:01:21. > :01:23.In the South: The starting gun's been fired, the
:01:23. > :01:26.parties are picking their candidates, the big beasts are
:01:26. > :01:36.hitting town - so what will be the real deciding issues in the
:01:36. > :01:36.
:01:36. > :42:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2455 seconds
:42:32. > :42:35.Welcome to Sunday Politics South, my name's Peter Henley. On today's
:42:35. > :42:38.programme: Oxford may be calling itself the
:42:38. > :42:44.electric car capital of Europe, but just how many people are actually
:42:44. > :42:47.using its 60 charging points? We'll be finding out shortly. First,
:42:47. > :42:50.let's meet the two politicians who, as usual, are our guests of the day
:42:50. > :42:53.for the whole of the next 20 minutes. George Hollingbery is the
:42:53. > :43:03.Conservative MP for Meon Valley, and Alan Whitehead is the Labour MP
:43:03. > :43:04.
:43:04. > :43:10.for Southampton West. There's a lot of national issues
:43:10. > :43:14.here with the by-election. What do you think of David Cameron's week?
:43:15. > :43:20.Progress in Europe - you must be pleased about that? It is good to
:43:20. > :43:25.make sure the EU budget does not run away with itself. That is
:43:25. > :43:30.positive. But it is different from the uncertainty that David Cameron
:43:30. > :43:33.has plunged us into over a period of time in relation to the EU
:43:33. > :43:38.because of what he has done in terms of trying to square a deal
:43:38. > :43:43.with his own backbenchers. That is a long-term impact. What is
:43:43. > :43:48.happening now a short term. Would you back the Prime Minister on the
:43:48. > :43:53.way he has behaved over gay marriage? You voted in favour. But
:43:53. > :43:59.most of your colleagues are against. On the European issue, we were told
:43:59. > :44:05.nothing could change on that front. Renegotiating the terms seems worth
:44:05. > :44:10.doing. Gay marriage. It was a matter of conscience. It didn't
:44:10. > :44:15.matter that others voted against? If you talk to people about their
:44:15. > :44:21.religious values, there are lots of religious people in the
:44:21. > :44:27.Conservative Party, and colleagues who received thousands of letters,
:44:27. > :44:33.they wanted to reflect the views of their constituents. You have had a
:44:33. > :44:43.reply on Europe. On gay marriage, David Cameron, is he enhanced or
:44:43. > :44:47.
:44:47. > :44:50.does he have a problem with his backbenchers? He has a problem.
:44:50. > :44:55.There's a split down the back benches of the Conservatives. That
:44:55. > :44:58.is not good for future government. It's been a busy political week in
:44:59. > :45:01.the South of England. Chris Huhne's sudden resignation on Monday as MP
:45:01. > :45:04.for Eastleigh triggered a by- election, then on Wednesday the
:45:04. > :45:06.Liberal Democrats plumped for a February 28th polling day. So, a
:45:07. > :45:08.decidedly short, sharp campaign, and over the last few days the
:45:09. > :45:11.various parties have been scrambling to get candidates
:45:11. > :45:14.confirmed, volunteers in place and their various big beasts booked in
:45:14. > :45:24.for visits to a sometimes overlooked part of Hampshire, North
:45:24. > :45:25.
:45:25. > :45:29.and East of Southampton. In the days of steam, Eastleigh was
:45:29. > :45:33.known as a railway town. Now the airport is the biggest local
:45:33. > :45:43.employer, and the bandwagon will drive down the M3 past new suburban
:45:43. > :45:47.estates. The constituency stretches to the sea. That includes the home
:45:47. > :45:51.of Hampshire cricket. It David Cameron can't take back a seat that
:45:51. > :45:57.once boasted a 10,000 Conservative majority, the questions will be
:45:57. > :46:03.asked. But what might stop him is the depth of local Lib Dem
:46:03. > :46:07.organisation. 36 out of 36 council seats are held by Lib Dems. They
:46:07. > :46:12.know the territory well. In the election for Police Commissioner, a
:46:12. > :46:16.Lib Dem topped the polls in this area. It has not always been like
:46:16. > :46:21.this. In 1994, Eastleigh's industrial roots were strong enough
:46:21. > :46:26.to give Labour hope. Then it was a three-way marginal with Gordon
:46:26. > :46:30.Brown joining a young Jack Straw on the doorsteps. These were the dying
:46:30. > :46:35.days of the John Major government. UKIP's candidate barely registered.
