:01:26. > :01:29.constituency MP. Not just any MP, this one just happens to be the
:01:29. > :01:39.Prime Minister. And you juggle international summits and weekly
:01:39. > :01:39.
:01:39. > :38:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2186 seconds
:38:05. > :38:09.today's programme: A day in the life of a local MP, who just happens to
:38:09. > :38:13.be the Prime Minister. I have been shadowing David Cameron
:38:13. > :38:19.as he spends a day in his Witney constituency. More on that shortly.
:38:19. > :38:22.First, let's meet Annette Brooke, the Lib Dem MP for mid Dorset and
:38:23. > :38:27.North Poole. That is a tricky one. And Paul
:38:27. > :38:32.Harvey is Labour councillor in Basingstoke and a former leader of
:38:32. > :38:40.the council. Margaret Thatcher, and it, brought you into politics. She
:38:40. > :38:46.did indeed. I was extremely unhappy in 1980. I didn't like the way
:38:46. > :38:50.society was going, and we really discussed going and working in
:38:50. > :38:58.another country. I thought, maybe I have to do something about it. I
:38:58. > :39:05.joined the SDP in 1981. And went on protest matches -- marches against
:39:05. > :39:09.the poll tax. Then you saw the leader of the party you up part of.
:39:09. > :39:12.I think it is important to be absolutely upfront and see how I and
:39:12. > :39:16.obviously many of my colleagues did not agree with Mrs Thatcher's
:39:16. > :39:22.policy. She has to go down in history as being a remarkable
:39:22. > :39:25.woman. From that point of view, I admire the fact she came from the
:39:25. > :39:30.background she did and became Prime Minister. I am hoping that all the
:39:30. > :39:33.coverage we have got at the moment might get a new impetus to more
:39:33. > :39:38.females across all parties, knowing it is possible to achieve in
:39:38. > :39:44.politics. Paul Harvey, there does seem to be in North and South split
:39:44. > :39:50.in some of this. Basingstoke, where you are, and the South of England,
:39:50. > :39:57.have benefited from privatisation. The North really suffer. There are
:39:57. > :40:00.pros and cons in Basingstoke. You have this history in the North, and
:40:00. > :40:04.I was born and bred in Lincolnshire, just in the good from South
:40:05. > :40:08.Yorkshire. I have seen the impact of her politics. Not the woman, her
:40:09. > :40:15.politics, on those communities and areas, which were destroyed. Those
:40:15. > :40:20.wins haven't healed. Those committees haven't recovered fully.
:40:20. > :40:24.Will this help to heal the wounds open them? It is important after the
:40:24. > :40:29.funeral that there is an appropriate debate about her politics if that is
:40:29. > :40:33.what is needed. It is also important we move on. There are genuine issues
:40:33. > :40:40.that we as politicians today need to address will stop right, let's move
:40:40. > :40:45.Normal politics has continued even in this very abnormal week. Running
:40:45. > :40:48.large the county council elections, no less than weeks away. Joining me
:40:48. > :40:54.from Oxford is Ian Hudspeth, the Conservative leader of oxygen
:40:54. > :40:59.counsel. We will talk to him soon, but first, we set our reporters out
:40:59. > :41:03.to take a look at the state of play in the councils in our region.
:41:03. > :41:06.Dorset is one of the lowest funded authorities in the country. As part
:41:06. > :41:11.authorities in the country. As part of the economy drive to save more
:41:11. > :41:13.than �82 million, they are cuts to services, and the council are
:41:13. > :41:17.continuing to switch street lights at night. Dorset is conservative
:41:17. > :41:22.heartland. Labour didn't win a single seat last time around, and
:41:22. > :41:27.would take something seismic to unseat the Conservatives. Whatever
:41:27. > :41:31.happens, one thing will change. There will be a new leader. The
:41:31. > :41:33.current incumbent is standing down after seven years and he is also
:41:33. > :41:43.standing down as chair of the Police and Crime Commissioner. In
:41:43. > :41:44.
:41:44. > :41:48.Oxfordshire, the number of councils is being cut from 74 to 73. -- 263.
