:00:22. > :00:25.Welcome to Politics Scotland. As Scottish politicians tweet their
:00:25. > :00:31.congratulations to President Obama, we will assess what his victory
:00:31. > :00:36.could mean for the wider world. We have picked ourselves up, we
:00:36. > :00:43.have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the
:00:43. > :00:46.United States of America the best is yet to come.
:00:47. > :00:49.Holyrood took the international perspective too this afternoon
:00:49. > :00:53.examining Scotland's relationship with Malawi.
:00:53. > :00:57.Alex Salmond reflects on becoming Scotland's longest-serving First
:00:57. > :01:00.Minister today, looking back over the highs and lows.
:01:00. > :01:05.Here at Westminster, congratulations from all sides to
:01:05. > :01:09.President Obama on his re-election victory. But also as well questions
:01:09. > :01:13.- could it mean a tightening of the British economy in the future?
:01:13. > :01:20.Welcome to the programme. We are out of our usual slot as Andy
:01:20. > :01:27.Murray played in the ATP World Tour. I'm joined by Hamish Macdonnell.
:01:27. > :01:33.Before we get down to normal business, you are doing Movember?
:01:33. > :01:39.am. It is a charity thing, where men all over the world try and grow
:01:39. > :01:44.the biggest moustache they can through November so I suggest you
:01:44. > :01:47.get me back in three weeks to see how I have got on! Looking at
:01:47. > :01:52.President Obama, an historic victory for him? It is a very
:01:52. > :01:55.significant achievement, I think. For anybody to win re-election at a
:01:55. > :01:58.time of this amount of economic trouble and economic woe that the
:01:58. > :02:05.world and the United States is going through, it is very
:02:05. > :02:12.significant. I think that just from a personal point of view, to have
:02:12. > :02:17.won so convincingly is a very, very big achievement. Of course, that
:02:17. > :02:23.comes with the proviso that America is a divided nation politically.
:02:23. > :02:26.President Obama has a lot to do to try and bridge that now very, very
:02:26. > :02:33.deep divide on both sides politically in the United States to
:02:33. > :02:38.really move forward. Let's turn to another issue - another political
:02:38. > :02:45.leader, Alex Salmond, celebrating as he is the longest-serving First
:02:45. > :02:49.Minister in Scotland? I know there's only been a field of four -
:02:49. > :02:53.we had Jack McConnell who lasted for five-and-a-half years and then
:02:53. > :02:58.Alex Salmond. It is a significant achievement to become the longest-
:02:58. > :03:02.serving First Minister in Scotland, in the short time of devolution.
:03:02. > :03:05.He's most of the time managed to do so very well. He has commanded the
:03:05. > :03:10.complete support of his party and commanded big support throughout
:03:10. > :03:14.the country. He has had his highs and lows. Congratulations to him.
:03:14. > :03:17.He has coming up to him one of the most important points in his long
:03:17. > :03:22.political career, with the referendum? That's right. I think
:03:22. > :03:25.that there is an issue here that Alex Salmond perhaps is feeling
:03:25. > :03:30.that he's having a few dark days at the moment, things aren't going
:03:30. > :03:35.terribly well. There was a point in the life of every Governmental
:03:35. > :03:38.leader when they start to tip in terms of public opinion, the public
:03:39. > :03:43.opinion turns against him. What Mr Salmond will be hoping is that he
:03:43. > :03:50.has not reached that point at the moment. As you say, he has the most
:03:50. > :03:54.important point in his political career coming up. What he doesn't
:03:54. > :03:59.need is to tip over the edge now and lose some of that public
:03:59. > :04:01.opinion. OK. Thank you very much. Back with you later. Now, staying
:04:02. > :04:06.with Mr Salmond, he has been telling us he has no immediate
:04:06. > :04:11.plans to depart the scene with the independence referendum due in 2014.
:04:11. > :04:15.He has no plans too to go on and on. Raymond Buchanan caught up with him
:04:15. > :04:25.and asked him which of the over 2,000 days he has been in office
:04:25. > :04:35.
:04:35. > :04:40.has been the darkest. Well, the Al- Megrahi issue, Kenny MacAskill took
:04:40. > :04:44.the right decisions. There were some difficult days. If you are
:04:44. > :04:48.doing the right things, that is a great strength. Of course, the
:04:48. > :04:53.election was a vindication of that. People said the SNP would never
:04:53. > :04:56.survive taking that decision. In fact, we survived to prosper.
:04:56. > :05:00.People believe, whether they agreed or disagreed with the decision,
:05:00. > :05:03.they believed we had done it for the right reasons. That is a great
:05:03. > :05:08.strength in politics. It is a great mistake to believe the only people
:05:08. > :05:15.who ever vote for you are people who absolutely agree with you on
:05:15. > :05:20.everything. Sometimes I don't know if I agree with everything that the
:05:20. > :05:24.SNP puts forward! People take a balanced judgment, they judge you
:05:24. > :05:30.on the whole. On the whole, the SNP Government has been judged
:05:30. > :05:34.favourably by the people. The great strength is there is an absolute
:05:34. > :05:38.conviction that the SNP do what is best for Scotland. We have
:05:39. > :05:43.Scotland's interests at our heart. If we keep that bond between
:05:43. > :05:48.Government and people, then we've got a good chance of continuing
:05:48. > :05:51.Government, of achieving more things, of re-establishing and
:05:51. > :05:55.spreading that social contract in difficult times and we have a great
:05:55. > :05:59.chance of winning a referendum to open the door to a better future
:05:59. > :06:03.for an independent Scotland. last couple of weeks must have been
:06:03. > :06:12.difficult. Is there a trust issue with you and your Government?
