18/06/2014 Politics Scotland


18/06/2014

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Hello and welcome to Politics Scotland.

:00:18.:00:19.

A plan for Prestwick to take off again.

:00:20.:00:25.

The Scottish Government sets out how the airport will benefit

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from a multi-million pound loan and funding deal.

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Growing concern that the mounting crisis in Iraq, and how it could

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affect us in Britain. And as the temperature heats up this

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summer, so does the debate on independence -

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with Scotland's Future up for Prestwick Aiport is to receive

:00:48.:00:50.

a multi-million pounds makeover, Nicola Sturgeon,

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the Infrastructure Secretary, told MSPs much of the money would be

:00:55.:00:59.

used to improve the terminal building and that a maintenance

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backlog would be tackled. More than ?15 million has already

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been spent, Our Transport Correspondent David

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Miller has more. And aircraft like this costs $80

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million, but it is landing at an airport bought by the Scottish

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Government for just ?1. And remainder of the scale of

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Prestwick's problems, but we are being told there are big

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opportunities here. The main runway is huge, one of the longest anywhere

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in the United Kingdom. The airport's supporters says it

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underlines this place's importance, not only to the local economy, but

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to the economy of Scotland as a whole. The Scottish Government's

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aim, to avert closure and safeguard thousands of jobs. More than ?50

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million is already being invested as part of the effort to return

:02:04.:02:08.

Prestwick to profitability and ultimately the private sector. If

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and when that happens it will still be known as Glasgow Prestwick. The

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Scottish Government is making an investment in the airport, in the

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form of loan funding. And we require to generate a long-term return for

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taxpayers money, so that is the first important point to stress, the

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airport will be run on a commercial basis. Changing the name would

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undoubtedly be a welcome move locally, but we need to promote and

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market Prestwick airport to airlines and passengers across the world.

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Critics argue the airport should have been allowed to close. Listers

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are adamant it can have a viable future.

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Let's speak to David Miller now. He's in our Edinburgh studio.

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What is the big plan here? The big plan is to save jobs across central

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Scotland. Ministers believe that Prestwick was too important, too big

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to be allowed to fail. That is something its commercial rival

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believes should have been allowed to happen, but the Scottish Government

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took the view that this business could be turned around with

:03:24.:03:28.

taxpayers money invested. It could be returned to profitability within

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the next few years, and ultimately, as I mentioned in the report, to the

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private sector. No one at transport Scotland or the Scottish Government

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is suggesting it is going to be easy. Prestwick clearly has

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turbulent times still to come. Mentioned the commercial rivals.

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What could be the impact on them of Prestwick being saved? Up until

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today, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports have been fairly

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tight-lipped. They have been expressing concerns, and they are

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not at all happy at the prospect of being forced to compete with the

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publicly funded rival. Glasgow Airport, because it is closest, has

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the most to lose. At Edinburgh would also point the number of arson

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jurors from the capital and across the Lothian region who travel to

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Prestwick to fly out with Ryanair to European destinations. So the big

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two airports believe they have something to lose. They were

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frustrated until today, and that frustration, I sense, is becoming

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more and more leading to anger, really. They are certainly not happy

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that so much money, as they would see it, is being invested in a

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commercial rival to successful businesses at Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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Interesting to hear anger is building up. At the Scottish

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Government confident of the future of Prestwick? They seem to be

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publicly, and they are acting on expert advice. They brought in

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experts before they decided to step in and by the airport. Nicola

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Sturgeon made it clear today that if she had not backed the plan, it

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would have been closed on the jobs would have been lost. So publicly,

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they are saying they are confident, and Prestwick will be more run on a

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commercial basis. Each and every time they have to come back to

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Parliament and say they are investing more public money in the

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airport they will be subjected to more and more intense scrutiny, so

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the pressure is on ministers to perform.

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I'm joined for the duration of the programme by the political

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It was a controversial decision for the government to buy Prestwick. It

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still remains a contravention plan -- controversial plan. Prestwick has

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suffered for -- from years of underinvestment. This links up

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domestic policy, how Scotland is promoted and so on. It gets to the

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crux of what is the Scottish Government's development strategy

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because they have had to be short term reactive. They bought it for

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?1, and we're hearing about rival airports. Yes, and Edinburgh has

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good tram links, Glasgow Airport has never managed to work out the

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transport. When the Grangemouth disaster happened last year, the

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Scottish Government did not have in-depth relationships with

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Grangemouth, so it is how to do things that are strategic rather

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than being caught making decisions with long-term consequences quickly.

