10/07/2011 The Politics Show East Midlands

In the east Midlands: growing pressure on the Prime Minister to

intervene in the grubs crisis at Bombardier.

A Tory MP attacks the way the government is handling the crisis.

And the elected mayor accusing like a dictator. -- accused of acting

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2361 seconds

The stakes are high in here in the East Midlands. Coming up, the Prime

Minister is facing growing pressure to intervene in the jobs crisis at

Bombardier. And bad blood in one of our towns

where Labour are accusing the electric mayor of the key -- of

behaving like a dictator. message to the mayor is that he

should realise it is North Nottinghamshire at not North Korea.

He needs to share power. Conservative MPs are demanding a

meeting with the Prime Minister over the crisis at Bombardier. They

have axed more than for 1400 jobs after losing the Thames rail

contract. Our political editor reports.

Is this London Underground carriage the last of the line? After the

UK's only train maker has lost out on a big toy tractor -- big

contract worth �1.4 billion to its German rival Siemens, Bombardier's

own future in Derby is in serious doubt. How has it come to this?

That is the question being asked by many of the one basil or hundred

workers at the who stand to lose their jobs. The finger of blame is

being pointed at Whitehall, Brussels and Downing Street. We are

setting out to ask the question, what more can we do within the

current rules to make sure we boost manufacturing in our country and

not have situations like this in the future. The Prime Minister are

brought his cabinet to Derby a few months ago. I think it would be

good to get the Cabinet out of London. To celebrate what his

Chancellor called the march of the makers and the importance of

industry to rebalance the British economy. When the government

awarded the contract for the new Thameslink trains to Siemens rather

than Bombardier, it was quick to deflect criticism. We are dealing

with one of contract that was drawn up under the last Labour government

and the terms of reference were so narrow that the current Transport

Secretary had absolutely no choice but to make the decision he did. He

would have been sued in court if he had done it otherwise. I will

accept the blame for the past if they will take the responsibility

for the future and for changing the decision they now say was wrong.

Many's the black -- summer let infra structure contracts awarded

by the French and German governments have gone to their own

manufacturers. Was Bombardier stopped in its tracks by

Whitehall's strict value for money procurement policy or by over-

zealous interpretation of the European Union's fair competition

policy? The government has got to read the role it and see how it

Siemens has managed to out bid us. We must take a leaf out of their

book and we must look at the procurement process much more

thoroughly. One Derbyshire Torry says that her government has taken

the wrong decision and she is not alone. Another MP believes that the

procurement rules on this contract were stacked up against Bombardier.

This was a 30 year deal where the operator has to put the carriages

on the track and they get paid for the days they are running. To try

to finance that over a 30 air period is usually difficult. If you

are Siemens, aged huge multi- near -- multinational company, they can

do that a lot easier than someone who is focused on building trains.

In the House of Lords, the Bishop of Derby quest into the coalition's

commitment to British manufacturing. I would be interested if the

minister could indicate to us where something like the design and

making of trains fits into a strategy within which we have do

have their investment in manufacturing and what investment

in manufacturing in a strategy would have to say to a highly

skilled workforce in a place like Derby that those facing collapse

through lack of investment and tackle opportunity. Other big local

employers, Thorntons, the chocolate maker and a Derby-based internet

bank, are shedding staff. Now Bombardier. My genuine anxiety of

is that Bombardier will decide that there is not a future for them in

the United Kingdom. At one level, Bombardier is a Canadian-based

multinational that simply lost out to a German-based multinationals.

Yet, concern over British jobs is fast becoming an early test of this

government's commitment to manufacturing. Next week,

representatives of the railway union will be meeting the Transport

Secretary Philip Hammond to try to persuade the government to reverse

its decision. With me now, the regional organiser of the RMT.

Do you have any reason to believe that you can persuade the

government to change its mind on this and award the contract to

Bombardier instead? We are very confident that our campaign to

overturn that the government's decision is going to be successful.

