0:00:13 > 0:00:15Hello, and welcome to the Week In Parliament.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18A budget for the next generation, said the Chancellor.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20A lifetime savings plan, more time in school,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25and a surprise move against childhood obesity.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27So today I can announce that we will introduce a new sugar
0:00:27 > 0:00:30levy on the soft drinks industry.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32The Budget, a very traditional part of Parliament.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34But are things changing around us in the political world,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38driven by new media?
0:00:38 > 0:00:41As more personalities speak out in the EU referendum battle,
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Donald Trump continues to woo thousands of supporters
0:00:43 > 0:00:48in the United Sates.
0:00:50 > 0:00:58No one has ever run a campaign on that scale
0:00:58 > 0:01:03that is based entirely
0:01:03 > 0:01:05on one man saying whatever comes to his mind
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and seeing how people react.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And back home, in the fight to defeat terrorism,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12should the security services be able to track our movements
0:01:12 > 0:01:13on the internet?
0:01:13 > 0:01:16We must ensure that those charged with keeping us safe are able
0:01:16 > 0:01:17to keep pace.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19There are significant, significant weaknesses in this bill.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20The powers authorised by this bill are
0:01:20 > 0:01:22formidable and capable of misuse.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24But first, George Osborne had plenty of announcements to make,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26some more eye-catching than others, in his eighth Budget speech
0:01:26 > 0:01:28to Parliament on Wednesday.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32The day started in traditional fashion,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35with the Chancellor parading his red box
0:01:35 > 0:01:38outside 11 Downing Street
0:01:38 > 0:01:41before making his short trip to the Commons.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43The verdicts on his Budget next day
0:01:43 > 0:01:45were almost as numerous as his measures.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46For some watchers it lacked any theme.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Others dismissed it as too timid to galvanise the economy.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Was it a Chancellor trying not to rock the boat
0:01:51 > 0:01:56ahead of the EU Referendum?
0:01:56 > 0:01:59What was a gift to the headline writers
0:01:59 > 0:02:02was George Osborne's decision
0:02:02 > 0:02:03to use the tools of the Treasury
0:02:03 > 0:02:07to help tackle childhood obesity.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10We all know one of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity
0:02:10 > 0:02:11is sugary drinks.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14A can of cola typically has nine teaspoons of sugar in it.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15Some popular drinks have as many as 13.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19I'm not prepared to look back at my time here in this Parliament,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21doing this job,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25and say to my children's generation, I'm sorry.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28"We knew there was a problem with sugary drinks.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31"We knew it caused disease.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33"But we ducked the difficult decisions and we did nothing."
0:02:33 > 0:02:36So today I can announce that we will introduce a new sugar
0:02:36 > 0:02:37levy on the soft drinks industry.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40We are going to use the money from this new levy to double
0:02:40 > 0:02:43the amount of funding we dedicate to sport in every primary school.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And for secondary schools,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49we are going to fund longer school days
0:02:49 > 0:02:51for those who want to offer their pupils
0:02:51 > 0:02:52a wider range of activities,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56including extra sport.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58STUDIO: In terms of pensions...
