:00:11. > :00:19.This is Free Speech. Your chance to have your say about what matters to
:00:19. > :00:29.you live on BBC Three. Free speech is the right to express
:00:29. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:47.APPLAUSE Good evening. Welcome to Free
:00:47. > :00:53.Speech. I'm Jake Humphrey. Tonight we are live in Colchester for our
:00:53. > :01:02.American election special. That's not Colchester Vermont and not
:01:02. > :01:06.Colchester Illinois, I am talking about whole Chester Essex --
:01:06. > :01:10.Colchester Essex. Joining me tonight, you usually hear her
:01:10. > :01:16.reading the news on the Breakfast Show, tonight she is up late just
:01:16. > :01:21.for you, so please tonight, get in touch with Tina Daheley. Tina, it
:01:21. > :01:24.is lovely to see you. Thank you for being here. I hope you have got
:01:24. > :01:30.your alarm clock set for tomorrow morning. Tonight, we want you to
:01:30. > :01:35.log on to Facebook, Twitter and BBC online. Here are our addresses
:01:35. > :01:40.because it is time to make your voice heard on Free Speech. This is
:01:40. > :01:46.the only TV show with the Power Bar. You can power it up on Twitter. All
:01:46. > :01:50.you have to do is use the hashtag yes or no, followed by the first
:01:50. > :01:53.name of one of our panellists. As there is a rather important
:01:53. > :01:57.election happening on the other side of the Atlantic today, we have
:01:58. > :02:06.two experts on all things American on our panel. She doesn't believe
:02:06. > :02:13.that Mitt Romney should be running her country, Professor Sarah
:02:13. > :02:20.Churchwell and Doctor Tim Stanley. We have for Labour, Doctor Tristram
:02:20. > :02:30.Hunt, in the blue corner, he is young, bright and very much on the
:02:30. > :02:34.
:02:34. > :02:38.right, it is Josephine Cook. He was -- Joe Cooke and Doctor Julian
:02:38. > :02:41.Huppert. It is lovely to have you with us. Welcome to Free Speech. If
:02:41. > :02:49.that wasn't enough talent for one evening, we will be hearing from
:02:49. > :02:56.this man. I'm Jerry Springer. I will have a
:02:56. > :02:59.message for you. In the meantime, enjoy Free Speech. All right, Jerry
:02:59. > :03:05.Springer. Let's move on, after campaigning for two years and
:03:05. > :03:11.spending get this, $6 billion, Obama and Romney are taking it to
:03:11. > :03:16.the wire. Who do we think is going to win? Who thinks Obama? Mitt
:03:16. > :03:20.Romney? Anyone for Mitt Romney? One lone man clapping at the back for
:03:20. > :03:24.Mitt Romney. Well, whoever wins will be known as the leader of the
:03:24. > :03:27.free world, but does it really matter to us in the UK? Well, we
:03:27. > :03:37.asked a group of young American students to explain how important
:03:37. > :03:41.this election is for us. I think that the United Kingdom
:03:41. > :03:44.need look no further than Iraq to understand why this election is
:03:44. > :03:47.important to them. Every foreign policy decision,
:03:47. > :03:52.every war that the US enters, it will have a dramatic effect in the
:03:52. > :03:57.UK and chances are you guys will get dragged along with us.
:03:58. > :04:05.It can be summed up in three words, policy, preception and people.
:04:05. > :04:10.Even though people here in the UK aren't affected by the care. The
:04:10. > :04:14.Air Ablt, they will have to feel the the effects of what we do like
:04:14. > :04:18.with the debt ceiling and the reSerbs just as we will --
:04:18. > :04:24.recession just as we will feel what the UK does.
:04:24. > :04:28.It feels that the UK relationship is vep symbolic and important --
:04:28. > :04:32.very symbolic. Foreign policy, there will be a
:04:32. > :04:35.difference rather than the drama of who said what and when.
:04:35. > :04:45.Whether you are the Prime Minister or typical working class Brit, it
:04:45. > :04:49.
:04:49. > :04:51.will change how your life functions. APPLAUSE
:04:51. > :04:55.So they are the the Class of of 2012.
:04:55. > :04:59.America's world domination seems to be fading. Will the outcome of this
:04:59. > :05:05.presidential election matter to the global community? OK, the global
:05:05. > :05:11.community including us in the UK. Sarah, you first of all? I would
:05:11. > :05:16.say that Class of 2012 made a good good case. Our economies are Inter
:05:17. > :05:21.twined. So that the ramifications of American economic policy which
:05:21. > :05:28.is really being hotly contested in this election, they will have real
:05:28. > :05:31.effects depending on whether Obama's policies are implemented or
:05:31. > :05:36.Romney's policies on spending o about whether they are going to be
:05:36. > :05:39.cutting Government programmes that employ people and social and
:05:39. > :05:44.economic inequality and how that relates to social inequality and
:05:44. > :05:49.how that impedes the economies. There are other questions about why
:05:49. > :05:54.this election matters a lot as they also said there correctly, foreign
:05:54. > :06:02.policy matters a lot. A lot of us saw Romney in the final debate say
:06:02. > :06:10.that it was important that we need to think about Iran and Syria and
:06:10. > :06:15.their alliance. It suggests he knows about as much about world
:06:15. > :06:24.geography as Sarah Palin does which is not a lot. He says the greatest
:06:24. > :06:30.threat that America faces is Russia. There is a real sense in which the
:06:30. > :06:34.decisions that are made, will it be driven by diplomacy or or trying to
:06:34. > :06:39.build allegiances, these are real questions that affect people
:06:39. > :06:44.outside the borders of America let alone the domestic issues that
:06:44. > :06:49.America is facing. Tim, you didn't laugh at Sarah
:06:49. > :06:52.Palin joke. I can't see Russia from my house like Sarah Palin can, but
:06:52. > :06:54.I can see when a president is getting things wrong. What I would
:06:54. > :06:58.say on the importance of this election, it comes down to two
:06:58. > :07:01.things. First of all, the desperate need for leadership when it comes
:07:01. > :07:05.to tackling the problems of the Middle East. We have US embassies
:07:05. > :07:08.being attacked. We have Iran trying to develop a bomb. We have Israel
:07:09. > :07:13.uncertain of its relationship and its alliance with America, Barack
:07:13. > :07:17.Obama has not visited Israel since becoming president. So we have a
:07:17. > :07:24.great deal of tension overseas, but the most important issue is that of
:07:24. > :07:31.debt and spending and Barack Obama US debt topped $16 trillion. That
:07:31. > :07:37.has not resulted in a significant fall in unemployment. It is at 7.9%,
:07:37. > :07:42.pretty much where it was when he was inaugurated four years ago. It
:07:42. > :07:47.affects us directly. Why? Because our economies are
:07:47. > :07:51.linked. As long as America is suffering and has bad leadership
:07:51. > :07:55.and is heading toward the fiscal cliff of not being able to afford
:07:55. > :08:00.what it does anymore, as long as we come closer to that, that does
:08:00. > :08:05.threaten us in Britain too. Well, two opposing views. A shake
:08:05. > :08:10.of the head from Sarah. People online have been empowered, they
:08:10. > :08:19.understand the vital importance of an American election.
