:00:37. > :00:40.Morning folks. Welcome to the Sunday Politics.
:00:41. > :00:43.Pressure on Culture Secretary Maria Miller mounts as the Tory press,
:00:44. > :00:48.Tory voters and even a Tory Minister turn against her. That's our top
:00:49. > :00:51.story. The economic outlook is getting
:00:52. > :00:55.rosier. But Ed Miliband is having none of it. The cost of living
:00:56. > :01:05.crisis is here to stay, says Labour. Shadow Minister Caroline Flint joins
:01:06. > :01:08.us for the Sunday Interview. And we bring you the Sunday Politics
:01:09. > :01:10.Gallery. But which former world leader is behind these paintings of
:01:11. > :01:14.In the South... Fancy owning an world leaders?
:01:15. > :01:16.In the South... Fancy owning an energy company? The Government's
:01:17. > :01:18.keen to encourage community`owned renewable power generation and
:01:19. > :01:23.Oxfordshire could have the biggest scheme in the world.
:01:24. > :01:32.new London borough. A blue flint for regeneration or economic
:01:33. > :01:37.And with me as always, the best and the brightest political panel in the
:01:38. > :01:40.business - Janan Ganesh, Helen Lewis and Nick Watt. Their tweets will be
:01:41. > :01:46.as brief as a Cabinet Minister's apology.
:01:47. > :01:50.A frenzy of betting on the Grand National yesterday. But there was
:01:51. > :01:54.one book on which betting was suspended, and that was on the fate
:01:55. > :01:56.of Culture Secretary Maria Miller, now the 2/1 favourite to be forced
:01:57. > :02:00.out the Cabinet. She galloped through her apology to the Commons
:02:01. > :02:03.on Thursday in just 32 seconds. But speed did her no favours. There's
:02:04. > :02:07.been mounting pressure on her to resign ever since, especially from
:02:08. > :02:09.Tories. And this weekend the Chairman of the Independent
:02:10. > :02:12.Parliamentary Standards Authority, Ian Kennedy, said it's time MPs gave
:02:13. > :02:27.away the power to decide how colleagues who break the rules are
:02:28. > :02:32.punished. An inquiry into Maria Miller's expenses claims was launch
:02:33. > :02:38.in 2012, following allegations he claimed ?90,000 to fund a house she
:02:39. > :02:42.lived in part time with her parents. She had designated this her second
:02:43. > :02:45.home. She was referred to the Parliamentary Standards
:02:46. > :02:52.Commissioner, who recommended that she repay ?45,000. But this week the
:02:53. > :02:56.Commons Standards Committee, comprising of MPs from all parties,
:02:57. > :03:03.dismissed the complaint against Maria Miller and ordered her to
:03:04. > :03:10.repay just ?5,800 for inadvertently overclaiming her merge claimants.
:03:11. > :03:14.She was forced to apologise to the Commons for the legalistic way she
:03:15. > :03:19.dealt with the complaints against her. But Tony Gallagher told the
:03:20. > :03:23.Daily Politics on Friday: We got a third call from Craig Oliver who
:03:24. > :03:28.pointed out, she is looking at Leveson and the call is badly timed.
:03:29. > :03:30.I think if you are making a series of telephone calls to a newspaper
:03:31. > :03:31.organisation investigating the conduct of a Cabinet Minister, that
:03:32. > :03:36.comes close After that interview Craig Oliver
:03:37. > :03:41.contacted us, saying there was no threat in anyway over Leveson. I
:03:42. > :03:45.mead it clear at the time. Tony Gallagher is talking rubbish about
:03:46. > :03:49.me, and you can use that. The Daily Telegraph have released a tape of a
:03:50. > :03:53.phone call between Maria Miller's aid, Joanna Hindley, and a reporter
:03:54. > :03:58.investigating her expenses claim. Joanna Hindley said:
:03:59. > :04:06.Maria's obviously been having quite a lot of editor's meetings around
:04:07. > :04:11.Leveson at the moment. So I'm just going to kind of flag up that
:04:12. > :04:14.connection for you to think about. The Prime Minister is sticking by
:04:15. > :04:17.his Culture Secretary, but this weekend's crescendo of criticism of
:04:18. > :04:20.her presents him with a problem and he could be wishing Maria Miller
:04:21. > :04:26.would just fall on her sword. Even over 80% of Tory voters in a Mail on
:04:27. > :04:29.Sunday poll think she should go. On the Andrew Marr Show, the Work and
:04:30. > :04:36.Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, defended his colleague. I've
:04:37. > :04:40.known her always to be a reasonable and honest person. But is she doing
:04:41. > :04:44.the Government or her any good by staying in office at the moment, do
:04:45. > :04:48.you think? This is a matter the Prime Minister has to take
:04:49. > :04:52.consideration of and she herself. My view generally is I'm supportive of
:04:53. > :04:57.Maria, because if we are not careful we end one a witch-hunt of somebody.
:04:58. > :05:00.And I'm joined now by the Conservative MP, Bob Stewart, and
:05:01. > :05:03.the man in the white suit, former MP and anti-sleaze campaigner Martin
:05:04. > :05:06.Bell. Welcome to you both. Stuart Stuart sturkts let me put this to
:05:07. > :05:10.you, a Conservative MP told this programme, this is a quote, she has
:05:11. > :05:15.handled this appallingly. Downing Street has acted like judge and
:05:16. > :05:18.jury, for Craig Oliver to get involved is disastrous. She's been
:05:19. > :05:23.protected by the whips from the start. What do you say to that? It's
:05:24. > :05:27.not great, is it? The fact of the matter is the question one should
:05:28. > :05:34.ask is, did she deliberately try to make money? Did she deliberately try
:05:35. > :05:37.to obscure ate? The answer is she certainly didn't deliberately try to
:05:38. > :05:42.make money, in the system, which was the old system, and with regard to
:05:43. > :05:47.obscure ago, I wasn't there, but let's put it this way. She was going
:05:48. > :05:52.through a quasi-judicial process and might have ended up in court, so she
:05:53. > :05:57.has a right to defend herself. Hold on o you said she doesn't do it to
:05:58. > :06:01.make money, she remortgaged the house a couple of times to earn more
:06:02. > :06:04.interest to us, the taxpayer, and when interest rates went down she
:06:05. > :06:09.didn't reduce the amount she was charging in expenses. Well, the
:06:10. > :06:14.point is the adjudicator said there was ?45,000 she was owed. And then a
:06:15. > :06:19.committee, Standards Committee, said actually it should be reduced. That
:06:20. > :06:23.was mainly MPs but there are three lay members. Yes, but they don't
:06:24. > :06:27.have the vote. OK, fine, that is where it is wrong and we've got to
:06:28. > :06:32.get it sorted. Let me put another quote from our Conservative MP. He
:06:33. > :06:37.didn't want to be named. None of you do at the moment. I'm being named.
