:00:08. > :00:09.This year, when you think summer vacation, think
:00:10. > :00:34.See the real America, with expat Richard Bacon.
:00:35. > :00:42.I've been witnessing President Trump's America.
:00:43. > :00:44.And yes, it's an exciting time to be a journalist.
:00:45. > :00:55.Don't you want to look at the Grand Canyon?
:00:56. > :01:07.Well, at least it's not a walking holiday.
:01:08. > :01:09.No, Miranda, it's the middle of the silly season
:01:10. > :01:24.Retirement age going up, all these squabbles about public sector pay.
:01:25. > :01:35.Even Levi Roots - he's hot - and the legendary Blowers have
:01:36. > :01:40.Wake up, Liz, I think you need some Reggae Reggae Sauce.
:01:41. > :02:03.It's the This Week National Vacation.
:02:04. > :02:07.Welcome to This Week, where politics comes at a discount
:02:08. > :02:10.and even the autocue is read more cheaply than on any other news
:02:11. > :02:14.Unless, of course, it's read by a woman, in which case it'll be
:02:15. > :02:21.Speaking of gender discrimination, news is breaking tonight that
:02:22. > :02:23.George Osborne is to sue the BBC for choosing a woman
:02:24. > :02:28.Since every other very well-paid job this year has gone
:02:29. > :02:31.to our former Chancellor, Boy George will argue in court
:02:32. > :02:34.that the only reason he was passed over for the Doctor Who role
:02:35. > :02:40.Even though he did turn up for the audition in a rather smart
:02:41. > :02:45.Speaking of those who'll do anything for a well-paid job on TV,
:02:46. > :02:48.despite a complete absence of talent and being total strangers to hard
:02:49. > :02:51.work, I'm joined on the sofa tonight by the "pile 'em high" and "sell 'em
:02:52. > :02:54.cheap" of late night political discourse.
:02:55. > :02:56.I speak, of course, of Liz #fourpercent Kendall
:02:57. > :03:13.Your moment of the week? I have often been amused at how journalists
:03:14. > :03:16.do not like to appear in the spotlight, and the BBC, which would
:03:17. > :03:20.normally be shining the fierce beacon of truth into every dark
:03:21. > :03:25.corner, did not enjoy the experience of publishing the salaries of some
:03:26. > :03:29.of the people whom it employs, and found 100 good reasons why they
:03:30. > :03:35.should not have published. They have resisted for a long time. It made me
:03:36. > :03:40.think, if the salary of the Prime Minister were not revealed, it would
:03:41. > :03:44.be regarded as an outrage, not least by the BBC. If women ministers were
:03:45. > :03:50.paid less than male ministers, it would be regarded as an outrage, not
:03:51. > :03:55.least by the BBC, so forgive me for enjoying this week. Almost to the
:03:56. > :04:02.point of smugness! Where were you on the list? That is why it you work
:04:03. > :04:13.for an independent production company. You spotted that! We did.
:04:14. > :04:18.The BBC works in a competitive environment and it needs to pay its
:04:19. > :04:24.talent. I think particularly when you have Netflix and Amazon prime
:04:25. > :04:28.coming up. But what was very difficult was the huge differences
:04:29. > :04:33.between what men and women earn, the fact that there were so few ethnic
:04:34. > :04:44.minorities on the list, and the BBC has to wake up and take action. What
:04:45. > :04:50.are you paid for this show? ?350. Worth every penny. Declared in the
:04:51. > :04:55.register of members interests. What you have just told us is a living
:04:56. > :04:57.example of gender discrimination. I think you need an agent. I think we
:04:58. > :05:00.both need an agent. Now, are we living in a world
:05:01. > :05:02.in which competent political leadership is as scarce
:05:03. > :05:05.as the chances of my Aberdonian friend buying
:05:06. > :05:07.the next round of drinks? It's certainly not the age
:05:08. > :05:09.of political superheroes. The British people decided
:05:10. > :05:11.Theresa May is not Wonder Woman and The Donald is often more
:05:12. > :05:13.reminiscent of the President Macron
:05:14. > :05:15.thinks he's Jupiter. But when the French unions take
:05:16. > :05:18.to the streets this autumn he'll Here's Richard Bacon
:05:19. > :05:22.on our fascinating but the sort of world where you might
:05:23. > :05:49.expect one of these guys to swoop For the last few years,
:05:50. > :05:58.I've been living in the great USA, Trump is portrayed by some
:05:59. > :06:04.as an evil mastermind. This is a presidency
:06:05. > :06:11.that blusters through. The Don is more of a clown, more
:06:12. > :06:14.of a joker than Superman's nemesis. After a narrow victory,
:06:15. > :06:17.President Trump began creating sideshows, not least
:06:18. > :06:20.that drama with Russia, described by John Oliver as "stupid
:06:21. > :06:27.Watergate". But my problem is that the soap
:06:28. > :06:30.operas totally obscure the stuff You may not have noticed a report
:06:31. > :06:37.this week from independent analysts which said that more civilians have
:06:38. > :06:40.been killed in US-led bombing raids in Iraq and Syria in the six months
:06:41. > :06:44.of Donald Trump's presidency than in the entirety
:06:45. > :06:49.of Barack Obama's presidency. And that health care bill -
:06:50. > :06:52.the independent congressional budget office said that if it had gone
:06:53. > :06:55.through it would have taken health Back here in Blighty,
:06:56. > :07:06.antiheroes have turned EU membership from an issue that people didn't
:07:07. > :07:10.really care about into some sort of religious war,
:07:11. > :07:13.dividing mother and son, The US and UK are caught in a web
:07:14. > :07:23.where irrationality has prevailed, without the leadership to get them
:07:24. > :07:27.out of it. The Republicans have no idea how
:07:28. > :07:29.to handle Donald Trump, who I think will see
:07:30. > :07:31.through his presidency And in Britain, the political class
:07:32. > :07:37.seems as divided and confused over But maybe we should
