02/10/2011 The Politics Show London


02/10/2011

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Welcome to the Politics Show in Manchester where the Conservatives

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are gathering, troubled by the compromises of coalition and a

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gloomy economic outlook. We'll ask Party Chairman Baroness Warsi how

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she responds to those Tories, and there are lot of them here in

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Manchester, who think the price of coalition has been, well, a bit on

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the high side. And as George Osborne prepares for his big speech,

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we ask Tory backbenchers and businesses large and small how we

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can go for growth? And we'll have details of an exclusive survey of

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activists on what they want to hear from the Chancellor tomorrow.

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will be asking the Transport Minister how the capital can avoid

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gridlock during next year's Olympics. Plus Middle England is up

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in arms about new plan threatening the green belt. Could they affect

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But first the news with Chris Good afternoon. David Cameron has

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again defended the government's strategy for delivering economic

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growth. He insisted the Conservatives understood how rising

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prices were making life difficult for many people. And he said being

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in coalition was helpful at a time of economic difficulty. From the

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party's conference in Manchester, Ben Wright sent this report.

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His government under pressure to get the economy growing. This

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morning he insisted he had a plan for firing up the engine of the

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British economy. He said he knew people were under pressure but

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dismissed calls for extra spending. Those people who argue a few more

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billion now would make all the difference, I would say, over the

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next four years, we will be spending three trillion pounds,

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into the economy. Is it really a good risk to spend a few more

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billion now and potentially put at risk of low interest rates which

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are so keyed to the economic revival? Housebuilding is a key

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part of the growth plan and wants to accelerate the council house

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right-to-buy scheme and build a new house for everyone which is sold.

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Brownfield sites will be sold for development. The biggest crisis is

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the eurozone. The Prime Minister said it had to be tackled. What I

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would relish right now is for European leaders to roll up their

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sleeves, get the single market working, get the economies trading,

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working and growing. People up and down Britain on not thinking, if

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only we could have a treaty change in Europe. They are thinking, get

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jobs going. That's what my conference and leadership is about.

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He conceded there were tensions within the coalition. He said it

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was the right government for the time. One of the benefits of

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coalition is you put aside some of your immediate interests to achieve

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long-term good and ask the country to try and come behind what the

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Government is doing at a difficult time. The fact two parties are

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making difficult decisions. party faithful are cross about the

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compromises of coalition and sharing power with the Liberal

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Democrats. The Tories will use his conference to show voters they

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understand times are tough and they will try to convince critics I have

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a credible plan for the economy. George Osborne as likely to

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announce more growth measures tomorrow but there will be no

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deviation from his plan to do with the deficit. That deal with the

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deficit. A leading charity says there has

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been a surge in the number of people who can't afford basic foods.

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FareShare, which distributes surplus food from supermarkets and

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manufacturers, says it's facing an unprecedented demand from families

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struggling to cope with rising prices. Andy Moore has the details.

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The charity FareShare takes surplus food from the retail industry and

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gives it to the charities that needed to like homeless hostels,

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day centres and women's refuges. It's not giving it individual food

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parcels but is responsible for providing millions of meals a year

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to those who need them and that demand is increasing. Their food

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reaches 35,000 people every day from 29,500 a year ago. Almost two

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I took three of their clients have gone without a proper meal for a

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police today in the last year and yet they are disputing only 1% of

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Britain's food surplus. The vast majority is going to waste. That's

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why the charity is calling on the food industry to do more to help.

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It says it is immoral that people are going to bed hungry when

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thousands of tons of food a day is just being thrown away. The number

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of charities FareShare helps is growing all the time, up from 600

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to 700 this year. Those charities are facing an increasing demand for

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basic food needs and, at the same time, a reduction in their funding.

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Red Cross officials in Libya say the humanitarian situation

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situation in Colonel Gaddafi's home-town of Sirte has become dire.

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Sirte is under siege from forces loyal to the National Transitional

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Council. A medical team that reached a hospital there yesterday

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said there was almost no medicine, food or water.

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700 demonstrators have been arrested in New York as they tried

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to block the Brooklyn Bridge as part of a protest against Wall

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Street. The activists halted traffic for several hours. They

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were part of a larger group crossing the bridge from Manhattan,

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where they have been camped out near Wall Street for two weeks.

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Welcome to Manchester and the Conservative party conference,

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where there is a slight retro feel. Economic troubles, arguments over

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Europe and, this morning, a Tory Prime Minister offering council

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house residents the right to buy. So who better to go back to the

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future this morning than two veterans of political punditry?

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Polly Toynbee of the Guardian. And Benedict Brogan of the Daily

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Telegraph. Maybe you're both too young to be called veterans. The

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interesting thing we saw this morning was the David Cameron

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interview with the Sunday Times where he seemed to be apologising

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to women. Has he got women troubles? Yes, profound ones. I'm

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not sure they made sexist jokes in the Commons. The trouble is it

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reflects what's happening. Women and children have been hit hardest

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by a cut after cut after cut, particularly childcare credits,

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paying more for child care. 600 women a week are now leaving their

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jobs because they can't afford child care. The costs have gone up

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and I think these are Exocet right into the heart of how women feel

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they are suffering the most. Do you think there is polling in the toe

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ring -- and the Tory party that suggests they have a problem with

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women voters? Conservatives rely on them but Number Ten has found

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lately focus groups are telling them that women are going off the

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Conservatives and David Cameron, so expect to see a lot to soften the

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image and message. He's also got a problem with Margaret Thatcher, her

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shadow looming over him in his party. People which he was more

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conservative inside the coalition. That is the other woman problem he

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has got. Is there a dissatisfaction, do you think, amongst the grass

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roots here, that what they are getting is too much of the

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coalition view that not enough of the Conservative you? There is the

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basic Conservative complaint which has that they wished this was a

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more conservative government and they will wish they had the

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majority in could do more and they say though Lib Dem tail is wagging

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the Conservative dog. David Cameron will say that this is pushing

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through Conservative policies. But that perception persists here.

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There are 120 Euro rebels for instance whereas when John Major

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talked about his baskets, they run a 22. The new intake appears to be

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on the right side of the party. you think that will cause him

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problems this week? I think so. I think there is a sense that the

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party is going in the wrong direction, they want to push it in

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another direction. Much resentment of the Lib Dems to fight tooth and

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claw in each consistency. I think Polly is wrong on the Europe

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question. William Hague and David Cameron in the interviews this

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morning appeared to be relaxed about the fact there would be a

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boat in the Commons on the EU, and a lot of their MPs are causing

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trouble in Europe. The pressure is on but in the end, it won't lead to

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the kind of trouble John Major had. Both of you, for the moment, thank

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you very much. Now David Cameron's had a pretty good year. He's got

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more councillors than he had 12 months ago. He won a thumping

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victory in the AV referendum. And was mobbed as a liberator on the

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streets of Benghazi. But, despite all that, his party is not an

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entirely happy one. For many, the price in Tory policies and Tory

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principles of coalition has been too high and the economy remains

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nothing to celebrate. In a moment we'll speak to Tory Chairman

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Baroness Warsi. But first a guide football, raving and music. Will

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the Tory grassroots be mad for it? Well, they are certainly happy

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about Ed Miliband's rocky week in Liverpool. But the Lib Dem

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coalition is wearing thin for many. They said the Lib Dems are bad too

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much influence over Europe, health and taxation. As if that wasn't