:41:48. > :41:55.This year, most of the ward boundaries are changing. The UK
:41:55. > :41:59.Independence Party has upped its presence here since 2009, and there
:41:59. > :42:05.are more independents standing. The Greens per donation -- strong
:42:05. > :42:10.showing here traditionally. As to what might decide which way people
:42:10. > :42:17.here vote, school places and potholes are always high on the
:42:17. > :42:20.agenda. In West Sussex, the council has been held by the Conservatives
:42:21. > :42:25.at the last ten elections. In most seats, it is the Liberal Democrats
:42:25. > :42:29.who are the main challengers. As in much of the South, it is Coalition
:42:29. > :42:32.partner versus Coalition partner, and the Liberal Democrats are
:42:32. > :42:37.looking vulnerable to a small swing to the Conservatives in around a
:42:37. > :42:40.dozen seats. But will the long-running row over adult social
:42:40. > :42:46.care and the fact the Tories have been making cuts over three years
:42:46. > :42:50.rather than for help And Labour win the seats they have been eyeing up?
:42:50. > :42:55.In Hampshire, there are 78 seats up for grabs, and the Conservatives
:42:55. > :43:02.currently hold 51 of them. It is theirs to lose. However, the unknown
:43:02. > :43:08.factor is UKIP. This time round, UKIP are putting up candidates in
:43:08. > :43:11.all but five seats, and remember what happened just six weeks ago in
:43:11. > :43:16.Eastleigh, when UKIP pushed the Conservatives into third place in
:43:16. > :43:21.the by-election. UKIP also have candidates in almost half the seats
:43:21. > :43:25.from the Isle of Wight, at here, independents have stepped forward.
:43:25. > :43:29.Nine out of 40 seats are filled by council is not aligned to main
:43:29. > :43:36.parties, and this time round, 35 independent candidates will have
:43:36. > :43:40.their names on the ballot papers. Lots of independence all over the
:43:40. > :43:45.region. UKIP as well and the Green party. Ian Hudspeth joins us now.
:43:45. > :43:51.You have had the Grains for some time, but UKIP will make quite a
:43:51. > :43:54.difference? There are number of Green candidate 70 County, but what
:43:55. > :43:58.we will do is have a discussion on the doorstep to say why people
:43:59. > :44:05.should vote Conservative, because I think some of the issues UKIP are
:44:05. > :44:07.talking about are not local issues, they are more on the national scene.
:44:07. > :44:11.Of course, the one party that has promised a referendum is the
:44:11. > :44:17.Conservative Party, which is the bedrock of UKIP's campaign. It is a
:44:17. > :44:22.local Ford, but at Coalition level, Conservatives and Lib Dems, people
:44:22. > :44:26.are looking for an alternative, aren't they? I think at local
:44:26. > :44:30.level, we have to look at track record. Since 2005, we have had a
:44:31. > :44:35.Conservative majority in Oxford county council. The council has
:44:35. > :44:39.moved forward and is really standing on its feet. If people look at our
:44:39. > :44:45.record, they can see we can deliver. Yes, there are tough economic times,
:44:45. > :44:51.we have had to make savings, but we have had -- tried to target we are
:44:51. > :44:56.possible to make managerial savings to keep the front line going.
:44:56. > :45:00.you are making cuts, whatever the national policies, 80 local level,
:45:00. > :45:05.your supporters are moving across to UKIP, aren't they? Look at the
:45:05. > :45:11.number of wards in which they are standing. I think what you have got
:45:11. > :45:16.to say is, what can UKIP offer? have got a track record and we shall
:45:16. > :45:21.we can deliver. We are maintaining our highways budget and killing all
:45:21. > :45:28.43 libraries open across all such -- keeping all 43 libraries across
:45:29. > :45:32.oxygen open. We're putting money into child protection, so we are
:45:32. > :45:36.really delivering on our promises. That is what the electorate will
:45:36. > :45:43.look at. We have provided good services and will continue to do so.
:45:43. > :45:47.It is cuts that people are thinking about, though? It is. Massive cuts
:45:47. > :45:52.to services, losing youth workers. That has had a massive impact on
:45:52. > :45:59.supporting young people. But surely people have to recognise money must
:45:59. > :46:02.be saved? If you'll get Hampshire, and the amount of land that --
:46:02. > :46:08.ground that Hampshire owns, they are cutting the front line and halting
:46:08. > :46:14.those services that are the most honourable. That is the wrong way of
:46:14. > :46:18.going about this. You have little chance of picking up votes, though.