:07:38. > :07:49.be better informed. As a person who works in news,
:07:50. > :07:54.I am trapped between absolutely loving the theatre of our times,
:07:55. > :08:04.and not liking it at all. Richard Bacon has left his
:08:05. > :08:06.superheroes at Area 52 in Whitechapel for us heroes
:08:07. > :08:22.in the studio. Welcome back. Thank you, happy to be
:08:23. > :08:26.here. Is it ever wise for a politician to say the people have
:08:27. > :08:33.taken a wrong decision, as Richard was implying with Brexit and Mr
:08:34. > :08:40.Trump? I don't agree with that. What's interesting to me is that
:08:41. > :08:43.both Trump and Brexit were a symptom, actually, of economic and
:08:44. > :08:49.social division within the countries. But they are also now the
:08:50. > :08:53.cause of division. And what we really need to do is to address the
:08:54. > :08:57.underlying problems and issues, rather than getting trapped in this
:08:58. > :09:02.increasingly polarised debate in this country and abroad. But people
:09:03. > :09:06.were actually speaking about deep concerns about how the economy was
:09:07. > :09:10.working and how they were feeling left out. And I think it is wrong to
:09:11. > :09:14.say that people, even though I disagreed with both and would have
:09:15. > :09:18.voted differently in the States and here, I think it is wrong to say
:09:19. > :09:23.people were too stupid and made the wrong decision. That isn't what I
:09:24. > :09:28.said. But I do understand, you disagree with them but you think
:09:29. > :09:31.they made the right decision. People were voicing concerns that the
:09:32. > :09:39.economy wasn't working for them... You didn't agree but you understood.
:09:40. > :09:43.That is a point. It was an expression of a concern, and the
:09:44. > :09:46.challenge for people like me is to address the real concerns, rather
:09:47. > :09:54.than allow the populist left or right to come up with something that
:09:55. > :09:58.won't work. Again, as Richard is implying, are the voters will
:09:59. > :10:02.informed on the big issues of which they vote? I don't think they are,
:10:03. > :10:07.and I think the electorate nearly always gets it right. I think they
:10:08. > :10:13.probably got it right in the case of Brexit as well. Trump? I am talking
:10:14. > :10:18.about British voters. They were asked to vote twice within the space
:10:19. > :10:22.of a year, so they voted for Brexit and then voted to have a very weak
:10:23. > :10:26.government to implement Brexit. That, I think, is the foundation of
:10:27. > :10:30.our problem. If we had a strong government which could have a clear
:10:31. > :10:33.policy and be very certain about getting it through the House of
:10:34. > :10:38.Commons, and the House of Lords, things would look different. I think
:10:39. > :10:42.they looked pretty good before the general election. Brexit had been
:10:43. > :10:46.voted on and most people understood that Article 50 went through the
:10:47. > :10:50.House of Commons with the majority of 500 or something, a huge
:10:51. > :10:56.majority. But it is the weakness of this government which has plunged us
:10:57. > :11:00.into a big problem. People who think Brexit and Mr Trump world wrong
:11:01. > :11:05.decisions, they are largely people who were always against these
:11:06. > :11:09.decisions in the first place. That's true. We tend to think if a decision
:11:10. > :11:14.does not go away it the wrong decision. I would not put it as
:11:15. > :11:19.simply as wrong or right decisions. It is more that, having happened, I
:11:20. > :11:23.think the Trump presidency is, let's be polite, net negative for America.
:11:24. > :11:28.When you put everything together that is happening as a consequence
:11:29. > :11:32.of Brexit, Brexit is net negative for Britain. I think people make
:11:33. > :11:38.those decisions, some rationally, some sincerely, and some people,
:11:39. > :11:42.particularly in the case of Trump, based on false information. Is there
:11:43. > :11:48.evidence on the Brexit case that people regret the decision? No.
:11:49. > :11:55.There are those people, and I am probably one, who would quite like
:11:56. > :11:57.another referendum. I know people cared deeply about immigration but I
:11:58. > :12:01.never got the impression that membership of the EU was a core
:12:02. > :12:04.issue for most people. We have taken something they didn't care about
:12:05. > :12:12.that much and turned it into a religion. Which bit has been turned
:12:13. > :12:15.into a religion? The people who voted for Brexit are almost stubborn
:12:16. > :12:18.about it. Having had the argument within their families and amongst
:12:19. > :12:24.their friends, they are now wedded to it. And I think people are wedded
:12:25. > :12:29.to Trump. No rational argument about economic data, the health care plan,
:12:30. > :12:32.I done thing to get through because I think essentially you become
:12:33. > :12:37.stubborn once you have argued passionately about something. I find
:12:38. > :12:41.this surprising. I read the other day that Trump has the lowest rating
:12:42. > :12:47.of any incumbent President after six months in office. So what are you
:12:48. > :12:51.saying that people are stuck with him? They are not, they are reacting
:12:52. > :12:56.against a flimsy presidency. Not so much the policies as the
:12:57. > :13:02.incompetence. What percentage did he get in the election? 40-something,
:13:03. > :13:08.not a significant number. His approval rating this year went down
:13:09. > :13:13.to 36%, the lowest since Ford, but it is momentary. The margin is
:13:14. > :13:18.small. It has not gone down that much. In some of those swing states
:13:19. > :13:23.which he took from the Democrats, by two to one, his voters are saying he
:13:24. > :13:28.is the change they need. You are right to say that people become
:13:29. > :13:34.entrenched. Things feel, to me, as divided as they were a year ago.
