:00:35. > :00:39.It's Sunday Morning, and this is the Sunday Politics.
:00:40. > :00:42.Theresa May says she has no plans to increase tax levels,
:00:43. > :00:46.but refuses to repeat David Cameron's 2015 manifesto
:00:47. > :00:53.promise ruling out hikes in VAT, national insurance and income tax.
:00:54. > :00:56.The leaders of the EU's 27 member states unanimously
:00:57. > :01:00.agree their negotiating strategy for the upcoming Brexit talks, but
:01:01. > :01:10.And in the last of our series of interviews ahead of Thursday's
:01:11. > :01:15.In the South West: to the leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne
:01:16. > :01:24.A local election special, we put your questions to candidates.
:01:25. > :01:48.They hit an all-time low after coalition government,
:01:49. > :01:48.but are the Lib Dems poised to bounce back,
:01:49. > :01:54.And with me to analyse the week's politics,
:01:55. > :01:55.Isabel Oakeshott, Steve Richards, Tom Newton-Dunn.
:01:56. > :01:57.They'll be tweeting using the hashtag #bbcsp.
:01:58. > :02:00.So when Theresa May was interviewed just over an hour ago
:02:01. > :02:03.on The Andrew Marr Show, the Prime Minister was asked
:02:04. > :02:04.to confirm that she would repeat David Cameron's 2015 election
:02:05. > :02:07.promise not to raise VAT, national insurance and income tax
:02:08. > :02:11.We have absolutely no plans to increase the level of tax,
:02:12. > :02:15.but I'm also very clear that I don't want to make specific proposals
:02:16. > :02:17.on taxes unless I'm absolutely sure that I can deliver on those.
:02:18. > :02:20.But it is, would be my intention as a Conservative Government
:02:21. > :02:22.and a Conservative Prime Minister, to reduce the taxes
:02:23. > :02:32.The Tories like to have a clear tax message in elections, are they
:02:33. > :02:35.getting into a bit of a mess? That method wasn't clear, but does it
:02:36. > :02:40.mean, saying they have no plans to increase the level of tax? We are
:02:41. > :02:44.clear there will not be a rise in VAT, a lot of commentators will get
:02:45. > :02:50.overexcited about that, but there was no great expectations there
:02:51. > :02:55.would be a rise in VAT. Tempting as it is, because even one percentage
:02:56. > :02:59.point on VAT rate is 4.5 billion for the exchequer so it is tempting but
:03:00. > :03:06.there has been no speculation that would happen. We can see that she
:03:07. > :03:09.clearly wants to reiterate the language about hard-working families
:03:10. > :03:15.but I don't think we are that much the wiser. Even if she does not put
:03:16. > :03:19.up rates, according to projections the overall tax burden, as a
:03:20. > :03:24.percentage of GDP, is rising, will rise in the years ahead. That is why
:03:25. > :03:29.it was an odd phrase, I know she is doing it to be evasive but to say
:03:30. > :03:33.they have no plans to raise the general level of taxation, they do
:03:34. > :03:37.have. We also know they have specific plans because it was in the
:03:38. > :03:44.last budget, they had a tax rise which they had to revise, National
:03:45. > :03:52.Insurance rises, so very wisely in my view they are keeping options
:03:53. > :03:55.open, the 2015 tax-and-spend debate was a fantasy world, totally
:03:56. > :04:01.unrelated to the demands that would follow. They now have the
:04:02. > :04:04.flexibility, one of the arguments you had heard last time was Philip
:04:05. > :04:10.Hammond saying to her, we have to break away from the 2015 manifesto
:04:11. > :04:14.commitment and we can only do it this way, that is one of the better
:04:15. > :04:18.arguments. The Tories like to talk about tax cuts in elections, whether
:04:19. > :04:25.they do it is another matter, but they are not being allowed to talk
:04:26. > :04:29.about tax cuts, they are now on the defensive over whether they will
:04:30. > :04:32.raise taxes. That is not a healthy position for the campaign to be in.
:04:33. > :04:37.If you look at the numbers, quite frankly, if you will not do this at
:04:38. > :04:41.this election with eight 20 point lead over Labour, then when will you
:04:42. > :04:46.take these tough decisions? Reading between the lines of what Theresa
:04:47. > :04:49.May has said all over different broadcasters this morning, income
:04:50. > :04:53.tax will go down for low-income families, such as the threshold rise
:04:54. > :05:00.that microbes that was already factored in. She has had to commit
:05:01. > :05:04.to it again. VAT will be fat, national insurance contributions
:05:05. > :05:09.will go up. Do you think they will go up? I think so, she had plenty of
:05:10. > :05:16.opportunity to rule it out and she didn't. There was a terrible mess
:05:17. > :05:19.with the budget, it is a good tax argument but not a good electoral
:05:20. > :05:24.argument that you are eroding the base so heavily with people moving
:05:25. > :05:27.into self-employment that as you raise national insurance
:05:28. > :05:30.contributions for everybody but the self-employed, it is something the
:05:31. > :05:34.Treasury will have to look at. The other triple lock on pensions, we
:05:35. > :05:39.don't know if they will keep to that either? If they are sensible they
:05:40. > :05:43.will find a form of words to give them flexibility in that area as
:05:44. > :05:48.well. I would say there is no question over that, that has gone.
:05:49. > :05:51.As Mrs May would say, you will have to wait for the manifesto. That is
:05:52. > :05:56.what all the party leaders tell me! Labour have spent the weekend
:05:57. > :05:57.pushing their messages Speaking at a camapign rally
:05:58. > :06:00.in London yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn promised a Labour
:06:01. > :06:08.government would fix what he called People are fed up, fed up with not
:06:09. > :06:13.being able to get somewhere to live, fed up waiting for hospital
:06:14. > :06:18.appointments, fed up with 0-hours contracts, fed up with low pay, fed
:06:19. > :06:22.up with debt, fed up with not being able to get on in their lives
:06:23. > :06:26.because we have a system that is rigged against so many.
:06:27. > :06:28.I've been joined from Newcastle by Labour's elections
:06:29. > :06:29.and campaigns co-ordinator, Ian Lavery.
:06:30. > :06:40.Good morning. To deal with this rigged economy, as Mr Corbyn calls
:06:41. > :06:44.it, the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has a 20 point plan for
:06:45. > :06:48.workers out today. When you add up everything he plans to do to help
:06:49. > :06:53.workers, how much will it cost? The full costings, one thing I need to
:06:54. > :06:58.say at the very beginning, the costings of any policy which we have
:06:59. > :07:03.already ruled out and any policy we will be ruling out in the next few
:07:04. > :07:09.days and weeks will be fully costed in the manifesto and in addition to
:07:10. > :07:13.the fact that it will be fully costed, we will see it in the
:07:14. > :07:18.manifesto how indeed it has been funded, so we are very clear,
:07:19. > :07:21.anything we have seen already, and there are some exciting policy
:07:22. > :07:25.releases and there will be more in the future, anything we are going to
:07:26. > :07:29.do will be fully costed and in the manifesto. You announced a 20 point
:07:30. > :07:34.plan but cannot tell me what the costs will be this morning so at the
:07:35. > :07:39.moment it is a menu without prices? It is not a menu without prices, it
:07:40. > :07:43.is a fantastic opportunity. This 20 point plan is something which will
:07:44. > :07:48.transform the lives of millions of millions of people in the
:07:49. > :07:53.workplace... But what is the cost? It will be welcomed by many people
:07:54. > :07:57.across the UK. The fact the costings have not been released, you will
:07:58. > :08:02.have to be patient, it will be released very clearly, it will
:08:03. > :08:06.identify that in the manifesto. Let me come down to one of the points,
:08:07. > :08:12.the end of the public sector pay freeze. Can you give us any idea how
:08:13. > :08:14.much that will cost? The end of the public sector pay freeze, so
:08:15. > :08:22.important to the future of the Labour Party, it is an massive
:08:23. > :08:27.policy decision. Let me say at this stage, Theresa May, the Prime
:08:28. > :08:30.Minister, this morning, on The Andrew Marr Show, did not have the
:08:31. > :08:36.common decency, courtesy all respect to condone the fact that nurses, the
:08:37. > :08:41.heroes of the NHS, have had a reduction of nearly 14% in their
:08:42. > :08:45.wages since 2010 and are using food banks to feed themselves! Does that
:08:46. > :08:52.not say everything that is wrong with today's society? So can you
:08:53. > :08:57.tell me what it will cost, which is what my question was? What I will
:08:58. > :09:00.say is everything the Labour Party pledges, everything that we come out
:09:01. > :09:05.with, what we will roll out between now and the 8th of June, will be
:09:06. > :09:08.fully costed, people will be very much aware of how much the costings
:09:09. > :09:13.will be, where the funding will come from, when the manifesto is
:09:14. > :09:18.published. What about doubling paternity leave, nu minimum wage,
:09:19. > :09:29.four new bank holidays, any idea what it will
:09:30. > :09:32.cost? These are exciting new proposals and of course today cost
:09:33. > :09:35.money but we are the sixth richest economy in the world. It is about
:09:36. > :09:38.redistribution of the wealth we create. We are seeing growth in the
:09:39. > :09:41.economy, it is how we utilise the finances in the best way we possibly
:09:42. > :09:47.can for a fairer society for the many and not the few. You just can't
:09:48. > :09:52.tell me how much it will cost? That is why I will repeat again that you
:09:53. > :09:56.need to be very patient. Do you know the cost yourself? You are the head
:09:57. > :10:00.of the campaign, do you know the cost of these things yourself? I am
:10:01. > :10:04.very much aware of how much the costings are likely to be, they have
:10:05. > :10:09.been identified, they will be published in the manifesto. You
:10:10. > :10:14.really do understand I would not be releasing today, live on your show,
:10:15. > :10:19.any costings or predictions with regards the manifesto. Why not? You
:10:20. > :10:25.have released the policy, why not the cost? Because there is a fine
:10:26. > :10:28.detail and we will identify it to the general public in the manifesto.
