01/11/2013 The Week in Parliament

Now to redeem itself, it just wants to get back to the ASICS British

banking. `` back to the basics of reddish banking. Time now for the

Week in Parliament. Welcome.

Fuel bills are getting bigger, time to cut the big six down to size. How

can these profits be fair when people cannot afford to pay? If I

don't make a 5% profit, I can't afford to continue employing people.

After John Major's intervention, how do former prime ministers see their

role? David Cameron will be relatively young when he stands down

and he will want to do things. Will it be a new dawn for Wales as

David Cameron gives new powers to the Welsh government.

Rising domestic fuel bills and the policies of the companies have been

continuing to heat up Westminster. Ed Miliband has again painted David

Cameron as the champion of the energy companies when they clashed

at prime ministers questions. The day before, the big six were facing

the heat themselves. It is a competitive market but we

are all subject to the same pressures. I firmly believe it would

be helpful to depoliticise this debate and get expert and to look at

it. Is it not about time you looked at the biggest problem which is that

consumers can no longer afford to pay the bills? Never mind

depoliticising things. I will answer it clearly. The two key things are,

are the profits fair? How can these profits be fair when people cannot

afford to pay? The second part is what do you do with the profits? If

I do not make a 5% profit in my business, I cannot afford to

continue employing 20,000 people who are equally members of our society.

It is a fraction of what mobile phone companies and supermarkets

make, although it is still a big number. They are there's a

suspicion, that you are acting in concert, in terms of everything you

say. We have heard it on eco issues and various other things but the

question is why is there not more competition? Do you think this

market is competitive? I get the sense it is more monopoly than

competition. That is my sense. There are more national surprise ``

national supply companies in the UK then there are a the other EU

countries. There are 15 small suppliers which we did not have a

while ago. If you look at the comparison of UK domestic gas

prices, with the EU, we are second lowest.

On what to do on the subject, a former Conservative prime minister

unexpectedly weighed in on the side of consumers. John Major said people

might have to choose between heating and eating and that got us thinking.

What is the role of an ex`prime minister? Norman Lamont and Peter

Hain will give us their thoughts on that.

Duncan Smith has been looking at how prime ministers have to grin and

bear their predecessors' supposedly helpful interventions.

It is the role many dream of, but there's another inevitable role that

all prime ministers will inevitably to fulfil. That of an ex`prime

minister. When you do finally take on that role, there is the big

question, do you leave your successor alone or are you tempted

to tamper? John Major last week called on the current prime minister

to consider an emergency tax on the profits of the UK's top energy

firms. It would be entirely reasonable for the Chancellor to

recoup that money from the company 's, given the scale of their profits

and the nature of the very high increases they have proposed. He has

not had too much to say since leaving office. His limited

interjections have been carefully timed and that is understandable

given the pledge of his own predecessor in 1990 to be a very

good back`seat driver. I have never knowingly made an uncontroversial

speech in my life. Never the less, I hope to be more controversial when

we get down to discussing the details. With her handbag in full

swing, she would turn out to be a nightmarish back`seat driver for

John Major especially when he drove down the road to master it. `` to

Maastricht. That's herself sort of the longest sulk and her study from

Sir Edward Heath. The Iron Lady soon batted off Edward Heath's criticism

but the relationship never thawed. Liking banning the sale of state

assets to selling off the family silver. The great thing of the

motherboard `` monopoly of the telephone system came up the market.

Former Labour Prime ministers seem to be better behaved publicly

towards their successors. James Callaghan never really criticised

Tony Blair. Tony Blair was noticeably cool about Gordon Brown

but managed to bite his lip for the entire time he was in office but

this week, he managed to criticise himself over Labour spending, but

perhaps that was a swipe at Gordon Brown. Whatever happened to him?

