18/12/2011

:00:41. > :00:44.Good morning. This is the time when all newspapers include a review of

:00:44. > :00:47.the year. This is mainly to make sure journalists can leave the

:00:47. > :00:49.office early for the Christmas party. Here is mine. Arab Spring,

:00:49. > :00:51.Japanese wave, British riot, Greek meltdown, French spat, royal

:00:51. > :00:59.wedding, planet frozen, phones hacked, coalition cross, Sarkozy

:01:00. > :01:03.sarky, Cam calm. Well, mostly. As to the year ahead, apart from the

:01:03. > :01:09.wedding, that lot was not predicted, so my advice is save your time and

:01:09. > :01:12.wallow deep in the week to come. And joining me today for our review

:01:12. > :01:15.of the Sunday newspapers, the actor, director and general good egg Fiona

:01:15. > :01:18.Shaw and the former Director General of the BBC, Greg Dyke, who

:01:18. > :01:28.has driven himself in a car whose number plate appears to read MI6

:01:28. > :01:31.WMD. No idea what that is about. If we have one ambition on Sunday

:01:31. > :01:35.mornings it is to confound all those who say politics is boring

:01:35. > :01:38.and nobody says anything interesting. This being our last

:01:38. > :01:40.show of the year, we have brought you three generally non-boring

:01:40. > :01:49.politicians, each of whom has promised to make a sensational on-

:01:49. > :01:52.camera gaffe or jaw-dropping announcement in the next hour. One

:01:52. > :01:55.is the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who warned David Cameron

:01:55. > :02:02.off using a big financial bazooka in the euro crisis, but now lauds

:02:02. > :02:05.the prime minister for his victory over the French. Another is a man

:02:05. > :02:08.who may say this was nothing like a victory, Peter Mandelson, who has

:02:08. > :02:11.retired from his position as dark lord but who keeps a beady eye on

:02:11. > :02:15.British and European politics. And the third is someone who would have

:02:15. > :02:17.made the final of Strictly last night but was too busy tap dancing

:02:17. > :02:19.through the overcrowded corridors of power, the trade secretary Vince

:02:20. > :02:23.Cable. We are also going to be talking

:02:23. > :02:33.about the new Stephen Spielberg film, a movie that has grown out of

:02:33. > :02:37.

:02:37. > :02:40.the phenomenally successful stage play War Horse. We will be asking

:02:40. > :02:43.its star, David Thewlis, about the movie adaptation and his role in an

:02:43. > :02:47.interesting new film about the Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi.

:02:47. > :02:49.Music, too in this our last show of 2011. The rather fab Annie Lennox

:02:49. > :02:52.joins us live. First, the news from Susanna Reid.

:02:52. > :02:55.Good morning. The last US military convoy has left Iraq, nearly nine

:02:55. > :02:57.years after the invasion which led to the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

:02:57. > :03:00.In the last few hours, vehicles carrying thousands of troops

:03:00. > :03:03.crossed the border into Kuwait. They leave behind just over 150

:03:03. > :03:10.soldiers who will carry out training at the US embassy, and a

:03:10. > :03:14.small number of marines for diplomatic security.

:03:14. > :03:19.They arrived in Kuwait by the truckload, thousands of US troops

:03:19. > :03:25.leaving Iraq for the very last time. The convoy crossed the border in

:03:25. > :03:31.the early hours of the morning, ending America's operation in Iraq.

:03:31. > :03:35.The trucks tooted their horns and US military personnel wave as they

:03:35. > :03:40.welcomed the last American combat troops into Kuwait. There is no

:03:40. > :03:45.doubt that Iraq is still fragile but these troops will not be back

:03:45. > :03:50.of the country's future. They are heading for Kuwait, where more of

:03:50. > :03:57.their colleagues are station, waiting home for the flight -- a

:03:57. > :04:00.waiting for the flight home to the US. This signify is the end of the

:04:00. > :04:05.operation and the beginning of the next step into the future for the

:04:05. > :04:11.country of Iraq. They leave behind a country that still faces

:04:11. > :04:17.challenges, but the army chief of staff is confident that his troops

:04:17. > :04:20.can take it from here. I am not afraid at all because we have

:04:20. > :04:27.strategic relations with the United States and an agreement with NATO.

:04:28. > :04:33.They worked hard to build up Iraq's army over the last eight years.

:04:33. > :04:37.troops who have already arrived in Kuwait are enjoying the benefits of

:04:37. > :04:47.camp for Jane Eyre, and no doubt looking forward to being home for

:04:47. > :04:50.

:04:50. > :04:53.the holidays. -- Camp Virginia. A major search and rescue operation

:04:53. > :04:56.is underway in an area of the Philippines where flash floods and

:04:56. > :04:59.landslides have killed more than 500 and left hundreds more missing.

:04:59. > :05:01.The navy is scouring coasts on the southern island of Mindanao, while

:05:01. > :05:03.soldiers search along swollen rivers. Thousands of people in

:05:03. > :05:06.flooded areas have been moved to evacuation centres.

:05:06. > :05:09.Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for hundreds of people missing

:05:09. > :05:12.after a fishing boat sank off the main island of Java. The wooden

:05:12. > :05:20.boat was believed to be heading for Australia, carrying migrants from

:05:20. > :05:22.Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran. A local police chief said 380 people

:05:22. > :05:25.were on board, 76 of whom have been rescued.

:05:25. > :05:28.The public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, is to

:05:28. > :05:31.investigate the sale of the state- owned bank Northern Rock to Virgin

:05:31. > :05:33.Money. Labour has called for the sale to be delayed, saying the

:05:33. > :05:39.current deal will leave taxpayers more than �400 million worse off.

:05:39. > :05:42.The government says it represents the best value for the public purse.

:05:42. > :05:45.This year's Strictly Come Dancing has been won by the musician Harry

:05:45. > :05:48.Judd and his professional dance partner Aliona Vilani. They beat

:05:48. > :05:51.actors Chelsee Healey and Jason Donovan in the final at the Tower

:05:51. > :05:54.Ballroom in Blackpool, where Bruce Forsyth presented the trophy. Harry

:05:54. > :05:56.Judd, who is the drummer with the band McFly, said the three month

:05:56. > :06:00.long competition had been unforgettable.

:06:00. > :06:08.That's all from me for now. Back to Andrew.

:06:09. > :06:13.Thank you Susanna. Now, on the front pages today.

:06:13. > :06:18.I have noticed a brand new linguistic quirk. They used to say

:06:18. > :06:23.scoop, but now they say revealed. Cash for cocktails at Commons on

:06:23. > :06:29.the Sunday Times. A dramatic sounding plan from Whitehall to

:06:29. > :06:34.evacuate British people from Spain and Portugal if the bank's collapse.

:06:34. > :06:40.And the Observer, revealed, how City fees are eating into our

:06:40. > :06:47.pensions. The Sunday Telegraph avoids a issues. It says Nick Clegg,

:06:47. > :06:52.no tax breaks for couples who marry. And you have got to get you Harrys

:06:52. > :06:57.in the right order this morning. Harry when Strictly, whereas the

:06:57. > :07:03.Daily Mail has Prince Harry in BlackBerry mugging drama. He

:07:03. > :07:07.reported the crime committed on one of his friends to the police. And

:07:07. > :07:11.the Scotland On Sunday edition features the brand new leader of

:07:11. > :07:17.the Scottish Labour Party, they have gone for a woman to lead them.