:46:18. > :46:24.UKIP have more chance, maybe. Labour just haven't had a presence in
:46:24. > :46:28.Hampshire. That is not the case. In Basingstoke, we have taken seats of
:46:28. > :46:31.the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. We are targeting seats
:46:31. > :46:36.from the Liberal Democrats and Labour at county level. We are
:46:36. > :46:43.strong across the whole area. We are looking to see -- take seats and be
:46:43. > :46:46.a genuine challenger. That has set the bar, then. Annette Brooke, we
:46:46. > :46:52.could debate about Dorset. Street lights have been a huge issue,
:46:52. > :46:55.haven't they? They have indeed. We accept that has been very tough
:46:55. > :47:00.times for local Government, but given the restrictions on the
:47:00. > :47:03.budget, it is establishing priorities. The Liberal Democrat
:47:03. > :47:08.opposition in Dorset county council have agreed with the fees of the
:47:08. > :47:11.council tax but have not agreed with the actual priorities. It is all
:47:11. > :47:15.about thinking about a fairer society, making sure that the cuts
:47:16. > :47:22.and falling on the more vulnerable, and it is also things like the
:47:22. > :47:29.street lighting which... Which oppose at a local level, but the
:47:29. > :47:33.national level, you say we go along the cuts. Now, it is all about
:47:33. > :47:36.establishing priorities, and that is why they are different manifestoes
:47:36. > :47:40.between the two parties fighting at local level. We have different
:47:40. > :47:47.priorities nationally, what we are not in Coalition locally, and we
:47:47. > :47:53.will be arguing tooth and nail to become an even stronger opposition.
:47:53. > :47:58.Ian Hudspeth, who is your greatest opponent? We have strong opposition
:47:58. > :48:04.from the Liberal Democrats, Walsall Labour, they do have some
:48:04. > :48:09.opportunities. -- but also Labour. We're not taking anything for
:48:09. > :48:14.granted. We will fight all the seats and we are fighting on our track
:48:14. > :48:18.record, that is the main thing. We will be fighting in every seat.
:48:18. > :48:24.could be difficult for David Cameron, with Nigel Farage pushing
:48:24. > :48:29.him so hard, couldn't it? David Cameron has been very clear on his
:48:30. > :48:33.policies on Europe. Nigel Farage has been trying to make here to things,
:48:33. > :48:38.but it is David Cameron who has quite rightly said with the
:48:38. > :48:43.Conservatives, if we get a majority at the election, we will give people
:48:43. > :48:45.a referendum. And that may well be that people decide to stay in the
:48:45. > :48:52.European Union or comet, but we are the only party with that clear
:48:52. > :48:56.message. Locally, all UKIP proposals are based on that premise. In the
:48:56. > :49:02.meantime, they can't deliver any of their promises. If you look at their
:49:02. > :49:06.manifesto, and also a lot of what we are seeing, we are already doing.
:49:07. > :49:11.But people will look at the national picture as well, what the? This is
:49:11. > :49:18.the thing with the cuts and hits people are taking, that is what
:49:18. > :49:21.people will fear. Now, one of the many people out
:49:21. > :49:24.delivering leaflets for the local elections is the Prime Minister. You
:49:24. > :49:31.have that right. Despite the impossible task of paying off
:49:31. > :49:37.Britain's debt and dashing back and forwards to Europe, David Cameron
:49:37. > :49:40.has been campaigning in oxygen. A sign of desperation, perhaps? Last
:49:40. > :49:44.week, I spent a whole day with the Prime Minister in his own
:49:45. > :49:50.constituency. You could easily miss the green door
:49:50. > :49:54.in Witney high Street. But in the anonymous office upstairs,
:49:54. > :49:59.Britain's by Minister has arrived for the day. I am hoping to lose a
:49:59. > :50:08.stone in weight with the walking. That is the sign of a good election
:50:08. > :50:15.campaign. I was the stone. Yeah, I did. Did you wade through these
:50:15. > :50:21.things? No, no, I sit in traffic like everybody else. It is a
:50:21. > :50:27.battered box, that one. Yes, it is. This box holds special melodies. It
:50:27. > :50:32.went to Brussels when he vetoed the Euro treaty. His daughter Florence
:50:32. > :50:38.clambered in on his return. I have a brilliant daughter -- picture of my
:50:38. > :50:45.daughter sitting in the box. Why this was quite funny was this was
:50:45. > :50:50.the veto I did. She emptied it out and jumped in. The office is can --
:50:50. > :51:00.deliberately low-key, with a couple of reminders that this is the reason
:51:00. > :51:06.