:08:19. > :08:22.A viewer says she agrees the US is powerful. Stacey says the USA is so
:08:22. > :08:28.powerful and the world should care, but they don't.
:08:28. > :08:31.Do you think the USA is important? It is. The world does care, but it
:08:31. > :08:37.is a brilliant question because what you suggested was that it is
:08:37. > :08:41.not all about America anymore and in Beijing they will be choosing
:08:41. > :08:45.the new leadership of China and that's going to be as important for
:08:45. > :08:52.this country and the world over the text ten years as who enters the
:08:52. > :09:00.White House. In 2018, the Chinese economy is is going to be bigger
:09:00. > :09:06.than the American economy and companies in in Stoke-on-Trent is
:09:06. > :09:12.going to be affected. Joe? He highlights the rise of
:09:12. > :09:16.China. This is why America today is more important than ever before.
:09:16. > :09:24.The world faces an uncertain future. There is a potential nuclear arms
:09:24. > :09:28.race. We have troubles in the south-east Asian seas, but China is
:09:28. > :09:36.demanding sovereignty of islands which the Japanese own. We need a
:09:36. > :09:40.powerful America. An America which has subsidised the expenditure of
:09:40. > :09:44.Europe. An America that kept peace in the international community and
:09:44. > :09:48.an America that I want to be more powerful than ever before because
:09:48. > :09:52.we really need them. We have a panel that thinks that
:09:52. > :09:56.this is vital for Britain. Your thoughts? It clearly is vital. It
:09:56. > :09:59.is worth saying, lots of countries matter. China matters, Brazil,
:10:00. > :10:03.there are lots and and lots of countries that are beginning to
:10:03. > :10:07.develop. There are some long-term things as well as the foreign
:10:07. > :10:11.policy issues and whether you deal with problems by talking to people
:10:11. > :10:15.and things like climate change. That is going to define what
:10:15. > :10:18.happens to our future for the next 20, 30, 40 years. We have Obama who
:10:18. > :10:22.is going to do something about it. You have Romney who runs the other
:10:22. > :10:26.way. We can't get the world to try to solve a massive problem like
:10:26. > :10:31.that with a US which is hugely dominant in that area and is doing
:10:31. > :10:41.everything it can to deny climate change. It is essential for that
:10:41. > :10:43.
:10:43. > :10:45.reason reason alone that Obama wins and not Romney.
:10:45. > :10:48.APPLAUSE I would love to get your views on
:10:48. > :10:51.how important this election is for each of you sitting in this room
:10:51. > :10:58.tonight. The pou the Power Bar should have its first outing of the
:10:58. > :11:04.evening. Get ready to find out what the audience at home make of you.
:11:04. > :11:09.Democracy in action. Sarah you are connecting with the
:11:09. > :11:14.audience and Tim, you have got catching up to do. I want to hear
:11:14. > :11:19.from Rebecca. You spent a lot of time working out in the States
:11:19. > :11:23.under the Bush administration? don't want to reiterate a lot of
:11:23. > :11:28.the things that have been said. I would like issue with the fact that
:11:28. > :11:33.Romney is running the other way from climate change. All our
:11:33. > :11:36.economies are intertwined, so foreign policy, yes. This is an
:11:36. > :11:42.economic issue too. They have different stances on where they
:11:42. > :11:46.want to take the economy. I think on that issue alone, not saying the
:11:46. > :11:50.others aren't important, that is going to, it could trigger a lot of
:11:50. > :11:56.how we are looking at solving economic crisises in Europe. So
:11:56. > :12:00.there is a lot of issues that this election matters.
:12:00. > :12:04.You at the back? It is a spin off of what Tim said. He mentioned
:12:04. > :12:11.there was an American Embassy attacked in Syria, but that was due
:12:11. > :12:18.to a product of American Islamophobia, it was a video made
:12:18. > :12:24.to offend Muslims. Do we feel this radical view, giving it a platform
:12:24. > :12:28.is what the world needs given there is a conflict going on? Everybody
:12:28. > :12:31.including those on the religious right denounced that video. That
:12:31. > :12:37.video was not responsible for the attack in Libya. That was an act of
:12:37. > :12:44.terror. And And was an indicator of how America is locked in a war of
:12:44. > :12:50.terror. America done have to speak on behalf of its private citizens
:12:50. > :12:54.when it does dumb things. America doesn't need to appoll yis for its
:12:54. > :13:01.-- apologise for its citizens. Americans Say crazy stuff. It is
:13:01. > :13:05.not the Government of the -- it is not the job of the Government to
:13:05. > :13:10.apologise for it. Natasha, how do you think Obama has
:13:10. > :13:15.done? Well, if you look at world surveys, they indicate that most of
:13:15. > :13:20.the world want him to win and so he has a very different approach from
:13:20. > :13:24.the Republicans in that he has tried to be conciliatory, open,
:13:25. > :13:29.multi-lat ral and work with people and use soft power instead of using
:13:29. > :13:33.force. If you look at that, the fact that the world seems to be
:13:33. > :13:37.wanting him to win, and that he has four more years of experience
:13:37. > :13:41.working in foreign policy, Mitt Romney has been a governor and has
:13:41. > :13:45.had no foreign policy experience and that was evident in the debates.
:13:45. > :13:50.He didn't seem to know what direction he wanted things to go.
:13:51. > :13:54.It would make sense to go with someone who has been recognised and
:13:54. > :13:57.won the Nobel Peace Prize and seems to have won the respect of the
:13:57. > :14:01.international community. We have a chunk of Americans
:14:01. > :14:06.sitting behind you. Well done for battling the A12 to be here this
:14:06. > :14:10.evening! I would like to know why you guys
:14:10. > :14:15.think at the start of the programme I mentioned Obama and it got a
:14:15. > :14:22.cheer compared to one man clapping for Mitt Romney. Who would would
:14:22. > :14:26.like to explain that to us? There is a celebrity factor with Obama. A
:14:26. > :14:29.number of people don't know most of his policies. They know Obama the
:14:29. > :14:36.figure and Obama the name and they are not responsive to all that he
:14:36. > :14:42.has to offer. Julian, how do you feel knowing
:14:42. > :14:48.that $6 billion has been spent on this campaign? Nchts it is a huge
:14:48. > :14:53.amount of money. The thing that is a worry, I am not an expert on US
:14:53. > :14:57.campaign law. There is more freedom to spend money to say things
:14:57. > :15:02.negative about can candidates. It is a shame that you are trying to
:15:02. > :15:10.hack other people off off rather than trying to show what you can do,
:15:10. > :15:14.it is what the other person got There's a good comment here. Ellie
:15:14. > :15:19.says how close the contest is between Obama and Romney. She says
:15:19. > :15:24."If a single American wastes their vote, I'll be insanely disappointed
:15:24. > :15:30.in them." Talking about that, has it been a waste of money to spend
:15:30. > :15:35.that $6 million to be so negative. Everything I've seen is negative.
