0:00:12 > 0:00:22Tonight... Get me out of here. The Budget was one of the biggest
0:00:22 > 0:00:27challenges Philip Hammond ever faced.I'm pushing myself to the
0:00:27 > 0:00:30limit for this week.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35faced.I'm pushing myself to the limit for this week. I had no idea
0:00:35 > 0:00:41I'd sign myself to the jungle. Please help me.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47Like me, Angela Merkel is walking a difficult tightrope. I'm hoping
0:00:47 > 0:00:51she'll win the Bush took the challenge. This week is worse than
0:00:51 > 0:00:53it dark chamber.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Evenin' all.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Welcome to This Week.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08And who knew that our beloved Chancellor, old Spreadsheet Phil,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11was really Happy Hammond, the stand up comedian?
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And I'm not referring to his remarks about Jeremy Clarkson
0:01:14 > 0:01:16or Lewis Hamilton in Wednesday's Budget.
0:01:16 > 0:01:23That was serious stuff.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Who knew that taxing Lewis' private jet could pay
0:01:25 > 0:01:27for 25 billion more in spending?
0:01:27 > 0:01:31No, I'm talking about his throwaway remarks on how economic
0:01:31 > 0:01:33growth was collapsing, and how Britain would be
0:01:33 > 0:01:35stuck in the slow lane for the foreseeable future.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37How we laughed at that.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41We split our sides at his revelation that wage stagnation,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43already with us for a decade, is likely to stay with us
0:01:43 > 0:01:46for a second decade.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49How could you not chuckle at that?
0:01:49 > 0:01:53And we were rolling the aisles when, with cunning sleight of hand,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57he revealed that balancing the budget, which the Tories once
0:01:57 > 0:02:01said would be done by 2015, then 2020, then 2025,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05was now consigned to never-never land, also known as the 2030s.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Genius.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10It was, understandably, too much for dear old Jezza,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13whose job it was to respond to the Budget.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The only way the Labour leader could stop himself from breaking out
0:02:16 > 0:02:18in tears of laughter, was to spend 20 minutes
0:02:18 > 0:02:22reading out a tombstone of a speech he'd written in 2013.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25It was a veritable tour d'horizon of Britain's woes,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29covering everything, except anything actually in the Budget.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32No wonder Chuckles Hammond thought he'd had the last laugh.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Speaking of those who you'd never mistake for a ray of sunshine,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40but who are quick on their feet, if only these days they could
0:02:40 > 0:02:43struggle to get on them, I'm joined on the Zimmer frames
0:02:43 > 0:02:44by Michael #choochoo Portillo
0:02:44 > 0:02:52and Alan #sadmanontheleft Johnson.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57Michael, your moment of the week? Bangladesh is very keen to get rid
0:02:57 > 0:03:03of the Rohingya Muslim refugees who have spread across the border and
0:03:03 > 0:03:06wants them to go back into my own mark. Today apparently an agreement
0:03:06 > 0:03:13has been signed between the countries. It is hard to imagine why
0:03:13 > 0:03:16any of the Rohingya Muslims would go back considering they have clearly
0:03:16 > 0:03:19been rates and murdered and tortured, and their bit -- villagers
0:03:19 > 0:03:26burned to the ground. The highest civilian in the government, Aung San
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Suu Kyi, who used to be a universal saint, has had her reputation
0:03:29 > 0:03:37absolutely trashed. Bob Geldof has described her as being complicit in
0:03:37 > 0:03:44extermination, in ethnic cleansing. It is a horrific situation. It
0:03:44 > 0:03:47demonstrates how ineffective the world is at controlling crimes
0:03:47 > 0:03:53against humanity. Indeed. Alan?Until now there has
0:03:53 > 0:03:57been a lot of talk about Brexit but nothing tangible has happened. Until
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Monday, when it was decided the European medicines agency and the
0:04:01 > 0:04:04banking authority would move from London to Amsterdam and Paris
0:04:04 > 0:04:12respectively. That is a thousand jobs, high-value jobs, directly. And
0:04:12 > 0:04:17thousands more indirectly. Britain, because we are no longer in the EU
0:04:17 > 0:04:25economic post these organisations, we're having to pay the bill as
0:04:25 > 0:04:31well, which is hundreds of millions of pounds to relocate them. 23
0:04:31 > 0:04:38cities in 19 countries wanted these centres because they give prestige,
0:04:38 > 0:04:43they get jobs. They boost the economy. And we're waving farewell
0:04:43 > 0:04:48to them. And then we still have to discover whether we have to pay
0:04:48 > 0:04:56millions more to replicate everything that VMA do.We get a
0:04:56 > 0:04:59blue passport. Silver lining.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01For much of this year it looked as if Western Europe
0:05:01 > 0:05:04was going to escape the populist insurgency that gave Britain Brexit
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and America Donald Trump.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Anti-immigrant leader Geert Wilders failed to breakthrough in Holland,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13and Marine Le Pen was thumped by centrist Emmanuel Macron
0:05:13 > 0:05:16in France's presidential elections.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19So nobody expected any kind of upset in that most
0:05:19 > 0:05:24stable of democracies, Germany, or problems
0:05:24 > 0:05:28for its long-standing leader Angela Merkel.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32But the rise of a right-wing nativist party, the AfD,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and the poor performance of Mrs Merkel's CDU,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38which managed only 27% of the vote, has conspired to thwart her efforts
0:05:38 > 0:05:42to form a new coalition government.
0:05:42 > 0:05:49Two months after Germans went to the polls, they still don't
0:05:49 > 0:05:52have a new government, and it's not clear when they will.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54There's even talk of fresh elections in the new year.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Germany's President says the situation is unprecedented
0:05:56 > 0:05:58for the Federal Republic, and when there's a political crisis
0:05:58 > 0:06:01in Berlin it means there's a leadership vacuum in the EU.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06But not everybody thinks Germany - or the EU - faces political turmoil.