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enough, they had to put up with this. We fought against the bankers,

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the populism of Tories after the riots. What I will not do is

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provide cover for the ideological descendants of those who once sent

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children up chimneys. And let that be a warning to the Conservative

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right. We need no tea-party tendencies in Britain. And no

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dealing with a depth it has helped the coalition so far. The economy

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could yet tear them apart again as Tory frustration grows that the

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Government are not cutting business taxes and tackling the duration --

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:11:04.:11:13.

tackling regulation. With me now is Baroness Warsi. Welcome. Would you

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say you're happy party at the moment? Yes, it's more united than

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it's been for a long time. We have a broad range of views. They have

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to make sure that not only do we present a vision of what the party

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stands for but the party internally as a debate. For the first time

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after many years, we are having an open Conservative Policy Forum

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debate where no questions are off the agenda. Isn't there a

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fundamental dissatisfaction, at the link up Lib Dems on influencing the

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coalition? Some people would say we're not doing enough, some people

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who would say we are going to find that the broad basis of what the

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Conservative Party is about. But I'm very clear what we're doing in

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government. We are acting in the national interest, making tough

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decisions and we are making them based upon manifesto commitment

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that we fought for before the general election. The Human Rights

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Act. Theresa May says to scuppered. Nick Clegg assets to keep it.

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is a commission and then we will have a debate. If you're suggesting

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something as serious at the Human Rights Act should be something we

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should discuss and move on, it's wrong. Theresa May sounds like she

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has done just that. That's why we need a commission because we have

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different people with different views, which need to be fed in.

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you putting Theresa May in a box? I'm not doing anything of the sort.

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We have some fantastically established and learned brains who

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are going to discuss and debate this. Its white a country should

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feel that decisions it needs to take in the interest of its

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security should be able to make those decisions without feeling

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that they are being dealt with on high by somebody else. Another aim,

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you said you would repatriate powers from the European Union. Can

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you name one you have a repatriated? We said any further

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powers which go to Europe will be subjected to a referendum and we

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would use opportunities to try to win those powers back. Any yet?

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This will be part of a process. That is what the Conservative view

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is. We feel too many powers have been given to Europe. Everyone

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would say three cheers to that, but what have you won back? One thing

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we have been discussing, for example, is when the Prime Minister

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went to Europe and said that it can't be the case that when a

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country at home it is making cuts in its budget, Europe continues to

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say, increase our budget. It was right for the Prime Minister. The

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first time for a British prime minister to go out there and say

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that. We had Labour members of the European Parliament voting against

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Alan national interests. Planning on the green belt. Are you in tune

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there? We are Clare with a green agenda. It's something which has

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been part of what we believe in as Conservatives -- clear. Are you in

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tune with your grass roots? Yes, if you look at the announcement made

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yesterday, about housing being built on brownfield sites, empty

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offices, on the Government... could quote you endless letters

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about it pulls up. I would still struggle to come up with something

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as utterly biased and facile as the National Policy Network, this

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letter says. Our children will cursors it our countryside is

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spoiled for short-term advantage. - - curse us. It goes on.

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completely agree, we should preserve the countryside for our

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children. But what we do need it is a reform in the planning system. We

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can't carry on in a system which takes years to get off the ground,

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to have an infrastructure project, which creates a situation under the

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last government, where we did not build houses, people could not get

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onto the housing ladder and its white the Government invests in

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housebuilding. Why do you think you're grassroots are so

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dissatisfied? I don't think they are. There are people in the party

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who have different views. I welcome that pulls up a robust party which

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engages with itself than challenges itself, is a good thing. I can tell

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you, as party chairman, and I go out and speak to people, and I

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campaign up and down the country, I know there is one thing this party

:15:57.:16:02.

is united about, that whatever they think in relation to their own

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political views, they feel about a secondary to what is in the

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interests of the country. And making sure that is what we might,

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by doing the right thing by the A survey on Conservative Home van

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TUPE at least popular minister in the Cabinet. -- Found You the least

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popular minister in the Cabinet. Why is that? This is not me, it is

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about us as a party saying that these are difficult times. Of

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course, in the country, there are families facing hard choices, and

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we shouldn't do... Is that because they have not seen you fighting the

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good fight? During the phone hacking scandal, we never saw you

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defending the government? During the riots, after the riots, we did

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that see you. You have been slightly invisible, other people

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have been the voice of the Conservative Party. My job is very

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simple. It is to make sure we steer a steady ship and win elections.

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What are the two big collections over the last 12 months? The AV

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referendum, the mother of all elections, we cut the mother of all

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results. The local elections, where every pundit and every commentator

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said we would lose 1,000 seats, but we gained seats. We gained

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councillors, we won across the country, and that is what I was

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doing, going out, campaigning, working with activists and making

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sure we are putting Conservative principles on the doorstep. That is

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my job. Ben. Your job is to sell the new, compassionate Conservative

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Party, yet when you hear Francis Maude describing the National Trust

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in a way that he did, does it make your job more difficult? It is the

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job of every one officers Conservatives to go out and sell

:17:57.:18:01.

the Conservative message. It is important that we are frank and

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honest about we feel these things are. Francis Maude has a view, and

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he will express it in a way that he wants to. My job is to make sure

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that I lead a united party, that I lead a strong party and we strongly

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Gazza and fight elections. Why do we fight elections? Not just

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because we want to win, but if we believe in the party that we are

:18:25.:18:28.

today, we can only put those principles into action if we are

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winning. You sound as if you are from another planet. People are

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really suffering, they are losing jobs, they are losing money,

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households are cut by about 7% in real spending power, inflation is

:18:43.:18:46.

soaring, people are anxious and worried. Women have turned against

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the Conservatives because it is they and children who have been hit

:18:50.:18:54.

over and over again, and it is sound complacent, and I worry that

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this conference just does not get it about how great the crisis is

:18:58.:19:03.

and that the economic policy is not working. The deficit is rising, not

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falling, due to George Osborne's policies. People are worried, they

:19:06.:19:10.

are making difficult choices, but if you ask each and every one of

:19:10.:19:13.

those people that you're making these difficult choices, if you had

:19:13.:19:17.

a choice, would you go for the good life now, or would you actually

:19:17.:19:22.

have a stable and secular, prosperous future for your

:19:22.:19:27.

children? You do not deal with a deficit, Polly, by saying, let's

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borrow a bit more money that we do not have had spent a bit more money.

:19:31.:19:34.

That is living on a different planet. We are going to talk about

:19:34.:19:37.

the economic aspect of this, because it seems the government

:19:37.:19:41.

does not have a coherent and credible plan for growth. Not my

:19:41.:19:47.

words, not Ed Balls's, but those of the Treasury of the Select

:19:47.:19:49.

Committee, Andrew Tyrie. The government says they have a plan

:19:49.:19:54.

and they will explain more this week, but options can look limited.

:19:54.:19:57.

So what can George Osborne of a conference tomorrow? Here is Max

:19:57.:20:03.

Cotton that some ideas for the Chancellor.

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You recognise the name of this country, this is the essay. It

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stands for Birmingham Small Arms, and they used to make rather a bid

:20:14.:20:18.

for motorbikes, but today they manufacture specialist machine

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tools. -- beautiful motorbikes. A company that many thought of as

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AdWords to the wall in the 1980s now apparently hold the key to our

:20:26.:20:34.

economic recovery. -- that many of us thought had gone to the war.

