:00:58. > :01:02.In the West: Are we better off in or out of
:01:02. > :01:06.Europe as the crisis deepens? We're one of the most Euro-sceptic areas
:01:06. > :01:09.in the country so have we had enough of our EU neighbours? And
:01:09. > :01:19.we'll bring you a Christmas message from the tory eccentric Jacob Rees-
:01:19. > :01:19.
:01:19. > :31:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1815 seconds
:31:34. > :31:37.Hello from a festive West Country. We've got the mince pies out for
:31:37. > :31:40.the last programme before Christmas but it looks like Santa's sack may
:31:40. > :31:43.be a bit lighter this year as our politicians struggle to manage the
:31:43. > :31:50.budget deficit. It's not just this German Christmas market binding us
:31:50. > :31:55.to Europe, the eurozone crisis is effecting all of us. So is it time
:31:55. > :31:58.to rethink our relationship with the EU?
:31:58. > :32:02.Plus, with 13 shopping days left until Christmas we'll be finding
:32:02. > :32:05.out if the tills are ringing on the high streets this year.
:32:05. > :32:11.And we'll be opening our Christmas cracker. Inside we have some
:32:11. > :32:20.festive highlights from Tory eccentric Jacob Rees-Mogg. All it
:32:20. > :32:25.remains to say is, Ho, ho, ho! And merry Christmas!
:32:25. > :32:28.That's about it when it comes to Christmas cheer, I am afraid.
:32:28. > :32:31.Joining me to pull a festive, austerity cracker and share a stale
:32:31. > :32:34.BBC mince pie are three politicians who'd all love to give you a
:32:34. > :32:37.present, if only the country had some money. I'm talking about the
:32:37. > :32:40.Conservative MEP for the South West Ashley Fox, Labour's Dawn Primarolo,
:32:40. > :32:45.MP for Bristol South; and the Lib Dem councillor for North Somerset,
:32:45. > :32:48.Mike Bell. First this afternoon, we are talking about Europe. We live
:32:48. > :32:54.in a part of the country where there are many Euro-sceptics and
:32:54. > :32:58.UKIP do well in the elections. So should we be celebrating our
:32:58. > :33:00.isolation in the EU or is it going to be chilly here on the margins of
:33:00. > :33:09.Europe? Paul Barltrop has been taking opinion down at the
:33:09. > :33:13.Christmas Market in Bristol. I have not gone to Germany, the
:33:14. > :33:18.Germans have come here. This market is in the centre of Bristol until
:33:18. > :33:28.Christmas. This shows how closely linked our economies are. If they
:33:28. > :33:32.
:33:32. > :33:36.eurozone goes down, we are all in Are you worried? I am in a way. I'm
:33:36. > :33:44.not sure whether he's made the right decision or not. We are going
:33:44. > :33:51.to panic if we are right in the cold. It might cost too much.
:33:51. > :33:57.markets everywhere, business is not booming, especially for expensive
:33:57. > :34:01.things. �75 for a chess set? Am not sure I can afford that. Public
:34:01. > :34:04.bodies have been cutting their budgets everywhere. That is except
:34:04. > :34:14.for the European Union, which next she will get an extra 2 billion
:34:14. > :34:15.
:34:15. > :34:19.Even if your money is looking dodgy, Christmas is a time for giving to
:34:19. > :34:23.your nearest and dearest. It varies when it comes to friends. David
:34:23. > :34:27.Cameron might not feel like being too generous with his European
:34:27. > :34:30.leaders for his parliamentary colleagues but as far our big
:34:31. > :34:40.political marriage, so far all is going pretty well within that the
:34:41. > :34:48.
:34:48. > :34:53.coalition. What would make a good present for a cabinet minister?