0:02:58 > 0:03:00..We have consulted widely on whether we should make compulsory
0:03:00 > 0:03:03changes to the pension tax system, but it was clear there
0:03:03 > 0:03:04was no consensus.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Indeed, the former Pensions Minister,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07the Liberal Democrat Steve Webb,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10said I was trying to abolish the lump sum.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Instead we are going to keep the lump sum
0:03:13 > 0:03:18and abolish the Liberal Democrats.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21LAUGHTER.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23STUDIO: And the Chancellor came to his conclusion.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25..This is a budget that gets the investors investing,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27savers saving, businesses doing business, so that we build
0:03:27 > 0:03:29for working people a low tax enterprise Britain,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31secure at home, strong in the world.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32I commend to the House
0:03:32 > 0:03:36a Budget that puts the next generation first.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39STUDIO: Labour's Jeremy Corbyn had a scathing reply.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42It is a recovery built on sand on a Budget of failure.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45He has failed on the Budget deficit, failed on debt, failed
0:03:45 > 0:03:47on investment, failed on productivity, failed on trade
0:03:47 > 0:03:49deficit, failed on the welfare cap, failed to tackle inequality
0:03:49 > 0:03:54in this country.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59This is all about political choices.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03We said at the election, and we hold to it:
0:04:03 > 0:04:06a very modest 0.5% real terms increase in expenditure
0:04:06 > 0:04:10could have released money,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13not just for investment,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15but do make sure those on benefits
0:04:15 > 0:04:16did not fall any further behind.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20That would have been a sensible, inhumane and productive thing to do.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24If we are going to have a tax base on sugar,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I wonder whether over the longer run
0:04:26 > 0:04:27we shouldn't consider widening that base.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30After all, it's not just sugar in drinks that are held
0:04:30 > 0:04:31to be harmful.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32So Britain is now at a crossroads.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35The structural deficit will be gone next year,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37so the Chancellor is choosing to make unnecessary cuts
0:04:37 > 0:04:39to meet an unnecessary target.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43It is his choice to remove support from people with disabilities.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47It is his choice to cut universal credit.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51It is his choice to stand by as child poverty increases.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Next day the Shadow Chancellor focused on changes to personal
0:04:53 > 0:04:54independence payments claimed by disabled people.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Can I just say this across the House?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58This is a very important issue.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00We will not make party politics of this.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I say this sincerely,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07as someone who has campaigned on disability issues in this House
0:05:07 > 0:05:10for 18 years.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15I urge you, I urge all members now,
0:05:15 > 0:05:22to press the Chancellor to think again on this issue.
0:05:22 > 0:05:28It is cruel and it is unfortunately,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I believe, dangerous
0:05:30 > 0:05:31for the well-being of disabled people.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The Shadow Chancellor proved today that he is incapable of answering
0:05:34 > 0:05:37any of the questions put to him by my colleagues on the side.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39But he is able to tell us a few things.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42He has told us that he was to transform capital.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44He has told us that his heroes are Lenin and Trotsky.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47He has told us that he wants to borrow more.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49In fact, had we carried on with the Labour Party's plans
0:05:49 > 0:05:52when they were in Government from 2010, we would have borrowed
0:05:52 > 0:06:02?930 billion more in the course of the past six years.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05The reaction so far to Wednesday's Budget.
0:06:05 > 0:06:11Still two more days of Budget debate to go in the Commons.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14There is a presidential election going on, you may just possibly have
0:06:14 > 0:06:16noticed, in the United States.
0:06:16 > 0:06:24The frontrunner in the Republican nomination stakes
0:06:24 > 0:06:25remains Donald Trump.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, has been giving Hillary Clinton
0:06:27 > 0:06:30a run for her money in the fight to win the Democrat nomination.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34On this side of the pond, meanwhile, the In campaign and the Out campaign
0:06:34 > 0:06:36are getting themselves into gear for the EU referendum,
0:06:36 > 0:06:37with both camps attracting big personalities.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Joining me in the studio now to discuss the influence
0:06:40 > 0:06:42of personalities in politics are three people in the know.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Dame Margaret Hodge is a Labour veteran of national
0:06:44 > 0:06:45and London election campaigns.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Jim Waterson is the political editor of Buzzfeed.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49As Kate Andrews is the news editor
0:06:49 > 0:06:50of the Institute for Economic Affairs.
0:06:50 > 0:06:58Welcome to The Week In Parliament.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Now, Jim, we are seeing in America Donald Trump dominating
0:07:04 > 0:07:05the US presidential election.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It could be the case that Boris Johnson dominates
0:07:08 > 0:07:09the EU referendum campaign.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Are we entering the new era of personality politics?
0:07:11 > 0:07:13I think a big personality in politics has always
0:07:13 > 0:07:14been an asset.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It has always been something we have looked to.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20You think back even to Harold Wilson with his pipe and the way that he'd
0:07:20 > 0:07:23go around with that just to make sure that people saw him.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25But with Trump, you have got something else.