:10:29. > :10:35.We not only explain how much it will cost but we will explain where the
:10:36. > :10:40.funding comes from. Be patient. Will some of the costs be met by
:10:41. > :10:45.increasing taxes? I would think at this point in time there is not any
:10:46. > :10:51.indication to increase basic taxes and again the taxes and spending of
:10:52. > :10:55.the Labour Government with the proposals of the 20 point plan, the
:10:56. > :11:02.issues we have got, housing, the NHS, crime, education will all be
:11:03. > :11:06.identified with the costings in the publication. Can you tell us this
:11:07. > :11:13.morning, we'll tax for most people rise or not to finance this? We in
:11:14. > :11:20.the Labour Party are looking to a fair tax system which will be
:11:21. > :11:26.clearly identified in the manifesto. Mr McDonnell also wants to ban all
:11:27. > :11:32.0-hours contracts. Would that include those who actually like
:11:33. > :11:35.those contracts? There are nearly 1 million, depending on which figured
:11:36. > :11:39.you'd use, there are nearly 1 million people on zero-hours
:11:40. > :11:43.contract and the vast proportion of those want to be able to live a
:11:44. > :11:50.decent life, a secure life, they want to understand whether they will
:11:51. > :11:53.be at work the next day, they're included hours... I understand a lot
:11:54. > :11:57.of people don't like zero-hours contract and your proposal will
:11:58. > :12:03.address that, but there are those, I saw one survey where 65% of people
:12:04. > :12:07.on zero-hours contract like the flexibility it gives them. Will you
:12:08. > :12:11.force them off zero-hours contract or if they like them will they
:12:12. > :12:15.continue with them? We will discuss it with employee is to make sure
:12:16. > :12:20.individuals in the workplace have the right to negotiate hours in that
:12:21. > :12:28.workplace. Guaranteed hours is very, very important. Zero-hour contracts
:12:29. > :12:32.are an instrument in which employers abuse and exploit mainly young
:12:33. > :12:37.people, mainly female people in the workplace. We would be banning
:12:38. > :12:42.zero-hour contract. But there are those, students for example, who
:12:43. > :12:47.like them, would they be forced off zero-hour contracts in your
:12:48. > :12:50.proposal? Our proposal would be banning zero-hour contract and
:12:51. > :12:56.introducing contracts which have set hours in the workplace. You also say
:12:57. > :13:00.no company will be able to bid for a public contract unless the boss
:13:01. > :13:05.earns no more than 20 times the lowest paid, or the average wage,
:13:06. > :13:08.I'm not quite sure which. What would happen if British Aerospace bids to
:13:09. > :13:14.build more joint strike Fighters and the boss is paid more than 20 times?
:13:15. > :13:21.I understand the point you raise but we have an obscene situation in this
:13:22. > :13:26.country, Andrew, in which the bosses at the very top make an absolute
:13:27. > :13:32.fortune... But what would happen then? Who would build joint strike
:13:33. > :13:36.Fighters... The difference in wages between the top earners in the
:13:37. > :13:42.country and the people in the factories, in the workshops,
:13:43. > :13:47.producing the goods, is vast. I understand that is the reason you
:13:48. > :13:51.want a ratio. What I am saying is, what happens if the ratio is
:13:52. > :13:57.greater? Who gets the contract if not British Aerospace? Who else
:13:58. > :14:03.builds the planes? We are going to introduce a wage rate CEO of one to
:14:04. > :14:06.20. -- wage ratio. We want to close the gap between the people at the
:14:07. > :14:10.very top and people who produce the goods. Let me try one more Time, who
:14:11. > :14:18.would build the joint strike fighter? We would look at the issue
:14:19. > :14:22.as it came along but the policy is clear... Can you name a single
:14:23. > :14:29.defence contractor weather boss' salary is less than 20 times average
:14:30. > :14:36.earnings? We are not reducing, we have rolled that out as part of this
:14:37. > :14:42.fantastic plan to transform society to get rid of discrimination, to try
:14:43. > :14:47.and bring together our communities. We will introduce a pay ratio of one
:14:48. > :14:49.to 20. Fair enough, thank you very much.
:14:50. > :14:53.It's a month after the triggering of Article 50, and EU leaders -
:14:54. > :14:55.with the exception of Britain - met in Brussels this weekend
:14:56. > :14:57.to agree their opening negotiating stance, to get the divorce
:14:58. > :15:14.It is inside this psychedelic chamber where Britain's 'Grexit'
:15:15. > :15:19.future will be decided over the next two years, but there is a vast gulf
:15:20. > :15:29.in rhetoric coming from the UK and the EU. With parallel narratives
:15:30. > :15:32.emerging for both sides. There is broad agreement that an orderly
:15:33. > :15:37.withdrawal is in the interests of both sides. But Theresa May's
:15:38. > :15:40.position is that the terms of our future trade deal should be
:15:41. > :15:44.negotiated alongside the terms of our divorce. Meanwhile the EU says
:15:45. > :15:51.the terms of the UK's exit must be decided before any discussion on a
:15:52. > :15:54.future trade deal can begin. But don't forget that divorce
:15:55. > :16:00.settlement. Don't remind me. In Brussels, many think written should
:16:01. > :16:03.pay even more, while in the UK ministers said the divorce bill
:16:04. > :16:08.should be capped at 3 billion. After you. Thank you.
:16:09. > :16:19.For are you looking forward to it? Isn't that divorce bill a bit high?
:16:20. > :16:24.Isn't this about punishing Britain? We are very united, you all seem so
:16:25. > :16:31.surprised but it's a fact. How soon can we get a deal? We have to wait
:16:32. > :16:37.for the elections. It was the decision of Mrs May. It took over an
:16:38. > :16:40.hour for the leaders to make their entrances but once inside it's just
:16:41. > :16:46.a few minutes to agree the negotiating guidelines. They set out
:16:47. > :16:50.three main areas. The first phase of talks on the divorce settlement will
:16:51. > :16:53.deal with the existing financial commitments to the EU, the Northern
:16:54. > :16:57.Ireland border and the rights of EU citizens in the UK. They said a UK
:16:58. > :17:02.trade agreement can be discussed when the first phase of talks
:17:03. > :17:07.reaches significant progress. And that there must be unity in the
:17:08. > :17:13.negotiations, that individual EU members won't negotiate separately
:17:14. > :17:17.with the UK. They are quite good here at negotiating because they are
:17:18. > :17:21.used to it. They set a maximum and then they have to recede a little
:17:22. > :17:27.bit depending on what the other side is prepared to offer. I think there
:17:28. > :17:31.is room for manoeuvre in some issues, but I don't think some of
:17:32. > :17:36.the baseline things will change that much. For example I don't think the
:17:37. > :17:41.European Union will concede on the rights of citizens who are already
:17:42. > :17:47.in the UK. It will be very difficult for them to accept that they will
:17:48. > :17:51.not be any exit bill, and the question of Northern Ireland is very
:17:52. > :17:54.important as well, the hard order question. The baseline things are
:17:55. > :17:59.not going to move that much, then you have room for manoeuvring
:18:00. > :18:03.between. On security, defence and the fight against terrorism, the
:18:04. > :18:08.guidelines said the EU stands ready to work together. And after lunch,
:18:09. > :18:13.friendly signs from some EU leaders as they gave individual press
:18:14. > :18:16.conferences. Paul and said the talks should open doors to new
:18:17. > :18:23.opportunities and even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had
:18:24. > :18:25.earlier said some in Britain were deluded about Brexit, softened her
:18:26. > :18:30.tone saying there was no conspiracy against the UK. Unity was the
:18:31. > :18:35.buzzword at this summit and for once everybody seemed to be sticking to
:18:36. > :18:39.the script. That unity is not only amongst the 27 states, it's also
:18:40. > :18:44.among the institutions so many of the divisions we have seen in the
:18:45. > :18:48.past at European level do not exist. That is very important and it's not
:18:49. > :18:52.be unity that is directed somehow against the UK because I think we
:18:53. > :19:05.all want this to be an orderly process and part of that is that the
:19:06. > :19:09.EU side is unified. So although there are no surprises here, what
:19:10. > :19:12.took place in this room was a significant step towards the real
:19:13. > :19:17.Brexit negotiations which will begin soon after the general election in
:19:18. > :19:21.June, said to be the most complex the UK has faced in our lifetimes.