:20:34.:20:38.

There is an emphasis on building binges like this in the

:20:38.:20:42.

manufacturing sector. But growth is slowing down, not speeding up, and

:20:42.:20:46.

his is the biggest headache the government has got. The growth plan

:20:46.:20:49.

was written down in March, and in March we had a reasonable degree of

:20:49.:20:53.

confidence that growth in the economy, in 2011 and 2012, would be

:20:53.:20:56.

stronger than it now turns out to be given the worldwide slowdown. So

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we do not want government to change the plan, we want government to

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accelerate the plan. The CBI wants plan any, but plus, which means it

:21:09.:21:14.

will deliver more in the short term. Growth is going to come from

:21:14.:21:20.

companies like this, small and medium-sized enterprises make up

:21:20.:21:24.

80% of Britain's private sector. Now, the government are trying to

:21:24.:21:29.

stimulate growth. They provide tax breaks, they produce business rates

:21:29.:21:32.

-- reduce business rates and cut Corporation Tax. They have

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increased funding for things like apprenticeships. But for many

:21:35.:21:40.

companies like this, it is still not quite enough. Here they have a

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chronic skills shortage, and they also spend a huge amount of time

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and money complying with government regulation. We have got the skills

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in this country, and we must continue to generate them. Steve is

:21:56.:22:01.

managing director of BSA Machine Tools. If you take a ten-man band,

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the SNA, we are talking skill base, if you, for example, with parental

:22:07.:22:11.

leave, suddenly had one of the individuals, an engineer turning up

:22:11.:22:15.

wanting to take three months off, that could actually put that

:22:15.:22:21.

company down. Now, that is not the intention, so we do have to look at

:22:21.:22:25.

what regulation is doing. Red tape is something that the government is

:22:26.:22:34.

committed to reducing, but apparently it is not happening fast

:22:34.:22:39.

enough. The government has 80 policy, that for every new

:22:39.:22:44.

regulation that is introduced, one must be taken off the books. -- a

:22:44.:22:49.

key policy. They are taking them off by the end of the parliament,

:22:49.:22:53.

but that is three years away. At the moment, the economy has more

:22:53.:22:57.

regulation than at the start of this government. There are

:22:57.:23:00.

Conservatives who are getting fidgety about his lack of progress.

:23:00.:23:04.

This is Bridgwater in the West Country. It has a manufacturing

:23:04.:23:10.

base, too, and it as a right-of- centre Tory MP blames the Liberal

:23:10.:23:16.

Democrat for holding back his party's efforts to stimulate growth.

:23:16.:23:19.

You do not actually have a Conservative government. We have a

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coalition government, and that has been my frustration from day one.

:23:24.:23:29.

Liberals are big government, big bureaucracy, they love paperwork,

:23:29.:23:32.

whereas the Conservatives are the opposite, small government, lean

:23:32.:23:36.

government, less regulation. I think that is exactly where we have

:23:36.:23:41.

this dichotomy, and this battle will continue as long as the

:23:41.:23:44.

coalition does. But according to this former Conservative trade

:23:44.:23:49.

minister, when it comes to tackling regulation, it is not just the Lib

:23:49.:23:52.

Dems that are the problem. regulation, everybody agrees that

:23:52.:23:56.

it has risen massively and that there is too much of it. A lot of

:23:56.:24:00.

it is now a EU driven. We are constrained by the EU, particularly

:24:00.:24:03.

if the government is not prepared to stand up to the EU and say, we

:24:03.:24:09.

need to reduce this. But you can take a regulation like money-

:24:09.:24:13.

laundering, EU and global, and say that we will do it in a more

:24:13.:24:16.

sensible way. These concerns are shared by the Tory rank and file. A

:24:16.:24:21.

survey of party members conducted for the Politics Show asked what

:24:21.:24:23.

measures the Chancellor should announce this week to boost

:24:23.:24:29.

economic growth. They favour three policies. At number three, cut

:24:29.:24:37.

business taxes. No. Two, opt-out of EU regulations. Number one, cut red

:24:37.:24:45.

tape. BSA Machine Tools in the West Midlands needs a flow of credit,

:24:45.:24:49.

like every other company, but banks, as we all know, still have that

:24:49.:24:54.

have firmly turned off. This company effectively borrowed from

:24:54.:25:01.

its staff and its customers to stay competitive last year. I think we

:25:01.:25:05.

do need to stimulate growth more, and number one for me would be to

:25:05.:25:07.

create three new banks out of the assets and liabilities in UK

:25:08.:25:11.

banking that the state already owns, raised serious sums of money from

:25:11.:25:15.

the private sector so that he would have a war-chest of money available

:25:15.:25:18.

to lend for people who wanted to back these and projects and

:25:18.:25:24.

businesses that needed money to expand. -- back decent projects.

:25:24.:25:28.

The Chancellor stands up tomorrow at the Conservative conference.

:25:28.:25:31.

British business and party activists are waiting for something

:25:31.:25:37.

new and radical to stimulate growth. Over to you, George.

:25:37.:25:42.

That was Max Cotton reporting. Can you name me one good economic

:25:42.:25:46.

indicator at the moment? Yes, that we have got the second strongest

:25:47.:25:51.

growth rate in the G7. It is not a great growth rate, but it is still

:25:51.:25:56.

the second strongest. It is being downgraded. That is actually the

:25:56.:25:59.

picture that we need to look at. Look, of course things are

:25:59.:26:02.

difficult in this country, if you look at what is happening around

:26:02.:26:06.

the world, if you look at the US market, which is completely

:26:06.:26:10.

stagnating, the crisis in the eurozone, we have got headwinds at

:26:10.:26:13.

tail winds being thrown at his country, but what we do have in

:26:13.:26:17.

this country is a sense of a safe haven, a stability that has been

:26:17.:26:21.

created because of the plan that the government has in place. You do

:26:21.:26:25.

not have a coherent and credible plan for the economic growth rate

:26:25.:26:30.

of the UK economy, Quote unquote, Andrew Tyrie, treasury secretary

:26:30.:26:34.

chairman. Andrew has got great experience on some of these matters,

:26:34.:26:39.

and it is right that he raises some of these issues, but I disagree

:26:39.:26:43.

because I think first of all having a plan to deal with the deficit is

:26:43.:26:46.

essential to get the stability, and then we have to have a clear growth

:26:46.:26:50.

plan, and from what we have already announced, whether support for the

:26:50.:26:56.

regional growth runs... He says the plan is incoherent and inconsistent.

:26:56.:27:00.

Let me tell you what we are doing. We have a clear privatisation of

:27:00.:27:03.

capital projects, so right here in Manchester we have made sure we are

:27:03.:27:07.

putting money into the Piccadilly to Oxford line that will create

:27:07.:27:11.

jobs, that will create enterprise in the local area. The local

:27:11.:27:15.

enterprise partnerships, the money going in to businesses, if you

:27:15.:27:20.

start a business in the regions, we will not charge in national

:27:20.:27:24.

insurance for the first number of employees to take on. It is about

:27:24.:27:27.

investing in scale, putting in more apprenticeships, going out and say

:27:27.:27:30.

we are open for business. Time after time, you are seen as

:27:30.:27:34.

governments try to do all it can to unblock that potential assets,

:27:34.:27:39.

let's try and help growth. promised the bonfire of red tape,

:27:39.:27:43.

and people are still seeing regulation. In that survey, that

:27:43.:27:47.

poll, people feel that you have not done that, that there is still too

:27:47.:27:50.

much regulation and that you should be cutting even more force that we

:27:51.:27:58.

should be. There are two types of regulation. Effectively, you have

:27:58.:28:02.

got two bits of regulation. You have got regulation that is

:28:02.:28:05.

