13/11/2011 The Politics Show West

After the M5 crash, a Somerset MP who was there pleads with the

Government to abandon plans to increase the motorway speed limit.

Plus, the MP once known as Red Dawn announces she's quitting. I will be

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1878 seconds

asking Dawn Primarolo if she's Good afternoon. It's a week on

since the worst motorway accident in a generation killing seven

people on the M5 in Somerset. Today we're asking if Government

proposals to raise the speed limit to 80mph should be scrapped?

Plus, remembering the fallen. We hear from the West MP who's

organising the nation's centenary commemoration of the Great War.

And standing down after 24 years. The Labour MP for South Bristol,

Dawn Primarolo, says she will leave The Government is being urged to

quietly drop its plans to raise the speed limit on motorways to 80mph.

Road safety campaigners and some of the West's MPs have urged the new

Transport Secretary to scrap the plan, a week after the worst

accident on our motorways in more than a generation. Seven people

were killed and many more injured in a 34 car pile-up on the M5 in

Taunton. Here's Charlotte Callen. The West Country motorways. Built

in the 1960s to speed up journeys. Modern roads, but these cars didn't

have today's modern safety equipment. A sophisticated

signalling system to warn motorists of hazards... So the 70 mile an

hour speed limit was introduced to reduce the number of serious

accidents. It is ridiculous if you're expected to dog talk about -

- dawdle along at 70 miles an hour. More than 40 years later,

statistics show these are now the safest roads. I will consult on

increasing the limit at 80 mph. Speeding up journey times improving

productivity, and delivering hundreds of millions of pounds of

net economic benefit. It is thought almost 50% of motorists break the

speed limit and these will Great Yorkshire Show traffic police

patrolling the M4 see it every day. The speed of traffic we saw, as we

were to observe, is around 80 mph. The government hopes the increase

will give a much-needed boost to the economy but the risks are

higher. Some warned that average speeds could be pushed to nearer 90

mph. If we were to raise the limit to 80 miles an hour, the average

speed of traffic would creep up to 90. In commissions, -- in

collisions, there is enormous potential for them to be more

serious in terms of outcomes. a week ago, this was the scene of

chaos as 34 cars collided on the M5. The fire, so intense, rescuers

could not get close. In all, seven people were killed and although it

is still not clear it speed was to blame, road safety experts say it

is a reminder of how dangerous our motorways can be. Will she at the

very least have a look at her predecessor's plan to encourage

faster speeds on the motorways by increasing the speed? Safe driving

on motorways isn't about the maximum speed limit. It is about

Smart driving in terms of not driving too close to people in

front of you, it is about breaking in a way that isn't too quick to

surprise motorists behind to. Government will open consultation

on their plans over the coming months, digging them -- giving

millions of motorway users a chance to have their say, to 4th stock the

MP for Wells was caught up in that accident and she joins me now along

with the -- along with a motoring journalist.

It must have been an awful experience. What happened was mac

we were going southbound. I was going to Taunton. As we approach

the junction, as I looked along the carriageway, I couldn't believe

that there was a bomb fire on the hard shoulder. As we got closer, I

realised it was a fire. As he came alongside, there was one of the

lorry that had moved on to the hard shoulder and we did the same. To be

honest, all of those lanes of traffic, the heat was so intense,

we wouldn't be able to get out or to anything. There was no chance.

What I saw was, you know, jack- knifed lorries, several other

lorries on fire, and realised there were a number of cars that had

slipped there. It was truly awful. There is no suggestion at the

moment that Speed had anything to do with it. I don't know that. I am

not party to what is being investigated. There is always a

question about your ability to stop. My memory says there was no problem

with anything with vision on the southbound carriageway at all.