:07:18. > :07:24.And with me to review the papers are Fiona Shaw and Greg Dyke.

:07:24. > :07:28.Fiona? This is a story that might turn into a story in the future,

:07:28. > :07:33.one million people from England are living in Spain and what would

:07:33. > :07:37.happen if suddenly they put their cards in the cash machine and the

:07:37. > :07:43.Eurozone collapsed. White-collar planning to evacuate them by

:07:43. > :07:50.working out how to get them I on planes, how to pay their mortgages.

:07:50. > :07:54.There are also 50,000 people living in Portugal. And how to cover the

:07:54. > :07:59.entire south coast of England in little white-painted villa is for

:08:00. > :08:05.them when they get here! Yes, it is worrying that they must go to the

:08:05. > :08:11.bank every day and hear things like, it looks quite shaky. It is always

:08:11. > :08:17.emotional language that is not quite Fiscal. I am a banker and I

:08:17. > :08:26.feel quite shaky, you do not hear that. On the front page of the

:08:26. > :08:33.Telegraph there is this European Beatle. 40 % compared to 14 for

:08:33. > :08:37.Labour -- 34 for Labour and 14 for the Liberal Democrats. If you look

:08:37. > :08:44.at the opinion poll inside, you discover that despite having a 6%

:08:44. > :08:50.lead, it does not give the Tories a majority, which tells you that

:08:50. > :08:54.maybe we will have a coalition for quite a long time. The electoral

:08:54. > :08:58.numbers are so disadvantage to the Tories at the moment. We will speak

:08:58. > :09:03.about the French side of the story in a minute, but it strikes me that

:09:03. > :09:07.maybe this crisis between Britain and France is good for both leaders.

:09:07. > :09:13.It is clearly good for David Cameron in the opinion polls,

:09:13. > :09:17.because people are clearly pleased by the use of the veto. Whether it

:09:17. > :09:21.is long-term and short-term for Cameron, you do not know. This week

:09:21. > :09:26.he looks like a strong leader because he told the Germans and the

:09:26. > :09:31.French were to get off. Nick Clegg looks good as well because it has

:09:31. > :09:36.given him something to stand against. I did my 32nd review of

:09:36. > :09:40.the year but you have chosen a story from the Sunday Express.

:09:40. > :09:50.Another way of looking back at the year is looking at all the people

:09:50. > :09:50.

:09:50. > :09:56.who we lost, who died. I think, a bit like musical tunes, there is

:09:56. > :10:01.something very moving about looking at the dead. Peter Falk, who was a

:10:01. > :10:07.great man in our youth on television, as he died. It is so

:10:07. > :10:13.sad. David Croft and Christopher Hitchens in the last few days, this

:10:13. > :10:17.massive, angry tiger of a man. If people look at these people who

:10:18. > :10:26.died, some of Bin Laden, that seemed ages ago and it was not so

:10:26. > :10:31.long ago. John Sullivan, Elizabeth Taylor. Pete Postlethwaite. From

:10:31. > :10:38.our profession, there was quite a few. It is a way of marinating your

:10:38. > :10:45.memory about those people to just have them named. It conjures up

:10:45. > :10:51.bits of your past. I do not know who else died? Lucian Freud.

:10:51. > :10:56.thought that was a very sad death. They marked the century. Something

:10:56. > :11:00.which has not died is the coalition and your next stories about

:11:00. > :11:06.continuing ructions in the coalition. It is basically about

:11:06. > :11:11.Nick Clegg lampooning Cameron's idea about supporting marriage.

:11:11. > :11:17.When he says that we should not take a particular version of the

:11:17. > :11:21.family institution as a 1950s model and tried to preserve it. This is

:11:21. > :11:26.interesting because first of all we saw Cameroon yesterday on

:11:26. > :11:30.Christianity. We all remember back to basics and John Major and the

:11:30. > :11:35.rest of it and in the end, Conservative leader has all appear

:11:35. > :11:41.to look back on the 1950s as if it was a wonderful period, but for

:11:41. > :11:48.those of us who were there, it was pretty dull. I only experience six

:11:48. > :11:55.months off it. It was pretty dull. I think the Liberal Democrats have

:11:55. > :12:00.reached this stage that they understand that if they do not

:12:00. > :12:06.start here prove themselves, they will be ejected. The coalition will

:12:06. > :12:09.come under pressure that it has not so far. The counter-argument would

:12:09. > :12:16.be that Cameron has to keep turning around to the Conservative family

:12:16. > :12:19.in the country and saying, I am a Conservative. Nick Clegg has to be

:12:19. > :12:25.the same for the Liberal Democrats. Assuming there is a deal between

:12:25. > :12:32.them, that would be fine, but at some stage there must be an issue.

:12:32. > :12:37.The divide is too great between them. Yes. Fiona, your next story

:12:37. > :12:42.is Shakespeare's story. There has been a lot about did Shakespeare

:12:42. > :12:50.write Shakespeare or was it just a bloke called Shakespeare? Stratford

:12:50. > :12:54.has gone missing. Sorry, Stratford. They are going to do a massive

:12:54. > :13:01.festival to celebrate Shakespeare. Possibly the biggest theatre

:13:01. > :13:05.festival ever. They are saying no to No 1, so if anyone has a tinpot

:13:05. > :13:10.production of Macbeth that they want to do in their kitchen, they

:13:10. > :13:14.can take it to Stratford and it will be welcomed. I am in favour of

:13:14. > :13:20.this because it will stop it be known by theatre companies and

:13:20. > :13:28.governments. Shakespeare is a national hero. The dog is the most

:13:28. > :13:36.visited site in the country. -- the gold. It is important that people

:13:36. > :13:41.take hold of Shakespeare and own it themselves.

:13:41. > :13:46.We want some Fiona Shaw on Shakespeare. No one has asked me to

:13:46. > :13:52.do any. My next story is the one that you mentioned earlier about

:13:52. > :13:58.cash for cocktails in the Commons. I love this. The House of Commons

:13:58. > :14:04.has drawn up plans to hire itself out is a private members' club, and

:14:04. > :14:11.venue for the IP Giggs, and corporate clients, and that is a

:14:11. > :14:17.story! That is what it has been for the last 40 years to my knowledge!

:14:17. > :14:20.Also, they want to open up Big Ben. They believe that walking up and

:14:20. > :14:27.down to Big Ben is the equivalent of walking across the Sydney

:14:27. > :14:31.Harbour Bridge. Good for you, as long as you're fit. A couple of

:14:31. > :14:36.Christmas stories. People have been working hard in the offices of the

:14:36. > :14:41.Sunday Telegraph. Yes, and they have been looking at Christmas

:14:41. > :14:46.crackers. It is a very important thing, what are you willing to pay

:14:46. > :14:51.for your Christmas crackers, many people get expensive ones. My

:14:51. > :14:56.mother was saying, can we fly to France with Christmas crackers? You

:14:56. > :15:02.can get house of Fraser once, Marks & Spencer, but the best value seems

:15:03. > :15:08.to be Morrison's. Am I allowed to say that? You can judge a Christmas

:15:08. > :15:13.cracker by a stroke. There are some pretty dreadful jokes. The best one

:15:13. > :15:23.is, how did good King Wenceslas a slight his peak set, deep and crisp

:15:23. > :15:26.