:19:22. > :19:27.Isabel, Steve and Tom are still with me.
:19:28. > :19:35.Isabel, doesn't the British media have to be a bit careful here? We
:19:36. > :19:40.would never take at face value anything a British politician tells
:19:41. > :19:43.us. We would question it, put it in context and wonder if they are
:19:44. > :19:48.bluffing, but we seem to take at face value anything a European
:19:49. > :19:52.politician says about these negotiations. You only have to look
:19:53. > :19:57.at the front page of the Sunday Times today to see that. They quoted
:19:58. > :20:01.at length Juncker, who didn't like the food at the reception and this
:20:02. > :20:06.and that, and I think the mood is very optimistic. The key thing is
:20:07. > :20:11.the EU trade Commissioner has said we will get a free trade deal and a
:20:12. > :20:14.lot of people seem to be wilfully ignoring that incredibly big
:20:15. > :20:20.concession. That is what will happen in their view. Everything that is
:20:21. > :20:25.said at the moment needs a slight rerun over. They are all in
:20:26. > :20:28.negotiating positions, plus we seem to be completely unaware that they
:20:29. > :20:34.all have their own domestic constituencies as well. Angela
:20:35. > :20:37.Merkel has an important election coming up in September,
:20:38. > :20:41.Euroscepticism is quite different from Britain of course, but there's
:20:42. > :20:46.a different kind of euro scepticism in Germany, she has got to deal with
:20:47. > :20:50.that. Of course she has, which is why you are right, nothing should be
:20:51. > :20:55.taken too seriously out of the mouths of British politicians or
:20:56. > :21:00.European politicians until October this year. We have got to wait for
:21:01. > :21:04.the French elections, then German elections, and if you look through
:21:05. > :21:09.this you can see a way forward. There's no trade talks until pay up,
:21:10. > :21:14.but what was actually written was no trade talks until we make
:21:15. > :21:17.significant progress on the money. You can define significant progress
:21:18. > :21:23.in a lot of ways but come December, fireworks over the summer, we all
:21:24. > :21:27.get very excited about it, in these chairs I'm sure, come December
:21:28. > :21:31.things will look a lot smoother. The German elections are at the end of
:21:32. > :21:34.September but I've seen reports in German press, depending how it goes
:21:35. > :21:41.it could take until Christmas before a new coalition government is put
:21:42. > :21:44.together. The Brussels long-standing negotiating tactic of nothing is
:21:45. > :21:49.agreed until everything is agreed, then I guess the British could say
:21:50. > :21:54.we agree a certain sum of money if that's what it takes but that
:21:55. > :21:59.depends on them, what good trade deal we get. If we don't get that,
:22:00. > :22:05.the sum of money is off the table. In that sense, the two are going
:22:06. > :22:09.parallel. However, I wouldn't entirely dismiss what people are
:22:10. > :22:15.saying in their pre-election periods to their own electorates because
:22:16. > :22:19.they have to some extent to deliver subsequently. Of course Angela
:22:20. > :22:22.Merkel is campaigning and electioneering, who wouldn't, she
:22:23. > :22:26.has a tough election to fight, but she is measured and thoughtful and
:22:27. > :22:30.when she says things like some of the British are delusional, that is
:22:31. > :22:38.unusually strong language for her. What was she referring to? I don't
:22:39. > :22:42.know, it wasn't specific. Have the cake and eat it perhaps the
:22:43. > :22:45.sequencing the British don't want. When they thought the British
:22:46. > :22:48.government was going to effectively demand membership of the single
:22:49. > :22:56.market, that's not going to happen now. Unless you sign up to the four
:22:57. > :23:02.pillars, that's the cake and eat it proposition, which they are right in
:23:03. > :23:06.saying Theresa May has made. But everybody has access, even with no
:23:07. > :23:16.deal you have access. The other side of it is I think there will be a
:23:17. > :23:22.united position from them. And so, as somebody pointed out in that
:23:23. > :23:29.report, they are experienced, tough negotiators, so I don't think it
:23:30. > :23:36.will be quite as easy as some think. I spoke to one of those who drew up
:23:37. > :23:39.Article 50 and they said to me they deliberately put this two year
:23:40. > :23:46.timetable in to make it impossible for anybody to think about leaving.
:23:47. > :23:49.This is really tight, this negotiation. Easy, it isn't.
:23:50. > :23:51.This coming Thursday, voters up and down the country
:23:52. > :23:54.will be going to the polls in this year's local elections.
:23:55. > :23:56.Over the past few weeks I've interviewed representatives
:23:57. > :23:57.of the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats,
:23:58. > :24:01.Today it's the turn of Plaid Cymru and the SNP.
:24:02. > :24:03.A little earlier I spoke Alex Salmond, who until 2014
:24:04. > :24:08.I started by asking him why Scots should vote SNP in local elections
:24:09. > :24:10.when the Scottish Government had just cut central Government funding
:24:11. > :24:26.It's actually a funding increase going into Scottish councils this
:24:27. > :24:30.year, and if you look at the funding position for example between
:24:31. > :24:33.Scottish councils and those in England, which are obviously
:24:34. > :24:37.directly related through the Barnett formula, the funding in Scotland has
:24:38. > :24:48.been incomparably better than that in England so there's a whole range
:24:49. > :24:51.of the -- of reasons... What's happening south of the border
:24:52. > :24:55.indicates the protection the Scottish Parliament has been able to
:24:56. > :24:59.put in that helps vital services in Scotland. But there hasn't been a
:25:00. > :25:03.funding increase, the block grant from Westminster to Edinburgh was
:25:04. > :25:11.increased by 1.5% in real terms but the grant to councils was cut by
:25:12. > :25:15.2.6%. It was going to be a cut of 330 million, the Greens got you to
:25:16. > :25:26.reduce it to 170 million but it is still a cut of 2.6%. Your own
:25:27. > :25:30.Aberdeenshire Council has had a cut to 391 million. You have cut the
:25:31. > :25:34.money to councils. Yes, but councils have available to them more
:25:35. > :25:39.resources this year, and as you say the budget increased that further
:25:40. > :25:42.which is why we put forward an excellent local government budget in
:25:43. > :25:48.Aberdeenshire and resisted a Tory attempts to knock ?3 million off...
