Browse content similar to 13/10/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Morning, welcome to the veritable pot pourri that is this morning's | :00:37. | :00:46. | |
Sunday Politics. We have Alastair Charmichael. We'll ask him what he | :00:46. | :00:52. | |
has that his predecessor Michael Moore hadn't. Ken Clarke just keeps | :00:52. | :00:56. | |
going on and on and on. He'll bang his drum for Europe. | :00:56. | :01:03. | |
Free of the shackles of Government, former Energy Secretary Chris Huhne | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
will be with us. We'll ask him for the inside scoop. | :01:06. | :01:08. | |
And coming up in the South... From Diane Abbott | :01:08. | :01:20. | |
And coming up in the South... From here to eternity, the cost | :01:20. | :01:22. | |
And coming up in the South... From says we've misunderstood the problem | :01:22. | :01:25. | |
of human trafficking and that men are the forgotten victims. | :01:25. | :01:30. | |
And with me, as always, are the forgotten victims. | :01:30. | :01:35. | |
pundits who we try to shuffle out of a job but failed miserably, Mick | :01:36. | :01:40. | |
watt, Miranda Green Andijan an Ganesh. They'll Tweet like mad as if | :01:40. | :01:50. | |
Is Ed Miliband's Labour Party moving chid owe Cabinet reshuffle was seen | :01:50. | :01:59. | |
a a shift to the lot of. Two have announced policy changes which could | :01:59. | :02:07. | |
Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves says Labour will be tougher on the | :02:07. | :02:13. | |
Tories. While Tristram Hunt says Labour loves Tory-style free schools | :02:13. | :02:16. | |
after all. Here he is on the BBC viewers. If you are a group of | :02:16. | :02:25. | |
parents, social entrepreneurs, teachers, interested in setting | :02:25. | :02:28. | |
parents, social entrepreneurs, school in areas where you need new | :02:28. | :02:31. | |
school place, the Labour Government will be on your side. That's free | :02:31. | :02:33. | |
enterprise and innovation. It will will be on your side. That's free | :02:33. | :02:40. | |
be in areas of need. We have a school places crisis going on. It | :02:40. | :02:46. | |
teachers in these schools. And accountability. What is going on | :02:46. | :02:59. | |
with the Al Madina school is because of terrible mistakes with Michael | :02:59. | :03:07. | |
changed, the change of tone is I'm not sure if the policies have | :03:07. | :03:10. | |
changed, the change of tone is remarkable, both on welfare and | :03:10. | :03:12. | |
changed, the change of tone is schools. A significant change of | :03:13. | :03:16. | |
reshuffle on the Labour frontbench last week was init wered as a purge | :03:16. | :03:24. | |
of Blair rights. It seemed to be a purge of anti-reform thinking. | :03:24. | :03:31. | |
Rachel Reeves was not saying anythi different on substance but saying | :03:31. | :03:35. | |
Labour will be tough than the Tories on welfare. You've seen that clip | :03:35. | :03:41. | |
from Tristram, free schools will be allowed to be set up in areas of | :03:41. | :03:47. | |
need. Greater oversight. But a completely different change of tone, | :03:47. | :03:51. | |
we are on the side of parents and social entrepreneurs who want to set | :03:52. | :03:58. | |
these up. A different change. Why are they doing this? On education, | :03:58. | :04:06. | |
polarised. You've had the Michael department. This weekend, we've | :04:06. | :04:11. | |
polarised. You've had the Michael leaked memos from one of Michael | :04:11. | :04:14. | |
Gove's advisers which are extreme views about the state of education. | :04:14. | :04:18. | |
And on the other side teaching unions. It hasn't led to a healthy | :04:18. | :04:25. | |
debate which represents what parents want out of schools or employers. | :04:25. | :04:29. | |
This is a huge move from the Labour Party to sound more reasonable. | :04:29. | :04:33. | |
This is a huge move from the Labour have been silent on education which | :04:33. | :04:37. | |
is a huge policy area on the left. Is this a focus group-driven change? | :04:37. | :04:45. | |
They've seen the polls. Welfare reforms are hugery popular and free | :04:45. | :04:52. | |
only apiece the focus groups by changing the policy substantially. I | :04:52. | :04:57. | |
always thought a test for this Labour reshuffle was not whether Ed | :04:57. | :05:01. | |
Miliband would promote Blair rights, it is clear he did, it is whether | :05:01. | :05:06. | |
they would be allowed to be Blair rights. When Stephen Twigg carried | :05:06. | :05:12. | |
the education portfolio it was clear his own views were closer to the | :05:12. | :05:15. | |
Government than he was allowed to let on. He was constrained. There is | :05:15. | :05:20. | |
no point of giving Tristram Hunt this job if he is not allowed to say | :05:20. | :05:25. | |
what he thinks. I wouldn't mind betting privately he thinks free | :05:25. | :05:28. | |
schools should be available beyond just areas of need. He hasn't yet | :05:28. | :05:35. | |
defined need. It could be, we've run schools are so bad we need schools. | :05:35. | :05:44. | |
If that is it, it is the same Asics itsing Government policy. In they | :05:44. | :05:55. | |
unsatisfactory that's no different. He wanted to say he was in favour of | :05:55. | :06:00. | |
higher educational standards and rigour, he had to tell the audience | :06:00. | :06:05. | |
he has a Cambridge PhD to attack Michael Gove. That was difficult for | :06:05. | :06:09. | |
Tristram Hunt he had to mention that. Is that worth something, a PhD | :06:09. | :06:17. | |
from Cambridge? Obviously to him it is. He said they would demand proper | :06:17. | :06:24. | |
teaching qualifications. That could teaching? Independent schools do not | :06:24. | :06:34. | |
have to have teachers with formal teaching qualifications. I've never | :06:34. | :06:38. | |
been to one? What about you? That decision by Michael Gove to allow | :06:38. | :06:48. | |
free schools to employ nonunionised and non-trained people, so he has to | :06:48. | :06:53. | |
Watch this space. The dust settled after the party resufficients. Do | :06:53. | :06:58. | |
the Tories look a bit more like Britain. Do the Tories look more | :06:58. | :07:10. | |
#4 With reshuffles, you're never really certain. There's whispers, | :07:10. | :07:15. | |
rumours, guesses. But the only way to know it is underway is keeping | :07:15. | :07:21. | |
beady eyes on a front door. Up until now, the only way we knew who was in | :07:21. | :07:27. | |
and who was out was who came walking down this bit of Downing Street | :07:27. | :07:30. | |
and who was out was who came walking a smile on their face after going to | :07:30. | :07:34. | |
see the boss. The once who are to be sacked, they usually go round the | :07:34. | :07:38. | |
back. Not this time. No, something new alerted us all. The-PM started | :07:38. | :07:47. | |
can't remember a triple decker reshuffle where you've three parties | :07:47. | :07:50. | |
changing ministerial teams at the resufficient happened on Twitter. | :07:51. | :07:57. | |
Not that the press stopped watching the door as well. News was a bit | :07:57. | :08:04. | |
Charmichael replaced Michael Moore, the first to be pounced on. I'm | :08:04. | :08:10. | |
disappointed to be leaving office now but pleased at what I've been | :08:10. | :08:14. | |
able to achieve in the last couple of years. Not as pleased as one | :08:15. | :08:18. | |
imagines as the man receiving the welcome that went on, and on and | :08:18. | :08:34. | |
simultaneously having Jeremy Browne, in a sense seen off the premises of | :08:34. | :08:42. | |
the Home Office in conspiracy to let # Blowing hi Jude through a traffic | :08:42. | :08:58. | |
Democrats. We tend to think they are herbivorous. Sacking a Cabinet | :08:58. | :09:02. | |
Minister, another minister, Jeremy Browne. By lunch time, the Tory | :09:02. | :09:04. | |
ranks were shifting too. The PM Browne. By lunch time, the Tory | :09:04. | :09:09. | |
to boost the numbers of telegenic women walking into Government and | :09:09. | :09:12. | |
turning perceptions around. He tipped a so-called flatcap to men | :09:12. | :09:20. | |
backgrounds with room for some which fitted neither label but are friends | :09:20. | :09:23. | |
of George Osborne. And, all the while, those new Tory ministers | :09:23. | :09:30. | |
of George Osborne. And, all the learning of Labour's changes. Labour | :09:30. | :09:33. | |
too knows the value of new young blood striding into the limelight. | :09:33. | :09:36. | |
Again some with TV experience of that. Tristram Hunt and Gloria de | :09:36. | :09:43. | |