:15:26. > :15:30.and even. -- like his pizza. Scientists now say the traditional

:15:30. > :15:36.Christmas tree, left in a warm house, releases mould spores that

:15:36. > :15:41.can trigger watery eyes, coughing and lethargy. It is nothing to do

:15:41. > :15:44.with the whisky are the Christmas food. When you're sitting there

:15:44. > :15:54.because you have eaten too much, you can blame it on the Chris

:15:54. > :15:55.

:15:55. > :15:59.Thank you very much. Great fun. So to the weather, deep, crisp and

:15:59. > :16:03.even or unseasonally warm? Let's find out in the weather studio

:16:03. > :16:06.where I'm joined by Laura Tobin. It's cold and frosty at the moment

:16:06. > :16:11.but things are set to turn much milder later this week. More on

:16:11. > :16:14.that in a moment. Temperatures fell to minus six last night in North

:16:14. > :16:18.Yorkshire, but many of us today will enjoy some sunshine,

:16:18. > :16:22.accompanied by a chilly breeze. The breeze is pushing showers through

:16:22. > :16:25.the north-west of England. We have had a covering of snow in

:16:25. > :16:29.Stratford-upon-Avon and heading now through Northamptonshire and the

:16:29. > :16:34.wintry shower mix heading towards the Home Counties, giving a light

:16:34. > :16:37.covering in places. Scotland, scattered wintry showers. For

:16:37. > :16:40.sheltered eastern Scotland and northern England, beautiful crisp

:16:41. > :16:44.sunshine through the afternoon. We see the scattered showers

:16:44. > :16:48.pushing this through Norfolk and Suffolk, rain on the coast, sleet

:16:48. > :16:52.and snow inland. Toward the south- east, the last of the wintry

:16:52. > :16:57.showers dying out. The south-west of England, for Cornwall, the risk

:16:57. > :17:01.of a few rain showers, winds lighter than they were yesterday.

:17:01. > :17:06.Sheltered parts of the south-west staying dry. In Wales, breezy and

:17:06. > :17:11.chilly with the wind. For Northern Ireland, sunny spells and a few

:17:11. > :17:17.scattered showers. All change for Monday. Cloudy and wet. A lot

:17:17. > :17:20.milder. That milder trend continues as we head through the week. Back

:17:20. > :17:23.to you, Andrew. Peter Mandelson's been in politics

:17:24. > :17:31.so long, he remembers when New so long, he remembers when New

:17:31. > :17:33.Labour was new. The Blair jor years were snakes and ladders and he was

:17:33. > :17:38.Bizley ensconced in being Trade Commissioner when the new Prime

:17:38. > :17:40.Minister Gordon Brown sent out an Secretary of State. Lord Mandelson

:17:40. > :17:44.helped shore up the Brown Government during the credit crunch

:17:44. > :17:47.but couldn't help win victory at the general election. According to

:17:47. > :17:51.today's polls, Peter Mandelson, David Cameron's use of the veto is

:17:51. > :17:56.pretty popular in this country at least? Yes, and I'm quite sure that

:17:56. > :18:01.President Sarkozy's actions in France are pretty popular with his

:18:01. > :18:06.public and Mrs Merkel and so it goes on. But the key questions are,

:18:06. > :18:11.first of all, the treaty that attracted this veto from Britain in

:18:11. > :18:14.the first place. We are now seeing it. It appears to present

:18:14. > :18:18.absolutely no threat to Britain whatsoever, it has no effect on us.

:18:18. > :18:24.It's setting out rules and requirements for the eurozone, of

:18:24. > :18:29.which we are famously not members, so that doesn't affect us. Secondly,

:18:29. > :18:33.it contains nothing that affects banking regulation or financial

:18:33. > :18:38.services, so poses no threat to the City of London either. You have to

:18:38. > :18:41.ask yourself what this piece of theatre was about and actually, I

:18:41. > :18:48.think we all now realise it was whipping up a bit of a storm, a bit

:18:48. > :18:52.of red meat to throw to Mr Cameron's anti-European

:18:52. > :18:57.backbenchers. There could be a counterargument made quite quickly

:18:57. > :19:00.however is that it may not affect us directly but this demonstrates

:19:00. > :19:04.that the Euro-Sceptic who is said a Single Currency would have to lead

:19:04. > :19:07.to a single economy and in effect for all the financial and fiscal

:19:07. > :19:11.side of life ah single Government, are proved right, that under strain,

:19:11. > :19:14.this is now what is happening. That terrible choice for Britain and

:19:14. > :19:19.other countries to choose BP between your national democracy and

:19:19. > :19:23.your ability to define your own future and part of this bigger

:19:23. > :19:29.block is now quite close in front of our noses? Yes, in a sense. I

:19:29. > :19:34.wouldn't use your term a single economy. I would use a single very,

:19:34. > :19:39.very large single market in Europe which gives us the sort of

:19:39. > :19:43.continental power and reach and clout in the world that enables us

:19:43. > :19:47.to match the United States and North America to our west, the

:19:47. > :19:53.rising powers to the east and the south of us. But you would concede

:19:53. > :19:57.there is a democratic question mark here? Well, yes I would. But not

:19:57. > :20:03.because I think there is a single Government in the offing, but

:20:03. > :20:08.because to enable the eurozone to work successfully, we need more,

:20:08. > :20:14.not less political fiscal integration in Europe at a time

:20:14. > :20:18.when frankly there is sort of integration fatigue pretty common

:20:18. > :20:23.amongst the public right across Europe. In reality what it means

:20:23. > :20:27.for the Greeks or the Italians or the Spanish or others, is that they

:20:27. > :20:31.would be told what their Government could or could not do when it came

:20:31. > :20:35.to tax or spending by the centre, by the Brussels centre, and they

:20:35. > :20:39.would see it as by the Germans. That is a big democratic problem

:20:39. > :20:42.and for a lot of people explains why we could never be part of it in

:20:42. > :20:47.this country? It does raise a democratic problem and essentially

:20:47. > :20:55.it raises two immediate issues for me. One is that I think that

:20:55. > :21:00.Europe's political leaders are frankly failing to explain why to

:21:00. > :21:03.justify the greater meshing together and integration that is

:21:03. > :21:07.needed in Europe, it's as if they've forgotten what the

:21:07. > :21:11.arguments are in favour of European integration or fallen out of the

:21:11. > :21:15.habit at least of explaining, not just what's required and how, which

:21:15. > :21:19.they're quite good at, although they could be a lot better, but why

:21:19. > :21:24.and why do we need more integration at a time when, as I say, most

:21:24. > :21:27.people are sort of tiring and becoming a little fatigued with it.

