11/11/2012 Sunday Politics West

In the West, with just a few days before we elect the first Police

and Crime Commissioners, there is a warning that many voters do not

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2142 seconds

Thank you, Andrew. You join us live in the West on the sombre

Remembrance Sunday. Politicians put their differences aside as the

nation comes together to salute the fallen. But they are at elections

around the corner. On Thursday, we have the chance to vote for Police

and Crime Commissioners. But given that most people do not have a clue

who the candidates are, is this really democracy?

Joining us today are the conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg and

Labour's Dawn Primarolo. At 11 o'clock this morning, they joined

thousands of people right across the West who one of the two-minute

silence to remember those in the Armed Forces who have died in the

line of duty. Scenes like this repeated in towns, cities and

villages across the West. As we remember those who made the

ultimate sacrifice, fresh in our minds the three losses endured by

the Royal Marines from 40 Commando in Somerset and their colleagues

who have been killed in action in Afghanistan in the last few weeks.

As people reflected day, should the forces still be in Afghanistan?

Jacob Rees-Mogg? It is very difficult. I never thought it was a

good idea to go there in the first place, that history teaches you

that wards and Afghanistan take longer than expected and it is

difficult to get out of them. But having gone in, it would be morally

wrong to call a leaving no stable Government or ability for it to

govern itself. So we have to stay to ensure some form of orderly

handover. That is difficult. Don, you were in the Government that put

us in there. Was that a mistake? -- Dawn. I do not think it was a

mistake, but it is a huge task. On Remembrance Sunday, as well as

remembering the two great wars, we remember others and that servicemen

and women are still putting their own lives at risk to do what is

best thought the country. As Jacobs said, not looking like I am

agreeing him, I think an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan is what

is necessary, making sure that the stability that we went in there to

help create is actually there. by saying we must stay until 2014,

there are people living now who will be dead as a result of that

judgment. Soldiers are dying at the rate of one a month? When the

British nation commits itself to an action, we have a moral duty to

leave something in a better state. We cannot just walk out and leave

Afghanistan to face a bitter civil war. That could happen. The truth

is that there for British lives will be lost. It is too late to say

we should not have gone there. The point is to achieve an orderly

handover. I know, we are all parents, and the thought of

children signing up and going to Afghanistan? That is the importance

of Remembrance Sunday, not just reflecting on the huge contribution

and sacrifice that people have made in the past, but reminds us now

that, when the deploy Arab forces, and we all take responsibility for

that -- deploy our forces... I would respect, as I know other

parents do, what their sons and daughters have decided. If one of

my sons wanted to go into the army, I would think that and noble thing

to do. It is so moving going to have a remembrance service and you

hear that list of names. I wasn't our region which was quite a small

place 100 years ago and the list goes on and on. Thank you.

They are just a few days left of campaigning before voters here in

the West pick their new Police and Crime Commissioners. The idea is to

make the police more accountable, but most of us have not even had a

manifesto, so we have no idea what we are voting for. The question is

who are these people who want to run the police?

I have been searching the streets of Swindon to find any clues that

there is an election campaign in full swing. I have not find a

single poster, or court battle bus. It is difficult to know anything is

going on. Do you know if there is election or

when it is? Nor. Any idea of candidates? But do not think so.

How do you find out? On the news. We should have received more

information. Do you know anything about it? Nor, I don't. We need to

look inside this leaflet, delivered to 21 million homes nationwide by

the Electoral Commission. On closer inspection, there is not a single

mention of candidates. The Home Office say delivering leaflets

tailored to each police force area would have cost up to �30 million.

In the current economic climate, that was said to be too much.

democratic society, we want people engaged. If that is the cost of

making an election work well, then it is very difficult to put a price

on that and �30 million is what it costs. Many voters in the West have

had to rely on the television or the internet to get information

about the candidates. The 20% of homes to do not have on-line access

can also call a dedicated Home Office helpline, but callers to us

at the BBC, and to the Electoral Commission, have complained it is

not being answered and they have not been sent the information

requested. The spotlight is firmly placed on the candidates. With just

a few days of campaigning left, some voters could still be left in

the dark. Charlotte Callen there, somewhere.