peer row would be hard to describe as hard left. But Blairbrushing | :09:43. | :09:46. | |
peer row would be hard to describe past out of the picture seemed to be | :09:46. | :09:51. | |
the name of the day. Liam Byrne With Diane Abbott also gone, was | :09:51. | :09:57. | |
this really a Blair right cull? It depends what you mean. Blair right | :09:57. | :09:59. | |
used to mean someone who wanted depends what you mean. Blair right | :09:59. | :10:03. | |
Blair to be leader of the Labour Party. Somebody who worked closely | :10:03. | :10:07. | |
with him. Now it means sometimes people who believe in a certain | :10:07. | :10:11. | |
with him. Now it means sometimes of ideologyies or ideas. There are | :10:11. | :10:14. | |
still very much those kind of Blair rights within the party. But we | :10:14. | :10:17. | |
still very much those kind of Blair seeing the group around Tony Blair | :10:17. | :10:20. | |
are not long assassin flew enjoys as they once were. By evening, it was | :10:20. | :10:27. | |
over. New bees were sharing the ministers quietly thanked commits | :10:27. | :10:32. | |
raters. Or -- commiserators. Or ministers quietly thanked commits | :10:32. | :10:46. | |
disified. How much much someone standing here might want it to be | :10:46. | :10:50. | |
the case, you are unlikely to get someone coming out of that do going | :10:50. | :10:58. | |
"how could." And running off crying! And the brand, spanking new Scottish | :10:58. | :11:04. | |
Secretary Alastair Charmichael joins us from Orkney on a line that hasn't | :11:04. | :11:11. | |
been used since the fleet was used in the outbreak of World War I! I | :11:12. | :11:17. | |
wasn't around at the time. I'm hearing you loud and clear. Why | :11:17. | :11:20. | |
wasn't around at the time. I'm you agreed to run a department? | :11:20. | :11:25. | |
wasn't around at the time. I'm you wanted to abolish six years | :11:25. | :11:30. | |
wasn't around at the time. I'm Hello? Maybe our connections are not | :11:30. | :11:31. | |
Charmichael. Can you hear me? I Hello? Maybe our connections are not | :11:31. | :11:37. | |
hear you now. There was a nasty second there where you disappeared. | :11:37. | :11:42. | |
Let me try the question again. Why have you agreed to run a department | :11:42. | :11:43. | |
you wanted to abolish six years have you agreed to run a department | :11:43. | :11:49. | |
Because this is the, probably one of the most important jobs in British | :11:49. | :11:53. | |
politics at the moment. To ensure that Scotland remains part of the | :11:53. | :12:00. | |
UK. Even when I was talking about the reconfiguration of rep sen Taigs | :12:00. | :12:06. | |
of Scotland -- representation of Scotland within Whitehall, there was | :12:06. | :12:10. | |
always a job to be done. That is true in spades now. I will focus on | :12:10. | :12:14. | |
making sure the UK Government has a real voice in that debate. What | :12:14. | :12:17. | |
making sure the UK Government has a you that Michael Moore didn't have? | :12:17. | :12:18. | |
Look, I think Michael Moore did you that Michael Moore didn't have? | :12:18. | :12:24. | |
excellent job. The work he did delivering the Edinburgh agreement | :12:24. | :12:31. | |
clear legal and decisive referendum, the work delivering extra powers to | :12:31. | :12:40. | |
substantial piece of work. I'm not friend of mine. I will say that | :12:40. | :12:47. | |
substantial piece of work. I'm not we go forward into this, this is now | :12:47. | :12:47. | |
about the actual debate itself. we go forward into this, this is now | :12:47. | :12:52. | |
will be putting the case, with some passion, I hope, for Scotland to | :12:52. | :13:01. | |
just some abstract debate about nationhood, sovereignty, this is a | :13:01. | :13:08. | |
their livelihoods, the cost of their mortgage. That and an awful lot | :13:08. | :13:16. | |
challenge. I understand that. But if you're being put in there to save | :13:16. | :13:24. | |
the union, every pole has the no -- poll has the no campaign margin | :13:24. | :13:29. | |
alley ahead. Mr Moore was doing pretty well to save the union. I | :13:29. | :13:34. | |
suspect you've been given the job to Scotland? And lieu, you misread | :13:34. | :13:41. | |
suspect you've been given the job to situation if you -- Andrew, you | :13:41. | :13:44. | |
misread the situation new think anybody is going to be the person | :13:44. | :13:48. | |
who will save the union. The people who will save the union are the | :13:48. | :13:50. | |
people of Scotland if they turn who will save the union are the | :13:50. | :13:54. | |
next year and vote to save the union. We have to put the case for | :13:54. | :13:58. | |
that. That is what I will be doing. Look at the position of your own | :13:58. | :14:04. | |
party. You came fourth in the last Scottish parentry elections. You | :14:04. | :14:11. | |
were even behind the Conservatives. The latest poll has you still in | :14:11. | :14:17. | |
fourth. Are you there because you're a bruiser and you will pep up the | :14:17. | :14:22. | |
Liberal Democrats opportunity in Scotland. If I had a pound for | :14:22. | :14:25. | |
everybody to referred to me as being Scotland. If I had a pound for | :14:25. | :14:29. | |
a bruiser, I wouldn't need to be sitting here this morning. I could | :14:29. | :14:33. | |
have retired by now. The truth of this, if I can address it once and | :14:33. | :14:38. | |
for all, I have done probably one of the most complex and subtle jobs in | :14:38. | :14:45. | |
three-and-a-half years, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in a Coalition | :14:45. | :14:50. | |
survived in that job a week, let alone three-and-a-half years, if I | :14:50. | :14:53. | |
was the sort of person who went around picking unnecessary fights. | :14:53. | :14:59. | |
So, can we just please forget about this business about being a bruiser. | :14:59. | :15:03. | |
As far as the position of the party in the polls, this is true also | :15:04. | :15:08. | |
As far as the position of the party the referendum vote, opinion polls | :15:08. | :15:10. | |
are a snapshot. They are not a prediction of what will happen in | :15:10. | :15:14. | |
the future. I will be out there putting the case. Neither the next | :15:14. | :15:19. | |
election nor the referendum is one or lost yet. One of the things I | :15:19. | :15:24. | |
really want to be guarding against because we are a good margin ahead | :15:24. | :15:32. | |
today, 12 months out from the actual polling day, that it is in the bag. | :15:32. | :15:39. | |
Believe me, Andrew, it is not. As you know, wasn't for the Liberal | :15:40. | :15:42. | |
Democrats. Not just talking about the polls. You came fourth in the | :15:42. | :15:52. | |
You said you were happy to facial ex-Salmond in a TV debade. Should | :15:52. | :16:02. | |
David Cameron face him? I am happy debate. Should David Cameron face | :16:02. | :16:14. | |
him? No, because that allows Alex Nationalists to portray this as | :16:14. | :16:18. | |
him? No, because that allows Alex sort of contest or choice between a | :16:18. | :16:22. | |
vision of Scottish social democracy and English conservativism, which it | :16:22. | :16:24. | |
is not. This is a debate that has to is not. This is a debate that has to | :16:24. | :16:29. | |
be held in Scotland about the future of Scotland amongst Scots. David | :16:29. | :16:38. | |
Cameron has a very important part in Scotland's public life, but he is | :16:38. | :16:42. | |
not Scottish and I think he will accept Commies edit himself in fact, | :16:42. | :16:47. | |
the person who should be debating Darling. He has got a Scottish name | :16:47. | :16:56. | |
wealthiest of Scotland at some stage in the past. Anyway, you described | :16:57. | :17:03. | |
the campaign to keep the union together as lacking passion, were | :17:03. | :17:10. | |
you referring to the campaign or referring to Alistair Darling. I | :17:10. | :17:16. | |
think what I was saying is that referring to Alistair Darling. I | :17:17. | :17:23. | |
we move into this new stage, and Alistair Darling said it himself, we | :17:23. | :17:29. | |
are now campaigning for people Alistair Darling said it himself, we | :17:29. | :17:35. | |
hearts because if you look at the range of papers the Government has | :17:35. | :17:41. | |
published, it is pretty clear the arguments lie in relation to the | :17:41. | :17:49. | |
head. I am not giving up the battle for the hearts and Scotland because | :17:49. | :17:55. | |
there is a good strong case, as somebody who is proud to be Scottish | :17:55. | :17:57. | |