:13:35. > :13:39.Part of this is about people doubling down on their position.
:13:40. > :13:44.Part of it is about social media, where people are talking to people
:13:45. > :13:48.who think the same as them. And also this idea that any sense of
:13:49. > :13:52.compromise, trying to understand another point of view and finding
:13:53. > :13:57.common ground seems anathema in British politics and US politics,
:13:58. > :14:03.which is why we are unable to bring people together. Trump's ratings are
:14:04. > :14:07.in the dirt at the moment. They are basically going one way. Remarkably,
:14:08. > :14:15.although his ratings are in the dirt, there is no sign of a
:14:16. > :14:19.Democratic comeback. They could not even win Georgia congressional
:14:20. > :14:25.District six, which is amazing. What has Trump achieved in six months? I
:14:26. > :14:29.am not aware of anything. I am not aware that the wall is being built,
:14:30. > :14:33.the abolition of Obama care has failed. I think some of the cuts in
:14:34. > :14:38.public spending are beginning to move through, so there is a bit of
:14:39. > :14:43.that. Lots of people voted for Trump. I spoke to them in America.
:14:44. > :14:47.They thought he would turn out to be presidential once elected. I think
:14:48. > :14:52.that now, that vain hope is disappearing. He seems to be in
:14:53. > :14:53.permanent campaign mode. He seemed happier campaigning than attempting
:14:54. > :15:02.to run the country. The number of scandals that are
:15:03. > :15:06.emerging is absolutely breathtaking. Although he said no major
:15:07. > :15:10.legislative achievements, there is something happening, I made this
:15:11. > :15:14.point in the film, I worry that when we talk about Donald Trump Jr.
:15:15. > :15:18.Having his meeting in Russia or how long Trump shakes someone's hands
:15:19. > :15:23.for, we miss how many civilians have been killed in Syria and Iraq,
:15:24. > :15:29.enormous numbers, more in six months than were killed in eight years of
:15:30. > :15:33.Obama. The circus and theatre is overshadowing the stuff that's
:15:34. > :15:37.affecting real lives. People get distracted with that stuff. Some
:15:38. > :15:40.times that may be intentional on the administration's part. Of course it
:15:41. > :15:45.is. Let me look at a wider point. This is a difficult, perhaps even a
:15:46. > :15:48.defensive time of what you might regard the Liberal establishment of
:15:49. > :15:54.the centre-left and the centre right. The Liberal establishment for
:15:55. > :15:59.most of the post-war' period was used to getting its way - a mixed
:16:00. > :16:03.economy, consensus on NATO, the special relationship with America,
:16:04. > :16:09.Britain's membership of the European Union and so on. And now suddenly
:16:10. > :16:14.with Brexit and Britain, and with Mr Trump in America, it's not getting
:16:15. > :16:17.its way any more. It doesn't quite know... If you are always used to
:16:18. > :16:21.getting your way, it's difficult when you don't get your way. It's
:16:22. > :16:24.true. It's difficult when you have reached a position of success by
:16:25. > :16:28.doing something in one way to have that success taken away and you have
:16:29. > :16:34.to rethink what you're doing. I think the biggest issue was that we
:16:35. > :16:38.were far too slow to realise the consequences of a global economy on
:16:39. > :16:45.people's lives. Wages stagnating before the crash, parts of the
:16:46. > :16:50.country... Part of the reason we were too slow to realise is that the
:16:51. > :16:55.Liberal establishment, as I am describing it, of the left and the
:16:56. > :16:57.right, were doing very well out of globalisation. It wasn't a problem
:16:58. > :17:04.for the establishment, they were doing well. That's true. They were
:17:05. > :17:09.in jobs. They'd gone into global businesses, they suddenly had
:17:10. > :17:13.endless supplies of cheep labour to be the nanny and housekeeper and so
:17:14. > :17:18.on -- cheap. The pain was there but they didn't feel it. It's
:17:19. > :17:21.interesting to me that the Liberal establishment and the rest of the
:17:22. > :17:25.European Union was so used to getting its way that whenever things
:17:26. > :17:28.went against it and lots of referendums in different countries
:17:29. > :17:30.did go against the Liberal establishment, the people were
:17:31. > :17:33.simply asked to vote again until they got it right from the point of
:17:34. > :17:37.view of their Liberal establishment. It shows that Britain is different
:17:38. > :17:44.from the rest of the European Union. When we had a referendum, En
:17:45. > :17:47.seriously by the political class. -- it was taken seriously by the
:17:48. > :17:53.political class. It was in your manifesto, as well as in ours, but
:17:54. > :17:57.this was going to be a Brexit that included leaving the single market
:17:58. > :18:01.and the customs union. We did take it seriously. There is a marked
:18:02. > :18:07.difference between the way the liberal establishment reacts to
:18:08. > :18:11.Britain than elsewhere in Europe. Macron, although portraying and
:18:12. > :18:17.being an outsider, out with the parties, you know, I wonder if he is
:18:18. > :18:21.a person who wants to provide real answers to globalisation, rather
:18:22. > :18:25.than pretending... There is a lot of these slight shoulders? Indeed. Any
:18:26. > :18:30.great leaders around at the moment? Are there any great leaders around
:18:31. > :18:35.at the moment - it depends how you define great leader, Merkel is very
:18:36. > :18:38.successful. How do you define great, it comes to your point of view. From
:18:39. > :18:44.the Russian point of view, Putin. Exactly. I could think that both,
:18:45. > :18:52.whether anyone disagrees or agrees, I could say that both Margaret
:18:53. > :18:59.Thatcher and Clement Atlee were great. You can define greatness
:19:00. > :19:03.whether or not you agree. I'm sure that for the vast majority of the
:19:04. > :19:08.Russian people, Putin is delivering and I think he has a pretty weak
:19:09. > :19:16.hand of cards. Delivering economically? ! ? The economy's shot
:19:17. > :19:21.to pieces, entire Le dependent on oil. Act which willy, the Armed
:19:22. > :19:29.Forces are rotten to the core. With this very poor hand he's playing a
:19:30. > :19:34.tremendous game. We'll have to leave it there.