:06:12. > :06:18.I think over the last couple of weeks, compared to the Al-Megrahi
:06:18. > :06:22.affair, the last couple of weeks is high nor compared to that. You will
:06:22. > :06:27.always have bumps in politics. But there are important stroo tee JIC
:06:27. > :06:33.things that needed to be done -- strategic things that needed to be
:06:33. > :06:36.done. These were as follows: We had to have the agreement to put the
:06:37. > :06:40.process of independence beyond challenge. In that agreement, the
:06:40. > :06:43.understanding that everybody will accept a result, that it will be a
:06:43. > :06:49.proper process, that the Scottish Parliament will decide and that
:06:49. > :06:56.result will bind all sides, that was very important to do. Secondly,
:06:56. > :06:59.as we see in a poll this morning, we have to have a platform for
:06:59. > :07:07.independence which is robust and can carry the people with us, hence
:07:07. > :07:13.some decisions that the SNP had to take in a democratic fashion.
:07:13. > :07:17.Sometimes the process of these things is difficult. But that
:07:17. > :07:20.platform is necessary for us to proceed to the White Paper, to
:07:20. > :07:25.spell out the vision and the practicality of independence. That
:07:25. > :07:29.is where we are now. How long can you go on for? Well, I know that
:07:29. > :07:37.you must not ever repeat the mistake some politicians and say
:07:37. > :07:42.you are going to go on and on - I'm not saying that. I want to see the
:07:42. > :07:47.- I want to see Scotland win the referendum. I want us to open the
:07:47. > :07:52.door of opportunity in that referendum and I have no immediate
:07:52. > :07:56.plans to depart the scene. I've - and the Scottish National Party -
:07:57. > :08:02.people before me have worked their socks off for generations in order
:08:02. > :08:06.to bring Scotland to the point where we are, to make Scotland a
:08:06. > :08:11.more self-confident place, where people have a Parliament that they
:08:11. > :08:15.can look to to defend their interests. We've got a job in hand
:08:15. > :08:18.to persuade our fellow citizens to vote by majority to become an
:08:18. > :08:23.independent country and to make sure that independent country uses
:08:23. > :08:25.the powers it has to work on behalf of the people. So these are
:08:25. > :08:31.inspiring times and I have no immediate plans for retirement.
:08:31. > :08:34.There is a clock ticking now. We know autumn 2014, there will be a
:08:34. > :08:39.referendum. For you, Alex Salmond, that means one of two things. You
:08:39. > :08:45.either win it and go on, or you lose it and you can't carry on?
:08:46. > :08:50.there is a choice, let's win it! Let's cross to Holyrood now and
:08:51. > :08:59.speak to Kevin Stewart, Ken Macintosh and Annabelle Goldie.
:08:59. > :09:05.Good afternoon to you all. We will get to Mr Salmond's days in office
:09:05. > :09:10.in a moment. I want to pick up on a report in From Audit Scotland,
:09:10. > :09:12.there is a mismatch between what is effective and what's been done to
:09:13. > :09:17.reduce reoffending according to the watchdog. Kevin Stewart, why is
:09:17. > :09:27.there that mismatch there when it comes to reoffending? Well, I think
:09:27. > :09:31.the Government has said today that reoffending has been too high. We
:09:31. > :09:35.now see it at a 13-year low. 1,000 more police on the beat has
:09:35. > :09:40.probably got something to do with that. We have seen resources going
:09:40. > :09:43.in last year, some �128 million from Government to community
:09:43. > :09:48.justice authorities, to try and stop reoffending. I hope those
:09:48. > :09:53.numbers will continue to go down. Ken Macintosh, you have been
:09:53. > :09:57.criticising what the SNP have been doing when it comes to this
:09:57. > :10:01.mismatch. As Kevin Stewart was pointing out, we have seen
:10:01. > :10:04.reconviction rates are at their lowest for the past 13 years?
:10:05. > :10:10.has been a fall in crime. The fall in crime has been there for the
:10:10. > :10:16.last ten years. It goes back well before the SNP administration. If
:10:16. > :10:21.the SNP - I'm happy to pay credit. What I would like to know is when
:10:21. > :10:25.organisations like Audit Scotland show up, where they are failing,
:10:25. > :10:28.will they do something about it? This report shows there is a
:10:28. > :10:35.mismatch between where the funding is spent - we are talking
:10:35. > :10:38.substantial sums of money here - and it has not been well spent. Our
:10:38. > :10:41.prisoners are not being educated, which is the big difference to
:10:41. > :10:46.trying to reduce reoffending rates. The Tories are saying the
:10:46. > :10:50.Government should get a grip on this. It is a tough nut to crack,
:10:50. > :10:54.isn't it? The dilemma for the Scottish Government is that Audit
:10:54. > :10:57.Scotland was very clear. The �128 million being spent is not
:10:58. > :11:01.delivering that purpose. That begs a question for the taxpayer, what
:11:01. > :11:04.is happening to the money? It begs an important question about how we
:11:04. > :11:10.are dealing with our prisoners as they propose to reenter the
:11:10. > :11:19.community. We have known for several years that there are traits
:11:19. > :11:22.of behaviour that are not being addressed, prisoners still come out
:11:22. > :11:26.drug addicted. Everybody is entitled to ask what is going wrong
:11:26. > :11:31.here? Somebody needs to take this by the scruff of the neck and sort
:11:31. > :11:35.it out. Just want to ask you about another justice story that is doing
:11:35. > :11:40.the rounds today. Lawyers threatening action over the
:11:40. > :11:45.Scottish legal aid change. They will have to try to make people pay
:11:45. > :11:47.to them, if people are earning more than �68 per week, lawyers will
:11:47. > :11:54.have to receive that financial contribution from their clients.