and to be British, for Scotland somebody who is proud to be Scottish | :17:57. | :18:03. | |
remain part of the UK. You come somebody who is proud to be Scottish | :18:03. | :18:09. | |
distilleries and I understand you celebratory drink for your new post. | :18:09. | :18:14. | |
Not a drop has touched my lips. celebratory drink for your new post. | :18:14. | :18:21. | |
supporting local business! I will be making up for lost time on the | :18:21. | :18:26. | |
supporting local business! I will be of November, I will be doing it | :18:26. | :18:28. | |
supporting local business! I will be aid of Macmillan Cancer care and if | :18:28. | :18:33. | |
website, they can donate. It is worthwhile. I cannot think of a | :18:34. | :18:39. | |
better cause. One Cabinet minister who many thought might get Reef | :18:39. | :18:50. | |
better cause. One Cabinet minister Clarke. Welcome to Sunday Politics. | :18:50. | :18:53. | |
minorities, where did you fit in? I minorities, where did you fit in? I | :18:53. | :19:02. | |
would describe myself as the elder statesman, to be polite, but it | :19:03. | :19:08. | |
would describe myself as the elder difficult to replace them. I enjoy | :19:08. | :19:11. | |
it. It is a great privilege to have a role in Cabinet and I will carry | :19:11. | :19:13. | |
on as long as David wants me to a role in Cabinet and I will carry | :19:13. | :19:19. | |
I have seen many reshuffles, they are dreadful and I seem to have | :19:19. | :19:24. | |
survived them so far. Did David Cameron talk to you before this | :19:24. | :19:29. | |
reshuffle? No, he didn't. I would have had expected a phone call, | :19:29. | :19:37. | |
asking, how do you think about stepping down, but he didn't and my | :19:37. | :19:47. | |
role is one of giving my wit and wisdom to the Cabinet and meetings | :19:47. | :19:51. | |
of the Security Council so he has got to put up with me a bit longer. | :19:51. | :19:56. | |
You said you are going to stand again at the next election, why | :19:56. | :20:02. | |
You said you are going to stand you keep going? What do you hope to | :20:02. | :20:05. | |
achieve in politics? I am mostly a political anorak, I have been since | :20:05. | :20:10. | |
I was very small, by the process of politics but the older I get I get | :20:10. | :20:16. | |
governance of the country and at the moment the combination of problems | :20:16. | :20:20. | |
is quite appalling. The difficulty of tackling the modern world is | :20:20. | :20:25. | |
is quite appalling. The difficulty difficult and I find it fascinating. | :20:25. | :20:28. | |
The old argument that attracts every decent person into politics, you | :20:28. | :20:30. | |
might be able sometimes to make decent person into politics, you | :20:30. | :20:34. | |
bit of difference, and I try to decent person into politics, you | :20:34. | :20:37. | |
that. I try not to hark back on decent person into politics, you | :20:37. | :20:40. | |
experience but we will have a lot of tough problems which I think the | :20:40. | :20:43. | |
Conservative Government will have to tackle. You opposed referenda on | :20:43. | :20:50. | |
Maastricht, the Lisbon Treaty, you were even against one on Britain | :20:50. | :20:56. | |
adopting the euro. It must follow that you are against the referenda | :20:56. | :21:03. | |
on Britain's membership to the EU? I accountable to the long-term and | :21:03. | :21:12. | |
representatives, but this is a minority now and my colleagues have | :21:12. | :21:18. | |
firmly decided a referendum needs to be held to settle the question of | :21:19. | :21:23. | |
Britain's relationship with the European Union which I think is | :21:23. | :21:27. | |
Britain's relationship with the of the most important things in | :21:27. | :21:31. | |
Britain's place in the modern world politicians are able to look after | :21:31. | :21:37. | |
the living standards, the economy, the safety against terrorism. Last | :21:37. | :21:44. | |
the living standards, the economy, summer you said that only extreme | :21:44. | :21:48. | |
nationalists wanted a silly EU referendum. It follows your party | :21:48. | :21:54. | |
must be full of extremely silly nationalists. The people who are | :21:54. | :22:00. | |
desperate to have a referendum are all the people who actually want to | :22:00. | :22:06. | |
referendum will involve the public and people like me have got to get | :22:06. | :22:11. | |
across to the public, don't just feel angry about the last thing | :22:11. | :22:14. | |
across to the public, don't just read in the newspaper about what the | :22:14. | :22:16. | |
commission is or is not doing, do commission is or is not doing, do | :22:16. | :22:21. | |
bear in mind this is our base in the modern world. We happen to be a | :22:21. | :22:29. | |
leading member, almost as valuable and rich as the Americans, from | :22:29. | :22:35. | |
influence in events. That is not just how the politicians get on | :22:35. | :22:40. | |
influence in events. That is not politicians look after us when we | :22:40. | :22:47. | |
spilling over from the Middle East, or we face public services being | :22:47. | :22:52. | |
threatened. You didn't even turn up to vote for the bill which will | :22:52. | :23:00. | |
threatened. You didn't even turn up engagements on the Friday concerned. | :23:00. | :23:03. | |
It seemed to get through without my participation. You didn't want to be | :23:03. | :23:06. | |
seen voting for something your heart Look, many of your colleagues I | :23:06. | :23:16. | |
seen voting for something your heart interviewed say that if the choice | :23:16. | :23:23. | |
was between the state -- the status quo with the European Union and | :23:23. | :23:28. | |
leaving, they would leave. The truth is that you would vote to stay in | :23:28. | :23:32. | |
even on the status quo, wouldn't supporting the EU to leave now if I | :23:32. | :23:40. | |
got chance. I think our economy supporting the EU to leave now if I | :23:41. | :23:45. | |
investment, as in Washington last been if we were outside the EU. | :23:45. | :23:54. | |
investment, as in Washington last week. We are trying to roll forward | :23:54. | :24:01. | |
the prospect of free trade and I have to reassure Americans that | :24:01. | :24:04. | |
the prospect of free trade and I are not likely to leave the EU to | :24:04. | :24:09. | |
That is true but it also needs reform. The cry for reform, which is | :24:09. | :24:14. | |
particularly Germany, is a good reform. The cry for reform, which is | :24:14. | :24:22. | |
Even if David Cameron came back reform. The cry for reform, which is | :24:22. | :24:24. | |
nothing from Brussels, you would still vote to stay in, correct? | :24:24. | :24:33. | |
one which is dwindling in comparison with others, in the modern world it | :24:33. | :24:39. | |
would be dangerous. I also think the dangers of the Middle East and the | :24:39. | :24:43. | |
dangers of some of the countries disengage. I will take that as a | :24:43. | :24:54. | |
strengthen the case, and of some members of the public don't agree | :24:54. | :25:00. | |
persuaded when David delivers his reforms. The latest poll gives | :25:00. | :25:06. | |
Labour a ten point lead over the Tories and the reason why it has a | :25:06. | :25:10. | |
ten point lead is because UKIP are up there with 18% of the vote and | :25:10. | :25:14. | |
ten point lead is because UKIP are the Tory vote has slumped in the | :25:14. | :25:19. | |
Paul to 27%. How would you see off UKIP? By saying you need a strong | :25:19. | :25:25. | |
Paul to 27%. How would you see off and effective Government. We faced | :25:25. | :25:30. | |
terrible problems. Every Government I have been in has been behind in | :25:30. | :25:35. | |
the polls. This Government is not as popular as the previous Government I | :25:36. | :25:40. | |
have served in under the three previous prime ministers. When you | :25:40. | :25:42. | |
get an election, people have to previous prime ministers. When you | :25:42. | :25:46. | |
themselves who do we want to decide the issues of war and peace in this | :25:46. | :25:52. | |
country? Who do we want to get us out of our economic problems. I | :25:53. | :25:58. | |
don't think Ed Miliband is up to it. That generalised stuff will not | :25:59. | :26:03. | |
don't think Ed Miliband is up to it. off UKIP. People will not listen to | :26:03. | :26:07. | |
that. When people answer an opinion poll, they tell you how annoyed | :26:07. | :26:11. | |
that. When people answer an opinion are by something that has recently | :26:11. | :26:16. | |