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Thank you. Now, as the mercury rises this

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summer, so does the heat Labour have time in parliament this

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afternoon to debate, and they've chosen Scotland's Future with

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a motion in Johann Lamont's name. We're on-air a bit later today,

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so this is what the Scottish Labour Earlier this week I joined with my

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colleagues to pledge more powers to Scotland. The people of Scotland now

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know that whatever the result of the referendum, there will be change.

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The choices separating off on to Rome, or sharing power our

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neighbours will be believe it is in our interest to do that. Whether

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those powers come to a devolved parliament on an independent one.

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This debate has dominated Scottish politics. But we should not allow

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that to distract from significant powers we already have at the

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Scottish Parliament. I believe the key areas of realising ambitions for

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Scotland lie in Holyrood, and it is up to us to set those priorities.

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Education, to give those who lose their job the opportunity to retrain

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for the next one. Health, the means to ensure sex and vulnerable are

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supported and cared for. And to building a Scotland where people

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have the physical and mental health to take up opportunities we would

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create. Too often we debate about what we cannot do, and not enough

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time talking about what we can do. For sometime this Parliament has

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been the forum... We need to get past the constitutional question.

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Issues over schools and hospitals are still a key factor in the

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referendum campaign. That is because people will be asking themselves

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whether I guess bought on a no vote will be best for public services.

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And Yes vote give schools and services...

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Members of the Scottish public, people who will come together to

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decide our future, will have to choose between which side they

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believe, whose arguments make the most sense, and what fits in best

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with their view of the future. People often bemoan having to make a

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choice at all. We see politicians setting out contradictory positions,

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arguing that black is white, and are left wondering who to believe.

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For some live political reaction, I'm joined from the Garden Lobby of

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Holyrood by Labour's Infrastructure Spokesperson James Kelly and,

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Do you think she was going for the natural topic of services? Isn't

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there more topics to deal with? , in an independent Scotland B would have

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?4.7 million less to spend, and what that would mean if you were a

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classroom assistant or a cleaner that there would be less money in

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budgets, and less money in the economy, people would have less

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money in their pockets. It is becoming clear that we need the best

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of both worlds, we need to share across the country of 63 million,

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rather than the risk of independence with only 5 million to protect us.

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James Kelly, she was talking about the powers that we have already,

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they lie in Holyrood, such as education. It does not sound as if

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they are particularly keen to bringing more powers to Holyrood. In

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the proposals for a possible no vote, you were out by the

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Conservatives. Not at all. We have an extensive report and a devolution

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commission, just to give an example, if you devolved housing benefit,

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which is 1.7 billion, that would give a substantial power in order to

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use that money imaginatively to tackle Scotland's housing crisis,

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which the SNP has not been able to do currently. There are substantial

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further powers that can come to give us a stronger Scottish Parliament.

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It has become clear that this is what people are looking for. Kenny

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Gibson, we will hear from Nicola Sturgeon shortly, but just on that

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point that Mr Kelly was pointing out, the Scottish Government, he

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says, do not use their powers properly. It took a long time to

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tackle this so-called bedroom tax. Labour see that you're not using the

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you already have. Bedroom tax is reserved. In terms of housing, to

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contradict what James said, the number of affordable houses is that

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a record level. We have reduced crime to the lowest level for 40

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years, and reduced NHS waiting times and cleaned up the hospitals. So

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clearly things are working. It Scotland had more powers to do the

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things that we've all want to be done, Scotland could be a much more

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successful place. James denigrates countries of 5 million people or so,

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if you look at fenland, Norway or Denmark, the amount of disposable

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income people have and the quality of life is higher than in Scotland,

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so be believe decisions will be better made. Johann Lamont has got

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it wrong in terms of public services. If the Tories privatised

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health, there will be further consequences because our budget will

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be cut. Scotland will suffer a 17.2% cut in its budget over the next five

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years with a no vote. If they vote no, we will have more cuts and

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austerity. We believe with austerity, we can make Scotland more

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successful and prosperous. But with a no vote, there is the possibility

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of more powers. We heard that from the prounion parties. Stewart

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Maxwell said today that you cannot trust the Unionist parties. John

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Major said that was cheap and silly to say you cannot trust the prounion

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parties to give more powers. Is that correct? We cannot trust them. We

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already saw in the devolution commission, Labour promised to

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devolving contacts, and they are not going to do that. They were going to

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devolve air passenger duty, but they will not do that. It is quite clear

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that having control of your own resources is a better way forward

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than having to rely on someone taking decisions on your behalf. I

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want to mention Prestwick airport, to get your reaction. Games, what do

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you make of the Scottish Government's announcement today?