:19:35. > :19:42.One of the strongest leaders was actually an authoritarian. I went
:19:43. > :19:43.for a nice guy in Canada, an true. Thank you, nice to see you.
:19:44. > :19:46.Now, it's late, still shaking hands with Donald Trump late.
:19:47. > :19:48.Yes, President Macron of France is still caught up in a game
:19:49. > :19:51.of handshake chicken with The Donald, with
:19:52. > :19:56.But don't worry, Monsieur Jupiter, because waiting in the wings
:19:57. > :19:59.is broadcasting legend, Blowers Blofeld, here to put
:20:00. > :20:07.It's the last edition of the series and we really don't give
:20:08. > :20:19.In fact you can go Twitinsane, because we really don't give a Snap.
:20:20. > :20:22.Now, Theresa May has been in touch wanting to know how much
:20:23. > :20:27.Little does she know, we're so poor we can't even
:20:28. > :20:33.The Prime Minister is also furious that the new Doctor Who is a woman.
:20:34. > :20:35.Apparently Mr May says that being a Time Lord
:20:36. > :20:44.And Theresa says her Phillip is never wrong.
:20:45. > :20:49.Except when it comes to calling a snap election.
:20:50. > :20:51.Anyways, speaking of bargain basement telly,
:20:52. > :20:54.here's Miranda Green, Quentin Letts and Kevin Maguire
:20:55. > :21:12.# We're all going on a summer holiday.
:21:13. > :21:19.# Fun and laughter on a summer holiday...
:21:20. > :21:22.The This Week round-up is always a humiliating business.
:21:23. > :21:26.Terrible production values, the awful costumes, and then the BBC
:21:27. > :21:30.says it's going to tell the world how much it pays its presenters.
:21:31. > :21:33.I can't have everyone knowing the pittance I get.
:21:34. > :21:36.Luckily, This Week's accounting wizards don't
:21:37. > :21:39.like transparency any more than I do, so they've scrapped
:21:40. > :21:42.all this business of paying cash and they're paying us in perks
:21:43. > :21:47.And they've given me a luxury holiday instead.
:21:48. > :21:51.# We're all going on a summer holiday.
:21:52. > :21:59.Ah, it will be a relief to get away from all the Tory backbiting.
:22:00. > :22:02.It was hard to keep up with those Cabinet leaks.
:22:03. > :22:06.The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, was in the firing
:22:07. > :22:09.line this week with claims that he had at a Cabinet meeting
:22:10. > :22:11.described some public sector workers as overpaid.
:22:12. > :22:19.Cabinet meetings are supposed to be a private space in
:22:20. > :22:23.I'm the Chancellor, you would expect me to put any
:22:24. > :22:27.discussion about public sector pay in the context of the fiscal
:22:28. > :22:35.We are in the middle of the summer season with lots of warm Prosecco.
:22:36. > :22:43.I wasn't there, but lots of parties, tittle-tattle, gossip.
:22:44. > :22:53.None of that riff-raff where I'm going.
:22:54. > :22:55.An upmarket holiday with no hoi-polloi.
:22:56. > :23:01.# We are all going on a summer holiday.
:23:02. > :23:07.Shush woman, you sound like a fishwife.
:23:08. > :23:21.David Davis was off on a mini break of his own to Brussels this week,
:23:22. > :23:25.The Europeans want to get down to the nitty-gritty,
:23:26. > :23:37.We'll now delve into the heart of the matter.
:23:38. > :23:42.We need to examine and compare our respective positions in order
:23:43. > :23:49.As you know, our negotiating groups will work on citizens' rights
:23:50. > :24:00.and the financial settlement and other separation issues.
:24:01. > :24:06.I love to feel the breakers between me toes.
:24:07. > :24:15.Oh, my Lord, good grief, it can't be, can it?
:24:16. > :24:23.I thought this was meant to be an exclusive resort.
:24:24. > :24:46.This isn't some Lib Dem nudie enclave.
:24:47. > :25:17.The Tories are looking forward to a summer of warm
:25:18. > :25:19.Prosecco and plotting, while the Labour MPs are setting off
:25:20. > :25:26.First, the party leaders had to squeeze in their final despatch
:25:27. > :25:29.box ding dong at Prime Minister's Questions.
:25:30. > :25:32.Corbyn attacked May on public sector pay and Tory divisions over Brexit.
:25:33. > :25:41.Mr Speaker, the reality is, wages are falling,
:25:42. > :25:44.the economy is slowing, the construction sector
:25:45. > :25:47.in recession, trade deficit widening and we face crucial
:25:48. > :25:54.Isn't the truth that this divided Government is unable to give this
:25:55. > :25:57.country the leadership it so desperately needs
:25:58. > :26:08.The PM avoided the issue of party unity but sent the MPs off
:26:09. > :26:11.for the summer with a list of achievements
:26:12. > :26:16.I'll tell the Right Honourable gentleman the reality.
