21/04/2013 Sunday Politics West

Here in the West - Labour were hammered in the local elections.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2072 seconds

Will they be the comeback kids on Welcome to the Sunday Politics,

here in the West Country. On the programme to date - Labour on the

up. They were hammered four years ago in the label elections and they

last beat Bristol Mail will -- and they lost the Bristol mayoral

elections. We have with us for Labour kerry McCarthy and for the

Conservatives Stephen Williams. Before we start, the funeral of

Lady Thatcher - were you there? was not there and I have not seen

any coverage. One thing I did do is to go and see her coffin in the

chapel in Parliament. I think it was more the sense of occasion. It

was not to pay tribute. Was she an inspiration to you? A lot of people

think you should be inspired because she was a woman, but you

should be inspired by people who do things you want to aspire to. In

some ways I was ashamed she was a woman because I disagreed with what

she was doing. The general thrust, her ideology, her attitude towards

the working class people in this country and many other people as

well, I don't see much there to admire. I think there are other

female role models in politics that I would aspire to. Did British

politics changed after the funeral of Lady Thatcher? I don't think her

funeral has changed anything. She still casts a be a shadow over the

modern Conservative Party. It is a problem for them. Even though she

has died, her memory will last for a long time yet and will influence

the Conservative Party, in particular the attitude towards the

European Union. I have to say, I alone Thatcher -- I loathed

Thatcher all the time she was Prime Minister. She actually inspired me

to get into politics. And negative inspiration rather than a positive

one. The local elections are round the corner. Last week we looked at

the county councils. This week it is the turn of Bristol to come

under the microscope of the Sunday Politics. All eyes are on Labour.

A giant ballot box has gone on show in Bristol as the first postal

voting papers start landing on doorsteps. They could be a decisive

shift in political fortunes in Bristol. A third of the seats are

up for grabs. Last time the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats

won all of them, but it could change. Leading the charge for

Labour, Ed Miliband came campaigning in the city. The do not

be fatalistic. We can make a difference. He hopes success in

Bristol will herald a wider revival where over successive elections

they have fallen a long way. South of England is a place where

we did very badly in 2009. But I have any message, a one nation

message and it is relevant to all parts of the country. At regional

headquarters, and energise team are working the phones to make sure the

disenfranchised come out to vote. Ed Miliband was here last Saturday

and that shows that Bristol is on Labour's radar nationally. It is a

fantastic opportunity. So the party that overtook them in the council

chamber are trying to keep politics at street level. We are in

government and we have to make tough decisions, but when I talk to

people on the doorstep, they recognise we were left with a

financial mess and they don't necessarily blame us for that. I

think another issue is people do realise that they don't change the

government at these local elections. Brave words. I voted Liberal

Democrats and Nick Clegg got in. No thanks. We won the seat in 2009.

There is a tendency for things to become a referendum on the

coalition. But this election is about local councillors. It is 10

years since Labour lost their grip on Bristol. Within two weeks, they

could once more be the biggest party on the council.

Will that happen again? I am unwilling to make a prediction.

There are five wards up for grabs in my constituency, so let's see

what happens. We have a mayor who it is an independent, so why

bother? A lot of power is now concentrated in the mayor, but if

you look at some of the negotiations and you turns that had

been made, there were forced -- they were forced upon him. I think

we have demonstrated that we have been an effective opposition in the

last five months or so and it is important there is that

representation there. We don't wanted to be a one-man dictatorship.

What are the Liberal Democrats stand-in for in the local

elections? I used to get a bit fed up when I was a councillor and I

was first selected to Avon and Bristol council 20 years ago when

the media said this is yet another referendum on national politics, I

think that is now even less relevant because we have been mayor

who runs the city. What people will be electing on 2nd May is the

person they think he will be the best local champion for their part

of the city. Who they think knows their community, knows the issues

for this course, what goes on in the high streets and can make

representations to the mayor. They are looking for someone who

understands their community and their national policies should

feature it even less in this selection. But to talk about some

of the Labour policies. They want to fight the bedroom tax, increase

minimum wage. How would that be paid for? The living wage would be

employers meeting the cost. Politics is always a question of

priorities, so you would look at the budget and how you could make

savings and Bunt things like that. The important thing is if we want

to get the economy moving, public sector workers are a key part of

that. No-one denies that, but if it meant increasing salaries by �1.20

a day, it is a substantial bill. He will pay for it? In it is a matter

for the council has to decide. Personally I don't because I am the

MP. When Marvin Reyes ran for Bristol mayor, he did to a lot of

research around the funding, but we would be in a different position

now that the budget has been introduced. We have to see what

situation we inherit before we figured out how we do that. But it

is a question of priorities. Your priority at the time of cuts is to

give the staff a pay increase? is important. The council had been

making people redundant and then hiring consultants because they

realise they do need them to do that job and some of them are being

paid three figure amounts per out what to do that. The country cannot

go on spending and spending without bringing money in. I think most

people in Bristol and the West Country in general would find it

extraordinary that the Labour Party's priority is to give staff

on the council a pay rise. We are talking about the lowest paid staff.

There are a lot of people who are paid a bar of the national average.