upset them, but people are more sensible than this. Every Government | :26:16. | :26:20. | |
I have served in has been behind in the polls. At a general election you | :26:20. | :26:27. | |
have to mobilise the public to start thinking, who do we want to govern | :26:27. | :26:36. | |
us? They did take over a calamitous important problems to be decided | :26:36. | :26:44. | |
going forward. UKIP represents anti-immigration, anti-foreigners, | :26:44. | :26:48. | |
anti-Europe, anti-politics but I don't think it will get 18% of the | :26:49. | :26:51. | |
Thank you. Once upon a time, a politician whose career ended in | :26:51. | :27:25. | |
disgrace might choose to lie low for a while, perhaps to spend a bit | :27:25. | :27:28. | |
disgrace might choose to lie low for time tending the tulips and doing | :27:28. | :27:30. | |
the odd bit of charity work. Not Chris Huhne. He walked free from | :27:30. | :27:32. | |
prison only five months ago but Chris Huhne. He walked free from | :27:32. | :27:35. | |
former Energy Secretary is already back in the public eye - a column in | :27:35. | :27:39. | |
the Guardian, a job with a renewable interview. So is he working on a | :27:39. | :27:43. | |
political rehabilitation? Chris Politics. The answer to that is | :27:43. | :27:46. | |
clearly know, and thank you for inviting me back. You have set your | :27:46. | :27:49. | |
career in politics is over so what does the future hold for you? I | :27:49. | :27:54. | |
career in politics is over so what happy doing what I am doing, I am | :27:54. | :27:57. | |
passionate about green energy and climate change, so I am doing things | :27:57. | :28:02. | |
on that front in terms of business non-governmental organisations, | :28:02. | :28:08. | |
on that front in terms of business I am doing a column for the Guardian | :28:08. | :28:09. | |
on Mondays. You obviously get a I am doing a column for the Guardian | :28:09. | :28:13. | |
of material from the Sunday Politics to write about. Have you embarked on | :28:13. | :28:20. | |
political rehabilitation? It was clear from the point of view of | :28:20. | :28:24. | |
political rehabilitation? It was George when I was sentenced, he | :28:24. | :28:28. | |
rehabilitating you, because I had not offended for ten years, it was | :28:28. | :28:32. | |
actually about stopping people like you, Andrew, Ron doing the same | :28:32. | :28:38. | |
thing. It was a deterrent effect for the public. That is I think why | :28:38. | :28:44. | |
thing. It was a deterrent effect for prosecution was brought. I had not | :28:44. | :28:46. | |
offended for ten years on this, rehabilitate yourself in the public? | :28:46. | :29:17. | |
coalition to the bitter end? Or should they re-establish their own | :29:17. | :29:23. | |
Coalition agreement is for the whole Parliament, and the Lib Dems are | :29:23. | :29:29. | |
going to stay, and should stay. What would be a good result for the Lib | :29:30. | :29:33. | |
Dems in 2015? The loss of ten, would be a good result for the Lib | :29:33. | :29:40. | |
interesting election because I think you will have essentially three | :29:40. | :29:45. | |
party leaders, all of whom are negative ratings so it will be a | :29:46. | :29:54. | |
battle between the walking wounded. In those circumstances, in my view, | :29:54. | :30:00. | |
the Lib Dems can come out very well. But you will lose seats, won't | :30:00. | :30:12. | |
the Liberal Democrats do badly in next year's European elections, | :30:12. | :30:16. | |
the Liberal Democrats do badly in could come fourth on fifth behind | :30:16. | :30:16. | |
leadership be in jeopardy? I've could come fourth on fifth behind | :30:16. | :30:24. | |
in countless cycles where we've could come fourth on fifth behind | :30:25. | :30:30. | |
very low poll ratings. The normal pickup to the subsequent general | :30:30. | :30:35. | |
election on average has been 10 percentage points. So he's not in | :30:35. | :30:39. | |
jeopardy? I think Nick will be there at the next general election. I | :30:39. | :30:41. | |
think he'll lead the party into at the next general election. I | :30:41. | :30:44. | |
next general election. I expect we'll do much better than most | :30:44. | :30:47. | |
people think. If we are heading we'll do much better than most | :30:48. | :30:52. | |
another hung Parliament, which is Let's be honest, you'd rather be in | :30:52. | :30:56. | |
coalition with the Labour Party Let's be honest, you'd rather be in | :30:56. | :31:00. | |
have a repeat of the Conservatives? One of the key things I sawed to | :31:00. | :31:05. | |
colleagues, whatever your personal preference, I used to be a Labour | :31:05. | :31:09. | |
Party member, you can derive from that I'm on the left of centre of | :31:09. | :31:14. | |
the party. I always said to my colleagues in the party, it is | :31:14. | :31:20. | |
the we are in politics because we are Liberal Democrats, not because | :31:20. | :31:23. | |
we are either Conservatives or second best Labour. If you don't | :31:23. | :31:28. | |
take that view, you don't have any bargaining position when it comes to | :31:29. | :31:33. | |
coalition. You have to be able, genuinely, to do a coalition with | :31:33. | :31:37. | |
either of the other parties. I understand that, but you'd prefer | :31:37. | :31:41. | |
Labour? Your personal preference really should not come into this. It | :31:41. | :31:45. | |
is about making sure you get the best possible deal for the things | :31:46. | :31:52. | |
you get that with one party rather than another, that's fine. You stand | :31:52. | :31:55. | |
up for Liberal Democrat values, than another, that's fine. You stand | :31:55. | :31:59. | |
for Conservative or Labour second best values. You said you're keeping | :31:59. | :32:04. | |
up your interest in energy matters. Is Ed Miliband right to promise | :32:04. | :32:10. | |
up your interest in energy matters. temporary price freeze? There's | :32:10. | :32:13. | |
up your interest in energy matters. pop ewe louse posturing. It is not a | :32:13. | :32:17. | |
sensible policy. It was tried in California in 2,000 and 2001 which | :32:18. | :32:22. | |
led to blackouts. We had the Prime Minister promising we should sift | :32:22. | :32:27. | |
everybody automatically to the unfortunately we're at the stage in | :32:27. | :32:34. | |
the political cycle where we are getting clap trap. You're against | :32:34. | :32:41. | |
the freeze? It is a bad idea when we are trying to encourage investment. | :32:41. | :32:44. | |
When the market can give us some of the lowest gas and electricity | :32:44. | :32:50. | |
son-in-law of the lowest? Not our base price? The other European Ian | :32:50. | :32:53. | |
prices are only higher because they put a lot more taxes on to it? Our | :32:53. | :32:58. | |
base energy prices are among the highest in Europe? No, if you look | :32:58. | :33:04. | |
at EU comparisons in what goes out to people's households. That's after | :33:04. | :33:06. | |
all the taxes have been put on them? to people's households. That's after | :33:06. | :33:10. | |
green taxes is George Osborne with should no better. One the-hip ok | :33:10. | :33:50. | |
not want it. We do not need it to agreement because the Conservatives | :33:50. | :34:00. | |
not want it. We do not need it to electricity system. It was a revenue | :34:00. | :34:02. | |
raising measure by the Tories. It set off a whole load of hairs about | :34:02. | :34:06. | |
green taxes which are now coming home to roost. Final point to you, | :34:06. | :34:12. | |
wish we'd more time to talk, you're a big supporter of Leveson-style | :34:12. | :34:17. | |
press regulation. Will you stop writing for The Guardian if it | :34:17. | :34:21. | |
refuses to sign up to the Leveson charter? I think that's neither here | :34:21. | :34:28. | |
nor there. The Guardian gives me a great platform. If it doesn't sign | :34:28. | :34:32. | |
up to what you believe in will you support it? No because I'm sure | :34:32. | :34:38. | |
they'll allow me to make that that point. I think newspapers will sign | :34:38. | :34:43. | |
up for it. They've had a collapse in public trust and confidence in | :34:43. | :34:47. | |
recent years. Unparalleled. They need a third party endorsement to | :34:47. | :34:51. | |
say these guys have cleaned up their act. If they are going to get trust | :34:51. | :34:55. | |
back and they will. When they haven't signed up, which they won't, | :34:55. | :34:59. | |
you can come back and we'll talk about it. | :34:59. | :35:03. | |
You're watching the Sunday politics. Coming up in about 20 minutes, we'll | :35:03. | :35:06. | |