:26:17. > :26:19.The reality is, he's always talking Britain down
:26:20. > :26:26.And let's look at the record of the Conservatives in Government.
:26:27. > :26:28.Three million more jobs, four million people out of paying
:26:29. > :26:33.That's a record to be proud of and you only get it
:26:34. > :26:49.It better not be more than me, woman, the Prime Minister said
:26:50. > :26:54.If they are paying me more than you, that's because This Week is more
:26:55. > :26:57.modern than the rest of the BBC because on This Week
:26:58. > :27:03.We have seen the way the BBC is paying women less for doing
:27:04. > :27:11.I want to see women paid equally with men.
:27:12. > :27:14.The only reason we know about this though is
:27:15. > :27:17.because the Government required the BBC to publish these figures.
:27:18. > :27:20.Will Mrs May still be in the same job at the end of the summer?
:27:21. > :27:27.And not many takers for the role of Lib Dem leader.
:27:28. > :27:39.Twickenham's twinkle toes is living the Government's raising
:27:40. > :27:44.I'm ambitious for this country and I'm ambitious for our party.
:27:45. > :27:47.In difficult times, we've shown enormous resilience.
:27:48. > :27:51.I now believe that we can fight our way back, break
:27:52. > :27:54.through and make an enormous success of our party.
:27:55. > :27:57.Ah, the sun is shining, the Blue Nun is flowing
:27:58. > :28:03.Let's put all the drinks on his tab and have a really good one.
:28:04. > :28:44.Thanks to Brixton Beach, an urban beach in the heart
:28:45. > :28:49.And with us now the lovely Miranda Green and former SNP
:28:50. > :29:02.How the worm turns. How harsh. Remember the build-ups you used to
:29:03. > :29:10.get, now you are just "former". It's an outrage. The railway bit of that,
:29:11. > :29:16.nationalised by Portillo railways! The Brexit talks. We haven't had a
:29:17. > :29:21.breakthrough, they seem to be a bit tough, do we have to grow up? It was
:29:22. > :29:25.always going to be like this? Maybe it was always going to be like this.
:29:26. > :29:29.There possibly ought to be a bit of growing up in the Department for
:29:30. > :29:34.Brexit as well. It's a very odd way to behave. The Europeans keep saying
:29:35. > :29:36.that they don't have enough information, not least about
:29:37. > :29:41.Britain's objectives. We really need to get that clear. There is a very
:29:42. > :29:44.little amount of time. Now they are saying they're rather surprised how
:29:45. > :29:47.well informed and well prepared the British Civil Service is? Marvellous
:29:48. > :30:01.in that case. Civil Service exactly. There are problems with the process
:30:02. > :30:04.and personalities involved, and because the election result was so
:30:05. > :30:09.inconclusive, there has to be doubt about what Britain really wants. I
:30:10. > :30:13.was interested in what Michael was saying about the electorate never
:30:14. > :30:18.being wrong. I strongly agree, but one of the things from our election
:30:19. > :30:22.result is that the country isn't really sure about wanting harsh
:30:23. > :30:27.lines in dividing from the EU, not least on the single market,
:30:28. > :30:34.according to the polling data. We should be thinking again about our
:30:35. > :30:38.objectives. It is a consistent line. When I was visiting Germany, senior
:30:39. > :30:44.politicians consistently said they were astonished at how badly briefed
:30:45. > :30:47.our ministers were. They have a role in the civil service and they will
:30:48. > :30:52.do the best job they can, but we have to begin believing it run we
:30:53. > :30:54.hear from multiple sources that the Conservative government Brexit
:30:55. > :31:04.ministers do not seen to be across their brief and making a coherent
:31:05. > :31:07.case. These people have come back with the propaganda from the
:31:08. > :31:11.continent which they are very happy to repeat on national television. It
:31:12. > :31:18.is all part of trying to tomorrow lies us. Our objective is clear. All
:31:19. > :31:22.of us agree on it, it is to have our cake and eat it. We do not yet know
:31:23. > :31:29.how much cake we can have and that will emerge during negotiations. It
:31:30. > :31:33.is not just people involved in politics. There is serious concern
:31:34. > :31:40.amongst businesses, too, have out what the future holds. The
:31:41. > :31:43.businesses who wanted us going into the euro? Businesses who are worried
:31:44. > :31:48.about how they will plan and export and trade over coming months. My
:31:49. > :31:52.view is that we urgently need to talk about a transition deal,
:31:53. > :31:59.because I can't see any way that we will get EU citizens, the final bill
:32:00. > :32:04.we pay and a future trade deal done within essentially just over a year,
:32:05. > :32:09.because this has to be ratified. I agree. So we need a time-limited
:32:10. > :32:14.transitional deal that gives business certainty, and I hope that
:32:15. > :32:17.is what we focus on. Is that not where we are heading, particularly
:32:18. > :32:22.because the British government did not get the mandate it wanted, does
:32:23. > :32:26.not have the majority wanted, and it is not a United executive in the way
:32:27. > :32:31.that Mrs May hoped she would have after having won an election. She
:32:32. > :32:35.has a divided Cabinet. The goals might be the same, but it seems some
:32:36. > :32:41.kind of transitional arrangement is now more on the cards. Perhaps. Some
:32:42. > :32:45.people think that no deal is on the cards more than a few weeks ago. I
:32:46. > :32:51.hope you are right about a transitional deal. Liz's point about
:32:52. > :32:55.how desirable this is for business, when the Government invites business
:32:56. > :32:59.leaders to talk about what business needs, and it really is not the big
:33:00. > :33:03.corporations that were pushing for the euro, but people who employ
:33:04. > :33:07.people in the euro -- in the UK and keep growth going, they are given