:06:38. > :06:41.But you are backing her. George young in cahoots. He's been leading
:06:42. > :06:45.on the Standards Committee to find her innocent. The Standards
:06:46. > :06:50.Committee is unfit for purpose. I think the Standards Committee should
:06:51. > :06:55.be revisited. I think the system is still evolving. And I think actually
:06:56. > :06:59.we ought to have totally independent judgment on MPs' pay and allowances.
:07:00. > :07:05.We haven't have not got there yet and that is where it is wrong.
:07:06. > :07:08.Martin Bell, have MPs interfered in the Maria Miller process and with
:07:09. > :07:12.the current Standards Commissioner in the same way that they saw off a
:07:13. > :07:17.previous Commissioner they thought was too independent? Andrew it is
:07:18. > :07:25.exactly the same. Yesterday I looked at a diary entry I made for May
:07:26. > :07:31.2000, I said, dreadful meeting standards and privileges, they are
:07:32. > :07:37.playing party politics. One of them told Elizabeth fill kin to her face
:07:38. > :07:42.the gossip in the tea room was she had gone crazy. Nothing's changed.
:07:43. > :07:47.What this shows is most of all, what's the committee for? If it is
:07:48. > :07:52.just going to rubber stamp what the party wants and its mates, I don't
:07:53. > :07:57.see any point. But it hasn't rubber stamped. It's changed it. Well, it
:07:58. > :08:01.has watered down. That's why we should make it totally independent
:08:02. > :08:09.and it shouldn't be involved in the House of Commons. It is plus plus ca
:08:10. > :08:13.change isn't it? MPs', scandal, and MPs closing ranks for one of their
:08:14. > :08:18.own. Has the Commons learned nothing? And this is after the
:08:19. > :08:22.expenses scandal, where everything was out for everybody to see, you
:08:23. > :08:27.would think MPs would be careful. This is before the expenses scandal.
:08:28. > :08:31.We are looking at an historical event, during your time, Martin, not
:08:32. > :08:35.mine. I'm clean on this. You campaigned for him as an
:08:36. > :08:40.independent. I did, he was a good friend of mine. And now you've
:08:41. > :08:44.joined the club. And now you are defending Maria Miller? I'm
:08:45. > :08:48.defending someone who hasn't been proved guilty of anything beyond the
:08:49. > :08:52.fact she was rather slow to come forward with evidence. My point on
:08:53. > :08:57.that, is I understand that. MPs are being lambasted the whole time these
:08:58. > :09:01.days. There were a heck of a lot of them, Martin, who are utterly
:09:02. > :09:06.decent. She didn't try to make money. We've just been through that.
:09:07. > :09:10.I don't think that's right. The jury is out on that. What should have
:09:11. > :09:14.happened in the Miller case, Martin Bell? I don't think there should be
:09:15. > :09:18.a committee on standards. I think the Commissioner should make a
:09:19. > :09:22.report. There has been to be justice for the MP complained against. Then
:09:23. > :09:28.the committee of the whole House can consider it. But we are, the House
:09:29. > :09:35.of Commons, then as now is incapable of regulating itself. That's been
:09:36. > :09:39.proving yet again. She made a perfunctory apology. She threatened
:09:40. > :09:43.and instructed the Standards Commissioner investigating her, and
:09:44. > :09:48.her special adviser linked expenses to Leveson, when trying to stop the
:09:49. > :09:52.Daily Telegraph from publishing. I mean, is that the behaviour of a
:09:53. > :09:55.Cabinet Minister? Well, it's probably not the behaviour of
:09:56. > :10:01.someone that's got time on their hands. She's a very busy Cabinet
:10:02. > :10:06.Minister. Well, she had enough time to write lots of letters to the
:10:07. > :10:13.Standards Commission ser. She felt under such threat. She had the time.
:10:14. > :10:17.She had to make the time. Die know the lady is not trying desperately
:10:18. > :10:21.to make money. I disagree but on that. The fact of the matter is,
:10:22. > :10:26.this was an old, old system, that we've tried to put right, or the
:10:27. > :10:31.Commons has tried to put right. I agree that MPs shouldn't get
:10:32. > :10:37.involved in this. Should we get rid of this committee? It serves no
:10:38. > :10:40.purpose except to cause trouble. The adjudicator has said that and it
:10:41. > :10:45.should be the end of it. It shouldn't come back to the Commons.
:10:46. > :10:48.Although her special adviser threatened them over Leveson she was
:10:49. > :10:54.and is the Minister responsible for trying to introduce something like
:10:55. > :11:01.Leveson and that is something a big chunk that the press doesn't want.
:11:02. > :11:07.She is a target. It has a good record on this issue. It played wit
:11:08. > :11:12.a straight bat. The facts aren't in dispute are they? Will she make it
:11:13. > :11:15.to the next cabinet reshuffle and then go? Iain Duncan Smith said it
:11:16. > :11:22.is a matter for the Prime Minister. In my view, as things stand, I
:11:23. > :11:28.question did she deliberately want to make money? I don't think she
:11:29. > :11:31.did. Should she go? No. Should she be reshuffled? I don't know.
:11:32. > :11:37.Goodness me, you are asking someone who will never be reshuffled,
:11:38. > :11:41.because he will never make it. I was only asking for your opinion, not
:11:42. > :11:46.your ability to do it. This is a problem for Cameron isn't it? It is
:11:47. > :11:53.a problem for Cameron. There is nothing wrong with returning to be
:11:54. > :11:58.badge benches, as you know. Hear, hear. To that. Stick with me. Helen,
:11:59. > :12:05.can she survive? Is I'm going out of the prediction game when I said
:12:06. > :12:10.Clegg is going to win the date, so I owe Janan a tenner on that one.
:12:11. > :12:18.Grant Shapps has supported her. She was ringed by Sir George young and
:12:19. > :12:22.Jeremy Hunt... This is pretty devastating. On past form David
:12:23. > :12:28.Cameron hates having to bounce people out of the cabinet. He will
:12:29. > :12:32.want to keep Maria Miller until the summer reshuffle. This is a question
:12:33. > :12:34.mark on whether she survive this is. This isn't damaging to the
:12:35. > :12:39.Conservative or the Labour Party, it is damaging to everyone. This is
:12:40. > :12:42.catastrophic damage to the entire political establishment. Every
:12:43. > :12:47.single speech that David Cameron and Ed Miliband have given since 2009,
:12:48. > :12:50.talking about restoring trust, they can wipe them from their computers,
:12:51. > :12:55.because voters are going to look that there and say, this lot haven't
:12:56. > :13:00.learnt anything. They are giving perfunctory apologies and then you
:13:01. > :13:06.have MPs sitting in judgment on MPs and rather than paying back ?45,000,
:13:07. > :13:12.she pays back ?5,800 after MPs have been into it. Damage is huge. Just
:13:13. > :13:16.getting rid of one Cabinet Minister, you will need to do more than that.
:13:17. > :13:19.You will notice that Labour haven't made huge weather of this. No,
:13:20. > :13:24.goodness me, they have their own skeletons. Exactly. The person who
:13:25. > :13:30.has made hay out of this is Nigel Farage, who has not been backwards
:13:31. > :13:35.in coming forward. He doesn't seem to care about skeletons. The Prime
:13:36. > :13:39.Minister has be-Gunby backing her, but that's not popular even with
:13:40. > :13:43.Tory voters. How does he get out of this? This is the problem for him.
