07/11/2012 Politics Scotland


07/11/2012

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Welcome to Politics Scotland. As Scottish politicians tweet their

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congratulations to President Obama, we will assess what his victory

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could mean for the wider world. We have picked ourselves up, we

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have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the

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United States of America the best is yet to come.

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Holyrood took the international perspective too this afternoon

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examining Scotland's relationship with Malawi.

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Alex Salmond reflects on becoming Scotland's longest-serving First

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Minister today, looking back over the highs and lows.

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Here at Westminster, congratulations from all sides to

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President Obama on his re-election victory. But also as well questions

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- could it mean a tightening of the British economy in the future?

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Welcome to the programme. We are out of our usual slot as Andy

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Murray played in the ATP World Tour. I'm joined by Hamish Macdonnell.

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Before we get down to normal business, you are doing Movember?

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am. It is a charity thing, where men all over the world try and grow

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the biggest moustache they can through November so I suggest you

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get me back in three weeks to see how I have got on! Looking at

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President Obama, an historic victory for him? It is a very

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significant achievement, I think. For anybody to win re-election at a

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time of this amount of economic trouble and economic woe that the

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world and the United States is going through, it is very

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significant. I think that just from a personal point of view, to have

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won so convincingly is a very, very big achievement. Of course, that

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comes with the proviso that America is a divided nation politically.

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President Obama has a lot to do to try and bridge that now very, very

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deep divide on both sides politically in the United States to

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really move forward. Let's turn to another issue - another political

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leader, Alex Salmond, celebrating as he is the longest-serving First

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Minister in Scotland? I know there's only been a field of four -

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we had Jack McConnell who lasted for five-and-a-half years and then

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Alex Salmond. It is a significant achievement to become the longest-

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serving First Minister in Scotland, in the short time of devolution.

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He's most of the time managed to do so very well. He has commanded the

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complete support of his party and commanded big support throughout

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the country. He has had his highs and lows. Congratulations to him.

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He has coming up to him one of the most important points in his long

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political career, with the referendum? That's right. I think

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that there is an issue here that Alex Salmond perhaps is feeling

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that he's having a few dark days at the moment, things aren't going

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terribly well. There was a point in the life of every Governmental

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leader when they start to tip in terms of public opinion, the public

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opinion turns against him. What Mr Salmond will be hoping is that he

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has not reached that point at the moment. As you say, he has the most

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important point in his political career coming up. What he doesn't

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need is to tip over the edge now and lose some of that public

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opinion. OK. Thank you very much. Back with you later. Now, staying

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with Mr Salmond, he has been telling us he has no immediate

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plans to depart the scene with the independence referendum due in 2014.

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He has no plans too to go on and on. Raymond Buchanan caught up with him

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and asked him which of the over 2,000 days he has been in office

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has been the darkest. Well, the Al- Megrahi issue, Kenny MacAskill took

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the right decisions. There were some difficult days. If you are

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doing the right things, that is a great strength. Of course, the

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election was a vindication of that. People said the SNP would never

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survive taking that decision. In fact, we survived to prosper.

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People believe, whether they agreed or disagreed with the decision,

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they believed we had done it for the right reasons. That is a great

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strength in politics. It is a great mistake to believe the only people

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who ever vote for you are people who absolutely agree with you on

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everything. Sometimes I don't know if I agree with everything that the

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SNP puts forward! People take a balanced judgment, they judge you

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on the whole. On the whole, the SNP Government has been judged

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favourably by the people. The great strength is there is an absolute

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conviction that the SNP do what is best for Scotland. We have

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Scotland's interests at our heart. If we keep that bond between

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Government and people, then we've got a good chance of continuing

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Government, of achieving more things, of re-establishing and

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spreading that social contract in difficult times and we have a great

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chance of winning a referendum to open the door to a better future

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for an independent Scotland. last couple of weeks must have been

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difficult. Is there a trust issue with you and your Government?

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I think over the last couple of weeks, compared to the Al-Megrahi

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affair, the last couple of weeks is high nor compared to that. You will

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always have bumps in politics. But there are important stroo tee JIC

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things that needed to be done -- strategic things that needed to be

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done. These were as follows: We had to have the agreement to put the

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process of independence beyond challenge. In that agreement, the

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understanding that everybody will accept a result, that it will be a

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proper process, that the Scottish Parliament will decide and that

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result will bind all sides, that was very important to do. Secondly,

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as we see in a poll this morning, we have to have a platform for

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independence which is robust and can carry the people with us, hence

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some decisions that the SNP had to take in a democratic fashion.

