02/09/2012 The Andrew Marr Show

Good morning and welcome. A new season, a new vehicle, a new studio,

we have made changes over the summer. What a summer it's been.

Look up at the stars, not down at your feet said Professor Stephen

Hawking, but how do we keep that spirit of optimism and human

possibility going. It is a challenge for my guests this

morning who come from the the worlds of education and sport. The

papers are full of upbeat coverage of the Paralympics and here to

review them, Tim Hollingsworth, head of the British British

Paralympic Association and Sarah Baxter, editor of the Sunday Times

magazine. As politicians return to Westminster, it is back to earth

with a bump. The economy has come to a shuddering halt, among many

critics of the government, the Tory peer Lord MacLaurin says the whole

thing is Mori bund. You get to some momentum into industry. You have to

change something, growth will not just happen. That is aimed at the

chancellor George Osborne. There's been more of the same over the past

week. How does he respond. Tax cuts? Spending on infrastructure?

This morning we are going to be asking him just what he intends to

do now about Britain's grim economic plight.

No doubt the shadow business secretary secretary will have

plenty of advice. Is there any new thinking from Labour. Also this

morning, schools are back and thousands of them are going to be

told they must do better as a new inspection regime for England comes

into force. The head of Ofsted and Chief Inspector for schools is here

to explain. I will be asking about the row over GCSE results. Parades

end has been winning plaudits for showing costume drama doesn't have

to be cosy. I will be joined by the screen writer behind this, Sir Tom

Stoppard. Finally, be uplifted by the wonderful violinist Nicola

Benedetti. One of the stars of this Proms

season, she will be performing for us later in the show.

A busy first show back. Let's kick off with the news.

Good morning. The Prime Minister has indicated he will try to

reassert his political authority with a series of measures to get

the economy moving again. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, David

Cameron made clear he was ready to take on his critics with

controversial plans to boost growth. Mr Cameron has been challenged by

some Conservative MPs to prove he isn't what he call a political

mouse. He's also working on his first major cabinet reshuffle.

There's been a gold rush for the British Paralympics team at London

2012. Crowds cheered Ellie Simmonds to gold. Richard Whitehead came

from behind to a stunning victory in the 200m. Golds in the dressage

and cycling also. The poster girl of the pool

fulfilling a Paralympic dream. After double successes as a 13-

year-old four years ago, she delivered gold in done done and --

London and with it a record to delight the home crowd. The race

was billed as a battle between Simmonds and Victoria ar Len, and

didn't disappoint. Stroke by stroke Ellie Simmonds wrote her name in

history. There could be more to smile about.

An historic day for Queen of the velodrome, with one gold already in

the Games, Sarah Storey was aiming for the ninth of her career, after

watching her husband win gold with Neil Fachie in the tandem, another

performance saw her roar home to victory victory.

To a golden day in Greenwich where Natasha Baker was victorious in the

individual grade 2 dressage. She set a new Paralympic record. For

Lee Pearson it was silver. But perhaps the most startling sight of

the day was that of Richard Whitehead. He holds the world

record for the marathon but denied the chance to compete over the

longest distance, he took to sprinting. How his endurance would

show. In last place coming out of the bend, he stormed through on the

home strait a show of strength to rival anything already seen in the

Olympics stadium. A Superman on a truly superSaturday for Great

Britain. Police have begun an investigation

after the bodies of a man and two children were found at a flat in

Wiltshire. Officers had been called to the scene in Tidworth by

paramedics. The deaths are being treated as sprition but police say

they are not looking for anyone else. Jordan says it needs more

money to cope with the influx of refugees from Syria. The request

comes as fighting continues to rage across Syria, increasing the number

of fleeing civilians. One of the most celebrated

lyricists in popular music Hal David has died in Los Angeles at

the aining of -- age of 91. What Do You Get When You Fall In

Love. Ha he was well-known for his long

standing musical partnership with Burt Bacharach.

That is all from me for now. I will be back with the headlines just

before 10.00. To the front pages as usual. Lots

Politics is making its return as well.

The Sunday Times has a different take. Party threat to oust Clegg.

And Ellie Simmonds is on more front pages than any other face we will

see this morning. There is a very nice picture on the front of the

Observer. More politics as well. Tony Blair

should face trial over the Iraq war, says Desmond Tutu.

