:00:16. > :00:21.Hello and welcome to Politics Scotland. Coming up on the
:00:22. > :00:24.programme: The Sports minister says Scotland's
:00:24. > :00:28.Commonwealth Games will be on budget as the London Olympic teeter
:00:28. > :00:33.on the edge of an overspend. And as 2011 draws to a close, we
:00:33. > :00:36.look back at an historic year in Scottish politics.
:00:36. > :00:42.Scotland's Sports Minister says there will be no overspend on the
:00:42. > :00:45.Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. With next year's London Olympics in
:00:45. > :00:50.danger of exceeding its �9 billion budget, Shona Robison is adamant
:00:50. > :00:52.Glasgow's Games will be delivered within their �524 million framework.
:00:52. > :00:54.I'm joined by my two political commentators for the afternoon -
:00:54. > :01:04.Professor John Curtice from Strathclyde University and Lorraine
:01:04. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:11.Davidson from The Times. How difficult is set to deliver a big
:01:11. > :01:16.project like this on time and in budget? We should not need any
:01:16. > :01:25.reminding us as far as the Scottish Parliament is concerned, all about
:01:25. > :01:30.the difficulties of delivering on time and on budget. It is an
:01:30. > :01:38.example of the potential difficulty that these big projects can have it.
:01:38. > :01:44.The London Olympics, which is a much bigger project, again, one of
:01:44. > :01:51.the bigger promises was made is that it would keep to budget. A
:01:51. > :01:58.recent report has said that it will be hard to do that. If anything
:01:58. > :02:07.goes wrong, it will go over budget. Given we are in times of austerity,
:02:07. > :02:14.the last I think any politician can be seen doing is advocating any
:02:14. > :02:16.overspend. What kind of a legacy can the games deliver? You have to
:02:16. > :02:24.be realistic about your expectations what it comes to
:02:25. > :02:33.delivering a legacy. The Scots -- are being Scottish, that comes
:02:33. > :02:39.naturally it for us. It will not pull us out of recession, but it
:02:39. > :02:45.could get more people interested in sports, especially young people. In
:02:45. > :02:55.Glasgow, with its appalling health or could, -- appalling health
:02:55. > :02:58.
:02:58. > :03:01.record, that could only be good. You have to be building homes and
:03:01. > :03:11.regenerating the East End of Glasgow which is an area up badly
:03:11. > :03:14.
:03:14. > :03:23.in need of regeneration. These games where awarded during
:03:23. > :03:26.different financial Times. What is happening here in Scotland? One of
:03:26. > :03:35.the arguments at the Greens are putting forward to is that they do
:03:35. > :03:40.not want a particular chemical company to be a sponsor. They want
:03:40. > :03:43.people who are ethically acceptable to be sponsors. So far as the
:03:43. > :03:47.Government is concerned, one of the crucial things about the
:03:47. > :03:55.Commonwealth Games is it is a big opportunity to present at Scotland
:03:55. > :04:05.as a nation. These are the only games, international games, in
:04:05. > :04:12.which it Scotland competes as a separate nations. The SNP need this
:04:12. > :04:17.to be a big public relations success. They hope that if it is,
:04:17. > :04:27.and Scotland is presented to the world, as a separate nation
:04:27. > :04:29.
:04:29. > :04:39.competing separately, it is the kind of backdrop they need before
:04:39. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:53.any referendum. Let's hear what the Sports Minister has to save.
:04:53. > :05:01.I will ensure that the members are said any reports. We agreed to
:05:01. > :05:11.regular meetings with opposition spokes people. I am very pleased to
:05:11. > :05:11.
:05:11. > :05:16.be able to reassure members of a significant progress being made. I
:05:16. > :05:21.mentioned earlier the new legacy portal, and you back one stop shop
:05:21. > :05:27.for all games are related activity. It is becoming a key focal point
:05:27. > :05:31.for information on the legacy. Enormous progress has been made
:05:31. > :05:36.this year and I am pleased to say that we remain on schedule and the
:05:36. > :05:40.budget continues to be soundly based. Work is now under way on
:05:40. > :05:44.almost all the remaining the venues are the outstanding facilities that
:05:44. > :05:51.are springing up will leave a legacy to be enjoyed for
:05:51. > :05:57.generations to come. The velodrome complex will be finished by this
:05:57. > :06:03.time next year. Construction began on the athletes village in the June,
:06:03. > :06:10.it will be home to more than 6500 athletes. When the Games are
:06:10. > :06:15.finished, they will be converted into new homes. It is not just
:06:15. > :06:25.Glasgow that the games will touch. The shooting events will be taking
:06:25. > :06:29.part in my own part of the country. The diving competition also
:06:29. > :06:34.promises to bring the excitement of the games to Edinburgh as well as
:06:34. > :06:41.generating wealth and the revenue for the city. It is clear that even
:06:41. > :06:45.in difficult times, there is still an enormous by him for the games.
:06:45. > :06:54.Over �32 million of commercial income has already been secured.
:06:54. > :06:58.These sponsorship deals are with established names. There is still a
:06:58. > :07:03.long way to go to achieve the commercial income targets, but the
:07:03. > :07:13.organising committee is ahead of previous games at this stage. I
:07:13. > :07:13.
