:00:25. > :00:44.BBC 1 888
:00:44. > :03:35.is on the table. Who would you rather play table football against?
:03:35. > :03:51.because I am winning. So in the winning 's which ones are heading
:03:51. > :04:02.popular policy was a mansion tax on house is worth more than £2 million,
:04:02. > :04:04.popular policy was a mansion tax on councillors. The next most popular
:04:04. > :04:09.policy was scrapping the Trident nuclear deterrent, supported by
:04:09. > :04:13.policy was scrapping the Trident of councillors. Then there was the
:04:13. > :04:18.reinstatement of the 50p top rate of income tax. 70% of councillors like
:04:18. > :04:22.the look of that. When it came to the idea of banning the burka in
:04:22. > :04:27.public places like schools and airports, 45% of councillors were in
:04:27. > :04:34.favour. Finally, a ban on topless Page three model is won the support
:04:34. > :04:42.of 33% of councillors. Why is it so popular, the idea of a mansion tax?
:04:42. > :04:46.It is a much fairer tax. We know there are people out there with
:04:46. > :04:49.It is a much fairer tax. We know expensive houses. Which of these is
:04:49. > :04:56.most important to you? Banning Trident. The cold war ended in
:04:56. > :04:59.1989. Another one was the idea of banning the burka in public places.
:04:59. > :05:06.whatever they like. If they want to banning the burka in public places.
:05:06. > :05:18.wear the birth or a kilt or if they anything. We are the party of jobs.
:05:18. > :05:23.Thank you. Last night, a fully clothed Nick Clegg rallied his
:05:23. > :05:28.troops, but if he was not around, who would Lib Dem councillors want
:05:28. > :05:33.instead? Business Secretary Vince Cable was most popular, with a third
:05:33. > :05:39.of the votes. In second place, the party's president, Tim Farron, with
:05:40. > :05:45.27%. 10% went to Danny Alexander, while the business minister Joe
:05:45. > :05:50.Swinson received 7%. The Energy Secretary Ed Davey scooped 6%, and
:05:50. > :05:57.in last place, Steve Webb, the pensions minister, who got 5%. If
:05:57. > :05:59.any of these councillors want to talk to me about it, I would be
:05:59. > :06:09.delighted to hear from them. Is talk to me about it, I would be
:06:09. > :06:18.certainly isn't. What do you think contenders. But our survey is not
:06:18. > :06:22.the only one that has got tongues wagging in Glasgow, because the
:06:22. > :06:22.the only one that has got tongues Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:23. > :06:25.their own poll which showed that 75% Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:25. > :06:29.of the country will never vote Dem leadership have commissioned
:06:29. > :06:37.the party, no matter what they do. Also meeting here this weekend,
:06:37. > :06:39.the party, no matter what they do. Democrats like to think they have
:06:39. > :06:46.got just as much va-va-voom, even if a big chunk of the country doesn't.
:06:47. > :06:57.Add, back in his hometown. So, the Much of their party thinks they
:06:58. > :06:58.Add, back in his hometown. So, the moving in the wrong direction.
:06:58. > :07:02.Earlier, I spoke to former party moving in the wrong direction.
:07:02. > :07:06.leader Paddy Ashdown. He has been put in charge of heading up the
:07:06. > :07:11.leader Paddy Ashdown. He has been election campaign. I asked him if
:07:11. > :07:17.the mood in Glasgow was grim. No. In many ways, as you know, Tory old
:07:17. > :07:21.commentator that you are just as I am a hoary old member at the other
:07:21. > :07:30.end of the camera, we have been midterm of a government, especially
:07:30. > :07:34.when you are in government and the country is going for in a deep
:07:34. > :07:39.economic crisis, has almost no relevance to where you might be
:07:39. > :07:43.economic crisis, has almost no the nipple come to consider how
:07:43. > :07:43.economic crisis, has almost no will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:43. > :07:48.the people come to consider how will vote in 600 days time -- when
:07:48. > :07:52.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, but they are a snapshot of what
:07:52. > :07:55.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, indication of where we will be.
:07:55. > :07:57.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, guess is, for what it is worth,
:07:57. > :08:01.will vote. We do not dismiss polls, as we come to the election, the
:08:01. > :08:06.public will be in a very serious, probably frightened mood. Their
:08:06. > :08:11.public will be in a very serious, thoughts will be, who maintains
:08:11. > :08:14.public will be in a very serious, job, makes sure I don't have to
:08:14. > :08:18.public will be in a very serious, to higher mortgage? The coalition
:08:18. > :08:23.has delivered not only the required policies to make Britain's economy
:08:23. > :08:28.prosperous, but also its society fair. That is what people will want
:08:28. > :08:30.to see. I think coalition politics are here to stay and we have a role
:08:30. > :08:35.to play in it. But you are in a are here to stay and we have a role
:08:35. > :08:38.mood this morning. You tweeted that you were not happy with how the
:08:38. > :08:46.Observer newspaper handled your there anything we can do to help?
:08:46. > :08:54.There is probably something they arguments with the interview. The
:08:54. > :08:58.headline they chose to put on it late last night was outrageous,
:08:58. > :09:03.misrepresentative and in one case in Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:03. > :09:09.coalition with the Tories, or at Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:09. > :09:13.least they gave that in for us Something about Ashdown wants a
:09:13. > :09:21.inference. Let me make this point. election. I am in charge of the
:09:21. > :09:26.campaign. Any journalist who in these next two years says that any
:09:26. > :09:29.Liberal Democrat prefers anything else in terms of the outcome of
:09:29. > :09:32.Liberal Democrat prefers anything coalition but the result of the
:09:32. > :09:34.ballot box dictating that outcome, that any prefer one side to another
:09:34. > :09:42.coalition determined by the electors that any prefer one side to another
:09:42. > :09:46.in the votes, will get a bloody that any prefer one side to another
:09:46. > :10:08.time from me, no matter who they are. We take the warning. A survey
:10:08. > :10:13.of Lib Dem councillors shows that in coalition with the Tories. That
:10:13. > :10:15.of Lib Dem councillors shows that in clear sign that your activists want
:10:15. > :10:17.a change of direction. I don't think it is news that as a left-wing
:10:17. > :10:21.party, we find it more congenial with those on the left wing, but
:10:21. > :10:24.that is not the issue. You saw it election. We are servants of the
:10:24. > :10:27.ballot box. We do watch the British people require us to do to provide a
:10:27. > :10:30.of our country. I am sure you have stable government in the interests
:10:30. > :10:33.of our country. I am sure you have got the point by now. I have fought
:10:33. > :10:39.the Tories all my life. But when responsibility to amend the economic
:10:39. > :10:46.crisis, was this right for the determine who are going to be in any
:10:46. > :10:53.coalition, should there be one, determine who are going to be in any
:10:53. > :10:59.voters and nobody else. It is not about what we like. I understand
:10:59. > :11:06.that. But your own internal polls leadership are not taking the party
:11:06. > :11:11.with them on that. I don't think that is true. Nick Clegg has done
:11:11. > :11:15.what no other party leader has done. He took the coalition agreement
:11:15. > :11:18.what no other party leader has done. the party, and they voted for it. So
:11:18. > :11:24.it is not true to say that members different direction. I think we
:11:24. > :11:26.it is not true to say that members extraordinarily united. I did not
:11:26. > :11:31.expect them to be so under these pressures, but they have surprised
:11:31. > :11:39.me and made me joyful at the same time. The party has done what it
:11:39. > :11:48.done in local government for a long time. We may have our private likes
:11:48. > :11:54.and dislikes, but the thing that coalition is the ballot box. You
:11:55. > :11:57.have said that three times. I can say it again if you like. Please
:11:57. > :12:02.don't! What if your party votes say it again if you like. Please
:12:02. > :12:12.reinstate tuition fees as party policy afternoon? We will have to
:12:12. > :12:15.listen to that and act accordingly. You must listen to the voice of
:12:15. > :12:18.listen to that and act accordingly. party and take it into account in
:12:18. > :12:26.what you do. I am always quite answering hypothetical questions. I
:12:26. > :12:32.don't think it is likely to happen, but if it did, we would have to
:12:32. > :12:34.don't think it is likely to happen, distinguished Lib Dems was that
:12:34. > :12:36.don't think it is likely to happen, your party conference voted for
:12:36. > :12:42.something, it was in the manifesto. The manifesto is taken in its final
:12:42. > :12:46.form before the party for decision. The party will express views at
:12:46. > :12:49.form before the party for decision. stage in all sorts of ways. It did
:12:49. > :12:53.in my leadership, too. The manifesto is democratically agreed by the
:12:53. > :12:59.party at the time of the election, not before. The Tory conference
:12:59. > :12:59.party at the time of the election, be about how they think they have
:12:59. > :13:03.been vindicated, that austerity be about how they think they have
:13:03. > :13:08.worked, the economy is turning a corner. But Nick Clegg's conference