:13:44. > :13:49.Five years ago his reaction to the expenses scandal was seen by many
:13:50. > :13:54.Tory backbenchers as excessive. They felt hung out to dry by a man who is
:13:55. > :13:59.independently wealthy. To go from that to making a special exemption
:14:00. > :14:02.to Maria Miller because it is politically suitable is more
:14:03. > :14:05.incendiary and provocative. It is not just upsetting the voters and
:14:06. > :14:09.the Daily Telegraph but a good number of people behind him. I think
:14:10. > :14:15.they will get rid of her. I think the Government, to paraphrase
:14:16. > :14:22.Churchill, will zoo the decent thing after exhausting all options, of the
:14:23. > :14:27.European elections a reshuffle. The culture department has gone from a
:14:28. > :14:30.baulk water in haul to one of the most politically sensational jobs
:14:31. > :14:34.because of its proximity to the Leveson issue. She has to be
:14:35. > :14:49.replaced by someone Lily skillful and substantial. Mr Cameron is not
:14:50. > :14:56.short of smart women? Nikki Morgan, the education department, these are
:14:57. > :15:02.absolutely outstanding women and the problem that the generation elected
:15:03. > :15:09.in 2005, Maria Miller generation, there are some really good people
:15:10. > :15:14.elected in 2010. You are not responsible for hacking into the
:15:15. > :15:24.culture Department's Twitter account last night? I was out at the time!
:15:25. > :15:28.They all say that! One so, Maria Miller is like a modern-day Robin
:15:29. > :15:36.Hood... She robs the poor to help the rich. Which one of us has not
:15:37. > :15:45.embezzled the taxpayer? I reckon it is the lady. You have the perfect
:15:46. > :15:54.cover. We would not know how to, would we? You cannot tweet from a
:15:55. > :15:58.mobile device, can you? Play it safe. No, do something dramatic.
:15:59. > :16:01.Have lots of pledges. Have just a few pledges. Ah, there must be a
:16:02. > :16:04.Labour policy review reaching its conclusion because everyone has some
:16:05. > :16:13.free advice for the party about its message and the man delivering it.
:16:14. > :16:18.Here's Adam. He is well liked by the public don't quite buy him as a
:16:19. > :16:21.leader. The papers say he is in hock to the unions and the party has a
:16:22. > :16:26.lead in the polls but it is not solid. Bartenders Neil Kinnock. That
:16:27. > :16:35.is what they said Winnie who lost the 1982 election. The whole country
:16:36. > :16:42.deserves better and we will work to ensure that the day will come when
:16:43. > :16:47.with the Labour government, the country will get better. Someone who
:16:48. > :16:53.was there can see some spooky parallels. The important lesson from
:16:54. > :16:56.1992 is it cannot rest on your laurels and hope for the best, you
:16:57. > :17:01.cannot sit on a lead of seven points because the election narrows that
:17:02. > :17:04.and you cannot rely on the government not getting its act
:17:05. > :17:09.together because the Conservative Party was well funded and organised,
:17:10. > :17:14.the double whammy posters, the tax bombshell, but incredibly effective
:17:15. > :17:21.and the message was unified and they beat us on the campaign. The lesson
:17:22. > :17:24.for Labour today is this lead will evaporate quite possibly over the
:17:25. > :17:30.next few months and we might go into the election behind in the polls.
:17:31. > :17:34.But Ed Miliband is getting conflicting advice about how to
:17:35. > :17:40.avoid 1992 happening. Be bold, be cautious and then, the idea that
:17:41. > :17:46.Labour can squeak into office with just 35% of the vote, which worries
:17:47. > :17:52.some people. Each month, the Labour Party meets around the country and
:17:53. > :17:57.last week, everybody spoke about the dangers of this 35% strategy. They
:17:58. > :18:02.were increasingly unhappy and it is very important that those people
:18:03. > :18:08.around the leader naturally have a duty to protect him and they make
:18:09. > :18:13.sure he gets this message that while there is total support for him, they
:18:14. > :18:16.do want this key year in the run-up to the General Election to be
:18:17. > :18:23.putting out an alternative which we can defend on the doorstep. The
:18:24. > :18:28.doorstep where Neil Kinnock made his concession speech is crammed with
:18:29. > :18:35.Spanish back hackers. The old Labour offices are no a budget hostel.
:18:36. > :18:39.Labour headquarters is down the road and they are putting the finishing
:18:40. > :18:43.touches to a speech Ed Miliband will give this week about the cost of
:18:44. > :18:47.living and I am told he will drop hints about new policies in juicy
:18:48. > :18:52.areas like housing, low pay, growth and devolving power. As for the
:18:53. > :18:56.charge that they are not radical enough, his people say they want to
:18:57. > :19:01.be bold but they have to be credible as well. They say that Labour is
:19:02. > :19:05.more united than it has ever been but there has been some grumbling
:19:06. > :19:09.that the cost of living campaign is not the same as a vision for the
:19:10. > :19:13.country. And that Ed Miliband was not statesman-like enough at Prime
:19:14. > :19:17.Minister's Questions and one figure who sat at the same table in the
:19:18. > :19:22.Neil Kinnock years summed it up like this. Things are OK but it feels
:19:23. > :19:25.like we're playing for the draw. Shadow Energy Secretary Caroline
:19:26. > :19:40.Flint joins me now for the Sunday Interview. This 35% victory
:19:41. > :19:46.strategy, it does not sound very ambitious? I am campaigning to win
:19:47. > :19:51.this election with a majority government and everybody else around
:19:52. > :19:56.the table is also. But we want to go to every corner of the country and
:19:57. > :20:01.win votes for Labour and win seats, that is what we are working towards.
:20:02. > :20:09.To avoid last time, the coalition bartering. But that 35% is a victory
:20:10. > :20:13.strategy so are you saying there is no 35% strategy and that no one at
:20:14. > :20:19.the heart of Labour is not arguing for this? We are working to win
:20:20. > :20:24.around the country and to win all of those battle ground seats and we
:20:25. > :20:28.must have a strategy that appeals to a cross-section of the public but
:20:29. > :20:38.within that, that broad group Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and. You
:20:39. > :20:41.could do that with 35% of the vote? There is lots of polling and
:20:42. > :20:46.everyone looks at this about what we need to do to get seats and we want
:20:47. > :20:54.to have a comprehensive majority at the next election to win to govern
:20:55. > :20:58.this country. Last week, we have been reading reports of splits in
:20:59. > :21:04.the party over policy and on tactics, even strategy. A struggle
:21:05. > :21:11.for control of the General Election manifesto, we are told. What are you
:21:12. > :21:14.arguing over? I said on the committee and just listening to the
:21:15. > :21:19.film before, it is about being radical but also credible and we are
:21:20. > :21:26.talking about evolution and that is an important subject but we are also
:21:27. > :21:29.united and to be honest, in 2010 people were writing us off saying we
:21:30. > :21:35.would turn on ourselves and that has not been the case. We are not
:21:36. > :21:39.arguing about the fundamentals, we are discussing the policies that are
:21:40. > :21:42.coming up with different colleagues and talking about how we can make
:21:43. > :21:45.sure they are presented to the public and that is part of a
:21:46. > :21:53.process. That is a discussion, not disagreement. The Financial Times,
:21:54. > :21:59.which is usually pretty fair, reports a battle between Ed
:22:00. > :22:04.Miliband's radical instincts and the more business fiscal conservatism of
:22:05. > :22:08.Ed Balls. What side are you on? I am for radical change, I am for energy
:22:09. > :22:13.and I believe strongly we must be formed the market and people might
:22:14. > :22:18.portray that as anti-business but this is about more competition and
:22:19. > :22:22.transparency and others coming into this market so our policy on this is
:22:23. > :22:30.radical, not excepting the status quo. It is also for business.