:07:14. > :07:17.hope to see that improve further in their new year. The BBC has
:07:17. > :07:23.announced it will be the domestic a broadcaster for the games. That is
:07:23. > :07:28.key to inspiring our athletes for the future. This contract will
:07:28. > :07:35.enable the moments of triumph to be shared by us all. I want to touch
:07:35. > :07:43.for a moment on the impact their games are having in Glasgow. The
:07:43. > :07:53.government is working to ensure that that benefits is felt -- that
:07:53. > :07:55.benefits are felt all over Scotland, but Glasgow is there focus.
:07:55. > :08:04.Transport connections have been improved ahead of schedule and
:08:04. > :08:10.under budget. Work has started on refurbishing Dalmarnock station,
:08:10. > :08:14.ensuring greater access for local communities. All of the games are
:08:14. > :08:24.related transport projects are on course and when complete will leave
:08:24. > :08:26.
:08:26. > :08:36.a lasting legacy of reduced journey times, reduced come -- reduced
:08:36. > :08:36.
:08:36. > :08:46.congestion. The work on the Clyde gateway programme is also on going.
:08:46. > :08:47.
:08:47. > :08:54.It is a dirty your programme aimed at transforming the local area. --
:08:54. > :08:59.30 year programme. It shows a long- term commitment by the government
:08:59. > :09:04.to this area. We are on track and while there is no room for
:09:04. > :09:13.complacency, I am encouraged by the progress made. That confidence is
:09:13. > :09:17.shared by the Commonwealth Games Federation. they have audited our
:09:17. > :09:22.preparations and are satisfied that are planning for the games is on
:09:22. > :09:27.track. The federation it saw a clear focus on generating value add
:09:27. > :09:30.legacy for the people of Glasgow and Scotland. That external
:09:30. > :09:37.confirmation that we are on target and on budget and on schedule is a
:09:37. > :09:42.very good indeed. Finally, the Federation remarked on the strong
:09:42. > :09:50.partnership working that they saw with the visited us in October.
:09:50. > :09:56.That and wars are well for our preparations -- that borders well
:09:57. > :10:01.for our preparations. Evaluation was raised by several members in
:10:01. > :10:05.June. I am clear about our ambitions for 24 team, but I am
:10:05. > :10:15.equally clear that progress needs to be monitored and evaluated
:10:15. > :10:23.
:10:23. > :10:33.robustly. Work is underway to establish an met up evaluation --
:10:33. > :10:34.
:10:34. > :10:41.meta evaluation. Partners in national and local government, as
:10:41. > :10:44.well as academia are all involved in this process. This will be
:10:44. > :10:53.progressed further in January and we expect to have measures in place
:10:53. > :11:00.by the end of February. I wonder if the minister might be able to tell
:11:00. > :11:06.us if she has spoken to manage just a -- a to Manchester to see how the
:11:06. > :11:11.evaluated their own games? Yes, I have been down to look at the
:11:11. > :11:18.legacy that has been left in Manchester. And also some of the
:11:18. > :11:25.issues that they felt could be of benefit to us to look at. If there
:11:25. > :11:33.are any lessons to be learnt, we will do that. One of the things we
:11:33. > :11:36.have been successful at -- of they have been successful at is
:11:36. > :11:42.promoting Manchester as an international sporting venue and
:11:43. > :11:46.Glasgow is already doing that. I want to turn to our legacy
:11:47. > :11:52.ambitions. There are up enormous benefits already coming to Scotland
:11:52. > :11:58.as a result of hosting the games. Our ambition is a legacy for all
:11:58. > :12:02.the people of Scotland. The games are beginning to inspire and change
:12:02. > :12:07.lives already in Scotland. Helping Scottish people to get more
:12:07. > :12:13.physically active is power over riding legacy and ambition. That is
:12:13. > :12:19.why we are building on the success we have already achieved in getting
:12:19. > :12:29.Scots active. 72% of people have participated in support of the last
:12:29. > :12:29.
:12:29. > :12:34.four weeks, and 85% of Scottish people visited the outdoors for
:12:34. > :12:44.Leisure. We need to build on this and use their excitement of their
:12:44. > :12:47.
:12:47. > :12:50.games to encourage our efforts. Shona Robison, the Sports Minister.
:12:50. > :12:53.The Scottish Parliament is set to increase the number of days it sits
:12:53. > :12:56.every week amid concern it has become too rigid and lacking in
:12:56. > :12:59.excitement. It's one of several changes put forward by a group of
:12:59. > :13:01.MSPs. I'm joined now by our political reporter Andrew Black,
:13:01. > :13:06.who's in Holyrood. Why are these reforms being brought forward at
:13:06. > :13:10.what exactly is being proposed. are now some 12 years into
:13:11. > :13:20.devolution, but the concern mores recently is a Holyrood has not be
:13:20. > :13:28.moving with the Times. Some of the main concerns is to do with the way
:13:28. > :13:31.that MSPs do business in the chamber at the moment, that their
:13:31. > :13:36.procedures are too rigid. The procedures committee has been
:13:36. > :13:39.looking into the issue and thus published a report today. The main
:13:39. > :13:45.recommendation is that there should be a change in the way that chamber
:13:45. > :13:53.business is done. At the moment, the chamber sets for two days a
:13:53. > :13:58.week. This is proposing three afternoons a week. The main
:13:58. > :14:03.question is that of First Minister's questions. This is the
:14:03. > :14:13.parliamentary highlight of the week. It is currently on at lunchtime on
:14:13. > :14:15.