-- far above the national average. We have supported pay we straight

across the public sector, but it is people at the lowest end, who

suffer the most. Let us talk about Ed Miliband and the advice he has

been getting from Tony Blair. Where do you stand on that? Is it wise to

move to the left and shore up your existing support? Or if he is going

to win, does he have to move towards the middle ground or the

right? I think Labour occupied the centre left ground and have done

for a while. Going back to Margaret Thatcher's times, Labour was not

seen as representing the aspirational working class. We are

caricatured as representing people on benefits. Where we were with New

Labour was about representing people who wanted to get on in life,

by a property and things like that. I think Ed Miliband needs to occupy

background, but also, we cannot forget those who feel left out.

that white Ed Miliband is busy apologising about immigration?

don't think he is. People accept that beat Eastern European

immigration could have been managed at a slower rate and it did have an

impact on jobs. That is not the same as the turf occupied by UKIP.

Where would be a satisfactory place for the Lib Dems in this election?

We have different contests around the region. What about Bristol

though? Well, a liberal Independent came first and he is doing a good

job. He is a good mayor and I support him and we worked together

for the best of Bristol and that is what we want. People want their

councillors to do that. I hope people will focus on local issues

rather than be coalition. Thank you for that. It's not just Labour and

the coalition fighting it out. There are some independents who

could make headway in these elections.

They started off as the magnificent seven. Now there are eight of them.

These men and women are independent candidates vying to become

councillors in Bristol. Their aim is clear - to unseat party

politicians taking advantage of the none of the above feeling of some

of the voters. They feel they can emulate the success of the

Independent men and the Police and Crime Commissioner. What we are

trying to do his ground-breaking. It is something new and fresh for

Bristol and is reflected in how people feel. Everyone is nervous

and intimidated to a degree, but everyone is positive. The is no

doubt many people are disenchanted with conventional party politics.

It is a difficult one to call. For some people it will be a protest

vote. They have had enough of the main parties. This time you might

be UKIP. That is why the Green Party are hopeful of success. They

are standing candidates in all 22 seats up for election. A lot of

people are looking for alternatives. It is clear this government is

heading in the wrong direction, economically and environmentally.

People are looking around and saying, we need something different.

That is creating some real opportunities for us. The trade

unionists are standing in 14 areas and UKIP are standing in six. There

are also the other is independent members.

Let us welcome at our other guests. We have representatives from the

Green Party and the Independent Bristol campaign. Birtles took

about green policy first. You want reliable transport and better

health care. How would you generate the money to pay for that? Here or

nationally? And talking about here. We need to invest more in the High

Street and medium-sized businesses. When you say we need to, what you

mean? I mean us as a council. Local Green councillors will work with

people in their wards and the mayor as well. Where is that money coming

from? It is not clear. The money is already there. There are policies

we can influence and basically stop the invasion of big supermarkets

and multinationals. What would the Independents do? Are we moving to

an era where the main political parties are not relevant? Earlier

you were talking about the significant change of the power of

the mayor, and it is true. The roar of the councillor will and is

changing. It began when the Cabinet were given more power were.

Championing the water is becoming the key thing. We now need people

whose policies are for their own ward and not a party policy. I

don't understand living wage and the bedroom tax been brought into

local politics. -- being brought into local politics. Are you saying

you want to make these guys redundant? I am not. For a start,

all candidates feature on the same election paper. I don't know what

each of them stand for. Furthermore, bed from tax is important. I have

written to the mayor to intervene in a particularly case. I don't

want to get into bed and tax, but on the question of independence, at

least if you vote for one of these two, you know what you're getting?

Do you?! You can get anyone standing for -- standing as an

independent. They are not mad. They are willing to stand by a high

moors and integrity. With independence, you don't have to toe

the party line there. We strongly agree with you on that, that the

party whipping system is destroying modern politics. A repeat the

question - do we move back to the period before the war went it was

good citizens standing for the benefit of the community and

therefore, what is your role? does need to be a separation of

politics at local level and Westminster level. It used to annoy

me when people asked about national issues when I wasn't representing

that. There needs to be a clear division and so people would be

able to vote for their local champions who can represent them in

the best way. Do you agree? sounds as if the line at Steven has

been given is to be associate himself from the independent

candidates. In America you have the federal election for the President.

You have the senator, the congressman, the governor. People

vote differently and they know what the powers have. In this country,

we seem to clump everything together. But the parties are not

popular. They have never been held in such low esteem. On that note I

will have to thank you very much for coming. It is time now for a

work regular look back through the week in 60 seconds.

Ministers are being urged to consider a dramatic tax cut for the

richest in society. The top rate of tax on incomes over �150,000 was

Cup by the government from 50 to 45 %. I think it should go further and

we should look to getting the high rate of tax down to 40% and perhaps

to that magic figure of 37 %. number of people out of work in the

West has fallen every work except Swindon. And an alleyway in swing

though that is too narrow for even the smallest of cars to drive down

has been painted with double yellow lines. Apparently contract as are

to blame. And patients at three GP surgeries are having to travel to

Wales for treatment because the surgery is part of a group of

surgeries registered in Wales. They will have to change doctors if they

want to receive treatment in Bristol. Let us talk quickly about

the top rate of tax. If it could be absolutely certain that 37 % would

get you more income than having a top rate of 45 or 50 %, would you

go for it? You wouldn't? I wouldn't. If I could prove to you that was

the case, or would you go for it? don't think you could prove it.

agree. It is a false hypothetical. I was in the chamber when Jacob

Rees-Mogg made his speech and he is very eloquent, but I don't agree

with him at all. He seems to think he can give the rich a tax cut, the

money will trickle down and everyone will benefit. I don't pick