:22:31. > :22:39.Opinion polls show that few people regard Ed Miliband as by Minister
:22:40. > :22:44.material -- Prime Minister material. That has been true since he became
:22:45. > :22:51.leader. And in some cases, they have been getting worse. Why is that?
:22:52. > :22:55.Opinion polls say certain things about the personalities of leaders,
:22:56. > :23:01.David Cameron is not great either. And they were not great when he was
:23:02. > :23:09.in opposition. At this stage, he was getting 49% as Prime Minister real
:23:10. > :23:15.material and Ed Miliband, 19. -- Prime Minister material. When you
:23:16. > :23:20.look at certain questions that the public is asked about who you think
:23:21. > :23:23.you would trust about being fair in terms of policy towards Britain, who
:23:24. > :23:29.understands the cost of living crisis, they very much identify with
:23:30. > :23:35.Ed Miliband. We are ahead in the polls. Ed Miliband has made that
:23:36. > :23:41.happen. We have one more councillors, we have been running in
:23:42. > :23:45.by-elections and we have held this government over the barrel over six
:23:46. > :23:49.months on energy prices. That is to do with his leadership. The more
:23:50. > :23:57.that voters save him, the less they seem convinced. In 2011, he had been
:23:58. > :24:06.leader for one year, and only 11% regarded him as weird, by 2014, that
:24:07. > :24:12.was 41%. Look at that! Look at that weirdness! What people need is to
:24:13. > :24:16.know where the Labour Party stands on fundamental issues. And in those
:24:17. > :24:21.areas, particularly the cost of living and fairness and people being
:24:22. > :24:25.concerned that we are entering into a period where people will be worse
:24:26. > :24:30.for the first time ever at the end of the Parliament, these things are
:24:31. > :24:38.important and Ed Miliband is part of our success. Definitely. I think
:24:39. > :24:42.this is ridiculous, to be fair, he is not a politician that says, I am
:24:43. > :24:50.dying with the Arctic monkeys, I know who is the number one. He did
:24:51. > :24:56.not play that game. -- down. He is not either there to portray himself
:24:57. > :25:00.as someone who was with the children, I know everything about
:25:01. > :25:04.popular culture. His authenticity is the most important thing. People do
:25:05. > :25:10.not think he is authentic, unless they think we were at is authentic.
:25:11. > :25:16.Is it true that his staff applaud him when he comes back after giving
:25:17. > :25:25.even a mediocre speech? I have never heard that. I have never heard about
:25:26. > :25:28.him being applauded. And I am pleased to applaud him with he makes
:25:29. > :25:32.speeches, I have given him a standing ovation. You have to do
:25:33. > :25:39.that because the cameras are rolling! No, he made a good speech.
:25:40. > :25:43.Five minutes without notes. It took a long time to memorise I don't
:25:44. > :25:48.blame him! The cost of living. Focusing on that, it has paid
:25:49. > :25:52.dividends. But inflation is falling and perhaps collapsing, unemployment
:25:53. > :26:00.is falling faster than anybody thought, as we can see. Wages are
:26:01. > :26:04.rising, soon faster than prices. Retail sales are booming, people
:26:05. > :26:09.have got money in their pockets. Isn't the cost of living crisis
:26:10. > :26:16.narrative running out of steam? I do not think so and I should say that I
:26:17. > :26:20.welcome any sign of positive changes in the economy, if anybody gets a
:26:21. > :26:26.job in Doncaster, I am pleased by the end of this Parliament families
:26:27. > :26:33.will be over ?900 worse off because of tax and benefit changes and the
:26:34. > :26:36.working person is ?1600 worse off and it is the first government since
:26:37. > :26:40.the 1870s where people will be at the end of the Parliament. We
:26:41. > :26:44.believe the government made wrong choices that lead the rich off at
:26:45. > :26:52.the expense of those on middle and lower incomes. -- let the rich. The
:26:53. > :26:57.average family ?794 worse off from tax and benefit changes. That has
:26:58. > :27:02.been backed up. They are those figures. But he has skewed these
:27:03. > :27:08.figures by including the richest, where the fall in tax and the
:27:09. > :27:13.penalty they pay is highest. If you take away the richest, it is nowhere
:27:14. > :27:17.near that figure. Everybody agrees and even the government and
:27:18. > :27:23.knowledges that at the end of their tenure in Parliament, people will be
:27:24. > :27:27.worse off. 350,000 extra people who would desperately like full-time
:27:28. > :27:31.work who are working part-time and 1 million young people unemployed and
:27:32. > :27:37.the reason the cost of living has a residence is people feel that. I was
:27:38. > :27:41.in a supermarket and at Doncaster and someone summed this up, he said
:27:42. > :27:46.I work hard and at the end of the week, beyond paying bills, I have
:27:47. > :27:54.got nothing else. If you take away the top 10% who are losing over
:27:55. > :28:01.?600,000, the average loss comes down to around ?400, less than half
:28:02. > :28:07.of what you claim. That figure is totally misleading. These are the
:28:08. > :28:13.figures from the IFS. It still shows... Whatever way you shape
:28:14. > :28:16.this, people will still be worse off, families worse off because of
:28:17. > :28:23.these changes to tax and benefits and working people because wages
:28:24. > :28:28.have not kept up with prices. Your energy portfolio, you back the
:28:29. > :28:32.enquiry into the big six companies and you intend to go ahead with the
:28:33. > :28:37.price freeze and reconfigure the market even before it reports. If
:28:38. > :28:41.you win, this is a waste of time? Whilst we have had this process
:28:42. > :28:46.before the announcement, we always feel if it goes that way, there
:28:47. > :28:49.might be areas we have not thought of that the enquiry will also draw
:28:50. > :28:53.attention to that we might want to add on. You are right, our basic
:28:54. > :28:59.reforms for the new regulator, to separate generation supply, we will
:29:00. > :29:03.pursue that. What happens if this report concludes that your plans are
:29:04. > :29:08.not correct? You will still go ahead? I don't think so. Actually,
:29:09. > :29:13.if you look at the report that Ofgem produced, some of the issues Labour
:29:14. > :29:17.has been drawing attention to like vertical integration, they cover
:29:18. > :29:23.that. I was asking about the Competition Commission? The report
:29:24. > :29:30.last week is a result of working together and I think it is clearly
:29:31. > :29:34.accepted in this sector, look at SSE last week, they will separate the
:29:35. > :29:55.business. We are pushing at the open door. It has already pulled out of
:29:56. > :29:58.gas. So it follows if you freeze energy prices across the market, it
:29:59. > :30:02.might be the right thing to do but there will be a cost in terms of
:30:03. > :30:06.jobs and investment, correct? Well, I met with SSE last weekand the
:30:07. > :30:11.chief executive and talked about these issues. The jobs changes are
:30:12. > :30:14.partly about them looking at how they could be more efficient as a
:30:15. > :30:17.company. On offshore wind that wasn't really to do with the price
:30:18. > :30:20.freeze. That was more to do with issues around confidence in that
:30:21. > :30:26.area and therefore willing to put the money into it, as well as
:30:27. > :30:31.technical issues as well But there'll be job losses. Is that a
:30:32. > :30:35.price worth paying? We believe the reason we are having a price freeze
:30:36. > :30:38.is these companies have been overcharging customers and haven't
:30:39. > :30:43.been investing in their organisations and making them more
:30:44. > :30:47.efficient. I do not believe a price freeze is linked to job losses.