:11:54. > :11:57.Why is this a problem? It is very alarming if lawyers are feeling so
:11:57. > :12:02.pressurised that they are left only with the option of withdrawing
:12:02. > :12:06.their services to clients in the criminal courts. There is a very
:12:06. > :12:11.serious issue about how we expect the Criminal Justice System to
:12:11. > :12:17.function if lawyers are not in the courts doing the job required. The
:12:17. > :12:22.second issue is the increasing danger to the whole system of Scots
:12:22. > :12:25.law under this Justice Minister. We have seen one attack after another
:12:25. > :12:28.on the important institution which is Scots law, that includes
:12:28. > :12:31.criminal law. If you don't have that law being practised and
:12:31. > :12:35.applied by lawyers, you lose the law, you lose the system. I think
:12:35. > :12:39.there is a very profound issue here to be addressed about how on earth
:12:39. > :12:42.is the Scottish Government going to restore confidence in the legal
:12:42. > :12:52.profession that the Scottish Government believes in a separate
:12:52. > :12:58.Scottish legal system and is Kevin Stuart, can you pick up on
:12:58. > :13:02.those criticisms from Annabel Goldie? It would be worrying if the
:13:02. > :13:08.lawyer as it went on strike. I would hope it did not happen. I
:13:08. > :13:12.would hope that justice secretary takes notice of what people have to
:13:12. > :13:18.say to him. We have seen this before with this just a secretary.
:13:18. > :13:25.I am surprised Annabel Goldie has come in quite so hard on Kenny
:13:25. > :13:28.MacAskill. I want to pick up on Mr Salmond being the longest serving
:13:28. > :13:33.First Minister. He has had a difficult time over the past few
:13:33. > :13:40.weeks with his adviser on Europe. But it looks like we are living in
:13:40. > :13:44.a parallel world. Are these his darkest days as First Minister?
:13:44. > :13:49.just interviewed him yourself and he says there is always ups and
:13:49. > :13:55.downs in politics. I would prefer to look at the ups over the time he
:13:55. > :13:58.has been in power, the abolition of prescription charges, road tolls,
:13:58. > :14:03.freezing of the council tax and free education continued in
:14:03. > :14:10.Scotland, unlike elsewhere in the UK. These are the highlights of his
:14:10. > :14:15.2002 days in office. Mr McIntosh, you are critical of Mr Salmond, but
:14:15. > :14:25.looking at the approval ratings the SNP have put out, he gets 43% in
:14:25. > :14:27.
:14:27. > :14:32.terms of whom stands up for Scotland. The First Minister is not
:14:32. > :14:38.lacking in political charisma. I think that is reflected in his
:14:38. > :14:44.profile in Scotland. But, it is difficult in the middle of an
:14:44. > :14:48.administration to make an accurate description of his legacy. My view
:14:48. > :14:53.at the moment is Scotland seems to be in a worse place than we were
:14:53. > :14:58.four years ago, the economy is worse and unemployment is worse in
:14:58. > :15:03.Scotland than the rest of the UK. Scotland is performing worse than
:15:03. > :15:07.the rest of the UK. The biggest worry is the First Minister it is
:15:07. > :15:11.leading us into an irreversible position at where we leave the rest
:15:11. > :15:17.of the UK behind. If that is his legacy, it will be damning for
:15:17. > :15:25.future demolitions. Annabel Goldie, your reaction to Mr Salmond's
:15:25. > :15:32.legacy and his days in office? best period of delivering devolved
:15:33. > :15:39.Government was in his first term. He does not like specific questions,
:15:39. > :15:44.he cannot find a specific answers. And the devolved, domestic agenda,
:15:44. > :15:50.all is not tranquil for Starkey is sustaining the university budget by
:15:50. > :15:54.raiding the college at budget will stop Annabel Goldie, Ken Macintosh,
:15:54. > :15:58.Kevin Stuart, we have to leave it there.
:15:58. > :16:01.Scotland badly needs more doctors, the message from the children and
:16:02. > :16:06.young people's minister, Aileen Campbell during a debate at
:16:06. > :16:11.Holyrood yesterday. There appear to be cross-party consensus in the
:16:11. > :16:14.need to speed up the process with some MSPs giving first hand
:16:14. > :16:22.accounts of their experience of adoption.