You can find out details about the candidates standing in your area on

our website. And we are putting the names of the candidates on the

screen for Unite. Dawn Primarolo, is this democracy? -- on the screen

for you. An election in November is always difficult. When people are

not getting the information, slightly different in Bristol

because we have the mayoral elections, so more activity, there

is a real question on whether people will know there is an

election and will be clear about what is needed. To say that that

information is not available, because it would cost money, this

Government decided we would have Police Commissioners and that the

election would be in November. It should be properly funded.

election stand if it is argued people were not told who the

candidates were? This is ridiculous, expecting the Government to do

everything. It is up to political parties to tell people. It is our

job to tell people who the candidates are. It is the

Independent's job to get out and campaign and deliver leaflets. I

was delivering leaflets yesterday to tell people who the candidate

was. The in Avon and Somerset, has every householder been informed

about who the Tory candidate is? The Tories have delivered tens of

thousands of leaflets. If we have houses that have not been delivered

to, that is our fault. It is not the fault of the Government to

spend taxpayers' money. Jacob, I am sure you would agree that it is an

obligation of the Government to make sure that the structure for

conducting an election. When we have a General Election, every

candidate as part of that is guaranteed the three post. -- free

post. It is the guaranteed at least one leaflet, particularly for minor

parties. We have had no reason why that should not be the case for

Police Commissioners except it is too expensive. For local elections,

ordinary council elections, there is no free post. Political parties

have to deliver leaflets. The Government, the councils, would

have sent out polling cards, so people would know there is an

election. But what about policy? Political parties tell you that,

not the Government. But people are complaining they have not had the

information. That is not the Government's faults, that is the

candidates. But the Home Office's fault? There is a helpline where

people are not responding. There were promises certain things would

be in place to assist people, the phone line, the booklets, both of

which failed. Even on the meagre contribution that this Government

promised to make, it is not clearly getting out. We have to make the

best of it and remind people to vote. The Home Office is not there

to tell people who the candidates are, just to tell you there is an

election. Political parties should get their message across. It should

have given that information, which it has not done, viewers are

telling us. From Police Commissioners to the

election for a mayor of Bristol. The process is all very new for us.

But 16 other places across England already have elected mayors.

Britain's best known mayor team campaigning in Bristol, but Boris

Johnson is one of many. Across England, there are 16 elected

mayors. Six are Labour, three Conservative, two Liberal-Democrat,

one English Democrat and no less than four are independent. Voters

show they can surprise. A recent contest in a comparable City was

less than last year. There are many similarities between Leicester and

Bristol and its politics have been good for Labour. But the Lib Dems

prospered in Government. When it decided to go for an elected mayor,

the first person to become a candour that was a notable

independent. But on election day, Labour one. In contrast to Bristol,

their man, Peter Salsbury, had extensive experience having been an

MP and one the council. -- on election day, Labour were

successful. He knows his success was not just about his party label.

Like Bristol, in Leicester and there were many who made the choice

on the sort of leader they wanted, not their politics. Clearly for me,

it helps having been a former member of parliament and a former

council leader. Among voters I meet, his name as much mention, if often

mispronounced was that I have heard of him, yes. -- it is often

mispronounced. I have heard of him, yes. Because

somebody or other. I have heard of him. But better known on his

territory and elsewhere is the monkey elected in Hartlepool. It is

the stuff of political legend. The 2002 success or former football

club mascot Stuart Drummond. I have to be honest, I stood as a joke and

to get publicity for the football club. I enjoyed every minute. I did

not expect to win at all, not even coming close. It is part of the

journey I had to find out a lot about the issues of the day, what

was happening and come up with ideas. That was the lead the first

ever had in local politics. But the political novice proved a natural.

He has become Britain's most successful elected mayor, winning

three times in a row. He is adamant his success owes much to being

independent. I've very strongly believe party politics should not

play a part in what is happening locally, it is about local

priorities and trying to do what people want. I guess one of the

problems we have had an Hartlepool before the mayoral system was in

party fighting, we have had something like eight council

leaders in nine years. There was no stability, no real vision for the

place, nobody actually taking up the baton. They were too busy

arguing with each other. Two people in Bristol, that might sound

familiar. Not long ago, the city had seven changes of leader in

seven years. Never again, though. On election day, whoever wins,

whether independent or party politician, will take charge until

2016. There are 15 candidates standing in

Bristol, the largest number of any election of its kind in the country,

and the names of all those candidates will be appearing on

your screen shortly Wells we discuss this. Do you think people a

right to be disillusioned with party politics and be thinking

about independents instead? problem is party politics underpins

any democratic system. It is hard to think of any country in the

world to do not have parties, so people will probably or quickly

whether a candidate will be sympathetic to their view of the

world. I think the issue is people have become disillusioned about how

much power is vested in their local council and whether they are able

to take the decisions they can, whether on housing, transport, the

arena in Bristol as examples locally. It is not party politics

that is the issue. I think people have really questioned whether

there is enough power locally to take the decisions that local

people are interested in. The mayor will be powerful in Bristol. David

Cameron said that much -- that their son will have access to

Downing Street. If he did not say whereabouts. -- that that person

will have access. I am glad you added that last part. What will be

important is exactly how much additional power the mayor will

have, whether they can control transport in the city. Taking

Bristol as an example. What will be the relationship between debt and

the Police Commissioner? How will the mayor be able to influence the

future. -- what will the relationship between the mayor and

the Police Commissioner be like? There are so many questions to be

answered. Do you think on reflection it is a good idea?

