:00:32. > :00:34.summary paper today. We have had a big speech from John Swinney at a
:00:35. > :00:40.conference in Edinburgh saying exactly the opposite, of course. But
:00:41. > :00:45.as always, questions to the First Minister is the main subject of this
:00:46. > :00:49.programme. The local government minister is on his feet answering a
:00:50. > :01:01.question from the local minister Alex Johnson on Mr Bean collections.
:01:02. > :01:09.We have also had -- missed rubbish bin collections. A full 30 minutes
:01:10. > :01:14.of questions to the First Minister with the leader of the Labour Party
:01:15. > :01:18.Johann Lamont leading the floor. There will also be questions from
:01:19. > :01:23.the Conservative leader and the leader of the Liberal Democrats and
:01:24. > :01:32.the Scottish Parliament as well. We know that we can expect a question
:01:33. > :01:38.on the proposal for a written constitution for Scotland. What
:01:39. > :01:44.engagements does the First Minister have for the rest of the day? Could
:01:45. > :01:49.the First Minister give me an honest assessment of how our schools are
:01:50. > :01:58.doing? It is probably better to give the assessment on attainment. Page
:01:59. > :02:03.six, performance has improved against all ten of the measures.
:02:04. > :02:13.Page 18, attainment improved by 4% from the measures S4 level between
:02:14. > :02:14.2004 and 2013. The vast majority of the improvements in attainment have
:02:15. > :02:28.been made in the last five years. I am glad the First Minister
:02:29. > :02:34.mentioned that report, because we should look at it in detail. Audit
:02:35. > :02:43.Scotland's report does paint a slightly different picture. It said
:02:44. > :02:47.international comparisons showed that the academic performance of
:02:48. > :02:52.Scotland's pupils is static at best and in relative decline to others at
:02:53. > :02:55.worst. The report said, quote, in recent years international
:02:56. > :02:59.attainment surveys have divided evidence that Scotland's educational
:03:00. > :03:04.attainment levels relative to some other countries are falling. To
:03:05. > :03:10.emphasise the point, later in the report, it repeated: Scotland's
:03:11. > :03:12.performance levels relative to other countries are also falling. Can the
:03:13. > :03:22.First Minister confirm that that is what Mike audit Scotland said. I
:03:23. > :03:32.gave the two quotes from this report. One says attainment improved
:03:33. > :03:35.by 4%. It then goes on to say the vast majority of the improvement in
:03:36. > :03:39.attainment have been made in the last five years. The reason for
:03:40. > :03:48.saying that is that the last internationally recognised study had
:03:49. > :03:51.the 2012 figures. The previous study when the Labour Party win power,
:03:52. > :03:53.the 2012 figures. The previous study when the Labour when Scotland's
:03:54. > :03:57.international position was declining across all of the ranges, the last
:03:58. > :04:02.study showed that Scotland's position had remained the same. That
:04:03. > :04:07.is the first time that decline under Labour has been reversed in the
:04:08. > :04:11.attainment study. That is why I suspect the account commission
:04:12. > :04:14.report pointed out that the vast majority of improvements in
:04:15. > :04:19.attainment had been over the last five years. So I don't know if
:04:20. > :04:25.Johann Lamont find it embarrassing that the international comparisons
:04:26. > :04:28.that she cites show that the educational position was declining
:04:29. > :04:32.when the Labour Party we npower, but the last five years, attainment
:04:33. > :04:37.levels have improved. Isn't that a substantial credit to the pupils and
:04:38. > :04:39.teachers of Scotland? Their commitment to a school system under
:04:40. > :04:44.the most difficult circumstances of West state induced austerity that
:04:45. > :04:52.they have managed to bring on such a performance?