Mail on Sunday, again, Ellie Simmonds, but another political

story, Cameron roars back "I'm no Scotland on Sunday, different story

there about breast cancer treatment on the National Health Service in

spont land and also campaigning for every school child in Scotland to

be taught a classical instrument. We have Nicola Benedetti on talking

about that. She is Scottish and a great violinist. That is all good

and organised. Tim and share Tim Sarah, thank you for joining us.

You must be thrilled by the extent and tone of the Paralympic coverage

this morning?. I am, the job this morning was to pick the paper to

The The one I want for was the Telegraph. There's more coverage of

the Paralympics than there was of the Olympics. I think what there is

is the most astonishing growth of coverage. I am very proud of it. We

can talk about how the nation is reacting, but we had fantastic

performances yesterday. My one in the Telegraph was this pure gold of

Ellie. I was in the Aquatics Centre shouting my head off yesterday for

what was an incredible race. She was just one, we saw Richard

Whitehead on the news, Sarah Storey, Barney Storey.

Why has the coverage and interest in the Paralympics suddenly taken

off in this way. I don't remember this being the case in the same way

at Beijing. Three reasons actually. One we have an organising commitee

for London 2012, which right from the get go has seen Paralympics as

part of the story. They have done in all their work, as we have tried

to, to build the pro fail with the media. The fact we had such a

fantastic Olympics has to be part of the mix. It was a great wave we

were riding. This is a genuinely sport loving nation and we have got

it and it's at home. We have been falling in love with people every

day. A new star is created every five minutes. That is very exciting.

The opening ceremony made a big splash. Bits of it I didn't quite

understand at the beginning, because it was quite scientific.

was. Enlightenment was the theme and it shone through. Being in the

stadium which was a huge privilege, perhaps you didn't get everything

people at home were getting. I think we did the event enormous

achievement by that opening ceremony, to bring to life the

issues we are seeing in front of us with the sport. It is really the

people that are coming through. Ellie, she seemed like a 13-year-

old girl city when she talks, but in the pool what a tiger.

Let's talk about some other stories. What is your first story. I was

going to briefly mention another side to things, because there is an

astonishing extract from Victoria Pendleton's memoir today. What it

took for her to become a Gold Medalist. We shouldn't lose sight

of that, for our ordinary Murphy- O'Connor for ordinary Olympians.

She had a difficult relationship with her dad. She was questioning

whether he he loved her. On the night she won gold in Beijing she

cut herself. It was extraordinary, lifting of the curtain really on

sometimes what goes on, but all power to her and to all our

wonderful stars. This is sports stars coming into the realm of real

superstars. It also means that all the under side of sport is there

for the Paralympics too, accusations of cheating. You have a

story about the French. I found it somewhere. It wasn't too high-

profile. The Mail on Sunday has got a piece, we can't afford to compete

with you. The French have accused us of what they call techno

cheating, which is the equipment that is needed for the athletes and

they are talking about wheelchair racers and the chairs they are

using in the Games. They had a go at our Olympic colleagues during

the cycling, saying their wheels were too round. I would say one

thing on this, the technology in Paralympic sport is the essential

part of it. But David Weir who seems to be our wheel care racer

racing tonight, who wouldn't have made the final without his chair,

but he won two golds in Beijing without the chair. Let's return to

politics. It's pretty clear politics is back at full throttle.

The big beasts of the jungle are back. But the big question is are

they really mice. The Independent going for the mice look. Here is

David Cameron going for the big beast effect, saying he is no mouse.

He's written an article to prove it, but he says it is time to stop

dithering. It sounds a bit wingy this article, but he is saying it

is our fault, he is saying there is so much holding us back. What we

are really saying is come on David, get on with it and show us some

government. I have noticed, everyone knows there is a

government reshuffle coming. But the more you look at all the

stories about it, the clearer it is, nobody has the faintest clue about

who is going to be moved. wonder if David Cameron has a clue.

People do want to see some change. I don't know whether it will be

tinker about the edges. They are in a bit of a bind because the Lib

Dems have their own problems. The Conservatives, David Davies is out

in force today saying cut taxes, do something more dramatic. You can't

have a cut on wealth. The Americans have a real contest going on and

there is good coverage of the American elections too. We are only

just start to go notice how interesting it is. People have been

feeling disappointed with Obama and Romney has become known as the 50

shades of grey man without the sex! But it is an important election, an

important divide between the two, and important for the rest of us.

