19/02/2012 Sunday Politics Yorkshire and Lincolnshire


19/02/2012

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 19/02/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Coming up in half an hour, the Yorkshire teachers who want to

0:01:260:01:30

promote an alternative to the monarchy amid claims that school

0:01:300:01:40
0:01:400:01:40

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1713 seconds

0:01:400:30:13

Jubilee celebrations could be Hello, good afternoon. You're

0:30:130:30:17

watching the Sunday Politics for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Today

0:30:170:30:21

we will find out why the cost of funerals he is rising due to a new

0:30:210:30:26

so-called Death Tax. Plus, we will find out why some

0:30:260:30:30

Yorkshire teachers want children to learn about an alternative to their

0:30:300:30:32

monarchy amid claims that school Jubilee celebrations could be

0:30:320:30:37

against the law. Our main to guess today are

0:30:370:30:44

Caroline Flint, the shadow energy secretary. And Andrew Percy,

0:30:440:30:52

Conservative MP for Brigg in goal. You have been on holiday this week.

0:30:520:30:57

Have you been working very hard? mixture of working hard in the

0:30:570:31:01

constituency and catching up with casework and doing a few meetings

0:31:010:31:05

you cannot do in Westminster, and having a little bit of time off as

0:31:050:31:10

well. Do you find you get work done in the constituency? I think I am

0:31:110:31:15

100% more effective at home. I am able to speak to people and do

0:31:150:31:19

stuff. When you get to Westminster, you're in a bubble and you feel

0:31:190:31:23

nothing will change. Bring the House of Commons up to you, imagine

0:31:230:31:29

that! We could have it in Sheffield, as long as it is commutable! We are

0:31:290:31:33

going to be talking about the rising cost of dying, amid claims

0:31:330:31:37

the financial squeeze on local councils is being passed on to

0:31:370:31:41

grieving relatives. We find out by local authorities

0:31:410:31:46

are having to spend millions on filtering out highly toxic mercury

0:31:460:31:56
0:31:560:31:59

emissions, a by-product from cremated fillings in your teeth.

0:32:000:32:04

Up to 11 times a day, six days a week, this cremator in Elland burns

0:32:040:32:09

a body. This is the main screen. That is what the operators will be

0:32:090:32:13

looking at all the time. Most people never normally see the place

0:32:130:32:18

of the it -- the inside of a place like best. This crematorium in

0:32:180:32:22

Calderdale is run by the local council. Like the majority of them

0:32:220:32:28

up and down the country. Prices are rising including here in West

0:32:280:32:32

Yorkshire. There is an added factor that could drive those prices

0:32:320:32:37

higher still. During cremation, Mercury is released from the

0:32:370:32:42

fillings in the teeth of bodies. Unless it is captured, it can be

0:32:420:32:47

carried into the atmosphere. If this is absorbed by fish, it can

0:32:470:32:52

enter the human food chain and that is a concern. Councils have until

0:32:520:32:56

the end of the year to cut mercury emissions from their crematoria by

0:32:560:33:03

50%. Those that fail to do so will have to pay a fine of up to �45 per

0:33:030:33:08

pronation. But at this date of the art facility in Calderdale, one of

0:33:080:33:12

the most modern crematoria in Britain, nor Mercury is allowed to

0:33:120:33:17

escape and this clean technology makes money for the council. It can

0:33:170:33:22

sell credits to a not-for-profit company which in turn, sells them

0:33:220:33:28

on to the councils that will not meet the target. The money we make

0:33:280:33:32

will all of this the offset the 1.6 million pound cost. The reality is

0:33:320:33:37

that we have to pay for this somehow. This will be one way of

0:33:370:33:43

doing it. But it will not be the only way. This year, all five local

0:33:430:33:46

councils in West Yorkshire have increased fees for their

0:33:460:33:51

bereavement services. In Kirk lease, they went up by just 1%, but this

0:33:510:33:56

was after a rise of 7% for last year. There were rises of 5% in

0:33:560:34:03

Leeds and Bradford and in Calderdale that went up by 7%. In

0:34:030:34:08

Wakefield they will rise by 11.5%. Some are calling it attacks on

0:34:080:34:12

death. We all know that what they are doing is regarding burials and

0:34:120:34:17

cremations, at just like parking charges, as an alternative income

0:34:170:34:21

stream. What they should be doing is cutting down their spending and

0:34:210:34:25

waste. They certainly should not be imposing taxes like this on

0:34:250:34:34

bereaved people. A report said that just by increasing these fees could

0:34:340:34:41

see... Did they think people would stop trying?! Completely ridiculous.