What is it about the campaign? campaign itself is do brings to the

government's attention the fact that they have done wrong. The

whole procurement process, we believe, was not fair. The fact

that they have issued the contracts to another company that is abroad

and is going to be built abroad, jeopardising thousands of jobs

within the UK, is wholly wrong. fact is that according to the roles

the government says it had to operate within, it believes that

Siemens offers better value for money. Our understanding, it since

the announcement, we have been making various inquiries, and we

understand that the cost of build, Bombardier where she does. The

maintenance contract, Siemens were cheaper. The fact that the finance

arrangements, Siemens wearing a better position having just

received another contract from Germany to build trains. Are you

saying that Siemens were given an unfair advantage? We firmly believe

so. We are sitting under the Freedom of Information Act Better

information with regards to the tendering process. We are also

looking with our legal advisers into the matter. We are hoping to

find out what options are open to us. You are prepared to take it all

the way to the courts? Definitely. Conservative MPs are also concerned

about this. Some are spitting nails over this. Some are adamant that

the government have taken the wrong decision on this issue. They are

seen the Prime Minister over the next few days and will be taking a

but Derbyshire MPs including Nigel Mills a who on Tuesday has secured

a parliamentary debate, an hour and a half parliamentary debate, in

which he will be cross-examining one of the business ministers.

are particularly concerned about the way Philip Hammond is handling

this? Yes, the MP has told us that she was warning the Transport

Secretary weeks ago about the knock-on effect of Bombardier not

getting the contract. She has told us that Philip Hammond told her

that Bombardier has other orders, they will be fine, there will be no

job losses. So she is particularly angry because he dismissed all of

her concerns and claims that the Transport Secretary treated

highlight a young child. She also wants to the National Audit Office

to get involved? Yes, that is true. A group of Derbyshire MPs, they are

planning to approach the National Audit Office within the next few

days about the process that led to the awarding of the contract.

Realistically, what more pressure can you put on the government and

how many other jobs could be at stake in East Midlands? The company

have already announced that they are undertaking a comprehensive

review of their operations within the UK. Worst-case scenario, the

doomsday option, it could be 4500 directly employed people put out of

work. That does not include the supply chain. We are talking

another 25,000 to 30,000 people. The fact that the Germans, the

French and the Spanish... 97% of German trains are built in Germany.

100% in France, 90% in Spain. It is not a fair market and we have to do

something to protect our own. you.

Next, Tony Blair and now David Cameron are big fans of elected

mayors. Try telling that to the Labour group in Mansfield. They are

embroiled in a major row with their mayor.

This man is an elected mayor. He is in charge. But hold on, this man, a

Labour leader, has the support of two-thirds of the councillors in

the town. Some say it is a recipe for disaster and is happening right

here in Mansfield. This man became the first elected mayor of the town

in 2002, ending nearly 30 years of Labour leadership in Mansfield. In

May, he narrowly secured his third term in office. I think people

appreciate the Mail System, the open sea and transparency, the

clear visible leadership, they can get him on the phone, at Resolven

issue. In his two previous terms, the former newsagent he despised

the dogma of party politics, it was supported by a bunch of largely

independent councillors. In May, Labour won a two-thirds of the

seats and wanted their share of power. We had hoped that he would

see that it was appropriate that there was a significant Labour

representation in Cabinet under. Up to four or five members from the

Labour Party. But he did not see it that way and he persuaded two

Labour councillors to join him who were then promptly suspended by the

Labour party for being disloyal. Lifelong Labour Party members are

fuming. I feel better. As much as I am a Labour through and through and

I am not able to do what people elected me to do. -- I feel bitter.

The angry rebels are now serve on the Cabinet as a non aligned

members. I do not know why they are angry. Lots of people are justified

in feeling angry but I do not think it is those councillors. Can you

understand that they feel snubbed by the party that they have been

loyal to for so long? They snubbed the party. This is prove beyond

doubt that these people are more interested in party than people. I

think my added that I have used, I look at the people not the party,

and it exemplified this, they do not do that. They want to rule and

wrought their way. How did the deed poll of Mansfield feel about the

political dogfight? Is a waste of money. Politics! It says it all.

This time, I have to say, I am on his side. I think he is doing the

right thing. The council and the mayor should look at what the

constituents require rather than all of this infighting. None of

this surprises the deputy leader of Nottingham City Council who has

made something of a study of elected mayors and feels the danger

of returning a tyrant is high. As a leader, you are checked and

balanced or of the time. Been there is responsible only to the

electorate. -- the mayor. They have difficulty getting rid of you if

they wanted. It is a bit like ancient Romans. Would you want to

be governed by a republic of or the man who made his horse a senator?