Janet daily is interesting on that in the Sunday Telegraph today

because the question is whether the free market and capitalism can pay

for all the social benefits we expect. We have been getting along

well having both. She has been asking a question which connects

the American choice with what is happening here, can we pay for it

all. Yes, ever since the crash of 2008, that's becoming the big

question. I don't think we are ready to give up welfare and we

don't want to give up the free market either. Who is going to

resolve this. It is a big question. You have chosen a story about

another fallen American hero, Lance Armstrong. It was partly to pay

tribute to the Sunday Times. Still want to be careful in terms of what

one says, but without question the story that's highlighted here and

the headline on the front page. cyclist accused of cheating using

drugs who has dropped his fight to clear his name. Yes. The reason for

picking this out is that I know your paper Sarah had six or seven

years ago was taken to court by him and sued by him. For the story that

is coming out. When he was part of his team, seven times Tour de

France winner. The wider point is that this was a cultural thing

within the sport of cycling which we are seeing across the tour and

the Olympics and Paralympics, sweeping the nation. It is a craze

in sporting terms. You can see from what is going on in the tour, the

times are slower, the journeys up the hill are slower. You get the

sense the sport is changing. David Walsh needs credit for the work he

did. Let's get down and dirty with The People, finally, my wild night

with naked Harry. Not my wild night! Let's be clear about this.

am not even sure if it was her wild night. It is a very fuzzy picture

of a lady who claims to have spent the night with our young Prince.

it was a real kiss and tell there would have been more detail, it

would have been a bigger story. wouldn't have seen these smudged

posing for the People's camera. This story comes with a health

warning but it is quite fun. Something for all tastes, thank you

both very much indeed. It's been the wettest summer in a century. I

had some excellent refreshing rain therapy in the Westcountry but if

there was any justice we would be in for an Indian summer. So, are

we? Let's hear from the weather Things are set to improve,

brightening up from the north. The cloud is extensive across the

southern half of the UK. There has been rain across Wales. But most of

that will tend to fade by the afternoon. The best of the sunshine

is to be found further north. Should be lovely across Scotland.

The winds are lighter than yesterday.

Always more cloud across the southern counties but the rain has

fizzled out. We will see bright spells coming through. A a

reasonable afternoon. In the south-west there is the

chance of a spot of rain. Most places will be fine and dry

with bright spells. Similar story in the south of Wales. The odd spot

of rain around. A lovely afternoon in Northern

Ireland. A a different day for Northern Ireland and Scotland

tomorrow, because wind and rain will be gathering for later in the

day. For England and Wales, a lovely day.

Early mist and fog clearing to Before politics and this programme

took a summer break things were looking good for Labour. Yet their

policies were just a little vague. Nothing much has changed. As the

conference season approaches the party's economic policy is becoming

under renewed scrutiny and reports of tensions suggest a new autumn

drama to amuse the political classes. I am joined by Chuka

Umunna, shadow business secretary. You are bibs secretary, you are in

government, what is the first thing you do? We would give an immediate

stimulus to our economy. Remember, we are in our third quarter of

negative growth now. The reality of these big national figures, I have

over ten people people chasing every job, and so we would give an

immediate boost to the economy. What does that mean? In London at

the moment micro businesses do not get a national insurance break when

they take on extra workers. We would give them a national

insurance break to encourage them to take on extra workers. We would

reduce VAT, reversing the hike the government implemented towards the

beginning of this parliament, which would get money money back into our

economy and also the big thing which is going to figure in the

discussion this week, bringing forward infrastructure investment.

Because that has a dual benefit. Not Not only does it provide a

boost to the economy but also provides a platform for future

growth. One of the problems we have is that at the moment major

infrastructure investment projects are falling back backwards. If you

hear they are going to bring forward infrastructure structures,

you will say we will vote for that, we applaud what the government is

doing. That will be very welcome. There's been delay and indecision

all along the way. What you can't do presumably is a great big old-

fashioned boost for the economy. Look at the borrowing figures and

no government has much wriggle room. You can cut VAT but you will have

to find a way for baying for that. You can't spend more money?

point is, unless we get people into work, over 275 million people out

of -- 2.5 million people out of work. You can't nonetheless push

borrowing up even beyond where it is at the moment. Despite the

rhetoric, this government hasn't cut much when it comes to current

expenditure. Unless you get people back into work, you can't reduce

the borrowing. One of the interesting things is, some

business organisations have not seen eye to eye with what we have

been saying around deficit reduction, but one interesting and

quite quite interesting moment this week, head of the British Chambers

of Commerce said there was wriggle room to do a stimulus. They want to

tear up a lot of the regulations to make it difficult to hire and fire

people, fewer controls, fewer regulations. Many of them want a

cut in the minimum wage. All things labour will never give them.