British-made, what we pass in Parliament and put on our

:28:05.:28:08.

businesses. The advent of regulation that comes out of Europe,

:28:08.:28:12.

and that is much harder to control because of the agreements we have

:28:12.:28:18.

entered into. -- you have then got regulation. What we have managed to

:28:18.:28:23.

achieve as a government is that the regulation that is put on by us as

:28:23.:28:26.

a country has slowed down and actually plateau it. We have got a

:28:26.:28:30.

very clear policy in government. What David Cameron has said to

:28:31.:28:35.

ministers, if you want regulation, you must tender one up. It is one

:28:35.:28:40.

in, one out. For the first time, we are beginning to put a brake on the

:28:40.:28:43.

amount of regulation and red tape that surrounds businesses.

:28:43.:28:46.

other thing people say is that not just cutting red tape, you should

:28:46.:28:49.

be cutting spending even more than you are doing it you want to

:28:49.:28:55.

regenerate. Do you think George Osborne is going far enough? Some

:28:55.:28:58.

give of think we are cutting too far, some say we have not cut far

:28:58.:29:02.

enough. It is a plan that has got international credibility, and we

:29:02.:29:06.

are sticking to it. One other question I want to ask you, Ed

:29:06.:29:10.

Miliband got into a spot of bother when he was asked the other day

:29:11.:29:13.

whether he could name the candidates for the Labour

:29:13.:29:17.

leadership. Can you name the candidates for the Tory leadership?

:29:17.:29:26.

Yes, I can! Do you want them? OK,, we have got Murdo Fraser, Carla

:29:27.:29:30.

Jackson, we have got Ruth Davidson, who was fantastic in Glasgow, I

:29:30.:29:34.

have campaigned with or, and we have got Margaret, our 4th

:29:34.:29:40.

candidate, who has just declared. Full marks on that one! There are

:29:40.:29:44.

people applauding in the background, the Tory faithful. We are a party

:29:44.:29:48.

for all the nation, including the Scottish party, and so I should

:29:48.:29:52.

know what is happening, and so should he. On the Liberal Democrats,

:29:52.:29:55.

the insults that were held in York general direction, the descendants

:29:55.:29:59.

of people who send people up chimneys, the Tea Party movement,

:29:59.:30:04.

what did you make of that? thought you go and talk about the

:30:04.:30:10.

insults in the AV referendum. can add that to the pile. It was

:30:10.:30:12.

the Liberal Party conference, and they had to play to their party.

:30:12.:30:17.

You know, you saw Labour claimed to their party last week. This week it

:30:17.:30:21.

will be different, we will be saying to the country, these are

:30:21.:30:24.

serious times, we are showing you some clear leadership, and we are

:30:24.:30:28.

building for a better future. That means putting party politics aside.

:30:29.:30:33.

It is how we started out this Government. Do you like the Liberal

:30:33.:30:37.

Democrats? I love working with them, I have made some great friends. Do

:30:37.:30:42.

I agree with their policies? No, I don't. I am chairman of the

:30:42.:30:45.

Conservative Party, and however much I have enjoyed working with

:30:45.:30:49.

them, and I am proud of the coalition we are in, but at the

:30:49.:30:52.

next general election I will be making sure that we are fighting

:30:52.:31:02.

for a Conservative majority How can you do that you can't talk

:31:02.:31:08.

about tax cuts? The Conservative Party is not just about tax cuts.

:31:08.:31:11.

The compassionate Conservative Party I have been involved in talks

:31:11.:31:15.

about making sure those who have the broad shoulders to bear the

:31:15.:31:19.

greatest burden. It's about saying kids from deprived backgrounds

:31:19.:31:22.

should have the biggest support when they start out in life. It's

:31:22.:31:25.

about giving a sense of opportunity for every child, whatever

:31:26.:31:31.

background, we are not a party obsessed with taxation. Of course

:31:31.:31:35.

we support Business and a low-tax economy always helps enterprise,

:31:35.:31:39.

but there are serious issues for us to do it as a country, and you're

:31:39.:31:43.

getting to grips with those for I think a lot of people listening to

:31:43.:31:47.

you today will say they don't seem to get it. Everything is fine,

:31:47.:31:52.

steady-as-she-goes, but it's not working. The deficit is rising, not

:31:52.:31:57.

falling. If you could say it is very tough now but the deficit is

:31:57.:32:01.

falling, we've had a big devaluation, a balance of trade,

:32:02.:32:07.

there are no economic indicators which show that things are going

:32:07.:32:12.

right. A lot of people listening to you today, with all due respect,

:32:12.:32:16.

will be thinking, if the only answer that they have to this debt

:32:16.:32:20.

crisis is to say let's borrow a bit more and get into a bit more of a

:32:20.:32:26.

mess, they will say thank God the Government has changed. That's not

:32:26.:32:29.

what Matt Roberts said. Thank God the Government has changed and for

:32:29.:32:35.

the future of our country and our children, but they are taking

:32:35.:32:45.
:32:45.:32:47.

control for a better future. Thank you very much for that. So, we've

:32:47.:32:49.

heard today about plans to reinvigorate the right to buy in

:32:49.:32:53.

part to help boost the economy. Labour opposed it in the 80s. Will

:32:53.:32:56.

they back it today? We're joined now from Southampton by the Shadow

:32:56.:32:58.

Business Secretary John Denham. Welcome to you. Do you support the

:32:58.:33:02.

plans? Well, we did keep the right to buy in place when we were in

:33:02.:33:06.

government but we kept a balance so the discount wasn't so high that we

:33:06.:33:09.

lost too many homes that we couldn't replace and the critical

:33:09.:33:13.

questions here are going to be whether, if you change the system,

:33:13.:33:17.

we actually increase the number of homes for people who otherwise

:33:17.:33:21.

won't have anywhere else to live, and I am sceptical about what I

:33:21.:33:26.

hear so far. A bigger priority for me would be to put up the tax on

:33:26.:33:30.

bank bonuses and put that money into building social housing which

:33:30.:33:34.

is needed today for people who can't get anywhere to live and

:33:34.:33:41.

would help to create jobs and boost the economy. What about the policy

:33:41.:33:45.

that you will not be able to take an unfair dismissal case against an

:33:45.:33:51.

employer if you haven't worked for them for two years? At the moment,

:33:51.:33:57.

it is for one year. I think, I don't see the pressing need to make

:33:57.:34:01.

life worse for people who work in that way but let me tell you this,

:34:01.:34:06.

the Government to sell things that will make 3,000 cases different in

:34:06.:34:11.

a whole year. If anybody wants to tell me or you that growth in this

:34:11.:34:15.

country is being held back massively by 3,000 a tribunal cases,

:34:15.:34:20.

I think they are wrong. Secondly, there are huge frustrations a month

:34:20.:34:30.

employees about the way tribunal's work. Let me just introduce... You

:34:30.:34:34.

said you don't see a pressing need for this to change. Is under

:34:34.:34:38.

government seeing the pressing need of employers? -- isn't the

:34:38.:34:43.

