:00:00. > :00:11.jury did not believe. Now on BBC News: The Week in
:00:12. > :00:15.Parliament. Hello and welcome to The Week in
:00:16. > :00:21.Parliament. We've lost in the football. Could the Prime Minister
:00:22. > :00:24.be about to lose in Europe? Under the treaties, we should choose who
:00:25. > :00:27.runs the European Commission. And I don't mind how many people on the
:00:28. > :00:35.European Council disagree with me, I will fight this right to the very
:00:36. > :00:38.end. The battle to become the next European Commission President comes
:00:39. > :00:42.to a climax. Now, what about that other contest that's hotting up? Are
:00:43. > :00:48.the claims too exaggerated in the Scottish referendum battle? Both
:00:49. > :00:50.sides have made the mistake in the past of getting into negative
:00:51. > :00:53.campaigning, and certainly, the Better Together campaign realise
:00:54. > :00:59.that mistakes were made there, and that it is important to be positive
:01:00. > :01:02.about the future. We talk to both the Yes and the No campaigns about
:01:03. > :01:05.the latest developments. But first, if a Luxembourg politician is the
:01:06. > :01:09.talk of Westminster, it can mean only one thing. Yes, a new President
:01:10. > :01:13.of the European Commission is about to be appointed. The front runner is
:01:14. > :01:19.Jean`Claude Juncker, the former Luxembourg premier. We're just a few
:01:20. > :01:22.days away from the meeting of EU leaders that will, in effect, decide
:01:23. > :01:25.who follows in the footsteps of such notable, perhaps notorious, figures
:01:26. > :01:33.as Jacques Delors, Jacques Santer, and Manuel Barroso. Mr Juncker is
:01:34. > :01:36.far too much of a eurofederalist for the liking of David Cameron, who,
:01:37. > :01:42.not for the first time, is looking increasingly isolated in Europe. It
:01:43. > :01:45.was a former Foreign Office Minister who raised the subject of the next
:01:46. > :02:00.Commission President at Prime stop Mr Juncker? Well, it is a simple
:02:01. > :02:03.issue of principle. It is a simple issue of principle much more
:02:04. > :02:06.connected to the principle than the name. The principle is this, and I
:02:07. > :02:10.think it will be shared on every side of the house, that the members
:02:11. > :02:12.of the European council who are the elected prime ministers and the
:02:13. > :02:16.elected presidents under the treaties, we should choose who runs
:02:17. > :02:19.the commission. And I don't mind how many people on the European council
:02:20. > :02:31.disagree with me, I will fight this right to the very end. And what I
:02:32. > :02:33.would say, what I would say to my colleagues on the European council,
:02:34. > :02:36.many of whom have expressed interesting views about both this
:02:37. > :02:43.principle and this person, if you want reform in Europe, you have to
:02:44. > :02:47.stand up for it. If you want change in Europe, you have to vote for it.
:02:48. > :02:56.That is the message I will take, and it is the right message for our
:02:57. > :02:59.country. Is my right honourable friend aware that at the conference
:03:00. > :03:02.this weekend in Athens of the national chairman of the European
:03:03. > :03:04.select committees, with delegates from all parties, but also, chairman
:03:05. > :03:07.of the European Parliament three committees as well, that the British
:03:08. > :03:25.delegation defeated an attempt to treat the word euroscepticism as
:03:26. > :03:27.equivalent to xenophobia and racism? And furthermore, that on the
:03:28. > :03:29.question of the procedure, the unprecedented procedure relating to
:03:30. > :03:32.the proposed appointment or election of Mr Juncker, that the conference
:03:33. > :03:35.also agreed with the British delegation that this was an
:03:36. > :03:55.unprecedented and unacceptable and unsuccessful procedure? Well, no
:03:56. > :03:58.surprises that my horrible friend was successful in this very
:03:59. > :04:01.important negotiation on behalf of Britain, and there is support right
:04:02. > :04:04.around Europe for the concept of the council of ministers making these
:04:05. > :04:07.choices, but as I say, it requires the elected Prime Minister 's
:04:08. > :04:19.presidents to vote in the way that they believe. The Prime Minister in
:04:20. > :04:21.resolute mood in the Commons. So why is the appointment of the next
:04:22. > :04:24.European Commission president causing such a headache? Claire
:04:25. > :04:28.Gould now explains more about this pivotal role and why David Cameron
:04:29. > :04:41.isn't in the same boat as his fellow European leaders this time around.