:14:15. > :14:19.Thursday. It may move towards the after them because of these reforms
:14:19. > :14:27.-- afternoon. Possibly some big changes ahead. When will they come
:14:27. > :14:33.into force and how effective will they be? The Scottish Parliament's
:14:33. > :14:39.newly elected to Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick is driving these
:14:39. > :14:42.changes. She wants these changes to be in place as soon as possible. It
:14:42. > :14:50.is looking as if they will come into force after the Easter
:14:50. > :15:00.holidays. Many MSPs recognise that you can play around with procedures
:15:00. > :15:00.
:15:00. > :15:04.as much as you like, but if MSPs are not seen to be discussing
:15:04. > :15:11.issues of interest to the public, they will not get any media
:15:11. > :15:15.coverage. Thank you very much. You're watching Politics Scotland
:15:15. > :15:17.from the BBC. Still to come on the programme. Minimum pricing for
:15:17. > :15:24.alcohol is winding its way back through parliament. We'll hear
:15:24. > :15:28.industry concerns. Let's pick up on the reform issue
:15:28. > :15:38.now with my two political commentators for the afternoon. It
:15:38. > :15:46.
:15:46. > :15:52.sounds like some quite big changes. Yes, when Holyrood first began,
:15:53. > :16:01.most of the work was to be done in committees. Also, the chamber was
:16:01. > :16:08.not to meet after 5 o'clock the evening, to allow for family life.
:16:08. > :16:15.But the chamber needs to be more responsive. And at the committees,
:16:15. > :16:25.well of they may be worth a, -- while they may be worthy, it is
:16:25. > :16:25.
:16:25. > :16:30.difficult to generate very much in the way of public attention. This
:16:30. > :16:40.may suggest that the chamber will look rather different. Some MSPs
:16:40. > :16:41.
:16:41. > :16:46.have argued that votes should be interspersed with business. These
:16:46. > :16:49.are pretty radical reforms and they raised questions about some of the
:16:49. > :16:54.distinctive characteristics of the Scottish Parliamentary timetable.
:16:54. > :17:00.Will it these changes have much of an impact? It looks like there is
:17:00. > :17:05.hardly anybody in Parliament. can look at any Parliament and see
:17:05. > :17:15.that. I do not think it is unique in that regard. But I think they
:17:15. > :17:16.
:17:16. > :17:20.will have a big impact. When a Jack McConnell stood down as First
:17:20. > :17:30.Minister, he filled the rigid nature of sitting hours was holding
:17:30. > :17:31.
:17:31. > :17:35.the Parliament back. -- he felt. I suspect most people do not care
:17:35. > :17:43.whether it MSPs stop at 5:00pm or not. The family friendly think
:17:43. > :17:52.never really happened. If you want to be home at teatime, do not be a
:17:52. > :17:57.politician, go and work and are back! -- in a bank. As well as
:17:57. > :18:01.being able to respond to issues that are happening, at the moment,
:18:01. > :18:05.if its something happens in Scotland on a Thursday night, the
:18:05. > :18:12.first time the chamber can debate it is on a Wednesday afternoon, it
:18:12. > :18:20.is ludicrous, the look out of step. It is not their fault, it is the
:18:20. > :18:28.way things are designed. Ministers will start each session with a
:18:28. > :18:32.question time, so there will be more holding to account. Also last
:18:32. > :18:42.programme of the year, let's hear what each of your top five stories
:18:42. > :18:43.
:18:43. > :18:47.are. There is no doubt that the big story of 2011 was the SNP victory
:18:47. > :18:55.which has completely transformed the political landscape and the
:18:55. > :19:05.debate about Scotland's constitution. There is no doubt the
:19:05. > :19:05.
:19:05. > :19:14.way will have a referendum now. -- that we will half. The defeat of
:19:14. > :19:23.the alternative vote in Westminster is also important. It is a step
:19:23. > :19:26.change between Liberal-Democrats and the Conservatives. Having been
:19:26. > :19:35.bruised by that experience, the Liberal Democrats have been much
:19:35. > :19:45.more open about disagreements with their conservative colleagues. They
:19:45. > :19:47.
:19:47. > :19:51.have to demonstrate greater secure their distinctiveness. The eurozone
:19:51. > :19:55.crisis has been a constant argument during the course of the whole year.
:19:55. > :20:02.It raises fundamental questions about the future of the economy. It
:20:02. > :20:12.has just begun to emerge that the eurozone crisis and the way it in
:20:12. > :20:16.
:20:16. > :20:26.which it is being proposed have to solve, it was he the took their
:20:26. > :20:26.