:30:48. > :30:50.These companies do need to be more efficient. Goal for all of us is
:30:51. > :30:54.realising the fantastic opportunity for more jobs and growth from an
:30:55. > :30:58.energy sector that has certainty going forward. That's what Labour
:30:59. > :31:00.will deliver. Caroline Flint, thank you.
:31:01. > :31:02.It's 1130 and you're watching The you.
:31:03. > :31:05.Sunday Politics. We say goodbye to viewers in Scotland, who leave us
:31:06. > :31:13.now for Sunday Politics Scotland. Coming up here
:31:14. > :31:18.Welcome to Sunday Politics South. My name's Peter Henley. On today's show
:31:19. > :31:24.` could community`owned renewable energy schemes help break the grip
:31:25. > :31:27.of the big six power companies? If so, then Oxfordshire is in the
:31:28. > :31:31.vanguard with what's believed to be the biggest community`owned solar
:31:32. > :31:34.farm in the world. More on that shortly. First let's
:31:35. > :31:36.meet the two politicians who'll be with me for the next 20 minutes.
:31:37. > :31:39.Caroline Dinenage is the Conservative MP for Gosport.
:31:40. > :31:42.Welcome, Caroline. And Ray Finch is leader of the UKIP group on
:31:43. > :31:45.Hampshire County Council. Big news this week is Maria Miller's
:31:46. > :31:50.72`word apology over the inquiry into her expense claims.
:31:51. > :31:56.The report resulted from an allegation made by the member for
:31:57. > :31:59.Bassetlaw. The committee has dismissed his allegation. The
:32:00. > :32:01.committee has recommended that I apologise to the House for my
:32:02. > :32:10.attitude to the commissioner's enquiries and I, of course,
:32:11. > :32:12.unreservedly apologise. I fully accept the recommendations of the
:32:13. > :32:19.committee and thank them for bringing this matter to an end.
:32:20. > :32:24.Thank you. Unreserved? Not really fulsome.
:32:25. > :32:29.Should she have resigned, Ray Finch? Obviously. If you had a real job and
:32:30. > :32:33.you had been caught doing that, you'd have been gone. And they would
:32:34. > :32:38.probably have got the scuffers into you as well. Caroline, this was a
:32:39. > :32:40.committee of MPs that looked at the Commissioner's report that said,
:32:41. > :32:44."Pay back ?45,000," which would have been a resignation thing, and said,
:32:45. > :32:50."No, we will just just accept the 5,800 she is offering." I mean, this
:32:51. > :32:53.is back to the bad old days, isn't it? This is a committee of MPs who
:32:54. > :32:59.have found other people guilty and made them pay back a lot of money
:33:00. > :33:03.before. I haven't been into the ins and outs of this but the fact is,
:33:04. > :33:06.she has apologised, paid back the money they deemed she was owing.
:33:07. > :33:09.And, actually, as MPs who came in after 2010, I think the most
:33:10. > :33:12.important thing about this is that this would not be possible any more.
:33:13. > :33:15.Actually, this whole subject is very toxic and what people would much
:33:16. > :33:19.rather know is that people cannot claim for mortgages any more, that
:33:20. > :33:22.the expenses thing is far more rigid and checkable these days and that
:33:23. > :33:29.MPs are moving on and doing their job properly. You know because you
:33:30. > :33:33.saw that whole expenses thing from the outside that, from Westminster
:33:34. > :33:36.now, there are some of those old MPs who may see it differently. They may
:33:37. > :33:42.not quite understand the impact it has? There is also a new tranche of
:33:43. > :33:45.MPs who came in after 2010 and as you say, saw it exactly from the
:33:46. > :33:47.outside, and would complete the rail against claiming anything
:33:48. > :33:51.inappropriate because we have been there, we have lived it and been the
:33:52. > :33:56.taxpayers that have to pick up the cost. So what she did, surely, is
:33:57. > :33:59.not enough? That apology and the support that David Cameron is giving
:34:00. > :34:06.her, should he be be giving someone more support when they have been
:34:07. > :34:09.criticised? As I say, I have not read the report, I don't know the
:34:10. > :34:12.the ins and outs, but she has paid back ?6,000, she has done this
:34:13. > :34:15.apology. I don't think people generally want to see MPs falling on
:34:16. > :34:20.their swords and making "poor me" statements in the House of Commons.
:34:21. > :34:24.She made a straightforward apology and she has paid back some money.
:34:25. > :34:28.And I think, actually, people would rather see her now just get on with
:34:29. > :34:31.the job. I think people of Basingstoke would like to see the
:34:32. > :34:35.same sort of treatment as an average person would get if they claimed a
:34:36. > :34:40.lot of money and then it turned out that they should not have had that
:34:41. > :34:43.money. She says it was a mistake that she claimed an extra ?6,000
:34:44. > :34:48.because she didn't realise interest rates had gone down. We all knew
:34:49. > :34:52.interest rates had gone down! You should have Maria sat here rather
:34:53. > :34:56.than me but all I can say is that I have not read the report but she has
:34:57. > :35:05.paid the money back and she has apologised and I think the main key
:35:06. > :35:09.point is this cannot happen now. MPs as of 2010 couldn't make such
:35:10. > :35:12.claims. That is true, isn't it? One of the main things is that when the
:35:13. > :35:15.Telegraph investigated this, they were called by David Cameron's
:35:16. > :35:21.office to say, "You do know she is in charge of the Leveson report,
:35:22. > :35:25.don't you?" Frankly, the Government threatened... You don't think it
:35:26. > :35:29.smells right? No. Frankly, if the media is not fit to govern itself,
:35:30. > :35:36.why are politicians fit to govern themselves? One could equally say
:35:37. > :35:39.that the reason the newspapers are going crazy over this is because she
:35:40. > :35:43.is the Secretary of State that governed Leveson. And she is the one
:35:44. > :35:47.who stopped the phone hacking of missing people.