thing he said, is that in the same way if you don't sort out your debt

problems and deficit, that will spook the bum market. You have got

to get growth back again. In terms of actual measures, the key thing

and this is something that came out from the Institute of Directors

poll of their members a couple of weeks ago, yes, I am not saying

that for businesses regulation is not an issue, but the problem at

the moment is confidence and their worry about the economy. The other

really big issue is that if we want to unlock the private sector

investment that many people talk about, there's a lot of talk about

companies sitting on a lot of cash, you have got to provide them with

policy certainty. What we are going to see announcements later this

week around planning. This is a classical example of where the

government creates huge policy uncertainty. You must applaud a

relaxation in planning laws, if that is what we see, because that

is the kind of structural boost you have been talking about. But what

you want is certainty in your policy-making. I am not saying

don't do something about planning but I am saying make your mind up

and stake to it. The problem was they published a whole new national

planning policy framework, back in March, which local authorities have

been working to ensure they comply with by April and now we are going

to see them throwing all the chips up in the air again. That makes it

impossible to plan when you want to make investment decisions. Let me

ask you about some domestic issues Labour Party wise. You sit in the

cabinet shadow meetings. Does Ed Balls Does -- it has been reported

through the naips there is tension between Ed Balls and edmill land.

It's not true. I won't deny all of us have checked our black bris

during meetings. I have the second principal brief during Shadow

Cabinet. There are large parts of the policy review, looking at plans

for a British investment bank, which report to the three of us,

two Eds and myself. The picture I have seen paint indeed these

frivolous pieces is... No bad blood, no tension, no difficulty, the big

beast Ed Balls flexing his muscles and think about the top spot?

We are singly focused on the moment on winning back the support of the

British people. We went to a catastrophic defeat and we have to

approach that task with humility and we do and we have to be focused

on what concerns people and what we learnt towards our end of our time

in government when we turned in on ourselves, it didn't work. Thank

you very much for joining us this morning.

Sir Michael willshire appointed to be Chief Inspector of schools, has

been described as a hero by the Education Secretary. They share a

vision of schools characterised by strong discipline and rigorous

academic standards and thousands are going to be told to pull their

socks up. The satisfactory grading is being abolished. What will this

mean for school heads, teachers and students. Sir Michael is with me

now. Good morning. Some people would say that just

changing a piece of terminology and saying satisfactory isn't

satisfactory, it has to be good is window dressing. It is not window

dressing. It is not just changing the terminology. At the heart of

what we are trying to do is ensure all children have the chance of a

good education. They have one chance at it. What happens in

school determines what happens for the rest of their life. Parents

want to send their children to a good school. Children want to go to

a good school. Two-thirds of our schools are good or better. We have

got a third of schools, 6,000 schools that are not good, that are

satisfactory and below. Your argument is that schools that are

called satisfactory aren't satisfactory at all, they are not

good enough. They are not good enough, the teach something not

good enough, the leadership often isn't good enough and the progress

and outcomes of children aren't good enough. We have to make sure

that schools know they have got to get to good s soon as possible. We

have given them a prescribed period of time in which to get to good.

You are going to change the way inspections happen, they are going

to be more sudden? Yes. The day before, there will be a day before

notice, rather than the two day- knots now because we want to see

schools as they normally are. We want to reduce the tension that

builds up before inspectors walk in. You want to catch people out?

it is not about catching people out. This is about actually seeing

schools as they are. I suppose the fundamental question is how you

measure what a good school really is, because you have all the

statistics, you have the exam results, some of them are

controversial and measurements of different kinds but presumably you

would agree it is about the inspirational teachers who draw

people out and make kids think about things they have never

thought about before. Inspectors will be spending more time in

lessons now than ever before. We won't be looking at as much

paperwork as we used to. It is about being in the heart of the

school, looking at what really matters, which is what is happening

in the classroom. A good school is about good teaching. It is simply

about good teaching. The Big Issue is that head headteachers have to

see themselves as leading teaching. They are not head administrators or

organisers or head business managers, they are headteachers.