:04:53. > :04:54.We should of course congratulate every parent, child and teacher, but
:04:55. > :05:02.they deserve to from this Government. He doesn't respond to
:05:03. > :05:09.the points I make about what the Audit Scotland report says. In the
:05:10. > :05:11.original report, they said, and I quote, comparing similar Lovell is
:05:12. > :05:16.of qualifications with other countries in the UK identifies a
:05:17. > :05:24.much slower pace of improvement for Scotland. The report went on, and I
:05:25. > :05:29.quote, the pace of improvement as overall levels of internment have
:05:30. > :05:37.only improved marginally. And why could that be? Between 2010-2011 and
:05:38. > :05:45.2012-2013, education spending reduced by ?184 million in real
:05:46. > :05:49.terms, 5%. Can the First Minister confirm that that is what Audit
:05:50. > :05:54.Scotland said, and confirm what he is doing about it? Before we slip
:05:55. > :06:00.away from the reality that the international performance was
:06:01. > :06:01.declining when Labour were in power, and how attainment has been
:06:02. > :06:03.improving the last five years and how attainment has been
:06:04. > :06:09.improving the last with the SNP in power, let's not slip away from that
:06:10. > :06:11.important point. But I know that the Labour benches want to see it
:06:12. > :06:15.re-emphasised. Let's turn to the finance available. It is certainly
:06:16. > :06:20.true that real spending on education has declined in this three years of
:06:21. > :06:27.the study, and they put the decline at 5%. That is hardly surprising,
:06:28. > :06:32.because real spending available to Scotland from Westminster declined
:06:33. > :06:38.by 4.1% over that period of time. And if you exclude health, we
:06:39. > :06:44.believe we have to protect the health budget for very obvious
:06:45. > :06:46.reasons, for our commitment to the National Health Service, then the
:06:47. > :06:47.decline in Scotland's spending is much greater
:06:48. > :06:48.reasons, for our commitment to the National Health Service, then than
:06:49. > :06:54.five cent, significantly greater than 5%. Does Johann Lamont not
:06:55. > :06:58.realise that declines in spending are reality of Scotland's fate under
:06:59. > :07:03.the austerities measures continued are reality of Scotland's fate under
:07:04. > :07:07.the austerities measures by her colleagues, as she put it yesterday,
:07:08. > :07:14.in the Conservative Party? APPLAUSE
:07:15. > :07:24.These of course are the so-called colleagues who supported the budget
:07:25. > :07:28.in 2010 to 2011, a budget which was apparently the next best thing to a
:07:29. > :07:34.Tory budget itself, so we don't need any lectures on that. The First
:07:35. > :07:39.Minister has ignored the comment that I identified in that report.
:07:40. > :07:45.But of course the excerpts which I have just read out were in Audit
:07:46. > :07:51.Scotland's original report before the Scottish Government got their
:07:52. > :07:56.hands on it. In the final report, those criticisms disappear, because
:07:57. > :08:01.the Scottish Government and want the public to know. The decline in
:08:02. > :08:10.standards taken out. The fact that the rest of the UK...
:08:11. > :08:15.The decline in standards taken out. The fact that the rest of the UK is
:08:16. > :08:24.improving faster than Scotland taken out. In the craft report, the truth
:08:25. > :08:27.about our schools was in, but in the final report it was watered down --
:08:28. > :08:34.in the draft report, the truth was in. We want to know who took that
:08:35. > :08:39.decision. Four is it not the case that the first casualties of this
:08:40. > :08:43.government is truth? And isn't it the case that, just as with anything
:08:44. > :08:48.else, the First Minister doesn't trust the people of Scotland with
:08:49. > :08:52.the truth? The most remarkable decline in
:08:53. > :09:17.standards is the decline in standards Joe of Johann Lamont's
:09:18. > :09:21.standard of questioning. But these accounts rely on the statistics, and
:09:22. > :09:27.the statistics show that Scotland's performance was declining when she
:09:28. > :09:30.was a minister. She is jointly and severally liable for that decline,
:09:31. > :09:37.and the attainment has improved since the SNP came to power. That is
:09:38. > :09:43.a substantial achievement under the circumstances of austerities. Johann
:09:44. > :09:48.Lamont doesn't seem to like the fact that she described the Tories as her
:09:49. > :09:58.colleagues. If she doesn't like it, then why did she say it yesterday?
:09:59. > :10:01.Even more important, the problem for Johann Lamont is when she is
:10:02. > :10:02.standing shoulder to shoulder hand in glove with the Conservative
:10:03. > :10:04.Party. standing shoulder to shoulder hand
:10:05. > :10:10.in glove with the There is no point in trying to complain when people
:10:11. > :10:11.point out that she calls them colleagues.
:10:12. > :10:17.in trying to complain when people point out The next thing we know,
:10:18. > :10:20.she will be calling them comrades! The price that they will pay for
:10:21. > :10:24.their association with their colleagues will be a high one
:10:25. > :10:27.indeed, and it will be one of the arguments which takes Scotland
:10:28. > :10:46.forward to a yes vote this coming September. Question two. Order!
:10:47. > :10:52.To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister.