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Sometimes the process of these things is difficult. But that

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platform is necessary for us to proceed to the White Paper, to

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spell out the vision and the practicality of independence. That

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is where we are now. How long can you go on for? Well, I know that

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you must not ever repeat the mistake some politicians and say

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you are going to go on and on - I'm not saying that. I want to see the

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- I want to see Scotland win the referendum. I want us to open the

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door of opportunity in that referendum and I have no immediate

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plans to depart the scene. I've - and the Scottish National Party -

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people before me have worked their socks off for generations in order

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to bring Scotland to the point where we are, to make Scotland a

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more self-confident place, where people have a Parliament that they

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can look to to defend their interests. We've got a job in hand

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to persuade our fellow citizens to vote by majority to become an

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independent country and to make sure that independent country uses

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the powers it has to work on behalf of the people. So these are

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inspiring times and I have no immediate plans for retirement.

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There is a clock ticking now. We know autumn 2014, there will be a

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referendum. For you, Alex Salmond, that means one of two things. You

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either win it and go on, or you lose it and you can't carry on?

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there is a choice, let's win it! Let's cross to Holyrood now and

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speak to Kevin Stewart, Ken Macintosh and Annabelle Goldie.

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Good afternoon to you all. We will get to Mr Salmond's days in office

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in a moment. I want to pick up on a report in From Audit Scotland,

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there is a mismatch between what is effective and what's been done to

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reduce reoffending according to the watchdog. Kevin Stewart, why is

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there that mismatch there when it comes to reoffending? Well, I think

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the Government has said today that reoffending has been too high. We

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now see it at a 13-year low. 1,000 more police on the beat has

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probably got something to do with that. We have seen resources going

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in last year, some �128 million from Government to community

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justice authorities, to try and stop reoffending. I hope those

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numbers will continue to go down. Ken Macintosh, you have been

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criticising what the SNP have been doing when it comes to this

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mismatch. As Kevin Stewart was pointing out, we have seen

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reconviction rates are at their lowest for the past 13 years?

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has been a fall in crime. The fall in crime has been there for the

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last ten years. It goes back well before the SNP administration. If

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the SNP - I'm happy to pay credit. What I would like to know is when

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organisations like Audit Scotland show up, where they are failing,

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will they do something about it? This report shows there is a

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mismatch between where the funding is spent - we are talking

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substantial sums of money here - and it has not been well spent. Our

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prisoners are not being educated, which is the big difference to

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trying to reduce reoffending rates. The Tories are saying the

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Government should get a grip on this. It is a tough nut to crack,

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isn't it? The dilemma for the Scottish Government is that Audit

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Scotland was very clear. The �128 million being spent is not

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delivering that purpose. That begs a question for the taxpayer, what

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is happening to the money? It begs an important question about how we

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are dealing with our prisoners as they propose to reenter the

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community. We have known for several years that there are traits

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of behaviour that are not being addressed, prisoners still come out

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drug addicted. Everybody is entitled to ask what is going wrong

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here? Somebody needs to take this by the scruff of the neck and sort

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it out. Just want to ask you about another justice story that is doing

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the rounds today. Lawyers threatening action over the

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Scottish legal aid change. They will have to try to make people pay

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to them, if people are earning more than �68 per week, lawyers will

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have to receive that financial contribution from their clients.

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Why is this a problem? It is very alarming if lawyers are feeling so

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pressurised that they are left only with the option of withdrawing

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their services to clients in the criminal courts. There is a very

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serious issue about how we expect the Criminal Justice System to

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function if lawyers are not in the courts doing the job required. The

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second issue is the increasing danger to the whole system of Scots

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law under this Justice Minister. We have seen one attack after another

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on the important institution which is Scots law, that includes

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criminal law. If you don't have that law being practised and

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applied by lawyers, you lose the law, you lose the system. I think

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there is a very profound issue here to be addressed about how on earth

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is the Scottish Government going to restore confidence in the legal

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profession that the Scottish Government believes in a separate

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Scottish legal system and is Kevin Stuart, can you pick up on

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those criticisms from Annabel Goldie? It would be worrying if the

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lawyer as it went on strike. I would hope it did not happen. I

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would hope that justice secretary takes notice of what people have to

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say to him. We have seen this before with this just a secretary.

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I am surprised Annabel Goldie has come in quite so hard on Kenny

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MacAskill. I want to pick up on Mr Salmond being the longest serving

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First Minister. He has had a difficult time over the past few

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weeks with his adviser on Europe. But it looks like we are living in

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a parallel world. Are these his darkest days as First Minister?

