes, I will be
:33:17. > :33:19.
:33:19. > :33:24.Welcome to Sunday Politics Scotland. Coming up: BMA award-winning actor
:33:24. > :33:27.Brian Cox will be live in the studio. -- the in the award-winning
:33:27. > :33:35.actor. They 200th bill of the Scottish
:33:35. > :33:39.parliament has been signed by the Queen, but how has Holyrood
:33:39. > :33:42.performed in the 14 years? What's cuts and hard choices as austerity
:33:43. > :33:47.continues. Austerity showed how the UK
:33:47. > :33:51.continues to struggle. George Osborne's failure to cut the
:33:51. > :33:57.deficit in time ironically means he has locked down Labour into hard
:33:57. > :34:07.choices. I have been digesting what the Chancellor set out.
:34:07. > :34:10.
:34:10. > :34:19.It was not any old Aga. It was a luxury bar go. -- burger. The
:34:20. > :34:29.Chancellor set out �11.5 billion of cuts for 2015/2016. It looks as if
:34:30. > :34:35.
:34:35. > :34:45.Labour will stick to the spending plans if they regain power. As a
:34:45. > :34:47.
:34:47. > :34:53.consequence of the UK Chancellor choosing to ring-fence or keep NHS
:34:53. > :34:57.and not award it any supportive allegation, that support Scotland
:34:57. > :35:01.because every penny in England, Scotland gets its Barnett formula
:35:01. > :35:11.consequence O'Shea's. Critic point out that it is a
:35:11. > :35:18.
:35:18. > :35:22.shrinking portion. In capital Part of the challenge for people
:35:22. > :35:28.looking at the numbers regularly is it is not absolutely clear quite
:35:28. > :35:33.what big net position is going to be. It is clear Scotland has been
:35:33. > :35:43.given additional borrowing capacity but it is not clear whether a but
:35:43. > :35:44.
:35:45. > :35:52.as a supporting capital spend. it is not clear where it will go.
:35:52. > :35:55.Will it go here? Anyone who wants to take forward a serious programme
:35:55. > :36:02.of beneficial reform has to recognise the importance of taking
:36:02. > :36:09.the workforce with a us. And walked off George Osborne's beefburger?
:36:09. > :36:16.Maybe it ended up in the bin, like his growth figures.
:36:16. > :36:19.Joining me is Stewart Hosie, and in Aberdeen Sir Malcolm Bruce, and in
:36:19. > :36:27.Glasgow I am joined by Labour Shadow Treasury Minister Cathy
:36:27. > :36:33.Jamieson. Good morning. First of you, -- first of all, over
:36:33. > :36:41.to you, Sir Malcolm Bruce. He borrows more than he intends to,
:36:41. > :36:44.and does not inspire a growth. He is the static Chancellor. What we
:36:44. > :36:48.know as the previous Labour government presided over the
:36:48. > :36:53.biggest collapse in the industrial capacity, economic capacity, since
:36:53. > :37:01.the war. It has been difficult to try to rebuild that. There are some
:37:01. > :37:08.signs of recovery beginning to creep in, but the truth is we have
:37:09. > :37:16.not had to deal with the deficit, but we have also cut taxes by
:37:16. > :37:22.raising the tax threshold and increased pensions. That is part of
:37:22. > :37:32.the reason why we have not been able to cut the death -- cut the
:37:32. > :37:32.
:37:32. > :37:42.deficit as much as we wish. Stewart Hosie, Scotland is not having the
:37:42. > :37:43.
:37:43. > :37:52.same luck. The resource budget has been cut by less than the rest of
:37:52. > :37:57.the country. It is �333 million, even though it is only 2%. That is
:37:57. > :38:01.in addition to the 6.5% cut we had in the last spending review, and in
:38:01. > :38:05.addition to the capital cut we hadn't the last spending review. In
:38:05. > :38:11.terms of capital spend, the conventional capital allocation is
:38:11. > :38:19.down. The so-called extra money is loans that have agreed in the
:38:19. > :38:27.Scotland Act, and funny Money financial transactions in the
:38:27. > :38:37.Budget. As part of George Osborne's ongoing narrative, he has failed so
:38:37. > :38:38.