:34:53. > :34:56.Do you think your leader did well or has he landed us in an isolated
:34:56. > :35:01.position? The Prime Minister made the right decision because Britain
:35:01. > :35:06.does not want to participate in a fiscal union... What advantages
:35:06. > :35:11.does it give us? It stops our tax and spending being controlled by
:35:11. > :35:15.Brussels. What influence as it give you on the top table of Europe now?
:35:15. > :35:19.You ask what benefits they lot of Britain. Pit stops our tax and
:35:20. > :35:28.spending being controlled by the European Commission. It stops. It
:35:28. > :35:33.means no transfers of sovereignty. What influence does this give you?
:35:33. > :35:41.We will retain more control over financial sector in London. And our
:35:41. > :35:49.influence? If your constituent comes and brings you a problem, you
:35:49. > :35:52.cannot go to Europe... Things remain exactly the same. We are not
:35:52. > :35:59.involved in the fiscal compact because we don't want to be
:35:59. > :36:01.involved in it. Not much influence there. Not on the fiscal compact
:36:01. > :36:09.because that is a matter for eurozone countries and those
:36:09. > :36:13.countries that want to join the euro. Mike Bell, you are from the
:36:13. > :36:17.party which has missed friendly towards Europe. What do you feel?
:36:17. > :36:22.am one of those rare beasts in that I'm a Euro-sceptic Lib-Dem. I
:36:22. > :36:26.rather think that the Prime Minister... Is that because most
:36:26. > :36:30.people in the West Country vote for Euro-sceptic parties? I think that
:36:30. > :36:34.is fair. I was born and raised in this area. Some of our natural
:36:34. > :36:39.scepticism has rubbed off on me, I guess. I think the Prime Minister
:36:39. > :36:42.really had a poisoned chalice to start with. He was destined to go
:36:42. > :36:46.in there and banged the table for Britain. In the end, what came out
:36:46. > :36:53.of it was an agreement that City dealers and countries and to be
:36:53. > :36:57.honest, that was the purpose of the summit. Has he planed -- has he
:36:57. > :37:01.played a blinder? I don't see that. The Chancellor says in order for
:37:01. > :37:07.our economy to grow and create jobs, they eurozone needs to get out of
:37:07. > :37:11.this crisis. As they grow, we will grow. So how casting us into
:37:11. > :37:16.isolation, not being at the top table to be involved in this
:37:16. > :37:19.discussions about economic growth, coming out of the recession and
:37:19. > :37:25.creating jobs for our constituents... Labour would have
:37:25. > :37:30.agreed to that at almost any price? There, I'm not saying that and you
:37:30. > :37:34.are casting it in two extremes. David Cameron, with his Euro-
:37:34. > :37:38.sceptics and with everything he has said over the last few years, has
:37:38. > :37:44.talked Britain into isolation. We are not taken seriously. There are
:37:44. > :37:48.very difficult challenges. When we were in power, the European Union
:37:48. > :37:52.proposed the savings tax to control for a City of London. We fought it
:37:52. > :37:56.all away from the inside. Successfully, what he has done is
:37:56. > :38:00.remove dust from the table. That's got to be a problem. A lot of
:38:00. > :38:09.people will say it is time for a referendum. Would you support that
:38:09. > :38:13.and in... It is not the time for that. Speaking as a conservative,
:38:13. > :38:17.and not with a coalition had on, I would like to see repatriation of
:38:18. > :38:25.powers to the Vatican to me. I want to stay in the EU but I would like
:38:25. > :38:28.to say... I would like things changed. I do not see how you can
:38:28. > :38:35.change your relationship with the European Union by moving into
:38:35. > :38:39.isolation. In or out? We have to be in a productive partnership with
:38:39. > :38:42.our European partners because there is so much trade there. If we're
:38:42. > :38:47.going to have an export-led recovery, as of the steep recession,
:38:48. > :38:54.that means we have to be part of the discussions. You've gone a bit
:38:55. > :38:59.wobbly on Europe but you are still presumably in? And certainly of the
:38:59. > :39:02.mind that on balance we are better in. I support a referendum. The
:39:02. > :39:11.problem we've had is because the European debate has been stifled by
:39:11. > :39:14.these ridiculous points of rhetoric when in reality we've not had a
:39:14. > :39:23.proper, intelligent debate about Europe for decades. That is what we
:39:23. > :39:26.need. Help yourself to women's by while be going to our next film.