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Multi-million pound investment? What we have seen today is ?50 million

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being invested, but it months down the line, we still have not seen the

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business plan. It is all very well bringing forward investment, but

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Nicola Sturgeon admitted it will take several years to make the

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airport profitable again, and the taxpayer, the public, the community

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deserve to know how that money has been spent and what plans have even

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put in place to make the airport profitable. Should taxpayers be

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worried about the amount of money being invested eight in Prestwick

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Airport? Taxpayers would be more worried if the jobs that rely on the

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airport go. Air passenger duty, if it was devolved, would restore ten

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flight a day to Stansted alone just through Ryanair. Quite clearly, if

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air passenger duty was devolved, which the Tories and Labour have

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rejected, that would help restore Prestwick Airport. You can only get

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that policy for Scotland with independence. Thank you both very

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much for joining us. Let's pick up first on that Labour point. What did

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you think of Johan Lamont focusing on public services? She is focusing

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on risks. This is a very traditional Labour approach, talking about

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public services. The independence debate is not just about public

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services, it is about the kind of society we are, wealth and

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inequality. It is a kind of base approach. What do you make of the

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wider independence debate this week? There was a photocall at

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Carlton Hill. John Major intervened as well. How have they played out in

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the referendum debate? Every former Prime Minister will be involved in

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this debate to an extent. He thought he intervened to save the union in

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1992. He was talking about the perceived threat to NATO, how the

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Americans feel about this. There is clearly American anxiety about

:18:24.:18:27.

change. I thought the Carlton Hill declaration was interesting. The

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three prounion parties have to work together. But I working together,

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they make this debate about the most feasible kind of change they can

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deliver. That plays on to Alex Salmond's territory of independence

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been the simplest form of change. There was caught in Scotsman

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newspaper today about parties coalescing to the lowest common to

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nominate in terms of an offer of more powers for the parliament. Do

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you agree with that? Yes, because all three parties are different. We

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have heard a set of interior and minimalist apostles. If they come

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together, they would fall back to their minimalist position because

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there would be a huge story of the parties rewriting their policies.

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Thank you. Now, we heard earlier from the

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Labour leader Johann Lamont about Scotland's Future - the Labour-led

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debate in the Scottish Parliament. It's the turn of the

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Scottish Government to respond, so let's now hear from the Deputy

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First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. I very much welcome the debate from

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Labour today. Johan Lamont said in her opening speech that one of the

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key questions in this debate is whether yes or no is best for our

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public services. I very much agree with that. So this debate is very

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timely, I did say, coming as it does coming on the very same day that the

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vice convener of Unison in Scotland has declared for yes. His backing

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for independence comes hard on the heels of Pat Kelly, senior Labour

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activist and former president of the STUC, Jimmy Carter, vice-chair of

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Renfrewshire South Labour Party and the general secretary of Muslim

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friends for Labour. All of these people, together with Bob Thomson

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and Carol Fox, understand that independence is the best route to a

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favour Scotland. Who knows? Independence may also be the best

:20:51.:20:57.

rate reinvigorated Labour Party. On the evidence of today, the Labour

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Party in Scotland badly needs reinvigorated. All in all, Presiding

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Officer, Johan Lamont couldn't have picked a better moment to

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demonstrate how increasingly out of touch she is with her own

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supporters. The real reason I welcome this debate is it gives me,

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against the backdrop of building momentum for yes, the perfect

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opportunity to set out again the positive case for Scotland becoming

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an independent country. To set out firstly the evidence that we can

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more than afford to be an independent country. Let's just

:21:42.:21:45.

remind ourselves of the facts in the midst of the doom and gloom that

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characterised the speech from Johan Lamont. An independent Scotland

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would be the 14th richest country in the OECD. Not worse off, but better

:21:56.:22:03.

off than the UK. We generate more I put her hate -- per head than France

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and Japan. We have generated more tax per person than the UK as a

:22:15.:22:19.

whole. Over the past five years, our public finances have been stronger

:22:20.:22:24.

than the UK's to the tune of ?8.3 billion. Does the Deputy First

:22:25.:22:31.

