06/12/2013 The Week in Parliament


06/12/2013

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as homes drifted out to sea. The community is once again bracing

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itself against the tide. Now on BBC News it's time for The

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Week in Parliament. Hello there and welcome to The Week

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in Parliament. As George Osborne tells the Commons, growth is on the

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up. By doing the right thing we are heading in the right direction,

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Britain is moving again, let's keep going. But Labour accuses the

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Chancellor of being in denial about the realities for working people.

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Families with children are worse off because of his budget, that is the

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truth, Mr Speaker. Also we talk to two MPs about whether ultimately

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their constituents should have the power to sack them. And we celebrate

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the 30th anniversary of the vote to allow TV cameras into the House of

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Lords. But what difference did it really make? It certainly did change

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things. On the whole, I think the men wore brighter ties, the women

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wore brighter clothes. More on that little later. Let's begin with the

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Chancellor's big day. George Osborne set out his mini budget, known as

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the Autumn Statement, and regaled MPs with increased growth and

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falling borrowing. But he also warned hard times were to come and

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difficult decisions were to be made. There would be a freeze on fuel

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duty, the introduction of a married couple's tax allowance and help to

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get youngsters into work. Mr Osborne came to the despatch box clearly in

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bullish mood. Mr Speaker, Britain's economic plan is working. But the

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job is not done. We need to secure the economy for the long`term. And

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the biggest risk to that comes from those who would abandon the plan.

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But I can also report the hard truth that the job is not yet done. Yes,

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the deficit is down, but it is still far too high, and today we take more

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difficult decisions. We think a fair principle is that as of now people

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should expect to spend a third of their adult life in retirement based

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on the latest life expectancy figures, applying that principle

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would mean an increase in the state pension age to 68 and to 69 in the

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late 2040s. From April 2015, we will introduce a tax allowance for

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married couples available to all basic rate taxpayers, enabling

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people to transfer ?1000 of their personal allowance to their wife,

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husband or civil partner. It is just a start, and I confirm today that we

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will introduce a new up`rating mechanism, ensuring the tax

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allowance is already increased in proportion to the personal

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allowance. This statement shows the plan is working, it is a long`term

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plan for a grown`up country. But the job is not done. By doing the right

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thing we are heading in the right election, Britain is moving again.

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`` direction. Let's keep going. For all his boasts and utterly

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breathtaking complacency, the Chancellor is in complete denial.

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Under this Chancellor, under this Prime Minister, for most people in

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our country, living standards are not rising, they are falling

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year`on`year on year. He used to say he would balance the books in 2 15.

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year`on`year on year. He used to say he would balance the books in 2015.

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he would balance the books in 2 15. Now he wants us to congratulate him

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for saying he will do it in 2019, Now he wants us to congratulate him

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for saying he will do it in 2019, Mr Speaker. With this government, it is

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clearly not just the badgers that move the goalposts. Why is he not

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been more ambitious? Why would he repeat the tax on bank bonuses? Why

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won't he remove the winter allowance from the richest 5% of pensioners?

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And why, Mr Speaker, won't he reverse his tax cut for hedge funds,

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protect disabled people in our country by scrapping the unfair and

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perverse bedroom tax? Can the Chancellor confirm, even after what

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he has announced today, on fuel duty and his increases in the personal

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allowance, his VAT rise, his cut to tax credits, his cut to child

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benefits, on average, families with children are worse off because of

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his budgets. That is the truth, Mr Speaker. Giving with one hand,

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taking away much more with the other. Ed Balls and George Osborne

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battling it out over our economic future. But if you're still feeling

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bamboozled by it all, here is our Parliamentary correspondent with

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five things you need to know about the Autumn Statement. That was today

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in Parliament. At number five, what does the Autumn Statement do? The

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Chancellor updates MPs and the rest of us on the state of the public

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finances. The prospects for the economy, and it gives us the latest

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on the government's spending plans. Number four, how is it different

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from the budget? One big difference is that it is the Shadow Chancellor

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Ed Balls who replies on behalf of Labour. On budget day, it is the

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Leader of the Opposition who does the honours. Traditionally, we had

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to wait until the budget in the spring to find out if we were going

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to be paying more or less tax. The Autumn Statement was about economic

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forecasts and public spending. At number three, why doesn't the House

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of Lords have a say? The House of Lords is packed with economists

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financial experts and even the odd Chancellor. But just like the

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budget, the Autumn Statement is really a House of Commons affair.