:13:08. > :13:14.announcements will be about plastic bags. Have you got the hang of this
:13:14. > :13:16.coalition think? Andrew, you can always be guaranteed to put things
:13:16. > :13:24.in the most discreditable form! always be guaranteed to put things
:13:24. > :13:31.is part of your charm. That was about to be a minor announcement in
:13:31. > :13:34.discovered beforehand. It has not the middle of his speech. But it was
:13:34. > :13:37.discovered beforehand. It has not been very popular in terms of how it
:13:37. > :13:41.has been received, but that is not the central message. That leads
:13:41. > :13:47.has been received, but that is not to what I think is the biggest
:13:47. > :13:52.election. Isn't the biggest danger that the Tories, not you, if there
:13:53. > :14:04.is an economic recovery, they will get the credit for it? I don't think
:14:04. > :14:10.think the electorate does gratitude. The only time people cast a thank
:14:10. > :14:13.Thatcher over the sale of council houses. We could have a different
:14:13. > :14:21.discussion over whether that was a good idea. But what you have done is
:14:21. > :14:30.the underpinning for the promise of government, we have stayed firm
:14:30. > :14:37.the underpinning for the promise of very tough economic policy. But
:14:37. > :14:40.the underpinning for the promise of you get the credit? What we have
:14:40. > :14:44.done by ourselves, which the Tories would never have done, is make sure
:14:44. > :14:49.that when the pain is felt, it is not the poor who feel it. We have
:14:49. > :14:53.seen the biggest shift of taxation, lifting the poorest in the country
:14:53. > :14:59.out of taxation, that has ever happened, including in the previous
:14:59. > :15:04.Labour government. You are presiding over the biggest squeeze on living
:15:04. > :15:05.standards in modern times. Because it is the biggest recession in
:15:05. > :15:15.modern times. When you speak to it is the biggest recession in
:15:15. > :15:19.2.5 million people who have been lifted out of taxation altogether
:15:19. > :15:32.because of the Liberal Democrats, tax cut. You may be able to make the
:15:32. > :15:36.because of the Liberal Democrats, connection, Andrew, you are a sharp
:15:36. > :15:39.economic crisis and difficulty for everybody. But it is clear that
:15:39. > :15:41.economic crisis and difficulty for the Tories had been by themselves,
:15:41. > :15:45.none of that would have happened. We have sought to shift the burden
:15:45. > :15:48.none of that would have happened. We from the poorest in this country. I
:15:48. > :15:52.am part of that. So when we go into the next election, the message will
:15:52. > :15:54.am part of that. So when we go into be that if you want to continue
:15:54. > :15:57.am part of that. So when we go into have a prosperous economy and a
:15:57. > :16:07.society, only the Liberal Democrats will deliver that. Tim Farron says
:16:07. > :16:10.want to diss him. Can you confirm he likes Ed Miliband and he does not
:16:10. > :16:15.want to diss him. Can you confirm that there will be no dissing of Ed
:16:15. > :16:19.Miliband? It is not much my style. I've never much liked comments about
:16:19. > :16:27.the other leaders. I do not intend to make it so in the future. Can I'd
:16:27. > :16:30.finish up on Syria? You said after the Syria vote that Britain was
:16:30. > :16:36.finish up on Syria? You said after hugely diminished country. Given it
:16:36. > :16:39.both sides on a course which could now see Syria give up chemical
:16:39. > :16:43.weapons without records to military action, would you like to withdraw
:16:43. > :16:45.these remarks and admit that you should be proud and happy with what
:16:45. > :16:53.Britain has done? No. You and I should be proud and happy with what
:16:53. > :16:59.know, because we are old observers, that that would never have happened
:16:59. > :17:06.underpinning of a threat to use resigned from that. We have no part
:17:06. > :17:09.to play in the fact that Assad and Putin have moved towards peace for
:17:09. > :17:09.to play in the fact that Assad and fear of military action. We decided
:17:09. > :17:15.exactly the opposite. Why would fear of military action. We decided
:17:15. > :17:23.liked to have seen our country join in with those who are serious about
:17:23. > :17:24.upholding an international law which has restrained even than axes and
:17:25. > :17:35.left others to make sure that we talent, but instead we resigned
:17:35. > :17:35.left others to make sure that we moved towards peace. -- even the
:17:35. > :17:43.Maxis and Stalin. But if it had moved towards peace. -- even the
:17:43. > :17:49.would not have had the time to allow this to happen. It has avoided war.
:17:49. > :17:56.Job done, British Parliament. That would be true if it was accurate but
:17:56. > :18:01.it is not. The resolution proposed a delay, that we should wait until the
:18:01. > :18:03.inspectors came back. That time frame was absolutely nothing to
:18:04. > :18:08.inspectors came back. That time with the parliamentary vote. The
:18:08. > :18:15.vote was going to incorporate that. I do not think you can claim what
:18:15. > :18:17.vote was going to incorporate that. remember that diplomacy, which was
:18:17. > :18:21.not reinforced by the threat of military action, does not work.
:18:22. > :18:25.not reinforced by the threat of is when diplomacy runs with a grain
:18:25. > :18:30.of military action that it works. illustration of that, look at what
:18:30. > :18:35.is happening over the last two weeks. By regret to say that our
:18:35. > :18:49.country, which has always been in disengagement, had no part to play
:18:49. > :18:56.And you we would get to the Balkans eventually, and we did. His biggest
:18:56. > :19:03.challenge is if the economy is get some credit for the Lib Dems,
:19:03. > :19:08.when the Tories will want to halt it all. But his position is not to
:19:08. > :19:08.when the Tories will want to halt it the necessary axeman. That is George
:19:08. > :19:12.Osborne's role. Their role is to be Osborne's role. Their role is to be
:19:12. > :19:16.the chaser party, taking the edge off. They will because of me going
:19:16. > :19:22.on about the pupil premium and That is what you will hear from
:19:22. > :19:26.of the cuts. Will that work? They them, how they have taken the edge
:19:26. > :19:27.of the cuts. Will that work? They are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:27. > :19:31.if they have lost two thirds of are in a pretty good position. Even
:19:31. > :19:36.popular support, according to the polls, I do not know anyone in
:19:36. > :19:37.Westminster methinks that will be matched in their parliamentary
:19:37. > :19:40.representation. If they have 56 matched in their parliamentary
:19:40. > :19:49.now, they might lose a dozen but Strategically, they are in a better
:19:49. > :19:53.position than the reading of the polls would tell you. I think Nick
:19:53. > :19:59.Clegg's survival has been one of the stories of this Parliament. He is
:19:59. > :20:04.looking good at the comfort -- at the conference. When he was at his
:20:04. > :20:09.lowest after the AV referendum, people were saying he would survive
:20:09. > :20:13.I thought that was fanciful. Believe and lead us into 2015 and beyond and
:20:13. > :20:15.I thought that was fanciful. Believe it or not... Paddy Ashdown was
:20:15. > :20:21.wrong, you were wrong and... I wasn't. I'm underestimated how bad
:20:21. > :20:27.his rivals are. If you are Lib Dem member, however aggrieved you are
:20:27. > :20:31.with Nick Clegg, you do not think, wouldn't it be great if Christian
:20:31. > :20:34.was in charge? Nick Clegg is the best they have. -- Chris Huhne was
:20:34. > :20:40.in charge. Of course, the people do in charge. Of course, the people do
:20:40. > :20:44.government and it is a consequence of the way they vote, a different
:20:44. > :20:51.matter. If Janan Ganesh is right, and they lose 15 seats in the next
:20:51. > :20:57.pivotal in the next government. It Possibly the most amusing outcome
:20:57. > :21:00.would be a Labour or Tory overall majority, which would be hilarious
:21:00. > :21:06.for the look on Paddy Ashdown's face. The danger is they get trapped
:21:06. > :21:09.constantly in talking about the politics of coalition and of a hung
:21:09. > :21:17.parliament. And they are very puffed politics of coalition and of a hung
:21:17. > :21:20.parliament. And they are very puffed up and they enjoy Parliament and
:21:20. > :21:23.there is a possibility they will not be. While they are talking about the
:21:23. > :21:25.Polish and themselves, they are be. While they are talking about the
:21:25. > :21:31.talking about the issues facing be. While they are talking about the
:21:31. > :21:37.coalition. It was interesting that he said that we are a left-wing
:21:37. > :21:44.party, not a centre-left party or a centre party, but a left-wing party.
:21:44. > :21:48.I'm going to put myself in the firing line and say that there is a
:21:48. > :21:52.big split between the Tim Farron line who say they like Ed Miliband,
:21:52. > :21:56.and another one, Jeremy Browne in the Home Office saying that Labour
:21:56. > :22:05.are intellectually lazy. The risk clearly a clique around Nick Clegg
:22:05. > :22:11.who wants to be a synthetic party, but that is not where the membership
:22:11. > :22:16.who wants to be a synthetic party, activists are clearly of the left,
:22:16. > :22:21.not just the centre-left. They are very pro-immigration and they want
:22:21. > :22:26.strategy has to be to take the party to the centre. The something not
:22:26. > :22:30.happen at some stage? The poll suggests it is a left-wing party.