0:06:06 > 0:06:16Here's Andrew Adonis with his take of the week.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Margaret Thatcher used to say, those Europeans are always getting into a
0:06:26 > 0:06:30mess and we have to save them. There is nothing the Brexiteers have
0:06:30 > 0:06:34enjoyed more than the schadenfreude of the past week, that Germany is
0:06:34 > 0:06:37falling to pieces, we're going to save them and this is a chance to
0:06:37 > 0:06:43screw them for a good Brexit deal. Germany has had a terrible past in
0:06:43 > 0:06:47many respects. But since 1949 it has been one of the best governed
0:06:47 > 0:06:54countries in the world and we are all the better off for it. In fact,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57as we shoot ourselves in the foot with Brexit, I wish we had Germany's
0:06:57 > 0:07:03problem.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14We all know that Germany has gone through dark times in the past.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Hyperinflation, Nazism, communism in the east. But even allowing for a
0:07:17 > 0:07:22national psyche that dislikes uncertainty, the collapse of these
0:07:22 > 0:07:26coalition talks is nothing more than a political hiccup. Germany's
0:07:26 > 0:07:31instability is far more apparent than real. Since 1949, Germany has
0:07:31 > 0:07:35had only eight chancellors. In that period we have had 15 prime
0:07:35 > 0:07:41ministers. I would trade our instability for their stability any
0:07:41 > 0:07:46time. While German prosperity rises, ours declines. Only yesterday, the
0:07:46 > 0:07:51cat -- chance of a slashed our growth rate to 1.5%. Germany's has
0:07:51 > 0:07:55been increased by the same amount. Their productivity is something the
0:07:55 > 0:07:58British only dream of, and the disparities of wealth are far less
0:07:58 > 0:08:04in Germany than here in Britain. Of course, admitting large numbers
0:08:04 > 0:08:09of Syrian refugees made Mrs Merkel very unpopular. Unsurprisingly so,
0:08:09 > 0:08:15it would be even worse here in a NAND. But a country which managed to
0:08:15 > 0:08:19absorb an entire other country, East Germany, as successfully as the
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Germans have done, will not have a problem with the Syrians. They will
0:08:22 > 0:08:26look back on this as a source of huge dynamism and opportunity for
0:08:26 > 0:08:36them as a country. In the words of build, the Brits,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41they sure know what a crisis is. We have just got a problem of a small
0:08:41 > 0:08:43party walking out of coalition talks.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48But Britain's all future as a country is now at stake. -- whole
0:08:48 > 0:08:48future.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Danke to our friends at Zeitgeist pub in Lambeth.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57And welcome to Lord Adonis.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03So Michael, in Berlin, nothing to see here, little local difficulty?I
0:09:03 > 0:09:08agree with what Andrew said the German economy, which has done very
0:09:08 > 0:09:13well since 1949 and they have had a lot of political stability. I did
0:09:13 > 0:09:17think it was extraordinary that Mrs Merkel, who lost 8.6 percentage
0:09:17 > 0:09:23point at the election, did not see the writing on the wall. It is
0:09:23 > 0:09:25typical European arrogance to believe that you can be effectively
0:09:25 > 0:09:31defeated by the public and yet go on being Chancellor. It was a massive
0:09:31 > 0:09:35vote of no-confidence. It was an entirely self-inflicted wound to
0:09:35 > 0:09:39invite a million Syrians into the country. It has created the rise of
0:09:39 > 0:09:47this very dangerous AF Tea Party. It is extraordinary that we now have an
0:09:47 > 0:09:54ultra right-wing party in Germany today. It is Mrs Merkel's. And the
0:09:54 > 0:09:58German people have punished. And the idea, by the way, that a whole that
0:09:58 > 0:10:02the Germans from the east and west who have been separated by the iron
0:10:02 > 0:10:05curtain, the idea that bringing the Germans back together, all German
0:10:05 > 0:10:11people, is the same as absorbing a million Syrians, I think shows a
0:10:11 > 0:10:12massive insensitivity and incomprehension of what the German
0:10:12 > 0:10:19people are alike.It was a bigger challenge absorbing east Germany.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23These countries had grown apart for the best part of two generations. It
0:10:23 > 0:10:28was a huge challenge. It was very untypical of Michael, who has a good
0:10:28 > 0:10:33sense of history. The really tough challenge, huge challenge, economic
0:10:33 > 0:10:41challenge, social challenge...You don't think that the situation in
0:10:41 > 0:10:47Berlin denied is a problem?There is clearly a problem forming a
0:10:47 > 0:10:52coalition. They will have to form a minority government.Mrs Merkel has
0:10:52 > 0:10:59ruled out a minority government?It is not for her to entirely decide.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04She hasn't said that. What she said is she would prefer not to lead a
0:11:04 > 0:11:08minority government but it is not for her to decide. Germany is a
0:11:08 > 0:11:11constitutionally governed country and the president will decide if
0:11:11 > 0:11:15elections are to be held. She would prefer elections. But this is not
0:11:15 > 0:11:18entirely her call. There are constitutional procedures. The
0:11:18 > 0:11:22crucial thing to understand is the reason why she is finding it so
0:11:22 > 0:11:25difficult to form a coalition is first-rate forwardly political
0:11:25 > 0:11:30reasons. She has had three coalition partners in the past. The FTP, the
0:11:30 > 0:11:38SDP twice. She has destroyed all three.She has destroyed them.Yes.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42There are wary of going on again. The idea of being eaten alive by Mrs
0:11:42 > 0:11:50Merkel for a second time...A series do think the situation is?I think
0:11:50 > 0:11:53it is serious because one of the reasons that the STB don't want to
0:11:53 > 0:11:59go into government is because it would leave alternative for Germany,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03the right-wing grouping, as the official opposition. That is one of
0:12:03 > 0:12:07the reasons Martin Schultz has given. There are whole dilemma is
0:12:07 > 0:12:11that the Bundestag is far left are far right. I think Michael is being
0:12:11 > 0:12:19very unfair that Angela Merkel had brought this about. She has been a
0:12:19 > 0:12:25strong and stable leader for Europe and the country. She was taking in
0:12:25 > 0:12:29refugees from Syria at a time when all countries, including our own,
0:12:29 > 0:12:34which made a pretty small contribution, were worried about
0:12:34 > 0:12:40that. These were people fleeing war. It was an extraordinarily generous
0:12:40 > 0:12:44-- generous gesture further to make. My puzzlement is, do the Germans
0:12:44 > 0:12:48want to return to another election? My feeling was they didn't. But
0:12:48 > 0:12:54there is a Polter night saying the majority want another election.They
0:12:54 > 0:13:03have never had a majority government in Germany before. We're getting
0:13:03 > 0:13:07used to minority government. Germany has done much better to have a
0:13:07 > 0:13:10majority coalition governments which have proved remarkably stable. It is
0:13:10 > 0:13:14not exactly a great crisis if you have two elections in one year. It
0:13:14 > 0:13:19has even been known in this historic British democracy a virus to have
0:13:19 > 0:13:24elections in successive years.We don't know how Mrs Merkel would get
0:13:24 > 0:13:28the show back on the road. But if she can and stays as Chancellor,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33isn't she a much diminished figure?