Government's seeing the pressing need of employers? Yes, each yeah

:34:43.:34:47.

cases in tribunals cost employers a lot of money when there's no

:34:47.:34:52.

grounding -- each year. We have to sort out the weather tribunal

:34:52.:34:57.

system operates, make sure people can't make cases last for ages and

:34:57.:35:02.

ages and ages, and make sure tribunals are not dropped because

:35:02.:35:08.

listings have gone wrong. Then we can sort out the legitimate

:35:08.:35:12.

grievances between employees and employers. The Government would

:35:12.:35:16.

argue that what they're trying to do is to change something

:35:16.:35:19.

fundamental on the supply a site. The regulation, cutting corporate

:35:19.:35:27.

tax. Are there any of those that you agree with? Last year planning

:35:27.:35:33.

laws were changed. Today we have 200,000 less planning permissions

:35:33.:35:37.

for homes in this country than a year ago. If they had not done that,

:35:37.:35:42.

they wouldn't have made the situation work. For all the bluster

:35:42.:35:47.

we have had to about planning, it's now in chaos, and they are locked

:35:47.:35:53.

into an increasingly abusive debate with a National Trust about

:35:53.:35:58.

building on good countryside when a year ago, they had 200,000 more

:35:58.:36:05.

planning applications on brownfield sites. Nothing they can do well

:36:05.:36:09.

change the deficit. They are cutting the deficit to fast and

:36:09.:36:13.

it's harming economic growth which is why we had the lowest of any G7

:36:13.:36:20.

country last year, apart from Japan. Get that right, cut to VAT, put a

:36:20.:36:24.

tax on bank bonuses, encourage businesses to cut national

:36:24.:36:31.

insurance, and we will get back on track. Thank you very much. In a

:36:31.:36:33.

moment I'll be talking to three Conservative MPs about their hopes

:36:33.:36:43.
:36:43.:36:46.

for the week ahead. But first it's We are in Manchester for the

:36:46.:36:49.

Conservative Party conference and we start today wandering about the

:36:49.:36:55.

Olympics next year and how London's transport system and day-to-day

:36:55.:36:59.

business will cope with the influx of millions of visitors. It is

:36:59.:37:01.

worrying Transport bosses themselves which is why they are

:37:01.:37:10.

raising awareness to get people to There are now less than 300 days to

:37:10.:37:13.

go until the Olympics begins for that when they do, the capital

:37:13.:37:19.

could prove to be absolutely manic. Organisers say they're expecting

:37:19.:37:22.

5.3 million extra visitors in London during the Games. They won't

:37:23.:37:27.

all be here at the same time for that us roughly equivalent to the

:37:27.:37:31.

capital's population doubling for the if you thought this was a busy

:37:31.:37:34.

city, difficult to get around, during the Games, Transport bosses

:37:35.:37:39.

think they will need is to make 30% fewer journeys in central London

:37:39.:37:43.

and we normally would, because at certain points in certain places,

:37:43.:37:46.

it's going to be even more pronounced balls of Canary Wharf

:37:46.:37:52.

will need to see a 60% reduction in abnormal trouble. London Bridge can

:37:52.:37:56.

be busy at the best of time. Transport for London say during the

:37:56.:38:01.

Games, there could be accused of three hours just to get into the

:38:01.:38:06.

station. Transport for London are so concerned about pinch points,

:38:06.:38:12.

they want a loan but organisers to sell fewer tickets to the

:38:12.:38:17.

equestrian events at Greenwich. The Olympic route network, 109 miles of

:38:17.:38:21.

road to get people to and from the game's quicker. Traffic lights will

:38:21.:38:26.

stay on green for longer and turning them on and off will be

:38:26.:38:30.

restricted but on other roads things will not move so smoothly.

:38:30.:38:36.

Official documents marked out the disruption TfL are expecting. Some

:38:36.:38:41.

journeys are expected to double on some routes for for so, will London

:38:41.:38:44.

grind to a halt? Not if they plan ahead according to Transport for

:38:44.:38:49.

London. We are confident we will achieve the reductions we need in

:38:50.:38:53.

transport demand this summer. We have a programme working for

:38:54.:38:58.

businesses across London to encourage them to speak to us so we

:38:58.:39:02.

can give advice on what they can do differently. Is it getting through

:39:02.:39:06.

to businesses? We decided to conduct a straw poll in London

:39:06.:39:13.

Bridge? Of the 25 we spoke to, none said they had any contact with

:39:13.:39:20.

anybody. We've had no Correspondent at all. Eight at a 25 businesses

:39:20.:39:24.

thought they would change their working practices because of

:39:24.:39:28.

trouble -- trouble at the game's up I am quite quickly, because we are

:39:29.:39:36.

small, we can manage with what ever comes at short notice. London's

:39:36.:39:40.

local authorities say they yet to be convinced that the targets can

:39:41.:39:48.

be met. You can say the 60% figure is realistic and we need to see it

:39:48.:39:56.

written down plan. Or you could say this is a bit like Josef Stalin's

:39:56.:40:00.

Planner, which may or may not happen. It's a very ambitious

:40:00.:40:06.

target. We need to test that. If that's the case, what are the steps

:40:06.:40:11.

we need to take to achieve that reduction? Organisers will be

:40:11.:40:15.

hoping the message does get through that we are going to have to travel

:40:15.:40:20.

differently. I'm joined by a transport minister

:40:20.:40:26.

and MP for Chipping Barnet. Art TfL right to be worried about how

:40:26.:40:30.

London is going to come through this? They are absolutely focused

:40:30.:40:34.

on keeping London moving during what is going to be the biggest

:40:34.:40:39.

event ever hosted in this country. It's going to be fabulous for the

:40:39.:40:43.

capital, for the economy, leave a lasting benefit for the transport

:40:43.:40:47.

system, but it will mean it disruption and pressure on the

:40:47.:40:51.

transport system, which is why the mayor is working hard to engage

:40:51.:40:55.

with businesses, to help people to minimise the disruption they are

:40:55.:40:59.

going to experience during the Games. Is this a bit late? Are you

:40:59.:41:04.

worried about the timescale? Our straw poll, 25 businesses in London

:41:04.:41:11.

Bridge, one of the busy hubs, don't know of any kind of plans and what

:41:11.:41:17.

they're supposed to do during the Games? Employers with staff between

:41:17.:41:22.

them of around half a million, are already actively engaging with a

:41:22.:41:26.

TfL on this programme. Yes, there is more to do, in particular the

:41:26.:41:31.

pokers is going to be on smaller businesses and engaging with the

:41:31.:41:35.

general public -- focus. A lot of work has been done. There is a

:41:35.:41:41.

positive response from the businesses. TfL and the mayor will

:41:41.:41:45.

give more information. And big transparent about where the hot

:41:45.:41:51.

spots are. It won't be the whole of the capital affected. We need to

:41:51.:41:55.

get over to people like London Bridge and the Bank are going to be

:41:55.:41:59.

extremely busy during the Games. If they can change their routine and

:41:59.:42:03.

avoid those hot spots, it will be good for them and good for the

:42:03.:42:09.

Games and the capital. What would you like to see businesses doing?

:42:09.:42:14.

