:00:00. > :00:00.as homes drifted out to sea. The community is once again bracing
:00:00. > :00:00.itself against the tide. Now on BBC News it's time for The
:00:07. > :00:18.Week in Parliament. Hello there and welcome to The Week
:00:19. > :00:23.in Parliament. As George Osborne tells the Commons, growth is on the
:00:24. > :00:26.up. By doing the right thing we are heading in the right direction,
:00:27. > :00:31.Britain is moving again, let's keep going. But Labour accuses the
:00:32. > :00:36.Chancellor of being in denial about the realities for working people.
:00:37. > :00:46.Families with children are worse off because of his budget, that is the
:00:47. > :00:49.truth, Mr Speaker. Also we talk to two MPs about whether ultimately
:00:50. > :00:52.their constituents should have the power to sack them. And we celebrate
:00:53. > :00:55.the 30th anniversary of the vote to allow TV cameras into the House of
:00:56. > :01:07.Lords. But what difference did it really make? It certainly did change
:01:08. > :01:10.things. On the whole, I think the men wore brighter ties, the women
:01:11. > :01:14.wore brighter clothes. More on that little later. Let's begin with the
:01:15. > :01:17.Chancellor's big day. George Osborne set out his mini budget, known as
:01:18. > :01:23.the Autumn Statement, and regaled MPs with increased growth and
:01:24. > :01:28.falling borrowing. But he also warned hard times were to come and
:01:29. > :01:31.difficult decisions were to be made. There would be a freeze on fuel
:01:32. > :01:34.duty, the introduction of a married couple's tax allowance and help to
:01:35. > :01:37.get youngsters into work. Mr Osborne came to the despatch box clearly in
:01:38. > :01:49.bullish mood. Mr Speaker, Britain's economic plan is working. But the
:01:50. > :01:57.job is not done. We need to secure the economy for the long`term. And
:01:58. > :02:03.the biggest risk to that comes from those who would abandon the plan.
:02:04. > :02:10.But I can also report the hard truth that the job is not yet done. Yes,
:02:11. > :02:38.the deficit is down, but it is still far too high, and today we take more
:02:39. > :02:41.difficult decisions. We think a fair principle is that as of now people
:02:42. > :02:44.should expect to spend a third of their adult life in retirement based
:02:45. > :02:47.on the latest life expectancy figures, applying that principle
:02:48. > :02:51.would mean an increase in the state pension age to 68 and to 69 in the
:02:52. > :02:53.late 2040s. From April 2015, we will introduce a tax allowance for
:02:54. > :02:56.married couples available to all basic rate taxpayers, enabling
:02:57. > :03:04.people to transfer ?1000 of their personal allowance to their wife,
:03:05. > :03:07.husband or civil partner. It is just a start, and I confirm today that we
:03:08. > :03:09.will introduce a new up`rating mechanism, ensuring the tax
:03:10. > :03:12.allowance is already increased in proportion to the personal
:03:13. > :03:15.allowance. This statement shows the plan is working, it is a long`term
:03:16. > :03:19.plan for a grown`up country. But the job is not done. By doing the right
:03:20. > :03:37.thing we are heading in the right election, Britain is moving again.
:03:38. > :03:39.`` direction. Let's keep going. For all his boasts and utterly
:03:40. > :03:55.breathtaking complacency, the Chancellor is in complete denial.
:03:56. > :03:57.Under this Chancellor, under this Prime Minister, for most people in
:03:58. > :04:00.our country, living standards are not rising, they are falling
:04:01. > :04:04.year`on`year on year. He used to say he would balance the books in 2 15.
:04:05. > :04:04.year`on`year on year. He used to say he would balance the books in 2015.
:04:05. > :04:06.he would balance the books in 2 15. Now he wants us to congratulate him
:04:07. > :04:08.for saying he will do it in 2019, Now he wants us to congratulate him
:04:09. > :04:25.for saying he will do it in 2019, Mr Speaker. With this government, it is
:04:26. > :04:40.clearly not just the badgers that move the goalposts. Why is he not
:04:41. > :04:44.been more ambitious? Why would he repeat the tax on bank bonuses? Why
:04:45. > :04:55.won't he remove the winter allowance from the richest 5% of pensioners?