:10:53. > :10:58.No plans in the near future, but I think the comrades outfits just sums
:10:59. > :11:07.up the question. This Davidson in red today!
:11:08. > :11:14.I don't get many compliments, but I will take somewhere I get them. The
:11:15. > :11:17.First Minister was asked if his office had done any work on setup
:11:18. > :11:21.costs of an independent Scotland beyond the white paper, and the
:11:22. > :11:24.answer was no. Can you answer the same question this week. Has any
:11:25. > :11:29.further work being done by the Scottish Government on how much it
:11:30. > :11:35.would cost to set up any newly independent Scottish state? What was
:11:36. > :11:38.said in the committee is correct. Our work was contained in the
:11:39. > :11:43.committee chapter six in chapter ten of the White Paper. That is the
:11:44. > :11:45.situation, and I will be happy if she wants to pursue the point to
:11:46. > :11:52.look at some of the calculations that were made in chat is six and
:11:53. > :12:02.ten and explain the basis. Perhaps the more elucidation of this point,
:12:03. > :12:19.the less this briefing, that was the word in the Sunday Post. They had
:12:20. > :12:26.mis-briefed. Nobody in the First Minister's office would never
:12:27. > :12:29.mis-brief! We know that in 2012 he ordered work to build a cobber
:12:30. > :12:31.offensive overview of the institutions, costs and staff
:12:32. > :12:36.numbers required in the event of independence. Just last year, the
:12:37. > :12:41.Deputy First Minister actually confirmed that that work was under
:12:42. > :12:44.way, telling a Commons committee: We are doing a substantial piece of
:12:45. > :12:47.work on some of this just now. Suffice to say it covers not just
:12:48. > :12:53.running costs but it covers the issues around setup. But last month,
:12:54. > :12:56.the First Minister's official spokesman said there was no
:12:57. > :13:04.overview, no documents, just, and I quote, e-mails and jottings. But a
:13:05. > :13:08.week after the chief economic adviser said he had done no work, we
:13:09. > :13:12.read reports that the Government is rushing out figures to paper over
:13:13. > :13:15.the cracks. So the people at the top of this government tell us that work
:13:16. > :13:19.has been commissioned, then they say it hasn't. They say the work is
:13:20. > :13:23.substantial, but then they say it isn't. They say it will be published
:13:24. > :13:27.before the referendum, but then they say it won't be. The people of
:13:28. > :13:33.Scotland have to know what is going on.
:13:34. > :13:35.What is going on is Ruth Davidson is waiving the Daily Telegraph and
:13:36. > :13:42.pretending it is an independent publication. I did describe it as
:13:43. > :13:48.the house journal of the Labour Party, but as we now know, it is a
:13:49. > :13:52.joint house journal of the comrades. Just to give an illustration of how
:13:53. > :13:58.far-fetched that report was, the Daily Telegraph said on page four,
:13:59. > :14:02.interesting it was on page four, if they had more confidence it might
:14:03. > :14:07.have been a headline. They said Scottish government officials had
:14:08. > :14:13.met Professor Patrick Dunleavy. I met him last week. Do you think of
:14:14. > :14:16.the Daily Telegraph had real information that they could display
:14:17. > :14:24.to the public, they would say that officials had met? I met him! Two
:14:25. > :14:31.weeks ago, at question time, in answer to Ruth Davidson, I said, the
:14:32. > :14:39.professor is a man I want to meet, and I did it. And I now know exactly
:14:40. > :14:45.why the Treasury were engaged in mis-briefing about the work. He
:14:46. > :14:51.described it to me as the three problems, as he puts, with the
:14:52. > :14:57.Treasury figures. Firstly, they said 180 public bodies would be major
:14:58. > :15:01.departments, which they are not. His estimate was applied to the chaotic
:15:02. > :15:06.way in which the last Labour government established new
:15:07. > :15:08.departments, and none of us would want have the chaos of the Labour
:15:09. > :15:16.Party visited on an independent Scotland. That is why Professor
:15:17. > :15:19.Dunleavy accused the Treasury of being bizarrely inaccurate and
:15:20. > :15:24.misplacing his work and overstating it by a factor of 12. It may be that
:15:25. > :15:29.the permanent secretary for the Treasury describes bizarrely
:15:30. > :15:35.inaccurate and exaggeration by a factor of 12 as a mis-briefing of a
:15:36. > :15:38.statistic. I think the people of Scotland will look at that and draw
:15:39. > :15:46.the conclusions that the Unionist cabal, the commonest is, are engaged
:15:47. > :15:48.in trying to exaggerate the costs of an independent Scotland because they