0:34:410:34:48

-- dying. With added pressure from the Government for cleaner credit -

0:34:480:34:54

- Crematorium, perhaps it has never been sure that there seems to be no

0:34:540:34:59

escape from death and taxes. I knew neck would not be able to

0:34:590:35:06

resist that old line! Councils being fined �45 per cremation. Is

0:35:060:35:11

this a debt attacks? Know. What they are being asked to do it is a

0:35:110:35:20

tackle these mercury emissions. There is an issue here. I always

0:35:200:35:28

think about this particular airier, for a lot of us, we do not plan for

0:35:280:35:33

a funeral and tell of this is very late. -- until it is very late, and

0:35:340:35:38

people left behind are left with large costs. Some local authorities

0:35:380:35:44

do very good work at helping people keep costs down. They should be

0:35:440:35:53

transparent about the costs that they are charging. Andrew, many

0:35:530:35:57

councillors would argue that they have no choice but to pass this

0:35:570:36:05

charge on to grieving relatives. Is this fair? I would be interested to

0:36:050:36:10

know whether any of the councils are using their income they get

0:36:100:36:15

from this to subsidise other parts of their budget. You cannot avoid

0:36:150:36:20

having to pay these charges. There is an issue with their quality. We

0:36:200:36:24

all agree that we want to have an improved air quality and we know

0:36:240:36:28

that Mercury is very dangerous. I am not sure there is any way we can

0:36:280:36:33

avoid this. Councils are passing on that their charges, but if they are

0:36:330:36:38

using it to subsidise other income schemes -- incomes streams, that is

0:36:390:36:45

unacceptable. It is always the people who can least afford it to

0:36:450:36:51

have to pay these things. That is why, seven years ago, notice was

0:36:510:36:55

given to councils about the need to tackle these emissions. If we look

0:36:550:36:59

at other issues like asbestos and the impact that has had on people,

0:37:000:37:07

if we know the information, and we do not do something, down the road,

0:37:070:37:11

people will say, you knew about this, why did you not do something?

0:37:110:37:15

The notice has been given, councils have to deal with this. I think it

0:37:150:37:20

is about transparency, about what these charges are about. The other

0:37:200:37:25

side of it I think is, helping people. Helping people to prepare

0:37:250:37:29

for those costs when they face a death in the family. For some

0:37:290:37:35

people that is a huge shock. Interesting talking point but we

0:37:350:37:42

must move on. We will catch up with the week's political news in

0:37:420:37:52
0:37:520:37:56

9 Yorkshire Conservative MPs are among 100 calling on the Government

0:37:560:38:01

to reduce subsidies paid to wind farms. They say they are skewing

0:38:010:38:06

the market and spawning a too many times. We would like to see

0:38:060:38:12

taxpayers' money used on renewable technologies that actually work.

0:38:130:38:17

Sheffield Cathedral says it will not demand costs from protesters

0:38:170:38:22

despite them costing around �10,000. They set up a camp outside the

0:38:220:38:29

cathedral for around 1000 -- 100 days.

0:38:290:38:33

Unions at defence giant BAe say ministers should work harder to

0:38:330:38:41

bring defence contracts to East Yorkshire.

0:38:410:38:47

It was announced the number of people in Yorkshire and Humberside

0:38:470:38:53

claiming it tent -- claiming jobseeker's Allowance has fallen.

0:38:530:38:58

Andrew, a growing number of Tory MPs are opposed to onshore wind

0:38:580:39:05

farms. What you say to your colleagues? I have signed a letter

0:39:050:39:09

because I am a big supporter of renewable energy and what we are

0:39:090:39:13

looking at in the Humber is to service the offshore wind industry.

0:39:140:39:18

There is a concern that we are told that there could be up to four-and-

0:39:180:39:24

a-half 1000 new onshore wind mills coming up and in our area we took a

0:39:240:39:29

sensible approach and said we have hit our target, but still the

0:39:290:39:32

planning and -- planning applications are coming in. Have we

0:39:320:39:39

got too many of them? I think the main argument for many Tories is

0:39:390:39:46

the massive subsidies. I think if you want to have energy in the

0:39:460:39:50

future at that is not reliant on oil and gas and coal and the

0:39:500:39:58

emissions that they create, then, as with any industry, it needs to

0:39:580:40:03

be given a kick-start. Whether that is wind or solar, I think that is a

0:40:030:40:08

judgment that is right. We want to create a new, clean energy industry.