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just interviewed him yourself and he says there is always ups and

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downs in politics. I would prefer to look at the ups over the time he

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has been in power, the abolition of prescription charges, road tolls,

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freezing of the council tax and free education continued in

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Scotland, unlike elsewhere in the UK. These are the highlights of his

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2002 days in office. Mr McIntosh, you are critical of Mr Salmond, but

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looking at the approval ratings the SNP have put out, he gets 43% in

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terms of whom stands up for Scotland. The First Minister is not

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lacking in political charisma. I think that is reflected in his

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profile in Scotland. But, it is difficult in the middle of an

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administration to make an accurate description of his legacy. My view

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at the moment is Scotland seems to be in a worse place than we were

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four years ago, the economy is worse and unemployment is worse in

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Scotland than the rest of the UK. Scotland is performing worse than

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the rest of the UK. The biggest worry is the First Minister it is

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leading us into an irreversible position at where we leave the rest

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of the UK behind. If that is his legacy, it will be damning for

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future demolitions. Annabel Goldie, your reaction to Mr Salmond's

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legacy and his days in office? best period of delivering devolved

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Government was in his first term. He does not like specific questions,

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he cannot find a specific answers. And the devolved, domestic agenda,

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all is not tranquil for Starkey is sustaining the university budget by

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raiding the college at budget will stop Annabel Goldie, Ken Macintosh,

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Kevin Stuart, we have to leave it there.

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Scotland badly needs more doctors, the message from the children and

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young people's minister, Aileen Campbell during a debate at

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Holyrood yesterday. There appear to be cross-party consensus in the

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need to speed up the process with some MSPs giving first hand

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accounts of their experience of adoption.

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Over the short life of the register so far, 135 children and 139

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families had been referred to the linking service. We have 82

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children who have been linked to 47 families. 14 children Abbey match

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for adoption by the register, 14 more than we would have found a

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safe home. Whilst it is modest, it is becoming an important tool for

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those referred to it. I would like all local authorities to use the

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register and referrals are a requirement by agencies for any

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child who has not found a home in three months. The register can only

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support families already approved to dock. If we are going to provide

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secure Homes for more children redefined more adopters. The Act

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introduced more opportunities to adopt, particularly for single

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people and same-sex couples. But we're not seeing significantly more

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people coming forward. The key aim is to spread the word to people who

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do not see themselves as prospective adopters and encourage

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them to rule themselves in. daughter was only two years old

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when we adopted her, having lived her life up until then in an

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orphanage. She was an extremely well behaved and have the baby, I

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have got to save. Still is, she is coming up to 12 and still my baby.

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My wife and I agree those people who put themselves forward to adopt

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an older child, a child who perhaps has what is commonly referred to as

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baggage. A child who has had a traumatic experience at a young age,

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but adopters make that child part of the family. What a goal and what

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an achievement. We both believe they are living cents -- Saints. It

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is clear from studies, the sooner a child is permanently placed with a

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family, the sooner the child begins the process of secure attachment

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and that integration and family belonging takes effect at the same

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time. My focus is on the child in this regard. I would suggest more

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should be done to build up a bank, if you like, of prospective parents

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to have been approved so that as soon as it is practically possible

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to do so, a child can be placed when they have been recognised for

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adoption. I also went through the adoption process. After two years

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of interviews and training and visits, and people coming to my

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place and my parents' place and the children were interviewed,

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eventually I was told I was unsuitable. The reason is I work

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too hard. I got worried, I said I already have two children. I said,

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you are not taking my children awake are you? My children are OK,

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they can stay with me even though I work very hard, but they cannot

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adopt anybody else. An interesting phenomenon. I think it shows why

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awareness raising is important because it needs to ensure a broad

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spectrum of people put themselves forward as potentially adoptive

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parents. The illustration you have presented shows the action to do a

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bit of work to show people can be actively ruled in to provide loving

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homes, which you have provided for your own family. That was the

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debate yesterday. Hamish Mac Donald is still with me. Let's talk about

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Mr de Salmond's 2002 days in office. He has face some difficult times

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over the past few weeks over this European advice issues. Is this his

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most difficult? It is pretty close. There have been times when he has

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faced a crisis, not of his or his party's making. There was the

:20:30.:20:35.