:15:35. > :15:38.Unquestionably. I've lived in this country for 13 years. I'm asked
:15:38. > :15:42.repeatedly about when are Americans going to get their gun laws under
:15:42. > :15:45.control? When will Americans sort out health care? When are they
:15:45. > :15:49.going to sort out climate change? And the answer to all of those,
:15:49. > :15:54.sounds like I'm evading the question, is when we get campaign
:15:54. > :15:59.finance reform. Until they aren't under the thumb of special
:15:59. > :16:02.interests and corporate lobbyists and there is a plutocracy that is
:16:02. > :16:05.running things. As long as the corporate interests drive financial
:16:05. > :16:08.regulation, drive gun law and everything that's going to help
:16:08. > :16:12.them make a profit and one of the most extraordinary things that
:16:12. > :16:17.happened and one of the other reasons this presidency matters a
:16:17. > :16:22.lot to Americans and potentially - this election rather - is that
:16:22. > :16:26.during the next four o eight -- to eight years we are looking at the
:16:26. > :16:29.retirement of up to four Supreme Court justices. That's a chance,
:16:30. > :16:33.it's a generational chance, not just a four-year election cycle
:16:33. > :16:37.because the Supreme Court, the justices there sit for life. So
:16:37. > :16:40.once you put somebody on the Supreme Court, they're there for a
:16:40. > :16:43.generation, controlling policy. One of the things that happened in 2009
:16:43. > :16:46.was a decision called citizens united that ruled that corporations
:16:46. > :16:50.had the same rights as individuals to donate without worry about
:16:50. > :16:54.conflict of interest and without having to disclose what their
:16:54. > :16:58.donations had been. All of that, negative campaigning is simply a
:16:58. > :17:01.symptom of a much greater problem about constant electioneering and
:17:01. > :17:05.the way money is being allowed to drive the American political
:17:05. > :17:09.process. I don't think it is in the interest of any American who loves
:17:09. > :17:11.their country to sit by idly and watch that happen. It is destroying
:17:11. > :17:17.the process. It's destroying democracy.
:17:17. > :17:22.APPLAUSE Rebecca, how have you felt watching
:17:22. > :17:26.the debate unfold from the other side of the Atlantic? From the
:17:26. > :17:31.other side? You've been here? probably very similar. The Supreme
:17:31. > :17:35.Court is a big issue and why the election matters. The negative
:17:35. > :17:40.campaigning is, I think, much harder, it's hard to explain how
:17:40. > :17:43.negative it is when you're here. If you're in the US and you're at a
:17:44. > :17:47.point when they're -- where they're turning off the TVs. It's not one
:17:47. > :17:51.party going negative versus the others. It's all negative, at the
:17:51. > :17:54.local and national level. It's a symptom of a greater cause that
:17:54. > :17:59.Americans are fed up with the political process. I don't know if
:17:59. > :18:02.I'm getting to your question, but it's a bad, negative, just nasty
:18:02. > :18:06.climate now, going back to the point Americans wasting their vote,
:18:06. > :18:10.we will see lower turn out this year. People are staying home
:18:10. > :18:17.saying, I'm going to the ballot box and I don't want this one or this
:18:17. > :18:22.one soy might just sit this one outment I don't think that it's
:18:22. > :18:30.fair that we label negative campaigning as always a bad thing.
:18:30. > :18:34.For instance, Mitt Romney's record there have been many ads about the
:18:34. > :18:37.capital. That's the record he's running on. The idea of negative
:18:37. > :18:43.ads being bad because they point out of the past of a candidate, I
:18:43. > :18:48.think is counterintuitive. Yeah but Barack Obama ran an add which
:18:48. > :18:55.claimed that Mitt Romney had given a guy's wife cancer. It claimed
:18:56. > :18:59.that woman's husband would have been sacked and then she fell ill
:18:59. > :19:02.and died. The dismissal happened long after Mitt Romney left the
:19:02. > :19:06.company, that kind of advertising is bad for left and right. We know
:19:06. > :19:11.about Mitt Romney that famously he loves firing people. We know about
:19:11. > :19:16.Mitt Romney that... APPLAUSE
:19:16. > :19:22.Let me finish. You don't know the full context of the quote. What we
:19:22. > :19:25.do know is that he set about ripping the heart out of industries
:19:25. > :19:28.to get shareholder return for a few number of people. He practised a
:19:28. > :19:32.model of capitalism which has been shown over the last four to five
:19:32. > :19:37.years to be devastating. This is why it's a very important election
:19:37. > :19:43.because you have two very different visions of the economy, opening up
:19:43. > :19:47.before us. You have a Keynesian vision, an Obama vision, a stimulus
:19:47. > :19:53.vision to help the middle class. With governor Romney you have a
:19:53. > :19:56.classic, Bush-ear ya, Thatcherite- era, neo-liberal version of
:19:56. > :20:03.economics. So it's very, very important that the votes are thot
:20:03. > :20:08.wasted. -- are not wasted. You're right but there can be limits right.
:20:08. > :20:11.It doesn't need to be an extreme either or that you can point out
:20:11. > :20:16.inaccuracies in somebody's campaign without being able to just run amok
:20:16. > :20:23.and make things up when you want to. We've crossed a line, surely.
:20:23. > :20:27.classic inaccuracy is the "I like firing people quote. He said I like
:20:27. > :20:30.firing people who provide bad services. I think he just likes
:20:30. > :20:33.firing people. I've always felt that. This is the important point
:20:33. > :20:37.about the choice in this race between capitalism and social
:20:37. > :20:41.democracy. He doesn't want the public sector to be too big because
:20:41. > :20:47.he wants to give consumers the power to say no. Let's not get
:20:47. > :20:53.boged down in the detail. It's a good time to hear from
:20:53. > :20:55.people at home. Most people at home agreeing with this, "Of course the
:20:55. > :21:01.election will affect the UK. Everyone knows if the US sneezes
:21:01. > :21:07.the UK catches a cold." Adam, also backs up a point made in
:21:07. > :21:11.the audience before about celebrity. "Celebrity endorsement is much more
:21:11. > :21:18.powerful. The terrifying thing being that an endorsement from
:21:18. > :21:24.Bieber or Cyrus could ultimately decide the fate of the world. "We
:21:24. > :21:27.shouldn't forget that Gary Barlow endorsed David Cameron.
:21:27. > :21:31.Hang on. Interesting point from Samantha, OK, "Britain should be
:21:31. > :21:41.allowed to vote for the President too. They took us to war. Their
:21:41. > :21:44.actions affect us." Britain took itself to war quite happily.