:04:42. > :04:44.While the votes were being counted in the European Parliament elections
:04:45. > :04:46.last month, you might not have been aware that another very important
:04:47. > :04:49.European election was just around the corner, the race to become the
:04:50. > :04:51.12th European Commission president. The centre`right European People's
:04:52. > :04:53.Party topped the European parliamentary poll, making their
:04:54. > :04:55.preferred candidate, Jean`Claude Juncker, hot favourite to succeed
:04:56. > :05:03.the current incumbent Jerseyman well Barroso. TRANSLATION: I feel fully
:05:04. > :05:16.entitled to become the next president of the European
:05:17. > :05:19.Commission. The commission president, holder of the most
:05:20. > :05:21.powerful office in the EU, proposes legislation by the European
:05:22. > :05:24.Parliament and oversees the EU's treaties, so if you are a European
:05:25. > :05:39.leader and he wants change your reform in Europe, you the President
:05:40. > :05:41.on side. ``you need the President on side. The trouble is, Mr Juncker's
:05:42. > :05:44.federalist views are a major problem for British Prime Minister David
:05:45. > :05:47.Cameron, who strongly opposes Mr Juncker's candidacy. It has got the
:05:48. > :05:50.British Prime Minister going round in circles, trying to find allies
:05:51. > :06:11.amongst the other European leaders ahead of the crucial decision on
:06:12. > :06:15.Friday. But as former friends, like the Dutch and the Swedish, seem to
:06:16. > :06:19.be melting away could the argument be lost already? Claire Gould
:06:20. > :06:26.reporting. And we're joined in the studio now by Stephen Booth, of the
:06:27. > :06:30.think tank, Open Europe. What is really at stake here? Is it a
:06:31. > :06:32.crucially important post? Well, yes, it is the body that proposes
:06:33. > :06:36.legislation in the European Union, so for someone like David Cameron
:06:37. > :06:39.who wants to see that change, he is in some ways dependent on what the
:06:40. > :06:42.commission is prepared to propose in terms of going forward. How did Mr
:06:43. > :06:46.Juncker become the top candidate, as it were? In essence, we have a power
:06:47. > :06:49.battle between the European Parliament on the one hand, pushing
:06:50. > :06:52.this idea of candidates, and Juncker was the lead candidate, this is the
:06:53. > :06:54.European Council, where the directly elected representatives of national
:06:55. > :07:00.government have traditionally appointed this person. This power
:07:01. > :07:03.battle seems to have the parliament taking the upper hand at the moment.
:07:04. > :07:06.Quite a lot of manoeuvring going on behind`the`scenes. That is the
:07:07. > :07:09.ironic thing. This is being held up by some as the acme of the
:07:10. > :07:13.democratic process, but we are still back into the old horse trading and
:07:14. > :07:16.everything else, and I think that is the case, and however Juncker gets
:07:17. > :07:19.there, if he does, in the end, it will because a backroom deals and
:07:20. > :07:28.horse trading among member states and everyone else. As it has always
:07:29. > :07:32.been. This seems to keep happening to David Cameron. He looked as if he
:07:33. > :07:38.has allies, and then they are not there. Are his tactics wrong? I
:07:39. > :07:41.think in this case, he was right to fight the principle, because this is
:07:42. > :07:44.not just about the personality. You can like or dislike Juncker as a
:07:45. > :07:47.personality, but this is about how this important post is selected. The
:07:48. > :07:52.Lisbon Treaty is quite clear about how it is meant to happen. The
:07:53. > :07:57.European Council are meant to recommend an appointment, and then
:07:58. > :08:14.the parliament accents or reject it. ``accepts. I think it is important
:08:15. > :08:17.to fight for that principle, because it is about two visions of how to
:08:18. > :08:19.run the EU. Does legitimacy come from national governments or this
:08:20. > :08:23.experiment in pan`European democracy? What is your prediction
:08:24. > :08:38.about what is going to happen? It is quite difficult to predict. It looks
:08:39. > :08:41.like it will go to a vote and Juncker will get the job, and that
:08:42. > :08:44.is bad news for Cameron in one sense, because he has put a lot of