There was very little traffic on the southbound side. Unusually,

actually. So, is this a wake-up call to what can happen when things

go wrong on motorways? Is it a good time to rethink increasing the

speed limits? I think not. I have always been of a mind that speed

doesn't kill, bad driving kills. Opposite, we can't jeopardise any

investigation into this tragic event but I don't think speed was

the issue there because the lorries were ahead of the pack and they are

limited to 56 mph. One of the biggest problems on the motorways,

the safest in the world, it is tailgating, people driving too

close together. You do see that and you see it would lorries especially

when payslips from one another and to leave so little space between

the two. If something like that, a bit of fog... This is when it comes

back to speed. You might be right it doesn't -- it doesn't kill, but

it reduces your thinking time. speed limit was introduced in the

mid-60s. In those days, most cars could only dream of doing 70 miles

an hour. So it was almost an irrelevance. It was only the

upmarket cars that could do that. I think that when those cars had drum

brakes, skinny tyres, they have to make an appointment to get to a

roundabout, now cars stop so quickly, that top -- at 10 Mullah

will make very little difference. Our reaction time has to come into

play. There is speed combined with human reaction. That is going to be

fatal. If we add more speed into the framework, that is going to be

a problem. One of the other things is, to be honest, there is almost

universal disregard for the speed and it. What is the point? As I

understand it, it is down to the Association of Chief Police

Officers to actually enforced. And if you have one force that doesn't

and you go over to a county border... The word on the street is

that most motorway cops will give you the temper cent here and there.

-- the 10%. Reaction times, even a nanosecond of delay on modern cars

with anti-lock braking systems and proper tyres and everything else,

OK, but a dog the economic argument, the Government is talking about it,

we won't spend so loll on the motorways, we will be at meetings

earlier. I drive into London. I use a gas car. I keep a fairly moderate

speed and I can do the store -- I can do the journey in three hours.

The fact is the economic plan behind it, that is not the case,

because if you don't get there, forget the economics. I agree with

you. That is tosh. Most of the time you think, if only I could do 70

mph. But at three in the morning, I can't see why you don't do 80 mph.

The other thing is that people think that if we read the -- if we

raise the speed limit, people will go at 90 mph. Give the police a

chance to enforce it. They have a chance now. We need to see what the

police officers are going to enforce and do it universally.

Bringing the MOT to a more distant, and having it every two years, that

is going to add to the safety The nation paused at 11 o'clock as

a mark of respect and gratitude to the millions that died for this

country. In every town earned City and in countless villages across

the West Country, we remembered those that paid the ultimate price.

Of all the conflicts, the First World War still holds the horror of

its own, an entire generation wiped out in the mud of northern Europe.

Soon, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of that conflict and

the World Show MP has been appointed by the Prime Minister to

co-ordinate those activities. It sounds like a big job, what are the

plans? It is a big event. In fact, I think it is probably the seminal

event of modern times. The Second World War, of course, which we have

been marking, followed on as a result of the Great War so it is

right and appropriate that we should make a special effort to

Marx is a special events. -- to mark this special event. We will

the caddie many projects to starting -- that are starting to

get going already. Grass roots level, and build on those, so we

can have some national expression of this extraordinarily important

event. What sort of resonance do you think the Great War has with

today's generations? You would be surprised. There is a real feeling

in the country that we need to honour the fallen. More than that,

to learn the lessons of conflict, so we don't repeat this thing for.

It was supposed to be the war that ended all wars, but 100 just some

politicians are still sending young men and women to fight and die for

their country. -- a 100 years on. Wooded peas be a better way of

remembering? We must all aspire to peace and nobody understands that

more than the men and women that serve in the armed forces. The

whole thing about defence is prevention rather than conflict so

that is a sentiment that people would certainly share. We must

remember, the sacrifice made by so many hundreds of thousands in this

country and abroad during the Great War and the conflicts that followed

on from it. Today for it - at today's fights with Europe are very

different. Very much within the EU framework and do you accept that

for all its failings, the European Union you has ensured that war with

Germany would now be unthinkable. War with Germany is unthinkable. I

think that would be the case with a remark we had the European Union.

There is, of course, a powerful streak that holds that the European

Community in the post-war years prevented conflict, and that was

one of the stated ambitions of that organisation. Of course, we are in

the first decade of the 21st century, and we have moved on. It

is not possible to conceive Mercer three of a conflict on the

conscience of Europe of the sort we had last century. -- it is not

possible to conceive mercifully. The West's must stash no longer

serving MP is to stun gun at the next election. Dawn Primarolo has

represented Bristol South since 1997. She was oak minister in the

Labour government mac and she is now a deputy speaker. She is with

us know. Where are you going? my time to move on. It is difficult

to explain but it is a huge privilege -- privileged and

fantastic job to do. I have been allocated six times and carried the

People's Trust, and I just feel it is time. Had enough? You can never

have enough of being an MP. It is a fabulous job and a great privilege

but it is time for me to reform. have observed your career. Quite a

change in your political outlook because you were known as Red Dawn.

