27/11/2011 The Politics Show South

In the south: It could be the biggest strike for generations, but

what well when stays walk out mean for us. We will also ask whether

you can have too much choice in education. And as Inter Faith Week

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2012 seconds

draws to a close, does religion and Welcome to the part of the show for

us in the south. On Today show we will be finding

out how you can sometimes have to much choice in education. Do

politics and religion next? At first, on Wednesday, 24 unions

across the public sector will be striking against the public sector

pension reforms. Schools in the south wall close, bins will go and

emptied, passports could go unchecked. It could be the biggest

strike in generations and there is not a sizable town or city in our

region that will not have a march. A major headache for the government,

but also a sizable one for the opposition. Labour has not been

fulsome in its support of the strike. This is what the party

leader said last week. No stone should be left unturned to

prevent the strikes. Of course it is the case that I think throughout

all of the services, basic services should be maintained and everything

should be done to make sure that the safety of the public is not put

at risk. There will be huge inconvenience if the strike goes

ahead, but all of those measures should be taken to protect.

We should do what we can to keep the country running as normal as

possible, but the decision to strike has been taken by union

leaders on the basis of very low vote and they are deciding to go on

strike when negotiations are still ongoing. It is very irresponsible

and the offer we have made in terms of public sector pensions is a

generous offer. So what will be happening here on

Wednesday in the South? With us is the Conservative MP for Bournemouth.

Amanda Martin from the nut. Alan Whitehead from Labour in

Southampton. Are you in favour of the strike? Well, no one likes

strikes and strikes are a failure. This has to be resolved by a proper

negotiations and it has to be done quickly. So you do not think Amanda

should walk out? Is both sides are saying they should negotiate, then

they should not walk out. Tobias, we heard your leader say it was a

decision of the trade unions, but it is actually a decision of the

government. He is absolutely right to question who is leading this

strike. Take you Nissan, only a third of members actually took part

in the ballot. Only half of those decided to go on strike so that

means the majority of members are not in favour. Take the National

Union of Teachers, 90% in favour. Head teachers even greater turnout.

60% did not bother getting involved with this ballot. The Prime

Minister is right to question he is driving this. We have to look at

the bigger picture and say we are living 10 years longer than in the

Seventies and in the last 10 years, the pensions increase by a third

under Labour. We cannot continue with that. Are not., are the

teachers in your school in Portsmouth and other ones, are they

in favour of walking out? They are rejecting proposals. Nobody wants

to go on strike. It is a last resort. Negotiations have been

going on. On 13th June, the National Union of Teachers was one

of the ones that walked out. We believe that had we not walked out,

those negotiations would have ended. But there must be some people

bothered about doing this during negotiations. How many people would

like this strike not to happen? don't think anybody wants to strike

to happen, it is a last resort. We have surveyed members and over 40%

of our membership, but when you look at what Mr Cameron was elected

on, he was not elected on 40% of the votes in this country. He was

elected on a recognise system. is a recognised system. But it is

not representing those who are involved in the strike itself. This

strike will cost the country potentially over half a billion

pounds. In Dorset, there is talk in the hospital of already cancelling

movements of patients and dealing with emergency services. It is

effecting people as we speak. Are like to bury a myth about whether

this is bad for teachers and workers, a nurse on a salary of

34,000 will be better off under the new system. They currently have a

pension of 17,300, that will move up to 22,000. A teacher on 37,000

will move from 19,000 to 25,000. It is a high-flyer that will move from

66,000, their pensions will go down to 44,000. Those are your figures.

Alan Whitehead, why are you shaking your head? Because those of fantasy

figures. The reality is that the vast majority of people in the

public sector are not that well paid. By example, 800,000, mainly

women workers in the public sector, although they are burning ever

15,000, because they are not full- time are effectively under 15,000

in actual play and the offer that the government has put on the table

for that payment has no effect on those at all. They will be paying

the 3p in the pound hike that was unilaterally grabbed by the

government without any consultation or negotiations are now the

government is saying we will not negotiate on that central point.