talk to Welcome to Sunday Politics South. | :35:06. | :35:23. | |
My name is Peter Henley. On today's show... | :35:23. | :35:28. | |
Are we in danger of running out of places to bury the dead? Council | :35:28. | :35:32. | |
cemeteries are filling up, so will we have to accept that a burial | :35:32. | :35:35. | |
place is not for the afterlife, but only for a century or less? First | :35:35. | :35:47. | |
the goal, Lamy introduced my guests for today. Energy prices going up. | :35:47. | :35:54. | |
It is getting colder and people are having to put the heating on, what | :35:55. | :35:59. | |
about this idea of capping electricity prices? It is popular | :35:59. | :36:07. | |
initially, but I think it would shortly unravel. People are | :36:07. | :36:14. | |
sceptical. In idea that you could declare an arbitrary price in the | :36:14. | :36:22. | |
markets would not react to that. The needy pleased to hear someone | :36:22. | :36:30. | |
articulating that energy prices are high, but it is the detail of the | :36:31. | :36:37. | |
solution he is proposing. To say you were just that are not take into | :36:37. | :36:43. | |
account the implications on the market of whether, for instance, the | :36:43. | :36:49. | |
places change. It is essentially something all politicians agree | :36:49. | :36:53. | |
with, but it is how you deal with this in the long—term. He said he | :36:53. | :37:05. | |
was going to freeze prices poll the market was reset and that is going | :37:05. | :37:10. | |
to be the problem. We have seen recently, the rising energy prices | :37:10. | :37:18. | |
are getting out of hand in relation to the real price of electricity and | :37:18. | :37:26. | |
gas. And this is opportunity mystic of him, because clearly, the first | :37:26. | :37:32. | |
point where he could implicate this would be in two years time. No, that | :37:32. | :37:40. | |
is something which is common knowledge, so I think he has been | :37:40. | :37:43. | |
straight down the line about that, that this is a policy that the | :37:43. | :37:48. | |
Labour Party would implement straightaway as they got into power. | :37:48. | :37:58. | |
It is just the start of finding a long—term solution to the problems | :37:58. | :38:03. | |
of pricing in the energy sector. I think it is wishful thinking on the | :38:03. | :38:11. | |
part of the Labour leadership. They have caused many of the problems of | :38:11. | :38:18. | |
today. We know that the energy prices are too high and that is why | :38:18. | :38:22. | |
the Prime Minister suggested that everyone be put on the lowest | :38:22. | :38:28. | |
tariff. But just to say that a politician can say we will guarantee | :38:28. | :38:31. | |
this space to years down the line, is not something which can really be | :38:32. | :38:35. | |
done. Parlez—vous Francais? Sprechen sie | :38:35. | :38:40. | |
Deutsch? Chances are it is non and nein. As a nation, we are | :38:40. | :38:45. | |
notoriously poor at learning other people's languages and, according to | :38:45. | :38:48. | |
research out this week, that could be getting worse. The number of | :38:48. | :38:51. | |
universities offering specialist language degrees has dropped by 40% | :38:51. | :38:55. | |
in the last 15 years, yet the CBI reckons that we are already being | :38:55. | :38:59. | |
held back in the export stakes by a national lack of language skills. | :38:59. | :39:04. | |
Mike Kelly is Head of Languages at the University of Southampton. A | :39:05. | :39:07. | |
former adviser to the Labour government, he now heads the current | :39:07. | :39:10. | |
government's Routes Into Languages programme. A set that students do | :39:10. | :39:20. | |
not want to do languages or just that the courses are being cut back? | :39:20. | :39:26. | |
I think a lot of students want to do languages, but there are a lot of | :39:26. | :39:37. | |
obstacles. Part of the problem is that there needs to be specialists | :39:37. | :39:48. | |
late on in school and also, it is something about the unpredictability | :39:48. | :39:53. | |
of how people make do and exams. It tends to be one of the more | :39:53. | :40:03. | |
unpredictable ones, doesn't it? There have been changes at GCSE | :40:03. | :40:11. | |
level, which we are hoping will be sustained. Certainly, getting people | :40:11. | :40:20. | |
to learn difficult subjects is harder, but you have to give | :40:20. | :40:23. | |
recognition for what people achieve. Why is that not working? | :40:23. | :40:31. | |
Particularly at a level, the papers are being graded far too severely. | :40:31. | :40:39. | |
Far fewer people are getting a star and languages than in any other | :40:39. | :40:48. | |
subject. And that is when the pupils are just as bright motivated those | :40:48. | :40:52. | |
taking the likes of chemistry and mathematics. I do not quite | :40:52. | :40:57. | |
understand this. They are getting good teaching and pitting and the | :40:57. | :41:03. | |
effort, but you are saying that the bar is actually been set for 2—1? | :41:03. | :41:08. | |
Yes, I think they are too severe. I do not think they give recognition | :41:08. | :41:13. | |
for the achievement that the student has. The outcome University, ugly | :41:13. | :41:20. | |
tending to take it alongside a degree course, rather than as a | :41:20. | :41:30. | |
first subject. Yes, oil language degrees are struggling, students are | :41:30. | :41:33. | |
coming into language courses and a large way. They are maybe combining | :41:33. | :41:38. | |
them with the likes of engineering or business. And a lot of people are | :41:38. | :41:45. | |
coming in to do extracurricular activities. There is a huge demand | :41:45. | :41:50. | |
for languages. Is it not the old British disease that we expect | :41:51. | :41:57. | |
everyone to speak English? Yes, at his still part of the problem, but I | :41:57. | :42:02. | |
think that people are waking up. The fact that the rest of the world is | :42:02. | :42:06. | |
learning English is not for our benefit. The bottom line is, if you | :42:06. | :42:21. | |
have a company who are working within a number of different | :42:21. | :42:24. | |
countries, if you require these languages, at the moment, they may | :42:25. | :42:32. | |
be forced to hire abroad. In business, it is important that we | :42:32. | :42:37. | |
have people with the skills which will help us build a new markets. | :42:37. | :42:47. | |
Where as the problem? I think it goes back to 2004, when languages | :42:47. | :42:55. | |
were taken note of the essential aspect of the curriculum. We do not | :42:55. | :43:06. | |
want to sacrifice languages. The good thing about the new | :43:06. | :43:10. | |
qualification is that it measures many things, such as sciences, my | :43:10. | :43:15. | |
mathematics and languages. I wonder if we should reduce the standard to | :43:15. | :43:20. | |
encourage more people to do it. I think we are hoping more people will | :43:20. | :43:25. | |
do it at GCSE and then flowed through. I do not think it is about | :43:25. | :43:31. | |
reducing the standard. What seems to be going on is a different range of | :43:31. | :43:42. | |
considerations languages, as well as other subject. It is about getting | :43:43. | :43:48. | |
the comparable comparability of the market, so that people think if I | :43:48. | :43:54. | |
take a languages A—level, I am just as likely to be alongside those who | :43:54. | :43:59. | |
have got a similar grade in different subjects. As merely a lack | :43:59. | :44:06. | |
of a real availability, and so much is that if you do a certain subject, | :44:06. | :44:10. | |
it may prevent you from doing the likes of music or some other subject | :44:10. | :44:17. | |
that you like? Yes, there is still this worry that the rest of the | :44:17. | :44:22. | |
world is speaking English, so we no longer required to speak any other | :44:22. | :44:29. | |
language. We have the likes of Mandarin, Portuguese and Russian. | :44:29. | :44:36. | |
Out proving more popular these days? The bottom line is, whatever foreign | :44:36. | :44:40. | |
language you learn, it will help you learn other languages. If you speak | :44:40. | :44:49. | |
French, for example, it will give you a great deal of background about | :44:50. | :44:56. | |
what is needed to do if you then went on to learn Russian. | :44:57. | :45:03. | |
We have heard a lot about the cost of living recently, but it seems | :45:03. | :45:07. | |
even the cost of dying is on the up. The average cost of a basic funeral | :45:07. | :45:12. | |
is up just over 5% on last year and, added to that, it will not be long | :45:12. | :45:15. | |