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There is a brief question and answer session, but it is a tradition that

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the Lords cannot reject or change the government's tax or spending

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plans. At number two, what happens next? After the budget speech, MPs

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spend several days discussing the announcements. The Autumn Statement

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is much more like a normal ministerial statement. Once it is

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over, Parliamentary life returns to normal. MPs get on with debating

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other issues. And at number one when will people notice? You could

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be forgiven for thinking that you have heard a lot of the Autumn

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Statement already. That is because most of the big policy announcements

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were made during the party conference season. Some changes will

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take effect next year. Changes to the tax system are enacted in the

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Finance bill, which MPs will debate and vote on after next year's

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budget. And some of the proposals revealed this week will not take

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effect until 2015. A Conservative MP has won backing

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for his plan to give voters the power to sack their MP. Introducing

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his bill, he said real power needed to be handed to voters to reconnect

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them with the political process We have a system still where once

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elected, an MP is almost insulated from his or her constituents until

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the next general election. There is no mechanism allowing voters to sack

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their MP. An MP could systematically break each and every promise they

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make before an election, they could refuse to turn up in Parliament,

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refuse to turn up in Parliament refuse to engage in any meaningful

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talk with the electorate. Unless jailed for 12 months, an MP is

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effectively unmovable. It is no surprise that from the moment the

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election is over the pressure is all top`down from party, not bottom`up

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from constituency. What is it that Mr Goldsmith wants? His bill sets

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out a process for what is termed recall. Under the plan, the first

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stages for 1% of registered voters to sign a petition. They will then

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have eight weeks to allow registered voters to sign. If 20% sign it, the

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petition is successful, triggering a recall election. Mr Goldsmith put

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his bill to the Commons, and other MPs shouted no, forcing a division

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on the idea. Mr Goldsmith won the vote. I got him together with one of

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the MPs who had objected. His Conservative colleague. I started by

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asking Mr Goldsmith why he did not support an alternative proposal put

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together by the government which would see the fate of MPs decided by

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a committee of the Commons. It is not recall. Recall is a pure and

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simple thing all over the world about empowering voters to hold

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their MPs to account. Instead of empowering voters, we empower the

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Parliamentary committee. This is not recall. But you have put forward an

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alternative which is a several step process. Would that not just be as

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complex and expensive? We have agreed a threshold, I have suggested

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20%. If 20% or so sign the petition they have earned the right to a

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referendum. If more than half say yes, we have a by`election. The only

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issue is the levy. That is the debate. Isn't this a reasonable

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idea, you should all be accountable to your constituents? It is a

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reasonable idea. The bill is completely wrong and government, it

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completely wrong and government it is not recall in any way. But I have

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a real problem with the bill, it is a well drafted bill, lots of

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threshold, lots of referendum, my issue is that once you are elected

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as a Member of Parliament, you are elected for the five years. Then you

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use your independent thought to represent your constituents in the

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best possible way. There will be the danger of people recalling MPs who

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acted in an independent manner. That is my fear. What is the safeguard in

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all of this? We can think of issues like abortion or fox`hunting were

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people might disagree with their MP and want to get them out? There is a

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very high threshold. 15,000 of my constituents, I would have to take

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that seriously. I would have to accept there was a real problem. If

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accept there was a real problem If you look at where recall happens, I

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can think of a single example of a successful vexatious campaign.

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People are not booted out unfairly. It gives a bailout Clause where

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their MP parts company with them in a profound way. The very fact of its

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existence reminds voters that ultimately they own our democracy.

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You can vote them out in the next general election. That is a long

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time away. Not necessarily. I can get people to sign any old petition.