Frankly, if you or I had a three pence increase in our income tax

unilaterally given to us, we would be fed up about it. But you would

have had to do something yourself. If you were in government here are

you saying you would have negotiated? The last Labour

government introduced arrangements to secure the sustainability long-

term which is what a bias is talking about of the pension system.

The present 3p just go straight to the Treasury. It is about a

different agenda entirely. The government is not negotiating on

that. They need to sit around the table and negotiate about that. It

may be a give and take, but if they do that will be in a better place.

Why not give negotiators a chance? We have. Way as the government to

do an audit and Allen is correct in saying that there was an overhaul

in 2007 of the teachers' pension. There were changes made such as

five years added on to the age of leaving and all of those things

were put into place because we recognised there were concerns.

There has been since 1923, 46.4 billion more pounds paid into the

teachers' pension scheme and has come out. We are asking for an

audit. For the government to do this overdue audit on the pension

scheme. If it comes up and says there needs to be conversation

about pensions and contributions, then we will take that. Why haven't

you done that audit Tobias? You haven't bothered to get on and do

it before the negotiations. Let's make it clear what happened under

the last 10 years. Pensions under the last 10 years for the public

sector increase by a third. That is extremely generous. That is not

possible in the downturn. The same jobs being done by the public

sector the average private sector pension is �3,700. The question is,

how long can you keep feeding am providing these high levels of

pensions when we are under the current economic cloud it is not

possible. When I leave my teaching job in 30 years, I will get �8,000

per year for my pension. I have paid into that. People who have

come into the job since university, and now have to pay for their

degree, four years of study, and then when you come in and go in

line with another graduate in the private sector, your wages are no

where near. It is not our fault that the private sector have taken

the pots of money full pension. It is not our fault that teachers are

paying in. The government needs to look at the entire state pension

and have a real look at that. the negotiations go better as a

result of the strike? They are saying there are three concessions,

they have given us one. Alan, you think a strike should not happen?

If there are real negotiations and that would include this 3p grab

that has taken place, there know they should not be strikes because

people should be sitting around the table talking. Are you keeping

concessions up your sleeve? I am concerned that the strikes will

cause huge damage and not lead to any form of agreement. They are not

representative of all people and the public sector. It is down to

all people. Thank you all for coming in.

The new Education Act talked a lot about freeing up schools from state

and local authority control. Choice being a good thing, of course, or

is it? Sometimes having so many different things to choose from can

leave you with not much real choice at all.

Choosing a school in Berkshire is child's play, isn't it? And there

are so many choices. There are already local council schools,

Austell academies, new-style academies and three schools. Keep

up at the back. It is all a bit of a mess. These parents have been

racking their brains on how to make sure there is somewhere for their

young children to go when the time comes. We really have no option of

where to send our children. My youngest is for and it now looking

at the numbers of children coming through, the school and area is

going to be overwhelmed with new building. There are no places for

my child to go to school. academy would be fine, but it is

oversubscribed for the local communities so we would have no

opportunity. These Mums Net of seven miles from the secondary

school on offer which has fewer places and the nearest school in

Reading is oversubscribed. Hold on, though. There is now the Education

Bill 2011. Has anyone considered a free school? What do you think?

Brilliant. We have the side right there that we can create a school

This site was only closed about a year and a half ago and it has

always been a school up until 100 years ago. It has all the

facilities we require. Re using the site of a former at

secondary school, Oakbank free school will open up here in

September. As the new academy, it will get his money from central

government, not the local council. All Saints Junior in Reading has

done this in September admitting seven year-old from All Saints

infants struggling to find a place elsewhere. Although there are some

excellent primary schools, there was not space. It has meant they

can stay together as a friendship group and it has meant that the

transition for them has been smooth. The Education Bill is also helping

new university technical current images. Reading may get its first

very soon. This offers a very different type of education,

technically based education although it has an academic call.

It offers an eight until 5pm school day. It involves more teaching and

more freedom for the school and how it carries out the national

curriculum. The make-up of schools in this area

is particularly mixed with newly- launched Academy's outnumbering

council-run schools. And with the free school movement gathering

momentum, and each will be confident that parents know what

their options are and what difference it makes?