Glasgow Airport attack. The whole issue he touched on in his

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interview with Abdelbaset ali al- Megrahi and things got bad because

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of the international pressure. But this row over the EU legal advice

:20:42.:20:46.

and his decision to go to court to keep something secret that did not

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exist, has raised a more fundamental point, which will be

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longer lasting and that is the issue of trust. If Alex Salmond, as

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a political leader starts to lose the trust he has built up over

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these years, then that will be bad news for him, bad news for the SNP

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and bad news for the independence cause. It could be the start of the

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catalyst for something much more long-lasting. Let's try the two

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stories together. President Obama's re-election. What endures could he

:21:19.:21:24.

have on Scotland? David Cameron has a quite close relationship, is

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there anything Mr a banner could see about Scottish independence?

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think David Cameron would like him too. It is an open secret David

:21:35.:21:40.

Cameron was hoping that Barack Obama would get back in and will be

:21:40.:21:45.

delighted he did. As we approach the referendum in 2014, I would

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thought David Cameron would put feelers out there to see if he can

:21:49.:21:54.

get Barack Obama to say something in support of the Union. But Barack

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Obama has to weigh that up. Against the possibility that Scotland might

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become independent and does not want to rock the boat. There is a

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chance, we will see how things go. Mr Cameron will probably push him

:22:07.:22:12.

that way. I wouldn't be surprised if something came through the back

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channels and the Americans made clear their opposition at a later

:22:14.:22:21.

date. And because of NATO and the nuclear weapons based in Scotland?

:22:21.:22:24.

We are seeing an interest in America about the issue of

:22:24.:22:29.

independence. The Washington Post had an editorial on it a couple of

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weeks ago. Other papers and organisations are picking up on it.

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It matters because of NATO, and the UK is the US's big ally and that

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interest will grow over the next few years.

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From David Livingstone to the former First Minister, Jack

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McConnell, Scotland has had a 150 year long relationship with Mullaly,

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often described as the warm heart of Africa. Now those links are

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debated at Holyrood. The development funds the key ways of

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the relationship is kept alive. We go into the chamber now. We have

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the external affairs of international development minister.

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We also provide the resources to carry out an initial visit and a

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scoping study for work to support the preservation of Malawi's

:23:22.:23:27.

important heritage, some of which is shared Scottish and Malawi in

:23:27.:23:35.

heritage. I am pleased the Cabinet Secretary for Education presented

:23:35.:23:39.

her accident -- Excellency with an invitation from the First Minister

:23:39.:23:45.

to celebrate the bicentenary celebrations in Scotland. I think

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it is an incredible testament to the work today, almost 200 years

:23:51.:23:57.

later, the legacy has been continued by none other than Martha

:23:57.:24:03.

Payne, and nine-year-old girl. If we will read about the future of

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this historic friendship, let's cast those anxiety aside. Her

:24:07.:24:12.

example gives us assurances the relationship is in safe hands. We

:24:13.:24:17.

are all aware of the constitutional debate Scotland is engaged in. At

:24:17.:24:21.

its core is the discussion about what kind of Scotland we wish to

:24:21.:24:26.

see in the future. For me, our international development work in

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Malawi encapsulates what this Government wants to see. It is born

:24:31.:24:34.

out of 200 year old history next year, but a legacy continued by the

:24:34.:24:40.

children. On a moderate budget we are pushing ahead with some of the

:24:40.:24:45.

most ground-breaking sustainable energy projects. Continuing that

:24:45.:24:49.

thread of innovation that has won through on nation. It thrills me to

:24:49.:24:53.

think about the change we could make it in alleviating poverty

:24:53.:24:57.

across the world, it in the future we have a budget of hundreds of

:24:57.:25:04.

millions. To conclude, it I have been asked by many people how I

:25:04.:25:09.

have found a new role. I always say it is an honour to serve your

:25:09.:25:13.

country at the highest political level and it is akin to what they

:25:13.:25:17.

footballer feels when he is asked to play for his national team. And

:25:17.:25:21.

for those who have seen my footballing prowess, it is the

:25:21.:25:26.

closest I will ever get to such a feeling. To be able to represent

:25:26.:25:30.

the Scottish Government in a post with the potential to do so much

:25:30.:25:35.

good and push Scotland's agenda in this area, only makes me feel more

:25:35.:25:40.

lucky to be where I am today. I hope I have demonstrated a

:25:40.:25:46.

partnership with Malawi and it is growing ever stronger as a society

:25:46.:25:49.

in Government with prospect of further institutional links.

:25:49.:25:54.

Perhaps the day after the US presidential election, it is only

:25:54.:25:57.

appropriate to quote Benjamin Franklin who said, just as well not

:25:57.:26:02.

be served until those unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

:26:02.:26:06.