We are asking businesses to consider what their staff, options

:42:14.:42:17.

of working at home, more flexible working so people are travelling

:42:17.:42:23.

off peak, also recruiting, choosing a different route on their way to

:42:23.:42:27.

work if their normal one clashes with the place which is going to be

:42:27.:42:32.

very crowded as a result of Olympic traffic. Other Olympic cities have

:42:32.:42:38.

managed to do this. A pilot was run over the summer and we were able to

:42:38.:42:43.

carry out the same work as normal and yet, 69% of the journeys by

:42:43.:42:50.

staff, were altered in some way and diverted. Do you accept some

:42:50.:42:55.

businesses will lose money during the Games? I think it a tremendous

:42:55.:42:57.

opportunity for business are to have a boost from this and with

:42:58.:43:03.

careful planning, it's possible. terms of what people are buying?

:43:03.:43:07.

Absolutely. Clearly with the world's eyes on London, there will

:43:08.:43:13.

be tremendous opportunities for people in terms of tourism, hotels,

:43:13.:43:19.

all these sorts of things. chartered surveyors company in

:43:19.:43:24.

bank? If they plan ahead it's perfectly possible for them to

:43:24.:43:27.

carry on their businesses in more or less the same way they always do

:43:27.:43:32.

but it requires thought, and other Olympic cities like Sydney have

:43:32.:43:37.

managed to do it and it has had a long-term effect. A always hear

:43:37.:43:47.

from you guys about the economic costs of strikes on the Tube when

:43:47.:43:47.

people strike. If journeys are much longer and journey times could

:43:47.:43:52.

double, it could lead to more congestion. It could lead to a loss

:43:52.:43:58.

to the economy in London. Overall, London will benefit. Absolutely,

:43:58.:44:02.

but there will be a downward effect on some businesses from greater

:44:02.:44:08.

journey times etc? Remember, the disruption will only be for a few

:44:08.:44:11.

weeks, whereas the legacy and improvements to the Jubilee line,

:44:11.:44:18.

the DLR, the way traffic signals work in London, that will leave a

:44:18.:44:23.

lasting legacy which would boost our economy in the capital. What

:44:23.:44:27.

about Greenwich and equestrian events? TfL are worried they might

:44:28.:44:31.

sell too many tickets and too many people might go to Greenwich for

:44:31.:44:38.

equestrian events. Where do you stand on this? We have got to get

:44:38.:44:42.

the balance right. I know there is ongoing discussions about that and

:44:42.:44:45.

more work to be done but we are determined to get the balance right

:44:45.:44:49.

so we have a successful games. But we also find a way to keep London

:44:49.:44:53.

moving, which is why the process of engagement with businesses is so

:44:53.:44:58.

important in the next few weeks. You think things are on track? Have

:44:59.:45:02.

a businesses responded to these warnings earlier and that all do

:45:02.:45:07.

TfL have a job to get his message out? TfL Dunbar so far but they are

:45:07.:45:12.

well aware more needs to be done. That TfL have done well so far.

:45:12.:45:16.

They need a broader message from the bigger businesses it's focused

:45:16.:45:20.

on, in the early stages, to smaller businesses and of course it's very

:45:20.:45:25.

important to ensure people accept freight in London and colour that

:45:25.:45:35.
:45:35.:45:36.

their plans so we can keep freight A couple of other things while we

:45:36.:45:42.

have got you, are you doing anything about putting services

:45:42.:45:47.

back into areas like Denmark Hill, south-east London? He was the mayor

:45:47.:45:51.

who took that decision, and we are looking at various options that

:45:51.:45:54.

might involve changes to services elsewhere. Haven't made a decision

:45:54.:46:00.

yet? Those decisions have not yet been made. Turning to motorways,

:46:00.:46:04.

are you someone that routinely or sometimes find yourself driving at

:46:04.:46:09.

80 mph? Well, I tried to stick to the speed limit, I have is a poor

:46:09.:46:16.

start I think we all do, yes. But it is time that we refreshed our

:46:16.:46:21.

thinking on the speed limits. The speed limits were set for the end -

:46:21.:46:26.

- 40 years ago, when technology was very different. Do you feel

:46:26.:46:30.

comfortable at 80 mph? What we are looking at, what we have announced

:46:30.:46:33.

his we think it is high time that we look at the limits on motorways

:46:33.:46:37.

and took a rational judgment on what is an appropriate, modern

:46:37.:46:42.

speed limit. Some figures suggest it would only lead to a 1% increase

:46:42.:46:48.

in deaths. You know how many more injuries and 80 mph speed limit

:46:48.:46:53.

would cause? We have made very clear that we are going to be

:46:53.:46:59.

consulting on this proposal. You do not know yet, then? A There has

:46:59.:47:02.

been analysis of these figures, as the Secretary of State said on

:47:02.:47:07.

Thursday when this was announced. But we will be looking with care at

:47:07.:47:12.

all the arguments. We think there is a case for moving to an 80 mph

:47:12.:47:17.

limit. We think it is perfectly possible to do that. We can still

:47:17.:47:20.

ensure high standards of road safety on our motorways. Car

:47:21.:47:24.

technology is so much more advanced than when the 70 mph limit was

:47:24.:47:29.

first set. The story of the day, was David Cameron right to

:47:29.:47:34.

apologise to women? Did he get that wrong in some of the Commons he has

:47:34.:47:38.

made? Do think he came across as chauvinistic? I know some of those

:47:38.:47:42.

comments were controversial, and he has always been the sort of person,

:47:42.:47:46.

Mickey thinks something has been done wrong in the wrong way, he is

:47:46.:47:51.

only too happy to accept that. -- if he thinks. It is important that

:47:51.:47:56.

as a government, we do all we can to engage with women voters, to

:47:56.:48:00.

ensure that the decisions we take... So was he right to make it clear

:48:00.:48:03.

that some of his comments were ill judged? Did you find them ill-

:48:03.:48:07.

judged at the time? The important thing is to make sure that the

:48:07.:48:10.

tough decisions that we take as a government and have detected deal

:48:10.:48:16.

with the deficit, that we think through their impact on all

:48:16.:48:19.

sections our society. The Prime Minister is determined to do that.

:48:19.:48:24.

He has made it very clear that he believes that the support of women

:48:24.:48:28.

and the concerns of women are very important to the coalition. And I

:48:28.:48:31.

think the debate around what he might or might not have said at

:48:31.:48:34.

Prime Minister's Questions is a bit of a sideshow, really. The

:48:35.:48:38.

important thing is the commission is taking the tough decisions to

:48:38.:48:42.

put the economy back on track. Because it is a sideshow, we will

:48:42.:48:46.

move on. Thank you for coming in. The government proposals to relax

:48:46.:48:49.

planning laws have been causing anxiety in the shires, but what

:48:49.:48:53.

were they mean for the capital? Not known for its green belt but with

:48:53.:48:56.

plenty of green space none the less, we will at one of the ministers

:48:56.:49:01.

involved after this from Jennifer Conway. -- Ask.

:49:01.:49:05.

Across parts of London, you do not have to look very far to see new

:49:05.:49:10.

buildings springing up, but to decide what can be built and where?

:49:10.:49:14.

-- Who decides? In some cases, neighbourhood planning teams

:49:14.:49:18.

influence what happens in their local area. This will become part

:49:18.:49:21.

of the local council's planning policy. In the capital, we have an

:49:21.:49:26.

extra layer with the regional policy, the London plan. The new

:49:26.:49:30.

national planning proposals came out over the summer. Critics are

:49:30.:49:33.

worried that developers are being handed to much freedom to build on

:49:33.:49:37.