:20:26. > :20:33.The Eurozone crisis is one of the things that George Osborne blamed
:20:33. > :20:36.in his Autumn Statement. That is my number four. An intriguing
:20:36. > :20:41.statement for two reasons. It looks as though the next UK general
:20:41. > :20:46.election will not be fought against a backdrop of the pain is bad, but
:20:46. > :20:49.you can see the spring of recovery. It will still be an age of
:20:49. > :20:52.austerity and there will be questions about the incumbent
:20:52. > :21:01.government being able to get the benefit for the medicine it has
:21:01. > :21:03.delivered. It also raised the ability of in abilities of the
:21:03. > :21:10.party to profit from the Government's difficulties in the
:21:10. > :21:13.economy. The question is always there about Labour's economic
:21:13. > :21:17.conference. Coming back north of the border, the Scottish leadership
:21:17. > :21:23.contest, that is my number five. In particular the defeat of Murdo
:21:23. > :21:27.Fraser. He had a distinctive agenda are taking the Conservative Party
:21:27. > :21:30.to centre right, but instead they elected Ruth Davison, and the
:21:30. > :21:34.Scotland Bill going through the House of Lords is a line in the
:21:34. > :21:40.sand for her. We now have the Conservative party north of the
:21:40. > :21:44.border saying it doesn't want to go for further devolution. Not only
:21:44. > :21:49.did the Welsh vote for getting more law-making powers, but we have seen
:21:49. > :21:53.the conservative coalition creating a commission to think about giving
:21:53. > :21:59.the Welsh assembly tax-raising powers. A big difference between
:21:59. > :22:07.the Scottish party and the Welsh party. We will pick up on your top
:22:07. > :22:10.five in a few moments, Lorraine. Proposals for minimum alcohol
:22:10. > :22:12.pricing are making their way through Holyrood again on their
:22:12. > :22:15.second attempt. The Government says they're essential to tackle
:22:15. > :22:17.Scotland's unhealthy relationship with drink. Like the last time, the
:22:17. > :22:23.plans have their critics. Today MSPs on the Finance Committee heard
:22:23. > :22:27.concerns from Scotland's grocers and the whisky industry.
:22:27. > :22:33.Why do you think a minimum unit price for alcohol, which is not
:22:33. > :22:38.whisky specific, would impact on sales across the world? Minimum
:22:38. > :22:44.prices we believe is illegal and a barrier to trade. So the Scottish
:22:44. > :22:47.government would have to overcome the legal impediments, as would the
:22:47. > :22:54.Cabinet Secretary their health mentioned. If the Scottish garden
:22:54. > :22:57.could bring in a balanced in trade, they held exemption that does not
:22:57. > :23:03.exist or other countries could see them bring in their own models of
:23:03. > :23:06.restriction. It does not have to the minimum pricing. It could be to
:23:06. > :23:13.bring in specific discrimination against drinks that are over 30 %
:23:13. > :23:16.alcohol by volume, ie Scottish whisky. The Scottish licensing
:23:16. > :23:23.trade association think this will encourage people to drink more
:23:23. > :23:26.socially in pubs and therefore there will be less harm -- harmful
:23:26. > :23:32.drinking. Is it not the case that the opposition is one of a vested
:23:32. > :23:42.interest rather than looking at the wider implications for Scottish
:23:42. > :23:46.society? Our members rely on a custom from people who are
:23:46. > :23:52.basically on low incomes, and we believe that this in discriminant
:23:53. > :23:56.policy will affect low income people. It is a regressive policy.
:23:56. > :24:01.Do you contend there will be a large number of people crossing the
:24:01. > :24:04.border to England to purchase alcohol when most people, unless it
:24:04. > :24:08.is for big events, most people tend to purchase their alcohol on an
:24:08. > :24:11.impulse buy or they have an event that evening or that weekend and
:24:11. > :24:16.they do not tend to pre-planned or alcohol purchasing to the extent
:24:16. > :24:19.that would make internet purchasing or cross-border purchasing as
:24:19. > :24:24.prevalent as you suggest? There is evidence from all over the world
:24:25. > :24:33.that cross-border shopping takes place. 50 % of the Norwegian market
:24:33. > :24:38.is supplied through cross-border shopping. What do you anticipate it
:24:38. > :24:41.will happen if minimum pricing would be introduced? We believe
:24:41. > :24:47.internet business will increase as people become more and more
:24:47. > :24:53.computer savvy. And the impact on some of the smaller members may be
:24:53. > :24:56.significant, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Does it
:24:56. > :24:59.make a big difference what the unit price would be in terms of the
:24:59. > :25:06.impact on your members and the number of jobs that could be
:25:06. > :25:16.affected? We see that 26 % of the trade his own label, so companies
:25:16. > :25:20.in that sector of that market will get it straight away. The impact
:25:20. > :25:24.will be felt across the board whether it is branded whisky or the
:25:24. > :25:29.legal business. Do you not think there is something morally
:25:29. > :25:33.questionable about predicate in the business model for sale strategy on
:25:33. > :25:41.selling alcohol which is predominantly used by people who
:25:41. > :25:47.are hazardous and harmful drinkers? As I say, it is a legal product and
:25:47. > :25:52.they sell it as part of the overall product mix. It is not necessarily
:25:52. > :25:57.consumed by the kind of people who cause trouble. I would disagree and
:25:57. > :26:03.suggest I would struggle to find anyone who buys a three-litre
:26:03. > :26:07.bottle of White Lightning who likes the taste of it. Let's talk to
:26:07. > :26:12.Lorraine Davidson from the Times about her top five storeys of the
:26:12. > :26:16.year. What were your highlights? The big story was the election of
:26:16. > :26:20.the first majority government with the SNP victory, but the flipside
:26:20. > :26:23.was the opposition in Scotland effectively crumbled and it is very
:26:23. > :26:27.rare you see an opposition crumbling in the space of two and a
:26:27. > :26:30.half minutes. I think that is what happened to the Labour leader when
:26:30. > :26:34.he went into Glasgow's Central Station for a pre-arranged photo
:26:34. > :26:38.opportunity and there were a couple of professional protesters just to
:26:38. > :26:42.wind him up, and they did it beautifully. There we saw the man
:26:42. > :26:47.who thought he was about to be First Minister he wanted the keys,
:26:47. > :26:52.scurrying out of Glasgow Central station and into way sandwich shop.