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The referendum would be different matters. But that is not what I am

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worried about, I am worried about the pressure it will put on MPs,

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always to stick to the party line. Can I give you a quick example? If

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you are in a really solid conservative area and gay marriage

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came up, I am opposed to gay marriage. See if you were in an area

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in favour of gay marriage, you said you were in favour of gay marriage,

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I conceive recall happening to you. I don't believe that a halfway

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decent MP is going to part company with their constituents over one

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issue. I voted for gay marriage. with their constituents over one

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issue. I voted for gay marriage I had public meetings and coffee

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mornings, and I felt that after discussing the issue there was a

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polite agreement to disagree. It was not a deal`breaker. I would have the

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confidence to believe that I could go to the voters as a whole treating

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the constituency as a whole and make the case that I have been a decent

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MP. I don't think halfway decent MP has anything to fear from recall. A

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lot of people were complaining about Nadine Dorries, there was a national

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petition set up asking for her recall, 500 people signed it. The

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front page of every newspaper. People do not sign petitions that

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has something to do with the pavement on their street. But if it

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is a big deal, you have to give people the benefit of the doubt.

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people the benefit of the doubt Isn't there a simpler way to do

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this? Couldn't you have a job description for MPs? I think that is

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a point. The government started by trying to define what we are doing.

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You cannot do that. Some people don't take part in every debate

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some people don't vote unless they know when they're voting. I can say

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that under the government plans you could be the world 's worst MP of

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all time and still not qualify for recall. Ultimately the only people

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who can decide our constituents. who can decide our constituents.

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There should be no middleman. You have to trust your constituents But

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can I give you another example? What would you have said to Winston

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Churchill when he changed parties, surely when you changed parties, is

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that right or wrong? It would be for his constituents to say. If I were

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to join the Labour Party, if my constituents had a real problem,

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they ought to be able to pull the plug and say this is not what we

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voted for. Or if I broke the biggest promises we made, people would have

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the right to recall me if they were not persuaded of my arguments. It is

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democracy. A final question, what do you think could and should happen

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now? I think the government's plans will be ditched. The government has

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a choice, it can either push the stuff under the carpet or it can

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come forward along the lines of what I have put forward today. Something

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or nothing? A fudge, it satisfies no`one. There is no middle ground on

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this. I absolutely agree that this bill is doomed to failure. Peter

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Bone and Zac Goldsmith. Now let's Bone and Zac Goldsmith. Now let s

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take a look at the rest of the news from Westminster. Tributes will be

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paid to Nelson Mandela on Monday following the announcement of his

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death. The former South African President spoke to MPs and Peers in

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1993 and, in 1996, he addressed both Houses of Parliament in Westminster

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Hall. Mr Mandela was imprisoned by the South African government for 27

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years during the apartheid era for speaking out against white`minority

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rule. He was finally freed in 1 90 and went on to become the country's

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first black leader, encouraging his fellow South Africans in forgiveness

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and reconciliation. On Monday, the Government announced plans to cut

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?50 from the average energy bill in 2014. The reduction comes from

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changes to green levies. But the Energy Secretary admitted major

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changes in wholesale costs could drive bills up. We must ensure that

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the changes we make maintain the support provided to the most

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wearable. Maintain the invested in clean energy and do not have a

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negative impact on our carbon emissions. Even if the companies do

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pass on the reductions from the cut in levies, the average household's

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bill will actually be ?70 higher than last winter. The Education

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Secretary has told MPs that educational reform is the only way

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to improve student attainment in England. He was responding to an

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international study from the Organisation for Economic

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Co`operation and Development which showed British teenagers were still

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lagging behind students in other countries in reading, maths and

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science. Our new national curriculum is more demanding, especially in

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maths and it is modelled on the example of high achieving countries

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like Singapore. There is the introduction of drugrunning and

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coding on the curriculum for the first time. The south`east Academy

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can advertise for an unqualified maths teacher with just four GCSEs.