:21:44. > :21:47.As always your messages at home are getting the panel talking. Thank
:21:47. > :21:57.you. If you want your point of view read out, you've got to make it
:21:57. > :22:02.
:22:02. > :22:08.read out, you've got to make it We're going wrap that question up
:22:08. > :22:13.there and move on. At 16 you can marry, pay taxes, join the Army,
:22:13. > :22:16.but unless you live in Scotland, you can't vote. Now the 2014
:22:16. > :22:20.referendum on Scottish independence will give 16 and 17-year-olds the
:22:20. > :22:24.vote for the very first time. But that law isn't, as yet, being
:22:24. > :22:32.extended to England. So let's meet Lydia. She's 17. She wants to vote.
:22:32. > :22:37.This is her story. I'm 17 from Colchester. I live by
:22:37. > :22:41.myself. I've been living on my own for about a year now. I'm directly
:22:41. > :22:49.affected by politics. The council or Government have cut out free bus
:22:49. > :22:54.passes. I have to walk an hour to college and an hour back. I think
:22:54. > :22:58.you should be able to vote when you're 16. Politics affects
:22:58. > :23:03.everyone. I have to buy food and the food costs affect me and the
:23:03. > :23:06.rising electricity and gas and water bills affects me as well. It
:23:06. > :23:10.does frustrate me that people who have the vote don't use it. There
:23:10. > :23:14.are people who are younger who could have that vote. Excuse me,
:23:14. > :23:20.could I ask you a few questions. How old swine flu 17. Would you
:23:20. > :23:24.like to be able -- How old are you? 17. Would you like to vote? Yes. I
:23:24. > :23:27.think I'm mature enough, It would be a good idea to put it at 16
:23:27. > :23:31.because it would give people our age the opportunity to vote.
:23:31. > :23:34.don't think we should because I think we're too young to make that
:23:34. > :23:40.decision now. Voting at 18 because most people take an interest at
:23:40. > :23:46.that point. 16-year-olds are not mature enough yet.
:23:46. > :23:52.How old are you? 23. Do you vote? No. Why? I don't see the point.
:23:52. > :23:56.old are you? 23. Do you vote? don't trust people in politics, soy
:23:56. > :24:01.don't bother. That's a wasted vote. I'll have his if he's not using it.
:24:01. > :24:06.Thank you for doing that for us. Our second question now from
:24:06. > :24:10.Patricia. I'm 17 years old. I'd love to vote. So why can't I?
:24:10. > :24:15.on then, Tim, you love politics, why can't the 1 and 17-year-olds of
:24:15. > :24:20.this country be involved? reasons, first, because there are
:24:20. > :24:24.many mature 17-year-olds, I'm sure you're one. There are many immature
:24:24. > :24:26.21-year-olds who shouldn't be voting. Either way there's a higher
:24:26. > :24:30.probability that someone under 18 isn't quite mature or ready enough
:24:30. > :24:33.yet to vote. Now to that you will immediately say, but they can do so
:24:33. > :24:39.many other things. But many of the things on that list I would say
:24:39. > :24:44.they probably shouldn't be doing. Second reason... We pay taxes, this
:24:44. > :24:51.is the thing. You probably shouldn't be paying tax then. My
:24:52. > :24:56.second point is that I'm a small state guy. I'm a Libertarian kind
:24:56. > :25:01.of guy. I think it's strange that there's this obsession with people
:25:01. > :25:05.defining their humanity and dignity by being integrated into the state
:25:05. > :25:10.and political process. I would say if you're under 18 and you want to
:25:10. > :25:14.make a difference in the world, volunteer. Do missionary work. You
:25:14. > :25:17.know sign up, do the cadets. There are so many great things that you
:25:17. > :25:21.can do. You don't just have to define yourself and relationship to
:25:21. > :25:26.other people through the process of voting. But then surely, as a young
:25:26. > :25:34.person in society, I should be able to say who I want to be in power. I
:25:34. > :25:37.mean, instead of volunteering, I'm sure that's a lovely thing to do.
:25:37. > :25:42.The Lib Dems have been very keen on voting from 16. I think you should
:25:42. > :25:45.be able to vote. We have just introduced a bill into the House of
:25:45. > :25:48.Lords, to say that you should be able to vote from 16. It's
:25:48. > :25:52.absolutely right. There are huge number of 16-year-olds who are
:25:52. > :25:56.totally mature enough, probably more than most MPs, so that's an
:25:56. > :26:00.easy threshold. The other issue is how we make sure other people do
:26:00. > :26:04.vote. Far too many young people just don't vote. If you've seen the
:26:04. > :26:07.west wing, politics is done by those who show up. If you don't
:26:07. > :26:11.vote, politicians don't care as much about what you think. Votes at
:26:11. > :26:15.16 and if we can get more young people, all you and your friends to
:26:15. > :26:19.vote, that would be fantastic. is the thing, they've got to tell
:26:19. > :26:23.us how. As this guy was saying, nobody knows what to do. I would
:26:23. > :26:26.love to know, at school, tell me what to do. Tell me about politics.
:26:26. > :26:31.Teach me the history of it. more we empower people the more
:26:31. > :26:34.they'll want to vote. Exactly. is very much part of the debate. If
:26:34. > :26:40.we allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote, which I totally agree with,
:26:40. > :26:44.our generation has a voice and we will be heard. If we allow them at
:26:45. > :26:47.16, we can integrate it with our civic classes. We can teach people
:26:47. > :26:54.to love politics at the same time they get the vote rather than
:26:54. > :26:58.waiting two years and lose it. on. I want to talk about what your
:26:58. > :27:02.party has done over the last 13 years. Don't worry about that.
:27:02. > :27:08.There's an interesting point there. Because we're going to teach voting
:27:08. > :27:13.in civic classes. What if you have a very, very dynamic, charismatic
:27:13. > :27:19.teacher of certain political views, he takes a class of 16 and 17-year-
:27:19. > :27:23.olds, he tells them the truth about the UK independence party and he
:27:23. > :27:27.takes you to the polling station and says, well I've shown you both
:27:27. > :27:31.sides, but now you want to vote. We have to deal with this carefully.
:27:31. > :27:36.But I would say that it's absolutely important that more and
:27:36. > :27:41.more young people are involved in politics because politics at the
:27:41. > :27:46.moment, is hammering young people. When it comes to withdrawal of
:27:46. > :27:51.Educational Maintenance Allowance, the withdrawal of child benefit,
:27:51. > :27:53.the raising of tuition fees politics is hammering the young
:27:53. > :27:58.generation. We want young people involved in politics, passionately.
:27:58. > :28:04.We can't just jump into this. There are safe guards issues. I think the
:28:04. > :28:08.Scottish referendum is so interesting. Let's see how it goes.