Minister not feel a little bit silly for saying in the White Paper that

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we would be the eighth? The key point here is the relative advantage

:22:39.:22:43.

of Scotland over the UK is absolutely maintained. I don't know

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whether the Conservatives think it is silly to point out the inherent

:22:47.:22:51.

wealth of this country. I actually think that is a good thing. If they

:22:52.:22:57.

spent more time talking up Scotland, rather than talking it down, maybe

:22:58.:23:01.

they would not be in the dire position they are in. Scotland can

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be independent. The question on the ballot paper is not can we, it is

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should we. We published our draft independence bill earlier this week.

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Johan Lamont is right that there was a contrast. Our bill shows how

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Scotland, with the confidence and powers of an independent nation,

:23:32.:23:35.

could set our aspirations and work towards fairness in our society as

:23:36.:23:42.

well as remove nuclear weapons from our soil. The opposition parties

:23:43.:23:50.

offered are paid in our pork. -- J Hake. -- a pig..

:23:51.:24:09.

We want the people of this country to decide how this country is run in

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the whole range of government activity. Taxation, welfare, health,

:24:16.:24:22.

foreign affairs and Justice. To take responsibility for our own future.

:24:23.:24:29.

To maximise our own opportunities. Let's hear the response

:24:30.:24:31.

from the Scottish Conservatives, in Back in the real world, let's look

:24:32.:24:47.

at the document that Nicola Sturgeon bustle keen to court, but less keen

:24:48.:24:52.

to take interventions and questions on. She boasted about what a

:24:53.:24:57.

fabulous document the outlook for Scotland's public finances and the

:24:58.:25:02.

opportunities of independence actually is. She talked about how

:25:03.:25:05.

this document proved that on every conceivable measure an independent

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Scotland would be richer, would have healthier finances, than the rest of

:25:12.:25:18.

the UK. What Nicola Sturgeon didn't say, and what the document doesn't

:25:19.:25:23.

say at the beginning, what it only says tucked away in a box halfway

:25:24.:25:29.

through on page 26 is this. Every single scenario in that document

:25:30.:25:35.

relies upon what is called scenario four of the Scottish Government's

:25:36.:25:42.

oil and gas projections. That believes that he would get ?6.9

:25:43.:25:49.

billion of revenue from oil and gas in the first year of an independent

:25:50.:25:55.

Scotland. Rising to ?7.3 billion the year after. On any analysis, deputy

:25:56.:26:00.

Presiding Officer, that is an optimistic scenario for oral and

:26:01.:26:08.

gas. It is a fool for billion pounds higher than the central scenario of

:26:09.:26:13.

the Office for Budget Responsibility. They predict...

:26:14.:26:22.

Every time you mention the OBR, you get a scoffing from the SNP. You get

:26:23.:26:29.

Alex Neil, of all people, seeing they are very reliable, that what.

:26:30.:26:34.

Time now for Prime Minister's Questions, where the issue of Iraq

:26:35.:26:37.

dominated exchanges between David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

:26:38.:26:39.

Mr Cameron repeated his warning that British people who

:26:40.:26:41.

became radicalised in Iraq and Syria could carry out attacks here

:26:42.:26:42.

He added the Home Secretary had used powers to seize the passports

:26:43.:27:05.

from people suspected of wanting to travel to the region.

:27:06.:27:08.

I can tell the house that the latest reports indicate fighting is

:27:09.:27:23.

continuing and there is a large-scale recruitment of Shia

:27:24.:27:30.

militias and other young recruits to the Iraqi armed forces. When you get

:27:31.:27:42.

this combination of poor governance, support for extremists, you get the

:27:43.:27:51.

opportunities for the terrorists. I agree. This crisis has consequences

:27:52.:27:58.

for the whole world, including the UK. Can he tell us the extra

:27:59.:28:05.

measures the government is taking to ensure that British National is in

:28:06.:28:08.

the region cannot return here and engage in violent extremism or

:28:09.:28:14.

terrorism? Can he say what the government is doing to prevent

:28:15.:28:17.

people in this country becoming radicalised and travelling to the

:28:18.:28:20.

region in order to fight? I believe this is the correct focus. Our

:28:21.:28:26.

approach to this issue must be based on a hard-headed assessment of our

:28:27.:28:30.

national interest. Most important of all is how to keep our citizens at

:28:31.:28:36.

home safe. We will be legislating in this session of Parliament to make

:28:37.:28:41.

the planning of terrorist attacks overseas illegal here in the UK. We

:28:42.:28:47.

will be making sure our security, intelligence and policing resources

:28:48.:28:50.

are focused on this part of the world and the danger of British

:28:51.:28:54.

people travelling there, becoming radicalised and returning to the UK.