0:07:25 > 0:07:31Trump is sort of breaking all the rules.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Trump is something that theoretically shouldn't work,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36and yet is bigger than any candidate I have ever seen in any campaign.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39You know, no one has ever run a campaign on that scale
0:07:39 > 0:07:42that is based entirely on one man saying whatever comes to his mind
0:07:42 > 0:07:46and seeing how people react.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Margaret Hodge, UK politics have always had plenty of
0:07:48 > 0:07:52personalities, haven't we?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Yeah, but personalities always matter, and personality in a way
0:07:54 > 0:07:57translates politics into ordinary language for people to relate to.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58But it's about more than that.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01I think it is about narrative, and I think it's about leadership.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06So I don't think personality on its own - Farage,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10personality actually got nowhere in the electoral
0:08:10 > 0:08:13system here in the UK.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So I don't think personality on its own is enough.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20It is great, and we are driven think more to personality politics.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I don't know if you guys agree with this because of 24/7,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28it means that you have always got to have somebody up,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30somebody to translate what is happening into a language
0:08:30 > 0:08:31that people can relate to.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Kate, it seems to me that the American system -
0:08:34 > 0:08:36we see these conventions and rallies and cheering crowds.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38The American system almost seems to encourage personality politics.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41It does, and it has for a while.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45You can always look at who Americans said they wanted to have a beer
0:08:45 > 0:08:47with, and very usually it will correlate to who has been
0:08:47 > 0:08:48elected into office.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50People want to feel friendly towards their candidates,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55to feel like they can relate to them.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58They want to feel like they can have fun with them.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00It used to be said that people wanted to have a beer
0:09:00 > 0:09:03with George W Bush more than they did with John Kerry,
0:09:03 > 0:09:13for example.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Of course, George W Bush didn't drink.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17But that wasn't the point.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20The point was that they actually warmed to him despite that policy,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22and despite things they might have had disagreements they wanted
0:09:22 > 0:09:23to spend time with him.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And that has always been very important in American elections.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27But Kate, is it enough?
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I slightly worry about this cult of personality, because of course
0:09:30 > 0:09:32personalities count, but it is about the narrative.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33What worries you in particular about personalities?
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Well, because...
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Boris has got a great big personality, I'm not sure he's got
0:09:37 > 0:09:40much of a narrative, and the idea that he might end up
0:09:40 > 0:09:43as the leader of the Conservative Party or indeed Prime Minister
0:09:43 > 0:09:46before the next general election without a narrative is a bit scary.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And I'm not sure, actually, that the British people at the end
0:09:49 > 0:09:50of the day take it.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Maybe I am going back to far, but if you think of
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Attlee and Churchill - Churchill was full of personality.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56Attlee actually won the election.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59So I think we should recognise personality counts and your ability
0:09:59 > 0:10:02to relate with the media is hugely important, but I think it is sort
0:10:02 > 0:10:03of necessary, not sufficient.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05That is probably where I would put it.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07The question that you ask is interesting.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08Is it enough?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Well, of course just having a personality and a big personality
0:10:10 > 0:10:13is not enough to lead a great nation or to implement policy.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15You are completely right.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17But is it enough to get elected?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19It might be.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Jim Waterson, it is interesting, isn't it, the role of social media?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And we had sound bites 20, 30 years ago, but now we are down
0:10:25 > 0:10:26to 140 characters on Twitter.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Well, Donald Trump has played the most astonishing game.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Traditionally in American politics you have got to spend a lot
0:10:31 > 0:10:33of money on adverts, and what they do is,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36the campaigns go and carefully hone an advert, get that will get
0:10:36 > 0:10:37their personality out there.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Donald Trump, just armed with a Twitter account
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and a willingness to send a load of abuse, has had so much free
0:10:43 > 0:10:45coverage that he doesn't need to bother with that.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47And I have just been out recently in America,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I went to a Donald Trump rally in New Hampshire,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52and it is like nothing I have ever seen before.
0:10:52 > 0:10:545000 people in an ice hockey arena, chanting, pounding music,
0:10:54 > 0:10:55people buying a hotdog.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57It was like turning up to a gig.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It wasn't like a political event of any sort I've ever seen before.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02That is exactly what it is, isn't it?