:46:36. > :46:39.Now they could make a big dent in votes on the right. If the
:46:39. > :46:45.Conservatives were to lose, it would put pressure on Cameron's
:46:45. > :46:49.leadership and lead to them asking all sorts of questions about, well,
:46:49. > :46:53.what is the point of being in the coalition? Similarly, a range of
:46:53. > :46:57.questions from the Lib Dems if they were to lose the seat. A lot of MPs
:46:57. > :47:06.are going to be fearful of a similar challenge in their
:47:06. > :47:10.constituencies. I think it is massive in terms of national as
:47:10. > :47:16.well as local politics. Labour admits they are a long shot
:47:16. > :47:21.but Ed Miliband needs to prove his appeal in the south. It is going to
:47:21. > :47:24.be a short, sharp campaign, but the timing is set for a result to
:47:24. > :47:26.remember. Well, joining us now are the
:47:26. > :47:29.Liberal Democrat leader of Eastleigh council, Keith House, and,
:47:29. > :47:39.from UKIP, Ray Finch, who was his party's candidate in Eastleigh in
:47:39. > :47:40.
:47:40. > :47:45.2010. Keith, what I hear all the time is
:47:45. > :47:50.the Lib Dems are well dug in. Sounds like the start of a war in
:47:50. > :47:55.the trenches. But that is what you are, you are well prepared in
:47:55. > :47:59.Eastleigh. He is that why you chose to have an early campaign?
:47:59. > :48:05.thought it was best to remove the uncertainty. We are well entrenched
:48:05. > :48:08.in Eastleigh. We work all year round alongside the key issue of
:48:08. > :48:16.who is best placed to stand up for Eastleigh's electorate in
:48:17. > :48:21.Parliament until the 2015 election. You only had two locals on the list
:48:21. > :48:25.of candidate. Why do you have to have a local candidate? We felt,
:48:25. > :48:29.with our track record, but we wanted somebody who is already part
:48:30. > :48:36.of the local community, who already has a good record of being part of
:48:36. > :48:42.the team, who has protected services from cuts and is part of
:48:42. > :48:48.the community. UKIP has been organising in
:48:48. > :48:56.Eastleigh for some time. What do you see as fertile ground here?
:48:56. > :49:03.of it. His immigration a real issue? Of course it is. Immigration
:49:03. > :49:08.is one of the major things. In the Mail today, 56% of Bulgarians said
:49:08. > :49:12.they wanted to come to Britain on January 1st. It is going to affect
:49:12. > :49:16.everybody. But we have other issues. We have all of them covered.
:49:16. > :49:20.Frankly, as the polling today has said, we stand to gain more votes
:49:20. > :49:28.both from the Lib Dems and Labour than we do from the Tories. We are
:49:28. > :49:32.not the our riders for the Tory party. We are the party that
:49:32. > :49:37.appeals all across the country. Keith, it is the protest vote and
:49:37. > :49:44.people can't protest by voting Lib Dem any more. No, they protest by
:49:44. > :49:53.voting for minor parties. The history of EC politics has been to
:49:53. > :49:58.choose Lib Dem at every opportunity. -- beastly politics. The
:49:58. > :50:01.Conservatives last held on to a seat in Eastleigh nine years ago.
:50:01. > :50:06.It will be a close race. That is the choice people will have to
:50:06. > :50:13.consider. Today when somebody who is part of the community or do they
:50:13. > :50:20.not? Let's bring in the other side. It was Sir David Price's seat for
:50:20. > :50:24.many years. Has it changed in its complexion? To some extent. If you
:50:24. > :50:29.look back at the history, you can see what conservative organisation
:50:29. > :50:33.is what it is. If you look at recent general elections, you can
:50:33. > :50:43.see a strong underlying Conservative vote there. That is
:50:43. > :50:51.what we need to find. We have got a fantastic local candidate. Vote for
:50:51. > :50:56.a local MP you can trust, that is the slogan?