They have to be remarkable people. There are not good headteachers,

the question is how do you get more of these people. They don't grow on

trees. I am optimistic we are. I have seen, I have been in teaching

a very long time, better people coming into teaching now than ever

before. The status has risen. We are getting really talented people

coming in. They will emerge into leadership positions. They will

become - they will go into headteacher positions as a younger

age. The person who took over my job in Hockney is a person in their

30s. We have a growing number of strong powerful leaders who are

taking over groups of schools who can help and support less

experienced colleagues. How do you get rid of the people you want to

get rid of. You are talk being getting rid of people too?. It is

about good performance management in schools and up to now it has not

been robust enough. That is something we will look at more

carefully in the new round of inspections. It is making sure

headteachers identify and reward good teachers and do something

about the teachers who are not good enough. The GCSE row, there is a

good argument that GCSEs need fob looked at, but a large co hort of

kids who have taken these examines have been treated unjustly. The

exam was being marked as a level they didn't realise. Many have lost

their only chance of a good College Place. We inspect a lot of things

but don't inspect the inspection system. You need to talk to Ofqual.

But what I will say, this is a really good opportunity for our

system and the Secretary of State to look at our examination system

and ask whether it is rigorous enough, whether what's happened

over the last few years in terms of resits, early entries and modular

approach to to examination is actually raising standards. Because

the issue is not really summer against January and what happened

last year as opposed to this. It is whether our examination system

stands up with the best in the world. One of the worries I have

and I know other people have, is that our standards are falling in

relation to other countries in the rest of the world. As a former

headteacher would you like to see GCSEs thoroughly overhauled.

Absolutely. We should not be looking at how we have done in the

past, we should be looking at how we are doing around the world.

We are getting worse. Reading and English is the world language, it

is the business language, we know that we have fallen from seventh in

reading tho 25th in the world. In maths from 7th to 28th. That is not

good enough. We have to look at what is happening in the rest of

the world. Our youngsters when they leave school, will be going into a

global marketplace, they have to compete not just against

competitors here but the rest of the world. Ofqual are right in

tanging tough on this? Yes. returning to what appears to be an

injustice done to a particular group of people, you have no

thoughts about what might happen. It is an issue for Ofqual, I would

rather wait for the final report to come out. Thank you very much.

He is one of Britain's, indeed Europe's greatest living writers W

a catalogue of famous plays spanning five decades, Rozencrantz

and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia, these are the ones constantly in

production around the world. Sir Tom Stoppard is no less eminent a

screen writer. Shakespeare in Love was one of the aclaimed scripts to

emerge from his pen. He now has two dramas to talk about, the film

version of Anna Karenina, and Parade's End. It is the duty of the

employers to look after the welfare of their employers. Who thinks

that? You married above your intellect. The new liberal peers

won't be necessary. Sir Tom welcome. I will have to confess, I am one of

a large number of people never read the novels on which you have based

this. There are some devastating script lines in there, I am

wondering how many of those are Stoppard. Sometimes actually I have

difficulty in remembering which ones came out of the book and which

ones from my head. I did identify with that world very strongly in

the year I was writing it. The best line in episode one involves the

steam coming off the water at the crocodile house in the in the zoo

as a met for as the sexual vapour coming off the crowd, that is Ford.

It is an unusual, certainly a very unusual protagonist for an evening

historical drama on television because you have a man who is too

honourable to act on his sexual and emotional impulses. He is a very

buttoned up, very English character of perhaps a kind we don't see so

much of these days. I don't know you saw that much of him in those

days either. What you say of him is true. Of course he does go as we

say in the business on a journey. He ends up actually in the end, he

is really saying that when you live by a code of honour, people take

you to be a fool and he says I am coming round to their opinion.

is in many ways, particularly the way it looks, a anti-down tonne -

anti-Downton Abbey. Did you see that period needs reviving and we

need to think about it again? never really consider Parade's End

out of its own context. The proposal was to make a television

drama from this book. I have always been attracted to the period. This

is a period which is reasonant with what's to come and what it's

emerged from. It is a key period. The book is a key book in that

cauldron where modernism in literature was emerging. So I had a

strong pre-disposition. Ford Maddocks Ford, a good show on him

last night, he was the centre of this. He was mates with Joseph

Conrad and almost anybody who was anybody in writing at that period?