London's already scarce green spaces. At the moment there is a

:49:37.:49:42.

very clear brownfield first policy, saying that developers need to look

:49:42.:49:45.

at brownfield sites before they proposed green field development.

:49:45.:49:49.

Now, that has gone in the new framework. Areas like Kings Cross

:49:49.:49:52.

are being developed because of the successes of our current planning

:49:52.:49:58.

rules. In London, there are over 2000 brownfield plots, areas of

:49:58.:50:02.

land that have already been developed before. Building on the

:50:02.:50:05.

site has regenerated previously wasted land such as the Docklands

:50:05.:50:12.

Some say these new planning proposals but economic growth first,

:50:12.:50:15.

and despite streamlining regulations, more development is

:50:15.:50:19.

not a certainty. The question is how much is the planning system the

:50:20.:50:24.

problem, and how much is the lack of money for housebuilders and

:50:24.:50:29.

industries to build? There are huge amounts of land available for

:50:29.:50:32.

housebuilders to start building on straight away, tomorrow, but they

:50:32.:50:35.

are not building because of economic problems and not because

:50:35.:50:39.

of problems with the planning system. With no mention of London's

:50:39.:50:42.

planning policy in a new framework, it remains unclear how these

:50:43.:50:48.

proposals will work in the capital. Jennifer Conway reporting there. It

:50:48.:50:53.

remains unclear, but Grant Shapps, Housing Minister, is with us now,

:50:53.:50:57.

and you may be able to clarify this. Where does London fit in? It has

:50:57.:51:03.

its own London Plan. That is right. It does not get any mention in here,

:51:03.:51:06.

how is it going to affect London? Just to explain to viewers,

:51:06.:51:10.

planning regulations in this country are a nightmare. Anyone who

:51:10.:51:15.

has applied for planning permission will no that it is complex,

:51:15.:51:20.

bureaucratic, full of red tape, time consuming. -- will know. We

:51:20.:51:23.

are boiling it down to a 50 two- page document which actually makes

:51:23.:51:31.

sense, it is no longer contradictory. -- 52-page. It is a

:51:31.:51:35.

framework, rather than... If you have 6,000 pages of planning

:51:35.:51:38.

guidance, of course you are going to go into every nook and cranny.

:51:38.:51:43.

If it is only 52 pages, there are lots of things we do not go into in

:51:43.:51:47.

detail, because we want the local authorities to set the ground rules

:51:47.:51:52.

for London. Boris has been doing that in London with housing. Does

:51:52.:51:56.

the London Plan, as dance, that will remain? It is not having any

:51:56.:52:02.

impact. If anything, it means that the mayor gets more flexibility,

:52:02.:52:08.

the London Plan, working with the virus, gets to be implemented. --

:52:08.:52:14.

boroughs. The two documents are complementary in that sense. Boris

:52:14.:52:21.

has pledged to get affordable homes built. One year later than he first

:52:21.:52:27.

promised. I disappointed the pledge has lived? You get the blame if he

:52:27.:52:30.

does not hit his target. I do not think anyone would have guessed

:52:30.:52:33.

what was going to happen in the economy, and it has been tougher

:52:33.:52:37.

than anyone possibly could imagine back in the days when the plans

:52:37.:52:43.

were put in place. He tells me that he is likely to get there. I have

:52:43.:52:48.

looked at his numbers, and my view, I will put it on record, is that is

:52:48.:52:52.

probably going to exceed it, but we will see by next year. Getting back

:52:52.:52:58.

to the issue of... If you are saying they complement each other,

:52:58.:53:01.

some of the principles in the London Plan are broadly what you

:53:01.:53:05.

want to see come in nationwide. What we want to see happen is that

:53:06.:53:10.

areas are able to develop policies which work for that area. Now,

:53:10.:53:15.

London is, if you like, a pro- growth area. We have got the city,

:53:15.:53:19.

the incredible engine of the economy. We want London to be able

:53:19.:53:23.

to excel. I want the planning framework to allow London the

:53:23.:53:29.

freedom to do that. We have got lots of green spaces, and we know

:53:29.:53:32.

the playing Fields Association are worried this will enable people to

:53:32.:53:37.

build on playing fields. So a guarantee that there will be no

:53:37.:53:40.

loss of playing fields under a Conservative mayor or a

:53:40.:53:45.

Conservative minister by 2015. be clear about it, the national

:53:45.:53:50.

framework that we are talking about, is 52 page document, does not make

:53:50.:53:55.

this any more likely. In fact, it includes key protections for green

:53:55.:53:59.

space, green belt, as you say, which in outer London may come into

:53:59.:54:02.

effect, but none the less green spaces, playing fields, they are

:54:02.:54:07.

properly protected, as they should be. We are the government who have

:54:07.:54:09.

scrapped the garden grabbing clauses in planning which were

:54:09.:54:14.

causing all those gardens to be built over. We have got rid of that

:54:14.:54:18.

as well. The protection is there. Why does this help or push people

:54:18.:54:23.

to develop more and build more houses in a place like London,

:54:23.:54:26.

where we still have huge areas of brownfield sites and they are not

:54:26.:54:30.

being built and? That is because of lack of government investment,

:54:30.:54:36.

isn't it? First of all, you are right that brownfield sites are

:54:36.:54:39.

used, they should be used first, and were giving flexibility to

:54:39.:54:43.

local authorities. People have said, You are scrapping the targets, but

:54:43.:54:46.

we are giving power to local authorities to raise the targets

:54:46.:54:50.

for building on brownfield first. The Prime Minister has been talking

:54:50.:54:54.

about bringing back the right to buy in a big way. Everybody who

:54:54.:54:58.

buys a house under the new 21st century right to buy, will get that

:54:58.:55:02.

money and will use it to build another affordable home to rent.

:55:02.:55:07.

This is a new policy. You do not think the enthusiasm with which a

:55:07.:55:10.

Conservative government sold houses has been the origin of a problem we

:55:10.:55:15.

have never recovered from? That is why you have to be 37 before you

:55:15.:55:19.

buy a home now. You have to be 30 to remember Thatcher bringing in

:55:19.:55:24.

the right to buy, it is a 30-year- old policy. I would say that it was

:55:25.:55:28.

an incredible policy at giving people the right to roam their own

:55:28.:55:31.

home. It took some of the most hard-working people in the country

:55:31.:55:36.

and gave them a chance. Actually, the money was not recycled into by

:55:36.:55:40.

more affordable homes, and nor was it under the last government either.

:55:40.:55:45.

What we are announcing today is a reinvigorated right to buy with all

:55:45.:55:49.

the money being taken and invested in rebuilding new affordable homes

:55:49.:55:53.

for rent. We know the farce that the planning framework has caused

:55:53.:55:59.

in the shires, at the concerns, Francis Maude describing it as

:55:59.:56:03.

something we cannot repeat, colourful language. Very quickly,

:56:03.:56:08.

what are you telling the people of your constituency, Welwyn and

:56:08.:56:12.

Hatfield, economics must win over the environment? No, my area has

:56:12.:56:15.

been one of the third fastest growing areas in the country for

:56:15.:56:18.

housing, but what we did not like was been told by government, this

:56:18.:56:22.

is the target, these are the number of homes you will build. This new

:56:22.:56:26.

framework is to say, look, local area, you know what is right in

:56:27.:56:30.

judging growth, and we will leave it to you. It has been less

:56:30.:56:34.

controversial end my career as a result. We will see what the people

:56:34.:56:37.

of Welwyn and Hatfield think of it. The consultation ends later this

:56:37.:56:47.
:56:47.:56:51.