:33:08. > :33:12.short shrift by David Davis and told, you can't have it. It might be
:33:13. > :33:17.what you want but it is not what we are going for. They came away in
:33:18. > :33:21.total despair. They were talking about serious consideration of how
:33:22. > :33:29.we stay in the customs union, for example. Then we could not make our
:33:30. > :33:34.own free deals. Indeed. That is precisely the conversation that was
:33:35. > :33:38.had. David Davis, as I understand, told them what they wanted was not
:33:39. > :33:43.compatible with leaving the European Union. That is a very particular
:33:44. > :33:47.interpretation of how the UK voted when it voted for Brexit. If you
:33:48. > :33:50.look at the polling data, it is moving towards wanting the benefits
:33:51. > :33:57.of the single market and the customs union, and you have to take that
:33:58. > :34:01.seriously. Evenly Fox was talking about a transitional deal. On Sunday
:34:02. > :34:08.he stuck to a couple of months and he has now moved more towards a
:34:09. > :34:13.couple of years. What are the odds of Mrs May surviving to the
:34:14. > :34:20.conclusion of Brexit talks? I would say less than 50%. I say that partly
:34:21. > :34:25.because I think resolving this very question we are discussing at the
:34:26. > :34:29.moment will be very difficult, unless she is replaced. But also
:34:30. > :34:36.because, as we get towards the end of the Brexit talks, the prospect of
:34:37. > :34:40.a general election will be looming. And the Conservatives go most of
:34:41. > :34:47.this Parliament, which may be one, two or three years, with the wrong
:34:48. > :34:52.leader, that would be a very odd position to be in. In the immediate
:34:53. > :34:56.aftermath of the election, I think she gave thought to packing it in.
:34:57. > :35:01.And then she concluded that if she did that she would go down as a
:35:02. > :35:06.complete failure as a Prime Minister. She wants to salvage
:35:07. > :35:10.something. The one thing she can salvage is if she brings Brexit
:35:11. > :35:14.talks to it accessible conclusion. She then stands down and the Tories
:35:15. > :35:19.have an election, and she has a different place in the history
:35:20. > :35:26.books. Is that realistic? Michael may be able to tell us more about
:35:27. > :35:31.this. The big question for the Tories is, is that decade civil war
:35:32. > :35:34.-- the decade-long civil war over Europe going to top their reputation
:35:35. > :35:41.for wanting to be the party in government? For some people, even a
:35:42. > :35:45.transitional deal is trying to thwart Brexit, they believe. Are
:35:46. > :35:49.they going to vote against that, risking an election and a Labour
:35:50. > :35:55.government? Where does the balance lie? My sense is that there will be
:35:56. > :36:02.enough who will go to the wall over Brexit. Even at the risk of losing
:36:03. > :36:07.an election? Absolutely. If there was a Tory leadership contest before
:36:08. > :36:12.the end of the year, who would win? There seems to be a certain amount
:36:13. > :36:17.of momentum behind some sort of David Davis candidacy. But not now.
:36:18. > :36:25.They are being careful to not do it now. Young cardinal vote for old
:36:26. > :36:36.Popes. Indeed. There is a lot of chat about what the next general --
:36:37. > :36:39.the next generation of Tories want. There is speculation, including from
:36:40. > :36:44.David Davis. People forget that he was way ahead until the conference.
:36:45. > :36:49.You know on Facebook where it says, this is what you were doing a year
:36:50. > :36:53.ago. It is always interesting and reminds us how transitory and
:36:54. > :36:57.ephemeral these things are. When we looked at the Tory leadership
:36:58. > :37:02.prospects, Theresa May was nowhere close six months before the
:37:03. > :37:07.election. Nowhere. Absolutely not at all. Then she emerged as a
:37:08. > :37:13.compromise candidate and was then trumpeted as strong and stable.
:37:14. > :37:21.There is a lot of trumping going on tonight. Now it is recess. Jeremy
:37:22. > :37:27.Corbyn once everybody in the Labour Party campaigning in 75 key
:37:28. > :37:31.marginals. Which will you be campaigning in? Perhaps the East
:37:32. > :37:35.Midlands, lots of marginal seats there that we desperately need to
:37:36. > :37:40.win back. Will you give up your summer to go campaigning for Mr
:37:41. > :37:45.Corbyn? I am not planning on going away so there is nothing I love more
:37:46. > :37:50.than campaigning. I think those seats that have voted Labour in the
:37:51. > :37:54.past, traditionally working-class constituencies, in the towns, not
:37:55. > :38:02.the big cities, we have two B laser focused on those. Have we reached
:38:03. > :38:08.peak Corbyn, or has he only just begun? I think there is probably
:38:09. > :38:17.more to go. That must cheer you up. She said it with a song in her
:38:18. > :38:20.heart! And a spring in her step. Who knows? Politics is so volatile at
:38:21. > :38:26.the moment that people would be fully to predict. I think that the
:38:27. > :38:33.more the Tories go on with this open infighting, I have to say the tin
:38:34. > :38:38.ear that Theresa May had in PMQs this week, saying that work is the
:38:39. > :38:43.best route out of poverty. Yes, it is but work is no longer a guarantee
:38:44. > :38:51.of not living in poverty. So many people in work me benefits. So that,
:38:52. > :38:56.as well as the infighting. The Chancellor has a tin ear as well,
:38:57. > :39:02.many people think. How is a Vince Cable the man to revive the Lib
:39:03. > :39:09.Dems? He is so old he was my tutor at university. That is old. I am
:39:10. > :39:16.sure that was enjoyable for both of you. One of us fell asleep. I think
:39:17. > :39:20.age is fine. We need wise heads. What has cheered me up about his
:39:21. > :39:25.coronation today is the idea that he actually wants to do more than talk
:39:26. > :39:30.about the Lib Dems. He wants to talk about the gaping hole on the left.