Ford had two critical moments, was the editor of a literary magazine

and had a good touch of knowing what was coming, should be coming,

DH Laurence. Anna Karenina, it is hard to think of a larger canvass

to be asked to put on to an ordinary length cinema film. It's

got a huge swathes of the Russian countryside, different love affairs,

complicated family arrangements. How do you set about turning that

into a film? The first thing you do is tell each other we are going to

leave out everything about local government and agriculture. There

is a lot about that. There is a lot about that. The character of Levin

-- the story is two love stories, Tolstoy used Levin as something as

a spokesperson for himself, not a phrase he would have used, but it

is really a book which is famously a romantic drama, it is about love,

the penalties to be paid for certain kinds of love or narrowing

of the possibilities of love. have Keira Knightley as the adult

certificate adult -- adulter ess. She is younger than many people

conceive of Anna as being, but I think the director went young, he

wanted to go young. It is about to hit the cinema screens, a very big

moment. Any dramatic, any of your own plays beginning to gestate at

the moment? Gestating I would say is fair. Thank you very much indeed.

From all sides George Osbourne is being told he needs to plan for

growth, since the Government came to office the economy has in effect

flat-lined. For the past nine months it's been shrinking. This is

its second bout of recession. Public spending is soaring. Any

serious government it says would now reaffirm its determination to

get the economy under the control. George Osbourne joins me now. These

are grim times? They are difficult times for the British economy.

Difficult times for the world economy but our economy is healing.

Jobs are being created. It is taking time. But there is no easy

route to a magical recovery. We have got to do the hard work of

paiing off our debts, booking a more competitive -- becoming a more

competitive country and make can sure Britain has its place in the

world. Borrowing is rising. You haven't been able to cut

expenditure in a substantial ways. Three-quarters of negative growth.

Zero percent is what we are told this way. It isn't working. I would

disagree with all of that. It is statistically unexceptional.

deficit is down by 25% since the Government came into office.

much have you been able to cut current spending by. We have cut

welfare spending by �18 billion but debt interest, because of the debts

we inherited is making up a larger proportion of currency. You are

falling back. I want to make sure we are not paying so much in debt

interest to the creditors around the world. We are getting on top of

the deaf sit. Private sector are being created. If you are telling

me there are a lot of economic challenges out there, I know that.

If you look around the world, every western government is basically

facing the same choice, which is do you sink for swim in the economy of

the future. I am absolutely clear, as you saw with the Olympic Games,

Britain can compete and succeed, Britain can be its best if we

confront the difficult times, that we are not been prepared to

confront. People like the British Chambers of Commerce, representing

100,000 of the businesses we all depend fon for prosperity, say you

have to do a lot more faster. would agree with that. We have to

do more and we have to do it faster. In the next weeks you will see us

introducing into parliament legislation to speed up planning

decisions, speed up the processes which means we can build roads more

quickly, guarantee infrastructure projects. We will have legislation

published next week so government can use the low interest rates we

have earned by being tough on the deficit to underwrite construction

probably jects. We are doing all these things to use the good name

the government has built up internationally, the low interest

rates we've got to fund our banks. To get the economy moving to make

sure the jobs we are create nothing this economy continue to be created.

Let's pick through some of those. Changes to the planning laws. Will

that involve making easier to build on the green belt? First of all we

already have in place important changes to the planning laws which

are bringing about important development around our country. I

was in the north-east of England this week and saw that for myself.

We can speed up planning. It is It is absolutely ludicrous that it

takes years to get planning decisions in this country. You can

get much faster decisions on the Continent of Europe. This country

in the in the current economic environment cannot afford to wait

years for development. When it comes to the green belt, we have

published our national planning fame work in March. We are not

proposing to tear that up. If you look ats around Cambridge, one of

our great success stories as a city, they have been smart about swapping

some bits of the green belt for other bits, allowing developments

om some parts of the green belt. Those powers exist. I would like to

see more of that. It doesn't sound like a big bang?. We are making

substantial changes to planning that make it easier to have

sustainable development. At the moment it is not working. We are

not getting the growth we are looking for?. I would say jobs are

being created, 9,000 jobs in the private sector. But Britain's

economic problems are deep-rooted, built up over many years. We have a

very unbalanced economy. It is healing but there is not some easy

road. Believe you me, if there was a quick fix or an easy road, I

would be the first on it. There isn't. It is a hard road to

recovery but there is no alternative easy road. What about

your critics on the Conservative right, who say you need to cut back

taxes, slash regulation, you need to make it easier for people to

hire and fire as well as build. want to make it easier to build. I

want to make it easier to hire people, do all those things.

you? I look forward to the support of Conservative MPs in in doing

those things. And the support of the Liberal Democrats. We are a

coalition. One of the thing the country has is political political

stability a strong government with a big majority in government that

is able to do these things because we have a coalition. Quef a

government, whether it is a strong government people would ask. There

is a more left wing version which is spend a lot more money and you

can't do that, and therefore it is a little bit of that and a bit of

that and you can't make the bid radical changes you would like to.