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The emergency services have been praised for their actions following

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the fatal helicopter accident in Glasgow. A police helicopter crashed

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into the Clutha bar, which was packed with people listening to a

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band. A slow and careful rescue operation went on over the St

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Andrews Day weekend, with nine people confirmed dead. Police, fire

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and ambulance or responded magnificently, working in difficult

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and dangerous circumstances. In particular, we should recognise that

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police officers had to respond in circumstances where they were

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dealing with not just the death of memories of the public but also with

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two of their own colleagues. Now here's a question, what did peers

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vote on 30 years ago that changed the face of Parliamentary

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broadcasting? With the answer, here's Alasdair Rendall. No, no,

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broadcasting? With the answer, here's Alasdair Rendall. No, no no.

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broadcasting? With the answer, here's Alasdair Rendall. No, no, no.

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On this side of the house, we believe in examining matters before

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reaching conclusions. This is not the time to falter. We are used to

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it now, see the cut and thrust of Parliamentary debate on our TV

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screens and although these days most of the coverage focuses on the has a

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Commons, it was in fact their colleagues at the other end of the

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corridor who were the trailblazers. It was 30 years ago this week that

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the House of Lords gave the green light to giving the TV cameras a

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view into their world. As far back as 1968, there had been an

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experiment to televise peers at work although this was only allowed to be

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viewed in a few Parliamentary offices. This only lasted a few days

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and took a decade and a half for peers to decided was not such a bad

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idea after all. Reading through the debate, you get the sense of the

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fears of some members on what the impact would be. Lord Peyton of

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Yeovil describes television as a trusting and intrusive medium.

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Another said that televising the House of Lords would weaken the

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public's respect for Parliament. House of Lords would weaken the

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public's respect for Parliament But public's respect for Parliament But

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the proposals were approved and television cameras were allowed to

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film the House of Lords. It took a few months of planning before

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cameras started rolling. Although they are now remote`controlled, in

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the early days, they were in the thick of the action, on the floor of

:20:33.:20:43.

the house. The BBC got in on the act, with a programme dedicated to

:20:44.:20:46.

covering the House of Lords. Those broadcasters with the ringside seat

:20:47.:20:49.

so that it could bode well for the future. The laws were more positive,

:20:50.:20:56.

more progressive. Their coverage was less controversial, less

:20:57.:20:58.

confrontational, less noisy and so they knew when it started what it

:20:59.:21:09.

would be like. Since then, despite its reputation as the more genteel

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chamber in Parliament, the House of Lords has still seen its fair share

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of lively moments captured by the cameras. The reason I am asking this

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question is because I am on the joint Select Committee on human

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rights. I have never knowingly made an uncontroversial speech in my

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life. As many predicted, it was only a matter of time before TV cameras

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made their way to the House of Commons, where there had been

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similar opposition. What difference did TV cameras make to Parliamentary

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behaviour? Having got them in, I don't think it made such a vast

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difference as everybody who didn't want them supposed. It certainly did

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change things. On the whole, I think the men wore bright ties, the women

:21:57.:22:00.

wore bright clothes and there were a few little tricks so that somebody

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didn't look as though they were speaking all on their own, they had

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the custom of done `` of getting someone to sit behind them so they

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did not look lonely on the benches. Seeing pictures on Parliament on our

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TV, it now ` so commonplace that it is difficult to imagine that they

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were never there. It is now available for all of us to see.

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Alasdair Rendall on the anniversary of the decision to let cameras into

:22:46.:22:49.

the House of Lords at the end of a week when the Chancellor has

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broadcast his plans for balancing the economic books. Temperatures

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slowly creeping up through the course of the weekend. Cold enough

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are staying for their to be snowballing through parts of

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Scotland and northern England. Also a risk of ice. A chilly start across

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the north`east. Quite a lot of cloud covering the UK this weekend. Snow

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flurries for northern Scotland. The bit of rain at times across Wales,

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western England and Northern Ireland. Many eastern areas will

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stay dry. The snow will ease for the funnel sees. Stained wheat for most

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of the day for Shetland. Rain will come and go through the rest of the

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day. Northern Ireland will be salty and outbreaks of brain for Wales. A

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decent chance of seeing a few breaks in the cloud for eastern parts.

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Quite mild Fulda South, temperatures may

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