:08:45. > :08:47.political capital into opposing him, but the consolation, ironically,
:08:48. > :08:50.maybe that Britain is offered some kind of compensation for that. I
:08:51. > :08:53.think Angela Merkel has already said that that would be something that
:08:54. > :08:56.would have to happen if Juncker is appointed. So, perversely, it is
:08:57. > :08:59.mostly good thing if Mr Juncker gets appointed, because Britain might
:09:00. > :09:03.benefit. I think it would be a great change in how we run the EU, but in
:09:04. > :09:06.terms of practical day`to`day policy, the UK might be compensated
:09:07. > :09:09.with a better post in the EU than I hope for otherwise. What position do
:09:10. > :09:13.you think they might get? It is difficult to speculate, but the UK
:09:14. > :09:15.does want a more economic portfolio, be that trade, internal markets, or
:09:16. > :09:29.competition. These are areas where the UK has traditionally had a
:09:30. > :09:32.greater interest. Thank you. The battle over Scotland's future
:09:33. > :09:35.continues to attract plenty of interest. On Tuesday the Chinese
:09:36. > :09:37.premier, Li Ka`Shing, backed the No campaign in the independence
:09:38. > :09:40.referendum when he said he favoured a "united United Kingdom". The Yes
:09:41. > :09:43.camp immediately countered by saying "unlike people in China", the Scots
:09:44. > :09:46.will have a "free and democratic vote" on September the 18th. On
:09:47. > :09:49.Monday the No camp organised a photo opportunity to show the breadth of
:09:50. > :09:51.opposition to independence, with the Labour, Conservative and Liberal
:09:52. > :09:55.Democrat leaders in Scotland appearing together at Carlton Hill
:09:56. > :09:58.in Edinburgh. All three parties have promised more tax`raising powers for
:09:59. > :10:22.the Scottish Parliament if Scotland stays in the UK. So that was a sunny
:10:23. > :10:25.Edinburgh last Monday. I'm joined in the studio now by the former Labour
:10:26. > :10:40.Deputy Chief Whip in the Commons, Lord McAvoy. Can I ask you firstly,
:10:41. > :10:43.the results of The Financial Times poll on the effectiveness of the yes
:10:44. > :10:46.and no campaigns, because it was a very interesting result? 51% of
:10:47. > :10:49.people for the yes to independence was fighting an effective campaign,
:10:50. > :10:52.but only 23% thought the no camp had an effective campaign. That is an
:10:53. > :10:56.enormous difference. The referendum debate is now only really hotting
:10:57. > :10:59.up. I wouldn't say there was a phoney war before, because both
:11:00. > :11:03.sides fought hard, but it is the message that counts, and the facts
:11:04. > :11:11.are, if the no campaign is that bad, they would be behind in the opinion
:11:12. > :11:14.polls, and they are not. So it is about the message, and we will
:11:15. > :11:17.continue to re`emphasise that message, that we do not want
:11:18. > :11:20.Scotland to separate, and the closer it gets to the referendum, I think
:11:21. > :11:32.that message will resonate with the Scottish people. They are remarkable
:11:33. > :11:35.figures, though, aren't they? I would accept that it has taken
:11:36. > :11:43.longer for the Better Together campaign to get fully up to speed
:11:44. > :11:47.than it has for the Yes campaign. The reasons for that, I think, first
:11:48. > :11:51.of all, it is much easier to campaign for the word Yes than it is
:11:52. > :11:54.for the word No, and I think it has taken the Better Together campaign
:11:55. > :11:59.some time to work out its best strategy. Also, the Yes campaign is
:12:00. > :12:02.effectively part of the SNP, whereas the Better Together campaign is a
:12:03. > :12:05.coalition of three parties, and it takes longer for the three to start
:12:06. > :12:08.working together than it does for one party, but I am confident that,
:12:09. > :12:11.particularly with last Monday's announcement between the three
:12:12. > :12:13.parties about more powers for the Scottish Parliament, I am confident
:12:14. > :12:16.that the Better Together campaign is fully up to speed, and that the
:12:17. > :12:19.Scottish people will realise that the future is best staying within
:12:20. > :12:22.the United Kingdom. But putting your allegiance to one side, have you
:12:23. > :12:37.actually been impressed by the professionalism of the Yes campaign?
