18/09/2011 The Politics Show East

We're in Birmingham for the Lib Dem Conference. After a drubbing at the

polls in the east, grassroots members want this week to help turn

that around. And plans for dramatic changes to

our political boundaries - old names like Ely return while Saffron

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2131 seconds

Hello and welcome to the programme. This is the ICC in Birmingham,

where the Lib Dems are gathering for their autumn conference. Later,

we will be looking at the proposed boundary changes for the Eastern

region. We will have met Norfolk now. Let's

4th will replace north-east Hertfordshire.

As system which has become so disproportionate and so unfair

clearly had to be changed. And the disturbing case is

supported by an MP's charity, which helps people needing artificial

ones. First to the Lib-Dems. Opinion

polls now put support for the party in single figures. The praise it

has had to pay for being in coalition. That is why, this week,

members of the party will be looking to the leadership he give

them a new sense of direction. Every Liberal-Democrats will

remember 5th May for many years to come. Across the region, more than

100 councillors lost their seats, majorities became wafer-thin and

previously strong Lib Dem councils changed hands altogether. For Brian

Moore, defeat was particularly painful. The former leader of

Northampton council came 5th in his own seat. The Lib Dem group there

was reduced to just four. We are suffering for be the scapegoat to

the bad decision saw, rather than being recognised for the good

decisions. You do not feel better? I am very disappointed. But it is

right that we, as local and national politicians, do the right

thing for the town and for the country. Despite everything, Mr

Walker is still sign up to the coalition, and believes it is doing

the right thing. That is the surprise about this conference.

There is but the anger and bloodletting that many commentators

were expecting. It is told that you have been a councillor for many

years and have lost a seat. There are a lot of councillors who are up

for election next year two are thinking, what is the right thing

to do? What is striking, even amongst the most unhappy of the

defeated councillors, there is almost nobody who is saying that

being in coalition was the wrong thing. The question people will be

discussing his, over the next year, how much stronger and the Liberal

Democrat influence on government the? After nearly 18 months of

being nice to its Gorleston partners, there is a growing

feeling of -- there is a growing feeling in the Liberal Democrats

that the party must assert itself more. We must get across the

distinctiveness that the Democrats -- the Liberal Democrats are

bringing across at the national level. We must bring across the

improvement in schooling and the pupil premium. These are things

that only Liberal-Democrats would have achieved in government. We

must get the credit. The fear in the party is that if the leadership

does not assert itself, the Lib Dems may not survive. A party

strategy once told me that for every lead them kids will see that

is lost, the party loses 10 activist. That is why many within

the Lib-Dems are worried at the moment. The grassroots support is

vital for any fight back. The question is, when the fightback

comes, will be grassroots support still be there? Steve Hobson was

one of the few Lib-Dems to buck the trend in May, increasing his

majority as mayor of Bedford. He said he won because he kept

trumpeting his successes. That is what the one party leadership must

do. We must make sure that we are not the fall guys for the

Conservative-dominated government. It is more their fault if things go

wrong than ours. We must make sure that it is not our sports people

who are put up to give the bad news, and Conservatives put up to give

the good news. Last night, the regional party gathered for its

conference reception. They have had quite a few tufts taken out of them

over the past year. They know there is worse to come. They seem to be

up for it. Joining me here are the Norfolk MP

Norman Lamb, who is Nick Clegg's political adviser, and also Julian

Huppert, the MP for Cambridge. Norman, starting with you, Lib-Dem

said yesterday that the party must stress what it is achieving for

government and not be the fall guys for the Conservatives, so how much

of this master of liberalism are we going to see? I think that it is

really important for us to their estates to British people what we

are bringing to the table. One of the points that was made in the

club by Brian in Northampton was the tax cuts for people in low-paid.

I suspect that most people in the country do not realise that people

on the basic rate of income tax at getting significant cuts in tax

read this Parliament due to the Lib Dems. Millions will be taken out of

tax altogether at the lowest end of the income scale. We must get that

across to the public to demonstrate what we are delivering. How can you

be in coalition and that the same time criticise your partner?

think we have to be responsible about it. We have to be mature. We

must not pick fights for the sake of it. But demonstrate what we are

delivering asked him -- as Liberal- Democrats in government. There must

be good, stable and effective government. As Norman said, Julian,

it is about seizing opportunities. Already, be a scene that the party

has rejected an offer to discuss further health reforms. What does

that say to the public? I think it is a slightly odd story. There has

been a lot of story that we have not discussed tell that the

conference. It is being debated on Tuesday and Wednesday and in a

range of smaller meetings. It is very much on the agenda. The

question is how many other things US to discuss. There are lots of

things happening in the government. Things we need to develop arguments

on. We must not just spend all the time on one issue. The country has

a lot of things that need to happen. There are disagreements on health

that needs to be discussed, are the? There are disagreements on a

lot of things. Fundamentally, you have to different parties with

different approaches, tried to work together in the national interest.