It is the duty in every one of us across the chamber to be outraged

:26:06.:26:13.

about the fact only 75% of Malawi's population live on less than $1.25

:26:13.:26:20.

a day. Only 40% of the population lives below the national poverty

:26:20.:26:29.

line. We have a duty to be outraged by the fact no eternal mortality

:26:30.:26:34.

means 10 women die every day. They have no access to clean drinking

:26:34.:26:37.

water Vostok I look forward to working with everyone in this

:26:37.:26:47.
:26:47.:26:52.

Parliament to take this agenda forward. I now call Patricia

:26:52.:26:59.

Ferguson. It is always a pleasure to debate issues about a

:26:59.:27:02.

relationship with Malawi and have an update from the Scottish

:27:02.:27:08.

Government as to progress. In welcoming Mr Yusuf to his new role,

:27:08.:27:11.

can I congratulate him on his choice of this subject for his

:27:11.:27:15.

first of what I am sure, will be many speeches in his ministerial

:27:15.:27:22.

position. Presiding officer, it never ceases to amaze me, just how

:27:22.:27:26.

many links and connections this country house with Mullaly. There

:27:26.:27:31.

are schools and churches twinned with Malawi, and professional

:27:31.:27:35.

organisations and individuals for whom The Lowry is a very special

:27:35.:27:40.

place. As we have had, next year we have the opportunity to celebrate

:27:40.:27:46.

those links with the anniversary of David Livingstone's birth. I hope

:27:46.:27:51.

in the list of organisations, Mr used if mention, that he has not

:27:51.:27:56.

forgotten the National Library of Scotland who has an extensive

:27:56.:27:59.

collection of David Livingstone's papers, which are very interesting

:27:59.:28:04.

today, as I am sure they were at the time. But, in talking about

:28:04.:28:09.

those links, I think it is sensible to consider the range and depth of

:28:09.:28:14.

them. Only today, my colleague, Richard Simpson told me of an

:28:14.:28:18.

initiative being undertaken by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who

:28:19.:28:22.

are raising funds and actively working with a small number of

:28:22.:28:27.

their profession who practise in Malawi. Just yesterday, one of the

:28:27.:28:32.

schools from my own constituency unvisited the Parliament and the

:28:32.:28:36.

school pupils told me of an important visitor to their school

:28:36.:28:40.

for just last week. He was a teacher from The Lowry and his name

:28:40.:28:45.

was, Tom. He explained to the pupils what school was like and

:28:45.:28:55.
:28:55.:28:57.

obviously inspired them with his It's called the Malawi Leaders of

:28:57.:29:02.

Learning Project. This scheme helps to upskill classroom teachers and

:29:02.:29:04.

promotes a sense of civic responsibility in young people. In

:29:04.:29:09.

addition to Tom, there are five other teachers in Glasgow from

:29:09.:29:13.

Malawi at the moment. They are attending the reception in

:29:13.:29:18.

Parliament tonight. I look forward to meeting them there. Having read

:29:18.:29:23.

the evaluation report, it is clearly doing great work and has

:29:23.:29:30.

great potential. In its first year, it has enabled 15 education

:29:30.:29:35.

professionals, indeed I was delighted the party included active

:29:35.:29:39.

schools co-ordinators, and they worked in Malawi for some five

:29:39.:29:42.

weeks. It is clear from the report that there were teething problems,

:29:42.:29:49.

to be expected, but it was also clear that all of the staff learned

:29:49.:29:53.

and benefited from the experience and planned to continue the

:29:53.:30:00.

initiative. The debate on Scotland's relationship with Malawi.

:30:00.:30:03.

Supporters of Barack Obama have been celebrating his re-election as

:30:03.:30:07.

President. He took 50% of the vote to 48% for Republican challenger,

:30:07.:30:11.

Mitt Romney. I'm now joined from Washington DC by Elise Foley of the

:30:11.:30:17.

Huffington Post. Good afternoon, or good morning to you there in

:30:17.:30:22.

Washington. The east coast of the United States is waking up to

:30:22.:30:25.

another term for President Obama. What is the mood in Washington DC,

:30:25.:30:34.

do you think? Well, the mood here is very enthusiastic. DC is a

:30:34.:30:38.

majority democratic district and so last night you had people going to

:30:38.:30:41.

the White House, kind of storming the streets, they shut down some of

:30:41.:30:47.

the major streets. People were very excited about Obama's re-election.

:30:47.:30:50.