:38:38. > :38:40.far in. There is not that money available for capital spending. The
:38:40. > :38:45.Scottish Government have new borrowing powers, so perhaps they
:38:45. > :38:50.can be used to fund new projects. The Scottish futures trust has been
:38:50. > :38:55.slow in getting on and making new project happen. I am sure the new
:38:55. > :39:05.borrowing powers will be used, but the capital programme in Scotland
:39:05. > :39:11.
:39:11. > :39:15.remains unchanged at to 0.5 billion. -- 2.5. Cathy Jamieson, a lot of
:39:15. > :39:25.people said the Spending Review was a political shade but there to put
:39:25. > :39:30.Labour into a cocked hat. -- charade. It has been frustrating
:39:30. > :39:37.this week to try to find out what is Labour's position on borrowing?
:39:37. > :39:41.It is unclear. First of all, the spending review has come about as a
:39:41. > :39:45.direct result of the Chancellor and Prime Minister being unable to
:39:45. > :39:48.deliver on what they said they would do in terms of getting the
:39:48. > :39:53.deficit down. They are borrowing more than they said they would, and
:39:53. > :39:58.the impact is being felt across the UK with people feeling their living
:39:58. > :40:02.standards squeezed. We will face some difficult times in 2015 if we
:40:02. > :40:07.are back in government. There is no doubt about that. We will look at
:40:07. > :40:11.the overall spending plans and live within that for the first year, but
:40:11. > :40:14.we have not ruled out the option of borrowing for investment. We
:40:14. > :40:18.believe the Chancellor should have brought forward some of the
:40:18. > :40:26.infrastructure projects now, rather than waiting another two years down
:40:26. > :40:31.the line. So Labour would borrow more? This is the problem because
:40:31. > :40:35.people are saying, will you or want you? What we are saying is we will
:40:35. > :40:39.in order to be responsible, keep within the overall spending limit,
:40:39. > :40:46.but we have not ruled out bringing forward additional investment plans
:40:46. > :40:48.for borrowing if that is the right thing to do, but we will not be
:40:48. > :40:55.borrowing to pay for day-to-day expenditure because they have
:40:55. > :41:05.failed to get growth backed into the economy. This has also been
:41:05. > :41:08.
:41:08. > :41:18.called an opportunity for John -- George Osborne. Would you expect
:41:18. > :41:20.
:41:20. > :41:26.people to wait seven days before people can claim benefits? We have
:41:26. > :41:30.made some massive reforms to tax, cutting 24 million people stacks
:41:31. > :41:35.and boosting pensions by the biggest level ever, and ensuring
:41:35. > :41:40.non-work related benefits are protected as part of the difficulty
:41:40. > :41:44.we have in getting the deficit down. Growth has not been coming forward
:41:45. > :41:48.us we would have wished. But those who say that we should spend our
:41:48. > :41:52.way out of this should be careful of what the markets might do and
:41:52. > :41:58.what it might do to interest rates. They should also recognise that
:41:58. > :42:02.where there is growth beginning to come back in the oil and gas sector,
:42:02. > :42:09.that instead of knocking it, they should encourage it. Building
:42:09. > :42:15.confidence is the best way to build growth. Stewart Hosie, maybe you
:42:15. > :42:20.have to rein in spending, and Mr Swinney gave me that clear hint on
:42:20. > :42:26.Wednesday that the automatic pay increase would not be ended in
:42:26. > :42:31.Scotland for civil servants. Any news on that? I think his hint was
:42:31. > :42:36.strong enough. In terms of what Malcolm said, if there is good news,
:42:36. > :42:43.I welcome it. We have got to understand that this Government are
:42:43. > :42:50.planning to cut �155 billion a year out of the economy in tax rises and
:42:50. > :42:55.cuts. The proportion of cuts to tax rises is four-to-one. That means
:42:55. > :42:59.the Government are planning to rebalance the books on the back of
:42:59. > :43:05.the poor, in a way that they do so much consumption out of the economy
:43:05. > :43:09.that he is trying to cut his way to growth. The debate within the
:43:09. > :43:19.government was that Conservatives wanted to cut for the the welfare
:43:19. > :43:19.
:43:19. > :43:23.budgets but the Liberal Democrats refused to do it. -- to cut further.