:15:49. > :15:52.are aware that the yes campaign is gaining ground, and will carry us to
:15:53. > :16:04.victory this coming September! APPLAUSE
:16:05. > :16:11.ready to welcome the world. Yesterday, there were BBC reports
:16:12. > :16:16.about so-called phantom accommodation advertised on online
:16:17. > :16:23.booking sites. What will the First Minister do to ensure the that no
:16:24. > :16:30.games visitors are duped in this way? These matters are under
:16:31. > :16:34.investigation. Measures are being taken to ensure the offering of
:16:35. > :16:42.accommodation to the many visitors would be as we like it to be. That
:16:43. > :16:46.is a separate matter from defaulting, but nonetheless
:16:47. > :16:54.important in terms of Scotland's reputation. Ourselves, our
:16:55. > :16:58.colleagues in Glasgow Council and the games organising committee are
:16:59. > :17:03.fully aware of the dangers of this to our reputation. On the range of
:17:04. > :17:09.preparation for the games, these Commonwealth Games are the best
:17:10. > :17:14.prepared and hopefully going to be the best run games certainly in
:17:15. > :17:19.recent history, perhaps in overall history. We are working our hardest
:17:20. > :17:24.to make sure these games are appreciated from people across the
:17:25. > :17:31.Commonwealth as affect bash a spectacular festival. What issues
:17:32. > :17:37.will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet? Issues of
:17:38. > :17:41.importance to the people of Scotland. This goes from bad to
:17:42. > :17:46.worse. The First Minister has been able to estimate the cost of his
:17:47. > :17:50.policies that he likes down to the last three decimal places. But on
:17:51. > :18:01.setup costs he can't even give us a quarter of a billion either way. Is
:18:02. > :18:05.he saying that there is nothing in the Telegraph report that is true
:18:06. > :18:11.about his decision to set up a report on the costs of setting up
:18:12. > :18:15.independence? Is that the case? Nothing in the Telegraph newspaper
:18:16. > :18:35.is true about that report being commissioned? My strong advice.
:18:36. > :18:42.Somebody says to try the weather forecast for the horoscopes. It says
:18:43. > :18:48.that officials met Professor Patrick Dunleavy. They were with me. I met
:18:49. > :19:00.him. The reason I pointed this out to Ruth Davidson is if the Daily
:19:01. > :19:03.Telegraph had an insight into the meeting with Professor Patrick
:19:04. > :19:08.Dunleavy and had known what had gone on and had known I was there, do you
:19:09. > :19:12.think they would have suppressed the information that I was at a meeting
:19:13. > :19:16.if they had the slightest idea what they were talking about? The word
:19:17. > :19:23.nonsense was used by Willie Rennie. That is a very good word to use as
:19:24. > :19:28.far as that report is concerned. Excluding the weather forecast, as
:19:29. > :19:34.far as the Daily Telegraph is concerned as well. This is exactly
:19:35. > :19:40.why the people of Scotland are worried that this Scottish
:19:41. > :19:53.Government is refusing to look at the downsides of Independence. That
:19:54. > :20:08.is why they are concerned. Order. Let us hear Willie Rennie. The First
:20:09. > :20:12.Minister still doesn't have a clue about setup costs. On the radio,
:20:13. > :20:18.John Swinney had 13 attempts and still could not answer the question.
:20:19. > :20:21.Last week, two Cabinet ministers said it was impossible. They have
:20:22. > :20:29.tried to tell us on these benches that never has a country be more
:20:30. > :20:37.prepared for the transition. He thought he could get away with it
:20:38. > :20:40.but has been caught red-handed. The First Minister laughs, but the First
:20:41. > :20:43.Minister will not be laughing on the doorsteps when people asking this
:20:44. > :20:49.question. They want to know the costs of setting up an independent
:20:50. > :20:55.Scotland. Is he going to give an answer? I think a Liberal Democrat
:20:56. > :21:00.at the present moment should not talk to people about the reaction on
:21:01. > :21:06.the doorsteps. The fact that Willie Rennie's question received more
:21:07. > :21:18.support from the Labour benches than Johan Lamont's perhaps suggests that
:21:19. > :21:21.the -- a degree of desperation. At some point, Willie Rennie should
:21:22. > :21:26.read the white paper. It looks insubstantial detail about the
:21:27. > :21:32.position of one of the four departments that Professor Patrick
:21:33. > :21:34.Dunleavy identified as having to be created in an independent Scotland
:21:35. > :21:39.and that is the Foreign Office and international relations department.