0:11:02 > 0:11:12What he has done is brought to reality TV into politics.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15It was moving in that direction, but very slowly.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney - this was not the stuff of a big
0:11:19 > 0:11:20wrestling match, really.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22And what he has done so successfully, but also
0:11:22 > 0:11:25very much to my worry, is that he has taken it to such
0:11:25 > 0:11:26an extreme people aren't resisting.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27They are embracing it.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29So how much further will they go?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31OK, I am going to challenge you get again.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Because he has, I agree with all that, and he is probably
0:11:34 > 0:11:36now unbeatable, unless you tell me otherwise.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38I think it looks like he will be the nominee.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39But is he electable?
0:11:39 > 0:11:43So there is a difference between being unbeatable within
0:11:43 > 0:11:44the political party framework.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Is he electable as president of the United States?
0:11:47 > 0:11:48I wonder.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Let's bring it back for a moment to UK politics.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Of course, in your part of London, you faced a very serious
0:11:53 > 0:11:55challenge at one point from the British National Party.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56They had a simple anti-immigration message.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59What did you do to counter that very simple message?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I think it's really interesting, because I also had Nick Griffin
0:12:01 > 0:12:03against me, who was a big personality.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05And actually, I completely changed my politics.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09And I think a lot of these votes - you look around at what is happening
0:12:09 > 0:12:11around the world, a lot of it is a protest vote
0:12:11 > 0:12:13against the way the traditional politicians do their politics.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16So I have just completely transformed what I do.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I no longer go to party meetings more than I need to -
0:12:19 > 0:12:20very, very few.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22I no longer cut ribbons in town hall ceremonies.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25And everything I do has to pass this very simple test.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Would it help me reconnect with my voters?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30So it is all about - you know, it is not great
0:12:30 > 0:12:32rocket science stuff.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34It is about communicating with people, listening to people,
0:12:34 > 0:12:41responding to what they say where you can and rebuilding trust.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45And I think it is that change of politics
0:12:45 > 0:12:49which is being demanded for,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and that's why these crazy people
0:12:52 > 0:12:53are emerging politics at the moment.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56It's because people are angry with us lot, they are angry
0:12:56 > 0:12:58with the traditional political class, they are protesting,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and the protest goes to these rather bizarre politicians.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Is it a question of a fightback, Jim?
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Do you think traditional politicians need to fight back
0:13:15 > 0:13:16against the personalities?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18I think it is very hard, particularly online -
0:13:18 > 0:13:20no one is going to put out a Facebook status going,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I believe in the moderate candidate who might be able to win over
0:13:24 > 0:13:25the massive electorate.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28You want to put, I'm a full socialist or I am a full
0:13:28 > 0:13:29anti-immigration campaigner.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31It is a stronger message, and it sort of makes sense.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33You look purer and better for doing it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Let me just wind things up now.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37We have smashed the issue around very interestingly indeed.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Are you hopeful for the future?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41You sound a little bit downbeat that personalities
0:13:41 > 0:13:42are taking over politics.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43Of
0:13:43 > 0:13:43No, I think personalities matter, but I do think, go back to almost
0:13:43 > 0:13:47No, I think personalities matter, but I do think, go back to almost
0:13:47 > 0:13:49what I said at the beginning, I think leadership is important.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51You can have personality without leadership.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53And I think the narrative you tell is crucial.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56And you need those three ingredients to be able to succeed in securing
0:13:56 > 0:13:57power in Government.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Jim Waterson, are you hopeful for the future?