You were an assistant to Tony Benn. He refused to pay poll tax,

campaigned against the first Gulf war, you opposed one-member-one-

vote, and now just sort of part of the Establishment, current you?

don't know about that. I have always been prepared to speak my

mind. And I still am. I accept the disciplines I have always done. I

go with the majority view once it has been taken. I remember the

pressure I phase when I was addicted. I was the only Labour MP

outside London if you draw the line from the Wash to the 7th. That was

a huge pressure on me and does more Labour MPs joined me, it helped me

to slow down a little bit. Did you ever accept this label? Have you

moved? Duke of Risley have. I was called Red Dawn because I was the

only Labour MP in the South West which makes you read. Somebody said

to me that it is good to have something like that attached to you.

My combination of that and my surname, which people struggle to

survive -- pronounce, it makes you memorable. Some lovely things that

Ed Miliband has said about you today. I have been reading Tony

Blair's book and he says he whenever suitable for government

and he only gave you a job because you were a crony of Gordon Brown.

think he would agree that if you believe everything you read about

yourself, you would not think very highly of yourself. I am very proud

of what I did. People comment, they have commented on Tony a lot, and I

am sure he doesn't take notice, either. What has Labour got to do,

you can speak freely now, to get re-elected. Labour is in a good

position when we compare where we are now, and Ed Miliband is, to

David Gammon and in his first year, we are Poling at a much better rate.

The clear message we have to get across is one of hope. There is an

alternative to this vicious cutting... Middle-ground or move to

the left? It is for everybody. Every family, every individual,

every parent, every grand parent, every sister, brother, uncle, aunt,

they are worried about what the future holds for them and more

importantly young people. We have got to give young people hope they

will get a job, we've got to make sure people understand they will be

cared for in their dotage which I hope I will be eventually, but not

just yet, David! We have got to show we know what to do on the

economy, and we'd do. Thank you. I will see you again and,

of course. Earlier this year, Somerset County

Council became the first to cut its funding for the arts. So, six

months on, has the curtain come down?

Hello Mr council leader, give me my money! I haven't got any money, so

go away! The people involved in the arts, it is no punch and Judy joke.

They are so passionate about what they do, this time last year they

were fighting for their funding. Armed with a cake showing the money

for arts as a slice of the council's budget, dozens of

protesters marched on the council meeting to decide their fate. They

were joined by a famous faces concerned for the counter's hogged

rock future. This is the first council in the UK to come up with

such a proposition as this. We will cut the arts budget by 100%. This

is lunacy. This is not about us, preposterous love is making

preposterous fees. It is art for a everybody. The council voted

through the �165,000 cut, meaning all 10 arts organisations lost

their grants from April. Six months on, have they won the fight to

survive? At this theatre, they were worried about having all their

grants taken away. You lose the funding and about point, people

really dig in and try to find a way to adapt and find a different

future. If they can't, they won't. And you will see places start to

close over the next year, I am sure. If they can adapt and find

different uses for their buildings, different ways of presenting

programmes, they will survive a. Adapting is the key for these

artists meeting in Taunton. They are all having to work with less

money now, but none had actually faulted for. At some stage, we need

to arrive at a position of clarity. At that stage, where there will

have to be some decisions made about whether the programme

develops in a more commercial -- commercial sense or does the

community side attract? For some, technology is the future. Theatre

is having less actors on the stage and is beaming in productions.

have reduced the number of companies producing live on our

stage. We may well increase the number of companies performing on

our cinema screen. It is not just stuffer that for committed but

local people. People in Somerset have been fantastic the way they

have responded and I have heard of stories of fund-raising events.

There is a real spirit of raising money. What does the poster boy of

the anti-cuts campaign at make of things? Already what I am seeing is

firstly a remarkable sort of spirit emerging. Actually, companies, they

are determined not to go down, and they are saving the leaking ship.

Artists will continue to produce great work, however much they

suffer. It is a good idea for them to suffer, somehow, they will

produce greater work. But I don't buy that as a concert. There is a

determination to survive. It cannot be on these terms, when all people

are doing is trying to survive it. Gathering friends around seems the

key to survival for many of these groups. As long as that lasts, the