:43:23. > :43:29.Cathy Jamieson, Stewart Hosie was pointing out the changes to welfare.
:43:29. > :43:39.Many Labour supporters would be horrified at what Ed Balls is it
:43:39. > :43:47.said thing. -- accepting. We will need to look at the money we have
:43:47. > :43:51.available and make it fairer. We have not said we will take any
:43:51. > :44:01.action that will put more people in the hands of the loan sharks. The
:44:01. > :44:03.
:44:03. > :44:06.present government can not have it all ways. At the same time, they
:44:06. > :44:10.are giving tax breaks to millionaires, which does not see
:44:10. > :44:14.sensible. Let us look to another item making the news today. It is
:44:14. > :44:18.the latest paper from the UK Treasury. Sir Malcolm Bruce, it has
:44:18. > :44:25.been claimed that Scots may have to face roaming charges if there is
:44:25. > :44:31.independence on the mobile phones. A Tory MP says some of the
:44:31. > :44:35.arguments against independence are becoming silly. Some of them are
:44:35. > :44:39.real. If you have a single market and break it up there are potential
:44:39. > :44:44.consequences that could increase costs. I have not seen this paper,
:44:45. > :44:50.but I think it is suggesting that breaking up the single market in
:44:50. > :44:53.telecommunications and broadband could have implications. If you
:44:53. > :44:58.remove the Universal Postal Service from Scotland because you take
:44:58. > :45:03.Scotland out of the UK, the chances are you will not be able to send a
:45:03. > :45:07.package or a letter from John o'Groats to Land's End for next-day
:45:07. > :45:14.delivery at a flat rate. You cannot do it between Ireland and the UK.
:45:14. > :45:18.There are real issues here which need to be considered. It is like
:45:18. > :45:23.unscrambling an omelette. There are a lot of difficulties. Stewart
:45:23. > :45:26.Hosie, Sir Malcolm picks out the wider issue that if there is
:45:26. > :45:30.independence there could be difficulties with Telecom
:45:30. > :45:39.indications and the postal service. This is just more scaremongering
:45:39. > :45:44.nonsense. Let us look at the issues in the story. We have higher mobile
:45:44. > :45:50.phone charges which the European Union are about to outlaw. And
:45:50. > :45:53.between a liberal, a Tory and Labour MSP, they signed up to the
:45:53. > :45:57.Scottish Parliament motion welcoming that. This is simply
:45:57. > :46:02.wrong. In relation to the Post Office, the only threat comes from
:46:02. > :46:12.UK governments. These people have shut 400 post offices in the last
:46:12. > :46:12.
:46:12. > :46:19.10 years. Hang on, be protected them. 400 have been closed! There
:46:19. > :46:25.will be a proper postal service in Scotland, and we will do everything
:46:25. > :46:30.we can to preserve this. Roaming charge is about to go. This is a
:46:30. > :46:40.rather silly scare story from the project fear people. The good news
:46:40. > :46:41.
:46:42. > :46:44.is no one is listening to them any more. There are serious issues that
:46:44. > :46:47.Scotland want answers to. John Swinney says one thing in public
:46:47. > :46:51.while the work he is doing in the background says something else.
:46:51. > :46:58.People deserve answers on pensions, passports and a whole range on
:46:58. > :47:01.other a dash of other thing is. want to pick up another final issue.
:47:01. > :47:04.Scottish Labour's financial spokesperson was sacked in the
:47:04. > :47:10.latest reshuffle. He said about Johann Lamont, disagreements we may
:47:10. > :47:15.have run the direction in which the party is headed. Is there a war
:47:15. > :47:22.within the party? No, Johann Lamont has a good team of people around
:47:22. > :47:32.her, now look forward to working with her. -- I look forward. I
:47:32. > :47:38.
:47:38. > :47:46.Note one Scotland 's most famous exports. Brian Cox has come a long
:47:46. > :47:56.way from his career started in Dundee. He has spoken at the launch
:47:56. > :47:57.