:21:27. > :21:33.But this is going to become more, not less serious, in the coming

:21:33. > :21:38.years for this reason. That is that we are entering a period, as we all

:21:38. > :21:42.recognise, of austerity, of tighter public spending. There's going to

:21:42. > :21:51.be a great deal of public pain during this period and it's going

:21:51. > :21:54.to be blamed on Europe in many continental countries. Therefore if

:21:54. > :21:57.the politicians don't get their act together and don't start leading

:21:57. > :22:02.and providing a real sense of accountability to their public, so

:22:02. > :22:06.that they have to get out there, explain why what they're dog is

:22:06. > :22:10.necessary, if they don't do that, you are going to see an increasing

:22:10. > :22:13.public alienation. You famously said that what this country did was

:22:13. > :22:18.more real engineering and less financial engineering. Would you

:22:18. > :22:21.concede one of the things that you wish you'd done differently as a

:22:21. > :22:24.Labour Government was spend less time and attention on the City and

:22:24. > :22:27.more on trying to get this country manufacturing again. After all,

:22:27. > :22:33.that's part of the reason why the Germans are doing so well? The City

:22:33. > :22:40.and financial markets and services provide a hugely important part of

:22:40. > :22:44.our economy. Our revenue and employment too. I'm not against the

:22:44. > :22:49.City and I'm not against financial services. But what I do believe is,

:22:49. > :22:52.that our exposure as an economy to financial services was too great,

:22:52. > :22:55.our economy's dependence on financial services was far too

:22:56. > :22:59.great and we should have recognised that early on. Disappointed by

:22:59. > :23:05.Labour's showing in the poll at the moment? What is going wrong?

:23:05. > :23:09.think what is happening, to be fair to Ed Miliband, because his polls

:23:09. > :23:13.bounce around all over the place, is that we have to recognise that

:23:13. > :23:17.the deterioration pre-dated his leadership. That disconnect between

:23:17. > :23:21.the Labour Party, deeply and broadly with the British public,

:23:21. > :23:26.started to take place in the years before the 2010 election and since

:23:26. > :23:32.then, again, to his and the Labour Party's credit, we have seen voting

:23:32. > :23:35.support coming back. Chiefly from Liberal Democrats who voted for

:23:35. > :23:38.Nick Clegg and his party in 2010, not so much from the Conservatives

:23:38. > :23:42.who I think are still giving their Government the benefit of the doubt.

:23:42. > :23:46.What more needs to be done? An entire generation, including

:23:46. > :23:51.yourself, have relatively young still, have walked away from

:23:51. > :23:56.frontline politics, not engaged in it any more? Yes. I think that what

:23:56. > :24:01.Ed Miliband needs to do - look, he's a chap with views, he has a

:24:01. > :24:06.position in politics and he has a project - that needs to take shape

:24:06. > :24:09.and become better defined during the course of the coming year. It's

:24:09. > :24:12.not New Labour, he's perfectly clear about that. But he'll say the

:24:12. > :24:16.circumstances and the conditions of Britain are not the same as they

:24:16. > :24:21.were when we were creating New Labour in the 1990s. Those were the

:24:21. > :24:27.days when markets were very much in fashion, the British economy and

:24:27. > :24:30.capitalists' model of how we do things in this country seem to be

:24:30. > :24:35.delivering, everyone's incomes were generally rising, they are not now

:24:35. > :24:40.and he believes we need a different social contract. Now, there are

:24:40. > :24:44.dangers in developing that, but he has to navigate his way through and

:24:44. > :24:48.I think 201 is the way to do that. Missed your jaw dropping gaffe, but

:24:48. > :24:53.apart from that... So sorry. Thank you very much. Listening to that is

:24:53. > :24:57.a man who started his rise in journalism as a euro sceptical

:24:57. > :25:00.reporter in Brussels before becoming a Tory MP, then winning

:25:00. > :25:04.election as Mayor of London. It all makes Boris Johnson a significant

:25:04. > :25:08.voice in the argument which is ageing over the future of the City

:25:08. > :25:12.and the euro drama. He warned against David Cameron's big bazooka

:25:12. > :25:16.rhetoric but said that the Prime Minister's use of the veto showed,

:25:16. > :25:20.in his words, that they played a blinder. After all the chatter

:25:20. > :25:24.about rivalry, Mr David Cameron bathes in the warm glow of Boris

:25:24. > :25:27.Johnson's slack jawed admiration. I've got that right, haven't I?

:25:27. > :25:30.More or less. I certainly think that the Prime Minister did the

:25:30. > :25:34.right thing and, as far as I understand what happened the other

:25:34. > :25:38.week, there was a series of modest British proposals on the table to

:25:38. > :25:41.protect financial services, which, as you have just been discussing

:25:41. > :25:44.with Peter Mandelson, of great importance to the UK, they weren't

:25:44. > :25:48.anything the Germans and French hadn't heard any more. But for

:25:48. > :25:52.reasons best known to themselves, they threw it out. Do you think the

:25:52. > :26:00.City's position is safer than before this summit? I think it's

:26:00. > :26:04.unchanged. I don't think there will be any more threat from Brussels to

:26:04. > :26:10.financial services in London as a result of the breakdown of the

:26:10. > :26:15.summit, far from it. Obviously, there is a continuing appetite in

:26:15. > :26:18.Brussels, in France and Germany, to produce regulations directives that

:26:18. > :26:23.could damage our ability to compete. You've got to watch that. Some of

:26:23. > :26:28.this stuff can be decided at qualified majority, most of the

:26:28. > :26:31.important stuff is still at unanimity. What was the greet veto

:26:31. > :26:34.hoo-hah about then? It was essentially about whether or not

:26:34. > :26:38.they would accept the terms, as I understand it, that the Prime

:26:38. > :26:44.Minister put out. I think more fundamentally, it was about whether

:26:44. > :26:51.we in Britain wanted to give our blessing, within the EU treaties,

:26:51. > :26:54.to the creation of what I think would be frankly anti-democratic

:26:54. > :26:58.structures of a fiscal union. sing of Government in effect?

:26:58. > :27:04.Pretty much. That's a short hand for it, but that's effectlyive what

:27:04. > :27:07.it would be. You would be telling people in Brussels, or France, they

:27:07. > :27:10.would be telling the periphery economies how much they could tax

:27:11. > :27:15.and spend. What is the point of democracy if the people you elect

:27:15. > :27:19.to Parliament, your Government, can't decide what your taxing and

:27:19. > :27:25.spending policies are? Do you think the euro is doomed in its current

:27:25. > :27:30.form? I would be amazed if we were all sitting here next year and the

:27:31. > :27:34.euro had not undergone some sort or change. I think it highly likely

:27:34. > :27:39.that there'll be a re-alignment in the sense that I think that...