:25:49. > :25:53.You asked me about Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeenshire has put forward a
:25:54. > :25:58.budget for investment expansion and resisted a Tory attempts to knock ?3
:25:59. > :26:01.million off the education budget, and I'm very grateful you have given
:26:02. > :26:07.me the opportunity to make that point. The Government in Edinburgh
:26:08. > :26:14.has cut the money to Aberdeenshire by ?11 million. It is a cut. But
:26:15. > :26:17.there is an investment budget in Aberdeenshire that has been made
:26:18. > :26:23.available by the ability to increase the council tax by 2.5% after a
:26:24. > :26:26.nine-year freeze in Scotland, and that has brought more resources into
:26:27. > :26:30.local government and that's why the butchered in Aberdeenshire has been
:26:31. > :26:35.an investment budget including protection of the education budget
:26:36. > :26:39.in the face of a Tory and liberal attempt to cut bit. You have to
:26:40. > :26:42.compare what is happening in Scotland and England, and there's no
:26:43. > :26:48.doubt Scottish local authorities have been much better funded than
:26:49. > :26:51.those in England over the last few years and that's been the ability of
:26:52. > :26:57.the Scottish Government to protect the services at local level. A good
:26:58. > :27:03.reason for voting SNP. If they have been so well funded, why after a
:27:04. > :27:10.decade of SNP rule do one in five Scottish pupils leave primary school
:27:11. > :27:14.functionally illiterate? You have got to take these things... Nicola
:27:15. > :27:20.Sturgeon has made it a top priority to address these challenges but
:27:21. > :27:23.let's take another statistic. 93% of Scottish kids are now emerging from
:27:24. > :27:31.school to positive destinations, that means to further education,
:27:32. > :27:37.apprenticeships or work. Why are one in five functionally illiterate? You
:27:38. > :27:41.argue one statistic, I'm arguing Scottish education is putting in
:27:42. > :27:46.some substantially good performances like the 93% going on to positive
:27:47. > :27:51.destinations. You can't have a failing education system if you have
:27:52. > :27:55.got that 93%, and incidentally a record low youth unemployment in
:27:56. > :28:00.Scotland without the second lowest unemployment rate in Europe. These
:28:01. > :28:04.pupils are being prepared by the Scottish education system. Let's
:28:05. > :28:08.take the figures in the round on education. It's so important. Under
:28:09. > :28:14.your watch, under your government, the Scottish schools in the most
:28:15. > :28:24.important global comparison have fallen from tenth to 19th in
:28:25. > :28:32.science, and 11 to 24th in maths, that is a record of decline and
:28:33. > :28:37.failure. That is by the OECD and first questions about that, but the
:28:38. > :28:41.OECD has also described Scotland is one of the best educated societies
:28:42. > :28:47.in the world. That was from the school system in previous years gone
:28:48. > :28:53.by. For those who are currently in Scottish schools, you have fallen
:28:54. > :28:56.from 11th to 24th in mathematics. The OECD was commenting on
:28:57. > :29:00.introduction of the new curriculum for excellence in which they have
:29:01. > :29:05.given a resounding thumbs up to it, and that's the same source as the
:29:06. > :29:09.rankings which you are comparing. Nicola Sturgeon has said there are
:29:10. > :29:12.challenges on Scottish education, particularly the access through the
:29:13. > :29:17.education system and the attainment gap but don't tell me it's failing
:29:18. > :29:20.when 55% of our pupils have gone on to higher education. That's one of
:29:21. > :29:27.the most impressive figures in the world. Why have you cut 4000
:29:28. > :29:31.teachers? The pupil numbers in Scotland have been falling over
:29:32. > :29:34.recent years as well and now of course we are increasing the number
:29:35. > :29:39.of people going through teachers training so we can make sure that
:29:40. > :29:44.number increases, but listen, the Scottish Government and Scottish
:29:45. > :29:48.Parliament, as you very well know, are subject to real terms spending
:29:49. > :29:52.cuts over the last few years and all public services have been under
:29:53. > :29:55.pressure. The main reason in terms of teacher numbers has been an
:29:56. > :30:00.attempt on the Scottish Government to protect the teacher pupil ratio,
:30:01. > :30:08.and that will now be enhanced by a further taker -- intake. You
:30:09. > :30:13.promised you would reduce primary class sizes to 18 and instead they
:30:14. > :30:20.are now 23.5 and rising. You broke that promise. You didn't mention
:30:21. > :30:24.where we started from. We have kept the teacher pupil ratio very solid
:30:25. > :30:28.in Scotland and that's been against a range of public expenditure cuts
:30:29. > :30:30.but the new intake of teachers into the new teacher training in Scotland
:30:31. > :30:41.I think will enhance the system. You have spent in the pasty in
:30:42. > :30:45.Hollywood 43 hours on Government time debating independence. How many
:30:46. > :30:51.hours have you debated education on Government time? I don't have that
:30:52. > :30:54.they get a hand... The answer is zero, you have spent zero-hours
:30:55. > :31:00.debating education on Government time. Isn't it time the SNP got back
:31:01. > :31:05.to concentrating on the day job? Andrew, as you very well know Nicola
:31:06. > :31:08.Sturgeon has identified a key priority, closing the attainment gap
:31:09. > :31:14.in Scottish education. That is exactly what she has done. Let me
:31:15. > :31:19.answer the question, it is difficult to be in a remote location, if you
:31:20. > :31:25.talk before I answer the question then the view was will not be able
:31:26. > :31:30.to listen. I let you answer that without saying a word. Is this
:31:31. > :31:34.general election about independence, as you say it is, or not about
:31:35. > :31:40.independence, as Mrs Sturgeon says it is? No, I have said exactly the
:31:41. > :31:44.same as Nicola Sturgeon on that. The issue what independence will be
:31:45. > :31:49.decided in a national referendum of the Scottish people. The mandate for
:31:50. > :31:53.that referendum was gained in last year's Scottish elections. What this
:31:54. > :31:56.election is about is backing the right of the Scottish parliament to
:31:57. > :31:59.exercise that mandate and also providing real opposition to this
:32:00. > :32:04.Tory Government and allowing the Scottish Parliament to reverse
:32:05. > :32:08.austerity and some of the public expenditure cutbacks you have been
:32:09. > :32:09.talking about, that is what this is about, backing our Scottish
:32:10. > :32:11.Parliament. Alex Salmond, speaking
:32:12. > :32:13.to me earlier. I'm now joined by the leader
:32:14. > :32:20.of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood. You accuse the Government of wanting
:32:21. > :32:24.an extreme Brexit, those are your words. What is the difference
:32:25. > :32:28.between hard Brexit and extreme Brexit? My concern is the way in
:32:29. > :32:33.which we leave the European Union could be very damaging to Wales if,
:32:34. > :32:37.for example, there are tariffs introduced then that would have a
:32:38. > :32:43.real impact in terms of Welsh jobs, and I want to make sure that we have
:32:44. > :32:47.a Brexit that doesn't cause the damage to Wales that could be
:32:48. > :32:53.caused. But what is the difference between extreme and hard? Anything
:32:54. > :32:56.that puts Welsh jobs at risk is either extreme or hard and
:32:57. > :33:00.unacceptable to Plaid Cymru, and we will do what we can to protect those
:33:01. > :33:04.jobs. You want Wales to remain a member of the single market even if
:33:05. > :33:09.the UK isn't, which would mean Wales having to accept the free movement
:33:10. > :33:20.of people, still being under the jurisdiction of the European Court,
:33:21. > :33:23.and you also want to stay in the customs union which means you could
:33:24. > :33:26.not do your own free trade deals. What is the difference between that
:33:27. > :33:28.and being a member of the European Union? We would be like Norway,
:33:29. > :33:30.outside the European Union and inside the single market. The key
:33:31. > :33:35.question is the issue of jobs and the ability to continue to trade.
:33:36. > :33:39.Wales exports, we are the biggest exporter in the whole of the UK, so
:33:40. > :33:47.there are many jobs reliant upon those goods being able to be sold to
:33:48. > :33:53.the single market. Is it central to the UK? Out of the four countries
:33:54. > :34:00.that make up the UK... Proportionally, yes. If you remain
:34:01. > :34:04.in the single market, it is hard to see how Wales could stay in the
:34:05. > :34:09.single market if the UK -- when the rest of the UK was not, you cite
:34:10. > :34:14.Norway, that has free movement, it has to be said, it effectively have
:34:15. > :34:18.to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court, it is not in the
:34:19. > :34:27.customs union so it can do some of its own free trade deals, but the
:34:28. > :34:31.Welsh people voted to leave. We have to accept the principle of free
:34:32. > :34:34.movement if there is not going to be a hard border between the north and
:34:35. > :34:39.south of Ireland. There is going to be free movement within Ireland and
:34:40. > :34:44.therefore freedom of movement, as we said in the referendum campaign,
:34:45. > :34:50.would be very, very difficult to rule out. You lost that campaign, as
:34:51. > :34:56.you know, Wales voted to leave, 17 Council areas voted to leave, only
:34:57. > :35:00.five voted to remain. Doesn't it explain why your party is going
:35:01. > :35:06.nowhere? A majority in Wales voted to leave but you effectively want to
:35:07. > :35:11.support that and de facto remain in the EU? I don't accept that, we
:35:12. > :35:16.accepted the result but Plaid Cymru now is about defending Wales. There
:35:17. > :35:20.are so many risks facing our people from the jobs perspective, the
:35:21. > :35:24.privatisation perspective, the cuts perspective, and from the fact that
:35:25. > :35:29.the Tories would like to grab power was back from our National Assembly,
:35:30. > :35:33.so the key point... If you look at the Wales bill that went through
:35:34. > :35:36.recently, the list of reserved powers there suggests there are some
:35:37. > :35:43.powers currently within the Welsh Assembly jurisdiction that would be
:35:44. > :35:48.dragged back. Which power was will Westminster take back? They could
:35:49. > :35:55.take powers back over the NHS, for example. There is no indication they
:35:56. > :36:04.want to do that. The Tories have attacked the Welsh NHS. That is my
:36:05. > :36:07.point! Quite viciously. If they increase their mandate, I wouldn't
:36:08. > :36:12.put it past them to try to take power was back over the NHS and then
:36:13. > :36:17.of course we risk our NHS being privatised though this election is
:36:18. > :36:20.all about defending Wales, protecting Welsh people from further
:36:21. > :36:24.privatisation and cuts and a power grab from the Tories. Why is there
:36:25. > :36:29.never a breakthrough for your party, Plaid Cymru? Labour dominated in
:36:30. > :36:33.Wales for years, the Tories do quite well, Ukip had a surge for a while,
:36:34. > :36:38.it looks like the Tories will have another surge, never you, always the
:36:39. > :36:42.bridesmaid, never the bride. Wait until Thursday and I think you will
:36:43. > :36:45.see that in many parts of Wales we will increase our representation at
:36:46. > :36:52.a local council level. In the Rhondda, where I am assembly member,
:36:53. > :37:00.we are looking to increase our representation... You are only 13%
:37:01. > :37:04.in the polls will stop which is half of even the Tories in Wales! If you
:37:05. > :37:11.don't breakthrough in the selection, if the real problem is going
:37:12. > :37:16.nowhere, do you think you will pack it in? Robert Green not, I have a
:37:17. > :37:20.job to do, a vision of Wales which is about building up our nation and
:37:21. > :37:24.standing on our own two feet and my job is not done yet. Thank you for
:37:25. > :37:28.being with us as part of your job, we will see how it goes on Thursday.