These are just numbers, are they? Reading else will is one of only

two none Academy Schools in the borough which still gets their

funding locally. Despite this, they say they do not feel like second

best. We still offer a good quality of

education. Essentially, what has the Academy Bill changed? We

certainly had certain freedoms and we still have freedoms of the

curriculum in the school, which is exactly the same as what academies

have got. But, according to some, the choice is so baffling that

parents of children with poorer backgrounds will get left behind.

I think it will lead to a much more fragmented school system whereby

the parents in the know can play the system and possibly get the

school that they want for their child, but it may leave behind

other parents who are a bit confused about what is going on.

As for local education authorities like Reading, the lack of money

left to spend on its schools is a challenge. So, while the Education

Bill aims to give schools greater budget freedom and parents greater

confidence, the doubters fear it will fail and others give it and a

staff. Last year more free schools opened so it was diving into the

unknown, but yes, the fact that there was an opportunity to do

something about it was what made us go down that road. We are hugely

grateful that it exists because it is giving us the chance to give our

children what they need. Some tough choices for parents and

education authorities. This week has been the third annual

inter-faith week. It was originally started to introduce awareness of

the different faiths. It all sounds laudable, but it maybe feels more

relevant at a time when faith groups are being encouraged to get

involved in a big society. Guard and Mammon are squaring gap outside

St Paul's. Bishops are writing to their papers criticising welfare

plans. With me in the studio at his Mohammed Ansar and Right Reverend

Nicholas Holtham. Welcome both of you. Difficult choices we saw for

parents. Is it a time for leadership and should that be

religious leadership? Difficult choices for everybody in an

economic downturn, but if Jesus said love God and love your

neighbour as yourself, there is not an option but for people of faith

to get involved. In a way that they were not five years ago? I think

Christians have always been involved in politics, but in an

economic downturn people look more about our believes and commitments

to each other. Between the faith communities there are strong

connections in terms of social justice and care for the poor. We

can do a lot together. Is it the most vulnerable you feel you should

be getting involved with? I don't think you forget the bankers

because it is important that bankers realise the task they are

involved in is a social good. That is one of the things they seem to

have forgotten. It is not about what I can get out of the system

for me. Of course people of faith care more for the poorest. That is

the structure in the scriptures, there is a common ground for the

careful the poorest who are in need. Mohammed Ansar, what is the place

in inter-faith week for religious communities to get involved in

politics? There is a very clear place for faith in politics. In

broader society and public affairs. When we look at the situation we

find ourselves in, there are some great challenges put before us.

Whether it is social justice, the cuts, government policy and nothing

that is lacking more than anything else, there is a moral vacuum.

There is a sense of morality missing and this is something that

those who are faithful bring to the table. It is about choices, then?

So are you saying to people to make your own choices or are we

providing leadership and saying, fine example, if you're a trade

unionist you should strike? Dynamic leadership is something that has

been a great challenge for all of the faith communities for a long

time. Our friend here is an example of very progressive and forward-

thinking members of the clergy within the Christian Church. Within

the Muslim community we are coming together and the kind of leadership

needed in society will be centred around public dialogue. Divisions

within religions maybe become less at a time when you have to reach

out and get involved in the real world? I would hope that from an

Islamic perspective we would rely on the scriptures. You come to

common terms with each other. Whether that is Muslims or non

Muslims within Muslim community is, we have to set aside our

differences. There is a huge challenge and a great need in

society for people to have direction and leadership. It is a

great opportunity around inter- faith week to come together and

look at, and into it -- a common interest. Do you fell at the moment

the public are starting to recognise with the occupied protest

that the Church has more of a role to play? Allergies don't want exist

in a vacuum. What people of faith are doing is saying you don't get

good values without religious beliefs. What religious communities

can do and what is happening at St Paul's right now is that the Church

is trying to discuss with a whole society. Way you stand in vexed

what you can see. In a community we need to build a way of creating a

common good and a sense of common purpose. Religious communities

traditionally have been good at holding that discussion and

bringing people together in order to work up, not to tell people what

to do, but find the common good. It all sounds worthy stuff, but do

you think there is a practical application? There is a hugely

practical application. Religion do something that you do not getting

ordinary politics. It inspires people. Inspires people in a way

that light a fire within people, not just under people. Whether it