before some councils start running out of burial plots. As our Dorset | :45:15. | :45:18. | |
political reporter Tristan Pascoe has been finding out, there is a | :45:18. | :45:29. | |
grave crisis ahead. This is the sort of place people would like to have | :45:29. | :45:39. | |
as our final resting place —a quaint country yard and a pleasant place | :45:39. | :45:42. | |
for loved ones to come and visitors. But for many that will not | :45:42. | :45:50. | |
be possible. The space in our cemeteries in graveyards is rapidly | :45:50. | :45:57. | |
running out. Obviously, a tizzy problem, we have about two years | :45:57. | :46:01. | |
left in the provision of boreal spaces. It is a similar picture | :46:01. | :46:08. | |
across much of the south. Christchurch, the time frame for | :46:09. | :46:14. | |
having the most elderly population in the country, will run out of body | :46:14. | :46:24. | |
within eight years. In Poole, it is an even bigger concern. We have some | :46:24. | :46:29. | |
plans for remodelling the cemeteries we do have. The plan is not to use | :46:29. | :46:37. | |
move their graves, but to maybe use the likes of the pathways in car | :46:37. | :46:42. | |
parks to better utilise the area. With urban sites nearly feel, people | :46:42. | :46:48. | |
are looking for out—of—town alternatives. This may be appeals | :46:48. | :47:02. | |
more to people who want something more out into the open, which is | :47:02. | :47:06. | |
more in keeping also with green issues. We think we will be a | :47:06. | :47:13. | |
benefit to the environment, rather than a detriment. There is a greater | :47:13. | :47:19. | |
emphasis on the trees and what is growing around does and I think that | :47:20. | :47:23. | |
is what people want and need 21st—century. This is an expensive | :47:23. | :47:33. | |
business. The cost of a boreal can depend greatly great you live, going | :47:34. | :47:39. | |
from the likes of £1300 in Portsmouth, up to £1800 in raiding | :47:40. | :47:46. | |
and other expenses and take the average cost up to £7,000. With | :47:46. | :47:51. | |
burial space running out, maybe it is time to forget the idea that a | :47:51. | :48:04. | |
boreal lot is for eternity. Is the case for what some councils are | :48:04. | :48:09. | |
doing really our gasoline digging up old but real places. That is not | :48:09. | :48:13. | |
something we would ever be intending to do. I think that is a horrible | :48:13. | :48:20. | |
thought. That will not be happening in the foreseeable future. This | :48:20. | :48:26. | |
cemetery was deemed fool and closed 20 years ago, but it has now been | :48:26. | :48:34. | |
reopened, with the council digging up pathways like this to create | :48:34. | :48:39. | |
extra burial plot. It is a move likely to be repeated across the | :48:39. | :48:45. | |
country as councils look to make use of every available space. You see | :48:45. | :48:53. | |
this is not unusual to use different spaces within the boreal area? | :48:53. | :48:59. | |
Historically, that this what happened and all the ancient | :48:59. | :49:04. | |
churchyards. All the gravestones redlined up along the edge and | :49:04. | :49:08. | |
people were buried the top of each other before Victorian times. The | :49:08. | :49:15. | |
combination of the huge increase in population and the idea that the | :49:15. | :49:27. | |
graveyard was for eternity. We have to take careful consideration of the | :49:28. | :49:35. | |
amount of space. And some of the ideas, such as woodland burials and | :49:35. | :49:41. | |
other ways of doing things, are very important. We simply cannot go on | :49:41. | :49:45. | |
for ever taking up more around with an increasing population, with a | :49:45. | :49:52. | |
large plot for everybody. What about the cost? When is a huge nation. | :49:52. | :50:02. | |
There's hundreds of pounds difference between the cost of | :50:02. | :50:06. | |
cremation. Are these companies doing this to make money? Yes, they are as | :50:06. | :50:19. | |
such a strange thing going on, I think we really need to get all the | :50:19. | :50:24. | |
councils talking to the commission places in the local area and finding | :50:24. | :50:30. | |
out why there's such a difference. I believe the of Justice has got this | :50:30. | :50:37. | |
under review. Creative solutions need to be found, flexible solutions | :50:37. | :50:44. | |
on the ground. These high costs you mentioned are exceptional. These are | :50:44. | :50:49. | |
not related directly to boreal space, but it seems crazy that you | :50:49. | :50:58. | |
should be paying maybe up to ten times as much for budding your loved | :50:58. | :51:02. | |
one depending on where you live. It is always nice when your | :51:02. | :51:06. | |
community gets an accolade of being top of some list or other, but maybe | :51:06. | :51:10. | |
not so much when it is in a book called Crap Towns. It is not top, | :51:10. | :51:14. | |
but third. Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire gets that particular | :51:14. | :51:16. | |
wooden spoon this week. The citation puts the blame firmly on the | :51:16. | :51:20. | |
Chipping Norton Set, which has to be the first time that having a Prime | :51:20. | :51:23. | |
Minister in the neighbourhood is been seen as bringing down the tone | :51:23. | :51:37. | |
of the place. Patrick is the cheer of discovering Chipping Norton and | :51:37. | :51:42. | |
also owns a book shop in the town. Did you start this book? We have a | :51:42. | :51:57. | |
book shop and cafe. We are such an easy target. This idea of the | :51:57. | :52:07. | |
Chipping Norton Set is silly. None of these people actually live there. | :52:07. | :52:17. | |
We are being criticised for treating people differently than anyone else. | :52:17. | :52:27. | |
People are content to let the Chipping Norton Set get away with | :52:27. | :52:39. | |
it. I always thought, if this was going on in London, everyone would | :52:39. | :52:44. | |
just take this for granted. It is natural that these groups and | :52:44. | :52:53. | |
meetings happen to get together. It is no different and Chipping Norton | :52:53. | :52:59. | |
than anywhere else. I am a resident and have been here for 13 years and | :52:59. | :53:08. | |
I am proud to be a resident. I think a lot of people referred to in the | :53:08. | :53:13. | |
book are not residents. There is a serious point here, that Chipping | :53:13. | :53:17. | |
Norton is insulated from the real world. It says, every are any other | :53:17. | :53:23. | |
bad tones, then the blame must lie with Chipping Norton. People are out | :53:23. | :53:31. | |
of touch and Chipping Norton. Our highest rate is fighting exactly the | :53:31. | :53:36. | |
same battle as every other high Street is fighting. We are in | :53:36. | :53:46. | |
exactly the same situation. Really, you are facing the same problems as | :53:46. | :53:50. | |
the industrial towns of the North? Yes, even the book recognises that. | :53:50. | :53:55. | |
We are doing our best to fight back. We are just an ordinary market | :53:55. | :54:02. | |
town. Come and have a look and make up your own mind. | :54:02. | :54:07. | |
Now, our regular round—up of the political week in the South in 60 | :54:07. | :54:12. | |
seconds. And this week, it is rubbish. The largest soil testing | :54:12. | :54:24. | |
plan in the world opened in Oxfordshire. Holes in the road have | :54:24. | :54:35. | |
led to the huge rise in compensation pay—outs. West Sussex have had to | :54:35. | :54:41. | |
deal with 450 claims at a cost of nearly £200,000. Sussex police had | :54:41. | :55:01. | |
to also step in, when they want one MP of harassment. On Twitter, | :55:01. | :55:17. | |
Twitter led to a road regarding the government reshuffle. And fly | :55:17. | :55:27. | |
tipping policy has led to up to ten times the amount of previous | :55:27. | :55:34. | |
convictions. I think the leaders of the party have to make the policies | :55:34. | :55:39. | |
that the need to. I think we all accept that. Getting ready for the | :55:39. | :55:47. | |
election? It is obviously a very difficult decision. It is | :55:47. | :55:51. | |
particularly difficult in coalition, friendly Prime Minister as less | :55:51. | :56:00. | |
options than if he had the majority. So, it was difficult for those who | :56:00. | :56:08. | |
where released. I think some of them have done nothing wrong. It is | :56:08. | :56:16. | |
difficult. But that has always been the way in politics. The Prime | :56:16. | :56:21. | |
Minister needs to refresh the look and give opportunities to other | :56:21. | :56:27. | |