:51:06. > :51:08.information for him to take on board. This is a bit of all part of
:51:08. > :51:13.the country, but it pays its way with small and medium-sized
:51:13. > :51:17.businesses. You might think there is an advantage when your local MP is
:51:17. > :51:21.the Prime Minister. The visit today is as much about David Cameron
:51:22. > :51:27.checking the temperature of local business. Here, they make
:51:27. > :51:32.rooflights. He wants to know why they are not exporting. How did you
:51:32. > :51:37.get on with UKTI? Well be helpful, were they any good, what was their
:51:37. > :51:41.product like and how did they assist you? I can use that information
:51:41. > :51:45.around the Cabinet table with the head of the UKTI when he comes and
:51:45. > :51:50.sees me and says everything is brilliant. There is a more jolly
:51:50. > :52:00.banging our heads going on at nearby Ascott-under-Wychwood. David Cameron
:52:00. > :52:04.is here to the new playground. Six, five, four, 3... I was amazed he
:52:04. > :52:10.found time to do this. In the context of the world's problems, it
:52:10. > :52:18.is a small thing. Do you think he should be doing this? It is not very
:52:18. > :52:21.long he is here, and it is good for him and the community. They could be
:52:22. > :52:27.any other dad chatting to parents about the reputation of local
:52:27. > :52:33.schools, while the children are getting bored. It gets easier, if
:52:33. > :52:37.that, doesn't it? In the constituency office, the Prime
:52:37. > :52:42.Minister told me why these days are so important. This is hugely
:52:42. > :52:48.important. Yes, you have the red box and all the hard work in Downing
:52:48. > :52:52.Street. But being here and hearing all the cases on the ground from
:52:52. > :52:57.local teachers and health workers is incredibly valuable. You are hearing
:52:57. > :53:03.from Google Docs such, though, and people living in other areas makes
:53:03. > :53:08.not think you understand the problems. If you look at this area,
:53:08. > :53:13.it has good schools and people are fortunate to live here, but it does
:53:13. > :53:17.have its problems. There are tough welfare cases, so I don't accept the
:53:17. > :53:21.idea that because you represent an area of the country that has got
:53:22. > :53:26.some wealthy people living in it, that you don't understand the
:53:26. > :53:31.concerns of the less well off. There are hell of a lot of people who work
:53:31. > :53:37.on low wages or who can't find jobs or are struggling in different ways,
:53:37. > :53:41.and they want their local MP to understand the problem. Like any
:53:41. > :53:44.MP, the Paymaster runs a local surgery, with visitors raising
:53:44. > :53:49.questions from planning permission to international aid and the local
:53:49. > :53:53.economy. There is also an appointment for foreign journalists,
:53:54. > :53:58.some of whom have flown in Jenin -- specially. The weight across the
:53:58. > :54:05.road will the British Prime Minister finishes his surgery with the owner
:54:05. > :54:09.of a local primer -- abattoir. The leaders of Spain, Germany and Italy
:54:09. > :54:17.don't have to win votes in a local constituency, but neither do they
:54:17. > :54:22.get the chance to stay so rooted. Hello. Nice to see you. Banging on
:54:22. > :54:28.doors with the candidates in local elections. And surprisingly few
:54:28. > :54:33.daughters -- if you vote us out for a drink. We were just having a quiet
:54:33. > :54:39.drink in the sun, and all of a sudden, the Prime Minister walks
:54:39. > :54:46.past. He surprised a local farmer earlier this month, rescuing a sheep
:54:46. > :54:51.stuck in mud. My protection team, I had left them behind, but the Thames
:54:51. > :54:55.Valley Police appeared over the horizon. They were in the full black
:54:55. > :55:03.police outfits with machine guns and everything. I said, guys, put the
:55:03. > :55:11.guns down for a minute, help me out! He has even got pictures of the
:55:11. > :55:14.half trend sheep, that his kids call Swampy, on his phone. He sees this
:55:14. > :55:20.as proof that he can carve out a space for real life away from the
:55:20. > :55:24.pressures of his job. People want a hard-working Prime Minister, and
:55:24. > :55:28.they do have one, but they want someone who gets a reasonable
:55:28. > :55:33.night's sleep every now and again so that you can be on form and taking
:55:33. > :55:37.decisions in a good, balanced and sensible way. They don't want
:55:37. > :55:42.someone completely fried and burnt out, because if you are, you will