:39:26. > :39:30.For There are 13 shopping days left until Christmas, plenty of time to
:39:30. > :39:33.fill those stockings hanging on the end of your bed. But after all the
:39:33. > :39:37.talk of cuts and pay freezes do we have any money left? We sent Ruth
:39:37. > :39:43.Bradley out to the shops in Taunton to see if the cash tills have been
:39:43. > :39:46.ringing. A Taunton has the highest
:39:46. > :39:52.percentage of public sector workers in the West. In his Yeovil, the
:39:52. > :39:56.defence sector has been hit. With all of this gloom, it is it going
:39:56. > :40:06.to be an austerity Christmas for people in Somerset? I just want to
:40:06. > :40:08.
:40:08. > :40:11.cut back but I'm not succeeding very well at the moment. We have to
:40:11. > :40:19.support the traders, we have to keep buying, otherwise they shut
:40:19. > :40:26.down. The farmers' market in Taunton sets up shop every week and
:40:26. > :40:32.local people think people are watching their pennies. Is this
:40:32. > :40:37.Christmas going as well as last? Better. Why is that? Because we
:40:38. > :40:40.have a unique product. Some of the shops in Taunton he can find
:40:40. > :40:45.anywhere but the iconic County stores has been here for years. It
:40:45. > :40:55.has seen Christmases and recessions come and go. How has this year
:40:55. > :41:01.compared? The fear for next year is January and February and the worry
:41:01. > :41:06.is about people having their bills to pay. We have got to keep trading.
:41:06. > :41:10.Fortunately, everybody has a birthday. It seems to be a mixed
:41:10. > :41:13.picture in Taunton with one shop saying he has seen worse but it is
:41:13. > :41:17.not going to be the best Christmas. Some shoppers are saying they're
:41:17. > :41:20.watching their pennies but Christmas only comes once a year.
:41:20. > :41:26.High-end producers are doing quite well. Meanwhile, some shops have
:41:26. > :41:30.not even made it this far so will we see more of these in 2012?
:41:30. > :41:32.A snapshot from the streets of Taunton. Still with me are the
:41:32. > :41:35.South West Conservative MEP Ashley Fox, the Labour MP for Bristol
:41:35. > :41:39.South Dawn Primarolo, and North Somerset Lib Dem councillor Mike
:41:39. > :41:42.Bell. Are people spending money in Bristol South? It will be a very
:41:42. > :41:47.difficult Christmas. People are fearful of losing their jobs, their
:41:47. > :41:50.income has dropped 6% on average over the last year. What my
:41:50. > :41:54.constituents will be doing well be doing the best for their children
:41:54. > :41:58.on a considerably reduced income and worrying about whether they
:41:58. > :42:01.will be able to pay the bills and the future. The austerity drive his
:42:01. > :42:07.ongoing now. It could not have been done without the backing of the Lib
:42:07. > :42:10.Dems. Any regrets? No, not at all. Certainly, every morning I look
:42:10. > :42:17.myself in the mirror and wonder why we are in coalition with a
:42:17. > :42:20.Conservatives because it doesn't sit comfortably. But I think that
:42:20. > :42:24.overall, we are right to try and sort out the economy and rebalance
:42:24. > :42:27.things. There is no doubt at all that what we need to be as honest
:42:27. > :42:31.with people, that we are in a very difficult situation and it is going
:42:31. > :42:35.to go on for some time to come. Let's be honest, is it working? Can
:42:35. > :42:41.you give us any sign a tour that the austerity measures and the
:42:41. > :42:46.cards are having a result? Yes. A cut the rate at which Britain can
:42:46. > :42:53.borrow money, 2%, the same as Germany. -- will cut the rate. If
:42:53. > :42:57.we had not introduced the austerity measures 18 months ago, if we only
:42:57. > :43:00.half the deficit over the parliament, we could very easily be
:43:00. > :43:04.facing a crisis situation like Greece or Portugal. In terms of
:43:04. > :43:08.jobs and growth, there is nothing. That is a difficult but the reason
:43:08. > :43:13.for that is the appalling inheritance we had from the Labour
:43:13. > :43:18.Party who spent far too much money, borrowed too much money and put us
:43:18. > :43:24.in this mess. Of people saying that to you on the streets of Bristol
:43:24. > :43:31.South? -- are people. They are not saying that. What people are saying
:43:31. > :43:36.is that government are cutting and it is not working. They advance
:43:36. > :43:39.ridiculous arguments like for instance the test on interest rates.