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Yeah, always.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Otherwise we would be absolutely despairing and we wouldn't be
0:14:06 > 0:14:07here discussing it.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I think personalities in politics are probably going to be
0:14:10 > 0:14:13on the rise, but the system tends to find a way, and we will probably
0:14:13 > 0:14:16end up just working around it, coming to some sort of solution.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Kate Andrews, final word?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I am hopeful and optimistic, although I think the future
0:14:20 > 0:14:21is going to look very, very different.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24I think if Donald Trump were to become the Republican
0:14:24 > 0:14:26nominee, we could see that party below and other very,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28very different in even a few years' time.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Similarly if Hillary Clinton were to lose to Donald Trump,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34I am not saying she will, but if she did, that is going to be
0:14:34 > 0:14:36a crisis within the Democratic Party as well.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39So I am optimistic, but I think things will look very different.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40We live in interesting times.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Kate Andrews, Jim Waterson and Dame Margaret Hodge,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44thanks very much for joining me on the week in parliament.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Some thoughts on personalities with three personalities.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Now a look at some of the other stories in Parliament
0:14:50 > 0:14:51in the last few days.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54The Government suffered a string of defeats in the Lords on Wednesday
0:14:54 > 0:14:56night on the issue of trade unions and their funding
0:14:56 > 0:14:58of the political parties.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Rebel Conservatives joined with Opposition peers to support
0:15:01 > 0:15:05a proposal that would mean only new union members having to opt
0:15:05 > 0:15:07in to paying the political levy, not all members,
0:15:07 > 0:15:16as the Government had wished.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18The measures proposed by the Government to bring
0:15:18 > 0:15:20in the opt in go far beyond any transparency
0:15:20 > 0:15:21requirements.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22They are highly unreasonable.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25In turn, that will, as now evidenced by the committee report,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27have a major impact on Labour Party funding.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I do not wish to be party to a move that would seriously
0:15:30 > 0:15:35disadvantage one of the great parties of this country,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39particularly at a time when it is going through its own
0:15:39 > 0:15:45special problems, which I hope will soon be over.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50It is not acceptable in many areas of daily life to automatically
0:15:50 > 0:15:54deduct payment for a cause that has not been actively consented to.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Still a robust campaigner.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00The former Labour MP Clare Short, who famously resigned
0:16:00 > 0:16:02from Tony Blair's Cabinet over the war in Iraq,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05returns to Westminster to talk about the difficulties facing
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Muslim charities.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I should say, because after 9/11, anything with Islam or Muslims
0:16:11 > 0:16:17in its title gets sniffed at, I did ask our security services
0:16:17 > 0:16:20to have a look at Islamic Relief, and they said, perfect.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22So I mean, that is not there.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27The return to home base that not many expected.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29When President Putin announces a surprise withdrawal
0:16:29 > 0:16:31of Russian forces from Syria, the reaction of Westminster
0:16:31 > 0:16:34politicians is decidedly mixed.
0:16:34 > 0:16:41Decisions are made apparently arbitrarily without any advanced
0:16:41 > 0:16:44signalling, and as we are now seeing, can be an made
0:16:44 > 0:16:46just as quickly.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49This is not a recipe for enhancing stability and predictability
0:16:49 > 0:16:51on the international scene.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56It makes the world a more dangerous place, not a less dangerous place.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01He has retained the military base at Lattakia and the Port of Tartus,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and there can be no settlement of the Syrian question
0:17:03 > 0:17:06without the endorsement of Russia.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08It may not be game, set and match to Mr Putin,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11but it is most certainly game and set.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Remembering the many thousands killed and injured
0:17:13 > 0:17:15in the First World War.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17It's nearly 100 years since the horrors of
0:17:17 > 0:17:19the Battle of the Somme.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Peers reflect on how to mark the grim anniversary.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27When the war was over, there were many more words.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30They were inscribed on the tombstones visible today
0:17:30 > 0:17:35from every road on the approaches to the Somme.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains more than 60
0:17:39 > 0:17:48cemeteries of haunting beauty on the Somme battlefield.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Above them tower the great memorials, dominated
0:17:50 > 0:17:53by the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, the largest war
0:17:53 > 0:17:55memorial ever built,
0:17:55 > 0:18:01recording the names of 73,335 soldiers who have no known grave.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The Battle of the Somme is, for many people, the symbol
0:18:04 > 0:18:05of the horrors of warfare.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08But it is important that the commemorations also
0:18:08 > 0:18:10extend our understanding of the impact these battles had
0:18:10 > 0:18:11on our national outlook.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Is it a storm in a coffee cup?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The cups can't be re-cycled, it would seem, because the paper
0:18:15 > 0:18:20is combined with plastic.