:28:08. > :28:12.You say we shouldn't jump into it, but it should eventually happen?
:28:12. > :28:15.I'm here to be convinced. I don't know. The other issue is we have a
:28:15. > :28:18.lot of 18-year-olds and 19-year- olds who can vote and why aren't
:28:18. > :28:22.they vote sning There's lots of hands in the air. I want to hear
:28:22. > :28:29.from you in a moment. First Tina from early comments. Before we get
:28:29. > :28:32.to the audience, Max agrees with you Tim. Thank goodness. "18-year-
:28:33. > :28:38.olds rarely have any idea about the differences between the parties,
:28:38. > :28:45.adding 16 and 17-year-olds isn't going to improve this." Sarah,
:28:45. > :28:50.what's the situation in the Usmani? In the US, 18 is the age -- in the
:28:50. > :28:55.USA? In the US it's 18. You can vote at 18 and you can serve in the
:28:55. > :29:00.armed forces but you can't drink until you're 21. I agree with you.
:29:00. > :29:03.If you pay taxes, we fought a war because we believe in no taxation
:29:03. > :29:10.without representation. You should not be taxed if you do not have a
:29:10. > :29:14.voice in your representation. That is completely undemocratic.
:29:14. > :29:18.Don't tax them. It's remarkable that you all were so immature at 16
:29:18. > :29:25.and became so remarkably mature and 18 and 21. It's an arbitrary cut
:29:25. > :29:31.off. My feeling is that what we should have is an age of majority.
:29:31. > :29:34.We shaud gree what that is. At that point you are at the age of consent.
:29:34. > :29:38.Should it be 16? I'm not particularly bothered about which
:29:38. > :29:41.year it is but it should be consistent so you aren't caught in
:29:41. > :29:45.the traps where you have obligations but not privileges.
:29:45. > :29:55.have a feeling you might be popular on the power bar after that. Let's
:29:55. > :29:56.
:29:56. > :30:06.see if there's an update from the Sarah, you are still connecting
:30:06. > :30:09.
:30:10. > :30:11.with the audience at home. Both equally unpopular!
:30:11. > :30:13.LAUGHTER You keep referring to the fact that
:30:13. > :30:17.16-year-olds can pay tax. Well, when a ten-year-old spends his
:30:17. > :30:22.pocket money in the local shop, he is contributing to VAT, are we
:30:22. > :30:29.saying that a ten-year-old should be able to vote? Where are we
:30:29. > :30:36.drawing the line? It is not about being able to pay tax at 16. We
:30:36. > :30:42.allow them to make decisions, to specialise in their educational, we
:30:42. > :30:48.allow them to get married. We allow them to join the Armed Forces. I
:30:48. > :30:53.have I have been politically active since 15. I was able at 16 to have
:30:53. > :30:57.my voice heard and I did at 18. At 18, that two year difference makes
:30:57. > :31:01.a huge impact. It is not about forgetting, but you lose interest
:31:01. > :31:08.in it. The first time you vote is the most important time you will
:31:09. > :31:18.vote. If you start voting younger, you shall continue the trend. It is
:31:18. > :31:22.a 15% difference between those who left school and voted. As we have
:31:22. > :31:28.seen this evening, a lot of people are interested in politics and
:31:28. > :31:30.ideas, but how that moves into political parties, how people join
:31:30. > :31:34.political parties is a real challenge, not just here and
:31:34. > :31:37.America or in Europe and going from feeling passionate about something
:31:37. > :31:41.and being angry about something or finding something difficult to
:31:41. > :31:48.joining a party, standing for election, all those things, that is
:31:49. > :31:51.where the current generational gap is hitting us.
:31:51. > :31:57.That's what these people are obsessed about, getting people to
:31:57. > :32:03.join their political party. That's how change happens, Tim.
:32:03. > :32:07.Let's hear the comments at home. Abigail says, "The majority of 16-
:32:07. > :32:11.year-olds are too easily persuaded and they will be targeted by
:32:11. > :32:19.politician with ridiculous policies." I am not sure who she is
:32:19. > :32:23.referring to there. How important is it to educate
:32:23. > :32:29.young people? I work with a lot of people who are 18 and don't know
:32:29. > :32:34.how to vote. That's a big problem. We go into schools and get people
:32:34. > :32:37.on the electoral register, we getting people 100 at a time on to
:32:37. > :32:41.the electoral register who didn't know that's what you need to do
:32:41. > :32:45.before you can think about turning up to a polling station.
:32:45. > :32:47.Has anything been done until you get there?
:32:47. > :32:55.Under current Government legislation, it will be more
:32:55. > :32:58.difficult to get people on to the electoral registration. It is
:32:58. > :33:01.scandalous what they are doing. If you are a young person, and if you
:33:01. > :33:06.are moving around, it will be more difficult to cast your ballot.
:33:06. > :33:14.The changes are something Labour introduced. The idea it is the head
:33:14. > :33:19.of the of the house household who says, "Who is allowed to be able to
:33:19. > :33:25.vote?" It should be individual registrations. It is right that we
:33:25. > :33:29.should encourage people. They did it in Northern Ireland and one
:33:30. > :33:33.million fell off the register. The the key thing is to get people
:33:33. > :33:37.registered, not let some adult in the family decide when they are
:33:37. > :33:40.able to vote and get registered. We need do more about students, that's
:33:40. > :33:44.right. Well, if you want more students to
:33:44. > :33:54.vote and do things, try not cutting everything from them. Because all
:33:54. > :33:55.
:33:55. > :33:58.you do is infuriate them. APPLAUSE
:33:58. > :34:00.You will only vote to get stuff? Is that how you see democracy. It is
:34:00. > :34:03.about signing people up so they can get stuff.
:34:03. > :34:10.You vote for yourself, for whatever you believe in the most, you don't
:34:10. > :34:16.vote for anyone else, you vote for what is best for you. And your
:34:16. > :34:26.values. Tim would have you believe thaw
:34:26. > :34:32.
:34:33. > :34:34.vote to -- believe that you vote to get a tax credit.
:34:34. > :34:36.APPLAUSE We take the view that people vote
:34:36. > :34:39.for great ideals be they Conservative or Liberal Democrat or
:34:39. > :34:41.Socialist as well as voting for what will get you a job, which will
:34:41. > :34:44.look after your kids at school. These are all important things and
:34:44. > :34:46.people begin to vote when these matter to them. You have to begin
:34:46. > :34:52.voting early. Let's get into the audience.
:34:52. > :34:59.Back to the point that young people are immature. People at 16 are
:34:59. > :35:03.immature. How hold you? 17. What would you
:35:03. > :35:07.like to see change snd. Just important things like taxes and
:35:07. > :35:11.things being reduced and child benefit not being taken off.