:27:39. > :27:43.countries will fall out? Possibly, yes. We all know who the likely

:27:43. > :27:47.candidates are. But the key thing is, I think there's such phobia

:27:47. > :27:52.about this. There's such a lot of political ego that's been invested

:27:52. > :27:58.in the success of the euro project that people are failing to see that

:27:58. > :28:01.actually that might be the best way forward. We continually go on with

:28:01. > :28:06.this hysterical attempt to bubble gum the whole thing together. We

:28:06. > :28:09.are just going to consign those periphery economies particularly to

:28:09. > :28:15.low growth and we are never going to get confidence back in the

:28:15. > :28:19.eurozone. Would you like to see in the coming year a referendum or at

:28:19. > :28:22.least agreement on what a referendum is going to be about and

:28:22. > :28:25.the promise that it's going to happen? A referendum in this

:28:25. > :28:29.country? So people can decide whether they want to remain part of

:28:29. > :28:32.the EU or not? Well I think what you certainly need to have is a

:28:32. > :28:36.referendum, if there's a treaty change that substantially affects

:28:36. > :28:41.the UK. There's no question about that. Which looks like it's not

:28:41. > :28:46.going to happen? Right, but I mean there's no immediate reason, as far

:28:47. > :28:51.as I can see, to get embroiled in that referendum. You mentioned the

:28:51. > :28:57.words "political ego" a moment ago. Talking about the euro. Nonetheless,

:28:57. > :29:02.you mentioned the phrase? I did. You did. The Olympics, now an even

:29:02. > :29:05.larger vast amount of money for the opening ceremony, never mind all

:29:05. > :29:11.the ground to air missiles and thousands of troops and all the

:29:11. > :29:16.rest of it. Now, actually, given the Olympic tradition, do we need a

:29:16. > :29:19.vastly expensive bloated ceremony to show off to the rest of the

:29:19. > :29:23.world? Let me put the argument for it. This is something that people

:29:23. > :29:28.in London - you and I in our generation, - we are never going to

:29:28. > :29:31.see it again, we'll never have an occasion when London is at the

:29:31. > :29:35.centre of the world in that particular way. The multiplier

:29:35. > :29:39.effect of investing in something that celebrates London and the UK

:29:39. > :29:46.around the world, is, I'm told by all the PR people, the advertising

:29:46. > :29:50.people, the economic houses... There's your problem... This will

:29:50. > :29:55.deliver unfold benefit force the UK. There are markets around the

:29:55. > :29:59.world... You are convinced by this? Whether the you can does need to

:29:59. > :30:03.improve its image and brand. This is a small sum of money by

:30:03. > :30:06.comparison. I think the Chinese blew half our defence budget on

:30:06. > :30:11.fireworks, you know, we are not going to be spending anything like

:30:11. > :30:17.what they did in Beijing. But, given that this thing is only going

:30:17. > :30:19.to happen once in 50 or 60 years, I think we should do it well.

:30:19. > :30:24.wonder whether Boris Johnson the columnist would have been against

:30:24. > :30:31.the IOC officials and the limousines being swept through

:30:31. > :30:39.London? Let me tell you - Boris Johnson the mayor is going to make

:30:39. > :30:43.sure that the so-called fat cat Olympo-crats are not going to

:30:43. > :30:47.spread into the trudging faces of London, we are going to get as much

:30:47. > :30:52.as we can out of their cars, as many people as we can out of their

:30:53. > :30:57.cars. 70% of people will go by rail. The IOC has made it very clear to

:30:57. > :31:01.all their members that they're expected to two by Tube if they

:31:01. > :31:05.possibly can or by the javelin seven minutes from Kings Cross to

:31:05. > :31:10.Stratford. That is going to be the best way of getting to the Park.

:31:10. > :31:14.the context of all that, the politicians in charge,, including

:31:14. > :31:18.yourself will want to do everything to ensure nothing goes wrong during

:31:18. > :31:21.those weeks. Yes. It's been alleged that part of that is that you have

:31:21. > :31:25.in effect said to the transport unions in London, you can have what

:31:25. > :31:30.you want, we'll give you huge bonuses, huge extra amounts of

:31:30. > :31:34.money not to strike, please during that period? On the contrary, there

:31:34. > :31:38.is a deal, four-year deal that's been done with the Tube unions and

:31:38. > :31:42.the Tube drivers which I think is a very good deal for London. We've

:31:42. > :31:48.never had a four-year deal before, it's something that will deliver

:31:48. > :31:54.long-term stability and... A lot of money? And that deal does reflect

:31:54. > :31:58.the reality that they will do extra. On the Boxing Day business and

:31:58. > :32:03.ASLEF, there is no justification whatever for their action, because

:32:03. > :32:08.they are rostered to do 260 days a year and Boxing Day is part of that

:32:08. > :32:14.and, you know, they are beautifully making the case for moving towards

:32:14. > :32:17.automation and driving the trains. The current position of the

:32:17. > :32:23.Conservative Party. I tease at the beginning about David Cameron, but

:32:23. > :32:27.he's done very well. The parties are chipper about what's happened

:32:27. > :32:33.over Europe. Do you think there's a... Are you not sure? There's a

:32:33. > :32:37.frown? I was thinking that what you are really seeing is a kind of void

:32:37. > :32:41.in people's understanding of what the opposition is really trying to

:32:41. > :32:47.say. I'm not clear what would have happened the other week if Ed

:32:47. > :32:52.Miliband had been in that chair. It's very far from obvious. There

:32:52. > :32:57.is a certain exdon't twi Government is credited with dealing with tough

:32:57. > :33:07.times and having to get Britain out of the mire but also where Tess o

:33:07. > :33:13.

:33:13. > :33:16.What is essential to ensure the City of London keeps making money?

:33:16. > :33:21.I heard people Mandelson saying just now that we have become

:33:22. > :33:28.excessively dependent on financial services. -- Peter Mandelson. I

:33:28. > :33:33.would love to see the growth of manufacturing industry, but to

:33:33. > :33:38.those great temples I can see behind due, Kenny a wharf, the City,

:33:38. > :33:43.they produce �3 billion worth of tax. That is of massive value to

:33:44. > :33:50.the UK. So what do you need to see tomorrow on the banking

:33:50. > :33:54.regulations? Do not kill the goose. There is no doubt that there is

:33:54. > :33:59.something creepy about the massive bonuses that bankers are still

:33:59. > :34:06.continuing to receive, in spite of the fact they were bailed out by

:34:06. > :34:10.the taxpayer. We all want to see them doing more for society.

:34:10. > :34:16.you're an actor, the two words you want in front of your name are in

:34:16. > :34:21.demand. David Thewlis is one of the most in-demand actors around. No

:34:21. > :34:25.sooner had he completed his magical run as Lupin in the Harry Potter

:34:25. > :34:29.series of films than Steven Spielberg came calling to ask him

:34:29. > :34:34.to start in the much-anticipated film adaptation of War Horse, which

:34:34. > :34:39.is out next month. He has also been starring opposite Michelle Yeoh in

:34:39. > :34:46.a film about the Burmese opposition democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

:34:46. > :34:52.He plays her devoted husband, the Oxford academic Michael Aris. Let's

:34:52. > :34:57.have a look at that film, The Lady. I have never spoken in public

:34:57. > :35:07.before. There is no time like the present. I will be watching from

:35:07. > :35:25.

:35:25. > :35:28.Good morning. This is a very unusual project, because there is a

:35:28. > :35:34.sort of Hollywood style biographical picture, made about

:35:34. > :35:37.someone who is still there, someone who has not yet won, and a lot of

:35:37. > :35:44.people in the crowd would have been killed or imprisoned in the

:35:44. > :35:51.meantime. The making of this film is a profoundly political act.