:37:29. > :37:30.It's just gone 11.35, you're watching the Sunday Politics.
:37:31. > :37:33.We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland who leave us now
:37:34. > :37:40.Coming up here in 20 minutes, the Week Ahead.
:37:41. > :37:45.Hello, I'm Lucie Fisher, coming up on the Sunday Politics
:37:46. > :37:51.Politicians standing in Thursday's local elections face
:37:52. > :38:04.I'd like to know what you're going to do about social care.
:38:05. > :38:06.And for the next 20 minutes, I'm joined by four candidates hoping
:38:07. > :38:08.to be elected to Devon County Council.
:38:09. > :38:10.The Conservative group leader and current leader
:38:11. > :38:13.of the council John Hart, if his party loses more than seven
:38:14. > :38:18.Lib Dem leader Alan Connett, one of ten Liberal Democrats.
:38:19. > :38:20.Ukip group leader Robin Julian, currently one of four
:38:21. > :38:24.And Labour's Rob Hannaford, the only one of Labour's seven Devon
:38:25. > :38:27.county councillors not retiring at these elections.
:38:28. > :38:42.OK. Rob, if we start with you before we go to questions. Let's get a
:38:43. > :38:49.sense of what you think is the most important issue of this election. I
:38:50. > :38:51.think it's the chronic underfunding of local government. Local
:38:52. > :38:56.government have taken the brunt of austerity measures that haven't
:38:57. > :39:00.worked. We've got to readdress that. Front line services are being cut
:39:01. > :39:05.and reduced and we can't go forward in this way anymore. John, that
:39:06. > :39:10.makes it difficult for you, doesn't it? You've got a Tory government is
:39:11. > :39:16.making these cards and you as a Tory have got to put them forward? In
:39:17. > :39:21.2009 when I took it control of this council I said the country had been
:39:22. > :39:27.spending money it hadn't got for ten years. Local government was going to
:39:28. > :39:30.get hurt. We've restructured and reorganised Devon County Council.
:39:31. > :39:39.We've reduced spending by 267 million pounds. It has meant a 5%
:39:40. > :39:43.hike, hasn't it? But the biggest problem in local government in my
:39:44. > :39:48.view is the care cost. Social care. Looking after the old. The
:39:49. > :39:55.vulnerable. That's very much what is going to be a very big Bill. A big
:39:56. > :40:02.Bill for local government and for Devon. As a Lib Dem would you agree
:40:03. > :40:08.that social care and is a key issue? It is at the top. As well as school
:40:09. > :40:14.budget, fixing roads, these are the things people talk about today in,
:40:15. > :40:17.day out. Robin, Ukip, are you hearing the same thing? Certainly.
:40:18. > :40:21.We've had underfunding. We started We've had underfunding. We started
:40:22. > :40:29.at a low ebb before cuts came in. The biggest problem we've got is
:40:30. > :40:34.hospitals and community hospitals. And part holds. It is a nightmare.
:40:35. > :40:37.it is panicking the people in our it is panicking the people in
:40:38. > :40:43.We will come back to these issues. We will come back to these issues.
:40:44. > :40:47.But first of all, Thursday's local elections are taking place in all
:40:48. > :41:01.four counties and our reporters have been out listening to the voters.
:41:02. > :41:06.These local elections across our four counties are your chance to
:41:07. > :41:12.have your say about the issues that matter to you. Not least here in
:41:13. > :41:16.Cornwall. Closing hospitals. Hospitals. Get some carers, get them
:41:17. > :41:23.fully trained and pay them what they deserve. Funding for schools. Stop
:41:24. > :41:29.building on every scrap of land available. Leave space for nature.
:41:30. > :41:39.What about Devon? Exeter, here we come. It's probably best not to take
:41:40. > :41:41.a megaphone in here. With cuts in funding the county council has had
:41:42. > :41:45.to make savings. One way to do that to make savings. One way to do that
:41:46. > :41:52.is give the responsibility of charities. We've been able to be
:41:53. > :41:55.more flexible. We've had friends we wouldn't have been able to access.
:41:56. > :41:58.You must consider building more You must consider building more
:41:59. > :42:07.hospitals before building more houses. Pot holes another talking
:42:08. > :42:10.point but another way the county council is saving money is by asking
:42:11. > :42:14.volunteers to fail in small roles like this one. The council do the
:42:15. > :42:21.big holes. We do them before they get big. It's the old story, a
:42:22. > :42:29.stitch in time, saves nine. Over to you in Dorset. This is Dorset's
:42:30. > :42:34.traditional Tory heartland. The traditional Tory heartland. The
:42:35. > :42:36.Conservatives are the largest voice in local democracy. Austerity
:42:37. > :42:41.budgets have seen the library service paid to the bone, and the
:42:42. > :42:48.rural bus network decimated. But the letters dominate the backdrop to
:42:49. > :42:52.this election. Elegy are. Local government reorganisation. The plans
:42:53. > :42:56.to merge into unitary authorities may not seem much to shout about,
:42:57. > :43:04.but it's a big issue here. There are too many councils. What matters to
:43:05. > :43:08.you locally? Funding for schools. If plans for the new structure get
:43:09. > :43:12.approval by the government it will mean new elections in two years'
:43:13. > :43:19.time. People here will have to go to the polls all over again. So, what
:43:20. > :43:24.about Somerset? People have been making their voices heard on key
:43:25. > :43:28.issues be a children's services, rated inadequate, superfast
:43:29. > :43:32.broadband or improvements to key roads in Somerset. The next voice we
:43:33. > :43:36.hear really will be yours, at the ballot box next week.
:43:37. > :43:41.So let's kick off the debate between these Devon councillors,
:43:42. > :43:48.with our first question from a voter...
:43:49. > :43:56.Hello, I'd like to know what you're going to do about social care. We
:43:57. > :44:01.have a friend who was having trouble with her hip, and she's having great
:44:02. > :44:08.difficulty getting any social care to give her a hand. OK, so as
:44:09. > :44:13.predicted, one of our first questions about social care. John,
:44:14. > :44:17.we come to you as leader of the council. What will you do about
:44:18. > :44:23.this? We've already reorganising lot of these social care. We've brought
:44:24. > :44:28.in islet work in Exeter, integrated care. We've got to work close with
:44:29. > :44:32.our partners in health and a voluntary sector in order to improve
:44:33. > :44:38.the opportunity for people. We put ?19 million into the budget this
:44:39. > :44:43.year. By putting up council tax. By putting up council tax we raised ?10
:44:44. > :44:52.million. We put ?19 million into the budget. Rob, is this enough? I think
:44:53. > :44:56.we've done some good work. In terms of paying carers, for example, but
:44:57. > :45:00.as John has said this was not enough. We should have had more
:45:01. > :45:05.money to make this workable. What would you have done though? You
:45:06. > :45:10.raise council tax to the maximum allowed to cope with social care,
:45:11. > :45:13.why should people vote Labour? I supported the rising council tax to
:45:14. > :45:18.support social care because that goes some way to help people. We
:45:19. > :45:22.need to readdress this balance between central and local government
:45:23. > :45:26.where they expect us to do a large number of services without adequate
:45:27. > :45:31.funding. This is a pure example of this. We are not having a realistic
:45:32. > :45:35.conversation in terms of integrated health and social care. The other
:45:36. > :45:40.big issue is getting the carers to see as a valid profession. Better
:45:41. > :45:45.training, seeing it as a vocation. Better paid? Better pay is also part
:45:46. > :45:53.of it. But bad money is got to come from somewhere. What is more
:45:54. > :45:58.important banking for people in their own homes. Allen, do you agree
:45:59. > :46:04.with Rob? For us this is about the fact that people are frightened of
:46:05. > :46:07.getting old. They are frightened of becoming unwell. Good work is
:46:08. > :46:12.happening but there is an issue about recruiting, keeping and caring
:46:13. > :46:18.staff. Carers do some incredibly personal tasks. And the issue is
:46:19. > :46:22.about raising money. But we need and nationally, to fix a broken system.