0:13:33 > 0:13:38She will find it more difficult to strike deals to get legislation
0:13:38 > 0:13:41through, but in my experience the only thing that really matters in
0:13:41 > 0:13:45terms of the fate of governments is the quality and calibre of the
0:13:45 > 0:13:49leader. A strong and effective leader can do just as well with a
0:13:49 > 0:13:54small majority, or even with no majority, as with a large majority.
0:13:54 > 0:14:01Even when her own party only got 27% of the vote?She is still the
0:14:01 > 0:14:04largest party. For as long as she has that authority, ability to
0:14:04 > 0:14:17continue as Chancellor...Gordon Brown got that? Is she diminished or
0:14:17 > 0:14:21not?Hugely diminished. With the events of the last few days it will
0:14:21 > 0:14:26be difficult for her to clamber back into a position of authority.What
0:14:26 > 0:14:30does it mean for Brexit rest room if Germany is going to go through a
0:14:30 > 0:14:36period of political turmoil, where it will take awhile to put together
0:14:36 > 0:14:40a coalition, or it may mean there will have be elections. The
0:14:40 > 0:14:48elections may not be until April. What does it mean?It is bad news.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52We spent three months on a general election and we knew that until the
0:14:52 > 0:14:55German elections nothing would really move. Now we have had German
0:14:55 > 0:14:58elections but there are such uncertainty that once again, I think
0:14:58 > 0:15:03it will lead to a certain amount of paralysis. I think the villains of
0:15:03 > 0:15:06the piece are the Free Democrats, walked away from coalition talks,
0:15:06 > 0:15:11the centrist party, with a young leader who seems inexperienced at
0:15:11 > 0:15:18this.Actually, I think he may be experienced and shrewd. I remember
0:15:18 > 0:15:22being told, I don't know whether it is true but it is a fantastic story,
0:15:22 > 0:15:27that shortly before the 2010 election, when David Cameron met Mrs
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Merkel and said, what do I do if I don't get a majority, she said to
0:15:31 > 0:15:36him, it is very simple. You get hold of one of the small parties, form a
0:15:36 > 0:15:40coalition and then you screw them. That is precisely what she has done
0:15:40 > 0:15:46with three coalition partners in a row. They have got wise to the fact.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Not a great strategy because she is running out of partners. Tonight
0:15:50 > 0:15:53there is talk of having to go back to the social Democrats and putting
0:15:53 > 0:15:58a grand coalition on the road, which could be in the longer term
0:15:58 > 0:16:03disastrous for the social Democrats. There is even talk that if the head
0:16:03 > 0:16:08of the Social Democrats steps down and Mrs Merkel steps down and two
0:16:08 > 0:16:12new people come... The idea that this is politics as normal in
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Germany, I just don't understand. My question is, what does it mean for
0:16:15 > 0:16:22Brexit? Let's assume, I know you think it can be put on the road, but
0:16:22 > 0:16:26if there is a period of uncertainty, changing German politics, what does
0:16:26 > 0:16:35it mean for Brexit?Well, countries are governed by interests. Except in
0:16:35 > 0:16:39occasional bouts of madness, they are not governed by sentiment. The
0:16:39 > 0:16:43interests of Germany are in having a good, constructive relationship with
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Britain and this nonsense about them wanting to do us down is not where
0:16:46 > 0:16:50things are at. The problem is that we have a government here that does
0:16:50 > 0:16:55not know what it wants to negotiate. The biggest problem in negotiations
0:16:55 > 0:16:59is somebody on the other side who does not know what they want.I
0:16:59 > 0:17:05don't entirely agree. The overall German interest is to have a
0:17:05 > 0:17:10harmonious settlement with Britain, but Germany is also persuadable that
0:17:10 > 0:17:13it might be in the European interest to make sure that Britain is
0:17:13 > 0:17:18punished, to discourage others from going over the prison wall. Mrs
0:17:18 > 0:17:26Merkel, if she was still there... The prison wall? That is what East
0:17:26 > 0:17:36Germany was.Carreon, Michael.Let me carry on. Mrs Merkel, as an
0:17:36 > 0:17:40authority figure, was strong enough to say we can be confident about
0:17:40 > 0:17:43being good Europeans without being persuaded by the French, for
0:17:43 > 0:17:47example, that we need to punish Britain, a harmonious relationship
0:17:47 > 0:17:51is necessary. A less experienced leader might find it difficult to
0:17:51 > 0:17:56resist the French impulse.Here may be a bigger issue, which is that
0:17:56 > 0:18:02President Macron has put big store by reforming the eurozone, a number
0:18:02 > 0:18:07of changes to be made, and he needs the Germans onside. There is also
0:18:07 > 0:18:12talk that once we are out of the way, the Europeans can get on with a
0:18:12 > 0:18:18proper reform of Europe and make Europe fit for the next decade. Mrs
0:18:18 > 0:18:24Merkel can't deliver any of that. Further reforms of the eurozone were
0:18:24 > 0:18:31always going to happen.There is no sign of any of that now.It is
0:18:31 > 0:18:37inevitable.Mr Macron wants it within the next five years. None of
0:18:37 > 0:18:41his agenda could now get through the Bundestag.We don't know. When there
0:18:41 > 0:18:46is a German government we will know if negotiations it proceed. I think
0:18:46 > 0:18:52it is just a matter of time before it happens. This has always been
0:18:52 > 0:18:55clear. You will need economic institutions to reflect the fact
0:18:55 > 0:18:58that you are pulling more sovereignty than we ever did when we
0:18:58 > 0:19:03were in the outer tear.Good luck with that, when you have the Free
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Democrats not agreeing to be in coalition, the CSU running scared
0:19:07 > 0:19:14and the AfD who now have 94 deputies, MPs in the Bundestag.And
0:19:14 > 0:19:17more centralisation in Europe will help the growth of right-wing
0:19:17 > 0:19:22parties. It is one of the things getting people cheesed off. Mr
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Macron does not want to acknowledge this but many Germans do.If you had
0:19:26 > 0:19:34to guess, Andrew, it is March of next year. What will the political
0:19:34 > 0:19:40situation be in Berlin?It is a very fluid situation, so I am not fully
0:19:40 > 0:19:44sure enough to start predicting who is going to be in coalition with
0:19:44 > 0:19:50whom by then. What I would say with a degree of confidence is that
0:19:50 > 0:19:54German policy will not change, that there will not be some cataclysm on
0:19:54 > 0:19:57the other side of the channel which means there is nobody there for us
0:19:57 > 0:20:03to negotiate with, and the biggest enemy of a successful Brexit at the
0:20:03 > 0:20:07moment is the Brexiteers who don't know what their policy is, and a
0:20:07 > 0:20:10good half of them want to get out of anything with the word Europe in the
0:20:10 > 0:20:16title. As I listened to Alan Johnson at the beginning, and we never