:22:30. > :22:32.happen at some stage? The poll Very left-wing. Other think the
:22:32. > :22:33.happen at some stage? The poll would have yielded -- would have
:22:33. > :22:40.yielded the same results before would have yielded -- would have
:22:40. > :22:43.2010 election. This is reflected by the arithmetic. Whichever party
:22:43. > :22:44.2010 election. This is reflected by biggest will most likely be the
:22:45. > :22:49.2010 election. This is reflected by in coalition with the Lib Dems.
:22:49. > :22:56.2010 election. This is reflected by Clegg's on latitude to choose is
:22:56. > :23:02.exaggerated by us. The choice is no parliamentary arithmetic. But if you
:23:02. > :23:09.remember the structure of the Lib Dems, they can tie themselves up in
:23:09. > :23:16.infighting. -- the choice is not stable. And Nick Clegg has had a
:23:16. > :23:18.good conference last year, and will have another one this year. The
:23:18. > :23:21.economy is better than it was a have another one this year. The
:23:21. > :23:27.ago. It could still go quite well for him. Yes, it is one of the
:23:27. > :23:29.ago. It could still go quite well stories of this Parliament, his
:23:29. > :23:35.survival and the way in which he has prospered. But there are a lot of
:23:35. > :23:38.campaigners, labour activists who have not forgotten what he has done
:23:38. > :23:42.in government and are determined to get him. It will be a tough year and
:23:42. > :23:47.a half. Tougher than he imagined. Now, not so long ago they were
:23:47. > :23:54.writing George Osborne's political obituary. Be on the Omni shambles
:23:54. > :23:57.budget of 2012 and a lacklustre performance of the British economy
:23:57. > :24:04.meant his reputation work -- was in the dirt. -- the omnishambles. But
:24:04. > :24:12.things have changed. The Chancellor is saying he has been vindicated. If
:24:12. > :24:15.runway, it looks as though the British economy has taken off,
:24:15. > :24:20.quarter. Forecasts for the rest British economy has taken off,
:24:20. > :24:27.the year have been revised up words. What's more, the office for National
:24:27. > :24:32.recession never actually happened. Unemployment is down in the three
:24:32. > :24:42.months to July and the number of spasticity rate since 1997. On
:24:42. > :24:45.Monday, George Osborne said his policies were bearing fruit. We
:24:45. > :24:49.Monday, George Osborne said his our nerve when many told us to
:24:49. > :24:54.abandon our plans. As a result, thanks to the efforts and sacrifices
:24:54. > :25:01.of the British people, Britain is turning a corner. The message for
:25:01. > :25:06.his Labour critics was clear. The Chancellor thinks he was right and
:25:06. > :25:21.Good afternoon. Good afternoon.Do you accept that the economy has
:25:21. > :25:27.turned a corner? I think it is good that a stalled recovery appears
:25:27. > :25:29.turned a corner? I think it is good get this in perspective. We have had
:25:29. > :25:34.three wasted years. We have the worst economic recovery in history.
:25:34. > :25:43.Debt is up and we have record youth programme if they feel better or
:25:43. > :25:47.worse off, compared to 2010, the majority will tell you they feel
:25:47. > :25:54.worse because, on average, wages are down by £1500 compared to May of
:25:54. > :26:02.2010. That is the situation. The one of the things we have seen
:26:02. > :26:06.talked about, Vince Cable has been talking about this as well, is what
:26:06. > :26:08.is happening in the housing market. It seems that much of the solution
:26:08. > :26:14.to powering the recovery in the It seems that much of the solution
:26:14. > :26:18.of George Osborne lies in sorting out the housing market but the
:26:19. > :26:22.problem is, we are at risk of being another housing bubble. Because
:26:22. > :26:26.problem is, we are at risk of being research that came out this week, we
:26:26. > :26:29.know that housing in the UK is three times more expensive than in the US.
:26:29. > :26:32.know that housing in the UK is three We know that house prices are rising
:26:32. > :26:38.five times faster than wages, but we also know that the government is
:26:38. > :26:40.five times faster than wages, but we building new housing at a slower
:26:40. > :26:47.rate, the slowest rate that we have complaining about a housing bubble,
:26:47. > :26:54.isn't that like Satan complaining about seven? -- seven. We all know
:26:54. > :26:57.that we cannot go back to business as usual. We need to build a new
:26:57. > :27:01.model of growth. But the housing bubble you talk about, it is not a
:27:01. > :27:06.bubble. It might turn into one. bubble you talk about, it is not a
:27:06. > :27:13.said the risk of a bubble. It is nothing like what happened on the
:27:13. > :27:16.I said, in 2009, we had the crash and we knew we needed to reconfigure
:27:16. > :27:25.the way that our economy works. Having an economy based on crisis is
:27:25. > :27:28.rebalance the economy. We saw the unemployment statistics this week,
:27:28. > :27:40.and it is welcomed overall, that unemployment has come down. At half
:27:40. > :27:45.up. And it went down in other parts. We know that we need to rebalance
:27:45. > :27:51.our economy, so that we do not just rely on consumption, but that we
:27:51. > :27:55.grow our productive sectors. And also that we grow our exports as
:27:55. > :28:02.well. We know we have a continuing deficit. We always have a trade
:28:02. > :28:12.deficit. There was never a trade surplus under Labour. Want to come
:28:12. > :28:14.onto what you have mentioned but would you scrap the help to buy
:28:14. > :28:18.scheme? We have not said that we would you scrap the help to buy
:28:18. > :28:21.scheme? We have not said that we would do that. Why not if it is
:28:21. > :28:27.causing the bubble? If you let me finish, on one hand what that scheme
:28:27. > :28:34.does at the moment, at the moment it is inhalation to a new scheme but
:28:34. > :28:38.tomorrow -- next year it will be in you do not sort out the supply of
:28:38. > :28:43.housing, then that is a recipe for the problems we have seen. Our
:28:43. > :28:45.argument is build more houses. Help more people to buy them by all means
:28:45. > :28:48.but if you do not have the supply more people to buy them by all means
:28:48. > :28:52.but if you do not have the supply you will end up with rising prices.
:28:53. > :28:54.That is obvious. Labour said that government austerity would prevent
:28:54. > :29:00.the return of growth. Austerity government austerity would prevent
:29:00. > :29:04.were wrong. We never said that growth would never return. What
:29:04. > :29:05.were wrong. We never said that said was that if you went for an
:29:05. > :29:11.were wrong. We never said that overly extreme deficit reduction
:29:11. > :29:17.recovery and you would choke growth. That is what we saw for three years.
:29:17. > :29:24.If you say, look at the US economy, it has grown at three times the
:29:24. > :29:28.If you say, look at the US economy, economy has grown at twice the rate.
:29:28. > :29:31.But the British economy is growing quicker than the American or German
:29:31. > :29:37.economy is now. But over time we have not seen that happen. But it is
:29:37. > :29:42.now. That may be the case. But my point is that those three years
:29:42. > :29:45.now. That may be the case. But my people undergoing huge stress and
:29:45. > :29:48.worry. It is good that we have growth back again but the question
:29:48. > :29:55.is, what kind of growth? What we have said... I'm going to come onto
:29:55. > :29:57.that but your credibility depends on your previous analysis. And there
:29:57. > :30:05.are doubts about it. This is what you said not that long ago. In
:30:05. > :30:30.You and the Labour Party said it had choked off growth. You were wrong.
:30:30. > :30:35.We were not wrong, because we choked off growth. You were wrong.
:30:35. > :30:38.three years where the economy was not moving. Let's remind ourselves.
:30:38. > :30:39.three years where the economy was Claude Osborne was
:30:39. > :30:41.three years where the economy was the economy was going to grow by
:30:41. > :30:46.6.9% between the the economy was going to grow by
:30:46. > :30:49.Parliament and now. It has grown by 1.8%. We did not
:30:49. > :30:55.Parliament and now. It has grown by have a return to growth. You
:30:55. > :30:57.Parliament and now. It has grown by said that austerity would only
:30:57. > :30:58.Parliament and now. It has grown by temporarily delay growth. We have
:30:58. > :31:03.looked through your speeches and temporarily delay growth. We have
:31:03. > :31:05.Balls'. We can't find any reference to say this is simply delaying the
:31:05. > :31:09.recovery. You said austerity to say this is simply delaying the
:31:09. > :31:17.choke off growth. If that to say this is simply delaying the
:31:17. > :31:20.why has it returned now? Did we say it would choke off growth for ever?