:50:56. > :50:59.She fought the last general election, she stayed in with the
:50:59. > :51:05.community, and the great thing about Maria is she is somebody who
:51:05. > :51:09.lives in a relatively modest house in a modest part of town. She knows
:51:09. > :51:14.what it is like to struggle along like others. This is somebody for
:51:14. > :51:22.whom we say filling up a calf -- with petrol is not just something
:51:22. > :51:28.you do, it is something you have to think about. The suggestion is she
:51:28. > :51:34.is a loose cannon as well. Some of her views are against the
:51:34. > :51:39.leadership. We want to concentrate on the issues that matter to people
:51:39. > :51:42.- jobs, the economy, making sure we protect the right parts of the
:51:43. > :51:47.countryside from inappropriate development. The Lib Dems have been
:51:47. > :51:51.strong on that for many years. If the Conservative was to go into
:51:51. > :51:56.other territory, that is for them to think about.
:51:56. > :52:03.Back to you, George. Top of his priorities is fighting Tory plans
:52:03. > :52:09.for gravel extraction. This is a Lib Dem. You supposed -- you are
:52:09. > :52:13.supposed to be in coalition. It is hardly surprising that they
:52:13. > :52:16.emphasise this. Both candidates will fight on the issues. We
:52:16. > :52:19.understand the voters will not enjoy it if we sitter there and
:52:20. > :52:25.knock seven bells out of each other, particularly about the previous
:52:25. > :52:28.incumbent. We will be talking about benefit changes, immigration, the
:52:28. > :52:33.economy and hole we solve issues, and actually, that is what people
:52:33. > :52:39.want to hear about. While Labour playing their chances down? You are
:52:39. > :52:43.the opposition. -- why half. It is true the Conservatives and Lib Dems
:52:43. > :52:47.really are in it together. The previous MP voted for every single
:52:47. > :52:51.one of the measures that have gone to prop up the Conservative-Lib Dem
:52:51. > :52:57.coalition over the period. If we are talking about the economy, the
:52:57. > :53:05.Lib Dems are culpable in what has happened in terms of the problem of
:53:05. > :53:12.jobs, the difficulties of benefits, the house tax. All of those things,
:53:12. > :53:17.they are completely in it together. Why not say that you have got more
:53:17. > :53:22.chance in this seat? We will be going out, putting the message out
:53:22. > :53:26.across Eastleigh, for example, the last autumn statement meant that
:53:26. > :53:33.the average family was almost �600 worse off while millionaires were
:53:33. > :53:36.getting a tax cut of �100,000. haven't yet selected a candidate.
:53:36. > :53:42.These issues will have great resonance, I think, to people who
:53:42. > :53:50.think they are left out by what the two coalition parties are doing. We
:53:50. > :53:55.will have a candidate shortly. That is the message we will get across.
:53:55. > :53:59.We don't say we are definitely going to win. We think we ought to
:53:59. > :54:06.do well in terms of making sure the message is put across and making
:54:06. > :54:08.sure people have a real alternative to vote for the politics of the
:54:08. > :54:13.coalition that a serving are so badly at the moment.
:54:13. > :54:17.If Nigel Farage had entered the race, it would be a different
:54:17. > :54:24.situation, wouldn't it? No. Nigel has to lead the party. If we put
:54:24. > :54:28.him up for every by-election, people would turn around and say we
:54:28. > :54:34.are a one-horse Party. We are not. This is a chance of somebody to
:54:34. > :54:42.make a breakthrough. It is now a four-way marginal. Is it?
:54:42. > :54:46.course! Know. The reality is clear. This will be a close run thing by
:54:46. > :54:52.the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. But most by-elections are a protest,
:54:52. > :54:56.aren't they? They are about the future and the best representative
:54:56. > :55:00.for local people. That is why we have selected Mike Thornton. He is
:55:01. > :55:06.part of the community and is already doing the job. Should you
:55:06. > :55:09.have a local as well? It always helps. It never hurts to have
:55:09. > :55:15.somebody local on the ground. But it is always the best thing to get
:55:15. > :55:21.the best person in. Wherever they come from, they can settle in. A
:55:21. > :55:25.local candidate does not hurt. What Keith is saying is whoever you vote
:55:25. > :55:30.for, you are going to get the government. We are ahead of the
:55:30. > :55:40.Labour Party. We are the official opposition and we intend to win.
:55:40. > :55:48.