This week he described himself as an ex`politician but he is still an MP

and he has not had a Labour Prime Minister to criticise, not yet

anyway. I am joined by the Conservative

former Chancellor Norman Lamont who was John Major's campaign manager,

and by Peter Hain who ran as a contender for the deputy leadership

of the Labour Party. We have had Gordon Brown talking

about an ex`politician. Do ex`prime ministes ever really become

ex`politicians? It is an interesting definition as a sitting MP. The rest

of us would find that novel, but I find that I feel sorry for former

prime ministers because unless you do what Tony Blair did, resign

almost immediately, it is quite difficult in Parliament when you

have been centrestage and leading the government and negotiating

international treaties, and suddenly you are backbencher. It is not clear

to yourself what your status is. Do you feel sorry for them? I do not

feel sorry for them. It is easier in the House of Lords. Some ex`prime

ministers choose not to go. Those who have gone, Margaret Thatcher and

Harold Macmillan, have intervened occasionally and used it as a sort

of platform. I still think it is difficult. And I do not think there

is any one model. Thinking about it, you have some who stay aloof and

make the occasional intervention which has an impact because it is

occasional, then you have some who continue to fight battles. Margaret

Thatcher was in that category and so was Ted Heath. They both fought

opposite sides of the same battle but were so involved that they

continued to talk about it. On intervention, John Major had

intervened on energy bills and said people may have to choose between

heating and eating. Do you think that the present Prime Minister

found that helpful? When I first heard about it, my first reaction

was he had been put up to this by Downing Street to put pressure on

the energy companies. Then I realised that was nonsensical. John

Major has played his hand pretty well but I did not think this

intervention was his best. He has been generally supportive and

intervened occasionally. I did not agree with him and I do not think

the government did. Labour seems to have a better record in terms of the

ex`prime minister being silent but it seems to be a conservative

disease that the former prime minister has something to say. Why

is Labour better? They are much more loyal. It was interesting for me as

a Labour MP, a big supporter of Ed Miliband, it was very helpful to his

cause but the point Norman made, he very rarely says anything and

whether or not the windfall tax was the right answer, he puts his finger

on the pulse of everybody who has anything to do with the local

constituency that energy prices are top concern. Everyone listens

closely? It was not a gratuitous remark and he just made it and left

it there. I do not regard it as at all helpful to number ten, but Tony

Blair has played an interesting role in that because he has an active

participant in the Middle East peace process, and because he holds a very

strong views and feels strongly that the recommendation to be in Iraq was

right and has a certain view, we saw him recently calling for

intervention of an unspecified kind. That was the weakness, but lack the

weakness of his position. Tony Blair lived in the upper position of

trying to justify himself in my leading as he was advocating an

attack on Syria because he felt it would put the war in Iraq in a

different perspective, and it would seem less remarkable and then if

people saw the logic here is reported to have seen. Personally I

think he is badly wrong and he goes on and on trying to justify himself.

Let's stay global ` we look at the United States they do things

differently. An interesting comparison there. Is the American

experience something we could learn from? American presidents are set up

with the presidential library. They are still called Mr President. You

could still be Mr Secretary! Sometimes I am still called

Chancellor abroad! I think American presidents follow more the

bipartisan model, the John Major model. The tend to do charitable

work. An example of somebody who played his cards very well is Jimmy

Carter. I was not an admirer of him but he has played a blinder as an

ex`president. He has gone to places like North Korea and Cuba. Countries

where you need a rotation and need to maintain a link. Does she urged

to be treasured. `` arbitration. More successful as an ex`president?

Quite possibly. Whereas in power, they may have been hated or

distrusted. We were looking about the Conservative disease. You were

at the heart of power in the early 90s. Margaret Thatcher declared she

would make a good back`seat driver. How did that go down? That went down

badly with John Major. He was not upset by her remark but by her

continued intervention. My own view is that John Major overreacted to

it. I think he could have learned a little hope Mrs Thatcher treated

Teddy. `` Ted Heath. When he intended to remain in the House of

Commons, she offered him the position of ambassador in

Washington. He turned that down and she made the judgement that the two

of them could not work together and just ignored everything he said. She

was not put out, she just steadfastly lookahead, and ignore

them and carried on. I think it was the right thing. There must be

temptation for a Prime Minister to go for a populist subject, is that a

trap he could fall into? I don't think any of them do that. I can't

think of John Major or Tony Blair are doing that. Tony Blair is still

a passionate political figure on a substantial figure, and he feels

strongly about things. What ex`prime minister is sometimes do, they try

to influence how they are perceived, they try to influence their legacy.

All ex`ministers do that as well. Except us! I am not sure. I'm not

sure I make myself an exception. Some comments are designed to

influence the debate and as Peter says, how people are perceived

changes after they leave office but then maybe in the decade after that

and after that. These arguments are never closed. I remember one thing

Mrs Thatcher said to me, that there are no final victories in politics.

The arguments go on, they are reopened and you can be Prime

Minister and that, another Prime Minister can alter this. David

Cameron is a relatively young man. What would be the ideal strategy for

him to start thinking about being annexed by Minister? `` and ex`

prime minister. At an ex`Prime Minister as soon as possible.