:47:57. > :48:02.of the Yes campaign. I have got a few parasites on me. There are few
:48:02. > :48:07.people wanting to take me for a ride and maybe there are few trying to
:48:07. > :48:13.send me to the glue factory. This was Brian Cox working in his native
:48:13. > :48:17.Dundee for the first time in decades. He took on the role of a
:48:17. > :48:24.self-styled people 's champion. Campaigning in his unique style as
:48:24. > :48:29.an independent candidate in a by-election. The city of Dundee has
:48:29. > :48:37.played a big part in shaping Brian Cox 's outlook and continues to have
:48:37. > :48:46.a strong influence on his beliefs. He now lives in America where he has
:48:46. > :48:51.gone on to establish himself as one of Scotland 's greatest actors. But
:48:51. > :48:55.despite his Hollywood success, he is increasingly drawn back to Scotland.
:48:55. > :49:01.He retains a keen interest in issues here. Recently he gave his backing
:49:01. > :49:04.to the equal marriage legislation and he is a firm supporter of
:49:04. > :49:11.independence for Scotland, describing himself as a democratic
:49:11. > :49:15.socialist he spoke at the launch of the Yes Scotland campaign. we have
:49:15. > :49:25.arrived at the moment to realise our potential. Please, let us not
:49:25. > :49:26.
:49:26. > :49:31.wasted. so, can we expect to see and hear more of Brian Cox in Scotland
:49:31. > :49:38.over the next 12 months? I am elated to see that Brian Cox
:49:38. > :49:45.joins me live in the studio. -- delighted. You grew up in Dundee.
:49:45. > :49:51.Did you ever imagine how your career would end up? not a clue. It has
:49:51. > :49:55.been such a surprise. The irony is that when I was a kid I used to look
:49:55. > :50:01.at the River Tay and think, I want to get over there. Now I come the
:50:01. > :50:05.other way and think, I cannot wait to get back on the Dundee side. I
:50:05. > :50:10.had no idea. But it was important for you to go down to London when
:50:10. > :50:17.you were quite young to get your career going. It is very
:50:17. > :50:20.different... We are talking 50 years ago. It was a very different world.
:50:20. > :50:24.Scotland really has... I do not think that people really realise how
:50:24. > :50:29.much Scotland has come into its own in the last 50 years. When I was a
:50:29. > :50:39.child it was very much in North Britain. It was post-Warren and it
:50:39. > :50:42.was tough for everybody. Then there was this great period of social
:50:42. > :50:52.mobility in the 1960s and I was a product of that myth of social
:50:52. > :50:53.
:50:53. > :50:57.mobility and so I went to study my craft. -- that atmosphere of social
:50:57. > :51:01.mobility. London was the same distance to me as Glasgow was, so I
:51:01. > :51:09.went there and had a great time studying. and then things took off
:51:09. > :51:14.in Hollywood. yes, they did. I did not go to Hollywood until I was
:51:14. > :51:18.nearly 50. I always wanted to do movies. That was my influence as a
:51:18. > :51:25.child. Dundee was historically known as having more cinemas than any
:51:25. > :51:30.other town in Scotland. At one time in my life I visited all of them.
:51:30. > :51:36.That was the kind of actor I wanted to be, it wanted to be a film actor.
:51:36. > :51:46.And then I realised that because I worked in the theatre, I started
:51:46. > :51:53.
:51:53. > :51:58.work at the Dundee Rep. There was talk about the British film
:51:58. > :52:02.industry. There was a television industry, but there was never a film
:52:02. > :52:10.industry as such. I decided to make the move to America in the mid-19
:52:10. > :52:20.90s. You are being drawn to Scotland more. What attracts you to the
:52:20. > :52:23.
:52:23. > :52:29.Scottish roles? You still have the Hollywood career. His work dried up?
:52:29. > :52:33.In Scottish culture, the East Coast does not get represented very well.
:52:33. > :52:39.There is not a lot of east coast humour. East Coast tumour is very
:52:39. > :52:42.different from West Coast humour. We have seen all the great West Coast
:52:42. > :52:52.comedians but there was never anything about the East and Dundee.
:52:52. > :52:55.
:52:55. > :53:01.It is a very particular, surreal kind of humour. The writer is from
:53:01. > :53:06.Broughty Ferry and he seemed to capture something extraordinary.