:46:23. > :46:26.In Devon I'd like to see a public enquiry bringing health and social
:46:27. > :46:31.get-together. There is an epidemic of loneliness and we are not finding
:46:32. > :46:36.a solution. Do you think John has a fair point, money is tight and be
:46:37. > :46:42.doing the best they can? No. There is a lot of waste. More money could
:46:43. > :46:47.be directed towards caring. The county are spending a lot of money,
:46:48. > :46:52.some of which could be redirected. John, you are spending money that
:46:53. > :46:57.could be redirected to social care? Allen is a spin doctor in the county
:46:58. > :47:05.council. He talks about ?2.8 million, ?2 million is payment. We
:47:06. > :47:11.have members of staff. We spent ?500,000 on communications which we
:47:12. > :47:17.have to do for all sorts of things including getting more care workers.
:47:18. > :47:23.So you refer to that suggestion? I referred to the suggestion that
:47:24. > :47:28.there is a waste. I will say that we can, and will, we go through this
:47:29. > :47:34.all the time, but the point is that ?2.8 million. I know I've got to
:47:35. > :47:39.take ?30 million over 2018 budget. We will be reviewing everything we
:47:40. > :47:45.spend money on. Robin, social care, is John making sense to you? We are
:47:46. > :47:52.starting from a low ebb before we had these cuts. Eight years. John
:47:53. > :47:57.has just said that in 2018 another ?30 million. You are looking at ?300
:47:58. > :48:00.million being cut out of this county. We should not be giving more
:48:01. > :48:04.money to central government. We should be asking them to leave
:48:05. > :48:08.the money where it is so we can work on it.
:48:09. > :48:09.I go round on the streets and the elderly are so worried that they
:48:10. > :48:14.might lose their homes. might lose their homes.
:48:15. > :48:18.Why should they vote Ukip? We are the local people in the party. Local
:48:19. > :48:23.issues. That's what I've been fighting. It's
:48:24. > :48:29.the United Kingdom Independence the United Kingdom Independence
:48:30. > :48:34.party. Why would they vote you? We are independent of Ukip. I am an
:48:35. > :48:38.independent person looking at local issues and working jolly hard. We've
:48:39. > :48:42.hospital. Also with other parties hospital. Also with other parties
:48:43. > :48:50.we've been fighting to keep out at hospital. It's vital we are...
:48:51. > :48:54.John, can you do anything about the closure of cottage hospitals?
:48:55. > :48:59.It's not the responsibility of local government. We supported a unanimous
:49:00. > :49:03.vote at the council: two tell the EJB to look at what they are doing.
:49:04. > :49:06.They need to put in place whatever they want to do before they start
:49:07. > :49:11.It is time for a second question It is time for a second question
:49:12. > :49:16.from the voters. We have a question from Ivybridge this time. What will
:49:17. > :49:19.you do about the housing situation for young working families. We
:49:20. > :49:24.managed to get onto the housing market but it was a struggle. It's a
:49:25. > :49:27.bigger struggle for a lot of young families in Devon.
:49:28. > :49:40.Alan, I know that Devon County Council doesn't have authority
:49:41. > :49:43.over planning applications, but you do think about housing numbers. Is
:49:44. > :49:45.this something that should be in your control? Should there be a
:49:46. > :49:49.regional to make sure Devon County Council does have influence over
:49:50. > :49:53.housing? Ie personally favour a change in the way local government
:49:54. > :50:01.is set up. We have to deal with the reality now. If we are going to
:50:02. > :50:07.create jobs for people, we need to create the housing that is available
:50:08. > :50:13.and local. Here is the issue. So many of our council set out to
:50:14. > :50:18.developments, 20, 25, 30%, but trade developments, 20, 25, 30%, but trade
:50:19. > :50:22.it's not viable. I think the role it's not viable. I think the role
:50:23. > :50:26.the county can play is to take an overview and look at the land it's
:50:27. > :50:31.got. The buildings it got to make that available. Although John says
:50:32. > :50:43.there is no waste, there is waste at County Hall, believe me. I've seen
:50:44. > :50:45.it. I know it. We need to do a better job. All of this plays into a
:50:46. > :50:49.much more positive and vibrant approach will get in Devon back on
:50:50. > :50:53.its feet. John, what are you going to do about this? We are no longer
:50:54. > :51:03.responsible for housing numbers as we used to be. Is that a shame?
:51:04. > :51:08.Should you have responsibility? We put the housing into the devolution
:51:09. > :51:13.bid. The issue we have at the moment is money, price, Carr house, land.
:51:14. > :51:16.If the land is cheap, the price of how should become cheaper. It
:51:17. > :51:20.doesn't work like that. doesn't work like that.
:51:21. > :51:26.We have a cohort of developers who are building for the private sector.
:51:27. > :51:29.There is a small demand for the public sector, we need more money
:51:30. > :51:35.into the public sector... I have to move on, because, Rob, is
:51:36. > :51:39.this something you would agree with? The devolution bid to be looking at
:51:40. > :51:43.bringing housing into the remit of the county council?
:51:44. > :51:47.I would be happy to do anything that would alleviate the housing crisis.
:51:48. > :51:51.It's the biggest domestic political issue we've got and it's a scandal
:51:52. > :51:55.that the government is not doing something about it.
:51:56. > :52:01.We need a mass building programme. A lot of families we spoke to said
:52:02. > :52:05.that affordable isn't affordable. Yes, affordable does not mean
:52:06. > :52:10.affordable. We need social houses, better regulation and thousands of
:52:11. > :52:13.people in Devon having secure tenancies and poor conditions. This
:52:14. > :52:19.needs to be at the top of the agenda both locally and centrally.
:52:20. > :52:22.Briefly, are you happy with the progress of the devolution bid, the
:52:23. > :52:30.idea of more powerful unitary authority? We are not moving in
:52:31. > :52:35.Devon to a unitary authority. What we are doing is bespoke bits of work
:52:36. > :52:38.on issues such as transport, housing growth and economic growth. You
:52:39. > :52:41.wouldn't like it to be a unitary authority? I don't support that. I
:52:42. > :52:47.didn't last time and wouldn't this time. The issue is not the
:52:48. > :52:51.structures, it's the funding coming into local government so that we can
:52:52. > :52:59.do the job we need to do. Robin, is this fast enough for you? I feel
:53:00. > :53:04.that when you get property perspective is going in for housing
:53:05. > :53:09.they say they will build X amount of thousands of homes, 500 homes, then
:53:10. > :53:14.they start backtracking. They backtrack. And in the end there's
:53:15. > :53:18.very little social housing. I would like to see council houses back.
:53:19. > :53:23.I think we should reverse the whole thing. Is that something that the
:53:24. > :53:29.county council or to be able to... They should be looking at it. We
:53:30. > :53:32.really should be starting to demand, people can't afford it.
:53:33. > :53:38.They are still at home at 45. It's ridiculous. John, something that you
:53:39. > :53:42.could deal with? There needs to be more involvement in social housing,
:53:43. > :53:51.more pressure to find social housing. Low-cost housing is not low
:53:52. > :53:55.cost, and it is a problem. It's a problem in a low-wage authority led
:53:56. > :54:05.Devon. We have more questions. Third, final question. My concern is
:54:06. > :54:10.pot holes. I got my car damaged, it they did pay for me to get it fixed
:54:11. > :54:13.but I've noticed there are pot holes around on the road and they want to
:54:14. > :54:16.know when this is going to be resolved?
:54:17. > :54:22.Robin, you mentioned this at the start of the programme. What are you
:54:23. > :54:25.won't do about pot holes? I'd like to see more money invested. Not have
:54:26. > :54:31.the cut central government are imposing so we would have more
:54:32. > :54:37.money. We are eight point 5000 miles of road, we are billions of pounds
:54:38. > :54:42.short looking after the roads. People's cars are getting damaged.
:54:43. > :54:48.Half ?1 million of the people that actually reported it, and even more
:54:49. > :54:53.on doorstep to haven't even bothered.
:54:54. > :54:57.Alan, is this ridiculous? People are claiming to mend their cars and Rob
:54:58. > :55:02.Hannaford was being filled back in. Increasingly people have their cars
:55:03. > :55:10.damaged. But even when the pot holes are fixed, it is shoddy. So what is
:55:11. > :55:14.the solution? This comes down to the fact that the Conservatives have
:55:15. > :55:21.taken a ride off the ball. We would have put more money into pot holes.