We have been hearing a lot about the changing face of the United

:30:50.:30:57.

States. Can you tell me what role the Latino vote played in helping

:30:57.:31:02.

to re-elect President Obama? Absolutely. Turnout among Latinos

:31:02.:31:07.

was very high this year. You had record support for Obama. He won a

:31:08.:31:11.

larger share of the population than any President before him. The

:31:11.:31:16.

record before was Bill Clinton in 1996 who got 72% of the vote. It is

:31:16.:31:22.

not all fully in, the exit polls are being tabulated. It is looking

:31:22.:31:27.

like he is going to get a record share. So basically the Latino vote

:31:27.:31:31.

is going to be a major issue going forward, Republicans are really not

:31:31.:31:36.

able at this point to win over Latino voters and as they become a

:31:36.:31:39.

larger share of the population, that will become a bigger problem.

:31:39.:31:45.

So right now you are looking at a Republican Party who probably today

:31:45.:31:49.

is already starting to think, "We have a problem and we need to fix

:31:49.:31:54.

it." One of the biggest issues is immigration reform. Now Mr Obama

:31:54.:32:02.

will be returning to the White House behind you. When he takes the

:32:02.:32:07.

reins and concentrates on running the country once again, what will

:32:07.:32:13.

his first actions be? Well, I think, as I mentioned, immigration reform

:32:13.:32:17.

is going to come quickly. I think that now that you sort of have

:32:17.:32:20.

Republicans in this place where they don't want to oppose it, I

:32:20.:32:26.

think he will be able to get that past in the first year. First, he

:32:26.:32:30.

has a bunch of economic issues to deal with. We have this fiscal

:32:30.:32:34.

cliff, where we need to raise our debt ceiling otherwise we will

:32:34.:32:38.

default on our debts. That's been very tense before. We have these

:32:38.:32:43.

tax cuts that are said to expire soon, that he will have to either -

:32:43.:32:48.

they will have to prove extending those tax cuts, Obama wants to end

:32:48.:32:51.

them on the very wealthy, continue them on the middle-class, and that

:32:51.:32:55.

is something that Republicans have opposed. But I guess we will see,

:32:55.:33:00.

you know, now that Obama has got this mandate from the people, he

:33:00.:33:05.

has more power to negotiate there. Now he is the most powerful man in

:33:05.:33:10.

the world, the leader of the free world. What impact will his re-

:33:10.:33:14.

election might have on us in the UK and in Scotland where we are going

:33:14.:33:18.

to have a referendum on independence in two years' time?

:33:18.:33:25.

Well, I think he's very popular abroad. All the polling of who the

:33:26.:33:30.

world would pick as the President, Obama won every time. So I think

:33:30.:33:34.

that he has an ability to influence those types of things. I don't

:33:34.:33:37.

believe he has spoken out about Scottish independence. We will see

:33:37.:33:41.

if he does, as it gets closer. I know the relationship between the

:33:41.:33:49.

US and the UK has been very important especially as we look at

:33:49.:33:52.

our role in the world, as we look at the wars we have been involved

:33:52.:33:56.

in. I think the partnership is going to continue to be really

:33:56.:34:01.

strong and you had Mitt Romney go over and anger people when he was

:34:01.:34:06.

there last and so it's probably good that you are not having

:34:07.:34:12.

somebody that angered the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister.

:34:12.:34:17.

Thank you for joining us from Washington DC. Thank you.

:34:17.:34:21.

Now to Prime Minister's Questions. They were led by the Deputy Prime

:34:21.:34:24.

Minster, Nick Clegg, today in David Cameron's absence. The Shadow

:34:24.:34:26.

Deputy Prime Minister, Harriet Harman, criticised Mr Clegg's

:34:26.:34:29.

Government for their policy on tax credits, saying it was forcing

:34:29.:34:36.

women out of work. Here's a flavour of their exchanges. This week, the

:34:36.:34:42.

Deputy Prime Minister sent an e- mail to his party members. In it,

:34:42.:34:46.

he describes the task of finding childcare as a real nightmare.

:34:46.:34:50.

Isn't it clear that cutting the childcare element of tax credits

:34:50.:34:55.

has made that nightmare worse for parents? I tell you what I think

:34:55.:35:00.

has helped many people who have had to, who have struggled to pay for

:35:00.:35:03.

childcare is the fact that it is this Government that is providing

:35:03.:35:07.

