0:01:26 > 0:01:29And coming up in half in hour - from Big Brother to the Budget - we
0:01:29 > 0:01:39question the candidates ahead of Thursday's Bradford West by-
0:01:39 > 0:01:39
0:01:39 > 0:32:08Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1829 seconds
0:32:08 > 0:32:13Good afternoon, you're watching the Sunday Politics for Yorkshire and
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Lincolnshire. Today, we have a special programme looking ahead to
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Thursday's Bradford West by- election.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22We've been following the main candidates on the campaign trail,
0:32:22 > 0:32:32in what will be the first test of public opinion at the ballot box
0:32:32 > 0:32:32
0:32:33 > 0:32:35since the Chancellor's Budget. The by-election was triggered by
0:32:35 > 0:32:41the resignation of Marsha Singh on health grounds and six other
0:32:41 > 0:32:44candidates hoping to replace them are in the studio with us today.
0:32:44 > 0:32:50There had been various events in the City, but this is the first
0:32:50 > 0:32:55time they have all appeared on the same platform. Let's see how they
0:32:55 > 0:32:59intend to win over the voters, not surprisingly, in the week of the
0:32:59 > 0:33:05Budget, the main talking point has been the economy and the need to
0:33:05 > 0:33:08create jobs. Urging the unemployed to find a job
0:33:08 > 0:33:1530 years ago was something the Conservatives would probably rather
0:33:15 > 0:33:18forget, but today, this small workshop making them here is proof
0:33:18 > 0:33:24that government policies are working had will paddle them past
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Labour in Bradford West for the first time in 40 years. I Am Jackie
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Whiteley and I am standing for the Conservatives in Bradford West.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Businesses in the UK are predominantly small and this is an
0:33:35 > 0:33:39example of a thriving small business. It has been years 65
0:33:39 > 0:33:43years, but I want to highlight the hope that is available to small
0:33:43 > 0:33:53businesses because we need to grow the economy and they can deliver
0:33:53 > 0:33:53
0:33:53 > 0:33:56the jobs. A long have you been here? Three months. Labour, sitting
0:33:56 > 0:34:00on a comfortable 6,000 majority from the general election took us
0:34:00 > 0:34:03to the small business to highlight the reverse of what the
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Conservatives are saying. They blame government cutbacks for
0:34:07 > 0:34:13preventing small companies from taking on new workers and
0:34:13 > 0:34:17apprentices. In areas like Bradford West, it is absolutely key that we
0:34:17 > 0:34:25have more employment opportunities in particular for young people. The
0:34:25 > 0:34:30latest job figures suggest that since last year, there has been an
0:34:30 > 0:34:35increase of 1293 further people on jobseeker's allowance. That is not
0:34:35 > 0:34:42right and but is not fair and not what the people want. The inner-
0:34:42 > 0:34:45city areas a Bradford West have a majority Asian population and are
0:34:45 > 0:34:51mugs the poorest in the north. Education is low and youth
0:34:51 > 0:34:56unemployment is up 4% a year. It is no coincidence that David Cameron
0:34:56 > 0:34:59shows one of his free schools to do is campaigning this weekend it is
0:34:59 > 0:35:05no coincidence that you write 24 hours after the Budget bearing
0:35:05 > 0:35:09gifts. We are investing in the future of Bradford and there are
0:35:09 > 0:35:14more people in work and employment has grown in the last quarter.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18We're putting �70 million into the city centre and Updating be
0:35:18 > 0:35:26Bradford to Manchester Railway. That is important investment that
0:35:26 > 0:35:30is going in. They will also have super-fast broadband.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33surprisingly, Ed Miliband highlighted what he sees as the