:28:55.:28:58.

We have stopped a number of people travelling and have taken away

:28:59.:29:02.

passports, including using the new powers we legislated for in the last

:29:03.:29:06.

Parliament. We will continue doing all we can to keep our country safe.

:29:07.:29:11.

Everything we are seeing across this region begs a fundamental question

:29:12.:29:15.

of whether it can develop politics where people live alongside each

:29:16.:29:21.

other as citizens, rather than dividing along religious or

:29:22.:29:26.

sectarian lines? While we should provide assistance for that to

:29:27.:29:30.

happen, in the end it is about the political will of those in the

:29:31.:29:33.

region that will determine whether that happens or not? It would be a

:29:34.:29:39.

mistake to believe that the only answer to these problems is the hard

:29:40.:29:45.

attack of direct intervention. We know that can create problems of

:29:46.:29:49.

itself. I disagree with those people who think this is nothing to do with

:29:50.:29:54.

us and if you want to have some sort of extreme Islamist regime in the

:29:55.:29:58.

middle of Iraq, that won't affect us. It will. The people in that

:29:59.:30:03.

region, as well as trying to take territory, are also planning to

:30:04.:30:08.

attack us in the United Kingdom. The right answer is to be patient and

:30:09.:30:13.

intelligent with the interventions we make. The most important

:30:14.:30:18.

intervention of all is to make sure these governments are truly

:30:19.:30:20.

representative of the people who live in their countries, that they

:30:21.:30:24.

caused in the ungoverned space and remove the export -- remove the

:30:25.:30:29.

support for the extremists. We have to help in Iraq, Somalia, Syria,

:30:30.:30:40.

because if we don't these problems will come back to hurt us at home.

:30:41.:30:45.

Let's stay at Westminster, this time outside the chamber of the

:30:46.:30:48.

House of Commons and over to College Green, where our correspondent

:30:49.:30:51.

What has Ed Balls been saying? There has been a com prince of enquiry

:30:52.:31:06.

into the consequences of independence in Scotland. They have

:31:07.:31:09.

been focusing over the currency issue. They have heard evidence from

:31:10.:31:16.

the Chancellor, the chief secretary, Danny Alexander, and

:31:17.:31:20.

today it was the turn of Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor. He has said

:31:21.:31:26.

that if there was an independent Scotland would be no currency union

:31:27.:31:29.

between the rest of the UK an independent Scotland. He was at

:31:30.:31:36.

pains today to make it plain that as far as he was concerned whoever

:31:37.:31:40.

would be in government at this place after the next general election, and

:31:41.:31:43.

if there was Scottish independence, there would not be a currency union

:31:44.:31:48.

between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Once you move away

:31:49.:32:01.

from the fundamental underpinnings of a single currency, to continue

:32:02.:32:05.

with the single currency would be to make all the mistakes and worse that

:32:06.:32:11.

were made in the Euro in the early years. It would not be being -- it

:32:12.:32:17.

would not be in the interests of anyone in the United Kingdom. I

:32:18.:32:23.

could never recommend it. It would not happen, shouldn't happen, and

:32:24.:32:27.

will not happen if there is a Labour government. So, Ed Balls not

:32:28.:32:33.

changing his position there. I understand you have some guests to

:32:34.:32:36.

pick up on those issues. Yes, I have. We will pick up on some

:32:37.:32:43.

important issues. I am joined by Charles Kennedy, and Angus MacNeil.

:32:44.:32:50.

Charles Kennedy, a bit of a strange Prime Minister's Questions today.

:32:51.:32:54.

The politics went out of it because there was an important issue, the

:32:55.:33:00.

mounting crisis in Iraq. Yes, we have been here before, tragically.

:33:01.:33:03.

We have seen that kind of atmosphere before. The big difference this time

:33:04.:33:14.

is, thank God, Barack Obama is not George Bush, and David Cameron is

:33:15.:33:20.

not trying to follow up Tony Blair. Do we have a situation where the

:33:21.:33:23.