:16:22. > :16:25.Over the short life of the register so far, 135 children and 139
:16:25. > :16:31.families had been referred to the linking service. We have 82
:16:31. > :16:37.children who have been linked to 47 families. 14 children Abbey match
:16:37. > :16:44.for adoption by the register, 14 more than we would have found a
:16:45. > :16:49.safe home. Whilst it is modest, it is becoming an important tool for
:16:49. > :16:53.those referred to it. I would like all local authorities to use the
:16:53. > :16:57.register and referrals are a requirement by agencies for any
:16:57. > :17:03.child who has not found a home in three months. The register can only
:17:03. > :17:08.support families already approved to dock. If we are going to provide
:17:08. > :17:12.secure Homes for more children redefined more adopters. The Act
:17:12. > :17:16.introduced more opportunities to adopt, particularly for single
:17:16. > :17:20.people and same-sex couples. But we're not seeing significantly more
:17:20. > :17:25.people coming forward. The key aim is to spread the word to people who
:17:25. > :17:28.do not see themselves as prospective adopters and encourage
:17:29. > :17:33.them to rule themselves in. daughter was only two years old
:17:33. > :17:37.when we adopted her, having lived her life up until then in an
:17:37. > :17:44.orphanage. She was an extremely well behaved and have the baby, I
:17:44. > :17:49.have got to save. Still is, she is coming up to 12 and still my baby.
:17:49. > :17:55.My wife and I agree those people who put themselves forward to adopt
:17:55. > :18:01.an older child, a child who perhaps has what is commonly referred to as
:18:01. > :18:10.baggage. A child who has had a traumatic experience at a young age,
:18:10. > :18:16.but adopters make that child part of the family. What a goal and what
:18:16. > :18:20.an achievement. We both believe they are living cents -- Saints. It
:18:20. > :18:27.is clear from studies, the sooner a child is permanently placed with a
:18:27. > :18:31.family, the sooner the child begins the process of secure attachment
:18:31. > :18:37.and that integration and family belonging takes effect at the same
:18:37. > :18:41.time. My focus is on the child in this regard. I would suggest more
:18:41. > :18:46.should be done to build up a bank, if you like, of prospective parents
:18:46. > :18:52.to have been approved so that as soon as it is practically possible
:18:52. > :18:57.to do so, a child can be placed when they have been recognised for
:18:57. > :19:03.adoption. I also went through the adoption process. After two years
:19:03. > :19:06.of interviews and training and visits, and people coming to my
:19:06. > :19:11.place and my parents' place and the children were interviewed,
:19:11. > :19:16.eventually I was told I was unsuitable. The reason is I work
:19:16. > :19:21.too hard. I got worried, I said I already have two children. I said,
:19:21. > :19:26.you are not taking my children awake are you? My children are OK,
:19:26. > :19:34.they can stay with me even though I work very hard, but they cannot
:19:34. > :19:43.adopt anybody else. An interesting phenomenon. I think it shows why
:19:43. > :19:48.awareness raising is important because it needs to ensure a broad
:19:48. > :19:51.spectrum of people put themselves forward as potentially adoptive
:19:52. > :19:56.parents. The illustration you have presented shows the action to do a
:19:56. > :20:01.bit of work to show people can be actively ruled in to provide loving
:20:01. > :20:08.homes, which you have provided for your own family. That was the
:20:08. > :20:14.debate yesterday. Hamish Mac Donald is still with me. Let's talk about
:20:14. > :20:20.Mr de Salmond's 2002 days in office. He has face some difficult times
:20:20. > :20:25.over the past few weeks over this European advice issues. Is this his
:20:25. > :20:30.most difficult? It is pretty close. There have been times when he has
:20:30. > :20:35.faced a crisis, not of his or his party's making. There was the
:20:35. > :20:38.Glasgow Airport attack. The whole issue he touched on in his
:20:38. > :20:42.interview with Abdelbaset ali al- Megrahi and things got bad because
:20:42. > :20:46.of the international pressure. But this row over the EU legal advice
:20:46. > :20:50.and his decision to go to court to keep something secret that did not
:20:50. > :20:54.exist, has raised a more fundamental point, which will be
:20:54. > :21:00.longer lasting and that is the issue of trust. If Alex Salmond, as
:21:00. > :21:04.a political leader starts to lose the trust he has built up over
:21:04. > :21:08.these years, then that will be bad news for him, bad news for the SNP
:21:08. > :21:13.and bad news for the independence cause. It could be the start of the
:21:13. > :21:19.catalyst for something much more long-lasting. Let's try the two
:21:19. > :21:24.stories together. President Obama's re-election. What endures could he
:21:24. > :21:30.have on Scotland? David Cameron has a quite close relationship, is
:21:30. > :21:35.there anything Mr a banner could see about Scottish independence?
:21:35. > :21:40.think David Cameron would like him too. It is an open secret David
:21:40. > :21:45.Cameron was hoping that Barack Obama would get back in and will be
:21:46. > :21:49.delighted he did. As we approach the referendum in 2014, I would
:21:49. > :21:54.thought David Cameron would put feelers out there to see if he can
:21:54. > :21:59.get Barack Obama to say something in support of the Union. But Barack
:21:59. > :22:02.Obama has to weigh that up. Against the possibility that Scotland might
:22:02. > :22:07.become independent and does not want to rock the boat. There is a
:22:07. > :22:12.chance, we will see how things go. Mr Cameron will probably push him
:22:12. > :22:14.that way. I wouldn't be surprised if something came through the back
:22:14. > :22:21.channels and the Americans made clear their opposition at a later
:22:21. > :22:24.date. And because of NATO and the nuclear weapons based in Scotland?
