11/12/2011 The Politics Show Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Three and coming up in half an hour, off while the outlook is not quite

so sunny for people who want to install solar panels.

And anyone for Dennis? Why Hollywood enlisted one of Margaret

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1810 seconds

Thatcher's biggest critics on their Welcome to the Politics Show for

lot -- Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the North Midlands. Coming up today.

Crisis, of what crisis? The businesses that say they have seen

an increase in exports. We find out why the outlook is not

so sunny for people to want to install solar panels.

And any one for Dennis? Why Hollywood enlisted one of Margaret

Thatcher's biggest critics as an extra in the Meryl Streep

Blockbuster. First today, businesses across

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are this weekend Digest in the latest twists

and turns in the eurozone soap opera. Following David Cameron's

decision to reject closer economic ties with Europe, or we have been

at assessing what that means for local firms who export goods and

services to the Continent. As David Cameron absolve -- absorb

the events of Friday, the Prime Minister needed to look no further

than West Yorkshire for a very decent assessment of what the

eurozone means for business. By the finance sector in Leeds

outstrips manufacturing, the views of those in the City are still

significant. According to one survey due out next week, exports

to the European Union are crucial with businesses at -- reporting

increased sales a product this year. What is interesting is that two-

thirds of countries -- of companies that export to the eurozone say

that their exports are either the same or higher than before the

crisis began. More positive news at last from

exporters. But for one company in Leeds, events in Brussels could be

the final ingredient of a Perfect Storm to blast businesses in the

north. Eurozone traders may start to look away from an increasingly

isolationist Britain. Our customers are abroad and a good businessman

it may think that a -- that trading with the UK is not their best

option. People will trade, up there will be pain, but it is better to

have been over a short period of time and get on with a planet that

actually works. Of course, predictions of the impact of this

historic turn of events vary hugely. What is certain is that there are a

great number of backbench Euro- sceptics from Yorkshire and

Lincolnshire who will be very vocal with their meeting with the Prime

Minister tomorrow. Our guests today include a Timothy

Kirkhope, Greg Mulholland to and Nic Dakin. Timothy, off where does

David Cameron's decision to politely stick two fingers up to

the rest of Europe leave their many businesses in Yorkshire and

Lincolnshire who rely on trading with the eurozone? I very much hope

that they will continue to benefit from our membership in the European

Union and the relationship that we have been a very big trading bloc.

I did not like you're analogy about David Cameron. I think what he was

trying to do was make proposals that would... Pacify? Proposals

that were meant to help sort out the crisis. At the same time,

without diminishing or making things were she -- words from the

position of the British economy. I think that it is a shame that his

views were not followed by others but I think he had to do what he

dead and he made it clear that British interests are very

important. Nic Dakin, David Cameron did what their majority of people

wanted? I think what the majority of people want is a plan for jobs

and growth. This is very serious times and what David Cameron has

done it is to show himself to be out of touch with the needs of

businesses such as use of their in Leeds and across the wall of the

region, including my area of Scunthorpe, and out of influence

now I am afraid with their leadership and the direction of

Europe. This is a very worrying time for Britain. Greg Mulholland,

what is the view amongst Liberal Democrat MPs? Do you feel like you

have been shattered by your conservative coalition partners?

Let us not to deal in putting people into stereotypes and boxes.

This is an incredibly serious situation that the country faces,

that Europe faces, that the world faces. The decision that the Prime

Minister had to take with regards to the eurozone was either to go

went deeper into Europe, of which would have been needed a referendum,

up or to allow the 17th eurozone countries to find a way through

this themselves. That is what he did. That is what the coalition

team wanted. Is now a good time for Nick Clegg to make good on his

European promise to hold a referendum? The last thing we need

immediately is a referendum. At some stage in the future there

should be a referendum, and let us remember that this Government, for

the first time ever, has said that there will indeed be a referendum

if there is a transfer of powers, that is now enshrined in law. It is

past governments that have failed to give the British people that

opportunity. Now is not the time for that. When should there be a

referendum, Timothy Kirkhope? should have been a referendum some

time ago. The promised one and we did not get one. I do not think the

time is right because here we have a situation where the Prime

Minister has made our situation clear. We have be taught this

proposal and therefore I see no reason why we need a referendums. -

- vetoed. Across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire a last-minute rush has