0:20:16 > 0:20:19disagree on anything, he is completely right on the European
0:20:19 > 0:20:24medical agency and the European banking agency. When I was a
0:20:24 > 0:20:27minister, when Longridge was threatened with closure, you had the
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Prime Minister was there within 15 minutes, this was regarded as
0:20:31 > 0:20:35national catastrophe and a crisis. We have a government at the moment
0:20:35 > 0:20:40that is not only sitting on the sidelines while thousands of the
0:20:40 > 0:20:43highest-paid and most productive jobs in the country are being lost,
0:20:43 > 0:20:53but is actually forcing these jobs abroad.Let Michael come in.We are
0:20:53 > 0:20:57huge contributors to the European Community. Every capital and city in
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Europe goes around with its snout in the trough wanting to get hold of
0:21:00 > 0:21:05these agencies. It is the most undignified scramble for patronage
0:21:05 > 0:21:10from the European Union, and who pays for this? The British taxpayer,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13because we contribute vast lean more than most other countries.Because
0:21:13 > 0:21:24we are richer.For the purpose of this segment, it was to be about
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Berlin and Mrs Merkel and the consequences of that for Britain and
0:21:28 > 0:21:32the European Union. We have done a bit of that but it always gets
0:21:32 > 0:21:37dragged back to Brexit so we will leave it there.You did ask us what
0:21:37 > 0:21:43it meant for Brexit.I did not want to get down to the details of one
0:21:43 > 0:21:52medical agency which has nothing to do with Mrs Merkel. Thank you.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Andrew Adonis, thanks for stepping in tonight.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56It's late. EuroTunnel late.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Yes, after 30 years of faithful service,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01our fast route to the continent, for reasons nobody can fathom, is
0:22:01 > 0:22:03changing its name to is Getlink.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06I mean, really, what's wrong with Eurotunnel?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And if you must change the name, why not make it Brexit Rail?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Or Remainers' Escape?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Or The Farage Pullman?
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Or the Flying Adonis?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18But Getlink?
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Get lost!
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Someone who needs no re-branding is the comedian
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and author Margaret Cho, who's shining the Spotlight
0:22:24 > 0:22:27on the allure and danger of power tonight.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And if you'd like to get in touch,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31well, all I can say is I'm disappointed in you.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35I mean, I've warned you about this sort of thing, time and time again.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And it's only a matter of time before I get another
0:22:37 > 0:22:38exclusion order out.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41But if you're feeling lucky - or should that be desperate -
0:22:41 > 0:22:43then do your worst!
0:22:43 > 0:22:45It's only what the Tweeter, the Fleecebook, and
0:22:45 > 0:22:49SnapNumpty deserve.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52It's dreadful, but somehow you can't take your eyes off the TV screen.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Those gruesome trials, as a minor celebrity,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57vaguely recognisable - hot, scared and sweaty -
0:22:57 > 0:22:59risks nausea and public ridicule in front of millions.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02What will he have to chew on?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04What foul-smelling mess will be thrown at him?
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Will he do enough to survive?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Or will he be summarily ejected into total ignominy?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Yes, it's not pretty, but it is part of the BBC's public
0:23:14 > 0:23:17service remit to carry the Budget live so we have to do it.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Here's Emma Barnett with her round-up of this week's
0:23:21 > 0:23:24political monkey business.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46This Week have really dropped me in it this time.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48When they told me they were sending me to the jungle,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I assumed they meant Westminster.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Nope, they sent me to the real thing.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56They've put me in the actual jungle with actual bugs.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01But no celebrities.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Have they actually got the right place?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I don't think they do.
0:24:06 > 0:24:13Hey, come back.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I'd better make camp.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25The political week began with the Cabinet agreeing to boost
0:24:25 > 0:24:28the amount we are going to pay in the Brexit divorce bill in a hope
0:24:28 > 0:24:32to break the deadlock over the trade talks.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Well, 40 billion is what's rumoured, but that's still way below
0:24:35 > 0:24:37what the EU actually want, because guess what,
0:24:37 > 0:24:44they are in "you've made your bed, now you need to lie in it" mode.
0:24:44 > 0:24:50The EU does not want to punish, once again, it simply drew
0:24:50 > 0:24:57the logical consequence of the UK decisions to take back control.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02On financial services, UK voices suggest that Brexit
0:25:02 > 0:25:06does not mean Brexit.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Brexit means Brexit.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Everywhere.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Still, at least £40 billion makes the DUP deal look
0:25:16 > 0:25:17like an absolute bargain.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19The other issue the EU wants to sort before trade talks
0:25:19 > 0:25:22is the Irish border.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25The DUP said that warnings from Brussels and from Dublin that
0:25:25 > 0:25:30a hard border would cause sectarian violence was playing politics
0:25:30 > 0:25:33with the peace process.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Playing politics?