:22:24. > :22:29.We are seeing an interest in America about the issue of
:22:29. > :22:33.independence. The Washington Post had an editorial on it a couple of
:22:33. > :22:39.weeks ago. Other papers and organisations are picking up on it.
:22:39. > :22:42.It matters because of NATO, and the UK is the US's big ally and that
:22:42. > :22:45.interest will grow over the next few years.
:22:45. > :22:51.From David Livingstone to the former First Minister, Jack
:22:51. > :22:55.McConnell, Scotland has had a 150 year long relationship with Mullaly,
:22:55. > :22:59.often described as the warm heart of Africa. Now those links are
:22:59. > :23:06.debated at Holyrood. The development funds the key ways of
:23:06. > :23:11.the relationship is kept alive. We go into the chamber now. We have
:23:11. > :23:17.the external affairs of international development minister.
:23:17. > :23:22.We also provide the resources to carry out an initial visit and a
:23:22. > :23:27.scoping study for work to support the preservation of Malawi's
:23:27. > :23:35.important heritage, some of which is shared Scottish and Malawi in
:23:35. > :23:39.heritage. I am pleased the Cabinet Secretary for Education presented
:23:39. > :23:45.her accident -- Excellency with an invitation from the First Minister
:23:45. > :23:51.to celebrate the bicentenary celebrations in Scotland. I think
:23:51. > :23:57.it is an incredible testament to the work today, almost 200 years
:23:57. > :24:03.later, the legacy has been continued by none other than Martha
:24:03. > :24:07.Payne, and nine-year-old girl. If we will read about the future of
:24:07. > :24:12.this historic friendship, let's cast those anxiety aside. Her
:24:13. > :24:17.example gives us assurances the relationship is in safe hands. We
:24:17. > :24:21.are all aware of the constitutional debate Scotland is engaged in. At
:24:21. > :24:26.its core is the discussion about what kind of Scotland we wish to
:24:26. > :24:31.see in the future. For me, our international development work in
:24:31. > :24:34.Malawi encapsulates what this Government wants to see. It is born
:24:34. > :24:40.out of 200 year old history next year, but a legacy continued by the
:24:40. > :24:45.children. On a moderate budget we are pushing ahead with some of the
:24:45. > :24:49.most ground-breaking sustainable energy projects. Continuing that
:24:49. > :24:53.thread of innovation that has won through on nation. It thrills me to
:24:53. > :24:57.think about the change we could make it in alleviating poverty
:24:57. > :25:04.across the world, it in the future we have a budget of hundreds of
:25:04. > :25:09.millions. To conclude, it I have been asked by many people how I
:25:09. > :25:13.have found a new role. I always say it is an honour to serve your
:25:13. > :25:17.country at the highest political level and it is akin to what they
:25:17. > :25:21.footballer feels when he is asked to play for his national team. And
:25:21. > :25:26.for those who have seen my footballing prowess, it is the
:25:26. > :25:30.closest I will ever get to such a feeling. To be able to represent
:25:30. > :25:35.the Scottish Government in a post with the potential to do so much
:25:35. > :25:40.good and push Scotland's agenda in this area, only makes me feel more
:25:40. > :25:46.lucky to be where I am today. I hope I have demonstrated a
:25:46. > :25:49.partnership with Malawi and it is growing ever stronger as a society
:25:49. > :25:54.in Government with prospect of further institutional links.
:25:54. > :25:57.Perhaps the day after the US presidential election, it is only
:25:57. > :26:02.appropriate to quote Benjamin Franklin who said, just as well not
:26:02. > :26:06.be served until those unaffected are as outraged as those who are.
:26:06. > :26:13.It is the duty in every one of us across the chamber to be outraged
:26:13. > :26:20.about the fact only 75% of Malawi's population live on less than $1.25
:26:20. > :26:29.a day. Only 40% of the population lives below the national poverty
:26:30. > :26:34.line. We have a duty to be outraged by the fact no eternal mortality
:26:34. > :26:37.means 10 women die every day. They have no access to clean drinking
:26:37. > :26:47.water Vostok I look forward to working with everyone in this
:26:47. > :26:52.
:26:52. > :26:59.Parliament to take this agenda forward. I now call Patricia
:26:59. > :27:02.Ferguson. It is always a pleasure to debate issues about a
:27:02. > :27:08.relationship with Malawi and have an update from the Scottish
:27:08. > :27:11.Government as to progress. In welcoming Mr Yusuf to his new role,
:27:11. > :27:15.can I congratulate him on his choice of this subject for his
:27:15. > :27:22.first of what I am sure, will be many speeches in his ministerial
:27:22. > :27:26.position. Presiding officer, it never ceases to amaze me, just how
:27:26. > :27:31.many links and connections this country house with Mullaly. There
:27:31. > :27:35.are schools and churches twinned with Malawi, and professional
:27:35. > :27:40.organisations and individuals for whom The Lowry is a very special
:27:40. > :27:46.place. As we have had, next year we have the opportunity to celebrate
:27:46. > :27:51.those links with the anniversary of David Livingstone's birth. I hope
:27:51. > :27:56.in the list of organisations, Mr used if mention, that he has not
:27:56. > :27:59.forgotten the National Library of Scotland who has an extensive
:27:59. > :28:04.collection of David Livingstone's papers, which are very interesting
:28:04. > :28:09.today, as I am sure they were at the time. But, in talking about
:28:09. > :28:14.those links, I think it is sensible to consider the range and depth of
:28:14. > :28:18.them. Only today, my colleague, Richard Simpson told me of an
:28:19. > :28:22.initiative being undertaken by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who
:28:22. > :28:27.are raising funds and actively working with a small number of
:28:27. > :28:32.their profession who practise in Malawi. Just yesterday, one of the
:28:32. > :28:36.schools from my own constituency unvisited the Parliament and the
:28:36. > :28:40.school pupils told me of an important visitor to their school
:28:40. > :28:45.for just last week. He was a teacher from The Lowry and his name
:28:45. > :28:55.was, Tom. He explained to the pupils what school was like and
:28:55. > :28:57.
