09/05/2014 The Week in Parliament


09/05/2014

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the Express has the story that the Queen has been told to take it easy

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after Prince Charles stood in for her at the last minute during an

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official ceremony. Now it's time for the Week In Parliament.

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Hello and welcome to The Week in Parliament. The British recession is

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finally at an end. But the big business decisions are far from

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over. The politicians worked out where they stood on Pfizer's bid to

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take over AstraZeneca. Is he ruling out a ruling in using the public

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interest test? The most important intervention we can make is to back

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British jobs, British science, British R, British medicines and

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British technology. But for the troubled Co`op group it was another

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week of gloom. A former Treasury Minister speaks of deplorable

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governance failure. You cannot lose money on that scale and have the

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level of debt they have without bad things being enforced on you. And

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later, we will recall a fateful political day 20 years ago. But

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first, is it about science? Is it about the national interest? Or is

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it about trust? Commons have to tread carefully when asked to

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intervene in big business dealings. The proposed takeover of AstraZeneca

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by Pfizer this week led to concerns over British jobs and innovation.

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Pfizer, based in New York, is the world's largest pharmaceutical

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company. If the takeover happened, it would be the biggest ever foreign

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acquisition of a British company. A former boss of the UK firm described

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Pfizer as a Praying Mantis that sucks the lifeblood out of

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companies. On Tuesday, the Lib Dems updated MPs. I engaged early with

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both companies to ensure the outcome is positive for the UK, precisely to

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avoid previous failures in this situation. One of our options as the

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Government would be to consider using our public interest test. This

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would be a serious step and not one would be a serious step and not one

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that should be taken lightly. I am open`minded about it. While

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stressing that we are operating within serious European legal

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constraints. The bottom line is this. The assurances the governments

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has extracted from Pfizer are not worth the paper they are written on.

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If I am wrong, why, less than three days after giving them, did the

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Pfizer CEO say yesterday that following completion of the

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AstraZeneca takeover, it would be split into three parts, all of which

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could subsequently be flogged off afterward? Would my honourable

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friend agree that Britain benefits enormously from the free movement of

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investment and ideas? Will he, therefore rule out any the economic

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measures been called for by some in this house? `` that have been. And

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rule out any attempts to frustrate this deal on protectionist grounds?

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While the Secretary of State emphasised that the Government can

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and should intervene under the 2002 Enterprise Act, to protect the

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public interest, when AstraZeneca is a key national champion in the key

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pharmaceutical sector where Britain is a world leader? My constituents

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experience of Pfizer is of a model corporate citizen. I think what is

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enervating some people in the house is the fact this is a fantastic vote

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of confidence in the United Kingdom and gives us the possibility of

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hosting the world's leading research`based pharmaceutical

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company in the United Kingdom as a consequence. Yes, I am sure it is a

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vote of confidence, but equally I am sure the companies are motivated by

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hard`headed commercial considerations, and we should be

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motivated by the national interest. Vince Cable. But his words failed to

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calm the political mood at Westminster. The business battle

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dragged on. And the political heat continued to rise. At Prime

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Minister's Questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the Pfizer takeover

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bid was causing deep concern in the business and scientific communities.

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The Business Secretary said yesterday that he was not ruling out

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intervention. What type of intervention is under consideration

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by government? I have to agree with what the Business Secretary said

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yesterday. But the most important intervention we can make is to back

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British jobs, British science, British medicines and British

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technology. There needs to be a proper assessment of this bid. And

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yesterday, the Business Secretary said he was open to doing this. This

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could be done straightaway through this House and we would support

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making that happen. Will he agree to do it? Let me make this point. I

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worry it may be lost in this debate. And I know, of course, he thinks he

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is extremely clever, and we all know that...! But we may have missed this

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point. Britain benefits massively from being open to investment.

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Nissan is now producing more cars than the whole of Italy. Jaguar Land

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Rover, under Indian ownership has created 9000 jobs in the West

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Midlands since I became Prime Minister. Vodafone and AstraZeneca

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have benefited from the backing of an open country to go out and build

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and buy businesses around the world. There is more inward investment into

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Britain today than the rest of the EU combined. Don't put that at risk.

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Is he ruling out or ruling in using the public interest test on this

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takeover? We could make it happen. His Business Secretary could make it

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happen and we would support it. If he does not take action now, and the

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bid goes through without a proper assessment, everyone will know that

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he was cheerleading for this bid, not championing British science and

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British industry. I think it is deeply sad that the Leader of the

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Opposition makes accusations about cheerleading when what the

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Government was doing was getting stuck in to help British science,

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British investment and British jobs. And doesn't it tell you everything

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that, given the choice of doing the right thing for the national

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interest, working with the Government or making short`term

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political points, that is what he chooses to do? The Secretary of

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State for Business, Innovation and Skills said that he was working with

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civil servants to ensure that any assurances given by Pfizer during

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the proposed takeover of AstraZeneca could be made legally binding. Does

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the Prime Minister back this? The more we can do to strengthen the

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assurances we are given, the better. The only way you get assurances is

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by engaging and getting stuck in with these companies, which is what

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we have been doing. I find it extraordinary that the Labour Party

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criticises us for that. The Pfizer bid is driven by tax advantages. Has

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the Government talks to the US about proposed changes to their tax laws?