Because he is young, that has been an issue for Tony Blair, and in a

weight maybe for John Major, although he is taken an interesting

course. David Cameron will be young when he stands down and he will want

to do things, as Tony Blair has wanted to do things. I would expect

him to fit more into the Blair mould of somebody being active on some

stage somewhere, not in the gratuitous sense but wanting to say

things and do things. I guess like Tony has been, not wanting to be

unhelpful to successors, because he is still passionate about the Labour

Party and I imagine David Cameron will still be passionate about the

Conservative Party. A difficult path to tread? I think David Cameron has

interests outside politics and he really enjoys family life and he

will spend a lot of time trying to live a normal life. Goodness knows

when this will happen but I hope he will be there in the next

Parliament, but I would think, as you said, Peter, he would follow the

Blair model. I imagine him getting involved in charitable work and

overseas aid, but I think he would do his best to be constructive and

helpful to whoever succeeded him, but I think he has another life

outside politics. Talking of prime ministers, David Cameron and Nick

Clegg have been at the Welsh assembly. If there is a yes vote in

the referendum, that could be controlled over portions of income

tax. It is a turnaround from when the Prime Minister spoke earlier,

one month ago. They are completely absurdist via powers were as of the

people in Wales wants to know results. How are we going to raise

school standards? I think the government has given in too much to

the teaching unions. That was then, what is this saying in our? It is

hard to find anyone quite as enthusiastic. He is there in the

bubble in Cardiff, announcing a big changes. He sees it as a sharing in

a new era of accountable government. At the moment, the government relies

on Westminster for all its spending. Both sides of the coalition have

come around to the same conclusion but for different reasons.

Conservatives have been anti` devolution. It is amazing what three

years being blamed for everything that goes wrong does for you. David

Cameron now says accountable government is the way forward. What

will we see it changed? Borrowing powers. That is important in order

to improve motorways and build a hospital. Stamp duties. That was

argued over within the coalition. There are a pizza big differences on

either side of the border. The big one is the devolution after a

referendum of the power to vary income tax. That has not been seen

in Wales before. That would really be big news. It would transform

political debate. More devolution. Is that mean a reduction of MPs in

Westminster? Further down the line that will be it, big issue. Scotland

had a reduction in MPs. Wales has not had that. The presiding officer

wants plenty more officers to monitor this. Thank you for joining

us. Now, a look at some of the other stories around Parliament in the

last seven days. The row over free schools was stepped up on Wednesday,

when the Shadow Education Secretary told the Commons he wanted

unqualified teachers to be replaced by qualified ones. The surprising

truth, Mr Speaker, is that under this Government you need more

qualifications to get a job in a burger bar than you do to teach in

an English school. We need to train teachers up, not talk them down.

Under Labour, an act was passed which allowed unqualified teachers

and there are fewer unqualified teachers now in our schools than

when Labour were in government. The storm of St Jude leaves a trail of

destruction. The trees come down, the trains stop running, and a crane

crashes down on the Cabinet Office. Parliament braved these hazards, but

there was a reduced service in some parts. I hope you will agree this is

an appropriate time to deal with winter resilience because of the

weather problems today, we are without someone misses and also some

members. I am impressed by the resilience the transport network has

shown, especially given the large numbers of trees that are pollen on

real Weyline 's `` that have fallen on railway lines and a surface water

flooding. Is it time to put CCTV cameras in these? Taxi drivers at

risk of violent attacks would be much safer if cameras were in their

cabs, says an MP introducing a bill in the Commons. Two or three people

get in your taxi and as they get to their destination, they say, we will

just not pay. What evidence that the taxi driver have two say a crime has

been committed? The number of assaults that can occur in disputes

between drivers and passengers is horrifying, and that can lead to

murder. And getting the full flavour of debate. The minimum sugar content

in jam and marmalade is scheduled to go down from 60% to 50%. An MP with

a taste for a fight promises there'll be no jam tomorrow. By

reducing the percentage of total sugar, the characteristic jail in

the consistency of jams, jellies and marmalade will be lost. The result

will be a homogenised spreadable sludge which does not there any

resemblance to the product we know in England and enjoy as British jam.

You're watching the Week in Parliament, after a week when the

energy debate again generated more heat than light.

Wet weather to start the night. It will coincide with some of the

fireworks and bonfires going on. There will also be problems with

fog. Also frost problems in the Midlands. Brain arriving in northern

Ireland in the morning, crossing. Frosty start with fog problems

lingering for some time. Some of the rain turning into showers as it

crosses the Irish