0:35:33 > 0:35:37failure of the Budget and the Government. He was drinking tea
0:35:37 > 0:35:44with pensioners in the constituency that will be hit by a freeze on
0:35:44 > 0:35:48personal tax allowances for next year. This is what people are
0:35:48 > 0:35:53calling the granny tax. The focus of this campaign from the 15,000
0:35:53 > 0:35:57people that Labour has spoken to on the doorstep is about the bread and
0:35:57 > 0:36:01butter issues of what is happening in their lives and an unfair budget.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06It has raised taxes on millions of people in this country including
0:36:06 > 0:36:10people here in Bradford and cut taxes for millionaires. The Liberal
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Democrats took us to the edge of the city centre where the
0:36:14 > 0:36:18constituency starts. This is the biggest issue for Bradford.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23Whatever happens in Bradford unless this is sorted out, the rest is
0:36:23 > 0:36:27just froth. This is the old cinema behind us. This illustrates the
0:36:28 > 0:36:32problem. Three NASA projects are stalled in this city or falling
0:36:33 > 0:36:36apart. -- massive projects. They had no direction and they need to
0:36:36 > 0:36:46get a grip of that. If Bradford is to be successful, they need to get
0:36:46 > 0:36:48a grip of it. Nick Clegg has no plans to Campania, the President of
0:36:49 > 0:36:56the party will be in Bradford next week.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01Why should voters give you another chance? We made significant
0:37:01 > 0:37:08progress while in government. I remember times when I attended a
0:37:08 > 0:37:12surgery in Bradford West that was a back-to-back terrace house. We now
0:37:12 > 0:37:17have NHS facilities and new schools, so there has been progress and that
0:37:17 > 0:37:22was all under a Labour government. Jackie Whiteley, of what a week it
0:37:22 > 0:37:27has been, we have had the budgets, he will be taxing pensioners more,
0:37:27 > 0:37:32fuel prices go up, we pay more for drink, not a great backdrop to
0:37:32 > 0:37:36fight a by-election? I don't agree with you, I think it is an amazing
0:37:36 > 0:37:41budget for this has said we need more jobs in this area. Cutting
0:37:41 > 0:37:46corporation tax, the chance for cheaper finance for companies that
0:37:46 > 0:37:51need cheap finance guaranteed by the Government, super-fast
0:37:51 > 0:37:55broadband and improved rail links, all good news. Jeanette Sunderland,
0:37:55 > 0:38:00a Bible Nick Clegg not come to Bradford West so that voters can
0:38:00 > 0:38:05give feedback? It is news to me that he is not coming. He would be
0:38:05 > 0:38:15very proud to come to Bradford. We have 17,500 people had of income
0:38:15 > 0:38:17
0:38:17 > 0:38:22tax altogether, another 175,000 people will get tax cuts this year.
0:38:22 > 0:38:30Lib Dems have done more for a poorer people than a Labour did in
0:38:30 > 0:38:3313 years. George Galloway, you were a Labour candidates, you're also a
0:38:33 > 0:38:42Respect MP, you're not from Bradford, is this political
0:38:42 > 0:38:46opportunism? Why ask me a nasty question when you have asked nobody
0:38:46 > 0:38:50else in nasty question? This is what expat from the BBC. There is
0:38:50 > 0:38:56no blood tests, everybody you came from somewhere, and I am entitled
0:38:56 > 0:39:01to put my hat in the ring, and it is very firmly in the ring. The
0:39:01 > 0:39:05Liberal Democrats are 80-1. The lowest prospect for a Liberal
0:39:05 > 0:39:09Democrat in political history, so wide you give them time as a major
0:39:09 > 0:39:12party in this by-election? Labour presided over the 13 richest years
0:39:12 > 0:39:18in British history would record Parliamentary majorities and
0:39:18 > 0:39:24everyone watching this who is from Bradford can see results. There is
0:39:24 > 0:39:28a hole in a city centre, the Odeon is falling down, we are 145th out