:35:48. > :35:51.When your electricity bill drops on the doormat, it can often seem as if
:35:52. > :35:55.you're being invited to buy a large stake in the energy company. But
:35:56. > :35:58.suppose you actually did own a share of the electricity generating plant?
:35:59. > :36:01.The Government's quite keen we should all get involved in community
:36:02. > :36:03.renewables as they're called ` and as our Oxfordshire political
:36:04. > :36:07.reporter, Helen Catt, has been finding out, Oxfordshire is a bit of
:36:08. > :36:20.a leading light in that. If you'll pardon the pun.
:36:21. > :36:23.This is Zeus, one of five community owned wind turbines steadily making
:36:24. > :36:27.energy in a field in south`west Hertfordshire. In his mighty Shadow
:36:28. > :36:34.is what is thought to be the largest solar farm in the world to be built,
:36:35. > :36:40.owned and run by ordinary people. What sort of people invest in a farm
:36:41. > :36:46.like this? All sorts. We have 650 members or so come from the local
:36:47. > :36:54.area, from Oxfordshire and a very high proportion from the villages
:36:55. > :36:58.roundabout. Everyone sees energy as being delivered by foreign`owned
:36:59. > :37:01.multinationals and people are excited to have the opportunity to
:37:02. > :37:05.install their own project and to be able to generate electors give
:37:06. > :37:12.themselves rather than being dependent on others. In January, the
:37:13. > :37:20.Government published its first ever Trinity energy strategy. There is a
:37:21. > :37:22.support unit making it easier for committees to access funding. Over
:37:23. > :37:31.there is one of the reasons so much effort is being put into generating
:37:32. > :37:34.electricity in new ways. That is Didcot A power station. It closed
:37:35. > :37:44.recently and the firm that ran it did not want to convert it to new
:37:45. > :37:50.European standards. The total output of renewables is excited to be
:37:51. > :37:57.enough to run a million homes by 2020. That is half of what Didcot A
:37:58. > :38:05.could produce. Everybody needs to take action to make this happen. It
:38:06. > :38:10.is a necessary feature of the transition to a new energy system to
:38:11. > :38:19.have communities and to have real people involved. The Low Carbon Hub
:38:20. > :38:29.has been involved in the most recent project, the first hydro`screw in
:38:30. > :38:39.the region. We looked at solar panels and purchasing them
:38:40. > :38:41.ourselves. We could not make a case for buying them ourselves rather
:38:42. > :38:48.than a new bus, which is what we want. We contacted Low Carbon Hub,
:38:49. > :38:54.who suggested we went the panels was the only risk to us was able during
:38:55. > :38:58.thousands of holes in our roof. It seemed too good to turn down. The
:38:59. > :39:02.beauty is that anything we generate we use on`site straightaway, so we
:39:03. > :39:06.draw less power from the grid. Over the weekend, we're not drawing any
:39:07. > :39:13.power and we are selling back to the grid, which is good. While fake
:39:14. > :39:16.falcons and monkey noises are designed to scare off the birds, it
:39:17. > :39:20.is the prospect of panels like these in green fields that this
:39:21. > :39:24.frightening countryside campaigners. What we would be concerned about is
:39:25. > :39:28.that where ever people go in the countryside, their view is spoiled
:39:29. > :39:33.by one of these effectively large`scale industrial units. They
:39:34. > :39:38.are ruining the view but also taking up the agricultural land. We would
:39:39. > :39:41.look more sympathetically ornate community owned scheme because we do
:39:42. > :39:45.feel that people would be very genuine rather than trying to do it
:39:46. > :39:51.for profit. Nonetheless, the visual impact remains and we'll prefer to
:39:52. > :39:56.work with communities to find appropriate size that we would all
:39:57. > :39:58.be happy with. It does take a lot of panels to produce a significant
:39:59. > :40:02.amount of energies. I'm told the better auditions for these panels to
:40:03. > :40:07.work in our bright sunlight on a cold day and at its peak this field
:40:08. > :40:12.can produce five megawatts, enough to power 2000 kettles or 50,000
:40:13. > :40:21.desktop computers. None of those kettles or computers are powered
:40:22. > :40:24.directive on their panels. Our six and 50 members would like to buy the
:40:25. > :40:28.power this produces but at the moment the regulatory system for the
:40:29. > :40:32.energy market has been designed around the big supply companies and
:40:33. > :40:37.it does not suit small independent riders like us. That is something
:40:38. > :40:45.the Government will look at along with Ofgem.
:40:46. > :40:58.Where are we with energy policy and the targets? 10% of German domestic
:40:59. > :41:02.heating is renewable. In Britain, it is 1%. Is it possible to reach the
:41:03. > :41:09.target in six years? We are in a difficult position that we inherited
:41:10. > :41:11.from the previous government. Only Luxembourg and Malta are the lowest
:41:12. > :41:17.in terms of renewables. Our output has gone up by 60% under this
:41:18. > :41:21.government. Our energy production is to be as diverse as possible, so we
:41:22. > :41:25.are building the first nuclear power station in 30 years as well as
:41:26. > :41:29.investing in renewables and in these community schemes as well. Does a
:41:30. > :41:35.community owned scheme make a difference? If the community are
:41:36. > :41:40.paying for it, fabulous, if the taxpayer across the country is
:41:41. > :41:44.paying for it, then no. Actually, your policy is more to do with the
:41:45. > :41:49.subsidy than it is to do with climate change? Climate change, the
:41:50. > :41:52.climate is away changing comic toys has the whistle blew. So you don't
:41:53. > :41:57.really think that we need to be fighting climate change in the UK?
:41:58. > :42:02.We need to adapt to the climate as it changes, we always do, we all is
:42:03. > :42:07.have done. 400 years ago, there was frost fairs on the Thames. 1600
:42:08. > :42:13.years before that, the Romans were growing grapes on Hadrian 's Wall.
:42:14. > :42:20.That sort of attitude, to people who are worried about climate change,
:42:21. > :42:29.who while concerned about... I am more concerned about jobs. If China
:42:30. > :42:42.and India are producing new coal powered power plants... Should we
:42:43. > :42:51.showed does macro should we be showing the lead by losing jobs? If
:42:52. > :42:59.you are surrounded by water, you need to be mindful of the effect of
:43:00. > :43:02.any kind of global changes. These kinds of community projects, where
:43:03. > :43:06.people are seeing the benefit in reduced energy bills and when the
:43:07. > :43:10.solar powers are rooms and so on, when they are not in green fields,
:43:11. > :43:14.anything like that that will reduce energy bills but also help the
:43:15. > :43:16.environment is only going to be a good thing.
:43:17. > :43:20.If you've been watching the show in recent weeks you'll know that, as
:43:21. > :43:22.part of our coverage of the European elections, we've been talking to
:43:23. > :43:26.MEPs from the five parties with representatives from our region.