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Can you imagine?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39To suggest somehow that our leaving the European Union would put that
0:25:39 > 0:25:41in danger is a careless thing to say.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43You shouldn't play about with Northern Ireland,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45particularly at a time when we are trying to bring
0:25:45 > 0:25:50about devolved government again.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn provided the warm up
0:25:53 > 0:25:54act in Parliament at Prime Minister's Questions,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56with the Labour leader, for a change, asking
0:25:56 > 0:25:58questions about Brexit.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00But a pugnacious Prime Minister hit back, accusing the Labour leader
0:26:00 > 0:26:05of talking down the country.
0:26:05 > 0:26:0917 months after the referendum, they say there can be no hard border
0:26:09 > 0:26:14but haven't worked out how.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19They say they'll protect workers' rights, then vote against it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Isn't the truth this government has no energy,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23no agreed plan and no strategy to deliver a good
0:26:23 > 0:26:29Brexit for Britain?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Let me tell him, I'm optimistic about our future.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I'm optimistic about the success we can make of Brexit.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39I'm optimistic about the well-paid jobs that will be created.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41I'm optimistic about the homes we will build.
0:26:41 > 0:26:49That's Conservatives, building a Britain fit for the future.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Spreadsheet Phil got to his feet and tried
0:26:51 > 0:26:54to strike an optimistic tone, but without many stars in his back
0:26:54 > 0:27:00pocket he didn't have much joy to spread around the camp.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02The growth forecasts were down, hit by lower-than-expected
0:27:02 > 0:27:08levels of productivity.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11He did find some money for housing but less than the £50 billion
0:27:11 > 0:27:13that the Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, wanted.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15He also talked about measures to help with the roll-out
0:27:15 > 0:27:20of universal credit, and found a bit of cash for the NHS.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Over the next five years we will commit a total of at least
0:27:24 > 0:27:25£44 billion of capital funding, loans and guarantees
0:27:25 > 0:27:29to support our housing market, to boost the supply of skills,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33resources and building land, and to create the financial
0:27:33 > 0:27:36incentives necessary to deliver 300,000 net additional homes per
0:27:36 > 0:27:42year on average by the mid-2020s.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45But we also recognise that the NHS is under pressure right now.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49I am, therefore, exceptionally, outside the spending review process,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52making an additional commitment of resource funding of £2.8
0:27:52 > 0:28:02billion to the NHS.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05The Chancellor's rabbit was an appeal to the youth vote
0:28:05 > 0:28:07by scrapping stamp duty for first-time buyers on properties
0:28:07 > 0:28:11worth up to £300,000.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13But then some people said that will actually increase house prices.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Sorry, Thumper.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20With effect from today, for all first-time buyer
0:28:20 > 0:28:24purchases up to £300,000, I am abolishing stamp
0:28:24 > 0:28:27duty altogether.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30When we say we will revive the homeowning dream
0:28:30 > 0:28:32in Britain, we mean it.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge,
0:28:34 > 0:28:41but today we have made a substantial down payment.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Labour said the measures wouldn't make a difference.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48The reality test of this Budget has to be how it affects
0:28:48 > 0:28:51ordinary people's lives.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54I believe as the days go ahead and this Budget unravels,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58the reality will be a lot of people will be no better off and the misery
0:28:58 > 0:29:03that many are in will be continuing.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06They call this a Budget fit for the future.
0:29:06 > 0:29:13The reality is, this is a government no longer fit for office.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Others said the Chancellor hadn't addressed the real risks
0:29:15 > 0:29:19posed to the economy.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23This was an opportunity for the Chancellor to restore some
0:29:23 > 0:29:25confidence in the economy and he failed, dismally.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29Living standards are going to be severely curtailed.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31We've got a very severe squeeze continuing in public services.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35That's the ugly reality of the Budget.
0:29:35 > 0:29:36Never mind Phil's problems.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40His Budget hasn't unravelled yet, which by recent standards
0:29:40 > 0:29:42is a total triumph.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45What about me, stranded in the BBC jungle?
0:29:45 > 0:29:51Apparently the place is a graveyard of lefties.
0:29:51 > 0:29:52I think I recognise him.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Didn't he used to run the new ideas unit?
0:29:54 > 0:29:59The truth is, we fished out the best talent in the BBC and they are now
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Conservative members of Parliament.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04It was so great to see so many of you here today.
0:30:04 > 0:30:10Maybe there are only lefties left in the BBC.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14I'm not waiting around here, eating grubs, hoping that CCHQ
0:30:14 > 0:30:16is going to come and rescue me.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21I'm on This Week, get me out of here!
0:30:24 > 0:30:30Maybe it won't taste so bad with a little bit of salt.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Thanks to St John's Wood Adventure Playground in North London.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36No creepy crawlies were harmed in that film.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38But we haven't seen Emma since.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41And hot off the press from Novara media is political commentator
0:30:41 > 0:30:48and millennial brain, Ash Sarkar.
0:30:48 > 0:30:55Welcome. Michael, the Tories said a pretty low bar for a Philip Hammond
0:30:55 > 0:31:03for this Budget. Just don't screw it up. Job done?Yes. So far.You don't
0:31:03 > 0:31:10know what could be in the details? To get this far is quite a triumph.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13I think a little bit better than that. I think the stamp duty
0:31:13 > 0:31:17announcement was welcomed. I think a certain number of young people,
0:31:17 > 0:31:22middle-class young people inking about the possibility of buying a
0:31:22 > 0:31:26home, would have been cheered by that. The money for the NHS would
0:31:26 > 0:31:35have been pretty well received.Not so much by the NHS.What?Not so
0:31:35 > 0:31:40much by the NHS, we never thought -- didn't think it was nearly enough.
0:31:40 > 0:31:45Yellow They always do.It was a generous gesture, certainly compared
0:31:45 > 0:31:49with the many other demands. I think the Chancellor would have got a fair
0:31:49 > 0:31:52amount of sympathy because his problems were pretty much external.