:55:22. > :55:26.But where is the money coming from? John is quite right the council have
:55:27. > :55:31.had to deal with a budget. But there is waste. I will show you an
:55:32. > :55:35.example. This envelope sent to me by county Hall yesterday.
:55:36. > :55:38.First class. This envelope with another envelope inside and only
:55:39. > :55:43.five bits of paper for an event in May.
:55:44. > :55:48.This is a simple one or ?2, but there are thousands going out at
:55:49. > :55:50.County Hall which wasted. We can put about money where it is really
:55:51. > :55:55.needed. John, if you stopped sending out
:55:56. > :56:00.things like this mail you could fix the pot holes. We put our own money
:56:01. > :56:08.into the pot holes. We got ?3.1 million from the government fought
:56:09. > :56:13.pot holes. And patching. That's on top of the standard budget. It's
:56:14. > :56:18.still not enough. I was going to ask Rob here is it enough and is
:56:19. > :56:22.volunteer is the answer? I'm not sure that volunteers are the answer.
:56:23. > :56:26.At a time of our study the best thing any government can do is
:56:27. > :56:30.invest in infrastructure such as roads and pavements. The issue we
:56:31. > :56:33.also have here is the directive which covers these issues is in
:56:34. > :56:38.competition with the people side of it which is demand led. Vulnerable
:56:39. > :56:43.children and elderly people are always competing against pot holes.
:56:44. > :56:48.You will put money in? From where? Pot holes is the number-1 issue in
:56:49. > :56:54.our postbag but that doesn't mean we can't child protection issues. We
:56:55. > :56:59.should have managers inspecting these holes when they finished and
:57:00. > :57:07.they should have look at them. That would cost money. We have two move
:57:08. > :57:11.on. It's not being done properly! There are a full list of candidates
:57:12. > :57:12.on the elections on Council websites.
:57:13. > :57:15.In Devon they include representatives of the East Devon
:57:16. > :57:17.Independent Alliance, the Liberal Party, 18
:57:18. > :57:25.Independents and 43 candidates representing the Green Party.
:57:26. > :57:32.party because they will hold the party because they will hold the
:57:33. > :57:40.Tories to account on the worst excesses of austerity. People quite
:57:41. > :57:45.often say that we can't afford these policies. But often there is a
:57:46. > :57:49.question of priorities. What Green councillors will do is not be afraid
:57:50. > :57:50.to ask the awkward questions and challenge the Tories on their
:57:51. > :57:51.priorities. Now our regular round-up
:57:52. > :58:08.of the political week Devon's Conservative MPs write to
:58:09. > :58:14.the PM asking her to put more money into the county's schools in the
:58:15. > :58:17.manifesto. Meanwhile Devon's Lib Dem councillors called for a local
:58:18. > :58:29.public enquiry into the state of the NHS. Callers submits its bid to
:58:30. > :58:33.become the UK's first spaceport. It happens in other countries, in
:58:34. > :58:40.America and Russia. We are confident that it could happen right year. Why
:58:41. > :58:44.the government has asked to save the county's post opposites. Can I ask
:58:45. > :58:48.the Minister to take account of rural post office services in places
:58:49. > :58:55.like Cornwall to make sure people get the they want. And the Seagull
:58:56. > :58:58.menace to bring new twist this week as one bird bit off more than he
:58:59. > :59:09.could chew in stealing some false teeth in Torquay. All the fun things
:59:10. > :59:15.happening Torquay! School funding, Rob, if I come to you first. Devon's
:59:16. > :59:22.served MPs have asked the PM to put more money for the county's schools
:59:23. > :59:28.in the manifesto, is that fair? I think the question that needs to be
:59:29. > :59:33.asked is at the moment, all of the region's MPs are conservatives.
:59:34. > :59:36.Apart from one. If we lose that and more are elected naturally the
:59:37. > :59:42.attraction to get fit funding could be last in a huge majority.
:59:43. > :59:45.In terms of school funding the consulting needs to stop. We know
:59:46. > :59:48.our schools are dreadfully underfunded.
:59:49. > :59:55.We need action. Alan, what do you make of the politics? The politics
:59:56. > :59:58.is quite cynical. The government has been underfunded for years. Add to
:59:59. > :00:05.that the Conservatives putting a further 2.2 million in. They have a
:00:06. > :00:09.big down on education in Devon and we need to put that right. John,
:00:10. > :00:14.this is cynical of the Tories, can they say we need more funding? I was
:00:15. > :00:20.one of the founders of the group complaining about underfunding.
:00:21. > :00:24.Devon did get ?160 million extra for schools. I'm delighted BMPs are
:00:25. > :00:29.fighting with us this time instead of sitting on the fans.
:00:30. > :00:31.OK. Thank you all very much, sorry Robin to cut you off there.
:00:32. > :00:33.That's the Sunday Politics in the South West.
:00:34. > :00:35.Now back to Andrew with the Week Ahead.
:00:36. > :00:40.we will take the mandate that we want. To all three of you, thank
:00:41. > :00:52.you. Andrew, back to you. So, how will Thursday's local
:00:53. > :00:54.election results affect Who's winning the
:00:55. > :00:56.election ground war? And as he celebrates 100
:00:57. > :01:14.days in the White House, We have the local elections, Metro
:01:15. > :01:19.elections in Liverpool, greater Birmingham, West Midlands, how will
:01:20. > :01:22.they play into the general election? Significantly, it is very unusual.
:01:23. > :01:27.People keep comparing this with the election in 83, not! Margaret
:01:28. > :01:31.Thatcher was nervous and to wait until after the local elections to
:01:32. > :01:35.call the election to see the result. We are getting these result in the
:01:36. > :01:41.middle of an election campaign so it will be important, whoever does
:01:42. > :01:44.badly will suffer a dent in confidence in terms of how they
:01:45. > :01:49.approach the election and we are also going to have mayoral figures
:01:50. > :01:54.as a reminder of another big difference with the 80s that however
:01:55. > :01:57.big, say, the Conservatives win in Westminster, there are now sectors
:01:58. > :02:01.of power in other parts of the United Kingdom which were not there
:02:02. > :02:06.in the 80s. One of the reasons niches that are rated in 83 was
:02:07. > :02:11.memories were still alive in political circles of 1970, Wilson
:02:12. > :02:16.saw the local election results and thought, I can win, he was told he
:02:17. > :02:20.would win by the Economist magazine, who had done the analysis, and of
:02:21. > :02:28.course he lost, so that is why she waited, Mrs May does not need to
:02:29. > :02:31.wait for that at all now, and on the Metro elections, the one she will be
:02:32. > :02:34.looking at is the West Midlands, that is the one that is a
:02:35. > :02:38.competition. I think she can really lose on Thursday in the local
:02:39. > :02:42.elections, governing parties are supposed to take effect again,
:02:43. > :02:48.losing lots of council seats. She is projected to put on 100 or so seats,
:02:49. > :02:53.Labour projected to lose around 200, the first time the main opposition
:02:54. > :02:56.party has shed seats since something like 83 so clearly the local
:02:57. > :03:00.elections give Mrs May great momentum going into the general
:03:01. > :03:03.election campaign but there is a downside in that, which is what we
:03:04. > :03:08.have already heard fighting about this morning, if it looks like it is
:03:09. > :03:13.going too well for the Tories, it says to voters, why bother turning
:03:14. > :03:16.up? Sushi comes up with totally unbelievable sound bites this
:03:17. > :03:22.morning that this is the most important general election in her
:03:23. > :03:28.lifetime. Really?! For her it is! It always is until the next one! I
:03:29. > :03:33.wonder if voter turnout is a problem? Tory voters are more likely
:03:34. > :03:39.to vote than Labour voters. If there is a sense that it is all over bar
:03:40. > :03:43.the shouting, the overall turnout will be low that Tory voters are
:03:44. > :03:47.still likely to turn out more than Labour voters so she would still win
:03:48. > :03:52.some. I don't think she needs to be too worried, I think there will be a
:03:53. > :03:59.significantly low turnout, even I am finding it hard to be that excited
:04:00. > :04:03.about this general election. Really, the policies, we have spent a lot of
:04:04. > :04:07.time talking about them today and we have to examine them, but all this
:04:08. > :04:12.is about is, do you want Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn in Number Ten?