15 hours of free pre-school support and childcare to every three and

:35:07.:35:09.

four-year-old in the country, no Government has done that before. It

:35:09.:35:13.

is this Government, as of next April, that will be providing 15

:35:13.:35:16.

hours of pre-school support and childcare to some of the poorest

:35:16.:35:19.

two-year-olds in the country. No other Government has done that

:35:19.:35:24.

before. It is this Government that is taking two million people on low

:35:24.:35:31.

pay out of paying any income tax altogether. That's a record I'm

:35:31.:35:34.

proud of. The Deputy Prime Minister has shown himself to be completely

:35:34.:35:42.

out of touch in that answer. The reality is that many part-time

:35:42.:35:47.

working parents are having to give up their job because of the cuts in

:35:47.:35:52.

tax credits and having instead to be on benefits. I asked him about

:35:52.:35:57.

the childcare elements of the tax credits and he hasn't answered. Why

:35:57.:36:07.
:36:07.:36:07.

won't he admit the cut he voted for has cost families �500 and 44,000

:36:07.:36:12.

families are losing out? They are cutting �1 billion from Sure Start.

:36:12.:36:18.

In his e-mail he said he was going to reveal - Mr Speaker... What

:36:18.:36:22.

really goes on behind those Whitehall doors. Perhaps in his

:36:22.:36:26.

next week's instalment, he will tell the truth. Under his

:36:27.:36:33.

Government, families are worse off, aren't they? As of next April,

:36:33.:36:37.

because of one of the most radical tax changes introduced by any

:36:37.:36:43.

Government in living memory, 24 million basic rate taxpayers will

:36:43.:36:48.

be �550 better off. That is a radical change, I am very proud of.

:36:48.:36:51.

I'm proud of the fact that three and four-year-olds will benefit

:36:51.:36:55.

from our changes, two-year-olds will benefit. As she may have

:36:55.:37:00.

noticed, in the much-quoted Resolution Trust report, tax

:37:00.:37:04.

credits are not the best answers for many families. So, yes, I

:37:04.:37:09.

accept we need to do more to make childcare affordable so more women

:37:09.:37:12.

can get back into work at an earlier stage, that is what this

:37:12.:37:16.

Government is setting about doing, while we are cleaning up the mess

:37:16.:37:21.

left behind by her. Scotland's First Minister has misled the

:37:21.:37:26.

public on legal advice that doesn't exist. Rewritten the Ministerial

:37:26.:37:30.

Code for his own gain. There are strong suggestions that he will

:37:30.:37:33.

ignore the Electoral Commission in the upcoming referendum. People in

:37:33.:37:37.

Scotland are losing faith in the First Minister and this Government

:37:37.:37:43.

are in danger of being complicit in yet another muddle. Does the Deputy

:37:43.:37:48.

Prime Minister trust the First Minister to deliver a fair, legal

:37:48.:37:54.

and decisive referendum on separation? We have been working on

:37:54.:37:58.

a cross-party basis, particularly between those partys who believe in

:37:58.:38:00.

the maintenance of the family of the nations of the United Kingdom,

:38:00.:38:07.

to ensure that there is a fair, legal and decisive vote in the

:38:07.:38:17.
:38:17.:38:17.

referendum. I certainly agree with her characterisation. The spectacle

:38:17.:38:21.

- you couldn't make it up. Let's cross to our Westminster

:38:21.:38:24.

correspondent, David Porter, who's standing by on College Green. Good

:38:24.:38:29.

afternoon. Thank you for joining me. Scottish affairs at the top of the

:38:29.:38:34.

agenda, Nick Clegg having to take that question about the referendum?

:38:34.:38:39.

Yes, Scotland got a mention a few times at Prime Minister's Question

:38:39.:38:44.

Time. It was a rather strange Prime Minister's Question Time. Nick

:38:44.:38:48.

Clegg and Harriet Harman for the opposition. The reason for that is

:38:48.:38:52.

that David Cameron is still out of the country. Quite frankly, I think

:38:52.:38:56.

it was one of those rare occasions here at Westminster where Prime

:38:56.:39:00.

Minister's Question Time was not the main thoughts of MPs and the

:39:00.:39:04.

political village here at Westminster. The place behind me is

:39:04.:39:09.

perhaps still digesting the events in Washington and the rest of

:39:09.:39:12.

America, the re-election of President Obama and perhaps looking

:39:12.:39:16.

a bit further ahead what that will mean for the relationship between

:39:17.:39:23.