0:39:28 > 0:39:34of 100 and 55 in the school's league table. Bradford City's not
0:39:34 > 0:39:39doing well in football, but in education, we are doing worse.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44in McAnally, you represent UK band got to present at the last election,
0:39:44 > 0:39:50you cannot have high hopes, can you? Yes, we can. We can do a lot
0:39:50 > 0:39:55for Bradford West. There are issues that need addressing entry will try
0:39:55 > 0:40:02and address these issues and not make empty promises. We need to get
0:40:03 > 0:40:08on with what we have to do, that is what is important. The Green Party,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12can you afford green policies in the current climate? Yes, we can,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15because with the renewed deal we are the only party that has a fully
0:40:15 > 0:40:20costed answer to the current problems that does not involve
0:40:20 > 0:40:24punitive cuts and cutbacks in public services. It is a complete
0:40:24 > 0:40:32the course did plan that will provide thousands of new jobs in
0:40:32 > 0:40:36areas like a real energy and renewables. It will have new
0:40:36 > 0:40:39entrepreneurs aged 18 to 25 to get some of the brilliant Bradford West
0:40:39 > 0:40:44young people that you can't be consigned to the scrappy by the
0:40:44 > 0:40:48coalition, instead to get them great ideas to fund projects and
0:40:48 > 0:40:51get them off the ground. We have heard from be made three parties
0:40:51 > 0:40:55about their policies on the economy, lets hear from some of the other
0:40:56 > 0:41:02parties and find out how their candidates are hoping to win over
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Bradford West. We start with George Galloway.
0:41:05 > 0:41:13A I am targeting every vote, whether they are white or Asian
0:41:13 > 0:41:17warm Muslim or non-Muslim, every vote has the same value. Everyone
0:41:17 > 0:41:22has an interest in Bradford and has a concern about the problems in the
0:41:22 > 0:41:26city. The City is slowly sinking. The Financial Times declared this
0:41:26 > 0:41:31morning that Bradford was the most at risk city centre in the entire
0:41:31 > 0:41:35country. The shop in Bradford city centre is more likely to close than
0:41:35 > 0:41:42in any other part of the country. That is a very deep concern to
0:41:42 > 0:41:46everybody. The doorstep reaction is very positive, the people are
0:41:46 > 0:41:49pleased to see me. And I am pleased to see them because they're the
0:41:49 > 0:41:55people I will represent. There are questions that need answering MPs'
0:41:55 > 0:41:59questions affect me also. I am the person that is driving over the
0:41:59 > 0:42:03potholes, I am the person penalised by hire-car insurance. These are
0:42:04 > 0:42:06the local issues that need addressing. There are currently 1
0:42:06 > 0:42:10million empty residential properties across the UK and
0:42:10 > 0:42:19thousands of them are here in the City of Bradford. By putting them
0:42:19 > 0:42:23back into use, we could solve the housing crisis at a stroke. These
0:42:23 > 0:42:28could make excellent starter homes, but this is in a tragic state.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32will pay for the empty homes you want to refurbish? The Green new
0:42:32 > 0:42:37deal is one of the areas for we would renew the way that we look at
0:42:37 > 0:42:42taxation. We would make the people that are the polluters of society
0:42:42 > 0:42:46pay for more. We think that the people batter furthest removed from
0:42:46 > 0:42:50the credit crunch, people on benefits, people in low-paid jobs,
0:42:50 > 0:42:54the vulnerable and disabled, these are the people that absolutely
0:42:54 > 0:42:58nothing to do with causing a financial crisis. But these are the
0:42:58 > 0:43:02people that are being asked to pay for it by the coalition government
0:43:02 > 0:43:08and that is just wrong. Sonia McAnally, up until earlier this
0:43:08 > 0:43:14year, you were in the Green Party, now you're with you Kip, that is