:35:51. > :35:56.was. It was shot secretly. As much as an epic feature film can be shot

:35:56. > :36:00.secretly! It was shot in Bangkok last year while Aung San Suu Kyi

:36:00. > :36:05.was still under house arrest. She was released while we were making

:36:05. > :36:13.it but if you had Dugald Aung San Suu Kyi or Michelle Yeoh at the

:36:13. > :36:19.time of making it, you would not have had one hit for the entire

:36:19. > :36:26.four months of making the film. That is because everyone had been

:36:26. > :36:33.asked to keep quiet? Yes. People dig it out of respect. We had 200

:36:33. > :36:41.Burmese exiles in the audience there. Your character, Michael Aris,

:36:41. > :36:47.Aung San Suu Kyi's husband, we should explain, who died of cancer,

:36:47. > :36:55.an interesting SEAL. I thought slightly of David Kelly, a slightly

:36:55. > :37:00.dishevelled, not particularly glamorous looting academic. It is

:37:00. > :37:09.also a film about love. It is about his relationship between Hermann

:37:09. > :37:16.this leader who has to lay down so much. It is a love story more than

:37:16. > :37:20.a drier -- more than a biographical movie. It does not taking the whole

:37:21. > :37:26.story. It throws the spotlight on this incredible commitment they

:37:26. > :37:30.both had. They agreed when they got married that if her country ever

:37:30. > :37:35.called, she would answer the call and it would mean their separation.

:37:35. > :37:40.I do not think they imagined it to be as dramatic as it happened.

:37:40. > :37:44.There is a lovely club which shows the moment of separation when

:37:45. > :37:51.Michael Aris is sent out of the country. I could not have got

:37:51. > :37:59.through this without you. I will continue to play mayhem behind the

:38:00. > :38:09.scenes. Let's hope this limbo is short lived. I will be fine. Please

:38:10. > :38:15.

:38:15. > :38:22.do not worry. The boys must be the The lady, who presumably will see

:38:22. > :38:25.this film herself if she has not, quite thought. War Horse, it was

:38:25. > :38:33.quite a successful children's book but it was the stage play that made

:38:33. > :38:39.it such a success. It is now a film. Working with Steven Spielberg, an

:38:39. > :38:44.interesting experience, I would imagine? What is he like? I have

:38:44. > :38:47.worked with some incredible directors and actors in my time,

:38:47. > :38:52.but I think only seeing Steven Spielberg behind a camera and

:38:52. > :38:58.hearing him shout action, it was more surreal than anyone I have

:38:58. > :39:04.worked with. I have seen everything he has ever done. He has been

:39:04. > :39:12.called an actor's's director. often operating the camera and he

:39:12. > :39:15.is speaking to you while the takes are happening. It is good. One of

:39:15. > :39:20.these things that made it so successful were the beautiful

:39:20. > :39:26.puppets on stage. But you had to use real horses so it will feel

:39:26. > :39:33.different. It is entirely different. This is a very different experience

:39:33. > :39:43.to the play. And you play a villain. I do. I am the moustache twirling

:39:43. > :39:46.

:39:46. > :39:56.Crete. -- a baddie. You were aware will thin Harry Potter. It is the

:39:56. > :40:00.

:40:00. > :40:06.end of what has been an enormously long project. -- a werewolf. Was

:40:06. > :40:09.that a happy period in your life? It was incredibly happy. As you

:40:09. > :40:15.were shooting the film, and you knew it would break box-office

:40:15. > :40:20.records. Even Steven Spielberg can bomb, but Harry Potter does not.

:40:21. > :40:26.has been very good for British character actors. So many people

:40:26. > :40:31.have been given a platform by this. Yes, and a lot of people have gone

:40:31. > :40:35.on the intranet and checked out our previous works. I am sure many

:40:35. > :40:39.people will be watching The Lady but also the Harry Potter DVDs over

:40:39. > :40:43.Christmas. Last week the leader of the Liberal

:40:43. > :40:47.Democrats made it clear that he did not see eye-to-eye with the leader

:40:47. > :40:52.of the Conservative Party on Europe. This week the papers make much of

:40:52. > :40:56.the fact that the coalition partners do not agree on tax breaks

:40:56. > :41:00.for married couples. Once upon a time different views within a

:41:00. > :41:04.government got headlines about splits, but now the two side to

:41:05. > :41:12.boast about them. Vince Cable is Business Secretary and a key player

:41:12. > :41:19.in the current crisis. Good morning. At any point in this crisis over

:41:19. > :41:22.the veto, did you contemplate resignation? No. I frequently think

:41:22. > :41:27.about my position in government because we are all making different

:41:27. > :41:32.-- a difficult decisions, but when I reflect on it, we are committed

:41:32. > :41:39.to making this government work. We have got to deal with the serious

:41:39. > :41:43.problems in the economy. I am somewhat left a centre, a social

:41:43. > :41:48.democrat, but that is secondary to fact that we all have to work

:41:48. > :41:53.together to solve this economic crisis. That is why I am staying in

:41:53. > :41:58.government. Was it clear in your mind that the Beatle might have to

:41:58. > :42:05.be exercised? Did you know what was going to happen? The issues which

:42:05. > :42:11.were opposed, about the reform of the financial services sector, were

:42:11. > :42:16.not crucial to the future of the European Union. We should focus on

:42:16. > :42:22.rebalancing our own economy. We need to shift the British economy

:42:22. > :42:27.to manufacturing and creative services. Our own financial

:42:27. > :42:33.services sector needs reform. Our banks were that the centre of the

:42:33. > :42:38.financial crisis. That is why tomorrow the Government is going to

:42:38. > :42:46.launch this initiative on the banks, accepting infill the because

:42:46. > :42:53.commission. We are going to proceed with the separation of the banks. -

:42:53. > :42:58.- we will accept the findings of the Vickers report in full.

:42:58. > :43:05.banks are saying, you cannot split us up, you will damage us, that has

:43:05. > :43:10.failed? It has, and I am working with the Chancellor on this. We're

:43:10. > :43:14.going to proceed with it. Moreover, we are going to get on with it. The

:43:14. > :43:18.secondary legislation will be completed within this Parliament.

:43:18. > :43:24.It has got to be done because we cannot have a position where the

:43:24. > :43:28.big banks are too big to fail. are going to see the splitting up

:43:28. > :43:34.of the banks. The Chancellor was worried about this, as I recall,

:43:34. > :43:41.but he has changed his position? have treated this as a joint

:43:41. > :43:43.exercise. The Chancellor and I set up this Commission together. We

:43:43. > :43:49.have accepted the recommendations of the commission to make the

:43:49. > :43:54.British economy save. We cannot risk having a reputation -- a

:43:54. > :44:01.repetition of the financial catastrophe three years ago. This

:44:01. > :44:03.is a good result. I do reflect on the fact that within this

:44:03. > :44:10.government I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues have achieved a

:44:10. > :44:15.series of positive things. This is one of them? It is. Protecting the

:44:16. > :44:20.state pension, and the premium. Reform of the banks is something we

:44:20. > :44:25.argued for and now it will happen. Even Boris Johnson conceded that

:44:25. > :44:31.the use of the British veto which she was in favour of has not put

:44:31. > :44:35.the city in a stronger position. It has not put British financial

:44:35. > :44:43.services in a more protected position. Do you think that as

:44:43. > :44:53.well? Yes, and Boris Johnson was right. So what was it all died?