Even though we are a coalition government, the first in a

generation, we have actually taken very big radical decision toss

reform education and welfare, cut business tax, make this a more

attractive country for wealth creators. We are doing difficult

things on top of dealing with the deficit. Of course, I read all

these people coming out with different proposals of what we

should do, quite often they are mutually contradictory. I would say

get behind the government, on the labour side and even in the

coalition, I would say get behind the government in making it easier

to develop things, get things built, to support infrastructure

development. That is deregulation. That is all about speeding up the

creation of jobs in our country. Let me ask but a specific specific

thing in the papers, which is either a third runway at Heathrow,

or if not that, speedy plans to build a new major airport for the

south east. Where do you stant on this? We need more airport capacity

in the south-east of England. We need more runway capacity. Then

there is a question of where it should go, Heathrow, new airport,

Stansted, Gatwick, people have lots of options. Let's examine all the

options, do it now, let's make sure we can try and create a political

consensus. Can we not have a commission for another few years.

There is opposition across communities to particular airport

developments, I represent a constituency with Manchester

airport in it, I understand about the local pressures, but you have

to as a nation be able to overcome those and make a sensible decision

about where it should be. We are going to get no kind of decision

before the election?. What we are going to get is a decision that we

need new runway capacity and seek to achieve a political agreement

across the political parties on where that should be. What about

new roads and railways, are you going to speed those up? I would

like to see the speeding up of the delivery of those things. You are

prepared to open the coffers to get infrastructure spending now?.

prepared to underwrite big infrastructure projects, that is

something no chancellor has done before me. In the past,

infrastructure spending has been cut? Infrastructure spending

compared to the plans we inherited from the Labour Party is higher.

But what I would say is, I am as frustrated as anyone that it takes

so long to get a road built, so long to do the rail improvements.

We have tried to make that easier. You will see in the next couple of

weeks legislation to speed up the process of development. Of course

to allow for legitimate objection, but it can be heard and

acknowledged and adjudicated on in less than a couple of years. We

don't need to take so long. What I think we have found... Are you

going to speed up planning? building a new runway was simple it

would have been done over the last 20 years. You have to find ways of

doing this more quickly and you are going to radically simplify the

planning system? We have to up the tempo of development and activity

in this country. All of us as a nation have to come to terms with

the fact, not only have we had a difficult five years as an economy,

but this country faces a big question about its future in the

world and whether it is about our school system, our welfare system

or about the the infrastructure we have, have we got the appetite as a

country to make the changes necessary to provide the nobs, not

just today -- job, not just today, but for our grandchildren. I talk

to people with smaller companies, they still say they can't get the

money from banks. They are quite attracted to the notion of some

kind of government-backed bank to get more money into business more

quickly. The weakness in our banking sis tempt is one of the --

system is one of the biggest problems we have got. We have

announced a funding for lending scheme, to help reduce the cost of

lending so businesses can borrow more. We do need to consider now

and work on as we are in the Treasury, a small business bank

sponsored by the government that can bring together all the alphabet

soup of existing schemes and also have existing powers. It is true

small businesses are the innocent victims of the credit crunch.

Listening to you it sounds like there is a new sense of energy, we

must do that and this, we have had a silly argument some people might

say about plan A, plan A plus and all the rest of it. Is it the case,

looking at the dep of the 69 -- depth of the trouble, that you have

a renewed since you have to do more and more quickly. This government

means business. We have come back this autumn from the Olympics and

Paralympics absolutely determined to confront the problems the

British economy has, to overcome the objections to growth that exist

in our country. We have got that energy. You have come back from the

summer to go faster and further?. We are determined to do more,

whether it is in terms of economic development or reforming education

or welfare to make sure this country can earn its way not just

today but in the future. Western countries are going to sink or swim

over the next few decades and I am absolutely determined Britain is

one of the great success stories of the future. The reason that you are

talking this way presumably is that what has happened so far isn't

working. We can argue about the reasons for it, but you look at the

statistics and they could not be clearer. You could have any Finance

Minister of any western country in the world, we are all confronting

similar problems of weak banking systems, big borrowing in the good

years. This government has a confidence around the world by

confronting those problems. Of course, I would like the recovery

to be stronger. But we are overcoming enormous deep-seated

problems in our own economy. We have a difficult international

backdrop against which to be doing it. I would say people look at the

UK over the last few months and they say not only have they a

strong government commanding the confidence of the debt market. They

are saying we can put on things like the Olympic Games, we can can

deliver when they have the effort and energy. I think we have

demonstrated this summer that we are a competent and strong nation.