people. A change of direction for the Labour Party? It is a change of | :56:27. | :56:33. | |
line—up, but when you see who's coming into the shadow cabinet, you | :56:33. | :56:41. | |
cannot really say some lot about and some lot are in. Is it just the | :56:41. | :56:50. | |
newspapers? It is partly that. It is a line—up of good talent. It will be | :56:50. | :56:56. | |
the for the next general election and beyond and it is quite clear | :56:56. | :57:00. | |
that we know when the general election is going to be, so you have | :57:00. | :57:04. | |
to get your best team in place for the election and make it work and | :57:04. | :57:09. | |
that is what the reshuffle has done, as far as the opposition is | :57:09. | :57:19. | |
concerned. Available for selection from 2015, both of you? I remember | :57:19. | :57:28. | |
you saying that you were unlikely to get anywhere because you were white | :57:28. | :57:39. | |
and new word meal! I enjoy working with them and I was very relaxed | :57:39. | :57:45. | |
about the reshuffle. It is a question of, if you are at the | :57:45. | :57:50. | |
receiving end of a reshuffle, you obviously quite often have not done | :57:50. | :57:55. | |
anything wrong and feel bad about it. Equally surprised that those who | :57:55. | :58:03. | |
have been promoted. It is an arrangement without a job | :58:03. | :58:07. | |
description. It is not the perfect way to do it, but | :58:07. | :58:09. | |
and these tactics were plain wrong. That is all we have time for. Back | :58:09. | :58:12. | |
to Andrew. That is all we have time for. Back | :58:12. | :58:23. | |
ministerial team this week with That is all we have time for. Back | :58:23. | :58:26. | |
commentators calling it the purge of the Blairites, but one poor lamb who | :58:26. | :58:31. | |
fell victim to this perch was Diane Abbott, not somebody who worshipped | :58:31. | :58:36. | |
at the altar of Tony Blair. Life on the backbenches means she can pursue | :58:36. | :58:40. | |
other interests such as attending the Cheltenham literary Festival, | :58:40. | :58:47. | |
and where she joins us now. Welcome. Why did Ed Miliband fire you? He | :58:47. | :58:51. | |
think the thing that did it for Why did Ed Miliband fire you? He | :58:51. | :58:58. | |
was me coming out on Syria. This was Why did Ed Miliband fire you? He | :58:58. | :59:05. | |
a purge of the Blairites, how did you become collateral damage? I | :59:05. | :59:09. | |
a purge of the Blairites, how did no idea but the fact that I was | :59:09. | :59:11. | |
a purge of the Blairites, how did one member of the front bench to go | :59:11. | :59:14. | |
public about my concerns on Syria probably tipped my enemies in the | :59:14. | :59:21. | |
party machinery over the edge. But he went your way on Syria, in the | :59:21. | :59:25. | |
end he agreed with your line on Syria so why would that be for | :59:25. | :59:33. | |
dismissal? I agree with you - you're fired. Because I actually spoke | :59:33. | :59:36. | |
dismissal? I agree with you - you're and it was the fact that I spoke up, | :59:36. | :59:39. | |
which was like a pebble falling and it was the fact that I spoke up, | :59:39. | :59:48. | |
forest or something. I am glad I spoke up on Syria. He doesn't like | :59:48. | :59:55. | |
people around them than who are outspoken, who speak their minds? I | :59:55. | :00:12. | |
think he's convinced he needs people who read from the scripts. People | :00:12. | :00:14. | |
increasingly upset that even though who read from the scripts. People | :00:14. | :00:21. | |
I was speaking party policy, I was reading from the script. Since Mr | :00:21. | :00:27. | |
Miliband bid you farewell, you've said he's doing his best. Is his | :00:27. | :00:33. | |
best good enough? I am sure it will be. I've always said the Labour | :00:33. | :00:38. | |
Party chose the right Miliband. be. I've always said the Labour | :00:38. | :00:43. | |
will remain loyal to him on the backbenches. You're going to be | :00:43. | :00:49. | |
loyal? However, I want to join in the debate. You're going to be | :00:49. | :00:54. | |
loyal? Absolutely. I was loyal both in public and private when others | :00:54. | :00:58. | |
were bitching about him behind the from the backbenches, I hope to | :00:58. | :01:05. | |
were bitching about him behind the involved in the debate particularly | :01:05. | :01:07. | |
around nick policy. Et's see how loyal you are. You must be happy | :01:07. | :01:11. | |
with all this new tough talk on welfare and free schools? Well, | :01:11. | :01:20. | |
with all this new tough talk on think both Rachel and Tristram are | :01:20. | :01:24. | |
very talented. We're going to have to see how this all plays out. The | :01:24. | :01:28. | |
issue of free schools, they are to see how this all plays out. The | :01:28. | :01:32. | |
thing. But diminishing the role to see how this all plays out. The | :01:32. | :01:34. | |
local authorities is another. There need strong local authorities. I'm | :01:34. | :01:42. | |
local authorities is another. There sure Tristram will be aware of that. | :01:42. | :01:44. | |
As for welfare, I'm sure Rachel knows some of the cuts the Tories | :01:44. | :01:50. | |
have made have been counter prod ublingtive in -- productive in terms | :01:50. | :01:56. | |
of spending. You wouldn't call that your full-hearted endorsement, would | :01:56. | :01:57. | |
you? What are you on, and lieu? your full-hearted endorsement, would | :01:57. | :02:05. | |
haven't seen the detail of Rachel's new position. You have to wait and | :02:05. | :02:10. | |
see the detail. It is in the papers. You haven't stopped reading the | :02:10. | :02:15. | |
papers. It was the Observer. When will you announce you're running for | :02:15. | :02:20. | |
Mayor of London? I have no plans to announce that I'm running for Mayor | :02:20. | :02:25. | |
Mayor of London? I have no plans to of London. No plans. That's what | :02:25. | :02:25. | |
Michael his I will Tyne used to of London. No plans. That's what | :02:25. | :02:30. | |
me. He had no plans to run against Margaret Thatcher. Are these the | :02:30. | :02:34. | |
same kind of plans you have? I know. No, no. I have no plans. You know | :02:34. | :02:41. | |
going for it. Everybody knows you're going for it. Just fess up to your | :02:41. | :02:51. | |
old mate! ! I have no plans to run. If you did run, who would be, what | :02:51. | :02:57. | |
would be your biggest threat other than yourself? I think there's a lot | :02:57. | :03:07. | |
of very talented candidates, David They are all talented. I would have | :03:07. | :03:15. | |
to weigh up the field. What do you think your chances would be of | :03:16. | :03:20. | |
getting the taxi drivers' vote? Well, you know, Andrew, some of | :03:20. | :03:27. | |
getting the taxi drivers' vote? most loyal viewers of This Week | :03:27. | :03:31. | |
getting the taxi drivers' vote? were taxi drivers and their wives. | :03:31. | :03:34. | |
I'm not frightened of reaching out to middle England. You will find if | :03:34. | :03:39. | |
you walk around London sub usual ya, they all know me and they all love | :03:39. | :03:45. | |
This Week. Love This Week. I thought you were going to say they all love | :03:45. | :03:50. | |
you. One person who loves you, is Michael Portillo. He wasn't a happy | :03:50. | :03:54. | |
chappie on Thursday night. You can't see it but you can hear. This is | :03:54. | :04:00. | |
what he said. I was disappointed for her. She had decided to leave this | :04:00. | :04:07. | |
something else in politics. She wanted to do something serious. | :04:07. | :04:11. | |
something else in politics. She had taken what appeared to be a | :04:11. | :04:13. | |
something else in politics. She position but taken it extremely | :04:13. | :04:15. | |
serious and was committed to the issues. I'm quite disappointed for | :04:15. | :04:23. | |
her. Why would Ed Miliband do such a thing. You just mentioned about | :04:23. | :04:28. | |
London mayor, did Diane not ask thing. You just mentioned about | :04:28. | :04:37. | |
Someone who's an eminent person thing. You just mentioned about | :04:37. | :04:39. | |
this programme, I don't know how he could do that. I think Michael's | :04:39. | :04:43. | |
missing you. Are you free this Thursday night? Make him a happy | :04:43. | :04:50. | |
man, come back to the fold. I think I may be free this Thursday night. | :04:50. | :04:54. | |
So, if he'll have me, I'll be there. My people will speak to your people. | :04:55. | :04:59. | |
We'll get it sorted out. Diane, watch that big vase behind you, | :04:59. | :05:04. | |