:44:53. > :44:56.

:44:56. > :45:04.was slightly political. -- what was it about. It did not deal with the

:45:04. > :45:10.financial problems in Europe. you have had to swallow some of

:45:10. > :45:16.your political views? Yes, we need to focus on the long-term issues.

:45:16. > :45:22.We cannot tell the union what to do, but we have got to make fundamental

:45:22. > :45:27.reforms to get stability and growth. That is the top priority. We need

:45:27. > :45:31.to work within the European Union. If I and my colleagues are going to

:45:31. > :45:36.continue to attract inward investment from overseas,

:45:36. > :45:42.particularly from the big Asian countries, they see Britain as a

:45:42. > :45:47.gateway to Europe. We are in a very dangerous economic position, much

:45:47. > :45:51.worse than threat their whole half- century of the European Union. The

:45:51. > :45:56.European Union has put in place a series of rules to prevent

:45:56. > :46:06.nationalism, protectionism, it is so tempting to use the crisis to

:46:06. > :46:07.

:46:07. > :46:12.break those, which is why the union Nonetheless, some countries will

:46:12. > :46:16.fall out of the euro, won't they, in the year ahead? I don't think

:46:16. > :46:19.that's necessary. It's something we should try to avoid. There is a

:46:20. > :46:24.two-stage problem within Europe, one is preventing large scale

:46:24. > :46:28.default in southern Europe and from the Germans in particular, they've

:46:28. > :46:35.got to get behind the financial support. The longer term issue is

:46:35. > :46:39.how you solve the problem with an imbalance. Some countries have

:46:39. > :46:45.large deficits. The deficit countries have to accept financial

:46:45. > :46:49.discipline, but the Germans have to expand and that balance is not

:46:49. > :46:53.accepted yet. Can I ask you about the tax break story today, no tax

:46:53. > :46:57.break for couples who get married. Why is this something to raise now?

:46:57. > :47:01.It was a big issue before the Government was formed but it didn't

:47:01. > :47:06.find its way into the coalition agreement because the two parties

:47:06. > :47:10.differ. I'm a great believer in traditional

:47:10. > :47:14.marriages, I've had two very successful happy marriages, so I

:47:14. > :47:18.won't criticise it. But there's a difference between giving

:47:18. > :47:24.artificial tax incentives which amongst others would penalise

:47:24. > :47:27.widows. It feels a slightly gratuitous piece of Liberal

:47:27. > :47:31.Democrat gunnery at this delicate moment? I don't think so. I don't

:47:31. > :47:34.think that was the intention. I know Nick Clegg is trying to focus

:47:34. > :47:37.our attention on the big economic agenda which is what this

:47:37. > :47:44.Government is really about. I'm sure tomorrow, he'll be celebrating

:47:44. > :47:47.with me the fact that we are making this big reform of the banking

:47:47. > :47:50.system, something we have fought for and has been achieved. Thank

:47:50. > :47:53.you very much for now. We are getting towards the end of the show.

:47:53. > :47:58.Time for the look back at some of the highlights from the last year.

:47:58. > :48:01.It's been quite a year at home and abroad. In January, all the main

:48:01. > :48:04.party leaders knew that 2011 would be tough, but no-one could have

:48:04. > :48:14.predicted what the biggest challenges would turn out to be. My

:48:14. > :48:16.

:48:16. > :48:24.first challenge as it happens was the irrepressible Lenny Henry.

:48:24. > :48:32.You are like Dangerman, aren't you? Do I get to ask a question?

:48:32. > :48:35.course! You'd better get on it. faster! I am still confident and

:48:35. > :48:38.optimistic about our future but I fully accept a difficult year and a

:48:38. > :48:44.year in which I'm sure people will want, from time to time, to give

:48:44. > :48:47.their politicians a good hard kick. You don't join a Government western

:48:47. > :48:50.you are dealing with these big issues and somehow think you are

:48:50. > :48:55.going to be exempt fromvilleification, far from it.

:48:55. > :49:01.I've got broad shoulders, thick skin. It would be very difficult to

:49:01. > :49:06.work with Nick Clegg but let's see if he were to be a sinner repentus,

:49:06. > :49:10.maybe things would change. He was a force for stability in the region,

:49:10. > :49:14.in the peace process, but, having said that, there were a whole lot

:49:14. > :49:24.of forces for democracy, for change, economic and social reform in Egypt

:49:24. > :49:25.

:49:25. > :49:30.that were held back. And those are now unleashed.

:49:30. > :49:33.You met Saif Gaddafi. What did you think when you saw him giving that

:49:33. > :49:37.extraordinary first speech? To be honest, I would rather have had a

:49:37. > :49:44.couple of minutes with him beforehand to say that, you know,

:49:44. > :49:48.this sort of performance is not going to get you anywhere. I've

:49:48. > :49:53.been saying for many months, George Osborne's plan is bad economics, it

:49:53. > :49:57.won't work and it's looking like I was right and George was wrong.

:49:57. > :50:00.sitting here a minute ago said it was George Osborne's fault. One of

:50:00. > :50:05.the big changes since Ed Balls was trying to run the economy which is

:50:05. > :50:10.these things are done independently, like Harry Hill. Fight, fiect, but

:50:10. > :50:15.you don't fight. -- fight. And so, to the review of

:50:15. > :50:19.the Sunday papers which are dominated by the aftermath of the

:50:19. > :50:24.Royal Wedding. Is Elton a Knight of the garter, or does he just wear

:50:24. > :50:27.them? The Bishop of London's sermon was a cracker. Singing Jerusalem

:50:27. > :50:32.with the London Symphony Orchestra behind you felt like the roof would

:50:32. > :50:35.lift off and there was no better place to be in. You are going to be

:50:35. > :50:39.the guest of the Queen at Buckingham Palace? Yes. Some people

:50:39. > :50:43.noticed last time around that you and Michelle seem to have a bit of

:50:43. > :50:46.kemstry with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh -- chemistry.

:50:46. > :50:49.could not have been more charming to the girls, they had a tkhoons

:50:49. > :50:55.ride in the carriage on the grounds. David Cameron has the opportunity

:50:55. > :51:01.every week to sit down with the Queen -- chance to ride in the

:51:01. > :51:05.carriage. Would you like to privately do that, shoot the breeze

:51:05. > :51:09.with the Queen? Not sure if anybody shoots the breeze with the when

:51:09. > :51:15.but... Perhaps not. Here it is, the last edition of the News of the

:51:15. > :51:21.World. No, no, no. Are you able to say that the relationship between

:51:21. > :51:24.Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and News International and other

:51:24. > :51:28.newspaper bosses was unhealthily close? It was too close. How are

:51:28. > :51:32.things going with your brother? You're brothers for life and

:51:32. > :51:35.politicians for a Parliament at a time. Life never goes according to

:51:35. > :51:38.plan. Actually there isn't a plan, you've got a series of

:51:38. > :51:44.circumstances and try and make the best of it. Sometimes it hurts,

:51:44. > :51:49.it's worth saying that. I was born under a Labour Government and I am

:51:49. > :51:53.determined to die under a Labour Government. I'll have to get a move

:51:53. > :52:02.on obviously, but I suppose my message is, have faith.