been taking place to install solar panels. It follows the Government's

decision to cut by half the subsidy offered to households which

generate their own electricity. If the lower so called feed-in tariff

begins tomorrow. Winter is here and with it come

higher energy bills. Energy bills that are higher now than they have

ever been. But a solution to those rising costs came last year. By

investing in Seoul where, we could generate our own electricity and be

paid for the excess we did not use. -- Sola. It was called the feed-in

tariff. From tomorrow, that is set to drop. Instead of receiving 43.3

pence for every Kelloe what they provide, new solar installations

will get just 21p. Normally, from a rate of installing something like

15 or 20 projects a week, we have been a stalling more like 40.

Not surprisingly, there has been a rush to get panels installed before

the deadline. It has left this company working around the clock. A

drop in turf was always on the cards but it was not expected until

next April. This company lost �1 million of business as a result and

others have been forced to lay off staff. It has come as a shock to

the industry. This is an industry that has been booming and it was

made all the more attractive but by that feed-in tariff. Paid for by a

small increases in our electricity bills. The Government argues that

if they do not make these cuts now, we will all end up paying the cost.

As much as �80 a year could be added to our energy bills. What is

it due app angry about? Is it the fact that the feed-in tariff has

been dropped? Or is it the way that it has been handled? We are not a

lot annoyed that it has been dropped, agreed that it had to be

dropped. -- we are not annoyed. They have pulled the rug out and

said there we are. They have created a window where there is an

unknown. We do not have the clarity to be able to build our business

and invest in creating jobs for the future. It would have been great

for everything on the farm, from drying crops to everything. This

paltry farmer is someone else who has been left in limbo. He to kept

he took out a loan. Government's decision means that he

should not bother. I am absolutely livid. If it had gone ahead in

April it would have given me an off time to plan it properly. We paid

the money and signed a contract and then this decision comes through. I

do agree that it needs changing but it needed a better mechanism at

looking at the cost of solar panels, rather than this coming down and

smashing the tariffs overnight. Government's decision may have

knocked confidence, but some believe that the industry can

bounce back to -- back. By 2014, up we think we will get to a point

where the feed in tax -- powerful not even be needed because the cost

of energy will go up. Tomorrow, Julian goes to Westminster to lobby

it eight -- MPs for their support. Greg Mulholland, let me come to you

first because this was a decision made by the Lib Dem energy

secretary Chris Huhne, thousands of jobs we are told will be lost

because of this decision. Was it the wrong decision? I think, has

come across in the report, the level of subsidy was too high and

certainly had to be cut in the economic climate. It was

unaffordable going forward. But I do have some concerns with the

timing and the impact that will have. What I can say is that the

letter but -- on the Liberal Democrat backbenchers we are

continuing to lobby to see if there is a way that this can be done more

gradually. Nic Dakin, do you except the feed-in tariff could not have

continued at that rate? I think everybody accepts that there were

going to be changes coming down the line and that what was planned was

for tariffs to change in April and people were geared up for that,

what we have here is the Government clearly out of touch with the needs

of an industry that was prospering, they are out of touch with the

needs of farmers who are diversifying, and to suddenly

change overnight these tariffs in a way in which people who were

already in commercial arrangements have not got the appropriate time

went to the just... Also, the Government's own consultation

guidelines say there should be at least 12 weeks consultation, the

consultation on this is less than half that and it concludes before

the change that takes place tomorrow in the feed-in tariff so.

It is quite an it reaches me to be a. You can see the way that

confidence is pit. Timothy Kirkhope, the British Government is now being

threatened with legal action. What happened to your claim of being

vigorous Government ever? I think we still are. I am very pleased

that we are going to continue to develop solar power. I agreed with

my colleagues on this one. It was all done a little bit too quickly.

The commission should keep out of this. They do not start to keep --

they do not us need to start interfering.