:55:42. > :55:48.make terrible decisions. Yes packed a lot into a long day, and as of
:55:48. > :55:53.abroad tomorrow. But with opinions from Oxfordshire at the back of his
:55:53. > :55:59.mind. Anette, politics aside, he is
:55:59. > :56:04.working very hard, isn't he? I think that was very refreshing, seeing him
:56:04. > :56:09.working like that in his constituency. I am sure that people
:56:09. > :56:13.right across the country warmed to the fact that the MPs are out there
:56:13. > :56:21.and really experiencing things first-hand. A very good model. There
:56:21. > :56:24.is a but coming. No. The Coalition is made up of two distinct parties
:56:24. > :56:28.and it is important we remember that. The relationship between David
:56:28. > :56:34.Cameron and Nick Clegg, I think it is important they do reflect the
:56:34. > :56:39.different perspectives, copper might is have to be made, and, for the
:56:39. > :56:43.most part, it is incumbent upon members of both parties to actually
:56:44. > :56:46.respect the fact that compromises are being made. On the whole, I
:56:46. > :56:52.think the Liberal Democrats have respected the differences, that we
:56:52. > :56:56.put our foot down, for example, on welfare cuts. Yet, he is pretty
:56:56. > :57:02.polished, isn't he? I put the question to him there, does he
:57:02. > :57:08.really understand the problems? Even any wealthy area, an area like
:57:08. > :57:11.Basingstoke that is prosperous, there are people who are struggling.
:57:11. > :57:18.It is strange, because you see the image and then you see the people
:57:18. > :57:21.who are struggling. It goes back to Westminster as the Prime Minister
:57:21. > :57:24.put through policy supported by the Liberal Democrats. It puts through
:57:24. > :57:28.the issues of the welfare changes having an impact on the low waged
:57:28. > :57:33.and those struggling. And he does that, and things, well, I am in
:57:33. > :57:38.touch. Well, no, you're not in touch. This does damage to our
:57:38. > :57:43.community. I think there are areas where he is in touch, and I will
:57:43. > :57:47.pick up on some of the suggestions that changes have been moderated by
:57:47. > :57:51.the Liberal Democrats. The Lib Dems have some of their own policies
:57:52. > :57:59.through, including the tax cut, which will benefit 24.5 million
:57:59. > :58:03.people. You still voted for the tax cuts for millionaires, and that says
:58:03. > :58:11.an awful lot for the people on low wages. I think we should see how
:58:11. > :58:21.millionaires pay more income tax. Now, it is time for a regular
:58:21. > :58:23.
:58:23. > :58:26.political round-up in 60 seconds. A judge finally cleared the way for
:58:26. > :58:35.Portsmouth Football Club to be sold to the supporters trust after years
:58:35. > :58:39.of uncertainty. The fans group has the backing of the City Council.
:58:39. > :58:44.Meanwhile, Southampton's culture department was celebrating the
:58:44. > :58:52.success of this attraction. It beats -- it beat is target with a titanic
:58:52. > :58:58.amount of visitors. There was a frosty visit from the local MP and
:58:58. > :59:01.concerns about a large cycling event. It may be worth focusing the
:59:01. > :59:07.attention on the real dangers, instead of the potential dangers. We
:59:07. > :59:13.run a safe event. The death of Lady Thatcher meant only low-key
:59:13. > :59:19.campaigning in the local elections this week. Meanwhile, in
:59:19. > :59:27.Basingstoke, the party had a candidate who was a relative of Guy
:59:27. > :59:33.Fox. Will we see fireworks in me? We talked about the choice people
:59:33. > :59:37.will be making. Councils have more power, other using it wiser? I think
:59:37. > :59:43.they are in terms of what they have responsibility for. They can make a
:59:43. > :59:47.difference in several areas. It is really important what Portsmouth
:59:47. > :59:52.have done in terms of the football club, because it is important to the
:59:52. > :59:56.local community and what it can achieve. But there are other policy
:59:56. > :00:02.areas where they really can make a bleak -- leadership role and make a
:00:02. > :00:05.difference will stop it is about leadership, and I think we saw that
:00:05. > :00:11.and Eastleigh, where we saw our successful council and the
:00:11. > :00:20.magnificent by-election result. the huge increase in a number of
:00:20. > :00:24.people voting for UKIP? There was indeed. What I would like to see
:00:24. > :00:32.really good leadership, and I would put perhaps as number one, ruble
:00:32. > :00:41.buses. And Paul is nodding at that. That is all for today. Thanks to my