The growth, Europe, planning rules, sexism, human rights, how to make

:56:51.:56:57.

sense of it all. I'm joined by two of the brightest young things from

:56:57.:57:02.

the back benches, and a little older but no less exciting, Brian

:57:02.:57:09.

Binley MP. Hello to you. You are very kind. You have a book coming

:57:09.:57:13.

out, the future of Conservatism. have got 26 people who have

:57:13.:57:19.

contributed to the book, but it is not a broadside, it is a very real

:57:19.:57:25.

support to conservatism. What we all want is a Conservative

:57:25.:57:29.

government next time, and that is what we are looking for. What

:57:29.:57:33.

should the Tories be doing that they are not doing at the moment?

:57:33.:57:37.

We need a proper policy for growth, particularly for the SME sector,

:57:37.:57:41.

and that means banks lending, wore encouragement on the demand side,

:57:41.:57:46.

and there are things we can do. Secondly, we need to give first-

:57:46.:57:51.

time housebuyers a real opportunity. I do not like talk that says that,

:57:51.:57:55.

you know, a property owning democracy should not be part of the

:57:55.:57:58.

game. I was delighted to hear David Cameron talk more about housing.

:57:58.:58:02.

There are lots of things we can do, but we can also make sure the dog

:58:02.:58:07.

is more in control of the tale. other words, the Liberal Democrats

:58:07.:58:11.

are having too much say. I think they are wagging a little bit too

:58:11.:58:15.

hard. I agree with Brian that we have to be focused on winning the

:58:15.:58:19.

election in 2015. To me, the biggest job was dealing with the

:58:19.:58:22.

deficit, and the last government gave us a great style deficit. This

:58:22.:58:26.

government but in a plan which means we borrow at German levels.

:58:26.:58:30.

That was one of the great benefits of a coalition, that we got both

:58:30.:58:34.

parties to focus on that. There are policy disagreements, we are

:58:34.:58:37.

furthest apart on Human Rights and Europe, but I think what we're

:58:37.:58:41.

doing is working on conservative policies for the 2015 manifesto. I

:58:41.:58:46.

think we will hear a lot about growth from the conference,

:58:46.:58:50.

especially from the Chancellor tomorrow, and we have had a

:58:50.:58:53.

dreadful headwind from the global economy, and it is time to get

:58:53.:58:58.

Britain growing again. Look, the coalition is a joint venture. This

:58:58.:59:02.

is not a merger or a takeover. In joint ventures, there is always

:59:02.:59:07.

difficulties, but the main things... Do agree that the tail is wagging

:59:07.:59:15.

the dog? No, I don't. If you think about the coalition agreement, Our

:59:15.:59:19.

red line was deficit-reduction, and the Lib Dems went along with it.

:59:19.:59:22.

The second red line for us was on dealing with tuition fees, very

:59:22.:59:25.

important that we get education right, both for schools and

:59:25.:59:30.

universities. They absolutely supported. There are lots of issues

:59:30.:59:32.

that the Lib Dems have taken flak on that we have actually put

:59:33.:59:36.

forward, but it is a coalition. What we have to remember is that we

:59:36.:59:40.

did not win the election outright. Next time round, we want to win it

:59:40.:59:44.

outright. Don't we see problems when Theresa May says that she

:59:44.:59:47.

wants to get rid of the Human Rights Act and Nick Clegg says it

:59:47.:59:57.

There will be areas where there is a conflict of political objective

:59:57.:00:01.

between the members of the coalition. I understand that. I

:00:01.:00:05.

think it was a price worth paying but, at the end of the day, I

:00:05.:00:11.

believe most people out they genuinely want a government, a

:00:11.:00:15.

Conservative government, which does what it says. I think there is an

:00:15.:00:18.

element of the Liberal Party which is trying to stop us doing what we

:00:18.:00:24.

say, and I want to change that at the next election. Do you think

:00:24.:00:29.

David Cameron should be more robust now? I understand his difficulties,

:00:29.:00:33.

genuinely understand them. Do you think you should be more robust

:00:34.:00:37.

now? I'm coming back to your question but I think there will be

:00:37.:00:43.

time to be more robust. I fear it, but I want to see it in action in

:00:43.:00:47.

terms of legislating in the House. That's why I'm talking about the

:00:47.:00:51.

growth agenda that really works, the housebuilding programme which

:00:51.:00:56.

helps first-time buyers amongst many other things. The reality is,

:00:56.:01:01.

you have hundreds more Conservative MPs than liberals. We have achieved

:01:01.:01:05.

dozens of Conservative policies. I think all of us want this

:01:05.:01:10.

government to last until 2015, so we can get the economy balanced and

:01:10.:01:15.

the coalition ensures we do that. You may see ritual Liberal bashing

:01:15.:01:19.

this week but ultimately, we have to get the coalition working until

:01:19.:01:26.

2015. The attitude of the coalition towards women, and whether you are

:01:26.:01:30.

somehow a sexist against women. David Cameron this morning in into

:01:30.:01:34.

the apologised for that. I think was a feminine thing to do, in

:01:34.:01:39.

contrast to the last government, when the Prime Minister never said

:01:39.:01:46.

sorry for anything, including screwing up the economy. We went to

:01:46.:01:49.

almost 50 a new female Conservative MPs at this election and have been

:01:49.:01:54.

implementing policies. If you look at the policies, the public sector

:01:54.:01:59.

pay freeze, for all but the lowest paid in the public sector, who are

:01:59.:02:02.

usually women working part-time, that was deliberately designed to

:02:02.:02:08.

help working women, so I think we have a communication problem. Where

:02:08.:02:12.

was Yvette Cooper and the Labour Party at the abolition of the 10 p

:02:12.:02:17.

tax rate which damaged women's economic prospects? Let's be proud

:02:17.:02:22.

of what we're doing to help women. What do you want to see come out at

:02:22.:02:29.

the end of this week? I think it's the economy. What I would like to

:02:29.:02:38.

see his, what are the things you're going to do on the Budget, which

:02:38.:02:41.

was delivered for the country, what are we going to do to get growth

:02:41.:02:46.

back in the country. It's about leadership, not just political but

:02:46.:02:50.

the business leadership. We have to go businesses are saying, before we

:02:50.:02:54.

are going to do for our country. Thank you all and enjoy your time

:02:54.:02:57.

in Manchester force of its good to have your Politics Show. And that's

:02:57.:03:01.

it for this week. Thanks for being with us. Pienaar's politics will be

:03:01.:03:03.

live from the conference bar tonight at 7:00pm on Radio Five

:03:03.:03:06.

Live with an exclusive interview with Boris Johnson. And remember

:03:06.:03:10.

the Daily Politics on BBC Two will bring you all the news from here at

:03:10.:03:12.

the conference throughout next week. Until then, as Tory Cabinet

:03:12.:03:15.

ministers and delegates prepare to address the Tory faithful, here's a

:03:15.:03:24.

reminder of how it's done. Half of you won't be heard in 30 or

:03:24.:03:33.

40 years' time -- here. The Lady's not for turning. He got on his bike

:03:33.:03:41.

and looked for work and the captain looking until he found it. -- and

:03:41.:03:46.

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