Doncaster's controversial mayor, an English Democrat, has caused

controversy, with policies that included axing two thirds of his

counsellors, banning political correctness and cutting translation

services for immigrants. In Stoke, they were so unhappy with their

electric mayor, they got rid of the system. My message to the mayor is

that he ought to realise that this is North Nottinghamshire not North

Korea. He needs to share power. you think you hoodwinked Labour by

poaching their guys and now they are sacked? I do not think I had

when his mum. Maybe a was cleverer than they gave me the courtesy of.

-- hoodwink to them. If they want to play hardball, I can play

hardball. It was a political move to be proud of, if you want to be

proud of that sort of thing. Personally, I do not. I want

politics to be about policies that work for Mansfield and make it

better. There are 14 it directly elected mayors in England including

Sir Peter Soulsby in Leicester. The governors say they want to see a

lot more because they say they encourage local democracy. But some

people, here in Mansfield, are beginning to doubt that.

We were hoping to get Mansfield's mayor together with that the MPs in

the studio but here is an electric mayor enthusiastic.

You heard this story, this is not Nottinghamshire, not the North

Korea. North Nottinghamshire is finding it difficult at the present

moment in time. Because this political battle that is going on,

the mayor has been elected through the system that Labour set up in

2000. They knew the rules, they know how it works. I suggest that

what they do instead of wasting everybody's time is get back to

work, get back to Mansfield, sort the problems at, they know that the

mayor will work along with him and get things done. Stop wasting their

time, basically? Absolute. The last thing that the mayor wants to do

his work with us. We went to him and said that we are two-thirds of

the council, you got in on a tiny majority on second preference votes.

67 was the number of votes between them. Second preference votes. I

always made it clear that we want to work in partnership with the

mayor. But his Cabinet had to reflect the fact that we have two

thirds of the council. It does seem extraordinary that they do not have

any seats. Not really. Martin knows the rules. The Labour government

set up in 2000 to streamline both local-government and this is a

classic example that of Labour plain old-fashioned politics. They

have the opportunity to join the Cabinet. The two people that did

have been extricated from the Labour Party, or they have had

problems. The fact of the matter is, the mayor has to choose from his

council the best people to run Mansfield. You are saying that none

of them are worth having in the Cabinet? They could have come along

to the mayor and said I am good enough to be on the Cabinet. Isn't

this Labour's fault in the first place because you set up the system

of direct elected mayors? There is a democratic principle at stake. We

won handsomely the election and hold two-thirds majority on the

council. The mayor has chosen his Cabinet from a small group of his

Mansfield independence. It is hearer that is acting in a partisan

way. We have a group of people ageing from 20 up to retirement age,

people in industry, people who run their old -- own businesses.

then you have suspended two of your own councillors for joining his

Cabinet? We agreed as a party that we would go to the mayor with a

negotiating position to say that in his Cabinet it ought to reflect the

two-thirds in the council, that means four or five members. We

agreed. When we went to the boat, this was to be our negotiating

position. -- it was to be our vote. I have not got a problem. You have

got a problem, you were saying it was very difficult in Mansfield.

He knows that that mediation is the way to go. There are problems in

Mansfield that need sorting out. They need to get together... Let me

finish, Martin. Everybody should work together. He should get the

local MP, that is why has did because I do not think the local MP

and the council were together, and stop playing party politics with

the people's lives in Mansfield. If you met the mayor, you would know

that he works with anyone. When he was elected in 2000, -- in 2002, he

had a Labour Cabinet. They were the majority in the council. He worked

very well done with them. clearly will not work with anyone.

We went with a set of proposals and that policies to the electorate and

they were in favour of it. 26 Labour councillors were elected. A

huge democratic approval from what we were saying in terms of policy.

That is what we matters. We want seats in the Cabinet because we

want to put through Labour policies that will achieve what is best for

Mansfield and stop as the mayor and his cronies have been doing for

years, stop the managing decline. We are going to have to leave it