British Trade Minister has to say, however much we might not like it,

:33:24.:33:28.

we have to step out on this one? The Americans will dictate the pace,

:33:29.:33:35.

ultimately. The big difference with what went before is going to be a

:33:36.:33:40.

very cautious pace. We are right to have this engagement with Iran, but

:33:41.:33:45.

we have to proceed with great care because it is a double-edged sword.

:33:46.:33:51.

It was noticeable, Mr Brown, that David Cameron was blunt, saying that

:33:52.:33:57.

what happens in Iran could at some point have a direct impact on what

:33:58.:34:04.

happens in the UK. Absolutely. If we look at the figures quoted today,

:34:05.:34:07.

potentially 400 young individuals from here in the UK taking part in

:34:08.:34:16.

the conflict, the killing of innocent people, it makes you

:34:17.:34:20.

wonder, how will we control that going forward in the future? The

:34:21.:34:24.

questions we are being asked about any of the individuals coming back

:34:25.:34:28.

to this country, what will we do to prevent that happening, and the

:34:29.:34:31.

Prime Minister has said about anyone from here engaging in a process that

:34:32.:34:36.

would lead in conflict overseas. Legislation will be considered for

:34:37.:34:43.

dealing with that in the future. You have some personal knowledge of the

:34:44.:34:46.

area out there. Yes, four or five years ago I went with one of my

:34:47.:34:51.

parliamentary colleagues. That was at the request of a group in London,

:34:52.:35:00.

and we witnessed the press it -- persecution of Christians and

:35:01.:35:05.

murdering of people as well. It was a horrible state of affairs. And it

:35:06.:35:10.

shows that the area is still anything but secure, but with

:35:11.:35:14.

different people involved in conflict. Angus MacNeil, what can

:35:15.:35:20.

the British government do, realistically. Is it enough to say,

:35:21.:35:25.

we have to leave it to the United Nations, orders necessary, we follow

:35:26.:35:30.

the United States? The reality is that the Empire is long over. It

:35:31.:35:38.

will be the Americans who dictate the pace in this. David Cameron last

:35:39.:35:47.

August was trying to roll in behind the very people he is trying to rail

:35:48.:35:58.

against in Iraq. We have to look at the history of this and the

:35:59.:36:01.

tinderbox situation it is, who was the lighting the fire at the

:36:02.:36:07.

beginning. We had words calling for Tony Blair to be impeached, which I

:36:08.:36:19.

would support. And the Chilcott enquiry, that should not be buried

:36:20.:36:24.

until after the referendum. We have to understand the processes going on

:36:25.:36:27.

at Westminster that the time leading up to the Iraq war, which has led to

:36:28.:36:32.

the situation we have at the moment. If the situation gets worse and the

:36:33.:36:39.

Americans decide to take some kind of military action and they request

:36:40.:36:43.

help from Britain, what should David Cameron do? It depends on the nature

:36:44.:36:49.

of the military action. It is highly unlikely the Americans with boot GIs

:36:50.:37:07.

-- would put GIs into this. If, on the other hand, which is in line

:37:08.:37:12.

with what Barack Obama does elsewhere, if he decides on drone

:37:13.:37:15.

attacks, that is something we have to acquiesce in. The problem about

:37:16.:37:21.

drone attacks in these built-up areas is that you are liable to take

:37:22.:37:25.

out as many civilians as you are to hit the people you are trying to

:37:26.:37:29.

get. Russell, what is Labour's view on this? Charles has laid it out

:37:30.:37:39.

precisely. It is about, do you go in random drone attacks which kill

:37:40.:37:44.

innocent people? I would hope we would be speaking to other allies in

:37:45.:37:51.

that area to try to get people round a table. There will be some who say

:37:52.:37:57.

that the group are not for talking to. But at some stage we have got to

:37:58.:38:02.

engage with allies in the area to try to assist us through this and

:38:03.:38:06.

get people to start talking to one another, rather than continual

:38:07.:38:12.

killing and slaughtering. If the call comes from the White House,

:38:13.:38:15.

what should the British government do? We have to assess the situation

:38:16.:38:23.

as it is at the time. We have to look at how the situation is

:38:24.:38:27.

developing, as was done in the Syrian situation last August, and

:38:28.:38:31.

the correct call was made not to intervene then, which would have

:38:32.:38:36.

made the situation worse. Half to assess the situation when it arises.