:28:57. > :29:02.obviously inspired them with his It's called the Malawi Leaders of
:29:02. > :29:04.Learning Project. This scheme helps to upskill classroom teachers and
:29:04. > :29:09.promotes a sense of civic responsibility in young people. In
:29:09. > :29:13.addition to Tom, there are five other teachers in Glasgow from
:29:13. > :29:18.Malawi at the moment. They are attending the reception in
:29:18. > :29:23.Parliament tonight. I look forward to meeting them there. Having read
:29:23. > :29:30.the evaluation report, it is clearly doing great work and has
:29:30. > :29:35.great potential. In its first year, it has enabled 15 education
:29:35. > :29:39.professionals, indeed I was delighted the party included active
:29:39. > :29:42.schools co-ordinators, and they worked in Malawi for some five
:29:42. > :29:49.weeks. It is clear from the report that there were teething problems,
:29:49. > :29:53.to be expected, but it was also clear that all of the staff learned
:29:53. > :30:00.and benefited from the experience and planned to continue the
:30:00. > :30:03.initiative. The debate on Scotland's relationship with Malawi.
:30:03. > :30:07.Supporters of Barack Obama have been celebrating his re-election as
:30:07. > :30:11.President. He took 50% of the vote to 48% for Republican challenger,
:30:11. > :30:17.Mitt Romney. I'm now joined from Washington DC by Elise Foley of the
:30:17. > :30:22.Huffington Post. Good afternoon, or good morning to you there in
:30:22. > :30:25.Washington. The east coast of the United States is waking up to
:30:25. > :30:34.another term for President Obama. What is the mood in Washington DC,
:30:34. > :30:38.do you think? Well, the mood here is very enthusiastic. DC is a
:30:38. > :30:41.majority democratic district and so last night you had people going to
:30:41. > :30:47.the White House, kind of storming the streets, they shut down some of
:30:47. > :30:50.the major streets. People were very excited about Obama's re-election.
:30:50. > :30:57.We have been hearing a lot about the changing face of the United
:30:57. > :31:02.States. Can you tell me what role the Latino vote played in helping
:31:02. > :31:07.to re-elect President Obama? Absolutely. Turnout among Latinos
:31:08. > :31:11.was very high this year. You had record support for Obama. He won a
:31:11. > :31:16.larger share of the population than any President before him. The
:31:16. > :31:22.record before was Bill Clinton in 1996 who got 72% of the vote. It is
:31:22. > :31:27.not all fully in, the exit polls are being tabulated. It is looking
:31:27. > :31:31.like he is going to get a record share. So basically the Latino vote
:31:31. > :31:36.is going to be a major issue going forward, Republicans are really not
:31:36. > :31:39.able at this point to win over Latino voters and as they become a
:31:39. > :31:45.larger share of the population, that will become a bigger problem.
:31:45. > :31:49.So right now you are looking at a Republican Party who probably today
:31:49. > :31:54.is already starting to think, "We have a problem and we need to fix
:31:54. > :32:02.it." One of the biggest issues is immigration reform. Now Mr Obama
:32:02. > :32:07.will be returning to the White House behind you. When he takes the
:32:07. > :32:13.reins and concentrates on running the country once again, what will
:32:13. > :32:17.his first actions be? Well, I think, as I mentioned, immigration reform
:32:17. > :32:20.is going to come quickly. I think that now that you sort of have
:32:20. > :32:26.Republicans in this place where they don't want to oppose it, I
:32:26. > :32:30.think he will be able to get that past in the first year. First, he
:32:30. > :32:34.has a bunch of economic issues to deal with. We have this fiscal
:32:34. > :32:38.cliff, where we need to raise our debt ceiling otherwise we will
:32:38. > :32:43.default on our debts. That's been very tense before. We have these
:32:43. > :32:48.tax cuts that are said to expire soon, that he will have to either -
:32:48. > :32:51.they will have to prove extending those tax cuts, Obama wants to end
:32:51. > :32:55.them on the very wealthy, continue them on the middle-class, and that
:32:55. > :33:00.is something that Republicans have opposed. But I guess we will see,
:33:00. > :33:05.you know, now that Obama has got this mandate from the people, he
:33:05. > :33:10.has more power to negotiate there. Now he is the most powerful man in
:33:10. > :33:14.the world, the leader of the free world. What impact will his re-
:33:14. > :33:18.election might have on us in the UK and in Scotland where we are going
:33:18. > :33:25.to have a referendum on independence in two years' time?