:43:39. > :43:43.We can see for instance in Japan, they had lower interest rates and
:43:43. > :43:48.stayed in a depression and a session for a very long time. What
:43:48. > :43:55.people want to know is how are we going to get growth in our economy
:43:55. > :44:00.and how are we going to get the jobs that were promised. We were
:44:00. > :44:03.told that if it wasn't for the euro crisis, we would have a growth now
:44:03. > :44:10.because we would be able to exports to them. What the Prime Minister
:44:10. > :44:15.has now done is remove dust from the discussions of the future of
:44:15. > :44:21.Europe which is where that joke -- growth can come from. The
:44:21. > :44:29.proposition for most people is more gloom into the future. We were
:44:29. > :44:33.part... You are saying cut the deficit and what you also say is
:44:33. > :44:36.you are not prepared to an acidic - - negotiate to get a better deal
:44:36. > :44:42.than the one that was on the table. So you would have a signed up to
:44:42. > :44:49.the Compact? He were not even prepared to negotiate with our
:44:49. > :44:52.European partners. We vetoed a deal that wasn't good for Britain.
:44:52. > :44:55.should have negotiated a better deal.
:44:55. > :44:57.Just for a moment lets pretend our politicians are Santa, with the
:44:57. > :45:03.responsibility for giving us all something nice this Christmas.
:45:03. > :45:07.That's pretty hard to do when there's no money to buy things. We
:45:07. > :45:17.sent Robin Markwell out to see if there's anything for us to look
:45:17. > :45:22.
:45:22. > :45:28.Peace and goodwill have been in short supply this year. Rioters on
:45:28. > :45:33.the rampage. Striking on the streets. An economy as stagnant as
:45:33. > :45:38.last year's Christmas leftovers. And now the winter of discontent at
:45:38. > :45:41.this the largest protest camp outside London. As the Occupy
:45:41. > :45:47.Bristol protestors will tell you, while those in work have seen their
:45:47. > :45:57.pay frozen, boardroom pay has gone up by 50%. So what gifts could our
:45:57. > :46:02.politicians bring us to raise some festive cheer? Better checks on how
:46:02. > :46:05.they run things seed and get problems like the expenses scandal.
:46:05. > :46:12.More broad mind as this, not being in a pocket of big business. Stop
:46:12. > :46:18.taking money from lobby groups. Have your funding paid for by
:46:18. > :46:23.public money. David Cameron, give me some waterproof socks, if you
:46:23. > :46:33.are watching this. The government has made this happen a sex but even
:46:33. > :46:37.happier this Christmas. He has tried to quantify how we feel.
:46:37. > :46:40.There is a fairly strong national tendency to be optimistic and that
:46:40. > :46:44.is a very good thing, as long as you don't lose sight of the
:46:44. > :46:53.challengers. That's not the English way. We are grumpy and get on with
:46:53. > :46:56.things. Maybe that is just being a reporter for too long!