:04:56. > :04:58.And why, Mr Speaker, won't he reverse his tax cut for hedge funds,
:04:59. > :05:11.protect disabled people in our country by scrapping the unfair and
:05:12. > :05:14.perverse bedroom tax? Can the Chancellor confirm, even after what
:05:15. > :05:17.he has announced today, on fuel duty and his increases in the personal
:05:18. > :05:20.allowance, his VAT rise, his cut to tax credits, his cut to child
:05:21. > :05:23.benefits, on average, families with children are worse off because of
:05:24. > :05:26.his budgets. That is the truth, Mr Speaker. Giving with one hand,
:05:27. > :05:29.taking away much more with the other. Ed Balls and George Osborne
:05:30. > :05:32.battling it out over our economic future. But if you're still feeling
:05:33. > :05:34.bamboozled by it all, here is our Parliamentary correspondent with
:05:35. > :05:46.five things you need to know about the Autumn Statement. That was today
:05:47. > :05:52.in Parliament. At number five, what does the Autumn Statement do? The
:05:53. > :05:57.Chancellor updates MPs and the rest of us on the state of the public
:05:58. > :06:00.finances. The prospects for the economy, and it gives us the latest
:06:01. > :06:08.on the government's spending plans. Number four, how is it different
:06:09. > :06:11.from the budget? One big difference is that it is the Shadow Chancellor
:06:12. > :06:18.Ed Balls who replies on behalf of Labour. On budget day, it is the
:06:19. > :06:21.Leader of the Opposition who does the honours. Traditionally, we had
:06:22. > :06:30.to wait until the budget in the spring to find out if we were going
:06:31. > :06:33.to be paying more or less tax. The Autumn Statement was about economic
:06:34. > :06:44.forecasts and public spending. At number three, why doesn't the House
:06:45. > :06:46.of Lords have a say? The House of Lords is packed with economists
:06:47. > :06:49.financial experts and even the odd Chancellor. But just like the
:06:50. > :07:03.budget, the Autumn Statement is really a House of Commons affair.
:07:04. > :07:06.There is a brief question and answer session, but it is a tradition that
:07:07. > :07:09.the Lords cannot reject or change the government's tax or spending
:07:10. > :07:12.plans. At number two, what happens next? After the budget speech, MPs
:07:13. > :07:14.spend several days discussing the announcements. The Autumn Statement
:07:15. > :07:17.is much more like a normal ministerial statement. Once it is
:07:18. > :07:21.over, Parliamentary life returns to normal. MPs get on with debating
:07:22. > :07:26.other issues. And at number one when will people notice? You could
:07:27. > :07:29.be forgiven for thinking that you have heard a lot of the Autumn
:07:30. > :07:31.Statement already. That is because most of the big policy announcements
:07:32. > :07:41.were made during the party conference season. Some changes will
:07:42. > :07:44.take effect next year. Changes to the tax system are enacted in the
:07:45. > :07:56.Finance bill, which MPs will debate and vote on after next year's
:07:57. > :08:02.budget. And some of the proposals revealed this week will not take
:08:03. > :08:05.effect until 2015. A Conservative MP has won backing
:08:06. > :08:11.for his plan to give voters the power to sack their MP. Introducing
:08:12. > :08:27.his bill, he said real power needed to be handed to voters to reconnect
:08:28. > :08:30.them with the political process We have a system still where once
:08:31. > :08:33.elected, an MP is almost insulated from his or her constituents until
:08:34. > :08:40.the next general election. There is no mechanism allowing voters to sack
:08:41. > :08:43.their MP. An MP could systematically break each and every promise they
:08:44. > :08:45.make before an election, they could refuse to turn up in Parliament,
:08:46. > :08:51.refuse to turn up in Parliament refuse to engage in any meaningful
:08:52. > :09:03.talk with the electorate. Unless jailed for 12 months, an MP is
:09:04. > :09:07.effectively unmovable. It is no surprise that from the moment the
:09:08. > :09:10.election is over the pressure is all top`down from party, not bottom`up
:09:11. > :09:13.from constituency. What is it that Mr Goldsmith wants? His bill sets
:09:14. > :09:16.out a process for what is termed recall. Under the plan, the first
:09:17. > :09:19.stages for 1% of registered voters to sign a petition. They will then
:09:20. > :09:31.have eight weeks to allow registered voters to sign. If 20% sign it, the
:09:32. > :09:40.petition is successful, triggering a recall election. Mr Goldsmith put
:09:41. > :09:43.his bill to the Commons, and other MPs shouted no, forcing a division
:09:44. > :09:46.on the idea. Mr Goldsmith won the vote. I got him together with one of
:09:47. > :10:01.the MPs who had objected. His Conservative colleague. I started by
:10:02. > :10:04.asking Mr Goldsmith why he did not support an alternative proposal put