:33:26. > :33:30.Well, I think he's very popular abroad. All the polling of who the
:33:30. > :33:34.world would pick as the President, Obama won every time. So I think
:33:34. > :33:37.that he has an ability to influence those types of things. I don't
:33:37. > :33:41.believe he has spoken out about Scottish independence. We will see
:33:41. > :33:49.if he does, as it gets closer. I know the relationship between the
:33:49. > :33:52.US and the UK has been very important especially as we look at
:33:52. > :33:56.our role in the world, as we look at the wars we have been involved
:33:56. > :34:01.in. I think the partnership is going to continue to be really
:34:01. > :34:06.strong and you had Mitt Romney go over and anger people when he was
:34:07. > :34:12.there last and so it's probably good that you are not having
:34:12. > :34:17.somebody that angered the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister.
:34:17. > :34:21.Thank you for joining us from Washington DC. Thank you.
:34:21. > :34:24.Now to Prime Minister's Questions. They were led by the Deputy Prime
:34:24. > :34:26.Minster, Nick Clegg, today in David Cameron's absence. The Shadow
:34:26. > :34:29.Deputy Prime Minister, Harriet Harman, criticised Mr Clegg's
:34:29. > :34:36.Government for their policy on tax credits, saying it was forcing
:34:36. > :34:42.women out of work. Here's a flavour of their exchanges. This week, the
:34:42. > :34:46.Deputy Prime Minister sent an e- mail to his party members. In it,
:34:46. > :34:50.he describes the task of finding childcare as a real nightmare.
:34:50. > :34:55.Isn't it clear that cutting the childcare element of tax credits
:34:55. > :35:00.has made that nightmare worse for parents? I tell you what I think
:35:00. > :35:03.has helped many people who have had to, who have struggled to pay for
:35:03. > :35:07.childcare is the fact that it is this Government that is providing
:35:07. > :35:09.15 hours of free pre-school support and childcare to every three and
:35:09. > :35:13.four-year-old in the country, no Government has done that before. It
:35:13. > :35:16.is this Government, as of next April, that will be providing 15
:35:16. > :35:19.hours of pre-school support and childcare to some of the poorest
:35:19. > :35:24.two-year-olds in the country. No other Government has done that
:35:24. > :35:31.before. It is this Government that is taking two million people on low
:35:31. > :35:34.pay out of paying any income tax altogether. That's a record I'm
:35:34. > :35:42.proud of. The Deputy Prime Minister has shown himself to be completely
:35:42. > :35:47.out of touch in that answer. The reality is that many part-time
:35:47. > :35:52.working parents are having to give up their job because of the cuts in
:35:52. > :35:57.tax credits and having instead to be on benefits. I asked him about
:35:57. > :36:07.the childcare elements of the tax credits and he hasn't answered. Why
:36:07. > :36:07.
:36:07. > :36:12.won't he admit the cut he voted for has cost families �500 and 44,000
:36:12. > :36:18.families are losing out? They are cutting �1 billion from Sure Start.
:36:18. > :36:22.In his e-mail he said he was going to reveal - Mr Speaker... What
:36:22. > :36:26.really goes on behind those Whitehall doors. Perhaps in his
:36:27. > :36:33.next week's instalment, he will tell the truth. Under his
:36:33. > :36:37.Government, families are worse off, aren't they? As of next April,
:36:37. > :36:43.because of one of the most radical tax changes introduced by any
:36:43. > :36:48.Government in living memory, 24 million basic rate taxpayers will
:36:48. > :36:51.be �550 better off. That is a radical change, I am very proud of.
:36:51. > :36:55.I'm proud of the fact that three and four-year-olds will benefit
:36:55. > :37:00.from our changes, two-year-olds will benefit. As she may have
:37:00. > :37:04.noticed, in the much-quoted Resolution Trust report, tax
:37:04. > :37:09.credits are not the best answers for many families. So, yes, I
:37:09. > :37:12.accept we need to do more to make childcare affordable so more women
:37:12. > :37:16.can get back into work at an earlier stage, that is what this
:37:16. > :37:21.Government is setting about doing, while we are cleaning up the mess
:37:21. > :37:26.left behind by her. Scotland's First Minister has misled the
:37:26. > :37:30.public on legal advice that doesn't exist. Rewritten the Ministerial
:37:30. > :37:33.Code for his own gain. There are strong suggestions that he will
:37:33. > :37:37.ignore the Electoral Commission in the upcoming referendum. People in
:37:37. > :37:43.Scotland are losing faith in the First Minister and this Government
:37:43. > :37:48.are in danger of being complicit in yet another muddle. Does the Deputy
:37:48. > :37:54.Prime Minister trust the First Minister to deliver a fair, legal
:37:54. > :37:58.and decisive referendum on separation? We have been working on
:37:58. > :38:00.a cross-party basis, particularly between those partys who believe in
:38:00. > :38:07.the maintenance of the family of the nations of the United Kingdom,
:38:07. > :38:17.to ensure that there is a fair, legal and decisive vote in the
:38:17. > :38:17.
:38:17. > :38:21.referendum. I certainly agree with her characterisation. The spectacle
:38:21. > :38:24.- you couldn't make it up. Let's cross to our Westminster
:38:24. > :38:29.correspondent, David Porter, who's standing by on College Green. Good
:38:29. > :38:34.afternoon. Thank you for joining me. Scottish affairs at the top of the
:38:34. > :38:39.agenda, Nick Clegg having to take that question about the referendum?