Looking at the West, there is Europe and the 50p tax rate. That

is, and a sense, what to expect. These are two distinct parties.

Another Conservative, Jillian is not a Conservative, but we're

prepared to work together in the national interest. People are

really antis about the future. These are incredibly dangerous

times, globally. Having stable government during troubled times

there is really important. Let's talk further about that position.

You are more of a rebel, as I may say so, Julian. 11 sure, you voted

against health reforms. Last year one energy regulation. Is it better

to toe the line when you are in government, or is it better to be

designed? I think it is very important to try and achieve the

light -- the right conclusion that the end. Ultimately, it is a

question as to whether you agree the decision has gone... I voted

with the Lib Dem proposal to make the energy bills likely stronger. I

am not sure that makes me a rebel. The energy bill is a great success

that we are embarrassed to get through. It is about working with

the Conservatives, but keeping that separate identity. There is a drive,

particularly from the media, to suggest a rear together. We're not.

We do not agree on the fundamentals. -- that we are together. It is that

people with friends and family and business colleagues, you work with

people, does not mean you agree on everything. It is good to challenge

the -- it is good to challenge the tribal nature of our politics,

which we have had for decades. most of Europe, parties work

together. You work with people that you do not agree with. I just

wanted to touch a new leadership. Nick Clegg has gone from hero to

zero. He will go back again. Will the? I think that, in time, people

will recognise that the dead the brave thing, and the right thing.

Following a general a wreck -- following a general election, there

is no conclusive outcome. What people needed was stable government

when the international money markets were attacking governments

across Europe. We provided stability, and be assured that we

have a low interest rates going forward. Times are really tough

economic cliff for very many people. At least we have lower interest

rates. -- economic Glee. We have brought down the interest rates

decisively. In the future, we will be able to rebuild. In time, the

view of people have of next will be that he has done the right thing.

People talk more any moment. One of the biggest that other

changes to a little Burney's was announced this week. Under the be

decommissioned's plans to rewrite the political map, the eastern

region could lose two MPs and the future. That is because the

Government pledged to reduce the number of MPs by 10%, but Labour

has already complained that it will make their seats more difficult to

win. There are big changes in store for

our electoral boundaries. Changes that are likely to cause

controversy among the MPs and their constituents. The plans could see a

couple of our parliamentarians out of a job. Two seats in the East are

set to war, one effect Med Bedfordshire's has spoken MP.

will see what happens. I know that, for me, I have a 40 years of this

parliamentary term to serve for Mid Bedfordshire. And pretty Patel's

recently created Essex seat is likely to be merged with greasy,

losing a seat there. 50% of my seat is in the new Essex North West seat,

which is effectively the says the more than seat. I am not going to

prejudge anything, and I will decide at a later date would site I

decide to put myself forward for. All only 10 existing constituencies

will remain unchanged, including court jester, Cambridge and most of

support. Everywhere else will have their political boundaries changed.

Some so dramatically that they will change their names to

constituencies like Keynes line, Thetford and sport, and Letchworth.

Having fewer MPs should save millions from the public purse. But

everyone is convinced about the changes. They still on, a

traditional home for the Lib Dems. Still man is now being told to look

south for -- towards the Conservative stronghold, Great

Yarmouth. What do they do in Great Yarmouth? Nothing. The MP we have

at the moment has done good work for us. Then there is the home of

Horseracing and seat of West Sussex MP, Matt Hancock, who is passionate

about representing Newmarket. Just last week, he was and the time --

in the town of Reading the gallops. A boundary changes are the norm

here. Since the 1,800, the market has been bounced from support to

gain a share. An order to remarry lay with Newmarket, the market will

have to divorce Suffolk, and become part of Cambridgeshire.

ordinary person out there it does not think the changes will make any

difference. I am not very keen on it. For what reason? I am quite

happy with the way things are. Newmarket is not the only town said

to straddle counties. So too will new constituencies like wispy and

Panama market. Meanwhile, some constituencies only created before

the last election are being reformed. A system which has become

so this proportional and so unfair clearly had to be changed.

Equalising the size of constituencies, all the academics

agree, is a perfectly rational way of making the system fairer. Within

the next 12 weeks, it is up to all of us and our MPs to see what we

think about the proposals. The responses will be published next

spring. Final recommendations will be ready by next year. There are

already doubts as to whether that deadline will be met.