:31:20. > :31:26.why has it returned now? Did we say We did not. You have changed your
:31:26. > :31:29.tune. I think your package at We did not. You have changed your
:31:29. > :31:31.top of this programme, to frame We did not. You have changed your
:31:31. > :31:35.around George Osborne, this is not a We did not. You have changed your
:31:35. > :31:37.Westminster soap opera, it is people's lives, and the people who
:31:37. > :31:44.deserve huge credit for the people's lives, and the people who
:31:44. > :31:46.we are seeing are our country's businesses, who despite the
:31:46. > :31:48.we are seeing are our country's economic times, have succeeded. They
:31:48. > :31:49.we are seeing are our country's are the ones who have powered this
:31:49. > :31:52.growth. It is not for us in are the ones who have powered this
:31:52. > :31:57.Westminster to take credit. are the ones who have powered this
:31:57. > :32:01.blame the government for lack of growth. So therefore, when
:32:01. > :32:03.blame the government for lack of growth comes, the government has
:32:03. > :32:05.blame the government for lack of take some credit. Look at the
:32:05. > :32:07.situation Britain is in now. We take some credit. Look at the
:32:07. > :32:12.the recovery still has to take some credit. Look at the
:32:12. > :32:16.parts of the country, but this is the OECD annualised growth in the
:32:16. > :32:21.parts of the country, but this is G-7, the world's guest economies.
:32:21. > :32:25.parts of the country, but this is That is looking pretty healthy. That
:32:25. > :32:30.parts of the country, but this is is a recovery. I am not
:32:30. > :32:33.parts of the country, but this is we are seeing a stalled recovery,
:32:33. > :32:38.parts of the country, but this is but who benefits from the growth? On
:32:38. > :32:43.average, your viewers have sustained a £1500 pay cut. That is the second
:32:43. > :32:51.biggest fall in the G20 since a £1500 pay cut. That is the second
:32:51. > :32:54.2010. Because we had the biggest financial services sector and took
:32:54. > :32:58.the financial services sector and took
:32:58. > :33:00.services are still in decline. Financial services are about 10%
:33:00. > :33:07.services are still in decline. the economy. They are not the only
:33:07. > :33:08.services are still in decline. contributor to the economy.
:33:08. > :33:12.services are still in decline. point is, who benefits?
:33:12. > :33:15.services are still in decline. is falling, but we don't just want
:33:15. > :33:16.services are still in decline. people to have any job, we want them
:33:16. > :33:18.to have decent jobs that pay people to have any job, we want them
:33:18. > :33:21.weight you can live off and that are people to have any job, we want them
:33:21. > :33:23.more secure. Let me show people to have any job, we want them
:33:23. > :33:29.unemployment figures. Your criticism people to have any job, we want them
:33:29. > :33:35.has been that all the new jobs are part-time. They are not now, they
:33:35. > :33:41.are full-time. Full-time unemployment, up -- full-time
:33:41. > :33:46.employment, up 94,000. This is a short time frame. It is
:33:46. > :33:48.employment, up 94,000. This is a recovery began. Half the
:33:48. > :33:50.employment, up 94,000. This is a have been created since
:33:50. > :33:55.employment, up 94,000. This is a have been part-time jobs. Roughly
:33:55. > :33:56.employment, up 94,000. This is a 107,000 people are working part-time
:33:56. > :33:58.who would like to work 107,000 people are working part-time
:33:58. > :34:03.Over the last 20 years, 107,000 people are working part-time
:34:03. > :34:06.feel more insecure at work than ever. The question is about what
:34:06. > :34:07.feel more insecure at work than kind of growth
:34:07. > :34:14.feel more insecure at work than are getting. The other point is the
:34:14. > :34:19.uneven spread of this across our economy. In places like the
:34:19. > :34:21.uneven spread of this across our north-east and north-west, the
:34:21. > :34:23.Humber, the east of north-east and north-west, the
:34:23. > :34:31.have seen unemployment increase. north-east and north-west, the
:34:31. > :34:37.agree that there was a regional imbalance, but the service sector is
:34:37. > :34:40.growing, cheering and construction are growing and financial services
:34:40. > :34:44.growing, cheering and construction are in decline, so the rebalance is
:34:44. > :34:47.happening. It is not happening to the degree we need to transform
:34:47. > :34:50.happening. It is not happening to economy so that we have a
:34:50. > :34:53.long-term, sustainable model of growth. That is why we
:34:53. > :34:54.long-term, sustainable model of comprehensive industrial
:34:54. > :34:55.long-term, sustainable model of that all of government works
:34:55. > :35:04.towards. Your party conference is that all of government works
:35:04. > :35:07.coming up. I am sure you are looking forward to it. Why do Ed Miliband's
:35:07. > :35:09.coming up. I am sure you are looking approval ratings get worse the more
:35:09. > :35:11.coming up. I am sure you are looking people see of him? I don't accept
:35:11. > :35:20.that. I have given you the figures. people see of him? I don't accept
:35:20. > :35:22.Polls go up and down. I have people see of him? I don't accept
:35:22. > :35:26.that on this programme before. people see of him? I don't accept
:35:26. > :35:33.his approval rating has people see of him? I don't accept
:35:33. > :35:35.gone down. What actually matters our votes. Under Ed Miliband's
:35:35. > :35:37.gone down. What actually matters our leadership, the Labour Party
:35:37. > :35:39.gone down. What actually matters our put on almost 2000 extra councillors
:35:39. > :35:42.in places like Canada case, even put on almost 2000 extra councillors
:35:42. > :35:53.Whitney. What is wrong with Whitney? put on almost 2000 extra councillors
:35:53. > :35:56.We have been putting on votes. Let me show you this. This
:35:56. > :35:59.We have been putting on votes. Let satisfaction rating. Your leader
:35:59. > :36:00.We have been putting on votes. Let now more unpopular than Gordon Brown
:36:00. > :36:07.was when he took Labour to the worst now more unpopular than Gordon Brown
:36:07. > :36:12.defeat in living memory. Gordon Brown did not put on anything
:36:12. > :36:14.defeat in living memory. Gordon this number of councillors. Votes
:36:14. > :36:19.defeat in living memory. Gordon are what matter, Andrew. Few
:36:19. > :36:21.defeat in living memory. Gordon think Ed Miliband is a capable
:36:21. > :36:23.defeat in living memory. Gordon leader. Twice as many people
:36:23. > :36:26.defeat in living memory. Gordon over Spurs who lives on the moon.
:36:26. > :36:32.defeat in living memory. Gordon These are polls. If you are talking
:36:32. > :36:34.to me about over Spurs lit, that puts this into context, Europe
:36:34. > :36:39.to me about over Spurs lit, that session with polls! -- Elvis
:36:39. > :36:43.Presley. Since 2010, we have put on session with polls! -- Elvis
:36:43. > :36:44.thousands of members. Compare that session with polls! -- Elvis
:36:44. > :36:47.to the Conservative Party, which session with polls! -- Elvis
:36:47. > :36:54.not won a general election since 1992. They will not disclose their
:36:54. > :36:58.not won a general election since membership figures. Why -- why won't
:36:58. > :37:00.you pledge to renationalise Royal membership figures. Why -- why won't
:37:00. > :37:03.Mail? Because that would be like membership figures. Why -- why won't
:37:03. > :37:05.writing a blank cheque. We don't know at the moment how
:37:05. > :37:07.writing a blank cheque. We don't government would receive
:37:07. > :37:09.writing a blank cheque. We don't sale of Royal Mail? So how can
:37:09. > :37:11.writing a blank cheque. We don't judge how much it would cost to
:37:11. > :37:14.writing a blank cheque. We don't it back? That would be
:37:14. > :37:17.irresponsible. But the government does not need to do this right now.
:37:17. > :37:22.irresponsible. But the government The entire country is against it.