:39:31. > :39:35.The Tories crowned Theresa May without a contest. What happened to
:39:36. > :39:41.the contest? I didn't think it matters that much. In opposition,
:39:42. > :39:46.think it is different. The Lib Dems are quite a small party, let's face
:39:47. > :39:50.it. I think there is a big question to which the Lib Dems are part of
:39:51. > :39:53.the answer, but I think it is healthy that Vince Cable has
:39:54. > :39:58.acknowledged that the Lib Dems can't be the whole answer. And Liz's wing
:39:59. > :40:05.of the Labour Party is the other crucial part of the answer. It is a
:40:06. > :40:12.long march to come back, a long time to get anywhere near where you were
:40:13. > :40:16.in 2010. Is someone who will be 80 the next election really the future?
:40:17. > :40:22.We do not know when the next election will be. I think that age
:40:23. > :40:28.is far less of a barrier now. More interestingly, I think, is how the
:40:29. > :40:32.Lib Dems are going to honour some of their campaign promises, like
:40:33. > :40:39.stopping a hard Brexit, for example. There are only 12 of them. Exactly.
:40:40. > :40:44.What about your old party, your record under attack in Scotland, a
:40:45. > :40:50.diminished force in Westminster, and Nicola Sturgeon was the other big
:40:51. > :40:53.loser on the night, after Mrs May. Obviously, it was not a dream
:40:54. > :41:01.election, was it. But they still won. They still won more seats than
:41:02. > :41:07.all the other parties combined, 30 seats more than all the others.
:41:08. > :41:11.Direction is everything in politics, and a second referendum seems
:41:12. > :41:15.further away than ever. I look at the age profile of those who support
:41:16. > :41:21.independence, and they are young. There is a huge lead among the under
:41:22. > :41:26.30s for independence. The direction of travel of Scottish politics is
:41:27. > :41:31.obvious. If you look in the sweep of history, it is not moving towards
:41:32. > :41:37.more unionism. Are you going to run again? I am pondering that. It is
:41:38. > :41:43.upsetting, losing, but if you become an MP it is a fascinating job and
:41:44. > :41:48.you can do good things. Either way, you can still come and see us. I
:41:49. > :41:50.will look forward to it. Thank you, both.
:41:51. > :41:53.So, when is it time to call it a day?
:41:54. > :41:55.Theresa May must have thought about it after June 8th
:41:56. > :42:00.Jeremy Corbyn thought about it a year ago but after last month's
:42:01. > :42:01.election I'll bet he's glad he didn't succumb.
:42:02. > :42:05.Choo Choo here called it a political day to embark on a glistening career
:42:06. > :42:07.on the railways and has never looked back.
:42:08. > :42:09.Four Percent Liz thought the voters were going
:42:10. > :42:11.to call her day but she won with an even bigger majority.
:42:12. > :42:14.Calling it a day is not as easy as it seems,
:42:15. > :42:20.which is why we're putting it in the Spotlight.
:42:21. > :42:29.parliamentarians are calling it a day for the summer.
:42:30. > :42:38.But is the Palace of Westminster more desperate for a recess
:42:39. > :42:43.It gave Margot James the cold shoulder yesterday.
:42:44. > :42:47.It is quite appalling that some people found out
:42:48. > :42:59.The situation lighting-wise has slightly throwm me off.
:43:00. > :43:01.Across the pond, legislators might have to hold tight
:43:02. > :43:05.because the Donald refuses to call it a day on his battle
:43:06. > :43:10.We shouldn't leave town until this is complete,
:43:11. > :43:16.But does the President simply struggle when it
:43:17. > :43:45.Meanwhile, spare a thought for those aged 39-47,
:43:46. > :43:47.who have just been told they will not be able
:43:48. > :43:51.to retire on a state pension until they are 68.
:43:52. > :43:55.We have to face up to the fact that if we live longer we can't expect
:43:56. > :44:01.National treasure Henry Blofeld has decided to retire,
:44:02. > :44:14.So when is the right time to call it a day?
:44:15. > :44:22.And we're delighted to have Blowers with us now.