:35:11. > :35:12.I suppose it is one of the important points that young people
:35:12. > :35:17.are experiencing education and experiencing public transport
:35:17. > :35:21.because they need to use it or youth services, but they are not
:35:21. > :35:24.being heard, but they are the people at the coalface? That's one
:35:24. > :35:28.of the reasons why Labour introduced tuition fees after
:35:28. > :35:38.promising not to. I was a student when they were put in and I
:35:38. > :35:40.
:35:40. > :35:44.campaigned against them. Your Government put in �9,000 a year.
:35:44. > :35:51.I know you vibg interrupting people -- you like like disrupting people.
:35:51. > :35:54.You were advising Peter Mandelson who wanted to have them unlimited.
:35:54. > :35:58.You should not mislead. Young people should be able to vote
:35:58. > :36:03.because it will matter. Older Older people are more likely to vote and
:36:03. > :36:08.are treated and benefits that go to older people... The point about
:36:08. > :36:18.this Government, it is this extraordinary attack on young
:36:18. > :36:18.
:36:18. > :36:26.people. Give them the vote. This is what you are you are voting for to
:36:26. > :36:30.get these people to argue on you are behalf.
:36:30. > :36:39.Labour messed up. All the soft courses.
:36:39. > :36:43.How did it mess up? By letting more people go to university? There are
:36:43. > :36:50.more photography graduates than photography jobs and certain jobs
:36:50. > :36:55.would be better to be in apprenticeships. The English
:36:55. > :37:01.baccalaureate is a good idea. But with with regards to politics it is
:37:01. > :37:07.a journey you go on from 16 to 18 you change and develop. So waiting
:37:07. > :37:11.until you are 18 is more important. You can get involved in the Youth
:37:11. > :37:15.Parliament. You are frustrated, but you think you shouldn't get the
:37:15. > :37:21.vote until you are 18? Well, I was involved with the Conservative
:37:21. > :37:25.Party when I was 15. That's why you are keen on the
:37:25. > :37:33.Government. You can raise aspiration, but not
:37:33. > :37:37.give them soft courses. That 16 to 18 period is a period of growing.
:37:37. > :37:41.You have had your hand up for a long time? When I was 16 I thought
:37:41. > :37:46.I knew it all. I was in politics and I thought if I voted then that
:37:46. > :37:51.would be like a really good thing and I knew what I was talking about,
:37:51. > :37:55.but now I am 18, I didn't know anything and I was really into
:37:55. > :38:00.politics and most people at most schools from my experience actually
:38:00. > :38:04.don't really care. There is only a few that do and I was one of those
:38:04. > :38:09.and looking back I really didn't know.
:38:09. > :38:15.When you are 30, you will feel the same when you were 18. That's what
:38:15. > :38:18.happens when we grow older and we learn.
:38:18. > :38:22.It seems obvious that being inform and ready to vote is about your
:38:22. > :38:25.life experiences and the influences you have and the people you have
:38:25. > :38:34.talked to and the professors and the people in your lie and it seems
:38:34. > :38:39.to me the sarriest the scare scariest thing about a 16 yearly
:38:39. > :38:45.voting is that person would only have had one physics teacher that
:38:45. > :38:49.influenced their views. We need to have these cuts offs. There was no
:38:49. > :38:56.way we can test people's maturity and statistically 18-year-olds have
:38:56. > :39:00.had more life experience. The key is people's voting
:39:00. > :39:04.intentions will be from their parents. You need the maturity, you
:39:04. > :39:05.need the capacity. You can line up the vote with
:39:05. > :39:10.taxation which is what should be happening.
:39:10. > :39:15.A final comment from the audience. I am 17 and I have got so much to
:39:15. > :39:18.worry. I am in college at the moment. I have got to find a job to
:39:18. > :39:22.pay for my petrol for my car because I have just passed my test.
:39:23. > :39:29.I don't have the time to worry about voting. I have got too much
:39:29. > :39:35.on my plate. Trisha, you start this, you should
:39:35. > :39:39.end it. If you don't feel ready to vote at 16, who says you have to do
:39:39. > :39:48.it. I file frustrate -- I feel frustrated that I can't, give us
:39:48. > :39:50.the vote. What a way to end.
:39:50. > :39:53.APPLAUSE Let's see if there are has been
:39:53. > :39:59.changes to the Power Bar. No, with Sarah, it was your comments about
:39:59. > :40:06.no taxation that got everybody going at home. It is a good one!
:40:06. > :40:16.Julian is catching up. Let's get messages at home. Conflicting views.
:40:16. > :40:36.
:40:36. > :40:42.LAUGHTER Very nice.
:40:43. > :40:48.If you would would like to influence the Power Bar, jump on to
:40:48. > :40:53.Twitter now. Use the hashtag followed by their first name
:40:53. > :40:56.depending on whether you agree or disagree. It isn't scientific, but
:40:56. > :41:00.make your voice heard on Free Speech. We would love to hear from
:41:00. > :41:04.you. We have had a chat with our panel. It is time to move on to our
:41:04. > :41:09.next topic and this is a huge issue on both sides of the Atlantic with
:41:09. > :41:13.British and American politicians wading into the debate on abortion.
:41:13. > :41:18.When we posted about this in our Facebook and Twitter pages we
:41:18. > :41:21.received an unbelievable response and Rosalind Thomas up load this
:41:21. > :41:26.message. It is a fact that human life begins
:41:26. > :41:30.from conception and therefore, each and every abortion kills a tinely
:41:30. > :41:35.and helpless human being. We don't need to put limits on abortion, we
:41:35. > :41:39.need to abolish abortion. With we need to think about the last time
:41:39. > :41:43.that legislation was put forward like this. He had good intentions,
:41:43. > :41:48.but amendments were made which brought in abortion up to birth for
:41:48. > :41:53.disabled children in this country. I think that if legislation like
:41:53. > :41:59.this was put forward again there would be similar amendments made to
:41:59. > :42:02.it which would sacrifice more children. We cannot take this risk.
:42:03. > :42:08.Hannah has a question for us. Don't you think that people should
:42:08. > :42:12.have the right to choose when they abort a baby? Well, let's go into
:42:12. > :42:17.our audience. Lee. I think there are a couple of things here, for me
:42:17. > :42:22.I would say that I don't think that there should be any limit on
:42:22. > :42:27.abortion. The the 24 week one we have right now is wrong. MP Hunt's
:42:27. > :42:32.suggestion to reduce that to 12 weeks or Maria Miller's suggestion
:42:32. > :42:36.to reduce it to 20 weeks, I think all those are wrong. For me, I
:42:36. > :42:41.think, abortion should be decriminalised and it should be
:42:41. > :42:46.regulated under sort of law that sort of regulates medical procedure
:42:46. > :42:50.in general and for two reasons. One, is a pragmatic one which is that,
:42:50. > :42:55.you know, when a woman is faced with an unplanned pregnancy is it
:42:55. > :43:04.better to force this woman to have a baby she doesn't want and to, you
:43:04. > :43:12.know, or to give her some control over her reproductive life and
:43:12. > :43:17.those things? I would go with the latter. Real life is messy and
:43:18. > :43:21.unplanned pregnancies are a fact of of life. Everyone is not going to
:43:21. > :43:25.agree. If you are religious, you will you will think abortion is
:43:25. > :43:35.wrong. If you go with the 24 week rule, you think after that, it is
:43:35. > :43:37.