0:40:080:40:15

What about biomass? But biomass is one of the areas as well. Any types

0:40:150:40:20

of technology that is cleaner is being supported. The Government is

0:40:200:40:26

seeking to continue this. The worrying thing is that 100 MPs have

0:40:260:40:31

signed this letter and the problem is with the letter, but with -- but

0:40:310:40:35

also with other messages from the Government, against supporting

0:40:350:40:38

green energy in the feature is that we are missing a fantastic

0:40:380:40:46

opportunity. We have a real chance to create new jobs and get new

0:40:460:40:50

investment into this country. In the last to we have gone from a

0:40:500:40:56

third in the world for investment in these things to 13th. We have

0:40:560:41:04

just seen �1 billion going to be invested in cleaner called. We have

0:41:040:41:12

huge investment coming into the Humber. -- coal. In the banding

0:41:120:41:20

review for the subsidy review, we go -- we have gone in the right

0:41:200:41:25

direction. We should be at the centre of the revolution in a wave

0:41:250:41:30

technology in the way that we were not in wind. There is an acceptance,

0:41:310:41:35

a cross-party agreement, on where we want to be going with this.

0:41:350:41:41

have to be word about investment. In terms of investment, we have

0:41:410:41:44

gone from third to 13th in the world. We are behind countries like

0:41:440:41:49

India and China. Let's move on to controversial calls for children in

0:41:490:41:53

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to be taught about an alternative to the

0:41:530:41:57

monarchy. Republican campaigners claim that some schools could be

0:41:570:42:03

breaking the law by promoting the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

0:42:030:42:09

Here in the East Riding village they are already preparing for

0:42:090:42:14

June's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. It follows hot on the heels of a

0:42:140:42:19

party they held to mark last year's royal wedding. It is a very

0:42:190:42:25

historical event and I think that youngsters need to realise the

0:42:250:42:29

history behind all this and that it is quite a record that our present

0:42:290:42:36

Queen has set. But not everyone is getting into the party spirit. A

0:42:360:42:41

group calling itself a republic says it is organising a series of

0:42:410:42:47

anti- monarchy protests in the run- up to the Diamond Jubilee. We do

0:42:470:42:52

not think that the Jubilee is something to celebrate. If you ask

0:42:520:42:57

yourself what the Queen has chat -- done to achieve her position, there

0:42:570:43:02

is no way of removing her. It is not a democratic process. We do not

0:43:020:43:07

think that children should be indoctrinated to think this is OK.

0:43:070:43:12

Our permission -- position, in line with the 1996 Education Act, is

0:43:120:43:15

that children should have a balanced view of how our head of

0:43:150:43:21

state should be elected. particular, and to monarchists

0:43:210:43:23

believe a schools cooking competition launched by the Duchess

0:43:240:43:29

of Cornwall could be unlawful because it promotes what

0:43:290:43:32

Republicans Colk uncritical celebrations of the Queen's Diamond

0:43:320:43:38

Jubilee. -- call uncritical celebrations. Some teaching unions

0:43:380:43:43

have sympathy with this. It is not done in an informed way. They do

0:43:430:43:48

not then find out about, up what is monarchy? Why do we have a

0:43:480:43:55

monarchy? What is the history of this? Why do some places, like a

0:43:550:44:02

map like it -- like America, why do they not have a monarchy? This is a

0:44:020:44:07

special year this year. Can you remember? It is a hard word, it is

0:44:070:44:13

a jubilee year. In this corner of East Yorkshire, teachers are being

0:44:130:44:18

encouraged to carry on with the celebrations. This woman believes

0:44:180:44:21

it is important is that her granddaughter it understands the

0:44:210:44:26

relevance of the events. They are tomorrow's generation and they

0:44:260:44:30

should be aware of what a great job she does for us and that she is

0:44:310:44:36

important to us all. We should celebrate all these things. It is

0:44:360:44:43

part of our heritage. Despite opposition from San, -- from some,

0:44:430:44:51

up there is no shortage of people ready to celebrate.