:10:05. > :10:08.together by the government which would see the fate of MPs decided by
:10:09. > :10:11.a committee of the Commons. It is not recall. Recall is a pure and
:10:12. > :10:18.simple thing all over the world about empowering voters to hold
:10:19. > :10:20.their MPs to account. Instead of empowering voters, we empower the
:10:21. > :10:30.Parliamentary committee. This is not recall. But you have put forward an
:10:31. > :10:40.alternative which is a several step process. Would that not just be as
:10:41. > :10:44.complex and expensive? We have agreed a threshold, I have suggested
:10:45. > :10:47.20%. If 20% or so sign the petition they have earned the right to a
:10:48. > :10:53.referendum. If more than half say yes, we have a by`election. The only
:10:54. > :10:58.issue is the levy. That is the debate. Isn't this a reasonable
:10:59. > :11:05.idea, you should all be accountable to your constituents? It is a
:11:06. > :11:07.reasonable idea. The bill is completely wrong and government, it
:11:08. > :11:14.completely wrong and government it is not recall in any way. But I have
:11:15. > :11:17.a real problem with the bill, it is a well drafted bill, lots of
:11:18. > :11:21.threshold, lots of referendum, my issue is that once you are elected
:11:22. > :11:24.as a Member of Parliament, you are elected for the five years. Then you
:11:25. > :11:27.use your independent thought to represent your constituents in the
:11:28. > :11:30.best possible way. There will be the danger of people recalling MPs who
:11:31. > :11:35.acted in an independent manner. That is my fear. What is the safeguard in
:11:36. > :11:38.all of this? We can think of issues like abortion or fox`hunting were
:11:39. > :11:44.people might disagree with their MP and want to get them out? There is a
:11:45. > :11:47.very high threshold. 15,000 of my constituents, I would have to take
:11:48. > :11:52.that seriously. I would have to accept there was a real problem. If
:11:53. > :11:56.accept there was a real problem If you look at where recall happens, I
:11:57. > :12:01.can think of a single example of a successful vexatious campaign.
:12:02. > :12:04.People are not booted out unfairly. It gives a bailout Clause where
:12:05. > :12:14.their MP parts company with them in a profound way. The very fact of its
:12:15. > :12:27.existence reminds voters that ultimately they own our democracy.
:12:28. > :12:36.You can vote them out in the next general election. That is a long
:12:37. > :12:39.time away. Not necessarily. I can get people to sign any old petition.
:12:40. > :12:42.The referendum would be different matters. But that is not what I am
:12:43. > :12:46.worried about, I am worried about the pressure it will put on MPs,
:12:47. > :12:49.always to stick to the party line. Can I give you a quick example? If
:12:50. > :12:52.you are in a really solid conservative area and gay marriage
:12:53. > :12:56.came up, I am opposed to gay marriage. See if you were in an area
:12:57. > :13:05.in favour of gay marriage, you said you were in favour of gay marriage,
:13:06. > :13:08.I conceive recall happening to you. I don't believe that a halfway
:13:09. > :13:10.decent MP is going to part company with their constituents over one
:13:11. > :13:12.issue. I voted for gay marriage. with their constituents over one
:13:13. > :13:15.issue. I voted for gay marriage I had public meetings and coffee
:13:16. > :13:20.mornings, and I felt that after discussing the issue there was a
:13:21. > :13:29.polite agreement to disagree. It was not a deal`breaker. I would have the
:13:30. > :13:32.confidence to believe that I could go to the voters as a whole treating
:13:33. > :13:41.the constituency as a whole and make the case that I have been a decent
:13:42. > :13:45.MP. I don't think halfway decent MP has anything to fear from recall. A
:13:46. > :13:48.lot of people were complaining about Nadine Dorries, there was a national
:13:49. > :13:56.petition set up asking for her recall, 500 people signed it. The
:13:57. > :13:59.front page of every newspaper. People do not sign petitions that
:14:00. > :14:03.has something to do with the pavement on their street. But if it
:14:04. > :14:04.is a big deal, you have to give people the benefit of the doubt.
:14:05. > :14:08.people the benefit of the doubt Isn't there a simpler way to do
:14:09. > :14:14.this? Couldn't you have a job description for MPs? I think that is
:14:15. > :14:21.a point. The government started by trying to define what we are doing.
:14:22. > :14:24.You cannot do that. Some people don't take part in every debate
:14:25. > :14:28.some people don't vote unless they know when they're voting. I can say
:14:29. > :14:32.that under the government plans you could be the world 's worst MP of
:14:33. > :14:35.all time and still not qualify for recall. Ultimately the only people
:14:36. > :14:41.who can decide our constituents. who can decide our constituents.