:21:40. > :21:43.As he will know, it looks in great detail about the 5000 offices that
:21:44. > :21:49.the Foreign Office has internationally. We know from their
:21:50. > :21:54.recent statistics that they are worth ?2.9 billion. That is in
:21:55. > :22:00.recent accounts. Scotland will be entitled to an asset share of that
:22:01. > :22:07.asset. We identify that in the White Paper and look at international
:22:08. > :22:13.comparisons and estimate 70 or 90 embassies will be required. The
:22:14. > :22:19.costs of acquiring the overseas properties will be more than met by
:22:20. > :22:24.our share of the overseas assets. Also, the running costs will be less
:22:25. > :22:30.than we contribute at the moment. I am sorry I have gone on to quote the
:22:31. > :22:35.detail, but it is the detail that he was asking for. If he reads the
:22:36. > :22:43.White Paper, he will not have to ask me for it. To ask the First Minister
:22:44. > :22:47.how people in Scotland can benefit from a written constitution? Well, I
:22:48. > :22:54.think a written constitution provides an underpinning and a basis
:22:55. > :22:57.for everyday life. I don't think it should be regarded as something
:22:58. > :23:07.other than that of fundamental importance. Scotland should be no
:23:08. > :23:13.different from the modern practice throughout the Commonwealth. It can
:23:14. > :23:18.embody our values as a nation regardless of which political party
:23:19. > :23:21.is in power. It can set out the right and aspirations of our
:23:22. > :23:27.citizens. And give a firm underpinning to the fundamental
:23:28. > :23:40.principle that in Scotland the people are sovereign. How does he
:23:41. > :23:49.view the contrast between the proposals for sovereignty from the
:23:50. > :23:55.Yes campaign with those against independence? Alistair Carmichael
:23:56. > :24:02.said last week, when he was summing up, any additional powers are
:24:03. > :24:06.something that take you into the realm of political debate, as
:24:07. > :24:11.opposed to the guarantee the Scotland act powers offered. The
:24:12. > :24:16.biggest problem for the parties against independence is that there
:24:17. > :24:20.is not a single power they can't guarantee will be devolved to the
:24:21. > :24:32.Scottish parliament if there were to be a No vote. Given the track record
:24:33. > :24:38.of promises from the Conservatives, do they really think anyone in
:24:39. > :24:45.Scotland is going to believe the joint possession of the comrades
:24:46. > :24:50.when Alistair Carmichael says nothing can be began indeed? Little
:24:51. > :24:58.wonder the comrades Alliance is built on such shaky foundations. To
:24:59. > :25:11.ask whether Scotland would introduce a local income tax? We have brought
:25:12. > :25:17.to an end the era of 50% increases in council tax bills which happened
:25:18. > :25:23.under previous administrations. We want to develop a fairer and more
:25:24. > :25:30.progressive tax based on the ability to pay. It is right this
:25:31. > :25:45.consultation takes place after the referendum. That was an interesting
:25:46. > :25:51.answer because he didn't mention the local income tax which he mentioned
:25:52. > :25:57.to the newspapers in interviews and on radio. Does he still intend to
:25:58. > :26:00.set the local income tax rate at 3p? What you said in the manifesto is
:26:01. > :26:07.that over the period the next parliament we will consult on a
:26:08. > :26:11.fairer system to replace the council tax. By the next election, Scotland
:26:12. > :26:17.will have more powers over income tax. That is up perfect summary from
:26:18. > :26:24.our manifesto. We explain what we are doing and the timescale. We
:26:25. > :26:28.intend to bring about a change to make sure the taxation of Scotland
:26:29. > :26:32.is based on the ability to pay. I think I can count five positions
:26:33. > :26:39.from the Labour Party. Some people are saying sex. It depends on
:26:40. > :26:44.whether or not they support a council tax freeze or not. When we
:26:45. > :26:58.come to this consultation, I am certain the Labour Party will be
:26:59. > :27:04.first to bring for word their ideas. Will the First Minister promise to
:27:05. > :27:17.keep the local income tax rate a secret until after the referendum? I
:27:18. > :27:21.promise that we will... We will implement the manifesto commitment
:27:22. > :27:26.we made which has served us pretty well with the Scottish people.