:26:52. > :26:59.A great advert for Subway. But it did show how unprofessional the
:26:59. > :27:02.party had become and crystallised the fact that it is so important in
:27:02. > :27:06.politics to set your own narrative and explain to the voters who you
:27:06. > :27:10.are, because we saw Gordon Brown having a terrible time with Julian
:27:10. > :27:14.Duffy, but a least the voters knew about him, but with the voters in
:27:14. > :27:19.Scotland that is all they knew about Ian Gray. Someone shouted at
:27:19. > :27:25.him, and he ran away. But almost catastrophic moment and a turning
:27:25. > :27:28.point in the election campaign. There was also how the parties pick
:27:28. > :27:34.themselves up and dealt with the election of Alex Salmond's majority
:27:34. > :27:41.government. There was a demonstration that you can have a
:27:41. > :27:44.party reduced to a total romp and there is no money in the kitty, and
:27:44. > :27:47.the parties on its knees, but actually if you got up every
:27:47. > :27:50.morning and you focused on the right issues, whether the row or
:27:50. > :27:54.the the Supreme Court or the constitution and to say the right
:27:54. > :27:59.thing, you'll get the coverage and get under the skin of the First
:27:59. > :28:02.Minister. You do not need baying from the backbenches. One person
:28:02. > :28:12.and a few resources can make a big difference in politics. Lorraine,
:28:12. > :28:14.thank you very much. Let's now look back at 2011 with our A-Z, produced
:28:14. > :28:24.by our colleagues on our sister programme, the Politics Show
:28:24. > :28:57.
:28:57. > :29:00.Tonight, I can report to the American people and the world that
:29:00. > :29:10.the United States has conducted an operation that killed a Osama Bin
:29:10. > :29:10.
:29:10. > :32:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 205 seconds
:32:35. > :32:39.Can you name the three of them? Paris, jail and Lamont, and a third
:32:39. > :32:49.candidate he also has to put himself forward, but he is the
:32:49. > :32:49.
:32:49. > :35:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 205 seconds
:35:38. > :35:48.front runner. Ken Mackintosh.? Ken We the no vote has had a thumping
:35:48. > :35:48.
:35:48. > :36:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 205 seconds
:36:52. > :36:56.What a busy year, and are busy in year at Westminster for David. What
:36:56. > :37:01.has been the most significant story for the year way you were? To put
:37:01. > :37:08.it simply, you say the economy and everything that has flowed from
:37:08. > :37:11.that with Europe and all we have seen for a few years. We have an
:37:11. > :37:16.election in Scotland and the Avi referendum for the whole of the UK,
:37:16. > :37:20.which had important implications for the coalition government and
:37:20. > :37:24.the relationships within it. No shortage of things to talk about. I
:37:24. > :37:30.am joined by Kevin Schofield from the Sun newspaper, a keen observer
:37:30. > :37:34.of the Scottish political scene. Kevin, if we have to encapsulated
:37:34. > :37:39.in a sentence, it is the economy and Europe in time it -- entwined
:37:39. > :37:43.as well. Both stories go hand in hand. Although we are not a member
:37:43. > :37:48.of the Eurozone, it has a huge impact on the British economy and
:37:48. > :37:53.worried to collapse or countries like Greece fell out, that would
:37:54. > :37:59.have a massive impact here. It is all tied in with how the respective
:37:59. > :38:04.parties perform as well and ordinary voters only really care
:38:04. > :38:12.about which party will look after their economic interests. At the
:38:13. > :38:16.moment Labour are struggling on that front. It seems strange with
:38:16. > :38:21.the mire in the economy the Labour is not ahead in opinion polls
:38:21. > :38:29.because we are taking unpopular medicine. Absolutely, but the
:38:29. > :38:39.presence of Ed Balls on the Labour front bench is a major problem. The
:38:39. > :38:39.
:38:39. > :38:41.old regime close is to Gordon-Brown, as was Ed Balls, so as long as he
:38:41. > :38:45.is Shadow Chancellor they will struggle to get a fair hearing from
:38:45. > :38:48.the public. They launched a five- point plan with great fanfare about
:38:48. > :38:54.how they would get the economy back on track, but they were honest
:38:54. > :38:58.enough to make -- admit it would involve more spending and borrowing
:38:58. > :39:02.which the public will not contemplate at the moment. Europe
:39:03. > :39:08.is an issue which has come back in the last month or so. Not only
:39:08. > :39:17.causing a skis and throughout -- Asia's and the three British
:39:17. > :39:21.politics, but also all fronts so at sixes and sevens. Before he became
:39:21. > :39:24.Prime Minister, David Cameron were very concerned that the
:39:24. > :39:27.Conservatives stopped banging on about Europe, as he said at the
:39:27. > :39:33.time. But on the back of him using the veto in Brussels a couple of
:39:33. > :39:41.weeks ago his own poll rating went through the roof. So Europe has
:39:41. > :39:45.actually been a godsend, not for the Liberal Democrats who are
:39:45. > :39:52.hugely pro Europe, and they are at the -- at sixes and sevens. Nick
:39:52. > :39:57.Clegg is really struggling, but the Liberal, given that their ratings
:39:57. > :40:01.are at about 8%, they would be looking at a wipe-out at the
:40:01. > :40:05.general election so they are tied into the coalition until 2015.