:43:37. > :43:43.wrong. If you are a woman, you know, faced with a an with an unplanned
:43:43. > :43:48.pregnancy, you will never see it as murder or killing. Whichever side
:43:48. > :43:51.of the argument you are on, is to allow to decriminalise abortion
:43:51. > :43:55.basically. Would you agree with that pro-life?
:43:55. > :44:00.No, I wouldn't agree with that comment. I think actually it
:44:00. > :44:04.undermines the speernings of a lot -- experience of a lot of women.
:44:04. > :44:08.The reason it is a crisis is because this a huge decision faced
:44:09. > :44:14.by people and what we should be look to go do as a society to open
:44:14. > :44:18.up up options for women which gives them real positive alternatives,
:44:18. > :44:22.emotional support and practical support and I would hope that, you
:44:22. > :44:25.know, expending the options should reduce the number of people who
:44:25. > :44:30.said they had an abortion because they had no other choice.
:44:30. > :44:40.Tina, what has been said online? Elliot is coming at it from a man's
:44:40. > :44:45.
:44:45. > :44:51.What are your opinions, gentlemen? Well, in Islam, the principles is
:44:51. > :44:56.that abortion, where base -- we are pro-life pro-life however each and
:44:56. > :45:00.every case is judged. Each case is judged in according to the
:45:00. > :45:06.circumstance. We consider the rights of the foetus and the rights
:45:06. > :45:10.of the mother. So my question here in this wation is - -- situation,
:45:10. > :45:15.what factors do they judge in accord oobst to determine what age
:45:15. > :45:25.should be cut off for abortion? Is it based on the mother or the state
:45:25. > :45:31.
:45:31. > :45:39.It's not criminal. It is perfectly legal in this country. What about
:45:39. > :45:44.the woman who has been sentenced to prison for a late-term oborgs. I'm
:45:44. > :45:49.saying it should be a civic matter. Who is anyone to decide on my
:45:49. > :45:54.behalf what I do with something that is basically about my autonomy
:45:54. > :45:59.and a decision about my body. Who is anyone to force me to tell me I
:45:59. > :46:02.should... Viewers shouldn't think that abortion is criminal. At the
:46:02. > :46:09.moment in this country it's not the case, it's regulated under criminal
:46:09. > :46:13.law. I think this is such a sensitive issue for obvious reasons.
:46:13. > :46:16.There are are a couple of key points. The first is that it isn't
:46:16. > :46:21.just a question of a woman's body but of the rest of her life because
:46:21. > :46:24.she is then a mother. She then has responsibilities for that life. She
:46:24. > :46:30.has economic, moral, psychological, emotional responsibilities. That's
:46:30. > :46:34.the first point. The second point is that there are religious,
:46:34. > :46:37.people's religious beliefs come into play, but, and to go to that
:46:37. > :46:42.woman's point about an array of options, I would agree. I would
:46:42. > :46:46.call an array of options choice. Within the context of choice
:46:46. > :46:49.individuals are free to make decisions that are consistent with
:46:49. > :46:53.their conscience, with their religious beliefs, with their own
:46:53. > :46:58.family values w, their ideas. I think that the scare tactics of
:46:58. > :47:04.suggesting that women are prif lusly going, oh, I'm pregnant,
:47:04. > :47:09.that's a drag, I have a party next week. I think I'll have an
:47:09. > :47:13.abortion." It is a crisis. But the real issue is surely, and people
:47:13. > :47:17.characterise it as if it's a debate between abortions or no abortions
:47:18. > :47:20.or early and late abortions, it is a debate between safe abortions and
:47:20. > :47:25.unsafe. But the fact of the matter is...
:47:25. > :47:30.APPLAUSE That women who do not wish to be
:47:30. > :47:34.pregnant Have since time immemorial sought to rid themselves of
:47:34. > :47:39.unwanted children. They will continue to do so. This is a matter
:47:39. > :47:42.which disproportionately affects the poor. More affluent Willoughby
:47:42. > :47:45.go to countries where it's legal and safe. Less affluent will find
:47:45. > :47:49.themselves not just in danger but also with more children and we also
:47:49. > :47:52.have economic policies which are supposed to be dissuading the poor
:47:52. > :47:57.from having more children. None of this is consistent. You see the
:47:57. > :48:00.number of arms up in the air. This is an important point to people. To
:48:01. > :48:04.apologise if you have issues with your picture at home. We are having
:48:04. > :48:13.a few technical problems. This is a huge issue in the US as well when
:48:13. > :48:16.it comes to election time? It isn't, always been an issue but it's never
:48:16. > :48:22.factored so centrally in a campaign as this year. We don't have to go
:48:22. > :48:25.into the reasons but it is central right now, central to the theme to
:48:25. > :48:30.the woman voting and to the males as well. It's putting both the
:48:30. > :48:34.Democrats and Republicans at very uncomfortable positions for both of
:48:34. > :48:38.them. The Republican party is went out to try to get very politically
:48:38. > :48:42.to get part of the Catholic vote and come in on their side on
:48:42. > :48:47.contraception issue. It brought up this part of the party that not all
:48:47. > :48:50.of it is in tune with. I want to make sure we debunk the myth that
:48:50. > :48:55.all Republicans are pro-life and all Democrats are pro-choice.
:48:55. > :48:59.That's not in tune with reality. Consider it debunked. That's one
:48:59. > :49:04.thing I see permeated over here. couple of comments from the
:49:04. > :49:09.audience in a sec. A message from Kieran who says "I think abortion
:49:09. > :49:17.should only be used if the baby is from a rape or the mother may die."
:49:17. > :49:21.Let's hear from our audience members, fire away. On the idea
:49:21. > :49:25.that it should only be if rape or if the mother's health is in danger,
:49:25. > :49:29.it doesn't show that like a woman's situation isn't always consistent.
:49:29. > :49:36.It may change. She might lose her job and she wouldn't physically be
:49:36. > :49:44.able to take care of a kid. Are you pro-abortion? I am pro-choice.
:49:44. > :49:52.Nobody's pro-abortion. In which week? I don't think there should be
:49:52. > :49:56.a limit. Really? Interesting. think when it comes to abortion, I
:49:56. > :50:01.think, I wouldn't like to see it criminal aislesed again. I think so
:50:01. > :50:07.many women suffered when it was criminalised. However, I do think
:50:07. > :50:12.it is too, the abortion limit is too high. 24 weeks, you know,
:50:12. > :50:20.premature babies have survived. Where would you like to see it?