:37:22. > :37:23.irresponsible. But the government Sources in the City and Whitehall
:37:23. > :37:25.irresponsible. But the government tell me that if Labour pledged
:37:25. > :37:26.irresponsible. But the government renationalise it, it would kill off
:37:26. > :37:29.the flotation. So if you renationalise it, it would kill off
:37:29. > :37:34.it, why don't you do it? For me to renationalise it, it would kill off
:37:34. > :37:36.pledge to renationalise renationalise it, it would kill off
:37:36. > :37:42.would be like writing a blank cheque. But if you put it
:37:42. > :37:43.would be like writing a blank prospectus, people in the City, who
:37:43. > :37:46.know more about these things, prospectus, people in the City, who
:37:46. > :37:50.would not happen, so why not do it? prospectus, people in the City, who
:37:50. > :37:54.Because that would be prospectus, people in the City, who
:37:54. > :37:57.It would be like writing a cheque for billions to renationalise Royal
:37:57. > :37:59.It would be like writing a cheque Mail. You would not have too
:37:59. > :38:02.It would be like writing a cheque at the check if it did not happen. I
:38:02. > :38:05.It would be like writing a cheque have to deal with the facts. I
:38:05. > :38:07.It would be like writing a cheque not good deal with the plot somebody
:38:07. > :38:09.It would be like writing a cheque might be speculating about in
:38:09. > :38:10.It would be like writing a cheque City. We have to be careful about
:38:10. > :38:14.this. For me to City. We have to be careful about
:38:14. > :38:16.renationalise it now would be like City. We have to be careful about
:38:16. > :38:18.writing a bank cheque . We City. We have to be careful about
:38:18. > :38:20.to be a fiscally responsible City. We have to be careful about
:38:20. > :38:22.government. That is why I am not City. We have to be careful about
:38:22. > :38:26.prepared to do that. Ed Balls will City. We have to be careful about
:38:26. > :38:28.not be talking to you. You are City. We have to be careful about
:38:28. > :38:29.watching the Sunday Politics. Hello, I'm Julia George and this is
:38:29. > :38:46.up in 20 minutes, I will Hello, I'm Julia George and this is
:38:46. > :38:49.the Sunday Politics in the South East. Coming up: As the Liberal
:38:49. > :38:55.Democrat party meet her annual conference, we'll be speaking to
:38:55. > :38:59.party leader Nick Clegg about the challenges his party faces here in
:38:59. > :39:04.the South East. Joining me in the studio to talk about that and other
:39:04. > :39:07.topics, the Conservative MP and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker
:39:07. > :39:11.and the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne and Willingdon, Stephen
:39:12. > :39:17.Lloyd. We're going to start talking about children into care. Last year
:39:17. > :39:20.1,200 looked—after children arrived in Kent. Many of them were
:39:20. > :39:23.originally from London. Thanet MP Laura Sandys took the Secretary of
:39:23. > :39:26.State for Education to see children's homes in her constituency
:39:26. > :39:28.where children are living close to sex offenders. The Government
:39:28. > :39:32.promised that there would be no new homes in unsafe areas. And now
:39:32. > :39:35.Michael Gove also says he will tighten up the rules on vulnerable
:39:35. > :39:41.children being moved miles away from family and social workers.
:39:41. > :39:46.Greg, how did we end up sending some of the most vulnerable children in
:39:46. > :39:50.society to live cheek by jowl with sex offenders? It makes you think we
:39:50. > :39:55.don't really care about them. I think you're right. I'm amazed this
:39:55. > :40:00.was ever allowed to happen. This is a fantastic vindication of the
:40:00. > :40:05.campaign that Laura Sandys has run. She's put her heart and soul into
:40:05. > :40:08.this. It's a great result and I think the way that Michael Gove has
:40:08. > :40:12.listened to Laura and is now taking this forward is going to make a real
:40:12. > :40:15.difference to some of the most vulnerable children in Britain.
:40:15. > :40:19.Stephen, do you think the practice of sending children miles away from
:40:19. > :40:24.their families and social workers should end altogether? I wouldn't
:40:24. > :40:28.end it all together because sadly, there are quite a number of
:40:28. > :40:32.instances where the children have been moved out of their area because
:40:32. > :40:35.people in their family or within the area are an unsafe risk to the
:40:35. > :40:39.children. So it's not black—and—white. What I think it
:40:39. > :40:44.indicates is that clearly it's an issue that needs properly
:40:44. > :40:46.addressing. It's something that I think the Department for Education
:40:46. > :40:52.need to monitor very clearly because it's very haphazard. I'm glad that
:40:52. > :40:58.the secretary of state is going to get involved with this. Do you
:40:58. > :41:00.admire the MP? Laura has done a fantastic job and she's been pushing
:41:00. > :41:06.this in Westminster for quite a while. But it's not black—and—white
:41:06. > :41:09.because unfortunately, in quite a number of instances, children are
:41:10. > :41:16.actually most unsafe if they stay within the area where the events
:41:16. > :41:20.took place. Let's look at what happened over the summer. A quiet
:41:20. > :41:24.Sussex village of a couple of thousand residents — that was before
:41:24. > :41:29.Bolcom became the focus for anti—fracking campaigners. The
:41:29. > :41:32.energy firm Cuadrilla began exploratory drilling for shale gas
:41:32. > :41:38.on the prime ministers at the whole country must get behind fracking. So
:41:38. > :41:40.what must we make of the debate? And do high profile campaigns like the
:41:40. > :41:51.one in Bolcom really help us to make up our minds? —— Balcombe.
:41:51. > :41:58.In the eye of the storm this summer, a small Sussex village unwittingly
:41:58. > :42:07.found itself in the centre of the debate about new energy sources.
:42:07. > :42:12.Some famous faces joined the anti—fracking demonstrations in
:42:12. > :42:17.Balcombe. Brighton Pavilion Green MP Caroline Lucas was arrested there.
:42:17. > :42:22.At its height, around 1200 testers descended on a village with a
:42:22. > :42:27.population of about 2000. So what have campaigners added to the debate
:42:27. > :42:32.on fracking? Some Balcombe residents think it's the protesters who were
:42:32. > :42:39.actually muddied the waters. There's been really no debate at all.
:42:39. > :42:44.There's been a lot of shouting, a lot of highly exaggerated
:42:44. > :42:52.propaganda. The protests have achieved absolutely nothing. We
:42:52. > :42:57.don't need outside Renta mobs adding to our problems. I can only hope
:42:57. > :43:04.that other communities will learn from our experience. If you have
:43:04. > :43:10.fanatic greens in your midst, sit on them hard. Campaigners here fear
:43:10. > :43:13.that the test drilling being carried out by Cuadrilla could lead to
:43:13. > :43:19.actual hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. But the process has been
:43:19. > :43:22.used for decades in the oil and gas industries in other parts of the
:43:22. > :43:29.country so why have the protests here in Balcombe been so vocal? I
:43:29. > :43:32.have a theory that we're on the London to Brighton line and also
:43:32. > :43:36.near the south coast, where a lot of political activity goes on, so I
:43:36. > :43:41.think it's near to home for some of the protesters. It's made it more
:43:41. > :43:47.difficult as a community for us to experience an oil drill for
:43:47. > :43:51.ourselves, because we've had roads blocked, we've been inundated with
:43:51. > :43:56.press, there have been people outside the shop with cameras all
:43:56. > :44:00.the time. A wider repercussion of the Balcombe protest is the cost of
:44:00. > :44:06.policing, estimated to be around £3.5 million. That's the equivalent
:44:06. > :44:13.of paying nearly 150 newly qualified PCs for a year. More than 100 people
:44:13. > :44:17.have been arrested so far. It's a national event, I believe, as this
:44:17. > :44:23.is about energy security for the country, and I'm sure this won't be
:44:23. > :44:28.a one off in Bolcom. That's why I've asked the government to look at
:44:28. > :44:32.this. Balcombe will not be the only drilling site in Sussex will stop
:44:32. > :44:37.I'm sure Surrey and Kent will have the same. I would say to other
:44:37. > :44:41.counties, we're not going to be alone on this and you need to be
:44:41. > :44:44.thinking ahead for the future. With such high—profile demonstrations,
:44:44. > :44:51.the arguments against fracking have been well publicised. And painlessly
:44:51. > :44:56.it could contaminate ground water, cause earthquakes and encourage our
:44:56. > :45:01.reliance on fossil fuels. These fears, according to some academics,
:45:01. > :45:06.art not justified. It is a small minority of people, mainly the
:45:06. > :45:13.environmental movement. They are concerned that shale gas might, Pete
:45:13. > :45:19.with renewable energy —— might come Pete. They are saturating the
:45:19. > :45:27.environmental risks. Shale gas compared to the rest are
:45:27. > :45:30.comparatively low risks. In the South East, licenses to explore for
:45:30. > :45:35.onshore oil and gas have been a student in 24 constituencies. Before
:45:35. > :45:40.any test running, companies must consult the public as part of any
:45:40. > :45:44.planning application. This did not happen in Balcombe as the parish
:45:44. > :45:49.council failed to discuss the plans when they were submitted in 2010. So
:45:49. > :45:54.have the protests usefully raised public awareness or have the noise
:45:54. > :46:00.and scales of the campaign drowned out any chance of a sensible
:46:00. > :46:06.debate? We're joined by Keith Taylor, a green MEP and
:46:06. > :46:08.anti—fracking campaigner. I didn't see you being arrested alongside
:46:08. > :46:16.Caroline Lucas. Were you better behaved or not there? I was there
:46:16. > :46:18.just before Caroline Lucas got arrested. I've been going to
:46:18. > :46:22.Balcombe for two years, arrested. I've been going to
:46:22. > :46:26.residents, because it's a sensitive thing happening there. Balcombe is
:46:26. > :46:32.the front line in fracking. There hasn't any fracking yet. Let's talk
:46:32. > :46:37.about the summer of protest — what did it achieve other than an
:46:37. > :46:42.enormous policing Bill? One thing it achieved is a consultation with the
:46:42. > :46:46.Balkan residents, 82% of whom say they don't want fracking. It's
:46:46. > :46:54.throughout the South East and throughout the country of the risks
:46:54. > :46:59.associated with fracking. Basically the 82% people saying, let's learn
:46:59. > :47:03.from the states that have been made in other countries rather than
:47:03. > :47:10.simply re—eating them. —— from the mistakes. You heard a resident
:47:10. > :47:15.saying they don't need outside protesters adding to their problems.