:04:13. > :04:15.Those are the only question is, apart from possibly how strong do
:04:16. > :04:21.you feel about Brexit, that will be on the voters' minds. You may say
:04:22. > :04:25.that but I will not be put off from going through a list of policies
:04:26. > :04:31.that we have already had in the last 24 hours. On the Conservatives, more
:04:32. > :04:39.powers to stop company bosses under pensions, of course Philip Green was
:04:40. > :04:44.in mind there. Labour has come up with quite a few policies, actually,
:04:45. > :04:53.give all work of equal rights, whether part-time or full-time,
:04:54. > :04:58.temporary or permanent. Ukip, scrap VAT or takeaway -- on takeaway food
:04:59. > :05:04.and end the BBC licence fee. The Liberal Democrats have come out
:05:05. > :05:11.posed to the runway at Heathrow. I thought I knew that already? Will
:05:12. > :05:17.any of these policies make a difference? They are all nice handy
:05:18. > :05:21.things that people quite liked but probably not, is the answer. They
:05:22. > :05:25.are an awful way away from polling day now for people to remember and
:05:26. > :05:31.latch onto. I don't think you make your mind up on small issues like
:05:32. > :05:34.Heathrow, unless you live in Richmond-upon-Thames, maybe, but the
:05:35. > :05:38.problem Labour have got with unfailing a lot of these retail type
:05:39. > :05:43.policies which, in themselves, are very popular, is no one will listen
:05:44. > :05:47.to them until they get over the leadership credibility issue. Jeremy
:05:48. > :05:50.Corbyn could the world on a stick, but if no one believes he can
:05:51. > :05:53.deliver it then he will not be listened to and he has not done much
:05:54. > :05:56.apart from a speech yesterday in which is claim to fame was getting
:05:57. > :06:03.arrested, I don't see how that would work for him getting to Number Ten.
:06:04. > :06:09.They are not making progress on it. Labour has rolled out a number of
:06:10. > :06:14.policies which, taken individually, would have certain traction in
:06:15. > :06:17.normal times, quite interesting ideas, this sense of unfairness, a
:06:18. > :06:22.feeling that ordinary workers have not done well out of the recovery,
:06:23. > :06:26.those who caused the crash have, 20 points, I went through some of them
:06:27. > :06:31.earlier, putting aside they are not costed, we are assured they will be.
:06:32. > :06:37.The problem I suggest is not the costing but the cut through? Every
:06:38. > :06:41.election has a context which is determined by opinion polls, however
:06:42. > :06:44.sceptical we are these days, and if one party is way ahead it is
:06:45. > :06:49.difficult for the other party to appear relevant, because if people
:06:50. > :06:54.assume they are not going to win, even some of its own MPs are saying,
:06:55. > :07:01.we are not going to win this, so you can vote for us, it is very hard to
:07:02. > :07:05.get attention and relevance. Where I think all the parties are bad with
:07:06. > :07:11.their current leaders is framing arguments, so those policies you
:07:12. > :07:14.have highlighted makes sense. The best leaders are brilliant framers
:07:15. > :07:21.of an argument and neither Theresa Maynor Jeremy Corbyn R. They have
:07:22. > :07:25.been campaigning, their manifestos are not out yet, both sides have
:07:26. > :07:28.been telling us we have to wait for costings, but it has not stopped
:07:29. > :07:34.them campaigning. Let's remind you of where they have been and what
:07:35. > :07:39.they have been doing so far. Let's start with Jeremy Corbyn, his
:07:40. > :07:42.first official visit was in the ultra-marginal Conservative seat of
:07:43. > :07:48.Croydon Central where the MP Gavin Barwell has a lead of just 165. That
:07:49. > :07:52.is not the only Conservative seat he has visited, along the way he popped
:07:53. > :07:59.in on Bristol North West, a Conservative majority of nearly
:08:00. > :08:06.5000. The Tory seat of Cardiff North, a lead of just over 2000,
:08:07. > :08:10.Warrington South, just over 2700, and Crewe and Nantwich, Tory
:08:11. > :08:16.majority of three and a half thousand. Yesterday he visited
:08:17. > :08:21.Bethnal greed and Bob, a Labour lead of 20 4000. Theresa May kicked off
:08:22. > :08:26.her campaign in Bolton, Labour majority of over 4000. On her way
:08:27. > :08:31.round the UK she had a comfy stop in her own maidenhead seat, where she
:08:32. > :08:34.is defending a majority of nearly 30,000, before travelling to other
:08:35. > :08:41.Labour marginals including Dudley North, a Labour lead of 4000.
:08:42. > :08:43.Bridgend, a lead of just under 2004 Labour, before becoming ambitious
:08:44. > :08:59.and visiting shadow minister Richard Bergen's Leeds East seat, which he
:09:00. > :09:01.won by over 12,500 votes. Yesterday she went north of the border to
:09:02. > :09:04.Aberdeenshire, where amongst other places she visited the SNP seat of
:09:05. > :09:05.West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, where the Tories would have to gain
:09:06. > :09:13.over 7000 votes to unseat the NP. What do you make of it all so far?
:09:14. > :09:16.It is remarkable she is doing these visits in Scotland. Past but even
:09:17. > :09:20.five years and the idea of a Tory Prime Minister going round Scotland
:09:21. > :09:25.would be utterly counter-productive, and actually they are ambitious for
:09:26. > :09:29.Scotland now under with Davidson, a prospect of multiple seats, and that
:09:30. > :09:32.would be a real genuine shift in Scottish politics, the likes of
:09:33. > :09:42.which we have not seen for 15 or 20 years. If she gets that, that helps
:09:43. > :09:47.towards 100 seats, because if she wins ten in Scotland, it is
:09:48. > :09:51.effectively 20, the SNP lose ten, she gains ten, she wants to do that
:09:52. > :09:57.in the Midlands with Labour, and the North. To get the 100 majority,
:09:58. > :10:02.other than Scotland, she has to win Labour seats, that is all that is
:10:03. > :10:05.there. And clearly she has been told, it is obvious, that she has a
:10:06. > :10:09.chance of doing so, otherwise you don't go to these parts of the
:10:10. > :10:14.country in the first few days of the campaign. All logic points to her
:10:15. > :10:19.being able to pull it off as well. The opinion polls, the state of the
:10:20. > :10:23.Labour Party. The only qualification I have in this is that politics is
:10:24. > :10:30.so wild and free Braille at the moment, it doesn't feel like
:10:31. > :10:36.landslide to rain. That is true, it doesn't. It is early days, we
:10:37. > :10:39.haven't yet had the manifestos, the campaign is yet to gather momentum.
:10:40. > :10:48.It doesn't feel like landslide territory. I disagree, look at every
:10:49. > :10:52.single poll, the Tory lead is 10% in Wales, you can see her picking up 20
:10:53. > :10:57.seat there. Put this together, I am told by the way she is going into
:10:58. > :11:02.traditional Labour heartland again tomorrow, the key is the Ukip vote.
:11:03. > :11:22.That will implode... Crumble towards Tories? If she can hoover that up
:11:23. > :11:22.and retain the Tory vote, she will have a majority of 150.
:11:23. > :11:23.I cannot let you go without reminding you that it is Donald
:11:24. > :11:23.Trump's 100 days. He's not making a lot of it now, this is what he said
:11:24. > :11:26.last night. We are just beginning in our fight
:11:27. > :11:29.to make America great again. Now, before we talk about my first
:11:30. > :11:38.100 days, which has been very exciting and very productive,
:11:39. > :11:43.let's rate the media's 100 days. Because, as you know,
:11:44. > :12:02.they are a disgrace. There you go, still bashing the
:12:03. > :12:08.media, that was at a rally in Virginia, the 100 days was last
:12:09. > :12:11.night. He seems happier campaigning than running the country. You each
:12:12. > :12:20.have 20 seconds to give me your board on the first 100 days.
:12:21. > :12:25.Remarkable, he will not stop slagging off the media but America
:12:26. > :12:28.first has not meant America first in terms of national policy, he has
:12:29. > :12:33.reneges on what he said about Nato being obsolete. He is moving from
:12:34. > :12:41.the old right to the centre because that is where you get things done,
:12:42. > :12:47.he is a pragmatist, also is about's friend Nigel Parrott is no longer
:12:48. > :12:52.welcome, we read this morning! Allegedly! He loves campaigning but
:12:53. > :12:56.finds governing much more difficult. Who would have thought being
:12:57. > :12:59.president of the United States was a difficult job?! He loves rallies but
:13:00. > :13:05.being president and politics is a very difficult thing indeed. Thank
:13:06. > :13:07.you, there we go, Mr Trump's 100 days, we will see what the next 100
:13:08. > :13:10.brings. The Daily Politics is back
:13:11. > :13:13.on BBC Two after the bank holiday on Tuesday at midday,
:13:14. > :13:15.with all the latest And I'll be back here
:13:16. > :13:19.on BBC One next Sunday Remember - if it's Sunday,
:13:20. > :13:29.it's the Sunday Politics.