Our guests are still with us. Norman Lamb, people on that film

bemoaning the fact that they could lose you. That is encouraging!

are seeing a lot of that there are three? We are, it is quite

uncertain times in a sense, we do not know what will happen. I think

that there is a danger from MPs that they will lose their jobs.

What people should do, communities, as they are not Tapply with the

proposals, they should contact the boundary commission. They can do it

though their MPs if they want. People's voices should be heard.

The new constituencies must make some sense geographically, in terms

of committees, rather than just meeting E-numbers targets. They

have got to be coherent. -- meeting of the numbers target. Julian, the

wanting system you wanted his ad, but that dream is now a shattered.

Cambridge voted for it, and I wish you could just have it in

Cambridge! As Norman says, there is the risk that what we get is lot of

MPs are saying that, my constituency might change. It is

not their constituency, it is their residence. We need to look more at

the effect it will have on people. It is right that people are

represented equally. What about the idea that Labour are saying, that

because of the expansion of the constituencies, that some of their

seats will become on Donald? Is that the same for the Lib Dems?

There will be some seeds, currently held by the Lib Dems which will be

lost. That is the case for all the parties. It is quite a significant

change, and that the moment, people are just try to assess what the

impact will be. Perhaps Labour should have supported voting reform.

They might have got a fairer deal. The system we have does distort the

way people vote. It ends up with people not been represented in

parliament the way they have voted. What about fewer backbenchers

representing people? That is a concern, isn't it? There is a

question of how many ministers are on the payroll. That should be

looked at gradually. I think the other thing to say is that, I am

concerned that this is becoming such a huge political story, when I

do not think it affects most people that much. If you have caused

people on the street what the top five things they are concerned

about the is, few of them will say that they are concerned that there

will be put in a constituency with the town down the road. Thank you

very much indeed. You may wonder what our MPs get up

to during recess. Many do voluntary work during the summer months. The

family charity of one other MPs springs from bitter personal

experience. Victoria Beckham, the wife of our South Norfolk MP has

been to Tanzania to visit her charity, which raises money to buy

prosthetic limbs for amputees. And see me does this film as a video

diary. You may find some of the report quite upsetting.

Tanzania is one of the few countries in Africa which has at

least enjoyed a sustained period of peace. This is barrier Salaam, the

capital city. The sprawling, noisy metropolis which overlooks the

Indian Ocean. My husband Richard spent one week here, as a volunteer

for voluntary services overseas. Idea ready? Hello, Mr Meacher.

was working with farmers' groups to raise the profile of small farmers,

helping them improve seeds and fertilisers. I joined him in

Tanzania for his second week, flying over Lake Victoria to a

region and the far north-west of the country. This is one of the

press of Tanzania's eight impoverished regions. I am here in

the extreme north-west corner of Tanzania, near the borders with

Uganda and Burundi, Uganda is over in the extreme right hand corner.

Burundi is on the left. Here is where an interesting experiment was

started with the World Food Programme. They have ruled out a

new play forward, which provides a steady market for small growers

Bender Syria, and the areas where red beans grow. They have the

ability to buy food from local producers. -- where. Beware also

visiting this corner of Tanzania to see people living with disability.

-- we all wear also visiting. There is the large number of amputees in

Tanzania. Road access are prevalent. Infection can lead to infection --

indexing can lead to amputation. Their lives they lead people to

hazards. Cooking is done over open fires, so it is no surprise that

many children and adults are burnt. They also face the next such as

crocodile attack. Some of the saddest of the amputee

victims he met were up by no children, whose arms had been

deliberately hack off after which doctors encouraged the belief that

the bones of an Alpine or child would bring the bare at good

fortune. Ins -- of an Alpine hotels would bring be better good fortune.

Most will by no children still have to leave their homes are for their

own safety. Ability at this children for -- at best home for

disabled children. There is a personal story behind their visits

to. I have recently set up a charity with my twin sister, Sarah,

called Elizabeth's legacy of old, which raises money for children in

developing countries to any prosthetics. -- Elizabeth's a

legacy of hope. Senna, our mother Elizabeth and Sarah's daughter,

Pollyanna, then just two years old, were all hit by a bus in London.

Mummy died sure they afterwards, and Pollyanna lost a leg below the

knee. Helping others helps us come to terms with what happened to her

family. The people of Kagera are the first we have been able to help,

through partnerships with a charity called Friends of the children of

Tanzania, who wants to offer hope to those who so urgently needed. --