0:18:20 > 0:18:27A Minister is urged to wake up and smell the coffee.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Could the Government have a look at the problem of the wretched
0:18:30 > 0:18:32number of plastic lined paper takeaway coffee cups?
0:18:32 > 0:18:33The overwhelming majority of which never get recycled
0:18:33 > 0:18:36because of the difficulties of ripping out the plastic lining
0:18:36 > 0:18:38of the paper.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43It is a huge problem.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47would agree, the plastic bag tax has been a success,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50coffee cups seems to be a very good thing to look at next.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51And a dead heat at this place.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56A vote at the National Assembly for Wales is tied 26-26 on a move
0:18:56 > 0:18:59to ban e-cigarettes in most public places in Wales.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02The presiding officer follows the rules to cast her vote
0:19:02 > 0:19:05against the measure.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name
0:19:08 > 0:19:09of Mark Drakeford.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Open the vote.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12Close the vote.
0:19:12 > 0:19:1326 for.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14No abstentions.
0:19:14 > 0:19:1526 against.
0:19:15 > 0:19:21Therefore I have to cast my vote, against.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Resolving a moment of deadlock in Cardiff.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Striking the balance between fighting terrorism
0:19:26 > 0:19:29while maintaining liberty was centre-stage once again
0:19:29 > 0:19:32in the Commons on Tuesday.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35The bill that will allow the security services to intercept
0:19:35 > 0:19:37and store communications data won the initial approval of MPs
0:19:37 > 0:19:41by a margin of 251.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46Critics of the Investigatory Powers Bill, widely nick-named
0:19:46 > 0:19:48the Snoopers' Charter, say it gives the authorities
0:19:48 > 0:19:54too much power to access where we go on the internet.
0:19:54 > 0:19:54the
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Today terrorists and criminals the operating online with a reach
0:19:57 > 0:19:58and scale that never existed before.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59They are exploiting the technological benefits
0:19:59 > 0:20:03of the modern age for their own twisted ends, and they will continue
0:20:03 > 0:20:05to do so
0:20:05 > 0:20:09as long as it gives them a perceived advantage.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12We must ensure that those charged with keeping us safe
0:20:12 > 0:20:13are able to keep pace.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14Internet connection records do not provide
0:20:14 > 0:20:16access to a person's full web browsing history.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18An Internet connection record is a record of
0:20:18 > 0:20:21what Internet services a device or a person has connected to,
0:20:21 > 0:20:30not every web page they have visited.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32The Government's bill is not yet worthy
0:20:32 > 0:20:34of support, because there are significant weaknesses
0:20:34 > 0:20:35in this bill.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38So I am not prepared, I'm sorry, to go through the lobby tonight
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and give him and his Government a blank
0:20:41 > 0:20:43-- and give him and his Government a blank cheque.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45I want to hold them to account.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I want to see changes in this bill, to strengthen this bill,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50and when they listen, then they will earn our support.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And that seems to me to be entirely appropriate and responsible
0:20:53 > 0:21:02for an opposition party to do.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05The bill is a rushed job, in my opinion, coming on the back
0:21:05 > 0:21:08of a draft bill which didn't go far enough to protect civil liberties
0:21:08 > 0:21:08and lacked clarity.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14This bill, or something like it, is absolutely necessary.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16It replaces 66 plus other pieces of statutory mechanism.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19So we have got to have, in the interest of transparency,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21something to do it in its place.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23But it grants sweeping powers, in my view so far,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25insufficient safeguards, and not enough consideration for privacy.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The powers authorised by this bill
0:21:28 > 0:21:30are formidable and capable of misuse.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32In the absence of a written constitution, it is only
0:21:32 > 0:21:34the subjective tests of necessity and
0:21:34 > 0:21:40proportionality that stand in the way of that misuse.