:53:06. > :53:09.saw you speak at the launch of the Yes campaign, where I saw you
:53:10. > :53:14.describe yourself as a democratic socialist. Do you have any
:53:14. > :53:20.particular attachment to a party? You are in favour of independence of
:53:20. > :53:24.course. I am not. I'm very much not a Scottish Nationalists did they
:53:24. > :53:29.think that people should see the issue in terms of... I think that
:53:29. > :53:34.people get confused. We're not talking about Scottish National is,
:53:34. > :53:37.we are talking about Scottish independence. They are two entirely
:53:37. > :53:42.different issues. It happens that the Scottish Nationalists have taken
:53:42. > :53:47.up the pattern, but I come from a social democratic position. I come
:53:47. > :53:52.from a position of experience. I lived in London for 40 years. It is
:53:52. > :53:57.living in the south and seeing what has happened in England. I am a
:53:57. > :54:07.federalist. I watched Leslie Redeker put weeks ago. I was impressed with
:54:07. > :54:08.
:54:08. > :54:13.what she said about that. How do you think that the Yes campaign has
:54:13. > :54:18.performed over the last year? doing relatively well. But on both
:54:18. > :54:26.campaigns, the no campaign, there is a lot of fear being thrown out which
:54:26. > :54:34.is needless. I think we have tried to be honest in the Yes campaign. We
:54:34. > :54:38.do not tell lies. I was watching a clip of you in Braveheart. It is
:54:38. > :54:41.very much the nationalism of the heart as opposed to the head. How
:54:41. > :54:47.can you attract people to independence, head or heart, what
:54:47. > :54:52.makes the difference? It has to be a balance of both. We balance our
:54:52. > :54:56.ahead and our heart. Life is made up that way. The whole thing of
:54:56. > :55:02.Scottish independence has come to me... I was never for that when I
:55:02. > :55:06.was a child. I was never for that in my 20s. But having seen how the poor
:55:06. > :55:09.have got poor and the rich have got richer and that seems to be across
:55:09. > :55:14.these islands, I think it is time to start again and I think an
:55:14. > :55:19.independent Scotland as a way of starting again. It is also something
:55:19. > :55:23.which is about the particular as well as about the general. I am an
:55:23. > :55:28.internationalist, but I believe in their particular element of what
:55:28. > :55:35.Scottish independence represents. was when you went to London that you
:55:35. > :55:43.felt that you were a Scot? really feel it, I was from Dundee.
:55:43. > :55:48.That is very different from being a Scot! But going there, I suddenly
:55:48. > :55:53.realised what Scotland was about. I loved my time in London, but even
:55:53. > :55:59.now living in London, it is a great place, but we have become so focused
:55:59. > :56:06.on London. The healthiest thing for it Great Britain would be to have a
:56:06. > :56:11.parliament that was not based in London but was based somewhere else.
:56:11. > :56:17.We are heading to the news in a moment. Then we will look at the 200
:56:17. > :56:26.act of Swiss Scottish Parliament becoming law. -- of the Scottish
:56:26. > :56:36.Parliament. What has Holyrood ever done for you? No time for the news.
:56:36. > :57:02.
:57:02. > :57:07.between Pakistan and Afghanistan was of vital importance. He said that
:57:08. > :57:13.Britain and Pakistan had a shared interest in establishing a stable,
:57:13. > :57:17.peaceful and democratic Afghanistan. the friends of Pakistan are friends
:57:17. > :57:19.of Britain. Enemies of Pakistan are enemies of Britain. We will stand
:57:19. > :57:29.together and conduct this fight against extremism and terrorism
:57:29. > :57:29.
:57:29. > :57:35.together. I have assured Prime Minister Cameron of our firm resolve
:57:35. > :57:39.to promote the objective of a stable and peaceful Afghanistan. So that
:57:40. > :57:43.those currently living in Pakistan can return with honour and dignity.