:44:23. > :44:28.Welcome to the programme. It is great to see you. You once said that
:44:29. > :44:34.you would never retire but you have decided to call it a day. Did you
:44:35. > :44:37.just think, this is the time? What I said was that if I did retire I
:44:38. > :44:44.would drink myself to death even quicker than I will anyway. This is
:44:45. > :44:51.not good news. That's why I haven't had a drink for nine weeks. To prove
:44:52. > :44:58.yourself wrong? Absolutely. What made you think it was time to pack
:44:59. > :45:02.it in? I was in India for two Test match is, and towards the end I made
:45:03. > :45:07.a silly mistake to do with my eyes. It did not matter in the scheme of
:45:08. > :45:11.things, I don't think, and then I thought, come on, you are nearly
:45:12. > :45:17.100. I am only 78 but I feel I am nearly 100 most of the time. I am
:45:18. > :45:24.not going to get better, only worse. I am 78 next month. I have got to go
:45:25. > :45:29.pretty quickly. Go now, because then I can control my going, I can go
:45:30. > :45:33.when I am in control of it, and also when one hopes people will feel nice
:45:34. > :45:38.things about you rather than, why didn't he go five years ago? Which
:45:39. > :45:42.has happened. People have been so nice to me, and so relieved that I
:45:43. > :45:45.am going and they won't have to listen to me again, they have been
:45:46. > :45:49.charming and falling over themselves. I think the key thing
:45:50. > :45:55.that you said is that if you choose when you are going to go, you are in
:45:56. > :46:03.control. No one is pushing you out. You have decided. Getting sacked is
:46:04. > :46:07.boring anyway. If you go on your own terms, people seem to think, in my
:46:08. > :46:13.case, that I am not exactly a hero but at least I do not have a go all
:46:14. > :46:17.over my face. People will have fond memories, not memories of, that was
:46:18. > :46:23.the day he screwed up. There is another thing, too. Cricket
:46:24. > :46:28.commentary, like anything in life, is involved in the evolutionary
:46:29. > :46:33.process. It is a very different form of commentary now to when I started,
:46:34. > :46:36.when it was more formulaic. Commentators in those days were not
:46:37. > :46:43.involved in a continuous conversation with what they
:46:44. > :46:48.summarise. It meant I could do what I am Rob Lee quite good at, which is
:46:49. > :46:51.to describe things. I get less and less opportunity to do that, which
:46:52. > :46:58.was another reason I felt the time had come. Because the nature of the
:46:59. > :47:02.commentary was changing. There is a lot of what I think of as happy talk
:47:03. > :47:06.in the commentary now, whereas when you started there was some rather
:47:07. > :47:15.nicely crafted sentences of description of what was going on.
:47:16. > :47:23.You had to learn. John, you remember John. I am the last existing
:47:24. > :47:29.commentator, not existing, but I think I am the last person still
:47:30. > :47:34.commentating who worked with him. He was a great man, wonderful phrases.
:47:35. > :47:35.I remember him describing a balcony on the pavilion at Old Trafford. A
:47:36. > :47:54.balcony with a portly iron railing. None of the rest of us would have
:47:55. > :48:00.thought of that word until 1am. The language was wonderful. That is why
:48:01. > :48:04.as a kid I would always have the television on, watching the Test
:48:05. > :48:10.match, with the sound down and have the radio commentary on, because the
:48:11. > :48:23.commentary was so much better. I don't think it was me. We mustn't
:48:24. > :48:27.forget the others. CMJ unfortunately fell off his perch and never got the
:48:28. > :48:31.plaudits which I have got because I have lived on. He has chosen his
:48:32. > :48:36.time to go and has gone in great style and with dignity and in
:48:37. > :48:43.control. Yes. You did the same, in the end. I am in a different place.
:48:44. > :48:47.I am very motivated by work and I hope I will have the wisdom to
:48:48. > :48:53.choose the moment as well. And I don't know whether I will. Liz, is
:48:54. > :48:58.it important to know when to go? People hang on, politicians hang on.
:48:59. > :49:04.I wonder whether they will do even more so now. Look at all of the
:49:05. > :49:12.turnarounds. David Davis, Jeremy Corbyn, Vince Cable. Why not hold
:49:13. > :49:15.on. It could still be my turn? I think we will see fewer graceful
:49:16. > :49:20.exit and more people hanging on in case things turn around. I have a
:49:21. > :49:25.suspicion that you are not actually going to stop working and you will
:49:26. > :49:29.do other things. I am like Michael, I loathe getting up in the morning
:49:30. > :49:35.if I have nothing to do. I love having something to worry. I think I
:49:36. > :49:38.will work lots more. Fondly enough, since I have told people I am no
:49:39. > :49:43.longer doing cricket commentary, they have offered me lots of things
:49:44. > :49:47.to do. We are delighted you have made time to Mike and we look
:49:48. > :49:50.forward to the book coming out, which is going to be called? Reed
:49:51. > :49:58.Over And Out. I wonder why that? That's your lot for tonight, folks,
:49:59. > :50:00.because we're calling it But don't worry, folks,
:50:01. > :50:03.because we're back in September, somewhere between Question Time
:50:04. > :50:05.and Breakfast News. In the meantime, we're hosting
:50:06. > :50:09.the This Week summer party. No, you're not invited
:50:10. > :50:11.but Theresa May will be over in a bit, along with half
:50:12. > :50:14.the Cabinet and their long knives. Look, there's chilled Blue Nun
:50:15. > :50:17.on tap and as much warm After all, we have to blow our
:50:18. > :50:24.enormous budget on something. Talking of blowing our enormous
:50:25. > :50:27.budget, we've hired Levi Roots to play us out with his
:50:28. > :50:58.Reggae Reggae hits album. # Don't worry
:50:59. > :51:04.# Be happy # Here's a little song I wrote
:51:05. > :51:05.# You might want to sing it note for note
:51:06. > :51:13.# Don't worry # Be happy
:51:14. > :51:17.# In every life we have some trouble # When you worry, you make it
:51:18. > :51:27.bubbles # Don't worry
:51:28. > :51:32.# Be happy # Don't you worry now
:51:33. > :51:37.# Don't worry # Don't you, don't you worry now
:51:38. > :51:38.# Don't worry # Be happy
:51:39. > :51:46.# Just be happy. # When I think of the world
:51:47. > :51:50.we inhabit, everyone will think, Yeah. And it wasn't,
:51:51. > :51:53.it was done by hand