0:31:52 > 0:31:58It was the downgrading of the forecast by the OBR, the Office for
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Budget Responsibility, that gave him his biggest problem. Since we were
0:32:02 > 0:32:05in a position where the British economy had performed better than
0:32:05 > 0:32:10many people thought it was going to, it was rather odd that the OBR
0:32:10 > 0:32:13suddenly produced these pessimistic estimates for the future, which the
0:32:13 > 0:32:19Chancellor is bound to include in his Budget.Alan, he loosened his
0:32:19 > 0:32:23belt. He is spending a bit more here and there. Deficit reduction has
0:32:23 > 0:32:30been slowed down. Is this a change of tack?I don't think so. He has
0:32:30 > 0:32:39got more tax returns than expected. He is spending more on this Budget.
0:32:39 > 0:32:45It is very marginal. Let's face it, he was expecting Theresa May to give
0:32:45 > 0:32:54him the sack, and she ended up giving him throat lozenges.That was
0:32:54 > 0:32:59entirely on staged. It absolutely just happened.We are now seven
0:32:59 > 0:33:03years into a Conservative government. Two years ago George
0:33:03 > 0:33:09Osborne was saying we would eradicate borrowing by 1990 -- by
0:33:09 > 0:33:142020. We would be in surplus by 2021. We have heard all of this guff
0:33:14 > 0:33:18about how this is a Budget for tomorrow. It has been an absolute
0:33:18 > 0:33:22disaster. The trade gap is wider than ever. Productivity is abysmal.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27It is not as if this is happening in every country. It is not happening
0:33:27 > 0:33:31every country in Europe. We are doing worse than any country in
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Europe except Greece. Look what is happening in Portugal. They are
0:33:34 > 0:33:41managing to come back from the crisis of 2008.They are actually
0:33:41 > 0:33:46coming back from 2012. They are later in the cycle. Does spending a
0:33:46 > 0:33:52bit more here and there, does that Spike Labour Party guns are simply
0:33:52 > 0:33:58make the case for even more borrowing?I don't think it is
0:33:58 > 0:34:03parking tanks on Labour's long at all. We have seen more of the same
0:34:03 > 0:34:08from Philip Hammond. Cosmetic measures to prop up a broken
0:34:08 > 0:34:11orthodoxy. I don't know what planet you are on when you think that was a
0:34:11 > 0:34:15positive showing from the Chancellor. There have been
0:34:15 > 0:34:20estimates that wages are going to stay stagnant, or indeed fall for
0:34:20 > 0:34:24the next decade. That disposable household income is going to keep
0:34:24 > 0:34:28falling until 2020. Real people are sovereign. And you can throw us a
0:34:28 > 0:34:37Railcard here or Stamp Duty decrease there, it is not actually addressing
0:34:37 > 0:34:42the fundamental structural problems embedded in our economy.We have had
0:34:42 > 0:34:46wage stagnation for ten years. The latest forecasts suggested could be
0:34:46 > 0:34:52for another years. They take this into the 20 20s. The Budget did
0:34:52 > 0:34:59nothing to address that.Well, it could be that is going to happen, it
0:34:59 > 0:35:01could be something completely different. Forecasts are generally
0:35:01 > 0:35:07wrong. I don't know talking about which planet we're wrong, I don't
0:35:07 > 0:35:12know what government measures will transform people's wages or the
0:35:12 > 0:35:18productivity of the economy.Growth. Growth is a product of productivity
0:35:18 > 0:35:22as much of the other way round. There are businesses and people out
0:35:22 > 0:35:25there who have to do their bit. The government has created conditions in
0:35:25 > 0:35:29which we have massive employment. We have nearly every shoulder to the
0:35:29 > 0:35:34wheel. Our growth is at a disappointing rate. Actually, we
0:35:34 > 0:35:41have done rather better than most European countries in recent years.
0:35:41 > 0:35:49Those who got screwed by the euro are Spain, Italy and Greece.For the
0:35:49 > 0:35:55foreseeable future the OBR is saying that we won't ever reach 2% again
0:35:55 > 0:36:00for the foreseeable future. Of course, they are forecasts. If the
0:36:00 > 0:36:06OBR is wrong on this, does it survive its reputation?Well, I
0:36:06 > 0:36:13think they have finally been realistic. They were forecasting
0:36:13 > 0:36:18increases in productivity. Now they have said it's a much more rigorous
0:36:18 > 0:36:23look at what is likely to happen. If we don't see that, fine. There is
0:36:23 > 0:36:30nothing in the Budget. Let alone that, nothing about adult social
0:36:30 > 0:36:35care, the biggest crisis we face. And the poorest in our society,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39under every government since the war until the coalition two years in,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43made sure that benefits, people on the lowest income, have their pay
0:36:43 > 0:36:47increased. They will be frozen for another two years with inflation at
0:36:47 > 0:36:523%. Wherever you look, this is not a government that is doing well on the
0:36:52 > 0:36:58economy. Michael does his best, as he does every year. Every Budget.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03But every Budget it is fantasyland. What is more likely to happen is the
0:37:03 > 0:37:06growth figures are correct rather than incorrect. Because there is
0:37:06 > 0:37:14nothing happening to stimulate it. Should we be borrowing more?I think
0:37:14 > 0:37:20that we need to really reimagine what the role of the state is. You
0:37:20 > 0:37:23you said that businesses need to create employment, we need to pull
0:37:23 > 0:37:27more people into the economy. That is only useful if the jobs being
0:37:27 > 0:37:31offered are quality jobs, not precarious, not part-time, not low
0:37:31 > 0:37:35paid. The role the government can take is to bring in legislative
0:37:35 > 0:37:40measures to encourage more secure forms of contract, paid work like a
0:37:40 > 0:37:43temp and minimum wage, not the National Living Wage put in by the
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Conservatives, which is being revised lower and lower with
0:37:47 > 0:37:51seemingly every passing day. And I think that what a government can do
0:37:51 > 0:37:57is really, like I said, chop off a broken economic orthodoxy.I don't
0:37:57 > 0:38:02know what that means.Neoliberalism isn't working. Austerity isn't
0:38:02 > 0:38:12working.Why is the German economy growing?It is a neoliberal economy.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16But they haven't done to the same extent as we have seen in this
0:38:16 > 0:38:21country is privatise games and socialise losses. What we have seen
0:38:21 > 0:38:26is a tremendous shifting the burden of private debt onto the nation's
0:38:26 > 0:38:32taxpayer. That is what we have seen in this country. Philip Hammond
0:38:32 > 0:38:35yesterday, on something that hasn't been reported much, was floating
0:38:35 > 0:38:39plans to sell off government shares in RBS. That would be a 26 billion
0:38:39 > 0:38:47loss. That is tremendous. That is not austerity for everyone. That is
0:38:47 > 0:38:51austerity for poor and socialism for the rich.The word austerity is
0:38:51 > 0:38:54always bandied around in these discussions. When the coalition came
0:38:54 > 0:38:59to office, the country was spending ten percentage points more each year
0:38:59 > 0:39:04than it was actually earning. And now it is spending 2.4 percentage
0:39:04 > 0:39:08points more each year than it is earning. In other words, every year
0:39:08 > 0:39:12we have lived beyond our means. And every year we have been increasing
0:39:12 > 0:39:17the national debt. And every year we're past the cost of set --
0:39:17 > 0:39:21serving the national debt to our children and grandchildren. There
0:39:21 > 0:39:24has not been austerity because we have never lived within our means.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28And it is frankly immoral that we have always lived beyond our means
0:39:28 > 0:39:32today to add more of the services that people demand, more of the
0:39:32 > 0:39:35welfare state, water the NHS, so that future generations will have to
0:39:35 > 0:39:38spend more on servicing debt and will have less to spend on those
0:39:38 > 0:39:45services themselves.I think we have seen the creation of a public health
0:39:45 > 0:39:49crisis and the chronic underfunding of these services. A study found
0:39:49 > 0:39:59that since 2012 there have been 120,000 extra unnecessary deaths.