:50:20. > :50:24.the mid-teens. Very, very few abortions between weeks 20 and 24.
:50:24. > :50:28.Those are exceedingly rare and happen at the most difficult
:50:28. > :50:33.circumstances. It's not, you know, you don't come to that decision
:50:33. > :50:37.arbitrarily. That is through really tough, scientific and moral debate
:50:37. > :50:41.which happens about every ten years in Parliament and in a national
:50:41. > :50:45.discussion. So you know, we've all seen the pictures. We've all seen
:50:45. > :50:50.the wonderful images of the child and that emotional response, but
:50:50. > :50:53.don't think for a minute that 24 weeks is a common event. It's
:50:53. > :50:56.exceedingly rare. We need to move on. We only have a couple of
:50:56. > :51:00.minutes. Hillary Clinton said it best when she said it should be
:51:00. > :51:04.safe, legal and rare. What we need is better sex relationship
:51:04. > :51:09.education. We No Speak Americano need to stop unwanted pregnancies
:51:09. > :51:19.rather than an obsession with termination. Sex education and on
:51:19. > :51:24.tra ception are the best ways to stop abortion. The key underlying
:51:24. > :51:28.question is when does human life become precious? Human life is
:51:28. > :51:33.always precious. Well, if it's precious, then why is this
:51:33. > :51:38.happening, but does human life become precious when we can survive
:51:38. > :51:45.on our own as an unborn child? Is it precious when we can think or
:51:45. > :51:49.when we can feel pain? That is the question. Where do you stand?
:51:49. > :51:53.Christian answer is that the Bible says that we are all made in God's
:51:53. > :51:56.image, so right from day one, our lives are precious. There is
:51:56. > :52:03.something unique about being human in that we are made in God's
:52:03. > :52:06.likeness in a way that horses or dogs or cows aren't. What's
:52:06. > :52:11.happening in our country is actually whether it's 12 weeks or
:52:11. > :52:16.24 weeks, it's a greet tragedy, it's a great crime because we are
:52:16. > :52:20.killing hundreds of thousands of precious human lives. At the very
:52:20. > :52:23.least it's why this debate is worth having. There probably is a
:52:23. > :52:28.consensus even amongst pro-life and pro-choice people because those
:52:28. > :52:31.terms are very flexible. There is a consensus against criminalisation.
:52:31. > :52:36.But there is agreement for a need to do something to encourage a
:52:36. > :52:40.culture of life, to do something which says to women, they have a
:52:40. > :52:43.choice. How about giving them economic power, contraception, sex
:52:43. > :52:47.education, then they will actually feel that motherhood is something
:52:47. > :52:50.that they can face. We should remember what happens in Northern
:52:50. > :52:53.Ireland. Northern Ireland unlike the rest of the UK does not have
:52:53. > :52:57.legal termination was a few exceptions. It's astonishing that
:52:57. > :53:01.women in Northern Ireland are forced to come to the mainland to
:53:01. > :53:06.have terminations. It's disgraceful. It's astonishing that roughly
:53:06. > :53:10.180,000 abortions are performed in this country... 191,000. Thank you.
:53:10. > :53:13.Whether you think that's right or wrong there must be a debate about
:53:13. > :53:19.that. It's such a potential tragedy, it's a crisis for an individual
:53:19. > :53:23.woman. We can have the debate but you need decisions. And choices.
:53:23. > :53:25.The fact of the matter is the vast majority of scientific and public
:53:25. > :53:31.opinion regards the current system as working OK. That's why the
:53:31. > :53:41.Health Secretary is saying we should cut it to 12 weeks. It's a
:53:41. > :53:43.
:53:43. > :53:49.terrifying intervention. Is 191,000 abortions working OK? No-one wants
:53:49. > :53:54.to see that many abortions. 91% of abortions take place before the
:53:54. > :54:03.12th week any way. We're talking about a very small amount. This is
:54:04. > :54:08.all about contraception, empoirplt, sex education. -- empowerment. You
:54:08. > :54:13.don't want to begin this assault on women's reproductive rights. Here,
:54:13. > :54:16.here. I think that at the end of it all it's the woman's decision what
:54:16. > :54:21.she wants to do with the rest of her life. It's a big commitment. I
:54:21. > :54:26.don't think they should be solely controlled by politicians who may
:54:26. > :54:31.have an antiquated view. To be honest, my opinion on abortion is
:54:31. > :54:36.that it shouldn't be done at all. You're throwing a life away. It
:54:36. > :54:39.could be something great when it's older. It's not the state's
:54:39. > :54:47.position to legislate on what a woman can do with her body. It's up
:54:47. > :54:52.to her. There you go. That's why Free Speech is so special. So many
:54:52. > :54:55.comments. Some final messages? a very personal story from Yasmin,
:54:55. > :54:58.who says "I lost my child at 22 weeks pregnant and after seeing his
:54:59. > :55:04.perfect structure I would never think of having an abortion that
:55:04. > :55:07.late on or ever. It is clear that restictions need to be made on the
:55:07. > :55:11.availability of abortions. Every woman is entitled to their own
:55:11. > :55:17.reasons for undergoing an abortion, but it cannot be a decision that be
:55:17. > :55:20.taken lightly." Alys makes the point that, "If abortion was banned,
:55:20. > :55:26.it wouldn't stop. It would become unsafe. If a woman wants an
:55:26. > :55:30.abortion she will have one." That's all we have time for. Let's look at
:55:30. > :55:33.the power bar to see what impression you've made on the
:55:33. > :55:38.audience at home throughout the debate. Look who it is. What a
:55:38. > :55:46.surprise, Sarah. APPLAUSE
:55:46. > :55:49.You have the floor. My honour at having won? I'm an American, I like
:55:49. > :55:53.winning. We're very competitive. So thank you very much.
:55:53. > :55:55.That's all you'd like to say, thank you very much. I'd like to say I
:55:55. > :56:01.hope Obama wins. I'd like to say that I hope...
:56:01. > :56:04.CHEERING I'd like to say that I hope that
:56:04. > :56:07.abortion remains safe and legal and a choice. I have lots of hopes.
:56:07. > :56:11.That's enough. I think you've had your time. Thank
:56:11. > :56:16.you. That's it. Thanks to our audience, our panel and to you at
:56:16. > :56:20.home for sending in your comments. A round after plauz for the panel.
:56:20. > :56:26.Join us in Newcastle, November 27. This man has the final word. Thank
:56:26. > :56:30.you for watching tonight's debate on Free Speech. I hope it made you
:56:30. > :56:35.think about the importance of the American election in your life,
:56:35. > :56:39.living here in Great Britain. It may not or you may not care about
:56:39. > :56:45.it, but it does matter. It does affect your life.
:56:45. > :56:49.Here's why - America has a great influence in this world
:56:49. > :56:53.economically, militarily, culturally and decision that's are
:56:53. > :56:59.made in America and the strength of America, particularly economically