:57:43. > :57:47.David Cameron also hopes his visit here will provide more opportunities
:57:47. > :57:53.for British businesses. Building on the historic and cultural ties
:57:53. > :57:58.between the two countries. He has announced a new goal of �3 billion
:57:58. > :58:02.in bilateral trade by 2015. There have been press accusations
:58:02. > :58:07.about the extent of spying by America 's National Security
:58:07. > :58:14.Agency, this time involving the European Union. The former CIA
:58:14. > :58:22.contractor Edward Snowden told a German newspaper that millions of
:58:22. > :58:26.German phone calls have been monitored, as well as e-mails. Today
:58:26. > :58:34.marks the first anniversary of President Mohammed Morsi 's election
:58:34. > :58:39.in Egypt. There is predicted to be demonstrations in support and
:58:39. > :58:42.against his leadership. The Rolling Stones and their legions
:58:42. > :58:48.of fans are recovering this morning after they completed their first
:58:48. > :58:56.ever appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.
:58:56. > :58:59.The band played for over two hours, with the Glastonbury organiser
:58:59. > :59:09.describing it as his highlight of the 43 years of organising the
:59:09. > :59:11.
:59:11. > :59:14.event. The three-day festival ends this weekend.
:59:14. > :59:20.Good morning. The UK government is to claim that Scottish independence
:59:20. > :59:24.with lead to more phone users here facing higher bills. In his
:59:24. > :59:30.statement looking at the impact of a Yes vote, it raises the possibility
:59:30. > :59:35.of Scottish callers facing roaming fees when they visit England. It is
:59:35. > :59:43.also claimed that independence could threaten postal services and rope
:59:43. > :59:46.broadband position. Scottish consumers benefit from UK wide
:59:46. > :59:52.postal and telephone networks. We know that it costs more to provide
:59:52. > :59:55.the services to rural areas, but across the UK we benefit from
:59:55. > :00:01.economies of scale and spreading that cost. An independent Scotland
:00:01. > :00:06.would have a higher proportion of rural, sparsely populated areas, and
:00:06. > :00:11.so the cost of posting a letter or your mobile phone bills could go up.
:00:11. > :00:16.to terror bills are due to be demolished in Dundee today. They
:00:16. > :00:22.have stood at the top of the city 's held town for 40 years. Nearby homes
:00:22. > :00:23.have been evacuated and 20 wrote in the area have been closed. The
:00:23. > :00:27.congregation at St Martin's Episcopal Church which stands
:00:27. > :00:37.between the two buildings are worshipping elsewhere today. Time
:00:37. > :00:42.afternoon and with that comes outbreaks of rain for western
:00:42. > :00:46.Scotland. Turning more sherry for the afternoon, elsewhere some
:00:46. > :00:54.brightness getting through. The best of it across Aberdeenshire and
:00:54. > :01:02.Angus. That will lift temperatures up to new 20 Celsius.
:01:02. > :01:05.More in the early evening News at 6:50pm.
:01:05. > :01:11.Brian Cox is still with me in the studio. We have done your career,
:01:11. > :01:15.your politics. One series that fascinated me over Christmas was
:01:15. > :01:18.looking at opium, whiskey and sugar in Scotland. Things that have
:01:18. > :01:26.brought a lot of wealth to this country, but a lot of ill-health as
:01:26. > :01:33.well. Sugar in particular. We are all becoming a nation of diabetics.
:01:33. > :01:40.What appals me, and this is on a recent visit, when I visited my home
:01:40. > :01:44.Hospital in Dundee, I went and had my tests with the chief scientist of
:01:44. > :01:49.Scotland, Arnold friend of mine. He did my eye tests and feet tests and
:01:49. > :01:55.my tests for diabetes. Then went down to the shops in the hospital
:01:55. > :01:59.and they are selling the most appallingly high sugar stuff. On the
:01:59. > :02:04.one hand you have this health going on and in the basement there is
:02:04. > :02:11.Christ casting the people out of the temple. What is going on? All of
:02:11. > :02:16.this rubbish that is being served up. It is our diet. We do not pay
:02:16. > :02:20.enough attention to ever doubt. series was hugely informative. He
:02:20. > :02:23.were looking at the effect of whiskey as well and the way that
:02:23. > :02:32.alcoholism has spread throughout Scotland. You exploit that in the
:02:32. > :02:39.series. Timmy whisky is very honest because it has a social base to it.