:12:38. > :12:47.It is a hard sell to traditional Labour voters, particularly in the
:12:48. > :12:56.west of Scotland. For many Labour voters, they make six the Tories as
:12:57. > :13:04.a class enemy? Made me do. We are talking about the future of our
:13:05. > :13:20.country, to divide our country from the rest of the United Kingdom. Your
:13:21. > :13:23.opinion polls and other indicators although some Labour voters may have
:13:24. > :13:28.reservations about the Conservative party, I think the declaration, if
:13:29. > :13:35.we are honest about it, people like to see us one to get a. Another
:13:36. > :13:41.problem for the campaign is the fact that there will be a disaster if
:13:42. > :13:43.Scotland votes yes, it will be awful if Scotland vote yes, you can build
:13:44. > :13:50.up too many disasters consequences and the public then start to be very
:13:51. > :14:01.sceptical. We are making the focus of our campaign what will happen if
:14:02. > :14:06.we stake in the UK. If people take a pessimistic future, it can rebound
:14:07. > :14:14.on them and that's what we have, what our campaign is not to do that.
:14:15. > :14:18.At one point, it was called Project Fear. Well, that is what the SNP
:14:19. > :14:20.labelled the campaign. It must be pointed out that negative
:14:21. > :14:24.campaigning is not just on the no side of the argument. We get a lot
:14:25. > :14:27.of nonsense from the SNP, claiming that if it is a no vote, the
:14:28. > :14:30.Scotland budget will be cut, powers will be taken away from the Scottish
:14:31. > :14:34.parliament. That is just nonsense. Both sides have made the mistake in
:14:35. > :14:36.the past of getting into negative campaigning, and certainly, the
:14:37. > :14:39.Better Together campaign realise that mistakes were made there, and
:14:40. > :14:44.it is important to be positive about the future. All three of the UK
:14:45. > :14:47.national parties have come up with their own plan for what would happen
:14:48. > :14:51.to Scottish devolution in the event of a no vote, but what about a
:14:52. > :15:10.united plan, one you could all absolutely agree on? You are right,
:15:11. > :15:16.each of the three parties have different emphasis, different detail
:15:17. > :15:22.but the Secretary of State for Scotland has said that within a
:15:23. > :15:26.month of Scotland voting, he will convene at the future convention and
:15:27. > :15:32.bring everyone together, including the SNP. Just the same as the
:15:33. > :15:39.Constitutional Convention in the 1980s and 90s we will leap to
:15:40. > :15:46.agreement on future powers. There may be a difference in detail. A
:15:47. > :15:51.particular question for you, Ed Miliband's fortunes do seem to be in
:15:52. > :15:55.decline. There may be thought that the only way they can avoid another
:15:56. > :15:59.Tory led government at the next election is to vote yes to Scottish
:16:00. > :16:06.independence in September. Is a worry? It may seem that way if that
:16:07. > :16:12.particular scenario, if people feel they are going to be led by a Tory
:16:13. > :16:16.government, to get away from it. I have not done on the ground. It is
:16:17. > :16:22.up to the Labour Party to make sure we come across as a credible
:16:23. > :16:29.election for Westminster. I do not think it is any doubt about that.
:16:30. > :16:37.Finally, a question to both of you. The in is at headbutt it is not huge
:16:38. > :16:42.lead in the polls. A few months ago on to the polling on September 18.
:16:43. > :16:45.It must be that thought that the yes campaign is going to come through
:16:46. > :16:49.with big support for yes piling through in the last few weeks. Is
:16:50. > :16:55.that the thought that goes through the" at is not really in the bag? I
:16:56. > :16:59.do not like to pursue a victory is in the bag, you are right, no
:17:00. > :17:11.campaign has been ahead in every single poll. I echo that
:17:12. > :17:17.completely. The fate is now getting to the nitty`gritty stages. Thank
:17:18. > :17:24.you very much for joining us. The views of two unit auditions from
:17:25. > :17:28.north of the border. What's the yes camp viewed now that the Unionist
:17:29. > :17:30.parties have come closer together on extra devolutionary powers for
:17:31. > :17:47.Scotland if the voters reject independence. I very much welcome
:17:48. > :17:51.the fact that the Unionist parties have moved a week from the line in
:17:52. > :17:58.the sand approach. I do not think under any circumstances you could
:17:59. > :18:03.describe it as Betamax. Most of the money raised would still, under
:18:04. > :18:08.their proposals, be decided here in Westminster. The only wait to
:18:09. > :18:11.guarantee more powers is to vote yes. The campaign seems to be good
:18:12. > :18:16.at winning hearts but are they willing minds? Are there be more
:18:17. > :18:21.affected by talking about people 's pensions and what might happen to