:14:42. > :14:55.There should be no middleman. You have to trust your constituents But
:14:56. > :14:58.can I give you another example? What would you have said to Winston
:14:59. > :15:02.Churchill when he changed parties, surely when you changed parties, is
:15:03. > :15:14.that right or wrong? It would be for his constituents to say. If I were
:15:15. > :15:17.to join the Labour Party, if my constituents had a real problem,
:15:18. > :15:21.they ought to be able to pull the plug and say this is not what we
:15:22. > :15:25.voted for. Or if I broke the biggest promises we made, people would have
:15:26. > :15:28.the right to recall me if they were not persuaded of my arguments. It is
:15:29. > :15:31.democracy. A final question, what do you think could and should happen
:15:32. > :15:34.now? I think the government's plans will be ditched. The government has
:15:35. > :15:38.a choice, it can either push the stuff under the carpet or it can
:15:39. > :15:46.come forward along the lines of what I have put forward today. Something
:15:47. > :15:54.or nothing? A fudge, it satisfies no`one. There is no middle ground on
:15:55. > :15:59.this. I absolutely agree that this bill is doomed to failure. Peter
:16:00. > :16:03.Bone and Zac Goldsmith. Now let's Bone and Zac Goldsmith. Now let s
:16:04. > :16:08.take a look at the rest of the news from Westminster. Tributes will be
:16:09. > :16:12.paid to Nelson Mandela on Monday following the announcement of his
:16:13. > :16:15.death. The former South African President spoke to MPs and Peers in
:16:16. > :16:19.1993 and, in 1996, he addressed both Houses of Parliament in Westminster
:16:20. > :16:22.Hall. Mr Mandela was imprisoned by the South African government for 27
:16:23. > :16:26.years during the apartheid era for speaking out against white`minority
:16:27. > :16:29.rule. He was finally freed in 1 90 and went on to become the country's
:16:30. > :16:37.first black leader, encouraging his fellow South Africans in forgiveness
:16:38. > :16:40.and reconciliation. On Monday, the Government announced plans to cut
:16:41. > :16:54.?50 from the average energy bill in 2014. The reduction comes from
:16:55. > :16:56.changes to green levies. But the Energy Secretary admitted major
:16:57. > :17:01.changes in wholesale costs could drive bills up. We must ensure that
:17:02. > :17:05.the changes we make maintain the support provided to the most
:17:06. > :17:08.wearable. Maintain the invested in clean energy and do not have a
:17:09. > :17:18.negative impact on our carbon emissions. Even if the companies do
:17:19. > :17:21.pass on the reductions from the cut in levies, the average household's
:17:22. > :17:24.bill will actually be ?70 higher than last winter. The Education
:17:25. > :17:26.Secretary has told MPs that educational reform is the only way
:17:27. > :17:35.to improve student attainment in England. He was responding to an
:17:36. > :17:36.international study from the Organisation for Economic
:17:37. > :17:39.Co`operation and Development which showed British teenagers were still
:17:40. > :17:41.lagging behind students in other countries in reading, maths and
:17:42. > :17:44.science. Our new national curriculum is more demanding, especially in
:17:45. > :17:56.maths and it is modelled on the example of high achieving countries
:17:57. > :17:59.like Singapore. There is the introduction of drugrunning and
:18:00. > :18:02.coding on the curriculum for the first time. The south`east Academy
:18:03. > :18:13.can advertise for an unqualified maths teacher with just four GCSEs.
:18:14. > :18:15.The emergency services have been praised for their actions following
:18:16. > :18:18.the fatal helicopter accident in Glasgow. A police helicopter crashed
:18:19. > :18:24.into the Clutha bar, which was packed with people listening to a
:18:25. > :18:27.band. A slow and careful rescue operation went on over the St
:18:28. > :18:29.Andrews Day weekend, with nine people confirmed dead. Police, fire
:18:30. > :18:37.and ambulance or responded magnificently, working in difficult
:18:38. > :18:40.and dangerous circumstances. In particular, we should recognise that
:18:41. > :18:42.police officers had to respond in circumstances where they were
:18:43. > :18:48.dealing with not just the death of memories of the public but also with
:18:49. > :18:51.two of their own colleagues. Now here's a question, what did peers
:18:52. > :18:55.vote on 30 years ago that changed the face of Parliamentary
:18:56. > :19:05.broadcasting? With the answer, here's Alasdair Rendall. No, no,
:19:06. > :19:07.broadcasting? With the answer, here's Alasdair Rendall. No, no no.
:19:08. > :19:10.broadcasting? With the answer, here's Alasdair Rendall. No, no, no.