you're not insured for. That thanks Does she have a chance of being | :05:04. | :05:10. | |
Mayor of London? She's very well known as Michael pointed out. That | :05:10. | :05:12. | |
is important. People who are outside known as Michael pointed out. That | :05:12. | :05:19. | |
the party fold have traditionally done well in the mayoral election. | :05:19. | :05:21. | |
The job of being a London mayor done well in the mayoral election. | :05:21. | :05:26. | |
running an economy the size of a nation. It is a very serious job. | :05:26. | :05:30. | |
There may be problems with her running? That was a transparent | :05:30. | :05:38. | |
There may be problems with her for it. She's potentially a very | :05:38. | :05:42. | |
compelling Coll ticks. People have left-winger but she's quite tough | :05:42. | :05:52. | |
and conservative. Michael Gove said he had fallen in love with Diane | :05:52. | :05:59. | |
which That's one vote he has. What do you think? I thing about Diane | :05:59. | :06:06. | |
Abbott is she has a fantastic way of connecting. She has a really good | :06:06. | :06:10. | |
way of connecting wi people. She would be a very strong candidate in | :06:10. | :06:16. | |
candidate. It will probably be a Labour win next time. Depends, if | :06:16. | :06:23. | |
Labour wins the 2015 election it may be more difficult. There's a danger | :06:23. | :06:28. | |
for Labour that Diane is the big personality liked by the party | :06:28. | :06:30. | |
primary but isn't necessarily a personality liked by the party | :06:30. | :06:37. | |
in come the London general election? That's true. London is traditionally | :06:37. | :06:42. | |
a Labour city. But Boris managed to win as an outsider. There are big | :06:42. | :06:48. | |
dangers for Labour with that. I think, as I said before, somebody | :06:48. | :06:52. | |
who seems a bit independent from their own party machinery tend to do | :06:52. | :06:59. | |
We've only had mayors so far that were independent? Indeed. And how | :06:59. | :07:05. | |
Not that far behind bar Is Johnson. well Ken Livingstone did last time. | :07:05. | :07:09. | |
Not that far behind bar Is Johnson. He was and is much more left-wing | :07:09. | :07:11. | |
than Diane Abbott. Diane didn't He was and is much more left-wing | :07:11. | :07:20. | |
stray on Syria, it was immigration. Why was Jeremy brown replaced by | :07:20. | :07:29. | |
This is very much to do with Clegg deciding he has to go back to those | :07:29. | :07:33. | |
people who abandoned the Liberal Democrats the day they went into | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
coalition with the Conservatives really, and convince them there | :07:37. | :07:42. | |
coalition with the Conservatives some holy areas of policy, sacred | :07:42. | :07:46. | |
areas which they will defend. That includes civil liberties. In the | :07:46. | :07:48. | |
Home Office, that incident with includes civil liberties. In the | :07:48. | :07:51. | |
immigration vans went down very badly across the whole nation. Went | :07:52. | :07:57. | |
down particularly badly with Liberal Democrats and voters. In the Home | :07:58. | :08:02. | |
somebody there to put a shield on purpose behind it. And Nick Clegg | :08:02. | :08:12. | |
has won the argument against the left, Vince Cable on the economy, | :08:12. | :08:17. | |
away day in July, briefings say DrCable's been put in his box. He's | :08:17. | :08:22. | |
won the argument on economic policy against the left. When it comes | :08:22. | :08:26. | |
won the argument on economic policy the touchstone issue in the Home | :08:26. | :08:28. | |
Office, he wants to shore up that vote on the left. And please The | :08:28. | :08:32. | |
Guardian. This is important for something else going on which is | :08:32. | :08:38. | |
that Nick Clegg has to keep his parliamentary party happy. That | :08:38. | :08:43. | |
involves giving them ministerial jobs. A lot of Liberal Democrats | :08:43. | :08:47. | |
losing their jobs, Michael Moore, because vacancies have to be created | :08:47. | :08:58. | |
for number people to come in. By Liberal Democrat MPs will have been | :08:59. | :09:06. | |
on the payroll. It is effective party management. I want to move on | :09:06. | :09:12. | |
to press regulation. Brian Leveson's famous report, appeared before the | :09:12. | :09:14. | |
parliamentary select committee. famous report, appeared before the | :09:14. | :09:19. | |
will run you a clip from Connor politicians got involved in this. We | :09:19. | :09:31. | |
moved away from the press 300 years ago. The centr commitment is Lord | :09:31. | :09:36. | |
Leveson wanted a system the press self-regulation. This is state | :09:36. | :09:44. | |
involvement which I worry about profoundly. He sits on the media | :09:44. | :09:50. | |
interviews and investigations into the media. Chris Huhne said earlier | :09:50. | :09:55. | |
he thought all the newspapers would sign up to the Government-backed | :09:55. | :10:00. | |
Royal Charter. I think he's totally should. But he did say they would. I | :10:00. | :10:07. | |
think he's wrong. They won't sign up. All the mood music when that | :10:07. | :10:12. | |
Royal Charter was agreed on Friday was they would not sign up. It is | :10:12. | :10:19. | |
Maria Miller, is essentially saying to the press industry, if you don't | :10:19. | :10:21. | |
sign up, the Royal charter will to the press industry, if you don't | :10:21. | :10:24. | |
ahead. I cannot control the Labour to the press industry, if you don't | :10:24. | :10:30. | |
industry is wind the clock back to the press industry, if you don't | :10:30. | :10:32. | |
what they are calling the Puttnam stage. That was earlier this year, | :10:32. | :10:40. | |
Lord Puttnam was tack amendments which would introduce statutory | :10:40. | :10:44. | |
regulation. Maria Miller says you statutory legislation but if you | :10:44. | :10:54. | |
don't sign up to this, it will be a lot worse. Will that work? Playing | :10:54. | :11:01. | |
the good cop, bad cop routine? Will that pressurise everyone to sign up. | :11:01. | :11:05. | |
Lots of people are saying this will be a club with no members. It won't | :11:05. | :11:10. | |
work. As Nick and I broke the story last week that the Government was | :11:10. | :11:16. | |
going to reject the newspaper-backed one, I'm certain that the newspapers | :11:16. | :11:20. | |
now, most of them maybe, not all, but most, will go the legal route | :11:21. | :11:28. | |
and to judicial review on what the Government's proposing and will | :11:28. | :11:32. | |
and to judicial review on what the it to strains Bowring where freedom | :11:32. | :11:33. | |
of the press is enshrined. They it to strains Bowring where freedom | :11:33. | :11:41. | |
fight this? There is enough fury amongst Fleet Street to result in | :11:41. | :11:44. | |
that. The big political question going forward is which of the party | :11:44. | :11:49. | |
leaders does the press blame the most for the emergence of press | :11:49. | :11:52. | |
regulation? The Tories are very confident they'll blame Ed Miliband | :11:52. | :11:58. | |
the most. They'll target him before 2015. David Cameron gave us Brian | :11:58. | :12:03. | |
Leveson. You appoint a judge who shouldn't be surprised with what you | :12:03. | :12:11. | |
got in the Leveson report? I big chunk of press will look at David | :12:11. | :12:15. | |
Cameron saying, you were the guy who intended what will happen. If he had | :12:15. | :12:29. | |
have appointed Brian Leveson. If they face more punitive fines over | :12:29. | :12:32. | |
Labour ale cases they take that they face more punitive fines over | :12:32. | :12:37. | |
Europe. The Daily Mail and the tallest presumably will have to | :12:37. | :12:44. | |
suspend their campaign of Britain to leave the European Convention of | :12:44. | :12:50. | |
suspend that. We must never come out Churchill was behind it. He was | :12:50. | :12:59. | |
indeed. But it is actually a major constitutional issue whether you | :12:59. | :13:00. | |
regulate the press or not. There was constitutional issue whether you | :13:00. | :13:05. | |
a lot of ill feeling that this Marie ya miller statement was snubbing out | :13:05. | :13:11. | |
on Friday afternoon. Somebody said freedom of the press too important | :13:11. | :13:16. | |
to sneak out on afully afternoon. The whole subject should be treated | :13:16. | :13:20. | |
with respect. We've run out of time. I'll be back next Sunday with the | :13:21. | :13:27. | |
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles at our usual time of 11.00am. If | :13:27. | :13:37. |