18/09/2011 The Politics Show West Midlands


18/09/2011

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In the Midlands, after the riots, the conference season. We're also

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live in Birmingham watching the impact of the summer riots on

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autumn's politics. And the politician welcoming his

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party to his city. What's Paul In the Midlands, after the riots,

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the conference season. We're also live in Birmingham watching the

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impact of the summer riots on autumn's politics.

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And the politician welcoming his party to his city. What's Paul

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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2137 seconds

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Hello again from the Midlands. Of course we are here at the Liberal

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Democrats annual conference at the International Convention Centre in

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Birmingham. We are joined by one of our region's three Lib Dem MPs,

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Martin Horwood from Cheltenham. And by a no doubt very proud Councillor

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Paul Tilsley, welcoming his party's conference here for the first time,

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as Deputy Leader of this host city. But I have been hearing scathing

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criticisms of the political leaders here, who are accused of a

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monumental failure during last month's riots, which scarred us

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here in the Midlands and beyond. A month and Morar has passed since

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the deaths of three young men in Birmingham. It was Laura -- a more

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dangerous... We saw a lot of rumours going around that could

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have triggered a race riot. He what is your view of the quality of

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political leadership in Birmingham? There has been a distinct lack of

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leadership when it comes to taking control and taking charge of a

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major disturbances. There is a great level of disappointment at

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the lack of leadership that was shown. Moving into deep party

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conferences, you obviously think that political leaders are must

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rise to a challenge. When they go into their little huddles, baby

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need to -- they need to recognise who has collected them and why. We

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have elected our politicians to make the right decisions in a time

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of need. Unfortunately there has been a monumental failure to ensure

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the community works in a harmonious way.

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And though much of the damage has been repaired, the political

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arguments are reverberating still. Not least the Government's plans

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for elected police commissioners. The Home Secretary said our low

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profile police authority chairmen compared most unfavourably with the

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leadership given to Londoners by their elected mayor. And the former

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Conservative Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine levelled similar

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complaints about what he said was the absence of decent political

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leadership in all the major cities except London during those critical

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days and nights. In the event Birmingham's Liberal Democrat

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Deputy Council Leader did as much as any local politician to get his

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message across. There has been mindless violence against property.

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Parents have got to take some responsibility for the actions of

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their children. We have always come together as a community and moved

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forward. And council leaders across

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Birmingham and the Black Country all did their best to restore order.

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But for sheer political clout, and yes, showmanship, they are no match

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for Boris Johnson in the eyes of ministers who are more determined

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than ever to press ahead with plans for some new brooms of our own,

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directly-elected city bosses in Birmingham and in Coventry. For

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four more on the riots, you cannot go to my blogging. -- UK and go to

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The we can speak to Martin Horwood and Paul Tilsley. This is the I'll

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We were dealing with the media on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

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I also had the benefit of the deputy prime minister coming up on

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Tuesday afternoon and taking a personal interest in what was

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taking place and being able to brief him. The following morning,

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after it had become known about the tragedies, the Deputy Prime

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Minister was on the telephone at 10 o'clock to get a briefing from me.

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I would refute the lack of political leadership. We showed it

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locally and nationally. Very troubling times. Gloucester, not

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very far away, did have significant looting and other problems during

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the difficult days. Cheltenham itself had problems during those

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days. There were tense moments in Cheltenham as well. Politicians

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have to provide leadership and a positive response to the rioting

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which damaged so many communities. You were talking about a lot of the

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trouble being with children. It was not just children. There were some

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senior responsible jobs said got involved. How do you reflect on

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this now? I think it was, in part, an opportunist crime for many

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people. The oldest individual was 65 years old and the youngest was

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10. The average age was 17 to 24. We have got to create a linkage so

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that people feel they have got a real investment in society and that

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they belong to society. That is not just a challenge and Birmingham, it

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is a national challenge. Do you worry... We have heard different

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parties talking about the full force of the law getting involved

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in the aftermath of these terrible disturbances. Do you worried about

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some of the exemplary sentences we have seen headed down? I think

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there is concern among the delegates about the custodial

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services aren't things like restricting social media --, things

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But when you talk about political leadership, I do not think running

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around with a broom is political leadership. Sunday bore have said

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this is high profile -- some people have said this is high profile so

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it -- showmanship. I was very much involved. I was showing leadership.

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I was making sure that Birmingham City Council were involved with our

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partners in dealing with the issues that were coming out of the looting

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and rioting that was taking place. I was showing leadership when it

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mattered. A final plot before we move our am. -- thought before we

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move on. There has been the opinion that there was nothing that could

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have been done to save the lives of the three men who died. It is a

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very easy to look for a knee-jerk reaction. There are important

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things we need to look at. We will The Liberal Democrats are here in

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Birmingham this week. Their progressive partnership with the

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Conservatives, ones heralded as a forerunner of the coalition

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Government at Westminster, is still in charge of Europe's largest

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council. Mature and sophisticated is how the city's Conservative

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leader describes his partners. But for how much longer? The city's

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voters seem to be experiencing their own version of the seven year

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itch, with the Labour opposition increasingly confident of regaining

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power next May for the first time Party time again in Birmingham.

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Last year the Tory Blues came back for a second helping and now the

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Conservative leader is even happy about it. The Lib Dems coming here

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is a coup for the city Birmingham. Odd to hear a Tory say that, you

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might think? Not in Birmingham, because this city has been seen as

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a role model for how the national Coalition could work, with some

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parallel fortunes as well. The city council is headed up by

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Conservative Mike Whitby in the middle and his junior Lib Dem

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partners, otherwise known as Birmingham's progressive

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partnership. After winning seven elections

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together they make Nick Clegg and David Cameron look like newlyweds.