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Pfizer mention in the letter to me, the patented box as a positive

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reason for wanting to invest in Britain and to examine whether they

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can increase manufacturing in Britain. The way the patent box

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works is that you only get the lowest tax benefit if you make your

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investments and research in the UK, and then exploit the research by

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manufacturing in the UK. I agree, we should be incredibly hard`headed

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about this. It is an advantage that Britain is a low tax country. We

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used to stand in the House of Commons and bemoan the fact that

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companies were leaving because of high taxes. They now want to come

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here. That is not enough. We want investment, jobs and research that

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comes with that competitive tax system. David Cameron. By contrast

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to the soaring profits of the pharmaceutical industry, the

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financial fortunes of the Co`op group have been less than

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impressive. Reports this week found the group's current board to be

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manifestly dysfunctional. The Co`op Bank faced near collapse last year

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following the discovery of a billion hole in its balance sheet. The Co`op

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Group has reported losses of ?2.5 billion. It is the worst result in

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their history. On Wednesday, the author of the report was at the

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Commons Treasury Committee. I had not been on the long march. I had

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not been a corporate for 30 years. I was somebody from the outside and I

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was confronting them with some uncomfortable truths. My language

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has been forthright because I believe I needed to speak in upper

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case. I needed to be very explicit about the extent of the failure,

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because otherwise... Nothing will be done. My fear about that report is

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that it will be dearly noticed at an AGM, and then as happened in 1956,

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dither, dither, dither. Do you accept any criticism that you have

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leaned far too heavily on governments and professional

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management, and not recognised nearly as important a unique selling

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point of the co`operative movement as democratic structures? And for

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that reason and that reason alone, the very many good proposals you are

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putting forward are placed in jeopardy? I think the cooperative

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model is a genuinely good model. But there is nothing about being a

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cooperative that guarantees success. Co`op 's have to be well lead. They

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need good management and they need empowered boards of directors. That

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goes for the Co`op just as any other form of business. If drastic action

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was not taken, the Co`op would not survive into the next decade, I was

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warned. The first question I was asked was about the policy on

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plastic bags. Was I being overly dramatic in suggesting there is a

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danger that the Co`op may not exist into the next decade, if fundamental

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changes are not made? You have a reputation for never knowingly

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overstating your views. I think you are right to caution them about the

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need to take this situation very seriously. You cannot lose money on

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the scale they have been losing money on. And have the level of debt

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they had, without bad things being forced on you. I'm afraid that your

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story about plastic bags is true of the way the national board operates.

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We move from the macro of how we deal with billions of pounds of

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debt, down to the size of pens in which chickens lay eggs. These are

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all important. But there does need to be a sense of priority and

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proportionality. And now a look at some of the other stories around

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Parliament over the last week. The Government has scaled back plans to

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strip suspected terrorists of their citizenship and leave them

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stateless. Now the Home Secretary can only revoke somebody's

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citizenship so long as she believes the individual can still belong to a

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state somewhere. We are now seeking to address the concerns that have

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been expressed about leaving individuals stateless permanently in

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circumstances where they have no recourse to another nationality. I

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cannot support the very notion that so much power should be concentrated

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in one individual, a Home Secretary, whether good or bad, that they may

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make decisions of this nature without us being able to challenge.

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The worst civil liberties erosions have occurred when this House has

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been bounced into urgent decisions. That is what is happening today. I

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resent it. Why was this place off limits to be a UN representative?

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This detention centre as adults awaiting clearance. There was anger

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in the House of Lords that the UN reckoned to was not allowed to

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visit. It can do our national reputation no good at all if it

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should ever be felt that the United Kingdom is refusing access to a UN

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special rapporteur. It has caused a lot of concern, not only in this

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country, but internationally. And that a failure to allow the UN

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special rapporteur to enter causes even more alarm. What he has

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absolutely failed to do is to explain to the house why this

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special rapporteur was the night access. `` was denied access. It is

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a very simple question. Not the meetings she did have. But why

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specifically she could not go there? The Home Office determines whether

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it is suitable for people to attend. Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons

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has a statutory rule for addressing that issue. It is not a question of

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denying this person an opportunity of doing her job. Four months until

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Scotland votes, and the Sunday Herald firmly supports a yes to

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Scott independence. The SNP accuses the no campaign of scare tactics.