Britain and the United States and perhaps as importantly, if America

:39:23.:39:29.

goes ahead with stopping these tax cuts and brings in spending cuts,

:39:29.:39:33.

the fiscal cliff at the beginning of next year, what that could mean

:39:33.:39:37.

for the American economy and any knock-on effects it could have for

:39:37.:39:40.

the recovery in this country. think it is widely regarded Mr

:39:40.:39:45.

Cameron has a good relationship with Mr Obama. He is going to be

:39:45.:39:48.

meeting Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, this evening for budget

:39:48.:39:53.

talks at Downing Street over this controversial EU budget? Yes, you

:39:53.:39:56.

mentioned David Cameron and you mentioned President Obama, normally

:39:56.:39:59.

you would think a Conservative-led administration would have been

:39:59.:40:03.

rooting for the Republicans. That didn't happen. David Cameron has a

:40:03.:40:09.

good working relationship. It is noticeable you talk to Conservative

:40:09.:40:11.

MPs privately, the majority are very content with what has happened

:40:11.:40:15.

in the United States. Probably what they will be less content with is

:40:15.:40:18.

the dinner that David Cameron will be having with Angela Merkel

:40:18.:40:23.

tonight where they are discussing that thorny issue of the EU budget.

:40:23.:40:26.

Those negotiations are starting. There will be a summit in Brussels

:40:26.:40:30.

later this month. Remember, last week, David Cameron said that he

:40:30.:40:34.

wanted a situation where there was no real terms increase in the

:40:34.:40:39.

budget. It would go up with line with inflation. MPs then voted for

:40:39.:40:44.

a real terms cut in the amount that Britain puts into the EU coffers.

:40:44.:40:48.

So he will be dining with Angela Merkel tonight and he will be

:40:48.:40:53.

saying, "The House of Commons wants the situation whereby the amount

:40:53.:40:58.

Britain pays in is going to be reduced." He will find that a very

:40:58.:41:02.

difficult sell to Angela Merkel. She will say that in principle she

:41:02.:41:06.

can see that no-one wants to pay any more, but they will have to put

:41:06.:41:10.

more into the coffers. It is I think politically going to be very

:41:10.:41:13.

difficult this month for David Cameron, although on a personal

:41:13.:41:17.

level he gets on with Angela Merkel, they are coming at this issue from

:41:18.:41:21.

different sides. Thank you very much.

:41:21.:41:26.

Let's have a final chat with our commentator, Hamish Macdonell.

:41:26.:41:29.

Let's go back to something we were covering earlier in the programme,

:41:29.:41:36.

a few minutes ago, the debate at Holyrood and Scotland's

:41:36.:41:44.

relationship with Malawi. It is interesting that there is that side

:41:44.:41:49.

angle to world affairs? When this whole relationship started, or the

:41:49.:41:52.

modern relationship started under Jack McConnell, it was very

:41:52.:41:57.

controversial for the Scottish Executive to start a fund to invest

:41:57.:42:01.

in what was aid to a foreign country. That was seen as being

:42:01.:42:05.

outside the responsibilities of the Scottish Executive. I went to

:42:05.:42:08.

Malawi in 2004 with Jack McConnell to see where some of this money was

:42:08.:42:13.

being spent and see how the Scottish Executive's resources were

:42:13.:42:16.

being put to use. It is very encouraging when you go there. I

:42:16.:42:20.

think it is a very good thing for a small regional country like

:42:20.:42:24.

Scotland, that has a smallish budget, to just focus on one area

:42:24.:42:30.

and one area where it has a very long-standing relationship trying

:42:30.:42:33.

to affect a big change in that one place rather than spreading the

:42:33.:42:36.

money very widely among other places. That whole principle has

:42:36.:42:41.

been accepted now. We saw that in the debate. I think that a lot of

:42:41.:42:46.

MSPs have seen how good the work is that has been done in Malawi.

:42:46.:42:50.

there ten years ago and the relationship with Scotland is

:42:50.:42:54.

extremely close. I suppose it gives Humza Yousaf, it is a great

:42:54.:42:58.

platform for him to be able to talk about that close relationship?

:42:58.:43:01.

There is the politics involved there as well. It is very good for

:43:01.:43:05.

the Scottish Government to have someone who can call themselves

:43:05.:43:14.

external affairs minister and to spread the message across the world.

:43:15.:43:19.

It gives them a platform. They do have to be careful about keeping an

:43:19.:43:24.

eye on those budgets? They do. They are ringfenced. They go to

:43:24.:43:29.

charities, usually Scots charities working in Malawi. OK. Thank you

:43:29.:43:35.

very much. Good luck for Movember! That's all we have time for just

:43:35.:43:39.

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