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But it has been a thorny year since the Westminster knot was tied in

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the Downing Street rose garden. And much like the Deputy Prime Minister,

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Paul Tilsley enters his party's first autumn conference in the city

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with some battle scars. A poor set of local election results has put

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Birmingham's progressive partnership on the rocks according

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to some. Given the pattern of seats that are

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going to go out in 2012 the it seems that the coalition is in

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serious danger, given that very slim majority they have at the

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Do the electorates see the Lib Dems as somebody who is on one side of

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the dividing line in terms of supporting the Conservatives or do

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they have a set of policies which are actually going to be able to

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differentiate themselves in the city council at the moment?

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The Lib Dems lost seven seats in May leaving them with 24. Their

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Tory partners saw their seats fall by six, to 39

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This gives the progressive partnership a total of 63 seats but

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Labour became the largest single party with 55 seats. Another six

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would win them back overall control next year. But will they?

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Most of the Jeremiah's had us lasting eight months let alone

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eight years and part of that has to be Paul Tilsley's leadership. His

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ability to carry a Lib Dem party and partner with a Conservative

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Party led by myself so that together we put the interests of

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Birmingham cities over and above our various party philosophy.

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They may not make it to eight if the pitfalls of coalition catch up

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with them. All food for thought as the Lib Dem party guests gather to

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There has got to be something bittersweet in this in view, the

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idea of hosting a party conference just as your party is about to be

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ejected. I distinctly remember 1992 when Neil Kinnock was sailing to a

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victory and play it. Again we should have the election first.

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is an almost mathematical certainty that 12 months on Labour would be

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back in. We are seeing a resurgence. We won three seats last week. Let's

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wait and see. The fat lady is yet to sing. People will start to

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realise that taking one million people out of tax will have an

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effect. The fat lady is limbering up in Cheltenham. You did not have

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an election last spring. You had half the council and then the other

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half. You will be out in one great collapse. That was predicted for

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years ago as the Conservatives were about to sweep the board. -- four

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years ago. I think the Liberal Democrat council in Cheltenham has

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a great track record. It contrasts very well with the other councils.

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It is a difficult record to defend. You did not come into public life

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two / budgets by millions and put... I was still -- elected in 1968 and

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I have been written off many times. Let's wait and see. There is still

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a lot of water that has to go under the bridge. You are saying there is

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a lot to play for. The latest opinion poll but I saw -- that I

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saw that you 6% below. The issue is not whether cuts have to happen.

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They would have happened even if Labour had not been in power.

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will be back with you later. Earlier this week, trades unions

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called for a day of action in November in protest at government

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spending plans and pension reforms. Let us hear again from Susana. She

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is live in Birmingham City Centre, at a march and rally organised by

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the TUC. We had something similar here last year during the

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Conservatives conference in Birmingham. How does this compare?

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When the Conservatives came to Birmingham thousands of people

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marched through the city. Today there are far fewer but the

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sentiment is still the same. The numbers are far fewer than we were

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expecting. Doesn't that say that not as many people support the

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cuts? I think these figures were an underestimate. We had less than

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last year but that was the first Tory conference after the election.

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Since then we have had three- quarters of a million people and we

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are moving to co-ordinating industrial action. People do not

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support the cuts but many of them understand that the Tories are the

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main people we should be lobbying. The Liberal Democrats have -- what

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more can the Liberal Democrats do? Poor people an ordinary working

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people in the Midlands are suffering as a result of the

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liberal policies. We need to get our economy going and protect our

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services. The Liberals are at fault. We need an alternative. We know

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there will be strikes. When Nick Clegg describes the Tories as

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ruthless you know there are issues going on. We will be supporting

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people and defending their pensions. There is an alternative to all of

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this. There will be another protest like this in Manchester in a couple

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of weeks. Patrick, back to you. Martin, what would you say too many

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decent hard-working people in public services who are being

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invited to pay anything up to 30 % more or for their pensions? These

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are hard times. We have to make sure of the pension schemes are

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affordable in the future. Both of my parents were public sector

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workers and there are many public- sector workers in my constituency.

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We need to look at these Games on a case-by-case basis. -- these

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schemes. Your party seems to be bearing the brunt of the

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unpopularity that is going on. I understand from the police that

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there will be around 700 people marching, not the thousands that

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were rejected by the TUC. The feeling cannot be that high in

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Birmingham. What would you say to council workers in your area who

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want to strike? We are having to change some of the terms and

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conditions of employers. We are having to do it because of the cost

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savings we have to make but we still want to ensure that we are

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the employer of choice for people who live in Birmingham. These

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negotiations continue against the background of the decision by the

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trade unions last week to call for a day of action. What would be your

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message to them? I think there is a lot of sympathy for public-sector

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workers amongst the Liberal Democrats. There is a daughter to

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push at and it should be remained open. -- there is a board to push

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Act and it should remain open. Adding it is worth looking at each

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pension scheme -- I think it is worth looking at each pension

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scheme on a case by case basis. Some of them have high

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contributions already. Have you got contingency plans in place for mass

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stoppages in place going through the fall? Yes. Do you feel there is

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still a negotiation process going on and that this can be avoided?

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There have been negotiations. It is well be on my pale green. -- pay

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