:02:39. > :02:43.It is this move from being very... We moved almost overnight from an
:02:43. > :02:52.agrarian to an industrial culture. People still have a farming
:02:52. > :03:01.mentality. They removed out to big flats in cow cartons and places like
:03:01. > :03:04.that. Suddenly alcoholism went through the roof and the Temperance
:03:04. > :03:12.movement, which was an amazing movement at the time, we have only
:03:12. > :03:15.just got -- caught up with it. have been here, there and
:03:15. > :03:21.everywhere. But when you come back to Scotland do you see a nation that
:03:21. > :03:28.is changing? I see a nation that is extraordinary. I am so proud of this
:03:28. > :03:32.country. I am so proud of the way it has moved in last 40 or 50 years. It
:03:32. > :03:37.has done phenomenally. Just in terms of itself and its own identity. It
:03:37. > :03:44.is more itself than it ever was. It was not like that when I was a kid.
:03:44. > :03:49.I am very proud of it, I'm very proud to be Scottish. Will BBC more
:03:49. > :03:56.review in Scotland? Anything else coming up? I will be doing some
:03:56. > :04:01.stuff here and in Shetland. I am really looking forward to that.
:04:01. > :04:08.detective series. I am going to do a spot on that. I like being back here
:04:08. > :04:11.and working. But the great thing for me is that I have been elected for
:04:11. > :04:14.another three years as director of Dundee University. The University is
:04:14. > :04:22.one of the big things in my life and it is something I'm really dedicated
:04:22. > :04:29.to. When it comes to the referendum, will you be voting? I cannot fault.
:04:29. > :04:35.I cannot thought, sadly. I would board, you know how I would thought.
:04:35. > :04:38.That I just want all of these fears to be evaporated. There are a lot of
:04:38. > :04:44.people fear mongering. I think that independence is the way forward, not
:04:44. > :04:49.just for us but for the size as well. It has been a pleasure
:04:49. > :04:54.speaking to you. 14 years after it was first
:04:54. > :04:58.established, the Scottish Parliament this week celebrated the passing of
:04:58. > :05:05.its 200th act. The Forth Road Bridge Act became law according to the
:05:05. > :05:14.usual conventions. The milestone offered politicians are chance to
:05:14. > :05:19.reflect on Holyrood 's records. in a week when the new Queensbury
:05:19. > :05:29.Crossing has enjoyed the limelight, its neighbour was in the limelight
:05:29. > :05:33.
:05:33. > :05:38.too. The Great Seal of Scotland has not changed much in 800 years and
:05:38. > :05:44.this is a key stage. Pouring the hot wax into these moulds, waiting for
:05:44. > :05:48.it to set, ready to be applied to the document. Over the course of two
:05:48. > :05:53.hours the delicate work continued towards its conclusion. The moment
:05:53. > :05:59.that the heavy mould is removed is the moment that the act becomes law,
:05:59. > :06:04.maintaining strong links with the past. the seal has been used in its
:06:04. > :06:08.current form since 1707 at the union of the Parliaments. Before that it
:06:08. > :06:15.would have been used by the monarch in Scotland. After 1707 at Kendall
:06:15. > :06:20.declined. Since the Scottish Parliament it has been used much
:06:20. > :06:26.more. Legislation has influenced most aspects of Scottish life, from
:06:26. > :06:36.the legal system to the environment. Act that brought about the smoking
:06:36. > :06:37.
:06:37. > :06:47.ban and free personal care for the elderly. The Presiding Officer who
:06:47. > :06:53.
:06:53. > :07:01.was there at the beginning of the Parliament believes that there have
:07:01. > :07:11.been great advantages. the only thing is that there is no revising
:07:11. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:25.chamber. That is something that is on some legislation, there needs to
:07:25. > :07:28.be sunset clauses on some legislation so that after three or
:07:28. > :07:35.four years it his to come back to parliament for approval before it
:07:35. > :07:44.can continue. Another bone of contention comes from the SNP 's
:07:44. > :07:54.convincing victory. the Parliament was designed so that a minority
:07:54. > :07:54.
:07:55. > :08:03.government could not rule. democratic will of the SNP
:08:03. > :08:07.Government of the Scottish people chose the SNP Government. We have
:08:07. > :08:17.always come to a consensual view, which has included constructive
:08:17. > :08:23.
:08:23. > :08:27.criticism and recommendations for the Scottish Government.