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The people of the Borders and the rest of Scotland are being subjected

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by the self`styled project fear campaign, described by its own

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supporters as negative, nasty, threatening, and that the Prime

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Minister is toxic in Scotland. I have to say, it is a bit rich to

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hear the honourable gentleman talking about Project fear and we

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have the First Minister on St George's did go to Carlisle and

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deliver a lecture that I can only describe as Project ridiculous. ``

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St George's Day. This is a massive opportunity for this country. Unless

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the Government streamlines the regulatory system, and unless it

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gets its act together, this massive opportunity will not be realised. I

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have no idea the history of her illness. It is a question which will

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cross many people 's minds. What is the availability for liver

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transplants. It would seem to me that that may have been something

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which could have been looked at. I too learnt with great sadness of the

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death of Ms Baltacha, and I was unaware of the history of her

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condition. But transplant services are very active in this country.

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There are more taking place compared with a few years ago. And there are

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better techniques to ensure colour at and patients. And events marking

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the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. His words live and breathe in

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the language of everyday speech. If you wear your heart on your sleeve,

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then vanished into thin air in one fell swoop, you are quoting

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Shakespeare. He may have died so long ago, but as long as men can

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breathe and eyes can see, this shall live and give life to be. Exactly 20

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years ago, the political world was stunned by the news of John Smith

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suffering a fatal heart attack aged 55. He had been Labour leader for

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two years, and was widely expected to become the next Labour occupant

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of number ten. He was the first political leader to die in office

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since the death of another labour leader some decades earlier. We now

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recall that fateful day in 1994. We heard a few moments ago that the

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Labour leader John Smith has died. He suffered a heart attack early

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this morning. The news of John Smith's sudden death shocked

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politicians and the public alike, with the clearly raw in Westminster.

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There was a quiet sense of grief in his constituency. Only the previous

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evening, and upbeat John Smith had attended a fundraising dinner with

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his wife Elisabeth. The Labour Party, from the grassroots to the

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Shadow Cabinet, were stunned at the loss of a leader widely tipped to

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win the next general election. Tributes to the formidable Commons

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former came from all sides. In many ways, irreplaceable loss to the

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country. They say nobody is irreplaceable, but there are a few

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characters who are. And here's one. The sadness today is that someone

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with so much to give has been denied the chance of being Prime Minister

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of the country. His dignity, his mind, his bearing, his solemnity,

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and his sense of humour, made him, I thought, ideal for the task. As a

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mark of respect, the Scottish Conservatives have suspended their

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conference. Town representatives cancelled their meetings. And when

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the Commons sat, they put aside normal business to pay their own

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tributes. We regret having to report to the house the death of the Right

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Honourable John Smith QC. The house will wish to note that this setting

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will now be suspended until 330. When MPs did reassemble that

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afternoon, the tributes to John Smith were naturally sombre and

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heartfelt. They were led by the Prime Minister. When I think of John

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Smith, I think of an opponent and not an enemy. I shall remember him

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with respect and affection. And when I think of his premature death, I

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shall think of the waste it has brought to our public life. The

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waste of a remarkable political talent. A waste of a higher and

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honourable ambition to lead our country. Not long ago, I observed a

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colleague `` observed to a colleague that I had never known a man like

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John. He had such calm certainty, such next rule strength and

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self`confidence. While he had supreme confidence, he lacked any

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trace of cockiness or conceit. `` natural strength. He just knew what

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he could do. Last night, Madam Speaker, he spoke at a gala dinner

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in London. He was in high vessel and high spirits. He spoke not from a

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text from notes. `` hi fettle. When he sat down, I congratulated him

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especially on his final sentence. Spoken as it was off the cuff and

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from the heart. They were almost the last words I heard him speak. He

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looked at the assembled gathering and said, and I quote: the

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opportunity to serve our country. That is all we ask. Let it stand as

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his appetite. `` epitaph. We have lost a powerful advocate for the

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politics of progress in Britain and a thoroughly decent and deeply

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gifted man. Whatever our loss, it is nothing to that of his wife

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Elisabeth and of their children. I have to confess that my grief is

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mixed with anger. Anger that he is gone, when his vitality and his

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value was so clear. Anger that he has been denied the chance to show

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the full scope of his great talents in highest office. Anger that he has

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been taken from his family, that he cherished so very much at such a

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young age. He used to come to me on occasions and asked if I had any

:22:35.:22:40.

good jokes. That kind of on Billy called cord that stretch out from

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him to others is important in our movement `` umbilical. I laid bets

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on him opening that door at number ten, and I believe he would have

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done that without any question whatsoever. He was a dedicated

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politician. He played a hard game when it was necessary. As the Prime

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Minister said, there was never any malice in his attacks. The House of

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Commons as the political world reacted to his death. They went on

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to pick Tony Blair as their leader two months later. The rest, as they

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say, was history. You are watching the week in Parliament, after a week

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when the controversial takeover plan dominated the mines at Westminster.

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Hello there. The weather promises us some prospects of some slightly

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warmer weather as we head through next week. And before we get there,

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an unsettled weekend on the cards. warmer weather as we head through

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next week. And before we Blustery showers, windy at times, and that

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wind will feel quite cold. There will be some sunshine as well

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through the course of the weekend. We

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