:47:15. > :47:20.Haven't the protests been a bigger nightmare for the people of Balcombe
:47:20. > :47:25.than anything Cuadrilla were doing? The implications of fracking going
:47:25. > :47:32.ahead are far more serious than a demonstration in the summer. I'm
:47:32. > :47:37.terribly sorry to hear that resident was inconvenienced. The fact is that
:47:37. > :47:44.fracking companies, if you follow the example of America, are actually
:47:44. > :47:50.not happy with one well. They want to build hundreds of Wells.
:47:50. > :47:55.Politicians should be looking at the risks and the implications. We
:47:55. > :47:59.should all be doing that. We still need an intelligent debate about
:47:59. > :48:04.fracking. Can you demonstrate that you've examined both sides of the
:48:04. > :48:10.argument? You seem pretty certain fracking is a disaster. I'm looking
:48:10. > :48:14.at the experiences in Europe. France has a total ban because the French
:48:14. > :48:18.people love their countryside, love their agriculture and they don't
:48:18. > :48:24.want to see it ruined. As you've mentioned it, I would say that I'm
:48:24. > :48:30.going to Pennsylvania next week to have a two of fracking sites to see
:48:30. > :48:35.where they have been a commercially exploited and I'll be reporting
:48:35. > :48:40.back. When we look at what George Osborne has done in giving tax rates
:48:40. > :48:51.and saying that communities can have compensation payments, he's made his
:48:51. > :48:55.mind up. He wants it to go ahead. Listen to Mr Cameron — he wanted go
:48:55. > :48:59.ahead. But within the environmental movement, don't we need shades of
:48:59. > :49:03.green? Gas is the greenest fossil fuel there is. Until renewables are
:49:03. > :49:08.more widely available, why reject shale gas? We're saying that the
:49:08. > :49:13.government should be creating investment frameworks to encourage
:49:13. > :49:17.proper renewable energy. All the scientists are telling us that a 2%
:49:17. > :49:24.of fossil fuels need to stay where they are, underground. If we get
:49:24. > :49:30.fossil fuels out, it's going to be the worst effects of climate change.
:49:30. > :49:35.The protesters played a blinder, did they? Three months ago if you asked
:49:35. > :49:38.the average person on the street about fracking they wouldn't have
:49:38. > :49:45.had a clue. Now everyone knows about it. It would have been better for
:49:45. > :49:50.you if we didn't have a clue what it was about and you could of got on
:49:50. > :49:55.with it. No, we need an informed public debate. The gentleman in
:49:55. > :49:59.Balcombe was right. The protesters dumped a previous cause and arrived
:49:59. > :50:05.en masse in Balcombe. Fracking is not an ideology but a technology. We
:50:05. > :50:11.need a measured, sensible assessment of what it can bring to the UK and
:50:11. > :50:14.how we need to develop it. There has been wild talk among the
:50:14. > :50:19.environmentalists but there is wild talk about the benefits to us. We've
:50:19. > :50:26.been told fracking will bring our energy bills down. And economists
:50:26. > :50:31.said that was baseless. There is no evidence it will bring our bills
:50:31. > :50:36.down. Well, since 2004 we've been a net importer of gas. We used to have
:50:36. > :50:40.lots of oil and gas coming out of the North Sea but that is in steady
:50:40. > :50:50.decline. Rather than import gas, which we're going to be dependent on
:50:50. > :50:58.an need more of in the medium—term, we... I'm a big fan of renewables
:50:58. > :51:04.but to pretend you can survive only on renewables for the foreseeable
:51:04. > :51:08.future is wrong. We need gas and much better that we use our own UK
:51:08. > :51:12.gas than imported from Russia or further afield. That answers the
:51:12. > :51:22.issue about energy security but not else. Are you for or against? I'm
:51:22. > :51:29.agnostic. I take Greg's point around the security of provision but where
:51:29. > :51:34.I'm amateurs is that we're not America or Canada a small island.
:51:34. > :51:37.Where Keith is right, unfortunately, is that if you're
:51:37. > :51:43.talking about hundreds of lower case wells in Sussex
:51:43. > :51:52.restricted. I'm waiting for the signs. I have a real anxiety about
:51:52. > :51:57.whether our island is big enough. Do you know where the largest oil
:51:57. > :52:05.reservoir is? It is a farm in Dorset and Dorset is not Texas. Let me go
:52:05. > :52:09.back to Keith Taylor for a moment. This is exactly the intelligent
:52:09. > :52:12.debate we need, isn't it? Not people camping out on the streets but
:52:12. > :52:18.talking about it intelligently, looking at the issues. Certainly in
:52:18. > :52:26.the EU, I'm working alongside politicians of all parties trying to
:52:26. > :52:34.get some consistency of approach to the science and technology of
:52:34. > :52:37.fracking. My job is to represent people and it's my job to
:52:37. > :52:42.people in the South East what is going on. Mr Cameron has given us
:52:43. > :52:46.the green light on this and it needs to be explained to people what that
:52:46. > :52:51.means. Thank you very much. I'm hoping that people have got
:52:51. > :52:55.something to think about on fracking now.
:52:55. > :52:58.The Lib Dems proudly call themselves the party of local government but it
:52:58. > :53:01.is a name they will have to fight hard to keep because the county
:53:01. > :53:05.council elections this May, they lost a third of their councillors
:53:05. > :53:09.and finished behind UKIP in Kent and West Sussex. On the eve of the party
:53:09. > :53:14.conference, our political editor spoke to make Clegg and began by
:53:14. > :53:18.asking him about the trickiest you we've been talking about — fracking.
:53:18. > :53:23.My attitude is that we shouldn't just ignore the whole technology and
:53:23. > :53:28.say there should never be any fracking. Nor should we be over
:53:28. > :53:31.romantic about it. It's not going to solve all the energy problems of the
:53:31. > :53:37.country but it might play a role in what I call a mixed array of
:53:37. > :53:43.different ways of reducing energy to keep people's bills stable and low
:53:43. > :53:48.in the long run. For too long, we've over relied on a fuel sources of
:53:48. > :53:54.energy, usually imported from unsafe and unstable parts of the world. We
:53:54. > :53:58.need to be very careful about regulation of fracking and you need
:53:58. > :54:03.to get local support and do it in a way which is environmentally safe.
:54:03. > :54:06.I'm confident we've put every single belt and braces on the rules to make
:54:07. > :54:10.sure that it's only done safely. I spoke to David Cameron last night
:54:10. > :54:13.who made it clear that the government would be going ahead with
:54:13. > :54:21.fracking if the Lib Dems won't blocking it. He said Ed Davey is
:54:21. > :54:24.blocking it. I don't know what he's referring to. Agreed collectively in
:54:24. > :54:28.the coalition that fracking can proceed as long as it's safe and
:54:28. > :54:32.environmentally sustainable and as long as steps are taken to try and
:54:32. > :54:37.gain local support. To that extent, I think where there is a difference
:54:37. > :54:41.of emphasis is that I sometimes it Conservative problems talking about
:54:41. > :54:46.fracking as a solution to every problem under the sun. It clearly
:54:46. > :54:49.isn't. It can play a role in the future energy mix this country needs
:54:49. > :54:52.at it won't be the sole magic wand solution. It doesn't play well with
:54:52. > :54:58.your supporters in places like Sussex, does it? If you're in a
:54:58. > :55:01.community where you are dead set against it I totally understand it
:55:01. > :55:05.provokes strong feelings. I think most people in the country at large
:55:05. > :55:12.access that we've got to wean ourselves off that overreliance on
:55:12. > :55:18.polluting, imported oil and gas from places where the prices go wildly up
:55:18. > :55:24.and down, which affects peoples bills. We need to spread our bets.