0:21:40 > 0:21:46The bill should be far, far more explicit than it currently
0:21:46 > 0:21:48is that these powers are the exception from standing
0:21:48 > 0:21:58principles of privacy and must never become the norm.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01There is a fundamental challenge at the heart
0:22:01 > 0:22:04of this legislation between the idea that it is possible to separate out
0:22:04 > 0:22:05somebody's contact online from their content.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08It is the definition that many of the Internet companies have
0:22:08 > 0:22:11raised and said there is a concern with, and it is a definition
0:22:11 > 0:22:13that is yet this legislation has not completely grappled with.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Let's have no illusion.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19This is retaining information for that period of time
0:22:19 > 0:22:21of those, the overwhelming the majority, needless to say,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23who are in no way under suspicion of any criminal
0:22:23 > 0:22:29activity at all.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30Is that desirable?
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Does anybody really believe that that will help
0:22:32 > 0:22:33the fight against terrorism?
0:22:33 > 0:22:39The ability to collect bulk data is essential.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43The new bill will help to mean there is no
0:22:43 > 0:22:48credibility gap in the balance between keeping us safe
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and protecting our rights to privacy.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52And at the end of that debate, the Investigatory Powers Bill
0:22:52 > 0:22:54won the approval of MPs, 266 votes to 15.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Labour and the SNP abstained.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Plenty more stages of consideration to go.
0:22:59 > 0:23:05Now with a look at some of the slightly more off-beat
0:23:05 > 0:23:07stories around Westminster and beyond,
0:23:07 > 0:23:13here's Duncan Smith.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18A countdown to another countdown.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Yes, this Tuesday marked just 100 days to go until the EU referendum.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Plenty of time to get your hands on some campaign merchandise.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Maybe a veteran of the Palace of Westminster, but this week,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30the Beast of Bolsover revealed he has
0:23:30 > 0:23:36never visited Buckingham Palace, and he doesn't fancy his chances.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Wales' First Minister Carl Wynne Jones
0:23:42 > 0:23:45faced his last question time before the Welsh Assembly dissolved
0:23:45 > 0:23:48for the May elections.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51After clocking up nearly 200 question sessions,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53the Labour leader was in a reflective mood.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54This might be theatre.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57He and I know that this has an element of
0:23:57 > 0:23:59theatre, but it has a serious element, and that is to test
0:23:59 > 0:24:01forensically what the Government does.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03If party leaders felt a little nervous on Tuesday,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05it may have been with good reason.
0:24:05 > 0:24:05The 15th was the legendary Ides of March - fateful
0:24:11 > 0:24:14The 15th was the legendary Ides of March,
0:24:14 > 0:24:15fateful for Julius Caesar, but this year,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17the banks of the Thames did not run red.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Backbench business committee chair Ian Mearns s discoveries his power
0:24:20 > 0:24:21stretches beyond Westminster.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Last week, when I spoke, in my exasperation about
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Newcastle United, within 24 hours, there was a change
0:24:25 > 0:24:26of management.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Well, they do say a week is a long time in politics.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31# Five, four, three, two, one.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Duncan Smith reporting.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Thursday brought the sad news of the death of one of BBC
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Television's best known faces in the 1960s and 70s,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Cliff Michelmore.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Among a huge range of TV programmes he presented,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Cliff Michelmore fronted the general election night programme
0:24:49 > 0:24:51when Harold Wilson won his second election victory for Labour
0:24:51 > 0:24:58in March 1966.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01The very first result of the night is just coming in.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03We are loading it into this very special machine,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06which will bring to you and to ask the results as fast as they possibly
0:25:07 > 0:25:08can be brought to you.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11And there is the first result of the night,
0:25:12 > 0:25:20Hull City 1, Chelsea 3.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I think that will have more electoral repercussions in Hull
0:25:23 > 0:25:24than it will certainly have in Chelsea.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27And you can see the whole of that 1966 election night programme,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29from beginning to end, on its 50th anniversary
0:25:29 > 0:25:30on BBC Parliament.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32It'll run on Easter Monday, starting at 8:20
0:25:32 > 0:25:34in the morning.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Four more days of Parliament to go before the Westminster Easter break.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Do join me for the best of the day in the Commons and the Lords
0:25:41 > 0:25:42at 11pm on Monday night.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47Until then, from me, Keith Macdougall, goodbye.