10/07/2011 The Politics Show South

In the south, will it be Armageddon day for the unions or the council

in Southampton? Tomorrow is the deadline for signing new contracts,

but the unions are planning new strikes. And the police i in the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2366 seconds

Welcome to the part of the show for us in the south. On Today show,

coppers Are lose their choppers. MoD top brass get a rocket. And

council staff get golden hellos to stay in their jobs. That is

probably enough puns. So to defence. Locally, all three branches of the

armed services have been in the spotlight. The RAF moved his

Hercules fleet but there is a housing shortage at prices so many

of those leaving are in temporary competition --. With the ongoing

operations in Libya just how much strain has the strategic defence

review put on our armed services? With me is the Conservative MP for

Bournemouth East and a former soldier. A former NATO commander

and in charge of strategic work at the MoD. Tobias, you have been to

Afghanistan as a former soldier, spoken to soldiers many times, come

back and spoken to them and their families, do you think your

government has changed the way that chip -- troops are equipped? Armed

forces are always changing the way they do things. We have to adapt to

new scenarios. Afghanistan was a very different type of war.

Therefore there was a continual learning curve that we had to go

through. Therefore the equipment used when we started is different

to what we use now. Have you put right a lot of the problems you

identified? Yes, if you speak to the soldiers now, equipment is not

an issue. You will not hear many complaints about equipment. It is

some of the best compared with some of our NATO allies. The body armour

that we have, the vehicles, the helicopters, we have invested a lot

of effort to get it right. We went out there with snatch Land-Rovers,

there was a lot of anger about that, using equipment designed for

Northern Ireland. Completely inappropriate with the last

government to send our trip to Afghanistan with that. That has now

been moved away and we have the right equipment. He talked about

helicopters, 12 new helicopters. Those now look like they may be in

doubt again. The 12 helicopters in order are still being looked at.

That is separate to what is required in Afghanistan.

Helicopters are required in a major label to move troops around. We

have now learned that Tarmac in Rhodes and allowing vehicles to

move safely is just as good a way it to mean that we do not need as

many helicopters as in the past. Chris, do you think the government

is thinking about the way our troops are equipped? I think there

was continuous process going on over a period of change from the

last government to the present. Difficulties were recognised. We

got a grip on a strategy, because I do not think there was previously

won either with the Americans all our cells. We now have a well

defined task and it is much easier to equipped a well defined task. We

have moved out of hell manned which it is a real problem for us. The

United States have moved in. We have a coherent plan on the ground

for dealing with the issues that are at stake there. I still wonder,

though, whether we have identified what our end state is going to be.

The conditions for success have not been defined identified. I have a

real worry that we tell the Taliban and elements of Al-Qaeda that we

want to be out of here in 20 porting politically. Whether that

is militarily sensible, I have doubts. Do you think the government

is clearly defining what we ask our troops to do? If we go across to

Libya, I think there is an absence of strategy. The requirement was to

get in quickly to stop a massacre and the United Nations resolution

now what is being used in a very imaginative way to a UN force

regime changed. I'll we clearly defining what our troops are being

asked to do, Tobias? What is the endgame in Libya and in these

African countries? Are we saying we are going to spread Western

democracy? That would be absolutely wrong. We are giving the

opportunity for countries to redefine themselves. The reason why

we had this resolution was to present -- prevent a massacre. We

have not my intrudes as in Iraq telling the country what to do. It

is the Libyans themselves that are defining where they want to go. We

are preventing a massacre providing humanitarian support allowing them

to work out where they want to go. That is all we can do, isn't it?

think we should have been more honest when we went in there. We

have gone well beyond what the resolution intended and that was to

stop a massacre. The French are arming the it rebels and we have

Libyans of -- civilians buying today. So what would you asked this

government to do today? Our as the government to go back to the United

Nations and say, we have done what you initially task us to do, what

is the next step? Because we have President Obama, the Prime Minister,

presidents are cosy, all saying there is no future with Gaddafi

there. That was not at all part of what the African union or that Arab

League or the United Nations said. One of the problems in the past is

as working unilaterally or with America doing what we think is

right. This time is different. We approach the United Nations to get

a resolution and we need international support. We would not

have got that if we marched in with bit on the ground. We are providing

humanitarian aid. The resolution allows us to implement the no-fly

zone. There is an impatience because some people would like to

see the removal of Gaddafi much quicker. The resolution does not

allow us to do that. We are tied in what we can do. We must are now the

agreement that was set by the United Nations. Thank you very much.