:52:02. > :52:07.And try and change the world. reflections on Britain over the

:52:07. > :52:12.summer? Grimsville, the Americans are now calling us Grimsville. The

:52:12. > :52:16.British are savages, it's what makes us good at wars. I need a

:52:16. > :52:21.dollar, dollar, a dollar that's what I need, yeah... Is there any

:52:21. > :52:25.chance do you think of the two of you standing pretty much shoulder-

:52:25. > :52:29.to-shoulder at this moment of crisis? I would say actually... I

:52:29. > :52:34.believe that Ed has good motives and I hope he would think I have

:52:34. > :52:37.good motives, we are trying to get the British economy going. We are

:52:37. > :52:42.both completely clear together that Britain didn't join the Single

:52:42. > :52:45.Currency, that was one of the most important decisions of the last 20

:52:45. > :52:50.years. Because you are Foreign Secretary and worried? I will never

:52:50. > :52:55.go soft on in. I believe in being in Europe but not being run by

:52:55. > :52:59.Europe in my slogan of ten years or so ago. At any point did the Prime

:52:59. > :53:03.Minister call you and speak to you about it directly? He was knocked

:53:03. > :53:07.in a nocturnal negotiation, I was locked in my flat in Sheffield.

:53:07. > :53:10.What was your reaction? I said it was bad for Britain and made it

:53:10. > :53:15.clear to the Prime Minister that it was untenable for me to welcome it.

:53:15. > :53:22.It's not a marriage, it doesn't end in divorce. I'm happily married, to

:53:22. > :53:30.my wife and not Nick Clegg, put it that way. If I share with you my

:53:30. > :53:35.story, would you share your dollar with me...

:53:35. > :53:41.A few moments from the last year. Our three politicians have return

:53:41. > :53:45.and we have Annie Lennox too. You are wearing your HIV shirt, you are

:53:45. > :53:50.not quite sitting on Boris Johnson's shoulder or knee.

:53:50. > :53:54.didn't intend to. She's the AIDS ambassador. I was going to make

:53:54. > :53:58.that point. You are doing work in Africa with AIDS, particularly

:53:58. > :54:01.looking at the transmission of AIDS from mothers to children. That's

:54:01. > :54:06.right. You have fame and celebrity. What can you bring to the party

:54:06. > :54:10.when it comes to big campaigns like this? The thing is that I have a

:54:10. > :54:14.tremendous passion for women and children's rights and I figured out

:54:14. > :54:18.that HIV and AIDS was something I felt so strongly about, the fact

:54:18. > :54:22.that, at this point in time, you know, over 33 million people have

:54:22. > :54:28.died from HIV and AIDS, it's a huge figure. A lot of people would say

:54:29. > :54:33.HIV is an old story? Certainly not. It's not in Africa for sure, it's a

:54:33. > :54:37.daily story where a thousand children die on a daily basis

:54:37. > :54:42.actually. Here to too, we really need to get our act together and

:54:42. > :54:46.start to remessage to young people especially in the capital... It's

:54:46. > :54:51.on the increase again, yes. Yes. It's been a busy year because you

:54:51. > :55:00.have an exhibition at the V&A, the old Eurythmics gear? Well, some of

:55:00. > :55:03.it, yes. You are going to be singing in a meement - moment a

:55:03. > :55:12.wonderful Christmas Carol, wonderful cold weather out there,

:55:12. > :55:19.and this is In The Bleak Midwinter? Yes. The album is in the charts?

:55:20. > :55:24.believe so, yes. You came to Carols early on? Yes, it was such a joy to

:55:24. > :55:28.revisit traditional car rolls, it's a pleasure for me. I started

:55:28. > :55:34.singing them when I was seven and now I'm 57, so 50 years of singing

:55:34. > :55:38.them. Go and warm up the piano. Great stuff, thank you. Well, lots

:55:38. > :55:40.we could talk about in the last programme of the year. What about

:55:40. > :55:45.predictions about the number of countries that will still be in the

:55:45. > :55:48.euro this time next year if we are all sitting on the sofa. Peter?

:55:48. > :55:52.we have fewer members of the eurozone, we have to pra that it's

:55:52. > :55:56.their choice and it's because they want that alternative, not because

:55:56. > :56:01.the eurozone's collapsed -- pray. If it collapses, we are all,

:56:01. > :56:07.including Britain, well in the mire. So you hope that it's the same size

:56:07. > :56:10.as it is now. Boris? I think, as I said now, it's highly unlikely

:56:11. > :56:16.we'll be here without there having been some kind of big reform. I

:56:16. > :56:20.would say certainly at least one will go. What's that, 16, Ouzo will

:56:20. > :56:24.be substantially cheaper is my prediction. Vince? I think it will

:56:24. > :56:27.stay together. They are leaving their rescue until late in the day,

:56:27. > :56:31.but I think they know it has to be done. We shouldn't underestimate

:56:31. > :56:35.the sheer upheaval, if it does go wrong. What is the most important

:56:35. > :56:39.thing for next year? What do you want in your Christmas stocking

:56:39. > :56:42.politically? A triumphant Olympic and Paralympic Games. The sense

:56:42. > :56:45.that the economy is turning round, people are doing the right thing,

:56:45. > :56:49.but they are worried about jobs and living standards and it should be

:56:49. > :56:54.the clear evidence... So lack of a further crisis in a way?

:56:54. > :56:58.sticking to what we are doing and making a success of it Labour want

:56:58. > :57:04.more definition of what the new project is all about, perhaps more

:57:04. > :57:07.Sol si, fewer jokes at Prime Minister's Questions -- policy.

:57:07. > :57:12.They've not been great in Prime Minister's Questions, have they?

:57:12. > :57:16.want to see how the Prime Minister deals with this extremism on his

:57:16. > :57:20.backbenchs, we have seen a hint of this and if their policy hold

:57:20. > :57:23.spreads across the agenda, we'll see fast developing David Cameron's

:57:23. > :57:28.worst nightmare. Thank you all. Boris Johnson still

:57:28. > :57:35.clutching your book. Yes, I failed to publicise it earlier on. That's

:57:35. > :57:40.right. Boris Johnson is still in rum bustious spirit. Thanks to all

:57:40. > :57:50.my guests. Over the next 12 months mrbgs more shows I'm sure, but

:57:50. > :57:52.

:57:52. > :58:02.taking a break now and we are back on 8th January. In the New Year, we

:58:02. > :58:12.will have Ranulph Fiennes. We end with Annie Lennox performing In The

:58:12. > :58:17.

:58:17. > :58:23.Bleak Midwinter. Happy Christmas # In The Bleak Midwinter, frosty

:58:23. > :58:31.wind may moan # Earth stood hard as iron, water

:58:32. > :58:41.like a stone ; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow

:58:42. > :58:49.

:58:49. > :58:59.on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago

:58:59. > :59:02.

:59:02. > :59:09.# Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

:59:09. > :59:19.# What can I give him, poor as I # If I were a shepherd, I would

:59:19. > :59:23.