:40:05. > :40:13.Talking about general elections, we had one in Scotland and a momentous
:40:13. > :40:19.result for the SNP, a majority relationship between Scotland and
:40:19. > :40:27.the rest of the UK, the Unionist parties and the SNP. The Unionist
:40:27. > :40:37.parties have not got their act together. There isn't that level of
:40:37. > :40:39.
:40:39. > :40:43.interest in the constitutional question. There is a real threat
:40:43. > :40:49.that this could be broken up, but Labour, the Tories and Liberal
:40:49. > :40:52.Democrats have not got their act together as a result of that.
:40:52. > :40:58.Gazing into your crystal ball, as we move towards 2012, what will be
:40:58. > :41:02.the key issues? It will still be Europe. We were told that 2011
:41:02. > :41:08.would be tough and things would get better after then. Now all we are
:41:08. > :41:12.hearing is that the economy forecasts have been downgraded and
:41:12. > :41:17.2012 will be as bad if not worse than 2011. Again, that is all tied
:41:17. > :41:22.in with Europe and the Eurozone and the debt crisis has not been sold.
:41:22. > :41:25.It has been kicked into the long grass, but it will come back. If
:41:25. > :41:29.that was to collapse, there would be huge repercussions for the
:41:29. > :41:33.economy here. Again, it will be about which party can get the
:41:33. > :41:37.message across on the economy. A great chance for Labour in the 12
:41:37. > :41:43.months ahead. We should not forget there will be elections for the
:41:43. > :41:46.mayor of London, politically a very big test, but also local government
:41:46. > :41:53.elections through the UK which will be a referendum on all the parties,
:41:53. > :41:59.won't it? Absolutely. The London mayoral election is keen not to be
:41:59. > :42:06.a great heavyweight contest between Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson.
:42:06. > :42:11.If Boris is re-elected that will be a massive coup for the Tories given
:42:11. > :42:14.that we are in this period of austerity. It would be a massive
:42:14. > :42:19.blow for Ed Miliband and there are already rumblings about how long he
:42:19. > :42:23.will last as Labour leader. But they don't really have a history of
:42:23. > :42:26.getting rid of their lead is essentially. But it could be issued
:42:26. > :42:31.blow for Ed Miliband and Labour were Boris Johnson to be re-elected
:42:31. > :42:34.-- a huge blow. We will have to leave it there, Kevin. As you can
:42:34. > :42:39.see, some interesting thoughts in the discussion we just had with
:42:39. > :42:47.Kevin. Somehow, I don't think we will be stuck for things to talk
:42:47. > :42:54.about in 2012, just as we have not been this year. David, a busy if
:42:55. > :42:57.the look at Westminster and we will see you there. Well, let's go to
:42:57. > :43:02.Holyrood now to review a momentous year in Scottish politics. I am
:43:02. > :43:06.joined by Jamie Fraser, -- Murdo Fraser, and Willie Rennie of the
:43:07. > :43:13.Scottish Liberal Democrats. Good afternoon tea. I hope you are in
:43:13. > :43:16.festive mood today. Absolutely. Jamie Hepburn, much to the
:43:16. > :43:20.disappointment of your political colleagues standing there, it has
:43:20. > :43:28.been the SNP's year when it comes to winning elections. I imagine
:43:28. > :43:31.even my colleagues to my left could not disagree that the big event has
:43:31. > :43:38.been the election of an SNP majority government, the first time
:43:38. > :43:43.we have had a majority administration. That has to be the
:43:43. > :43:49.big story of 2011. It has been a momentous year for the party, but
:43:49. > :43:52.on the policy front, do you think the SNP is losing what might be
:43:52. > :43:56.called their finer touch or they are sure touch when it comes to
:43:56. > :43:59.policies? Look at the anti- sectarian legislation and the
:43:59. > :44:03.matter criticism that came under, and the Scottish Governor may have
:44:03. > :44:07.painted itself into a corner in terms of gay marriage.
:44:07. > :44:11.particular position will come into criticism from some quarters, but
:44:11. > :44:15.there is great support for the legislation passed last week out
:44:15. > :44:21.there across Scotland. I have not had a bulging postbag of people
:44:21. > :44:25.complaining. I think it will prove to be a popular measure and only
:44:25. > :44:29.one of many initiatives coming forward from the SNP government to
:44:29. > :44:35.tackle the serious problem of sectarianism. Will you still have
:44:35. > :44:41.Alex Salmond as your leader -- well. But are not at all the other three.