:55:48. > :55:50.Thank you, both of you. Nearly a year ago, a new network of
:55:50. > :55:53.electric car charging points was installed in Oxford. The hope was
:55:53. > :55:56.they'd spark more people's interest in using electric vehicles. Now the
:55:56. > :56:00.city's also about to get its own electric car club. But still sales
:56:00. > :56:03.of electric cars haven't sped up as much as the government had hoped.
:56:03. > :56:07.So what's it going to take to convince us all? Emma Vardy has
:56:07. > :56:12.been to find out. Oxford claims to have more car
:56:13. > :56:15.charging points per person than anywhere else in Europe. The city
:56:16. > :56:23.was hailed the electric car capital when its new network was switched
:56:23. > :56:29.on last year. What the government is doing is
:56:29. > :56:34.making it easier to buy these vehicles. When a critical mass
:56:34. > :56:39.kicks in, the price will come down. But despite hype, many are still
:56:39. > :56:44.doubtful about ditching their fuel cars and chosing a greener option.
:56:44. > :56:49.If I felt confident it was easily chargeable, I would think about it
:56:49. > :56:52.a bit more. If it was more environmentally friendly. If it
:56:52. > :56:58.becomes more efficient and cost- effective, I might consider it.
:56:58. > :57:02.Until then, I think I will stick with our normal car. If I could do
:57:02. > :57:06.250 miles a day in one, maybe. But not until.
:57:06. > :57:09.So why haven't they caught on? Well, they can't go very far before
:57:09. > :57:11.needing a charge. And they tend to be more expensive than ordinary
:57:11. > :57:16.cars. But the government's determined to keep us moving
:57:16. > :57:19.towards a battery-powered future. One day we may all have to say
:57:19. > :57:22.goodbye to the petrol pump and instead plug into one of these.
:57:23. > :57:27.This is one of more than 60 charging points around Oxford that
:57:27. > :57:36.you can charge your car up for free! Of course, though, you need
:57:36. > :57:42.Rather flash, eh? This Tesla Roadster is an electric sports car
:57:42. > :57:46.that would set you back around �70,000. For that, you get to drive
:57:46. > :57:51.more than 200 miles on a single charge. You could commute from
:57:51. > :57:54.London to Oxford at just �2 pounds a journey. There are cheaper
:57:54. > :58:02.battery powered cars, but hey, drive an electric sports car and
:58:02. > :58:12.you'll turn a few heads. The number of electric cars being sold overall,
:58:12. > :58:21.
:58:21. > :58:27.though, is still just a fraction of the total car sales each year.
:58:27. > :58:32.Some charging points are only being used a handful of times each week.
:58:32. > :58:37.In Milton Keynes, some have only been used once or twice.
:58:37. > :58:41.It will grow and grow. If you are there and ready at the beginning,
:58:41. > :58:45.it is easy for people when they want to.
:58:45. > :58:47.But the market is changing. Tesla and other companies are bringing
:58:47. > :58:50.out much more affordably-priced battery powered cars, and the
:58:50. > :58:56.government's offering cash grants to help towards the cost of some
:58:56. > :58:59.models. That is lots of fun to drive!
:58:59. > :59:01.If you don't fancying buying your own electric car, Oxford's got
:59:01. > :59:04.another answer. An electric car club's starting up, and soon
:59:04. > :59:12.there'll be electric cars stationed around the city that people will be
:59:12. > :59:17.able to borrow for a fraction of what it would cost to buy your own.
:59:17. > :59:22.What makes people decide to join the club? People who need access to
:59:22. > :59:25.a car but don't want the full expense of owning their own car,
:59:25. > :59:29.people are a bit nervous the first time in an electric vehicle, but
:59:29. > :59:31.after the first few times, you find you love it. They are lovely cars
:59:31. > :59:34.to drive. It's been predicted that there'll
:59:34. > :59:40.be two million electric cars by Britain's roads by 2020. The latest
:59:41. > :59:45.figures show there's only 3,000 so far.
:59:45. > :59:49.The government has made a great start getting charging posts out
:59:49. > :59:53.onto the street and in support to people buying cars. There's still a
:59:53. > :00:00.long way to go. Not enough people are buying the cars.
:00:00. > :00:04.That elusive market turning point's yet to be found.
:00:04. > :00:10.There's a long way to go before we get rid of our committal vehicles,
:00:10. > :00:14.but electric cars are seen as a crucial way of meeting Climate
:00:14. > :00:21.Change targets. -- our conventional vehicles.