:55:24. > :55:27.Looking to the elections, you haven't done particularly well in
:55:27. > :55:32.the South East since going into the coalition. You've got two MPs in
:55:32. > :55:38.Sussex, none in Kent, and you were pushed into fourth place locally
:55:38. > :55:40.behind UKIP. How do you come back? By explaining patiently that if it
:55:40. > :55:44.wasn't for the Lib Dems in government and if it wasn't for our
:55:44. > :55:50.unity and resolve to stay the course and see through these difficult
:55:50. > :55:53.issues, the economy would not start recovering. I'm proud of the fact we
:55:53. > :55:57.stepped up to the plate when the country needed it. We're able to say
:55:57. > :56:00.to people on the doorstep that if it wasn't for the Liberal Democrats
:56:00. > :56:04.they would be £700 better off because we raised the point at which
:56:04. > :56:08.you start paying income tax to £10,000. This is a big national
:56:08. > :56:12.thing but also we felt by putting money back in their pockets. But
:56:12. > :56:17.you're losing supporters on the ground. In Sussex and Kent you
:56:17. > :56:18.didn't even stand at the police commissioners collections ——
:56:18. > :56:24.elections. Well, that is a conservative idea which we were
:56:24. > :56:28.never enthusiastic about but we accept it was put into the coalition
:56:28. > :56:33.agreement. I accept that we have taken a hit over the last two or
:56:33. > :56:36.three years. I accept the act of going into coalition would be
:56:36. > :56:39.controversial to some and no doubt still is. I accept there are some
:56:39. > :56:42.people who don't like some of the decision the government has had to
:56:42. > :56:46.take to clean up the mess we've inherited. I think by 2015, there
:56:46. > :56:49.will be a grudging respect that we've stuck with it and that if we
:56:49. > :56:54.hadn't the economy would be much worse and we've also done a lot of
:56:54. > :56:58.very fair things — better childcare, better education with the pupil
:56:58. > :57:02.premium, more apprenticeships, fairer taxes and the largest
:57:02. > :57:07.increase in the state pension. Thank you very much.
:57:07. > :57:11.By 2015, a begrudging respect for your party. Stephen Lloyd, if that's
:57:11. > :57:18.the best you will lead a can—do I don't fancy your chances of real
:57:18. > :57:22.action — do you? I do because it's always difficult in coalition. It's
:57:22. > :57:28.difficult when you have a massive economic recession. We've taken some
:57:28. > :57:30.difficult decisions. One of the things we used to say before we got
:57:31. > :57:36.into government is that the Liberals can't be relied on to take difficult
:57:36. > :57:40.decisions but that is no longer true. This is a party who have given
:57:40. > :57:49.up on some of the key election pledges you made. I didn't support
:57:49. > :57:56.that. You were talking about tuition fees. The key pledges around the
:57:56. > :58:03.pupil premium, the green agenda, the economy. We've delivered and stuck
:58:03. > :58:07.to our guns. The discipline the Lib Dems have shown within Parliament
:58:07. > :58:12.over the last three years has surpassed our colleagues within
:58:12. > :58:17.government. That doesn't get voters voting for
:58:17. > :58:20.you. You are haemorrhaging support since you went into coalition. You
:58:20. > :58:24.are well respected MP and must be like screaming at your leaders. Not
:58:24. > :58:27.at all. I was complete the sound up to the coalition from the beginning.
:58:27. > :58:33.One of the things the Lib Dems have done, which people respect on the
:58:33. > :58:38.doorstep, is that the nation was facing a crisis. We put aside party
:58:38. > :58:45.politics and went into a coalition to get through one of the trickiest
:58:45. > :58:51.recessions in 40 years. I'm pretty confident. What happens next? Vince
:58:51. > :58:55.Cable says you have to remain a radical party. Give us a radical
:58:55. > :58:59.policy that will make people vote for you at the next election.
:58:59. > :59:04.Radical for me is getting through one of the toughest recessions in 40
:59:04. > :59:09.years. That doesn't differentiate you from the man next to you. Well,
:59:09. > :59:15.one of the interesting things is that I call Greg a liberal
:59:15. > :59:22.Conservative. But I take the point. Radical to me is getting through a
:59:22. > :59:25.difficult economy. Are you a liberal app Conservative? I'm doing a good
:59:25. > :59:32.job of ruining my career without any help from you! What do you think
:59:32. > :59:36.will happen at the next election? The only thing I know for sure is
:59:36. > :59:40.that we are going flat out for a Conservative majority. David Cameron
:59:40. > :59:45.has been very clear about that and that's what we are shooting for. But
:59:45. > :59:50.together, we have managed to turn around the economy, which was a
:59:50. > :59:54.catastrophic label legacy. We're going to give you a round—up now of
:59:54. > :00:02.the other political events you might have missed over the summer in 60
:00:02. > :00:07.seconds. Two years ago it was all smiles for
:00:07. > :00:11.the Greens but now the infighting within Brighton council's ruling
:00:11. > :00:14.party has got so bad they reportedly brought in external pacemakers. Will
:00:14. > :00:17.they be able to force the Greens to hug and make up? Following a pile—up
:00:17. > :00:24.on a local bridge, the local MP has called on the Department for
:00:24. > :00:27.transport to make sure it was a one—off. I've written to the
:00:27. > :00:31.secretary of state for transport and asked him to undertake a review of
:00:31. > :00:33.the safety of the crossing. Chatham Grammar School for boys has become
:00:33. > :00:36.the second grammar school ever Grammar School for boys has become
:00:36. > :00:39.placed in special measures. It says it will work hard to make
:00:39. > :00:43.improvements. And Henry Smith has been tossing
:00:43. > :00:47.insulting words around on Twitter. He used strong language to make
:00:47. > :00:52.clear his feelings about blood in Putin after the Russian president
:00:52. > :00:55.described Britain as a small island no one listens to. Smith has
:00:55. > :00:58.defended his choice of language. I stand by the comments I made on
:00:58. > :01:03.Twitter when I called the Russian president a toss. Let's
:01:03. > :01:11.Amir Putin doesn't say anything rude about Crawley. —— Vladimir Putin.
:01:11. > :01:16.Is there a place for fruity language and politics? I think he is a great
:01:16. > :01:21.MP and he is in touch with his constituents. Have you ever said
:01:21. > :01:24.anything you've regretted? I'm sure. I think there is a place but
:01:24. > :01:29.sometimes when we're dealing with something like Syria, you have to
:01:29. > :01:32.hold your breath. Thank you for being with us. That's it from us.
:01:32. > :01:33.hold your breath. Thank you for more than pay is going up. Which
:01:33. > :01:45.hold your breath. Thank you for deserves a programme all to itself.
:01:45. > :01:51.In a moment, more from our political Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:52. > :01:55.victory for either the Conservatives Good afternoon. Nick Clegg says
:01:55. > :01:59.or labour at the next election would put at risk the economic recovery
:01:59. > :02:00.is. Speaking in Glasgow at the Liberal Democrat annual conference,
:02:00. > :02:04.he said a coalition would allow Liberal Democrat annual conference,
:02:04. > :02:10.party to balance politics and enable the government to finish the job of
:02:10. > :02:15.repairing the economy fairly. It is my genuine belief that if we go
:02:15. > :02:19.repairing the economy fairly. It is coalition and Islands politics,
:02:19. > :02:22.repairing the economy fairly. It is dominating blood on their own, you
:02:22. > :02:24.will get a recovery which is neither fair nor sustainable. Labour would
:02:24. > :02:29.wreck the recovery, and under the fair nor sustainable. Labour would
:02:29. > :02:35.same commitment to fairness as ours, you would get the wrong kind
:02:35. > :02:37.Two 19-year-old woman arrested after a stabbing on Thursday have been
:02:37. > :02:41.released without charge. Police a stabbing on Thursday have been
:02:41. > :02:45.trying to discover if there is a link between the killing and a fire
:02:45. > :02:51.four hours later in which four Five people are being questioned in
:02:51. > :02:54.connection with that blaze. A Syrian government minister has described
:02:54. > :03:01.the agreement drawn up by America country's chemical weapons as a
:03:01. > :03:06.The minister claims the deals helps the Syrians out of a crisis and
:03:06. > :03:09.others war. The US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Israel to
:03:09. > :03:13.brief the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the proposal. China
:03:13. > :03:17.and France have also welcomed the deal, which says Syria has until
:03:17. > :03:22.Friday to submit a competence of list of its chemical stockpile.
:03:22. > :03:27.Britain's Mo Farah has missed out on winning his first half marathon
:03:27. > :03:29.Britain's Mo Farah has missed out on He was taking part in the Great
:03:29. > :03:33.North Run between Newcastle and South Shields. Farrar, who was the
:03:33. > :03:43.favourite following his two gold Ethiopian's can mean many Serb
:03:43. > :03:46.favourite following his two gold Kenenisa Bekele in a sprint finish.
:03:46. > :03:52.A carnival atmosphere for the start was about the challenge. For others,
:03:52. > :04:00.walking it, so I have no time in simply dressing up for fun. I am
:04:00. > :04:02.walking it, so I have no time in mind. I just want to enjoy it and
:04:02. > :04:08.appreciate the crowds and have a fantastic time. For elite athletes,
:04:08. > :04:13.today's race was about who would be first over the line. Despite the
:04:13. > :04:17.wind and rain, large crowds turned out for the world's most popular
:04:17. > :04:25.half marathon, which attracts some of the finest women runners, two,
:04:25. > :04:29.including the Kenyan. There were high hopes for Britain's double
:04:29. > :04:36.Olympic champion Mo Farah, but after Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:36. > :04:47.Ethiopian's Kenenisa Bekele. It Shields, he was narrowly beaten
:04:47. > :04:50.thought I would come back and close the gap slowly. I managed to close
:04:50. > :04:56.it a little bit, but you can't take away what he has. Wheelchair athlete
:04:56. > :05:01.David Weir won his race for a fourth time. More than £200 million has
:05:01. > :05:16.been raised since the Great North That is it for now. There will be
:05:16. > :05:19.more news on BBC One at 6:35pm. So, did anything happen while we
:05:19. > :05:27.were away this summer? I thought heading now? Who better to answer
:05:27. > :05:33.than the best political panel we could cobble together for a tenner?