Something the Prime Minister personally back. Yes, I do. I have

some issues about been mayor for Bristol. I wanted for Bristol. --

about the mayor for Bristol. I want it or Bristol. Because we are in

Somerset. It has a history and independents and community separate

from Bristol. That mayor is for Bristol, not for a Greater Bristol

or Yvonne or any other term of that kind. The Dean passports for

Bristol? -- so people needing passports for Bristol?

Thank you. Paul Barltrop has been following all the twists and turns

in the election. He is by the giant ballot box in the city centre of.

Thank you. At this was put up to try to inspire and motivate people

to take part in the big vote on Thursday. With me are three guests

who have a lot to see and feel strongly. Stephen Perry, a new

campaign fought in it. You feel this mare will have enough power? -

- mayor. He could be an ambassador for the city and engage the ball of

the community, not just the council. Gus Hoyt, you are from the Green

Party, not wanting this, seeing powers taken out of the council

chamber? Yes. All pirate sits with the Cabinet not individual

councillors. -- all of the parlour will set. We want neighbourhood

partnerships and spending responsibilities. Coming on to Guy

Poultney, a member of the Lib Dem cabinet on Bristol City Council or,

you will be very much sidelined if you are a man does not win? GUS has

said that power should like in community councillors. This is what

the people of Bristol decided and we shall respect their views.

must ask all of you, do you believe the Government and Prime Minister

saying extra powers may come to Bristol? I do believe it and the

bread -- and the mayor will make it happen. I called it will and let us

make sure the people are behind two other is elected. We have the

traffic rumbling by here. Will we see solutions to things like

transport? I really hope so. I want to see concrete proposals. And we

need to power from Government. have your own candidates. Stephen

Perry is backing George Ferguson, one example. Has it been a good

campaign? A lot of the campaigning has been around vision and fake

aspiration. We need concrete policies. Or the Greens? We entered

in with a detailed manifesto. It would be good of the candidates did

something similar. We have had hundreds of new people, many never

having been engaged in politics, it is exciting bringing a resurgence

of interest. And we live in the political bubble. Will the people

of Bristol turnout and vote? think it will be higher than the

council elections, at least 40%. certainly hope so and hope it will

not rain. I hope about turnout, but it could be a combination of apathy.

A lot of confusion might make people stay at home. I hope that is

wrong. Let us see. Hopefully if it is a gorgeous day like this, we can

see what Thursday brings. Thank you. You have a very busy

week ahead. Time now for the round-up of this

week's political stories in 60 seconds.

The Government has given the strongest suggestion yet that NHS

staff in the West could be paid different rates to those in other

parts of the country. Local politicians clashed over the plans

in the Commons. If you want to have a service viable for the future,

where is the money coming from? constituents deserve to be paid for

the work done, not according to where they are living.

The skyline between Avonmouth and Bridgwater is set to change as

National Grid plans to remove 95 pylons. It also plans to bury some

cables under the Mendip Hills, but campaigners on the Somerset Levels

are unhappy, because the company will not be burying power lines

there. The National Housing Federation

says thousands of people in the West could be left fighting for a

home they can afford. It claims a shortage of houses here is pushing

up prices and rents. More than 186,000 people in the region has

been waiting for a council house. That was the week that has just

gone. We can discuss what might be coming up. The newspapers full of

stories about this organisation, the BBC, the Director General

quitting last night because of the Newsnight fiasco. Lord Patten, the

chairman of the BBC, well known in these parts, because he was the MP

for Bath. Do you think he can survive? It is an extraordinary

turn of events. I am not sure. Lord Patten will have to consider his

position. These are serious allegations about child abuse. We

have eight different inquiries. We should be concentrating on one

inquiry, getting to the facts, cutting the speculation and, with

respect, what might or might not happen in the BBC. Do you think the

BBC is a sideshow to all this? need to concentrate on those who

have been abused. It is incredibly serious. We need to deal with that.

I am sure Lord Patten will do the right thing. I am in entire

agreement. I will not say that very often. We must not forget that

child abuse lies at the centre of this and we need the police to be

arresting and charging people and prosecutions to go ahead. But if

you name the wrong person, or get the wrong person... I have great

confidence and Chris Patten. He is one of the ablest politicians of

his generation to stop he negotiated a deal with the Chinese.

-- of his generation. He negotiated a deal with the Chinese, by example.

Maybe some people in your party will be rubbing their hands?

BBC has people who criticise it, but all broadcasters have criticism.

Sky has its critics, the BBC has. I do not think we want to get into

that. I will have a pop at the BBC if you want me to. But we should

not allow this debate, which we are in danger of doing now, making it

at discussion about the BBC. The BBC can sort out its editorial and