Next month sees the release of the new Margaret Thatcher film starring

Meryl Streep as the grocer's daughter from Lincolnshire who

became Britain's first woman prime minister. Len Tingle has been

finding out how the film is likely to be viewed in Yorkshire.

Where there is discord, may be bring harmony. -- may or we bring

harmony. Scenes renewing memories from 30

years ago. But in this pub, they have not forgotten Margaret

Thatcher for a single minute. Ken Capstick was national chairman of

that end you end up in Yorkshire and the landlord was secretary at

the local pit before it was forced to endowed -- closed down.

believe that Margaret Thatcher was not a great leader. I think she was

more of a demolition person. She demolished the mining industry. The

mining industry supported other industries such as Engineering,

railways, steel. All of those were demolished as a result. Here art

imitates life. Just a few months before the start of the year-long

miners' strike, Look North captured her stormy a rival to speak in

Sheffield in 1983. My him, and the aim of the Government, has been to

try to keep as much steel making here as we could. And to treat both

public and private sectors fairly. She did not read newspapers, she

refused to. She did not change her mind when it was made up and got on

with it. She was actually a human being and she could return like a

book. That was the great virtue of her position. People knew where

they stayed. And they came to realise that she would carry out

what she said she would. Thatcher family has let it be known

that they do not like the script nor betrayal of Margaret Thatcher.

But even she would have chuckled at the way a visit -- a visitor to the

set would become an extra. I was Turner -- turned into an extra. The

most interesting thing was that there was half a dozen Tory whips

down their guard in the plays and they work extras as well but had to

sit on the same side as me shouting insults at Thatcher. That was the

most amusing part! Love her or loathe her, even before this Meryl

Streep blockbuster comes to a cinema near you in January, the

odds of an Oscar are shortening fast. Gentlemen, shall we joined

the ladies? We will hear Lene's memories in a

moment, at Timothy Kirkhope you were at when it -- Tory MP in the

'80s. What do you think of Meryl Streep's performance? It looks all

right. Margaret Thatcher appointed me to my first job in Government.

She said my job would be to guide people on the pathos of wisdom and

not be nasty. I always reckoned -- on the pass of wisdom. Greg

Mulholland, you probably thought like me it was normal to have a

woman Prynne at -- prime minister. D'you think people of our

generation will appreciate this film? I think it will be

fascinating for anyone interested in politics and British history. I

will be a tuning in just to see Dennis Skinner being quiet on the

backbenches! I think he secretly admired Margaret Thatcher. Nic

Dakin, I am guessing you are not a big fan of the Iron Lady, but which

but -- will you go and see the film? Yes. I think Mrs Thatcher it

left a lot of scars in steel communities and has done a lot of

damage to manufacturing. But I'm sure it she would not be coming

away from Europe walking away from things, she would be in their

making sure that she got a decent deal going forward. I cannot

imagine Ed Miliband in the movie! think she was wonderful. She was a

wonderful prime minister and she came to this country at the right

time. It is funny how some leaders are vilified when the are in power

but with the passing of time have been accepted for being great

leaders in their day, is that the keys with Margaret Thatcher?

think she will go down as a great prime minister a but I think many

of the things she did have left lasting problems to British society.

But many of the thing she did were very effective and positive. So

history will continue to weigh the balance of power pluses and minuses.

I interviewed her quite a few times in the '80s. She wasn't supposed to

give an interview but I had just put a story out about a squeeze on

manufacturing and after I had spec -- stepped back three pieces from

the blast, I realised I had had someone behind me and knocked them

over, and then I realised that I had flattened to Denis Thatcher!

will have been OK, he will have had a gin and tonic!

It is the end of any year, at the last Politics Show here in

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. I will leave you with some memories of the

Welcome to the Politics Show studio end lead. Scotland has got one, so

as Wales, so should Yorkshire have its own Parliament?

Once again, Yorkshire MPs are right in the effect of the battles over

label it -- Labour's leader. Back in the hills of Tennessee,

illiteracy was a real problem. This is England's now and Blair and

Brown have done that and I loathe them for it.

I you astonished? Know. I am urging the ministers are not to cut these