0:44:510:44:54

Republican campaigner Sam Gardner joins us now in the studio. We had

0:44:540:44:59

the royal wedding last year and the Queen's diamond jubilee this year,

0:44:590:45:04

we are in the middle of this period. Haven't you pet an odd time to

0:45:040:45:07

question the future of the monarchy? Absolutely not. I think

0:45:070:45:15

we have chosen the right time. For example, I work in a school and we

0:45:150:45:18

are supposed to teach children that citizenship, we're supposed to

0:45:190:45:24

teach them about equality and democracy, and yet we have these

0:45:240:45:28

royal wedding celebrations that fly in the face of all these things.

0:45:280:45:32

Monarchy is not democratic, it is not accountable, so why do not see

0:45:320:45:37

how all these things can fit together. If we have a celebration,

0:45:370:45:42

we are saying that monarchy is a good thing. Is it a good thing that

0:45:420:45:48

our children will never have a say in who they her head of state will

0:45:480:45:58
0:45:580:46:05

be? Andrew, you wear a teacher. What do you say to this? It is

0:46:050:46:10

nonsense. Actually, it is democratic. We had something called

0:46:100:46:14

the glorious Revolution. We had a glorious Revolution in which to --

0:46:140:46:18

in which we established the principle of parliamentary

0:46:180:46:24

democracy. We accept a monarch but only with the acceptance of the

0:46:240:46:28

democratic institutions, of which in our case is Parliament. It is

0:46:280:46:34

not true we do not teach kids about other political systems. In history,

0:46:340:46:40

the core of what we used to teach was at the civil war has. I do make

0:46:400:46:45

-- a debate about the power of the monarchy verses a more democratic

0:46:450:46:55

institution. If we were to, you know school councils, how about if

0:46:550:47:00

we were to run at those along the same lines of the monarchy. As ever,

0:47:000:47:04

let us take the richest and put them in charge and not let any of

0:47:040:47:09

their classmates take over. What you are failing to understand is

0:47:090:47:14

that Her Majesty the Queen is not in charge of anything. We live in a

0:47:140:47:20

democracy. Own -- every lot only becomes lot of it is passed through

0:47:200:47:29

the House of Commons. -- law. Queen speaks to David Cameron every

0:47:290:47:36

week. We live in a democracy. We choose in our democracy to have a

0:47:360:47:43

Queen as our head of state. That is a choice. We elected

0:47:430:47:46

parliamentarians and there is no movement in Parliament to get rid

0:47:460:47:51

of the monarchy. Carolyn, how would these views were down in the

0:47:510:47:56

streets of Doncaster. I think around the country, and an showers

0:47:560:48:01

and realises this, I'm sure that if it was put to the vote, the vote

0:48:010:48:06

would go in favour of what we have at the moment. The truth is that

0:48:060:48:10

the public does not stand in elections and so has not tested out

0:48:100:48:15

its own view in this. I think Andrew is right. What we have is

0:48:150:48:18

something that has evolved over centuries and part of that was

0:48:180:48:22

about the power of Parliament and the right way that our laws should

0:48:220:48:28

be set. David Cameron and prime ministers before him to meet with

0:48:280:48:32

the Queen because she is seen as our head of state, but in so far as

0:48:320:48:37

the laws of our land, that is strictly done through the elected

0:48:370:48:43

politicians. Children, as they grow older, can think for themselves.

0:48:430:48:47

You are entitled to your point of view and that is part of hour

0:48:470:48:53

democracy. We are running out of times. You're putting a lot of

0:48:530:48:58

faith in elected politicians. President Cameron! We do not have

0:48:580:49:03

to have a President. We are the masters of our own destiny. We

0:49:030:49:07

could have a sportsman, someone from the arts, we can choose the

0:49:070:49:13

sort of head of state that we want. I would add to that if this system

0:49:130:49:18

of hereditary monarchy is so good, what other areas which to extend

0:49:180:49:25

this principle to? I wouldn't. But the point is that the public...

0:49:250:49:30

just the head of state? The public do not want us to get rid of the

0:49:300:49:35

monarchy. There has never been an opinion poll that shows that and

0:49:350:49:42

you should accept that. Because that is democracy. I would add that

0:49:420:49:47

people except the border -- the royal family to modernise. In my

0:49:470:49:51

lifetime, I have seen the monarchy change and evolve in different ways.

0:49:510:49:56

People do not have unconditional support but they do give support --

0:49:560:50:01

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS