:00:18. > :01:03.# I'm finding I can fly so high above with you...#
:01:04. > :01:42.Welcome to the final This Week of 2016.
:01:43. > :01:45.And I have to tell you that it's been a bit of struggle because most
:01:46. > :01:48.of the team have come down with the dreaded lurgy that's been
:01:49. > :01:52.doing the rounds and some are really quite poorly.
:01:53. > :01:56.A loyal viewer in Moscow, a Mr V Putin of Number Ten, The Kremlin,
:01:57. > :01:59.took pity on our plight and kindly sent us some Russian
:02:00. > :02:05.They did nothing for our influenza but three of the team can now run
:02:06. > :02:08.100 metres in under ten seconds and the producer is competing in
:02:09. > :02:15.Some of us think she should have been for the high jump years ago.
:02:16. > :02:18.Anyway, I think a few of our little elves have been OD-ing
:02:19. > :02:19.on the Russian stuff, because they've started
:02:20. > :02:24.voting to leave the EU, David Cameron resigning as PM,
:02:25. > :02:26.Theresa May becoming PM, Donald Trump becoming President
:02:27. > :02:33.of the United States and the Western democracies standing by doing
:02:34. > :02:37.nothing as the people of Aleppo are pummelled to death by a brutal
:02:38. > :02:42.I have assured these poor deluded souls that they're
:02:43. > :02:45.just hallucinating, having a bad dream,
:02:46. > :02:49.and that none of these ridiculous things really happened in 2016.
:02:50. > :02:51.Since then, they've been cowering in their boltholes,
:02:52. > :02:55.sucking their thumbs and staring strangely at me.
:02:56. > :02:57.But I'm sure they'll snap out of it by Christmas.
:02:58. > :03:00.And speaking of the festive season, if Santa is watching,
:03:01. > :03:03.Michael would like to withdraw that handwritten note he sent you up
:03:04. > :03:07.the chimney last week asking for you to bring him a train set.
:03:08. > :03:11.He's decided he'd be better off without it because it'll just lead
:03:12. > :03:16.to family squabbles about who gets to close the bloody doors.
:03:17. > :03:18.Anyway, to cheer us all up we decided to book ourselves
:03:19. > :03:21.some nice carol singers, but they were on strike.
:03:22. > :03:39.# You want to stop talking # Why don't you give it a rest?
:03:40. > :03:42.# You've got more rapid than Sainsbury's
:03:43. > :03:46.# Time you got it off your chest # You were the kind of girl to break
:03:47. > :03:49.my heart into # I knew it when I set my eyes on
:03:50. > :03:54.you # But how was I to know you would
:03:55. > :04:02.bend my holes, too? # With your incessant talking,
:04:03. > :04:11.you're becoming a pest # Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. #
:04:12. > :04:13.Now, we're feeling extra festive this year, folks.
:04:14. > :04:16.So much so that we're going to break our golden rule.
:04:17. > :04:18.That's right, we want to hear from you.
:04:19. > :04:22.means it's beginning to look a lot like Twelfies!
:04:23. > :04:25.So, tweet us your festive selfies but remember you have to be seen
:04:26. > :04:30.Our technology elves will be on hand to edit them into our end credits.
:04:31. > :04:37.For a chance to get on our Christmas smorgasbord,
:04:38. > :04:44.And, in the spirit of reaching out to those left out
:04:45. > :04:46.in the cold of politics, we've lined our manger
:04:47. > :04:49.with the finest political minds we could book at such short
:04:50. > :04:53.I'm joined by our resident lambs to the slaughter,
:04:54. > :04:59.Michael #sadmanonatrain Portillo and Alan #sadmanontheleft Johnson,
:05:00. > :05:03.plus the twinkling Miranda #sheslovely Green, and by the SNP's
:05:04. > :05:07.North Star, steadfast and shining bright as ever, John
:05:08. > :05:14.Finally, we're joined by the only guests that really matter,
:05:15. > :05:37.What a line-up. No money has been broken in this programme. Tell me,
:05:38. > :05:42.moments of the year? Let me bank the election of Mr Trump and the Brexit
:05:43. > :05:47.-- Brexit vote. What other big moment caught your eye? For years I
:05:48. > :05:51.had to live with the morbid fear that Boris Johnson would be Prime
:05:52. > :05:56.Minister. So the moment of the year for me was when he was dispatched by
:05:57. > :06:02.Michael Gove. And I believe Michael Gove should be awarded an hereditary
:06:03. > :06:06.dukedom for what he did. He certainly saved the country from
:06:07. > :06:12.Boris being Prime Minister, a great moment in our history. A moment of
:06:13. > :06:20.the year untouched by personal animus. Mine is the Hillsborough
:06:21. > :06:24.enquiry. After a long fight, 30 years, people who had no power, no
:06:25. > :06:29.influence, managed to succeed against forces of the state, whether
:06:30. > :06:33.it is the press or the police, who covered up what was happening, or
:06:34. > :06:37.fabricated what was happening. It was a great victory for those
:06:38. > :06:43.families and their perseverance. Miranda Green. For me, it was
:06:44. > :06:51.listening to Theresa May buzz my first conference speech as Prime
:06:52. > :06:55.Minister. That is a bit like you. There you go. The moment when she
:06:56. > :06:59.delivered the line, if you are a citizen of the world, you are a
:07:00. > :07:06.citizen of nowhere. It seemed to capture this new spirit of trying to
:07:07. > :07:12.patriotic recapture a swathe of voters who felt politics was not
:07:13. > :07:15.listening to them. It seemed to encapsulated a moment where she
:07:16. > :07:18.could win big if she can keep the coalition together, but that speech
:07:19. > :07:22.contained lots that started to unravel and could go wrong, which
:07:23. > :07:28.can happen on a wider scale as well. Did you take it as a personal attack
:07:29. > :07:33.on yourself? I am a Londoner, born and bred, so I know where I am from.
:07:34. > :07:38.I have no problem with my Pat Richards. Some people might think
:07:39. > :07:48.that being pro-EU makes me an patriotic. It was just a tease! I
:07:49. > :07:51.know. The obvious ones are Donald Trump and Brexit. Looking outside
:07:52. > :08:04.politics for a second, I thought Andy Murray was a fabulous moment. I
:08:05. > :08:10.like Andy Murray. Do you think he is Scottish, at all? Well spotted. No,
:08:11. > :08:17.because he won, he is British. He has a charm, hasn't he? And he has
:08:18. > :08:23.got so much criticism because he doesn't... He is not to him. He does
:08:24. > :08:27.not have that Sutherlin, sweet... Tim was not exactly a laugh a
:08:28. > :08:33.minute. The girls liked him on Henman Hill. I like Andy. There is a
:08:34. > :08:36.charm about him and he is becoming a national treasure.
:08:37. > :08:39.Now, as you know 2016 has been a pretty uneventful year, apart
:08:40. > :08:41.from the high profile break up of Brangelina, which for poor
:08:42. > :08:43.Michael brought memories of the Abbottillo split back
:08:44. > :08:48.Since Diane left, Michael has been like a reindeer in the headlights,
:08:49. > :08:50.the lost puppy of late night political chat, more lonely
:08:51. > :08:57.So when we got the invitation to his Christmas party we were faced
:08:58. > :09:04.in the Royal Mail strikes, or endure hours of endless conversation
:09:05. > :09:08.about the 07.34 milk train from Bushey to Cheddington.
:09:09. > :09:11.So, as ever, if we have to endure it, so do you.
:09:12. > :09:24.See it as the replacement bus service of Christmas parties.
:09:25. > :09:26.Welcome to the Question Time Christmas special.
:09:27. > :09:29.It's the This Week Christmas Roundup.
:09:30. > :09:44.It's been a trying 12 months at This Week Towers.
:09:45. > :09:47.With the part-time team of five split down the middle over the great
:09:48. > :09:54.Should Ed Balls have won Strictly Come Dancing?
:09:55. > :10:00.So this year, Michael has invited the whole crew to his home
:10:01. > :10:03.in Kensington and Chelsea, to bring everyone back together,
:10:04. > :10:12.Remember, lads, don't give them too much of this good stuff,
:10:13. > :10:49.Michael's even invited the neighbours.
:10:50. > :10:59.Inside, the staff get to grips with their new roles.
:11:00. > :11:00.Why am I relegated to this butler stuff?
:11:01. > :11:03.I won, matey, I should be the toast of the ball.
:11:04. > :11:05.It's about time you got a proper job.
:11:06. > :11:07.You trust fund Tories are out on your ear.
:11:08. > :11:09.Cut the whining and get back to Chipping Norton.
:11:10. > :11:12.Oh, yeah, it's all gone swimmingly for you, hasn't it, mate?
:11:13. > :11:14.Look here, if you hadn't voted for Corbyn...
:11:15. > :11:20.Don't you realise the ladies are in charge now?
:11:21. > :11:27.But after such a topsy-turvy year, not everyone's feeling festive.
:11:28. > :11:39.I'm sorry, it's just that everything is so...
:11:40. > :11:49.What do Santa's little helpers learn at school?
:11:50. > :11:56.Honestly, it's worse than Prime Minister's Questions.
:11:57. > :12:02.Everyone's getting a little bit tipsy, and no one wants to leave.
:12:03. > :12:07.# Never going to give you up, never going to let you down...#
:12:08. > :12:10.Here's a song for all you bitter old Remainers.
:12:11. > :12:40.Michael, will the decision to leave the EU, will it be historic, in the
:12:41. > :12:45.sense of great, or historic in the sense of dreadful? I think in the
:12:46. > :12:48.sense of great. I think the UK has been deeply unhappy in the European
:12:49. > :12:52.Union for all the time it has been there. I think European Union
:12:53. > :12:56.members on the continent and ourselves have wholly different
:12:57. > :13:01.ambitions for Europe. We are better off divorced, going our separate
:13:02. > :13:07.ways. I think great trouble lies ahead for Europe. The euro,
:13:08. > :13:14.migration. I think we have probably left a sinking ship. A good
:13:15. > :13:18.decision. Miranda. I suppose for people like me, hoping for a soft
:13:19. > :13:21.Brexit, I am hoping it is not a historic moment, because I do not
:13:22. > :13:27.want a clean break and I think that would be a huge mistake, so I am
:13:28. > :13:33.hoping for something softer than a historical moment. Allen. Historic,
:13:34. > :13:37.and I hope Michael is right but I doubt it. My fear is we will spend
:13:38. > :13:45.every ounce of political capital and energy focused on this for a long
:13:46. > :13:48.time. And in a sense, we are scrambling just to get back to where
:13:49. > :13:54.we are now, in terms of trade deals and other things. It certainly
:13:55. > :13:57.dominates. Every story is Brexit. The ex-head of the World Trade
:13:58. > :14:01.Organisation said it would take five years. Anything other than that,
:14:02. > :14:07.between 10-15 years. I think that is probably true. But in the end, let's
:14:08. > :14:12.hope Michael is right and there is this brilliant future. John. It is a
:14:13. > :14:17.terrible decision and I'm sad about it. It shows Britain at its worst,
:14:18. > :14:22.narrow, parochial, suspicious of outsiders. I am terribly sorry it
:14:23. > :14:26.happened. I hope Scotland remains in the European Union. I have lived in
:14:27. > :14:31.England for a long time and I love it, and I think it will be a tragedy
:14:32. > :14:37.for England. And Scotland, if it leaves. I certainly do not want to
:14:38. > :14:41.see Scotland leave. I think it would be a bad move. The mood music out of
:14:42. > :14:44.Brussels for Scottish politicians is so different from the reaction at
:14:45. > :14:48.the time of the independence referendum, when they were the bad
:14:49. > :14:53.boys who wanted to break up a unitary state. Now we are seen as
:14:54. > :15:00.the good Europeans who want to stay. So I hope there is a reward for that
:15:01. > :15:02.for us. We shall see. Not been a great year for Labour. Do things get
:15:03. > :15:16.better or worse next year? I am tempted to say it cannot get
:15:17. > :15:22.must -- much worse. In the absence of national elections next year,
:15:23. > :15:27.unless there is a surprise, may give us time to get back on the front
:15:28. > :15:33.foot. Certainly we have to decide, are we a party of government or are
:15:34. > :15:37.we a party of protest? Fracking, somehow we are against this now. A
:15:38. > :15:44.party of protest comes out and says we are against fracking. A party who
:15:45. > :15:48.wants to be the next government is more cautious about these issues and
:15:49. > :15:53.has an energy policy. My hope now Jeremy Corbyn will be there and
:15:54. > :15:59.fight the next election. I want him to win and create the right climate.
:16:00. > :16:04.How good the Prime Minister will Theresa May be? She is an
:16:05. > :16:07.improvement on what went before. Yes, I thought the last Prime
:16:08. > :16:13.Minister couldn't really see a corner without wanting to take it on
:16:14. > :16:17.two wheels. Too many risks, too talkative and too many half baked
:16:18. > :16:23.initiatives. Theresa May is keeping her own counsel. I don't expect her
:16:24. > :16:28.to be a great Prime Minister, I only expect to have one great Prime
:16:29. > :16:34.Minister in my lifetime. Tony Blair or Gordon Brown? I meant Margaret
:16:35. > :16:42.Thatcher, how could you not see that. The Lib Dems have won a single
:16:43. > :16:48.by-election in a posh, leafy London suburb. Not exactly the dawning of a
:16:49. > :16:52.new age? No, but it is better than it has been for the last few years.
:16:53. > :16:58.It is better to win by-elections than lose them? It is and it has
:16:59. > :17:01.cheered everybody up. I have been sceptical that Jeremy Corbyn's
:17:02. > :17:07.leadership of the Labour Party is a great opportunity for the Lib Dems.
:17:08. > :17:11.But the Richmond by-election says it can be in isolated cases, picking up
:17:12. > :17:17.seats and get the number of MPs back up again and having a national
:17:18. > :17:23.platform. No doubt the Brexit vote gives the Lib Dems and opportunity.
:17:24. > :17:28.Labour can only be pro-European and anti-Brexit. It makes you
:17:29. > :17:33.distinctive at least? It is a clear position, which is an advantage over
:17:34. > :17:37.the Labour Party at the moment. You talked about Scotland staying but
:17:38. > :17:43.Britain voted as Britain to leave the EU. Support for Scottish
:17:44. > :17:48.independence is unchanged since the last referendum, is it slipping
:17:49. > :17:53.away? I don't think people have focused on what Brexit means. What
:17:54. > :17:59.effect as it had on their daily lives, they have been abroad, apple
:18:00. > :18:03.iPad 's cost more than they cost before, but I don't think people are
:18:04. > :18:09.focused on it long-term. I think it will change. You have been around
:18:10. > :18:12.politics long time, Andrew, you know where the direction of travel is
:18:13. > :18:18.heading the huge turnaround. The way young people think about
:18:19. > :18:23.independence... Young people get older and they often change their
:18:24. > :18:28.views. What is interesting about that, the evidence is, as young
:18:29. > :18:32.people get older, as people who have been persuaded of independents get
:18:33. > :18:38.older, they don't change their minds on independence. The polls say they
:18:39. > :18:43.stay committed to independence. You are still behind in the polls? We
:18:44. > :18:48.are, but the last time we had a referendum, there was a 15% move.
:18:49. > :18:53.But you are starting from a higher base this time. When is it going to
:18:54. > :18:58.come? I don't know when it is going to come. I don't think any decision
:18:59. > :19:04.has been reached on that. I am convinced independence will happen.
:19:05. > :19:08.History shows that is the way the direction of travel is going, but we
:19:09. > :19:14.don't have a date, as you know. Alan, what do you make of Miranda's
:19:15. > :19:18.point the Lib Dems have a clear cut position on Brexit, they want a
:19:19. > :19:24.second referendum on the deal, they would like to overturn and reverse
:19:25. > :19:30.it. The Tories, by and large, in favour of Brexit. Labour, in between
:19:31. > :19:36.and not so clear? I will be slightly contentious, the Lib Dems seem to be
:19:37. > :19:41.saying, ignore the referendum result. With eight MPs and nothing
:19:42. > :19:46.to lose, they might as well do that. Going back to a party of government,
:19:47. > :19:52.we have got to bring back together the 52% and the 48%. Keir Starmer's
:19:53. > :19:56.speech on Tuesday this week is very interesting, in the sense he is
:19:57. > :20:00.saying, we have to tackle migration. Migration was the big issue. You
:20:01. > :20:06.could feel the referendum slipping away from you from the time of those
:20:07. > :20:10.ONS figures. Higher than ever before, even higher than when the
:20:11. > :20:14.accession countries came in. Keir Starmer was saying, the government
:20:15. > :20:17.has to forget this myth of getting net migration down to the tens of
:20:18. > :20:22.thousands and Labour has to recognise that the migration is the
:20:23. > :20:25.issue. Without something done on free movement, then we cannot get
:20:26. > :20:30.the rest of the deal. The rest of the deal must be to aspire to stay
:20:31. > :20:37.in the single market, to aspire to stay in the custom's union. Whether
:20:38. > :20:44.it is achievable or not, that must be the objective. We voted, as a
:20:45. > :20:50.country, to leave the EU on June the 23rd. It is almost December the
:20:51. > :20:55.25th! Is there not a feeling among some of the Brexiteers, it is time
:20:56. > :20:59.to get on with it? Yes, but they have been told for many months it
:21:00. > :21:02.will be triggered in late March. It is still feasible. I wouldn't have
:21:03. > :21:09.thought their impatience was so very great. It is a long time since he
:21:10. > :21:16.thought it was any date before late March. She, the Prime Minister, by
:21:17. > :21:23.not being clear of what she wants to do, she has created a vacuum. It is
:21:24. > :21:27.not to her advantage? I have gone through this before. I don't think
:21:28. > :21:32.she can say what are negotiating position is. It is a virtue that she
:21:33. > :21:36.doesn't provide a running commentary. It was the advice from
:21:37. > :21:41.her predecessor. I would rather have a bit of silence, possibly leaving a
:21:42. > :21:52.bit of room for others to make mischief, then constantly setting up
:21:53. > :21:57.Aunt Sally that can be knocked down. I have spoken to a lot of
:21:58. > :22:01.Brexiteers, they want to get on with it. There is a limit as to how long
:22:02. > :22:05.you can keep parroting this cliche, we're not giving a running
:22:06. > :22:13.commentary because people think there is nothing happening that is
:22:14. > :22:19.logical and orchestrated and the government is somewhat at sea. I
:22:20. > :22:22.think this is going to be difficult. In my opinion there will be nothing
:22:23. > :22:27.said for the next two and a half years. I think all the decisions we
:22:28. > :22:32.have with jumped up European officials will mean nothing, it has
:22:33. > :22:35.to be a political settlement. One of the parties of that settlement will
:22:36. > :22:40.have to be the president of France, we have no idea who that is going to
:22:41. > :22:47.be so people will have to be patient. Final thoughts, Miranda? I
:22:48. > :22:52.agree with Michael are not giving a running commentary, but those cries
:22:53. > :22:55.of betrayal will come and Theresa May has to compromise in some way
:22:56. > :23:00.and then there will be cries of betrayal. We need to move on.
:23:01. > :23:02.Now, it's late, running out of Blue Nun eggnog late.
:23:03. > :23:06.But waiting in the wings to warm us all up is a man who makes
:23:07. > :23:08.Father Christmas look like a cub scout.
:23:09. > :23:10.Yes, Brian Blessed will be here with the This Week secret Santa.
:23:11. > :23:13.And as we're feeling jolly, please share the Snapcheer,
:23:14. > :23:17.put on your Fleecebook and get tinselly on Twitter.
:23:18. > :23:20.And like the gift that keeps on taking, we go back
:23:21. > :23:26.He seems to be the only ancient railway institution that refuses
:23:27. > :23:30.to break down or go on strike, more's the pity.
:23:31. > :23:37.Welcome back to the This Week party, where the celebrations
:23:38. > :23:47.Well, Pienaar, you've got the VIP list remember it and good luck.
:23:48. > :23:49.It's difficult sometimes now to recall who's who.
:23:50. > :23:55.I'm still waiting for David Cameron, Hillary Clinton, Matteo Renzi,
:23:56. > :23:58.Francois Hollande and I had to turn away some guy, blonde hair,
:23:59. > :24:09.Just make sure you keep them both out, you hear?
:24:10. > :24:13.Sir, do you think the chief is going to want me back again next year?
:24:14. > :24:19.A great big, beautiful wall and Mrs Partridge at number 22
:24:20. > :24:28.Inside, everyone was playing a game of charades.
:24:29. > :24:31.All right then, who am I am I, Rocher, Rocher.
:24:32. > :24:44.I'm the new ambassador to Liechtenstein, Nigel Farage, silly.
:24:45. > :24:48.Hang on a minute, there isn't even a British embassy in Liechtenstein.
:24:49. > :25:00.Donald Trump asked me to join his cabinet.
:25:01. > :25:12.You didn't tell me we were going to have people around.
:25:13. > :25:14.And Aled Jones too, what are you doing here?
:25:15. > :25:20.Look, it's that lovely little fellow from The Snowman.
:25:21. > :25:23.I once built a snowman at Everest base camp.
:25:24. > :25:26.I called him Boris, because he melts away in the morning.
:25:27. > :25:36.Right, who wants to join me in a spot of carol singing?
:25:37. > :25:57.# Round, yon virgin mother and child.
:25:58. > :26:27.Michael, you were one of the few people to predict Mr Trump's
:26:28. > :26:33.victory. Give us one good reason why we should celebrate the fact it
:26:34. > :26:37.happen? One good reason is we have a president of the United States who
:26:38. > :26:40.understands Brexit. Low president of the United States has been able to
:26:41. > :26:44.think about the European question before. They have taken it the
:26:45. > :26:48.granted that Britain should be part of the European Union. When they
:26:49. > :26:54.have seen France trying to undermine Nato constantly, harking on about
:26:55. > :26:59.the idea of a European defence identity. They have not recognised
:27:00. > :27:04.the danger to the institutions. The French ambition is to get France out
:27:05. > :27:09.of Europe. At least Donald Trump recognises the shortcomings of the
:27:10. > :27:18.European Union and supports us in our Brexit. Is it supported to have
:27:19. > :27:25.a president in office who supports Brexit? The only good thing I can
:27:26. > :27:30.think of is Nigel Farage might move to America as a result of Donald
:27:31. > :27:37.Trump being elected. That would be very good, it would cheer me up. One
:27:38. > :27:43.good thing? Life begins at 70, doesn't it? You are very
:27:44. > :27:48.philosophical tonight. How long is it going to be before all the folk
:27:49. > :27:54.who voted for him feel a real sense of betrayal? How about this as a
:27:55. > :28:02.revolution for the little guy. Luckily is pointing to his cabinet,
:28:03. > :28:06.rich, powerful white men. Similar to Eisenhower's cabinet in the 50s. He
:28:07. > :28:13.presided over eight years of growth and two terms. Are you expecting
:28:14. > :28:18.that from Donald Trump? I am not. I feel depressed over the prospects of
:28:19. > :28:24.Donald Trump. America is in a different place than it was in the
:28:25. > :28:32.50s. Wouldn't it be good if the electoral college rebelled and voted
:28:33. > :28:39.against him. It is nice to dream at this time of year. One good reason?
:28:40. > :28:43.If I am forced to find something to admire, I do think he has an uncanny
:28:44. > :28:52.ability to communicate through the kind of, outwardly gobbledygook he
:28:53. > :29:01.is saying. He gets to the heart of the issue and directs directly with
:29:02. > :29:10.people. I think John's leader is very direct as well. If there is
:29:11. > :29:13.something to learn from Trump and Nicola Sturgeon's success in the
:29:14. > :29:17.SNP, if you look at the way they address crowds and the way they talk
:29:18. > :29:26.in television interviews, they have some magic... I am not comparing the
:29:27. > :29:30.two as politicians or even in their style of communication, but it is a
:29:31. > :29:36.very powerful thing in politics. If you watch clips of Trump, the way he
:29:37. > :29:40.gets simple messages across, it is a talent. It might be wise for the
:29:41. > :29:48.First Minister to think about instead of ranting against Mr Trump,
:29:49. > :29:52.what opportunities there is for somebody who is proud of having a
:29:53. > :29:57.Scottish mother. I don't think she ranted. There is no evidence that
:29:58. > :30:04.Trump is proud of having a Scottish mother. There is. I know people who
:30:05. > :30:08.have spoken to him. He has only visited once. If I was proud of
:30:09. > :30:13.having a Scottish mother I think I might go back to her home island
:30:14. > :30:27.more than one in seven decades. Interestingly, he phoned her. He
:30:28. > :30:34.initiated the phone call and he phoned her and had a substantial
:30:35. > :30:40.chat with her. Can we take it for granted that Mr Putin will have a
:30:41. > :30:45.good Christmas? Yes, and probably next Christmas and the Christmas
:30:46. > :30:51.after that. Because? He has moved into a vacuum. As the Western powers
:30:52. > :30:56.have held back, Putin has been in there. And with Trump being elected
:30:57. > :31:01.in America, that strengthens his position as well. Do you get the
:31:02. > :31:07.feeling the world feels a less secure place than at the beginning
:31:08. > :31:12.of the year? It depends who you are. I am having quite a good evening
:31:13. > :31:17.because I am realising how unhappy John is by everything that has
:31:18. > :31:24.happened this year. That's the Christmas spirit! I revel in John's
:31:25. > :31:32.unhappiness, says Michael. Mr Santer. I think, with the end of the
:31:33. > :31:36.Syrian war, possibly security does take a step forward. It is not the
:31:37. > :31:43.outcome that the British Foreign Office wanted. It is a very brutal
:31:44. > :31:46.end. It has not ended yet. They have taken Aleppo but the rebels control
:31:47. > :31:52.swathes of the country, including Islamic State. I think it is
:31:53. > :31:57.substantially at an end. And now there is going to be this experiment
:31:58. > :32:01.of Putin and Trump working together. I don't think it will be successful
:32:02. > :32:06.in the medium term but it might make a difference in the short term. Does
:32:07. > :32:12.the world feel more dangerous? I think so. I would not say it is the
:32:13. > :32:16.end of Syria. I think the conditions in Syria and across the western
:32:17. > :32:27.world, with the rise of right mache nihilism, are good conditions to
:32:28. > :32:32.ferment more Islamic extremism. And French and German elections.
:32:33. > :32:40.Exactly, divisions everywhere, which cannot add to security. We have had
:32:41. > :32:45.Brexit, Trump's victory, Mr Renzi's defeat in Italy. Why do I get the
:32:46. > :32:53.impression that the political establishment, of which I regard you
:32:54. > :32:59.as part, still don't quite get it? Well, it's a problem, isn't it. Do
:33:00. > :33:02.what -- to what extent do you feed the worst xenophobia. The Labour
:33:03. > :33:08.Party has been down that route several times. I think that is the
:33:09. > :33:15.wrong way to tackle this, because I don't think you win if you go down
:33:16. > :33:18.that route. You would have no control on immigration? I think you
:33:19. > :33:25.have to champion the virtues of Liberal democracy, of immigration,
:33:26. > :33:29.certainly. So you haven't learned the lessons, really? I think the
:33:30. > :33:36.lessons people are trying to learn the wrong lessons. The right lesson
:33:37. > :33:42.would be the status quo, would it not? Certainly, there is something
:33:43. > :33:46.for me to celebrate because we won a third election in a row in Scotland,
:33:47. > :33:53.unprecedented, with a system designed to stop it happening. We
:33:54. > :33:58.are keen to see immigration. You don't get much. Actually, it has
:33:59. > :34:03.changed. When I go to Glasgow, you find a lot of people, especially
:34:04. > :34:08.from Eastern Europe, who are coming to Scotland and we welcome them. I
:34:09. > :34:13.will believe that when I see it. I don't think the establishment has
:34:14. > :34:18.learned its lesson, despite the three whacks it took this year. Yes,
:34:19. > :34:25.but where I agree with John is that we must not start ditching... I
:34:26. > :34:28.disagree, I don't think there is anything progressive about mass
:34:29. > :34:31.migration which needs to be controlled and people are worried,
:34:32. > :34:36.not racist and xenophobic but worried about that and they would
:34:37. > :34:44.like politicians to help. But we must not suddenly become enemies of
:34:45. > :34:49.the value of migration. And we mustn't lose those Liberal values.
:34:50. > :34:53.But you need to speak to people's concerns and it does not seem you
:34:54. > :34:58.are doing that. In the last three weeks I have sat next to Ed Balls,
:34:59. > :35:01.Liz Kendall and Alan Johnson and all three have told me they are in
:35:02. > :35:06.favour of controlling immigration. I may not have known your positions
:35:07. > :35:12.year by year, but that seems a big movement in the establishment. But
:35:13. > :35:16.it is more than immigration. It is a sense of injustice among ordinary
:35:17. > :35:21.wage earners, a sense that the people who created the crash of 2008
:35:22. > :35:25.got away with it, a sense that inequality is have got wider and
:35:26. > :35:30.wider, that if you are a wage earner you have not done well, if you owned
:35:31. > :35:33.a lot of assets, quantitative easing has made these assets are worth even
:35:34. > :35:40.more, even though you have done nothing. As I grew up as a baby
:35:41. > :35:44.boomer, we shared in growth. The feeling was that the economy was a
:35:45. > :35:49.tool of society, and now people think it is the other way around. If
:35:50. > :35:56.anything sums up the general trend for a lot of different issues this
:35:57. > :36:00.year, it may be that. The problem for mainstream parties on the centre
:36:01. > :36:06.right and centre left has been that as the public react to open door
:36:07. > :36:10.immigration, react to growing inequalities, to a sense that
:36:11. > :36:15.ordinary blue-collar workers are getting a raw deal, the mainstream
:36:16. > :36:20.parties don't really have anything constructive to say to them. They
:36:21. > :36:24.don't, because there has been a powerlessness about politics under
:36:25. > :36:29.globalisation. So there has been a limit to what governments could do
:36:30. > :36:32.to mitigate the effects of globalisation on those who have not
:36:33. > :36:37.felt they have shared in the prosperity. That has been a problem.
:36:38. > :36:40.Possibly also there has been a slight shrugging by the political
:36:41. > :36:46.class about those who felt they did not share in it. They will not be
:36:47. > :36:49.shrugging any more after this year. They will not be if Marine Le Pen
:36:50. > :36:51.does well in the French elections. If that does not wake them up,
:36:52. > :36:52.nothing will. Now, let's get more cockney
:36:53. > :37:06.cheer from Chas Dave. # She was in a temper, pulling out
:37:07. > :37:12.her hair # I don't care, I don't care if he
:37:13. > :37:21.comes down here # If he comes around here
:37:22. > :37:27.# Let the mother sorted out # I don't care if he comes down here
:37:28. > :37:29.# I don't care, I don't care # I don't care if he comes around
:37:30. > :37:39.here # If he comes around here
:37:40. > :37:47.# I don't care if he comes round here. #
:37:48. > :37:49.And back by popular demand, our resident Christmas Miracle Brian
:37:50. > :37:51.Blessed has graced us with his presence.
:37:52. > :37:57.I think he has some secret Santa gifts for us!
:37:58. > :38:07.I do indeed. Hello, Michael, you are looking absolutely fetching. What a
:38:08. > :38:19.marvellous waistcoat. He does dress beautifully. I voted you best actor
:38:20. > :38:27.in that montage. I feel a star has been born. He flies beautifully,
:38:28. > :38:36.almost as well as me. I think he was the star that fell to Earth. Merry
:38:37. > :38:40.Christmas! And a happy new year. Don't feel you are neglected. I was
:38:41. > :38:47.wondering when you were getting to this. I am getting to it in the end.
:38:48. > :38:56.The Guardian. That fits Alan beautifully. I'm not sure about
:38:57. > :39:06.that, but there we go. And the Daily Record. That must be John. My
:39:07. > :39:14.favourite. The gorgeous Miranda. Something lovely in there. Michael,
:39:15. > :39:22.we have not forgotten you. Thank you. Have we got one for Molly?
:39:23. > :39:31.Hello, Molly. You can open the presents. You don't have to wait.
:39:32. > :39:43.And Michael... The Financial Times. It's Andrew. Michael, there you are.
:39:44. > :39:48.What was your moment of 2016? I don't agree with Michael at all. I
:39:49. > :39:56.know nothing about politics. Michael is a wonderful Spaniard. Alan is
:39:57. > :40:00.wonderful. John is wonderfully Scottish and probably supports
:40:01. > :40:09.Celtic or Rangers. Miranda comes from the Tempest. Exactly what I
:40:10. > :40:18.need. My moment of the year... Michael, doesn't that suit you? You
:40:19. > :40:26.can wear that in Istanbul. That will go down well at Lulu 's. Your
:40:27. > :40:32.moment. I am very touched by Trump, of course. You have been touched by
:40:33. > :40:37.Trump? Half the American population has, so why should you lose out. He
:40:38. > :40:43.knows how to raise his left hand beautifully. And when he said, Nigel
:40:44. > :40:48.Farage, and Nigel Farage seemed to appear from around his bottom. Nigel
:40:49. > :40:54.Farage came round to the front. That was the most moving moment of the
:40:55. > :41:01.year. I think so. What is your hope for 2017? Something you have not
:41:02. > :41:06.spotted. As you know, we are the children of stardust, yearning for
:41:07. > :41:11.the stars. I do so much on the space programme. I got the shock of my
:41:12. > :41:18.life. Did you know this? Trump is going to be a champion of space. He
:41:19. > :41:22.is going to invest billions in Nasa and revise the space programme,
:41:23. > :41:29.heading for the moon and Mars and beyond. Of course, I am a little boy
:41:30. > :41:38.when it comes to space. We have to get out there. So he is already
:41:39. > :41:45.planning his getaway. He came from planet Zog originally. He is an
:41:46. > :41:51.alien immigrant. I will take him on my back, on my wings and fly him
:41:52. > :41:57.there. So you like that, the way Kennedy did in the 1960s. It looks
:41:58. > :42:03.like that. You have all been very serious and I am Father Christmas. I
:42:04. > :42:12.am just saying... He should be playing for England. What was I
:42:13. > :42:20.going to say about Trump. I cannot understand, Michael, at drama school
:42:21. > :42:26.we had marvellous teachers, students from America, I met professors, I
:42:27. > :42:36.have filmed with Nasser with a great scientist, the whole lot, brilliant
:42:37. > :42:41.minds. At their best, the Americans can produce the most wonderful,
:42:42. > :42:48.sophisticated people. How in hell 's name have they coughed this guy up?
:42:49. > :42:52.Because America is divided. And remember, he lost the popular vote.
:42:53. > :42:57.Elections are not fought on the popular vote, as you know. But it is
:42:58. > :43:04.a mistake to think that America is united. I can speak with authority
:43:05. > :43:08.in that I was married to an American for 16 years and my National Service
:43:09. > :43:13.was with upper Heyford, an American base, so I got to know the American
:43:14. > :43:21.mind. I once dined with the world heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali,
:43:22. > :43:30.so I know the American mind. As Churchill said, didn't he, we are
:43:31. > :43:36.divided by a common language. And I think that is very penetrating. What
:43:37. > :43:39.Churchill said was that in the end, the Americans usually end up doing
:43:40. > :43:43.the right thing. They just take a long while to get round to it. When
:43:44. > :43:51.every other option has been excluded. Tell me, as a man of hope
:43:52. > :43:59.and resilience, what is your message to the British people for 2017?
:44:00. > :44:04.Well, this Brexit always sounds like a chocolate biscuit, doesn't it?
:44:05. > :44:11.It's a lovely chocolate biscuit. I love Kit Kat, but there you go.