0:39:59 > 0:40:05How much would you like to be?We need to revisit some ideas about
0:40:05 > 0:40:10what borrowing can do in terms of stimulating growth.How large would
0:40:10 > 0:40:14you like the national debt to be? If you think 86% is not high enough,
0:40:14 > 0:40:21what would you like it to be?The current model of using taxpayers'
0:40:21 > 0:40:24money to subsidise shareholders and corporations is unsustainable.Just
0:40:24 > 0:40:31tell me how big you want the national debt to be.We brought it
0:40:31 > 0:40:36down to 36% from 42%. When the coalition came in, there was a
0:40:36 > 0:40:41growth rate of 3.1%. George Osborne didn't inherit a recession and
0:40:41 > 0:40:45deliver growth, it was the other way round. It was a double dip
0:40:45 > 0:40:51recession. Then he changed to Alistair Darling's plan. He took £18
0:40:51 > 0:40:55billion of capital investment that was put aside for capital
0:40:55 > 0:40:58investment, no better time to do with them when interest rates were
0:40:58 > 0:41:03zero, and ever since then there has been no real investment in our
0:41:03 > 0:41:05infrastructure, which is what Germany does very well. What
0:41:05 > 0:41:11countries all over Europe have done very well.People can look out of
0:41:11 > 0:41:16their windows MCE investment. We have got the largest infrastructure
0:41:16 > 0:41:23projects in Europe.One of the big issues in the German election last
0:41:23 > 0:41:27year, highlighted by your colleagues in the social Democrats, was how
0:41:27 > 0:41:32Germany has not invested recently in its infrastructure.But they are
0:41:32 > 0:41:37putting capital investment.No, the problem is they haven't done,
0:41:37 > 0:41:43particularly in the digital Economy Bill, but of course the
0:41:43 > 0:41:47infrastructure they had in the 70s, 80s and 90s was pretty good. A final
0:41:47 > 0:41:53thought from you?I would like to see an economy built towards the
0:41:53 > 0:41:56maximisation of human flourishing for everybody in this country. What
0:41:56 > 0:42:00I don't want to see is a falling standard of living for most of us.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05While the rich get richer. What the resolution foundation found was that
0:42:05 > 0:42:08for the richest third in society, they would be better off to the tune
0:42:08 > 0:42:13of £185 per year. The poorest third will be worse off by over £700 a
0:42:13 > 0:42:18year. Not only does that seem grotesquely unfair, it is not
0:42:18 > 0:42:22sustainable. A big change has to come across. It can either be one of
0:42:22 > 0:42:26social justice, reducing inequalities, or you can let the far
0:42:26 > 0:42:30right make electoral gains. OK. Thanks for joining us.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33A wise person - so clearly none who's ever been in this show -
0:42:33 > 0:42:35once said, "It is not power that corrupts but fear.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it."
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Rather ironically, those words are attributed to an erstwhile
0:42:40 > 0:42:42stateswoman and international hero whose star has rather
0:42:42 > 0:42:44waned in recent months. Her name: Aung San Suu Kyi.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47But what is the allure of power that losing it causes such fear?
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Robert Mugabe, given his tyranny, had much to fear from losing power.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55But he seems to have got away with it.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58And what does it feel like to be on cusp of losing it,
0:42:58 > 0:43:02like Gerry Adams and Angela Merkel?
0:43:02 > 0:43:13This week we're putting power in the Spotlight.
0:43:22 > 0:43:27After 37 years, Robert Mugabe's iron grip on power has evacuated.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32I formally tender my resignation as the President of the Republic
0:43:32 > 0:43:34of Zimbabwe, with immediate effect.
0:43:34 > 0:43:40But will his successor abuse executive power in the same way?
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Those superpowers that the President has
0:43:43 > 0:43:44in the constitution will be limited.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49That is what we need going forward, a leader, not a ruler.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Mugabe couldn't hang on, but can Angela Merkel stay in power
0:43:51 > 0:43:54after coalition talks collapsed this week?
0:43:54 > 0:43:58TRANSLATION:No, resigning was never an option.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03I always said that I wanted to serve Germany for a further four years.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05What if you want to jump before you are pushed?
0:44:05 > 0:44:08After 34 years in charge, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams thinks
0:44:08 > 0:44:11it's time to stand down.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Leadership means knowing when it's time to change.