0:43:14 > 0:43:21100 degree return? Yes, I have been with the Green Party furlongs time
0:43:21 > 0:43:25and I looked at UKIP, and what they had to offer was better. I believe
0:43:25 > 0:43:30that, that is why I would not have changed. George Galloway, you talk
0:43:31 > 0:43:34about bringing for the troops home from Afghanistan, in a week when we
0:43:34 > 0:43:38have seen six soldiers from the North of England, their bodies
0:43:38 > 0:43:43flown back from that country, is this the right time to be talking
0:43:43 > 0:43:49about that subject? They have come when, in a box, and I were the rest
0:43:49 > 0:43:52to come home before they come home in boxes. I do not want anybody
0:43:52 > 0:43:57else buried as a result of a war that Labour's started and the
0:43:57 > 0:44:01Liberals and Conservatives support. Tonight because of the were shot,
0:44:01 > 0:44:06most people in the country agree with me. -- do not look as if you
0:44:06 > 0:44:14are shocked. If you speak to the family is, they want the boys to
0:44:14 > 0:44:20stay there and finish the job. is not true. It is true, how many
0:44:20 > 0:44:29families have you spoken to? Maney, and I am the President of the Stop
0:44:29 > 0:44:33the War Coalition command they would not have gone there if they
0:44:33 > 0:44:36had listened to me. I can tell you many people that will tell you the
0:44:36 > 0:44:41exact opposite. The idea of shedding more blood because of the
0:44:41 > 0:44:45blood that we have already shed is ridiculous. That is the mentality
0:44:45 > 0:44:50of the First World War in the trenches. There will be a worried
0:44:50 > 0:44:54that those soldiers that came home, that they have died in vain?!
0:44:54 > 0:44:58have died in vain! They should not have been sent there! They were
0:44:58 > 0:45:02sent to their death by Tony Blair and George W Bush and the Tories
0:45:02 > 0:45:06and the Liberals are keeping them there and it is time to leave
0:45:06 > 0:45:12Afghanistan. We do not have the blood off the treasurer to waste in
0:45:12 > 0:45:17other countries thousands of miles away. Bradford West has a large
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Muslim population, is this problem for you, a war started by Labour
0:45:21 > 0:45:30are which is still supported by your party? Can I say, my thoughts
0:45:30 > 0:45:34and prayers are with the family is of the soldiers from the area that
0:45:34 > 0:45:38were killed. I'd not think that soldiers are to blame in any of
0:45:38 > 0:45:44this, because they do not make decisions, they are carrying out
0:45:44 > 0:45:52there job and it is important to remember that. I believe that the
0:45:52 > 0:45:58soldiers need to come back down to -- need to come back, and I
0:45:58 > 0:46:04maintain that. We cannot have extremists across the world. Do you
0:46:04 > 0:46:11support the war of Afghanistan? support getting rid of extremism,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15whatever that may be. Which is a bored young Muslim men joining the
0:46:15 > 0:46:20British Army from your constituency? -- would you support
0:46:20 > 0:46:28young Muslim men? A everyone has to make a choice what career they want
0:46:28 > 0:46:36to make, and if that is their career choice, I wish them the best.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41Put that on DVD and distributed around the doors, I can tell you,
0:46:41 > 0:46:47what Imran Hussain has just said was committing political suicide.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50Do you agree? I think that ordinary Muslims in Bradford would agree
0:46:50 > 0:47:00with what I said and they are peace-loving and do not support
0:47:00 > 0:47:02
0:47:02 > 0:47:10extremism and are very against this. Blair and Bush were the extremis,
0:47:10 > 0:47:14the terrorists. Ordinary Muslims throughout this country and the
0:47:14 > 0:47:22most peace-loving people that do not support extremists wherever
0:47:22 > 0:47:27that is. I can provide a strong voice because we need that voice.