:38:37.:38:47.

Engagement is our one whole because... Charles Kennedy, the Home

:38:48.:38:54.

Office is getting a lot of stick about the problems with passports,

:38:55.:38:57.

people cannot get them. Is it something that you, as a

:38:58.:39:05.

constituency MP, is impacting on you? Yes, it has been going on for

:39:06.:39:11.

some time, it is getting worse. The government and passport authority

:39:12.:39:16.

are both responding to it, but it is too little, too late. It has caused

:39:17.:39:21.

real upset and distress at local community family level. We have all

:39:22.:39:28.

experienced it as constituency MPs. And Scotland are ahead of the pack

:39:29.:39:33.

because our calendar is difficult because of the school holiday

:39:34.:39:38.

timing, so we have been hit first. People with long memories will

:39:39.:39:41.

perhaps remember when Labour was in government, when there were similar

:39:42.:39:45.

problems with the passport office. Can it affect any party? Yes, it is

:39:46.:39:50.

how you deal with the problem that arises. And early indications for us

:39:51.:39:56.

well around mid-February, and it has escalated. So within the passport

:39:57.:40:01.

service, people knew there were problems then, but it was not being

:40:02.:40:08.

dealt with. Thankfully they are not looking -- they are looking at

:40:09.:40:11.

applications based on who needs the passport first, and those people who

:40:12.:40:15.

are applying for a passport is about three weeks before they are due to

:40:16.:40:21.

go do not stand much chance, I suspect. But it is about getting

:40:22.:40:27.

more resources to get rid of this backlog. It went from 300,000 to

:40:28.:40:38.

420,000. Will the government have to throw whatever resources are needed

:40:39.:40:42.

that this problem? If you look back at 1999, the problem was caused by

:40:43.:40:47.

outsourcing to private companies. The problem is due to the demand. I

:40:48.:40:51.

have a constituent in Hong Kong who wants to get her son back to the

:40:52.:40:56.

Outer Hebrides. She is married to a Canadian, fortunately, because

:40:57.:41:04.

whatever she tries to do, the tobacco at the UK passport office

:41:05.:41:07.

means she cannot get one for her son. Canada can do what Britain

:41:08.:41:14.

cannot. Thank you very much for joining me. Act to you. -- back to

:41:15.:41:18.

you. Time for a final chat with

:41:19.:41:21.

our political commentator Let us focus on the Iraq situation.

:41:22.:41:31.

David was talking about that at the top of his discussion. A difficult

:41:32.:41:36.

situation for David Cameron. Yes, and it totally shape Prime

:41:37.:41:42.

Minister's Questions today. Iraq casts a huge shadow, rightly, over

:41:43.:41:46.

British foreign policy for the last decade. Western foreign policy

:41:47.:41:55.

towards the Middle East and particularly Iran, Iraq, there is a

:41:56.:41:59.

long failing going on there, since 1970, 1980. Britain has a lot of

:42:00.:42:05.

responsibility there, we created a rack, the Balfour declaration,

:42:06.:42:10.

Palestinian peace talks were stalled. -- we created Iraq. We are

:42:11.:42:17.

following in the coat-tails of the US, because of defence cuts. A

:42:18.:42:25.

senior Lib Dem minister has confirmed that people in the party

:42:26.:42:30.

are discussing whether they should change their view on whether there

:42:31.:42:34.

should be a referendum on Britain's membership on the European Union.

:42:35.:42:40.

Yes, given that they stood for a referendum. When Nick Clegg was

:42:41.:42:48.

asked what was the future of the European Union in ten years, he said

:42:49.:42:57.

he saw at broadly as it is now. The status quo is fatal. We are almost

:42:58.:43:04.

out of time. Let us just have a word on Ed Miliband. The problem with

:43:05.:43:14.

holding the Sun newspaper. He then apologised for holding the

:43:15.:43:16.

newspaper, which offended its readers. He is more unpopular than

:43:17.:43:22.

Nick Clegg, which is an act in itself. Thanks very much for that.

:43:23.:43:30.

That's it for now. We're back at our usual time of 2:30pm

:43:31.:43:33.

over on BBC Two next week. I hope you can join us then.

:43:34.:43:38.

Thanks for your company this afternoon. Bye for now.

:43:39.:43:45.

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