:46:56. > :47:00.There is no secret that the political weather for the new year
:47:00. > :47:06.is going to be stormy but there are still a few goodies in the politics
:47:06. > :47:09.back. For starters, we are going to be asking who might be wearing the
:47:09. > :47:14.chains of office for an elected mayor although the Lib-Dems and
:47:14. > :47:17.Greens have already said they are against that. We also have in
:47:17. > :47:20.November elections on a possible Police Commissioner but if you look
:47:20. > :47:26.at the surveyors, three-quarters of the public still know nothing about
:47:26. > :47:32.that particular election. So all in all, it seems that 2012 may follow
:47:32. > :47:42.the same pattern as 2011, with plenty of instability. I might just
:47:42. > :47:42.
:47:42. > :47:46.cling to the sides for now. We're drawing near to the end of our last
:47:46. > :47:51.ever Politics Show. But have no fear, I will be back in the new
:47:51. > :47:57.year with our new programme - The Sunday Politics in the West. We
:47:57. > :48:00.wanted to end this Christmas with something to make you smile. We've
:48:00. > :48:03.had some of Gordon Brown's finest speech writers working on some
:48:03. > :48:07.jokes for you but they all fell a bit flat. So, we've turned to one
:48:07. > :48:17.of our newest MPs Jacob Rees Mogg, the Tory toff from North East
:48:17. > :48:19.
:48:19. > :48:23.Somerset, to provide some Christmas I said that they should wear a
:48:23. > :48:27.bowler hat. There might be a few words going spare because I believe
:48:27. > :48:32.the Supreme Court has given them up and certainly the House of Commons
:48:32. > :48:35.have given up wearing wigs as well. I think you should have some
:48:35. > :48:41.sympathy for Mr Sarkozy. He is probably not getting a lot of sick.
:48:41. > :48:51.He is a little bit tired and irritable. They are bonkers to vote
:48:51. > :48:55.
:48:55. > :49:00.We want to have a glamourous monarchy that befits the status of
:49:00. > :49:04.our nation. I urge the Chancellor, even if in this time of austerity,
:49:04. > :49:09.one I know we are all in it together and I know the opposition
:49:09. > :49:19.spent all the money and it marks out the credit card and all of that,
:49:19. > :49:29.but I think we should look after her Majesty. What class are you?
:49:29. > :49:29.
:49:29. > :49:33.am a man of Somerset. That is where you're from. I would say, and this
:49:33. > :49:39.will probably heard you, I would say upper-middle, rather than
:49:39. > :49:49.upper-class. I am not part of the aristocracy, that's definitely true.
:49:49. > :49:50.
:49:50. > :49:52.Will we settle for upper-middle? I'm a man of the people. It is for
:49:52. > :49:57.as backbenchers to say to her Majesty's Government, stiffen the
:49:57. > :50:01.sinews, summon up the blood, and imitate the action of a tiger. That
:50:01. > :50:11.is how you should behave towards our European partners, not like bad
:50:11. > :50:19.
:50:19. > :50:25.press. -- like Bagpuss.That's all This show has been a very enjoyable
:50:25. > :50:28.to be on. This show has always mixed tough political questioning
:50:29. > :50:32.with a sense of the West Country. We've had a fascinating political
:50:32. > :50:36.year. It got crisis in the euro, difficult economic circumstances
:50:36. > :50:41.but ultimately, we've got three broad sunlit uplands to look
:50:41. > :50:47.forward to next year as Andrew Neil takes on a new programme. So, all
:50:47. > :50:54.that remains to save his merry Christmas. -- remains to say his
:50:54. > :50:59.merry Christmas. Just time for one last wish for the
:50:59. > :51:04.new year. Some economic growth and good political luck. Jobs for my
:51:04. > :51:10.constituents, they desperately need them. Replacing squabbling
:51:10. > :51:17.politicians like these two with the worst falls so we can get some West