:43:27. > :43:33.We've already heard from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and UKIP.
:43:34. > :43:38.This week, it's the turn of Labour. We have been the ones campaigning on
:43:39. > :43:41.climate change. Some of the Conservatives don't actually believe
:43:42. > :43:45.that climate change exists. We have been the one who had dealt with
:43:46. > :43:49.things like horse meat and food labelling, we have been instrumental
:43:50. > :43:54.in that. We absolutely have been the ones who pushed banking reform.
:43:55. > :43:58.These major things that have come out of the EU have actually been led
:43:59. > :44:03.by Labour representatives and socialist representatives. Mary
:44:04. > :44:06.Honeyball is one of the longest serving Labour MEPs will stop in
:44:07. > :44:12.many areas of life, the European Union has achieved a great year. We
:44:13. > :44:15.have had a long history in the Labour Party here of looking at
:44:16. > :44:19.tobacco products that has been a long`running issue in the European
:44:20. > :44:23.Parliament. One of the things that we have done recently is to take
:44:24. > :44:30.measures against tobacco advertising for children and young people, so we
:44:31. > :44:35.work to end menthol cigarettes and to end slimline cigarettes and do do
:44:36. > :44:40.something about e`cigarette as well. That has been one of the major
:44:41. > :44:45.things we have achieved. There are more e`cigarettes around. Is the
:44:46. > :44:51.European Union the best place to be taking action on that? It is
:44:52. > :44:55.definitely for the European Parliament, because it is a
:44:56. > :44:58.cross`border issue. You by cigarettes across EU you and across
:44:59. > :45:03.the world, so it does need to be taken at a European level it is we
:45:04. > :45:08.do have an internal single market. It makes that kind of legislation
:45:09. > :45:10.even more important. Isn't the public opinion at the moment more
:45:11. > :45:19.about getting powers back, keeping our sovereignty, rather than ceding
:45:20. > :45:23.sovereignty. It is a difficult talking about ceding sovereignty.
:45:24. > :45:28.We're talking about competencies we have at a European level. On
:45:29. > :45:34.immigration, people want tighter control of their borders. They are
:45:35. > :45:41.calling for tighter border controls from non`EU countries. And from EU
:45:42. > :45:46.countries as well stop all across Europe, and this was as well, people
:45:47. > :45:50.are saying let us do what is best for our country. The original free
:45:51. > :45:56.movement of labour which was set up when the common market was only six
:45:57. > :46:01.memo states, it is rather different now `` six member states. We need to
:46:02. > :46:09.start looking at it. It should still remain a principal because if you
:46:10. > :46:12.need to have a single market, you need to make sure that operates
:46:13. > :46:17.properly and free movement of labour is part of that to create a level
:46:18. > :46:20.playing field and make sure people will go where the skills are needed.
:46:21. > :46:26.There is a good argument for maintaining free movement of labour.
:46:27. > :46:31.What do you think the members who will be elected will be doing? There
:46:32. > :46:36.is still the financial crisis, that is the big crisis, the cost of
:46:37. > :46:39.living crisis was that is what we will be dealing with. We need
:46:40. > :46:43.financial prudence we need to deal with it in a reasonable fashion but
:46:44. > :46:44.we also need to create jobs and we need growth to get out of the
:46:45. > :46:54.financial problems. And next week we'll be hearing from
:46:55. > :46:57.the Green Party. Now, as campaigning for that
:46:58. > :47:00.election and for the local elections gets underway, we'd like to set you
:47:01. > :47:04.a bit of a challenge. Selfies seem to be all the rage in politics at
:47:05. > :47:08.the moment, but you don't have to be the President of the United States
:47:09. > :47:13.or the Danish Prime Minister to get in on the act. So we want you to
:47:14. > :47:16.take a snap of yourself with a politician who's come to canvass for
:47:17. > :47:20.your vote. Or if you're a politician out canvassing, you can send us a
:47:21. > :47:24.shot with a constituent ` but it does have to be with a real voter,
:47:25. > :47:27.mind, not one of your staff! Just to get you going, I snapped myself with
:47:28. > :47:36.our two guests before we started the programme.
:47:37. > :47:42.That is in make up. That is a make up, not no make up selfie. So over
:47:43. > :47:46.to you ` when you've got one, tweet it with the hashtag snapapolitician.
:47:47. > :47:47.Now our regular round`up of the political week in the South in 60
:47:48. > :47:57.seconds. Changes are being made at tourist
:47:58. > :48:01.attractions in the region to encourage more Chinese visitors.
:48:02. > :48:06.Blenheim Palace among those who have signed up to the Great China Welcome
:48:07. > :48:09.Charter. Imports from the Far East have helped Southampton Port expand.
:48:10. > :48:15.To take the largest container ships, they have had to dredge a 25`mile
:48:16. > :48:21.channel. We are used to berths like this in China. We are lucky now to
:48:22. > :48:24.have one like that in Southampton. In Nepal, Britain still think it is
:48:25. > :48:30.an imperial power according to Gurkhas from Aldershot in Parliament
:48:31. > :48:33.demanding better pensions. The British officers and their wives are
:48:34. > :48:36.still referred to as Saabs and Memsaabs. No Mrs whatever, you know?
:48:37. > :48:41.Closer to home, a backlog in maintaining the South's roads is now
:48:42. > :48:43.double the national average. Privatising probation services is a
:48:44. > :48:47.dangerous social experiment, according to staff who walked out in
:48:48. > :48:50.Oxford. And there are fears about the use of
:48:51. > :48:52.volunteer lock keepers on the Thames but the Environment Agency says it
:48:53. > :49:06.is not about saving money. Saving money he, all of the money is
:49:07. > :49:10.in China! They have some huge boats. You had some victory in a
:49:11. > :49:13.campaign against the MoD, is that right, because they would only pay
:49:14. > :49:18.for car travel but not for the ferry in Gosport? That is for the little
:49:19. > :49:27.staff travelling between naval bases, they would not pay for the
:49:28. > :49:30.very. After couple of years of battling, I got them to change their
:49:31. > :49:35.mind so they can take the ferry instead. Much more environmentally
:49:36. > :49:43.friendly. You would approve of Nick versus Nigel, that he has done well.
:49:44. > :49:53.It was Nick's only chance, to paint himself as Europe man. He is now
:49:54. > :49:59.floating facedown. Everyone wants a bit of the Lib Dems. We will see at
:50:00. > :50:05.the election. Should David Cameron have been part of this? I didn't see
:50:06. > :50:08.it, I was coming back from Westminster on the train. They are
:50:09. > :50:11.very extreme parties and most voters want something slightly more down
:50:12. > :50:16.the middle. Are the Liberal Democrats extreme? They are since
:50:17. > :50:27.they have been in the Coalition. And yourselves? No, we are the voice of
:50:28. > :50:33.reason. We have seen a lot of more from UKIP. If more MEPs do get in,
:50:34. > :50:39.they are better than the ones that are at the moment, Nick Wright is
:50:40. > :50:46.only got 44% attendance. That is better than David Cameron in our
:50:47. > :50:49.Parliament! That's the Sunday Politics in the
:50:50. > :50:55.South. Thanks to my guests, Caroline Dinenage and Ray Finch. Don't forget
:50:56. > :51:03.to get shooting those selfies with politicians and tweet them with the
:51:04. > :51:07.hashtag snapapolitician. For now, though, it's back to Andrew.