0:44:13 > 0:44:19And that time is now.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21And what if you're powerful but you don't really
0:44:21 > 0:44:22know what you're doing?
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Stephen Kinnock shuts up and listens to his wife.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41And isn't it nice to sometimes feel totally powerless?
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Stanley Johnson's enjoying being lost in the jungle.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46I do not have to think about Brexit at all.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50We have to think about breakfast.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51What you propose on breakfast.
0:44:51 > 0:44:52Breakfast.
0:44:52 > 0:44:53Breakfast.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57Breakfast, or not breakfast?
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Yeah, all right, Margaret, let's hear what you've
0:44:59 > 0:45:06got to say about power.
0:45:06 > 0:45:14Welcome to Margaret Cho.
0:45:14 > 0:45:23Does political power always corrupt? I don't know. I think it depends on
0:45:23 > 0:45:29what you are a politician for. If you are a politician to be there for
0:45:29 > 0:45:34the people, maybe that's a little different to if you decide to try to
0:45:34 > 0:45:39get Russia to vote you into power. It's different.Robert Mugabe said
0:45:39 > 0:45:44he was there for the people when he became leader of Zimbabwe, having
0:45:44 > 0:45:47been a freedom fighter against colonial rule and white minority
0:45:47 > 0:45:54rule after the British period. He was corrupt.It's a pretty good
0:45:54 > 0:46:02ruse. The way that Trump did it was to seem like he was going Rogue,
0:46:02 > 0:46:08like he was also there to shake everything up.Trained the swamp.
0:46:08 > 0:46:18Yes, to drain the swamp. To train the masses, somehow, or to turn it
0:46:18 > 0:46:25into a reality competition show.But the magic of democracy, as compared
0:46:25 > 0:46:32to tyranny is like Mr Mugabe's Zimbabwe, is that even powerful
0:46:32 > 0:46:37leaders are constrained. And we've seen that in America, where Mr Trump
0:46:37 > 0:46:43has come up against the US Constitution.Yes.Most times, the
0:46:43 > 0:46:47US Constitution has one.Yes, and I think that that is the one thing
0:46:47 > 0:46:56that we have. Our defence is that we have a good constitution. We have
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Congress, a house of Representatives, but there is a lot
0:46:59 > 0:47:05of corruption there, too. I think Donald Trump is concerned with his
0:47:05 > 0:47:10image and how he looks on social media more than anything else. I
0:47:10 > 0:47:17think he is more constrained by his own ego and misunderstanding of what
0:47:17 > 0:47:22government is.Does power always corrupt?In democracies, I don't
0:47:22 > 0:47:27think people experience very much power. People have to compromise all
0:47:27 > 0:47:35the time with their own party, with the electorate, with the media.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39Examples of individual power are few and far between. Tony Blair's
0:47:39 > 0:47:46decision to go to war in Iraq is an unusual example of the real personal
0:47:46 > 0:47:50exercise of power.But that was agreed by Parliament.That is
0:47:50 > 0:47:56perfectly true. But it was his decision. He argued it through, he
0:47:56 > 0:48:02made it happen. That is what I mean. Even something that the Budget this
0:48:02 > 0:48:05week, it is so constrained, so difficult for the Chancellor. That
0:48:05 > 0:48:12has to get through Parliament too, to stand the test of the press. In
0:48:12 > 0:48:18democracies, I'm not sure power is the right word at all.Maybe an area
0:48:18 > 0:48:21where there will be less power, particularly power for men of being
0:48:21 > 0:48:25able to do what they want, as a result of all the Harvey Weinstein
0:48:25 > 0:48:32fallout. That was power, these are all power plays.Yes.Particularly
0:48:32 > 0:48:38now that women are now more ready to speak out, rather than try to make
0:48:38 > 0:48:44it never happened, that is going to curb some power, isn't it?Yes, and
0:48:44 > 0:48:49that's incredible to see. I was around the film industry in the 90s,
0:48:49 > 0:48:52I was with Tarantino between Reservoir dogs and pulp fiction, and
0:48:52 > 0:49:00you could not have had a larger kingdom than Miramax. Miramax was
0:49:00 > 0:49:06everything.And that was Harvey Weinstein?That was Harvey and Bob
0:49:06 > 0:49:10and that was their kingdom and Quentin Tarantino was their crown
0:49:10 > 0:49:14prince. They could do whatever they wanted. They were absolutely above
0:49:14 > 0:49:21the law. I have never seen such an egregious display of power. It's
0:49:21 > 0:49:26insane that all of that has been toppled.Maybe these days are over.
0:49:26 > 0:49:34What brings you to these shores?I am doing a show here, to explain all
0:49:34 > 0:49:42the stuff about sexual harrassment and...When can we see it?I will be
0:49:42 > 0:49:50in London at the O2. Shepherd's Bush. I don't know.You don't know
0:49:50 > 0:49:53but you are touring round the country.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55So that's your lot for tonight.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Scripts by Joey Essex, costumes by Clowns R Us,
0:49:57 > 0:49:58studio by Her Majesty's Pleasure.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01After news that Brexit Secretary David Davis insisted on having
0:50:01 > 0:50:04the RAF fly him around Europe, we've decided we deserve the same.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06So we have an armoured division waiting outside to take us
0:50:06 > 0:50:08to Lou Lou's nightclub.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10Should make quite an impact when we arrive.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14Alas, Michael's determined to go full commando,
0:50:14 > 0:50:17which has got the rest of us worried.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20He's not been the same ever since he coined
0:50:20 > 0:50:25the phrase Who Dares Wins?
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Nighty, night.
0:50:26 > 0:50:31Don't let the gobbler bite.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35# Could it be forever or am I just wasting time?
0:50:35 > 0:50:38# I don't think so, because you let me know.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40# You make me feel like you're mine.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42# Well, I feel like you're mine.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45# And I can't remember when the feelings have been stronger.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49# And all I know is I can't let go of you.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53Hi, Drumstick.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55# Just a little while longer.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56Wow!
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Big bird.
0:50:58 > 0:51:08Drumstick, you are hereby pardoned.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Drumstick and his friend will live out their days at Gobbler's Rest.
0:51:11 > 0:51:17Beautiful place.