:44:12. > :44:17.Other biscuits are available. I am very old-fashioned in the fact that
:44:18. > :44:21.I do believe in Britain. And I love Britain. I have been President of
:44:22. > :44:26.the National parks. Our national parks are a huge success story.
:44:27. > :44:32.Really to reflect. And the world admires since many ways. There are
:44:33. > :44:39.Normans, Danes, Saxons, etc, Romans. We are such a wonderful... And Celts
:44:40. > :44:46.as well. A wonderful mixed race. I think we're going to make it. I
:44:47. > :44:54.think we are a sensational country, and I think we're going to do it. I
:44:55. > :45:01.think we'll make it. Give me a thought for 2017. Hull, UK city of
:45:02. > :45:06.culture. Preparing well for it. Michael. I think we will go through
:45:07. > :45:10.the year recovering our confidence, feeling brighter about the future.
:45:11. > :45:21.Because the uncertainty will begin to go when Brexit begins? Yes, the
:45:22. > :45:27.moaning will die down. John. People are intrinsically good and it will
:45:28. > :45:30.work out in the end. Miranda. I would agree with Brian that we are a
:45:31. > :45:40.resilient bunch and we will find ways to adapt to anything. That's
:45:41. > :45:45.it. I think so, Andrew. Will it be better than 2016? This has been a
:45:46. > :45:50.strange year. It is fascinating, being a wonderful explorer like I
:45:51. > :45:54.am. Michael is getting around the world now and taking the attention
:45:55. > :46:00.on himself, which I don't like. I get very jealous. But his last
:46:01. > :46:06.programme was sensational. But I feel adventure is the key to the new
:46:07. > :46:12.millennium. And you like adventure. I do feel the government, when you
:46:13. > :46:16.get to Anatolia, climbing Mount Ararat, you suddenly see Russia,
:46:17. > :46:23.Georgia, Iran, Anatolia, they are all one country. That is an
:46:24. > :46:29.extraordinary experience. They are not divided. There you are, said the
:46:30. > :46:36.Turkish commander, there is Russia, Georgia, Iran, and here we are in
:46:37. > :46:42.Turkey. And here we are, coming to the end of the year. I think we are
:46:43. > :46:45.joined as people. Next year, we will have elections in Holland, probably
:46:46. > :46:50.Italy, definitely France and definitely Germany. All of our
:46:51. > :46:53.attention, because of the indications of Brexit for all that
:46:54. > :46:58.and their own implications will be huge. At the same time, as we look
:46:59. > :47:01.across the Channel, there will be the unfolding spectacle of the Trump
:47:02. > :47:05.presidency which will demand our attention. Thank goodness I'm a
:47:06. > :47:10.Gemini because you can look both ways. Hold up your present, let's
:47:11. > :47:22.see what you got. It cost me a fortune.
:47:23. > :47:28.Michael is winning everything. Merry Christmas to you.
:47:29. > :47:31.Now, that's your lot for tonight folks, but not for us,
:47:32. > :47:34.We're off to Lou Lou's where it's the Theresa May lederhosen night
:47:35. > :47:37.and Michael's been looking forward to a bit of thigh-slapping all day.
:47:38. > :47:40.We leave you with the only reason you stayed up this late
:47:41. > :47:49.and our unique contribution to this most wonderful time of the year.
:47:50. > :47:51.Nighty, night, don't let the This Week bah humbugs bite.
:47:52. > :48:06.# Snooker loopy nuts are we # Me and him and them and me
:48:07. > :48:12.# We'll show you what we can do with a load of balls and a snooker cue
:48:13. > :48:15.# Pop the red sense grew back for the yellow, green, brown, pink, blue
:48:16. > :48:21.and black # Snooker loopy nuts are we
:48:22. > :48:25.# We are all Snooker loopy # Steve came so near to winning the
:48:26. > :48:29.snooker crown # But he never got to put it on his
:48:30. > :48:33.ginger nut because the black ball wouldn't go down
:48:34. > :48:37.# His manager said sod that, but it helped him make his mind up
:48:38. > :48:41.# He don't care who wins this year because he got the rest of the sign
:48:42. > :48:45.up. # Snooker loopy nuts are we
:48:46. > :48:49.# Me and him and him and me # We'll show you what we can do with
:48:50. > :48:53.a load of balls and a snooker cue # Pop the red sense grew back for
:48:54. > :48:58.the yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black
:48:59. > :49:02.# Snooker loopy nuts are we # We're all Snooker loopy
:49:03. > :49:06.# Snooker loopy nuts are we # Me and him and him and me
:49:07. > :49:12.# We'll show you what we can do with a load of balls and a snooker cue
:49:13. > :49:15.# Pot the Reds and screw back for the yellow, green, blue, pink and
:49:16. > :49:20.black # Snooker loopy nuts are we
:49:21. > :49:24.# Me and him and him and me # We'll show you what we can do with
:49:25. > :49:31.a load of balls and a snooker cue # Pot the Reds and screw back for
:49:32. > :49:31.the yellow, green, blue, pink and black
:49:32. > :49:37.# We're all Snooker loopy. # Let's make this the best
:49:38. > :49:43.Christmas ever. If it's going to be my last
:49:44. > :49:49.Christmas, we might as well make it one to
:49:50. > :49:52.remember.