The emergency services sharing so sit has been part of a mantra to

cut costs. As reported from Dorset, the sky is not the limit when it

comes to finding savings. A severely disabled missing man is

recovered from Wareham Forest found by ferment -- thermal imaging

cameras. The craft attends more than 1000 incidents a year. With

the force facing cuts of 18 million, Chief Constable wants to join the

National Air Support Scheme sharing helicopters with neighbouring

forces to Chamonix. We are not abandoning anything, we are in a

position where we can move forward. We can share a facility at under

half the cost we are paying now. Dorset helicopter does not just

risk on it too serious in its Siddons.

Winchester Crown course features the work of a police helicopter

weather in gathering evidence, surveillance or taking photographs

to give to a jury to explain their location in an investigation.

By sharing a helicopter with neighbouring counties, Dorset

police are planning to reduce flying time, halve costs and save

�1 million. What about the practicalities? That is exactly

what is happening in Hampshire where they are sharing their

services with their neighbours. have helicopters come from here in

North tonsure, another in Sussex, we will soon move into a national

service if all forces in the country agree and the cost will go

down again. At that point there will be 23 helicopters that can

move around. Back in Dorset, the Police Federation are concerned

that sharing a helicopter with neighbouring forces could have

serious consequences. To scale back the service provider, I think is

worrying because it is a vast county. My concern is that to cut

back on the service provided could put lives at risk. A Hampshire

Police Federation say the move to sharing helicopters has so far been

fairly smooth. When Hampshire started to look at the prospect of

sharing, we were concerned at the drop-off service. I have to say,

since the collaboration and the sharing of helicopters, we have had

a really good feedback from officers on the ground he said the

helicopters are very dynamic, responsive, available when needed,

so I would try to reassure my friends in Dorset that we have seen

an increase in usage of air support and the officers he we represent

are very grateful. Hampshire's chief constable is also co-

ordinating the new air support scheme and says collaboration with

neighbouring forces is the only way forward. That is despite reducing

the number of helicopters by almost a third. I think all the cuts come

with risks, but on this occasion, by placing the aircraft in the

right places and ignoring the borders, no, I do not think there

will be any loss of service at all. Just a reduction in cost. Among the

rank and file, but there is a sadness that such an eye-catching

tall in the fight against crime may be destined to spend more time on

the ground to save money. We are all aware that times are

tough in policing and the finances have been cut back, but without

this, but we would not save lives. Without it, there will be prices to

pay. Monday 11th July, Armageddon day

according to the unions involved in the dispute with Southampton City

Council. It is a day when council workers will have to sign up to new

contracts. With me now look I'll Royston Smith, the leader of the

Council, the Labour opposition leader. Royston, there is a lot of

disruption planned for the week ahead, do you think it will be as

bad as the unions say? I hope not. We have been saying that this

disruption does not disrupt us, it disrupts the residents. The money

wasted by not connecting bridge tolls or parking does not take

money from the council, it takes its on the residents pockets. We

hope we have got to the point where a new contracts will come into

force and people will see we are doing it to save 400 jobs which in

itself will protect several services. They will see we are

doing this for the right reasons, signed their contracts, come to

work on Monday and we can put this behind us. The public opinion is

against you, isn't it? I don't think so. P pulsate is a mess. They

look at their rubbish and the way the dispute has gone on and they

worry. You would have to tell me he you have been speaking to. I speak

to people every day and people are saying to me, enough is enough, we

have been put through this misery there too long now, we understand

why you are trying to key people in work and if that means a modest pay

cut, we understand a principle of that. 400 people out of the

organisation within the services they provide would no longer be

carried out and their residents, the paying people, they deserve

their services. Do you support the strike, Richard Williams? We have

never supported this action and but we support the right to strike. We

are trying To encourage both sides to find a sensible resolution. A

lot of people recognise that this is not just a dispute in

Southampton, there is definitely an national element to this. Whether

that is planned or unplanned, I do not know. From the union

perspective, we have had speakers in Southampton over the past few

weeks looking at whether if it is cut here first will it go

elsewhere? So you do support process against what Royston Smith

is doing? We certainly do. A bit you don't support the strike

action? We don't need to support despite action. We support the

opportunity for people to protest and we have done so. We want to see

a resolution. Why have you been so resistant to resolving this? Six-

times we have met the unions, five times we have made concessions.