:00:21. > :00:30.She did not want to give that number back! But as the people were
:00:30. > :00:35.saying, Allen, it is about confidence, isn't it?
:00:35. > :00:41.There is a thing called a range anxiety in the alleged vehicle
:00:41. > :00:51.market, and problems with price. But there are some rapid changes
:00:51. > :00:57.under way in terms of the greater efficiency of battery technology.
:00:57. > :01:02.It is going to make other ones drop in value like a stone. With an
:01:02. > :01:06.increase in charging points, with an increase in availability of
:01:06. > :01:11.repair stations and so on, there will be, I think, quite a security
:01:11. > :01:15.as far as second-hand prices are concerned. The issue is the chicken
:01:15. > :01:18.and egg one of making sure the people know their vehicles can
:01:18. > :01:22.charge, can go a distance, and that their investment is going to be
:01:22. > :01:26.good for the future. That is the breakthrough. Of course, you have
:01:26. > :01:35.got to get the charging points in place. We are close to it, frankly.
:01:35. > :01:42.The future is pretty bright. A number of new models are coming out
:01:42. > :01:48.shortly. A number of the problems are being address. We will see that
:01:48. > :01:53.increase in cars over the next few years. George, you were telling me
:01:53. > :02:03.you were nearly hit by one. My own fault. Your background was in
:02:03. > :02:08.business. Could you CDs... How could you market this better?
:02:08. > :02:12.tipping point is where it all sits. If you can see the value of your
:02:12. > :02:18.car falling through the floor, it is not great. The range thing is a
:02:19. > :02:23.big issue. One has to consider marketing angles wider. I have
:02:23. > :02:31.heard of scheme that will allow cars to be plugged in overnight at
:02:31. > :02:40.a huge number of places. I have heard about the future garage,
:02:40. > :02:46.where you fill up with a battery. You can get a new battery, stick it
:02:46. > :02:49.in, and the other one comes out the other end.
:02:49. > :02:59.Now our regular round-up of the political week in the South in 60
:02:59. > :03:03.
:03:03. > :03:07.seconds. What a week. The Chancellor was
:03:07. > :03:11.about to speak to bankers in Bournemouth. Yes, there are
:03:11. > :03:16.thousands of them at JP Morgan, apparently, when Chris Huhne
:03:16. > :03:21.changed his plea. The only proper course of action is to resign my
:03:21. > :03:27.seat. Labour kicked off the campaign even before a date was set
:03:27. > :03:31.and candidates chosen. It press both coalition parties for their
:03:31. > :03:34.strategy on the economy. A number of empty shops has prompted the
:03:34. > :03:38.Conservative council in Poole at to make it easier for businesses to
:03:38. > :03:43.take over and convert bacon shops by removing the need to apply for
:03:43. > :03:48.planning permission. Water bills are rising. Thames Water had the
:03:48. > :03:52.largest hike. And after by election hot air, how
:03:52. > :03:56.about some natural gas? Exploratory drilling -- drilling has been
:03:56. > :04:06.approved in West Sussex. A British company is hoping to strike lucky
:04:06. > :04:07.
:04:07. > :04:13.without resorting to the controversial fracking.
:04:13. > :04:17.It could be a last blast for oil. Fracking. Any bid? Big claims are
:04:17. > :04:22.made about how much is there. The question is how much is recoverable
:04:22. > :04:27.and at what cost. It is very expensive. I have been to Texas to
:04:27. > :04:33.look at the fracking going on there. If you do it to the extent they do
:04:33. > :04:37.it in America, it is potentially catastrophic for the landscape. It
:04:37. > :04:47.has got limits. It perhaps could work as a back up for other forms
:04:47. > :04:47.
:04:47. > :04:54.of gas. But it is not the bonanza that some double claim. I have a
:04:54. > :05:00.niche issue. But the bills are coming through. We are concerned
:05:00. > :05:03.about polluting the water table. It is big trouble.
:05:03. > :05:06.That's the Sunday Politics in the South. Thanks to my guests, Alan
:05:06. > :05:09.Whitehead and George Hollingbery, and Keith House from Lib Dems and
:05:09. > :05:12.Ray Finch of UKIP earlier - four parties with all to play for, all