:05:33. > :05:38.Putting foreign affairs to one side for a moment, it seems that what
:05:38. > :05:41.happened mystically was that it became more apparent that some sort
:05:41. > :05:48.of recovery was underway at last, and that Mr Miliband still has not
:05:48. > :05:54.yet resonated with the British public. These things are a problem
:05:54. > :05:56.for Labour. Ed Miliband's mistake over the summer holiday was to take
:05:56. > :06:00.a summer holiday. And it looked over the summer holiday was to take
:06:00. > :06:04.the rest of the Labour Party had taken one too. They were not finding
:06:04. > :06:09.issues they could make their own. The only person who made an impact
:06:09. > :06:13.was Stella Creasy on online abuse. That is a huge problem, and it is
:06:13. > :06:15.partly down to the fact that there is this intense message discipline.
:06:15. > :06:18.They don't want to say anything is this intense message discipline.
:06:18. > :06:21.of line until they have got all their ducks in a row. It makes the
:06:21. > :06:27.party do at the moment. The terms of party do at the moment. The terms of
:06:27. > :06:30.trade have swung in David Cameron's favour, but the political rhetoric
:06:30. > :06:39.look at this headline from the is still with Mr Miliband. Let's
:06:40. > :06:44.look at this headline from the Sunday Telegraph. That headline
:06:44. > :06:46.might not be right, but the story is significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:46. > :06:52.still in danger on his right flank significant in that Mr Cameron is
:06:52. > :07:00.doesn't need an enormous share of the vote to get an overall majority?
:07:00. > :07:04.Westminster group think. Of course Ed Miliband is in trouble. The
:07:04. > :07:08.Tories are reserved and. They are better organised, the economy is
:07:08. > :07:15.recovering. That poses difficulties for Labour, but if you look at what
:07:15. > :07:18.is happening on the ground, UKIP still pose a danger to Cameron.
:07:18. > :07:19.is happening on the ground, UKIP don't need to poll 15% in a lot
:07:19. > :07:22.is happening on the ground, UKIP those marginal seats, they just
:07:22. > :07:24.is happening on the ground, UKIP to get five or 6% of the vote, and
:07:24. > :07:34.that could potentially destroy the Tory lead. Lots of commentators
:07:34. > :07:39.that could potentially destroy the to say, this guy will never be prime
:07:39. > :07:45.minister, but it is possible that by default or by accident, in a very
:07:45. > :07:50.Miliband could end up as prime minister. It is still all to play
:07:50. > :07:56.for on both sides. If UKIP remains a threat to the Tory right flank and
:07:56. > :07:59.the Tories themselves are not really a national party any more, I am
:07:59. > :08:02.the Tories themselves are not really they will only target a few seats in
:08:02. > :08:05.Scotland, they don't get any big seats in the big cities of the north
:08:05. > :08:09.any more, they don't get the Ulster vote they used to get, so it is
:08:09. > :08:12.possible that Labour, which is more nationally based and has seats in
:08:12. > :08:19.the Midlands and the north and in Wales, so they could get in. I
:08:19. > :08:25.agree. The advantage of having a bad summer is that Ed Miliband can go to
:08:25. > :08:29.expectations. All he has to do is not dribble on the lectern, and
:08:29. > :08:31.expectations. All he has to do is will be written up as spectacular.
:08:31. > :08:39.expectations. All he has to do is He might not even use a lectin.
:08:39. > :08:44.position. The electoral vagaries of the system work in his favour. He
:08:44. > :08:47.still has a narrow poll lead, he is not out of the game at all. Of the
:08:47. > :08:54.three main party leaders, the only one who can be confident about being
:08:54. > :09:00.three main party leaders, the only in government after 2015 is Nick
:09:00. > :09:06.electorally. But if it is this bad for Labour at the moment, what will
:09:06. > :09:14.it be like if this recovery turns out to be real? It depends how much
:09:14. > :09:17.they succeed. Chuka Umunna was shifting the debate are living
:09:17. > :09:20.standards. They don't want to keep arguing about who called it right.
:09:20. > :09:24.Do people feel richer than they arguing about who called it right.
:09:24. > :09:28.in 2010? The data suggests that people don't feel richer than in
:09:28. > :09:33.2010. Because they are not.That people don't feel richer than in
:09:33. > :09:38.the basis on which Labour will fight the next election. It is clear that
:09:38. > :09:42.Labour are unclear on what to say or do next. They have just got to hope
:09:42. > :09:45.and pray that the economy is not as soundly based as it appears to be
:09:46. > :09:53.and that George Osborne is Tony Barber, who thought he fixed the
:09:53. > :09:57.just before the next crash. There are all sorts of uncertainties
:09:57. > :10:00.just before the next crash. There China, the bond market, the housing
:10:00. > :10:01.bubble might be blown up, and Labour just had to hope something goes
:10:01. > :10:07.wrong for Osborne. Chuka Umunna just had to hope something goes
:10:08. > :10:11.he would not get rid of help to just had to hope something goes
:10:11. > :10:14.There are all these criticisms about just had to hope something goes
:10:14. > :10:19.artificial schemes pumping up house prices, but he would not say that.
:10:19. > :10:27.It is tortuous. You see this again and again. When asked if Labour
:10:27. > :10:29.would repeal the bedroom tax, or the same thing with Royal Mail, it
:10:29. > :10:41.happens again. They will be falling on people who have not had a meal in
:10:41. > :10:45.coming out of the Labour Party. There is a kind and Gillette in
:10:45. > :10:47.coming out of the Labour Party. them to a politician's career. When
:10:47. > :10:51.they are under attack for a long time, the media get bored after
:10:51. > :10:55.they are under attack for a long while and switch the story. It
:10:55. > :11:00.happened to Osborne, who had a horrific 2012 and has recovered
:11:00. > :11:08.bad press as he is getting at the moment, because people find it
:11:08. > :11:10.tedious. Syria has been the big foreign-policy event this summer. It
:11:11. > :11:19.has remarkably led to a Soviet- American initiative to get Syria to
:11:19. > :11:24.give up its chemical weapons. The world will now expect the Assad
:11:25. > :11:27.regime to live up to its public commitments. As I said at the outset
:11:27. > :11:44.anything less than full compliance. John Kerry. Is this too good to
:11:44. > :11:46.anything less than full compliance. true? Even superficially, it is
:11:46. > :11:49.anything less than full compliance. very good. The only people who
:11:49. > :11:53.emerge with any sense of triumph are the Russians, who have had their
:11:53. > :11:56.emerge with any sense of triumph are biggest diplomatic coup. They are
:11:56. > :12:02.back on the stage again. B if you want to know why Putin even has
:12:02. > :12:04.back on the stage again. B if you because of moments like this. They
:12:04. > :12:09.were humiliated after the end of the Cold War, and a Nou Camp is a great
:12:09. > :12:13.power again. Then you have the Obama situation, because he has ended
:12:13. > :12:16.power again. Then you have the Obama where he wanted to end up. He has
:12:16. > :12:16.power again. Then you have the Obama concession from Syria, but the way
:12:16. > :12:21.he got there was so embarrassing. It concession from Syria, but the way
:12:21. > :12:25.made him look weak and erratic as a leader. There were contradictions
:12:25. > :12:32.between himself and his Secretary of State last week, and it has not
:12:32. > :12:37.between himself and his Secretary of him any good. I was in the States,
:12:37. > :12:41.and it was open season on him. I have never understood the idea of
:12:41. > :12:46.chemical weapons as a red line when you can massacre people in their
:12:46. > :12:50.thousands through other means. But chemical weapons are beyond the
:12:50. > :12:57.pale. The rebels are miserable. chemical weapons are beyond the
:12:57. > :12:59.have run out of time. I will have to ask you what you think about Syria
:12:59. > :13:05.next week, which gives you time ask you what you think about Syria
:13:05. > :13:11.prepare. Your book on Fred the shred is going well? It is.I am back
:13:11. > :13:14.tomorrow at noon with the Daily Politics at noon on BBC Two, where
:13:14. > :13:18.we will have more from the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow.
:13:18. > :13:18.we will have more from the Liberal is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:18. > :13:21.conference coverage. Next week, is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:21. > :13:24.will be back here at our normal is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:24. > :13:30.of 11am, when we will be joined is the start of our Daily Politics
:13:30. > :13:50.Grant Shapps. Remember, if it is Sunday, it is the Sunday Politics.