Let's carry that spirit through the autumn. People may not apply it

directly to the government. A lot of your own critics say if there is

one person who ought to be 110% focused on the economy, it is you

and therefore it is wrong that you are also having the strategic role

as an election planner and adviser on the Conservative cause and you

should put that to one side and simply concentrate on the day job.

It is nonsense, I am 110% focused on the economy. The government's

political strategy is tightly burned out with its economic

strategy as well. A lot stems from people not really prepared to

accept that the Prime Minister and chancellor work incredibly closely

and spend a lot of time talking to each other about these problems. I

know that is unusual given our recent history in Britain. I know

it is unusual. You were asking Chuka Umunna about Ed Balls and

edMiliband. But in this government, we spend a huge amount of time at

the top of government working together on some of the biggest

problems that country has faced. the coming reshuffle you will carry

on doing two two jobs. You need to get David Cameron into your new set

if you want to talk about the reshuffle. The top team is

absolutely focused on the economic recovery. It won't change? You can

ask David Cameron about the reshuffle. I am clear the economy

team in the government which starts with the first lord of the Treasury

is totally focused on getting the economy moving. Vince Cable to stay

doing his job as business secretary, working closely with you? I work

very closely with Vince Cable. This country did not elect a majority

government. In exceptionally difficult political circumstances,

Vince Cable, Nick Clegg myself, David Cameron and others have put

together a stable government that is there for the five years and of

course we are all focused on the economy recovery. You mention Nick

Clegg here. When you hear him saying this is a time for the rich

people in the country to pay quite a bit more in tax to help everybody

out, do you just snort and say this is pre-conference manoeuvring it

means nothing? Of course, they have been calling for wealth taxes for

100 years, it is not surprising. We have asked the rich to pay more. I

have increased taxes on the rich, but we have also got to be careful

going forward we do not drive away wealth creators from this country.

And we are in a fiercely competitive world. I thought it was

reassuring last week, one of the world's biggest companies moved

back to Britain, having moved away from Britain a few years ago.

are terribly unpopular as chancellor. You don't seem to

radiate self-doubt but do you ever ask yourself am I the right person

for this job or do you feel completely confident that you are

across this? Personally I am focused on this and I feel a very

heavily responsibility to get this job right, to do what I can and

make sure the government does what it can to get the economy going. If

I was trying to win a popularity stakes there are easier things I

could do. In a difficult economic environment it is not surprising

the Chancellor is not the most popular member of the government.

It would be somewhat surprising if he was. Thank you very much.

Now the news headlines. The Chancellor has told this

programme the economy is healing. But there is no easy route to

recovery. Mr Osbourne said there would be new legislation to speed

up the planning process, this could include building on the green belt

if it is swapped for other land. That is all from me for now. The

next news on BBC One is at midday. Now a look at what is coming up

after the programme. Today on Sunday morning live

squatting in England and Wales became a criminal act yesterday but

with many empty houses and homelessness rising, is squatting

actually immoral? And the Government is giving Ghana over �80

million in foreign aid but is it time to prioritise the vulnerable

here? The violinist Nicola Benedetti has

been one of the of the stars of the Proms season. It's been a busy year

for her. She has performed at the Titanic centenary contest in

Belfast. And she's just released a new album, the silver violin.

Welcome. You have had to work very hard to

achieve everything you have done. There is a big drive in your native

Scotland to get kids learning classical instruments. Do you think

there is a simple get out there, hard work, practise message that

people need to relearn perhaps in this country? Absolutely. It is a

privilege for me to be able to really give that message at a time

when so many people are. In Scotland it is an incredible time.

There are a lot of key inspirational people who are

serious about culture and music and young people working hard. You have

done rock concerts, the Proms. Do you have a venue you prefer?

best acoustics are where you feel most comfortable but I am

determined classical music can fit into lots of setings. You have Last

Night of the Proms. Tell us a bit about what you are going to be

playing for us now. This is film music from Schindler's List? Yes,

the theme tune to Schindler's List. A piece that I recorded on my CD. A

very emotive piece. Most popular down load I think. It went to one

in the pop charts, but it is great for classical music. Thank you very