:38:39. > :38:44.Yes, Scotland got a mention a few times at Prime Minister's Question
:38:44. > :38:48.Time. It was a rather strange Prime Minister's Question Time. Nick
:38:48. > :38:52.Clegg and Harriet Harman for the opposition. The reason for that is
:38:52. > :38:56.that David Cameron is still out of the country. Quite frankly, I think
:38:56. > :39:00.it was one of those rare occasions here at Westminster where Prime
:39:00. > :39:04.Minister's Question Time was not the main thoughts of MPs and the
:39:04. > :39:09.political village here at Westminster. The place behind me is
:39:09. > :39:12.perhaps still digesting the events in Washington and the rest of
:39:12. > :39:16.America, the re-election of President Obama and perhaps looking
:39:17. > :39:23.a bit further ahead what that will mean for the relationship between
:39:23. > :39:29.Britain and the United States and perhaps as importantly, if America
:39:29. > :39:33.goes ahead with stopping these tax cuts and brings in spending cuts,
:39:33. > :39:37.the fiscal cliff at the beginning of next year, what that could mean
:39:37. > :39:40.for the American economy and any knock-on effects it could have for
:39:40. > :39:45.the recovery in this country. think it is widely regarded Mr
:39:45. > :39:48.Cameron has a good relationship with Mr Obama. He is going to be
:39:48. > :39:53.meeting Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, this evening for budget
:39:53. > :39:56.talks at Downing Street over this controversial EU budget? Yes, you
:39:56. > :39:59.mentioned David Cameron and you mentioned President Obama, normally
:39:59. > :40:03.you would think a Conservative-led administration would have been
:40:03. > :40:09.rooting for the Republicans. That didn't happen. David Cameron has a
:40:09. > :40:11.good working relationship. It is noticeable you talk to Conservative
:40:11. > :40:15.MPs privately, the majority are very content with what has happened
:40:15. > :40:18.in the United States. Probably what they will be less content with is
:40:18. > :40:23.the dinner that David Cameron will be having with Angela Merkel
:40:23. > :40:26.tonight where they are discussing that thorny issue of the EU budget.
:40:26. > :40:30.Those negotiations are starting. There will be a summit in Brussels
:40:30. > :40:34.later this month. Remember, last week, David Cameron said that he
:40:34. > :40:39.wanted a situation where there was no real terms increase in the
:40:39. > :40:44.budget. It would go up with line with inflation. MPs then voted for
:40:44. > :40:48.a real terms cut in the amount that Britain puts into the EU coffers.
:40:48. > :40:53.So he will be dining with Angela Merkel tonight and he will be
:40:53. > :40:58.saying, "The House of Commons wants the situation whereby the amount
:40:58. > :41:02.Britain pays in is going to be reduced." He will find that a very
:41:02. > :41:06.difficult sell to Angela Merkel. She will say that in principle she
:41:06. > :41:10.can see that no-one wants to pay any more, but they will have to put
:41:10. > :41:13.more into the coffers. It is I think politically going to be very
:41:13. > :41:17.difficult this month for David Cameron, although on a personal
:41:18. > :41:21.level he gets on with Angela Merkel, they are coming at this issue from
:41:21. > :41:26.different sides. Thank you very much.
:41:26. > :41:29.Let's have a final chat with our commentator, Hamish Macdonell.
:41:29. > :41:36.Let's go back to something we were covering earlier in the programme,
:41:36. > :41:44.a few minutes ago, the debate at Holyrood and Scotland's
:41:44. > :41:49.relationship with Malawi. It is interesting that there is that side
:41:49. > :41:52.angle to world affairs? When this whole relationship started, or the
:41:52. > :41:57.modern relationship started under Jack McConnell, it was very
:41:57. > :42:01.controversial for the Scottish Executive to start a fund to invest
:42:01. > :42:05.in what was aid to a foreign country. That was seen as being
:42:05. > :42:08.outside the responsibilities of the Scottish Executive. I went to
:42:08. > :42:13.Malawi in 2004 with Jack McConnell to see where some of this money was
:42:13. > :42:16.being spent and see how the Scottish Executive's resources were
:42:16. > :42:20.being put to use. It is very encouraging when you go there. I
:42:20. > :42:24.think it is a very good thing for a small regional country like
:42:24. > :42:30.Scotland, that has a smallish budget, to just focus on one area
:42:30. > :42:33.and one area where it has a very long-standing relationship trying
:42:33. > :42:36.to affect a big change in that one place rather than spreading the
:42:36. > :42:41.money very widely among other places. That whole principle has
:42:41. > :42:46.been accepted now. We saw that in the debate. I think that a lot of
:42:46. > :42:50.MSPs have seen how good the work is that has been done in Malawi.
:42:50. > :42:54.there ten years ago and the relationship with Scotland is
:42:54. > :42:58.extremely close. I suppose it gives Humza Yousaf, it is a great
:42:58. > :43:01.platform for him to be able to talk about that close relationship?
:43:01. > :43:05.There is the politics involved there as well. It is very good for
:43:05. > :43:14.the Scottish Government to have someone who can call themselves
:43:15. > :43:19.external affairs minister and to spread the message across the world.
:43:19. > :43:24.It gives them a platform. They do have to be careful about keeping an
:43:24. > :43:29.eye on those budgets? They do. They are ringfenced. They go to
:43:29. > :43:35.charities, usually Scots charities working in Malawi. OK. Thank you
:43:35. > :43:39.very much. Good luck for Movember! That's all we have time for just