Over the last couple of weeks we offered to lift significant amounts

of workers out of the pay cut, the unions have refused to negotiate

and refused event to take that new offer to their members. How do you

negotiate with someone that refuses to sit in a room with year and

refuses to talk. We have tried to do this, we have tried to talk to

them. We have done everything the unions have asked, but they have

refused to drop their preconditions or take any of our Arthur's to

their members. That simply is not negotiating. We are down out a

final test of how many signed up. We expect everyone to sign up. The

unions are even saying to members that they should sign up and come

to work. We do not want anyone to lose their jobs and the point of

this is to keep 400 people in the organisation.

Thank you. We delight in immortalise our public figures in

bronze? When they are brought up on a plinth, they become statesmen.

Westminster is a classic place to get your reputation in stone and

you might be surprised how many At the entrance to the House of

Commons, there is a statue that MPs believe can bring them luck. So

many have touched Churchill's fought as they went to make a

Tricky's speech, it became shiny and had to be repainted. It is a

statue the leader of the house has often admired. The thing about

sculpture is you try to capture the mood you are trying to portray.

Churchill had many moods, but for this one by the arch that was

damaged in the bombing are standing on the rubble of wartime London, it

is a defiant look with leadership and resolution. Sir George Young

has good reason to appreciate the work of the Yugoslavian sculptor.

He married his daughter. Lady Young has spent many years uncovering the

secrets of her father's work. have all been through war-torn

London. Lady Churchill said it does not look like rubble enough, she

complained. By that time, the sculpture was cast in bronze and

you cannot add bronze two bronze. So what my father did, he added

some fibre glass, a big piece of fibre glass. So this rubble here is

made out of fibre glass. All the rest is nettle. Oscar came to

Britain from humble beginnings in Croatia. He studied in Paris and

Brussels before his big breakthrough, the chance to

immortalise the psychoanalyst Freud in bronze. The connection he made

with his subject, the way his insights into the characters of

powerful people came out through his work, it is something that

fascinated Lady Young. When you are having a sitting and you are with

somebody you do get to know them. In all of my father's work, you

will totally know how their head was tilted, that is exactly how

they were. He just got them somehow. Daring back through her father's

notes, many of the subtext identities are missing. This is an

unknown woman, I do not know who she is. Tracking down the woman who

have far the sculpted has become a detective story in itself. He lived

near Oxford, 20 years after she grew up here, Lady Young went back

with me to re open the cellar under the house where the original moulds

are stalled. That is bigger than a real hand.

That must be from the Guild Hall Churchill. The statue in the

Guildhall, his hands are like this. They are heads of state, literally.

Stacked from ceiling to floor. Each sculpture is the product of months

of collaboration to capture the appearance and personality of the

sitters. Here is somebody who I do not know it, here in sheep? I do

not know, I would love to find out. Are you out there, Lady? Churchill

recognised Oscar's ability. greatly admire the art. His prowess

in the ancient realm of sculpture has won such a remarkable

appreciation in our country. He recalled how Churchill tried to

sculpt him in return. One day he decided that he will do

my sculpture in order that I could see his in exchange. So he actually

did a bit of work? Yes, the any sculpture he ever did was my head.

He was very interested in politics and he loved people who could

debate and argue and he was quite, he had very firm views and, as all

his family had been killed in the war, he was very keen we should

keep democracy. He tried and failed to save his Jewish relatives from

the Nazi concentration camps, but in Brighton, his many sculptures

are evidence of how his discretion and deep insight into human

behaviour gained him a unique place in our political history.