:18:22. > :18:24.the pound? There has been a lot of scaremongering but more people think
:18:25. > :18:28.about the issues and the more they are just began public finances in
:18:29. > :18:31.Scotland, the more they are coming around to a "yes" vote. That is what
:18:32. > :18:35.of the reasons you see the narrowing of the polls as the campaign heats
:18:36. > :18:40.up over the summer. I am really struck by the number of people
:18:41. > :18:43.getting engaged with politics. People who have never voted before
:18:44. > :18:49.are determined to, and how to say because they think it is an
:18:50. > :18:52.important issue. Now, look at some of the other stories around
:18:53. > :18:56.Parliament in the last seven days. The controversy over on the runs in
:18:57. > :19:03.Northern Ireland has produced a confrontation. Ian Paisley wondered
:19:04. > :19:06.why the ex` Northern Ireland Secretary had previously mentioned
:19:07. > :19:12.significant correspondence sent to the judge in the case of John
:19:13. > :19:19.Downey. The suspect wrongly sent a letter, telling him he was not being
:19:20. > :19:23.sought by police. I have a lot of respect for you, outside this
:19:24. > :19:28.committee I regard it as a friend. That is an outrageous suggestion. I
:19:29. > :19:42.demand you withdraw it. I demand you withdraw at! I think the word was
:19:43. > :19:50.used and the suggestion was that the memory... The letter is there. That
:19:51. > :19:53.is outrageous! Dilemma I have come to this committee in good faith and
:19:54. > :19:56.have stayed extra time as you asked me to do. I will answer all your
:19:57. > :20:03.questions but that is outrageous. They might make shopping simpler but
:20:04. > :20:06.loyalty cards and mobile phones simply mean someone, somewhere has a
:20:07. > :20:11.lot of information about us. Time to take action, declared one peer. They
:20:12. > :20:17.are able to collate data about who we are, where we go, what we buy,
:20:18. > :20:23.who we speak to an even the state of our health. Next year is the hundred
:20:24. > :20:28.anniversary of Magna Carta. To celebrate this in a modern setting,
:20:29. > :20:33.should be introduced digital Magna Carta, designed to guarantee our
:20:34. > :20:39.online rights and privacy. Alongside those queues at passport offices, a
:20:40. > :20:43.queue of apologies in Parliament. Sorry seems to be the easiest word.
:20:44. > :20:48.The first came on Tuesday that the would you like to apologise?
:20:49. > :20:52.Absolutely. I recognise the anger and distressed that people have,
:20:53. > :20:57.some people have suffered and I would like to apologise and say that
:20:58. > :21:00.in every case where we have not met our standards, where we have not met
:21:01. > :21:08.the customers needs, yes we are sorry for that. So we take that as
:21:09. > :21:11.an apology? Yes. The second one came the next day. A number of people
:21:12. > :21:16.waiting to long for their passport applications. I would like to say to
:21:17. > :21:21.anybody who is unable to travel because of a delay in processing
:21:22. > :21:25.their passport application that I am sorry and government is sorry for
:21:26. > :21:31.the inconvenience they have suffered and we are doing all we can to put
:21:32. > :21:35.things right. Is it time to abandon this annual site at the Palace of
:21:36. > :21:41.Westminster? The traditional sea appears at the State opening. Labour
:21:42. > :21:46.says it must be brought to an end. It might make for good television
:21:47. > :21:53.but it does nothing but detract from our very positive conclusions to the
:21:54. > :21:59.working of our democracy. Picking up on occasion in robes helps people
:22:00. > :22:05.understand who I am, what I am about and what they represent. Whenever
:22:06. > :22:09.there is a photograph of this house, is always wearing the robes and we
:22:10. > :22:16.look totally out of date with modern times. Frankly, it is just not a
:22:17. > :22:22.sensible way forward. Scrutinising our hospitals and healthcare
:22:23. > :22:25.systems. An MP who is a GP wins the chairmanship of the health
:22:26. > :22:33.committee. Doctor Sarah Wollaston was elected chair with 226 votes.
:22:34. > :22:40.The other candidate in that round was Doctor Philip Ni who received
:22:41. > :22:45.195 votes. I think the role of the committee is to ask those
:22:46. > :22:50.challenging questions on behalf of patient and taxpayers so that this
:22:51. > :22:53.most cherished of our institutions in this country can continue to be
:22:54. > :22:58.there for all of our constituents when they need it most. Delighted to
:22:59. > :23:02.have got her new job at Westminster. You are watching the week in
:23:03. > :23:13.Parliament after a week when manoeuvrings continued over who gets
:23:14. > :23:14.the big job in Brussels. We have got some pretty decent