0:47:27 > 0:47:32The case is, the war in Afghanistan has created home-grown terrorists.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36We are meant to prevent terrorism happening, but the 7/7 bombings
0:47:37 > 0:47:42happened as a result of our involvement in Iran and Afghanistan,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45so how do you square that? This is not about Bradford West and I am
0:47:45 > 0:47:49really concerned that we keep following an agenda that is about
0:47:49 > 0:47:54Stop The War and the right end legitimate agenda to fight, but
0:47:54 > 0:47:59this is an election about what happens in Bradford West to the
0:47:59 > 0:48:04lives of the young people that our bare. This is their Parliamentary
0:48:04 > 0:48:10election, you can send councillors to Parliament, or you can send a
0:48:10 > 0:48:16parliamentarian to Parliament, that is what people took do. -- choose
0:48:16 > 0:48:20to do. We are withdrawing troops by 2014 and that is dependent on
0:48:20 > 0:48:24Afghanistan looking after its own security. Let's come back to
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Bradford and the economy which will dominate the rest of the campaign.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31David Cameron came here the other day and every big announcements in
0:48:31 > 0:48:38the budget for the City, the rail line electrification, super-fast
0:48:38 > 0:48:43broadband, does this have a whiff of pork-barrel politics? No, these
0:48:43 > 0:48:48were all planned events. We inherited a massive amount of debt
0:48:48 > 0:48:52and we have to look at the way we can manage it. The actions we are
0:48:52 > 0:48:57taking are all positive things, bringing these people, 24 million
0:48:57 > 0:49:01people, they will be better off, paying less tax with 2 million
0:49:01 > 0:49:06people out of taxation. We would do very positive things to bring
0:49:06 > 0:49:10people back to employment. Young people will get the chance of
0:49:10 > 0:49:14apprenticeships, work-experience and jobs and real incentives,
0:49:14 > 0:49:18financial incentives for employers to encourage them to take on young
0:49:18 > 0:49:22people and I think we can do a lot in Bradford West and I hope I get
0:49:22 > 0:49:29the chance to move this forward. Jeanette Sunderland, you to a think
0:49:29 > 0:49:36you can't see will be scarred by the coalition government? -- you
0:49:36 > 0:49:41can do so see will be scarred. Their eyes are fixed on sorting out
0:49:41 > 0:49:45the economy, this is what happens here in Bradford West, and to his
0:49:45 > 0:49:49fighting put them in Parliament. I do not think the Budget delivered
0:49:49 > 0:49:53sufficiently for Bradford West End it is not sufficient for Bradford,
0:49:53 > 0:50:03and we need to campaign on those issues. George Galloway, who would
0:50:03 > 0:50:03
0:50:03 > 0:50:09you represent, the Muslim population would be white working-
0:50:09 > 0:50:16class? -- or the white working- class? This is completely false,
0:50:16 > 0:50:23you're making issues about this. Have quite a few posters up in
0:50:23 > 0:50:28white working-class areas. My supporters put their own posters up.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33People decide whether to put up the posters and to they will support.
0:50:33 > 0:50:39It is untrue that I am targeting any specific ethnic see or religion
0:50:39 > 0:50:46for votes. -- ethnicity. Every voter in Bradford West is the each
0:50:46 > 0:50:51word of the other.... The equal. He should not be embarrassed for
0:50:51 > 0:50:54wanting certain people to vote for you. I rejected this and so do they.
0:50:54 > 0:51:01What are people saying on the streets about what is important to
0:51:01 > 0:51:07them? The biggest problem is youth unemployment. That happened under
0:51:07 > 0:51:12Labour, it is not a new phenomenon. Since last year, long-term youth
0:51:12 > 0:51:15unemployment has triples and that is massive. Talking to young people
0:51:15 > 0:51:20that once that first step on the ladder, I think we are the only
0:51:20 > 0:51:24party that can deliver this. The Labour six-month job guarantee for
0:51:25 > 0:51:28all young people, long-term unemployed, that is not promises,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32that is not anything else, that his real work experience for those
0:51:32 > 0:51:37young people and in places like Bradford West, it is difficult
0:51:37 > 0:51:43enough. I have grown up in the streets of Bradford West, it is
0:51:43 > 0:51:47difficult for young people that lack aspiration and the first place.
0:51:47 > 0:51:52UKIP want to prejudice, Technical College, to give the young people
0:51:52 > 0:51:56the chance for employment. We have to bring this debate to a close.