:51:08. > :51:17.Dobson. Tim Donovan is back in the chair next week. And with that, back
:51:18. > :51:26.to Andrew. Welcome back and time now to get more from our panel. So they
:51:27. > :51:31.can justify their meagre patents. This cost of living mantra will last
:51:32. > :51:36.all the way until the election. Cannot? Ed Miliband leaves he is
:51:37. > :51:42.onto something and for most of this Parliament, inflation has
:51:43. > :51:46.outstripped wages. That is going to go the other way and wages will
:51:47. > :51:51.rise, to which you say Ed Miliband has nothing to say. He says if you
:51:52. > :51:55.think people are going to feel better in the blink of an eye, you
:51:56. > :51:59.are a Conservative and do not understand the depth of this and he
:52:00. > :52:03.is taking the message from a presidential election in America in
:52:04. > :52:08.2012 and make Romney was ahead on some of the economic indicators but
:52:09. > :52:13.Barack Obama was ahead on the key one, do you believe this candidate
:52:14. > :52:16.will make your family's life better? The message that Ed Miliband
:52:17. > :52:23.will try to say is the next election is about whose side are you on? And
:52:24. > :52:27.he believes Labour will be on the side of more voters than
:52:28. > :52:32.conservatives. It would be crazy for Labour not to talk about the cost of
:52:33. > :52:35.living because even if wages exceed inflation next year, it is not as if
:52:36. > :52:40.voters will walk around feeling like Imelda Marcos, they will still feel
:52:41. > :52:46.as if they were struggling and not just compared... Retail sales are
:52:47. > :52:52.slowing? That is not the sign of palpable disparity. Circumstances
:52:53. > :52:58.are better than three years ago but not better than five years ago. The
:52:59. > :53:05.Reagan question will still be employed, are you better off than at
:53:06. > :53:08.the last election? But things in America were actually getting worse
:53:09. > :53:15.when he asked that. I covered that election, that is why it resonated
:53:16. > :53:21.and they did get worse. The Ayatollah had quadrupled the price
:53:22. > :53:24.of oil. This is based on things getting relatively better, after a
:53:25. > :53:30.very long wait, so the cost of living critique will have to adapt?
:53:31. > :53:36.It will but it gets out of a very sticky spot and the IFS says wages
:53:37. > :53:40.will not outstrip inflation and by that time they can start talking
:53:41. > :53:45.about other things, plans for the railways and tuition fees and at the
:53:46. > :53:47.moment, everything is up for grabs. Labour know that every time they
:53:48. > :53:53.talk about something they want to do, the question is, how do you pay
:53:54. > :53:56.for it? They can talk about the economy and they don't have
:53:57. > :54:02.substantial things to say. Is it true that Mr Iain Duncan Smith was
:54:03. > :54:06.going to make a major announcement on benefit cheats? Or something to
:54:07. > :54:11.do with that this morning? But he decided against it because of the
:54:12. > :54:15.tobacco over Maria Miller? It would be very odd to go on to The Andrew
:54:16. > :54:19.Marr Show to have a chat and see what he is having for lunch. Patrick
:54:20. > :54:24.went from the Guardian said he was going to set out higher financial
:54:25. > :54:27.penalty phase for providing inaccurate information in claims.
:54:28. > :54:34.This is a bad day to do that, given that MP expenses are treated far
:54:35. > :54:40.more lenient the than any one from Joe public. That would be
:54:41. > :54:44.fascinating, if true. And he is making a very big speech on well for
:54:45. > :54:50.tomorrow and this tweet from Patrick went at the Guardian, he has proper
:54:51. > :54:54.sized on welfare matters and he tends to know what is going on. But
:54:55. > :54:59.it would be deeply unfortunate if that was the message today. How can
:55:00. > :55:02.he make a speech that has anything about cracking down on benefit
:55:03. > :55:11.claimants? Not today but I am not sure tomorrow. Do you get the
:55:12. > :55:15.impression that nobody in both main parties is very confident of winning
:55:16. > :55:20.in 2015? I column last week said the result, the most likely result from
:55:21. > :55:25.one year on is another hung parliament and which government
:55:26. > :55:29.results from that depends on the mathematical specifics of whether
:55:30. > :55:33.the Tories can do a deal as well as Labour, leaving everything in the
:55:34. > :55:36.hands of Nick Clegg or whether one party can do a straightforward deal
:55:37. > :55:43.but I do not detect any sense of exuberance or confidence in either
:55:44. > :55:46.camp. And the Tories are still shooting themselves over losing the
:55:47. > :55:50.boundary commission reforms because that was going to net them 20 seats
:55:51. > :55:53.and they lost that because they messed up the House of Lords reform
:55:54. > :55:57.and there are still furious with themselves. The former US President,
:55:58. > :56:00.George W Bush, has been a busy boy and here at the Sunday Politics we
:56:01. > :56:03.thought you'd like to see the results of his artistic endeavours.
:56:04. > :56:51.Time for the gallery. I was a prize to find myself saying,
:56:52. > :56:58.some of these are not bad! -- surprised. Vladimir Putin? I like
:56:59. > :57:04.the one of Tony Blair but his early ones of dogs, to be in the presence
:57:05. > :57:11.of the master is to see his portrait of a Joanne Love. He is not of the
:57:12. > :57:16.Turner prize but I was surprised. He gets the mask of Vladimir Putin,
:57:17. > :57:19.also Tony Blair. I was impressed that he did not allow personal or
:57:20. > :57:27.political grudges to influence his artwork. Jacques Chirac, he comes
:57:28. > :57:29.out of this incredibly well! And Angela Merkel comes out
:57:30. > :57:36.astonishingly well. Quite generous as well. Tony Blair is the best one
:57:37. > :57:40.and the reason is he had the closest relationship with them and he has
:57:41. > :57:45.talked about this portrait, saying he was quite fond of him and you can
:57:46. > :57:49.see that. These are awful, they would not get you an A-level but you
:57:50. > :57:58.must admire him to have the guts to do this, and display them publicly!
:57:59. > :58:04.An A-level? Just doing joined up numbers gets you that these days!
:58:05. > :58:07.What do you do when you retire? This is less embarrassing than some of
:58:08. > :58:15.the other things people have done. As good as Churchill? I don't
:58:16. > :58:20.know... No! Churchill was brilliant! And on that! That's all for today.
:58:21. > :58:23.Tune into BBC Two every day at lunchtime this week for the Daily
:58:24. > :58:26.Politics. And we'll be back at the later time of 2:30pm next Sunday
:58:27. > :58:28.after the London Marathon. Remember, if it's Sunday, it's the Sunday
:58:29. > :59:58.Politics. International teams searching for
:59:59. > :59:59.the missing Malaysian airliner are investigating