:44:41. > :44:44.Murdo Fraser, on the programme last week, the Scottish leadership
:44:44. > :44:47.election was described as operatic, people thinking the Tories would
:44:47. > :44:53.split down the middle with the controversial proposals to put
:44:53. > :44:57.forward. It was quite a year for the Scottish Tories. No split yet,
:44:58. > :45:01.but it isn't over until the fat lady sings. We will leave that
:45:01. > :45:04.suggestion stuck to the wall for a while. You have to accept it was
:45:04. > :45:10.not a good year for any political party in Scotland apart from the
:45:10. > :45:14.SNP. From our point of view, at the UK level, not a cause for
:45:14. > :45:17.celebration but there was a certain about of -- amount of grim
:45:17. > :45:22.satisfaction looking at the collapse of the euro. Those of us
:45:22. > :45:25.who for years argued that this was a project built on folly now feel
:45:25. > :45:28.that we have been entirely justified in our approach. The sad
:45:28. > :45:32.thing is we will have to deal with the consequences of the fall-out
:45:32. > :45:36.from this political project. Looking at things from a
:45:36. > :45:39.Westminster perspective, how difficult has it been as a party
:45:39. > :45:42.having a Chancellor, a Tory Chancellor at Westminster in the
:45:42. > :45:47.shape of George Osborne when it comes to selling your message here
:45:47. > :45:52.in Scotland. Even tomorrow we will see what the Parliament thinks of
:45:52. > :45:55.Iain Duncan-Smith's welfare reform bill. How difficult has it been for
:45:55. > :46:01.you to defend a Westminster government in Scotland as well?
:46:01. > :46:04.haven't found it difficult at all. I will be defending the Welfare
:46:04. > :46:07.Reform Bill which I think is essential as we improve the chances
:46:07. > :46:10.of life for people and deal with the legacy of debt from the last
:46:10. > :46:14.government. What I think is astonishing is that at a time when
:46:14. > :46:18.we are in the worst economic recession since the 1930s, where
:46:18. > :46:23.the government has had to take some difficult decisions to deal with
:46:23. > :46:27.the public finances and make some fairly serious cuts but we are not
:46:28. > :46:32.seen the major opposition at Westminster, 10 or even 20 points
:46:32. > :46:35.ahead in the opinion polls. The latest opinion poll suggested
:46:35. > :46:40.government is neck and neck with Labour or even in some cases
:46:40. > :46:43.slightly ahead, which says a huge amount about the leadership being
:46:43. > :46:48.provided by Ed Miliband and the general competence of the Labour
:46:48. > :46:53.Party at UK level. And talking about Labour at a Scottish level,
:46:53. > :46:57.Sarah, this was a humiliating year for Scottish Labour. 2011 will be a
:46:57. > :47:01.year you will probably want to forget quickly. We will want to
:47:02. > :47:05.move on, and I spent the last six months coming round Labour Party
:47:05. > :47:10.members and trade union members, people in the Labour Party, talking
:47:10. > :47:14.about how we get back on track. We did have a bad defeat but we have a
:47:14. > :47:18.lesson to learn because we did not just losing 2011, the seeds of the
:47:18. > :47:21.defeat were sown earlier and we have to rejuvenate ourselves and
:47:21. > :47:25.rebuilt and reconnect with communities who have lost faith in
:47:25. > :47:30.us to represent them. With the recession hitting the ball so hard,
:47:30. > :47:34.28 % rises in youth unemployment, 26,000 people at work over two
:47:34. > :47:37.years, that we have a job to do as the official opposition in the
:47:37. > :47:43.Scottish Parliament to make sure that the SNP raised their game on
:47:43. > :47:45.things like youth unemployment. We were really glad of the new
:47:45. > :47:49.appointment of minister for youth unemployment at but the challenge
:47:49. > :47:53.is to get the tours and resources to get on with the job. For as it
:47:53. > :47:56.is about renewal, learning lessons and looking for the future and the
:47:56. > :48:06.radical programme we need to put together if we are to gain people's
:48:06. > :48:12.
:48:12. > :48:16.Why did you not raise your game before that? When you have a bad
:48:16. > :48:21.campaign, it is easy to regard all the aspects of that campaign. But
:48:21. > :48:25.we need to look at how we can move forward. I have spent the last six
:48:25. > :48:31.months are doing that with local Labour Party members. We need to
:48:31. > :48:34.talk about things that are affecting people. The effect of
:48:34. > :48:38.local authority cuts. There are things in the Scottish Parliament
:48:39. > :48:48.that we are having to raise to make sure that the reality of people's
:48:48. > :48:53.lives is not missed out. It is our job to stand up for people. To make
:48:53. > :49:03.sure they have strong political representation. For the Liberal
:49:03. > :49:12.
:49:12. > :49:22.Democrats, we have at their new leader, with a Renney. -- Willie
:49:22. > :49:24.
:49:24. > :49:27.Rennie. We lost some good parliamentarians. But since then,
:49:27. > :49:34.we have been very feisty, very energetic. We can show that there
:49:34. > :49:44.is a strong liberal voice in parliament. On issues like colleges
:49:44. > :49:48.support, on the riots in England. Essentially, is your main problem
:49:49. > :49:56.not Nick Clegg? He is still in place at Westminster. He is still
:49:56. > :50:06.causing problems for the party when it comes to the European Union
:50:06. > :50:11.debacle. Of course at the coalition, when you are making big difficult
:50:11. > :50:14.decisions, there will be people who disagree with that. But it is
:50:14. > :50:20.important you do the right thing for the economy, get it on the
:50:20. > :50:22.right tracks to create jobs and opportunities for people. I know
:50:22. > :50:27.that Liberal Democrats in the coalition are making a difference.
:50:27. > :50:37.I think it would be a lot worse if they Tories were doing it on their
:50:37. > :50:38.