:19:11. > :19:20.On this side of the house, we believe in examining matters before
:19:21. > :19:25.reaching conclusions. This is not the time to falter. We are used to
:19:26. > :19:27.it now, see the cut and thrust of Parliamentary debate on our TV
:19:28. > :19:31.screens and although these days most of the coverage focuses on the has a
:19:32. > :19:34.Commons, it was in fact their colleagues at the other end of the
:19:35. > :19:37.corridor who were the trailblazers. It was 30 years ago this week that
:19:38. > :19:41.the House of Lords gave the green light to giving the TV cameras a
:19:42. > :19:44.view into their world. As far back as 1968, there had been an
:19:45. > :19:47.experiment to televise peers at work although this was only allowed to be
:19:48. > :19:51.viewed in a few Parliamentary offices. This only lasted a few days
:19:52. > :19:56.and took a decade and a half for peers to decided was not such a bad
:19:57. > :19:59.idea after all. Reading through the debate, you get the sense of the
:20:00. > :20:12.fears of some members on what the impact would be. Lord Peyton of
:20:13. > :20:14.Yeovil describes television as a trusting and intrusive medium.
:20:15. > :20:16.Another said that televising the House of Lords would weaken the
:20:17. > :20:17.public's respect for Parliament. House of Lords would weaken the
:20:18. > :20:18.public's respect for Parliament But public's respect for Parliament But
:20:19. > :20:27.the proposals were approved and television cameras were allowed to
:20:28. > :20:29.film the House of Lords. It took a few months of planning before
:20:30. > :20:32.cameras started rolling. Although they are now remote`controlled, in
:20:33. > :20:43.the early days, they were in the thick of the action, on the floor of
:20:44. > :20:46.the house. The BBC got in on the act, with a programme dedicated to
:20:47. > :20:49.covering the House of Lords. Those broadcasters with the ringside seat
:20:50. > :20:56.so that it could bode well for the future. The laws were more positive,
:20:57. > :20:58.more progressive. Their coverage was less controversial, less
:20:59. > :21:09.confrontational, less noisy and so they knew when it started what it
:21:10. > :21:12.would be like. Since then, despite its reputation as the more genteel
:21:13. > :21:15.chamber in Parliament, the House of Lords has still seen its fair share
:21:16. > :21:20.of lively moments captured by the cameras. The reason I am asking this
:21:21. > :21:29.question is because I am on the joint Select Committee on human
:21:30. > :21:35.rights. I have never knowingly made an uncontroversial speech in my
:21:36. > :21:38.life. As many predicted, it was only a matter of time before TV cameras
:21:39. > :21:41.made their way to the House of Commons, where there had been
:21:42. > :21:49.similar opposition. What difference did TV cameras make to Parliamentary
:21:50. > :21:52.behaviour? Having got them in, I don't think it made such a vast
:21:53. > :21:56.difference as everybody who didn't want them supposed. It certainly did
:21:57. > :22:00.change things. On the whole, I think the men wore bright ties, the women
:22:01. > :22:03.wore bright clothes and there were a few little tricks so that somebody
:22:04. > :22:06.didn't look as though they were speaking all on their own, they had
:22:07. > :22:18.the custom of done `` of getting someone to sit behind them so they
:22:19. > :22:22.did not look lonely on the benches. Seeing pictures on Parliament on our
:22:23. > :22:31.TV, it now ` so commonplace that it is difficult to imagine that they
:22:32. > :22:45.were never there. It is now available for all of us to see.
:22:46. > :22:49.Alasdair Rendall on the anniversary of the decision to let cameras into
:22:50. > :22:52.the House of Lords at the end of a week when the Chancellor has
:22:53. > :23:05.broadcast his plans for balancing the economic books. Temperatures
:23:06. > :23:10.slowly creeping up through the course of the weekend. Cold enough
:23:11. > :23:14.are staying for their to be snowballing through parts of
:23:15. > :23:19.Scotland and northern England. Also a risk of ice. A chilly start across
:23:20. > :23:25.the north`east. Quite a lot of cloud covering the UK this weekend. Snow
:23:26. > :23:30.flurries for northern Scotland. The bit of rain at times across Wales,
:23:31. > :23:35.western England and Northern Ireland. Many eastern areas will
:23:36. > :23:41.stay dry. The snow will ease for the funnel sees. Stained wheat for most
:23:42. > :23:47.of the day for Shetland. Rain will come and go through the rest of the
:23:48. > :23:53.day. Northern Ireland will be salty and outbreaks of brain for Wales. A
:23:54. > :23:58.decent chance of seeing a few breaks in the cloud for eastern parts.
:23:59. > :23:59.Quite mild Fulda South, temperatures may