:27:27. > :27:33.Rather better than the Conservative Party managed. To ask the First
:27:34. > :27:41.Minister what the Scottish Government's responses to the
:27:42. > :27:45.National football survey finding that 62% of respondents were in
:27:46. > :27:51.favour of lifting the ban on alcohol at football matches? The 2014
:27:52. > :27:56.National football survey which was carried out on behalf of of the SFA
:27:57. > :28:02.covers several issues. Police Scotland have confirmed that at this
:28:03. > :28:10.stage they are not minded to seek a relaxation of the controls over
:28:11. > :28:17.alcohol at football matches but are engaged in considering this matter.
:28:18. > :28:22.Isn't it the case that Scotland has moved on significantly since the
:28:23. > :28:28.alcohol ban was imposed over 30 years ago? Isn't it time we reviewed
:28:29. > :28:33.the ban? Would it not be possible to list it on a trial basis and still
:28:34. > :28:41.maintain the good representation of our national game? We want to ensure
:28:42. > :28:50.that there are all fans enjoy our national sport in a safe
:28:51. > :28:55.environment. The act from 2012 is having a positive effect on
:28:56. > :29:03.offensive behaviour which has been reduced by a quarter. Police reports
:29:04. > :29:07.described 27% of those accused as being under the influence of
:29:08. > :29:13.alcohol. Police Scotland are not minded to seek any relaxation of the
:29:14. > :29:24.controls of alcohol at football matches. But 27% of those accused
:29:25. > :29:28.were under the influence of alcohol. I have written directly to every
:29:29. > :29:35.senior football club in Scotland on this issue. I have met with the
:29:36. > :29:40.chief constables on this is you. -- issue. Given the open-mindedness the
:29:41. > :29:44.First Minister has and the progression we have seen in the many
:29:45. > :29:48.decades since the ban was first introduced, could I ask him to
:29:49. > :29:53.consider a pilot project at one grand with some of the protections
:29:54. > :29:58.in place at other countries round-the-world trip this has been
:29:59. > :30:01.shown to act, so we can see if this is one way we can bring in revenue
:30:02. > :30:11.to the clubs that we have around the country? I will describe exactly
:30:12. > :30:16.what my response was. I said that Police Scotland are not at this
:30:17. > :30:20.stage minded to seek a relaxation. They are engaging with interested
:30:21. > :30:27.parties in reviewing this. We will take the direction of the police.
:30:28. > :30:32.Anyone arguing for this would have to take into account that although
:30:33. > :30:39.the number of offences is falling, and that is a welcome sign, and I
:30:40. > :30:46.think that is partly because of the legislation passed, nonetheless, 27%
:30:47. > :30:49.of the offences were committed by people who were under the influence
:30:50. > :30:56.of alcohol. That figure should tell us that whatever discussions take
:30:57. > :31:02.place, we have to have an approach that understands alcohol is a major
:31:03. > :31:08.contribution to disorder and offensive behaviour in society and
:31:09. > :31:13.at football matches. When the police review this, they will have that in
:31:14. > :31:18.mind and will do absolutely nothing that would make the reputation of
:31:19. > :31:23.our game of football any less good than it is at the present moment.
:31:24. > :31:27.They would do nothing to render the experience of ordinary fans at
:31:28. > :31:30.football matches and subject them to an increase in offensive behaviour.
:31:31. > :31:42.We are making significant improvements. We have to bear this
:31:43. > :31:44.in mind as we move forward. We end First Minister's Questions. From
:31:45. > :31:53.schools to football and independence. If you haven't had
:31:54. > :31:56.enough of politics for today, let's hand you over to the Daily Politics.
:31:57. > :32:03.held who are over the age of 90 than under the age of 40. House of Lords
:32:04. > :32:08.when over half are over the age of 70, you get the measure of the
:32:09. > :32:18.challenge of how much we need to pull thefrom the 19th century into
:32:19. > :32:26.the 21st century. In As we know, Nick Clegg's plan and
:32:27. > :32:31.dragged everyone involved down. The real problem with Lords reform is
:32:32. > :32:34.that it is like an obstacle course and there's a lot of obstacles. All
:32:35. > :32:37.of the parties agree they should be reformed, and they put that in their
:32:38. > :32:42.manifestoes, but they could not agree how much and what kind, and
:32:43. > :32:45.when they tried it, it did not work. Then there's the problem that some
:32:46. > :32:50.of the Lords do not agree with their own parties on reform and the Lords
:32:51. > :32:52.do not tend to vote for their own