:50:38. > :50:42.own. We are just coming up to 2012, what are you hoping for? The big
:50:42. > :50:49.challenge is the economy. Making sure that we are creating jobs for
:50:49. > :50:53.young people. Too many young people are unemployed. That is why the
:50:53. > :51:02.youth contract is so important. That is a big priority for the
:51:02. > :51:09.Scottish government. Labour have a new leader, issue you big hope for
:51:09. > :51:18.2012? She is it. She has done a fantastic job in the last few days.
:51:18. > :51:24.She has a strong team around her. We will be committed to making sure
:51:24. > :51:27.she gets support. We are not just focusing on what Alex Salmond is
:51:27. > :51:31.doing in the Scottish Parliament, but getting out of the Scottish
:51:31. > :51:39.Parliament and talking to people who have been let down by their
:51:40. > :51:46.government, both nationally and locally. It is important that the
:51:46. > :51:51.voice of people is heard in our Parliament. The Conservative Prime
:51:51. > :52:00.Minister will face a very difficult 2012, what is the agenda for the
:52:00. > :52:04.Scottish Conservatives? We want to see a referendum on independence.
:52:04. > :52:08.Overshadowing us all is this unanswered question on the
:52:08. > :52:17.constitution. It has become a huge a distraction in Scottish
:52:17. > :52:22.Parliament. I find it a dismal prospect, discussing the
:52:22. > :52:28.constitution for three years instead of improving the economy.
:52:28. > :52:33.Let's have that referendum. Do you think they will be any clearer
:52:33. > :52:40.about the independence referendum in 2012? I think it is crystal
:52:40. > :52:43.clear already. There was a clear statement from Alex Salmond that
:52:43. > :52:50.that referendum would be held in the latter half of this
:52:50. > :52:57.parliamentary term and we are going to stick to that promise. All the
:52:57. > :53:02.heard from other parties was a promises had been broken. Now they
:53:02. > :53:12.are asking us to break a promise. We will not do that. We will have
:53:12. > :53:12.
:53:12. > :53:17.the referendum. Thank you all very much. And very Christmas. NEWLINE
:53:17. > :53:23.Let's turn to our commentators one final time. The Unionist Partys
:53:23. > :53:25.have had a terrible years. A yes, there is a struggle for the
:53:25. > :53:32.Unionist parties to say that the referendum is a terrible
:53:32. > :53:37.distraction. The unionist parties lead to get their act together
:53:37. > :53:41.early in the new year. A thing the Liberal Democrats and the Tories
:53:41. > :53:45.have had long enough to think how they want to address their
:53:45. > :53:50.independence referendum campaign. But they really wanted to be led by
:53:50. > :54:00.a Labour figure. Add it is to be good to see who a significant
:54:00. > :54:07.
:54:07. > :54:17.Labour figure will be. -- and it is difficult to see. I think we have
:54:17. > :54:17.
:54:17. > :54:23.to see a someone out with the chamber so that there debate is
:54:23. > :54:28.eared properly. 2011 was at the SNP's here when it came to the
:54:28. > :54:37.election. I know that they have faced some tough criticism, but are
:54:37. > :54:45.they still in a honeymoon phase? Certainly, the SNP still has a good
:54:45. > :54:51.rate of approval. There is no doubt that the SNP are hoping that that
:54:51. > :54:58.mood will be maintained until the local government elections at the
:54:58. > :55:08.beginning of May. The SNP have set themselves a big target which is to
:55:08. > :55:14.
:55:14. > :55:24.topple Labour from power in Glasgow. If the party can do as well as
:55:24. > :55:25.
:55:25. > :55:29.later this year, it could be possible. It should be a good set
:55:29. > :55:35.of elections for the Labour Party because they are the only party
:55:35. > :55:40.that are not empower postop but that was also true in May of this
:55:40. > :55:45.year and much good it did the Labour Party. It may well be that
:55:45. > :55:55.the SNP managed to consolidate local government as well as
:55:55. > :55:55.
:55:55. > :56:05.Holyrood. Any other crystal ball gazing? I think Europe, that will
:56:05. > :56:14.be the big issue in Westminster and it will have an impact in Scotland.
:56:14. > :56:18.Alex Salmond's big flagship policy was Scotland in Europe. He has to
:56:18. > :56:22.work out his strategies for all the questions that are coming his way.
:56:22. > :56:26.Europe is the one issue that has moved up the political agenda to
:56:26. > :56:34.the point where it will have to be addressed a far more urgently and
:56:34. > :56:40.the SNP will have to decide whether they have got the guts to go ahead
:56:41. > :56:47.and not be led by public opinion because public opinion on Europe is
:56:47. > :56:50.instinctively to be cynical about Europe, but to come in and say that
:56:50. > :57:00.we are I European country and that is where we are different from
:57:00. > :57:02.
:57:02. > :57:09.England. For all those Scots who are still not convinced by
:57:10. > :57:17.referendum, is it because they want to be part of a bigger
:57:17. > :57:22.organisation? And the economic conditions. We have to hope that
:57:22. > :57:27.the deal in the eurozone sticks. The Tories might be saying that it
:57:27. > :57:36.is great but we did not go into the euro, but not really, because we
:57:36. > :57:42.are completely affected by it. And yet we will not be able to go into
:57:42. > :57:46.any of the big meetings about it. Thank you very much.