26/09/2012 Politics Scotland

Hello and welcome to Politics Scotland. Coming up in this two

hour special: We'll have live coverage of the Liberal Democrat

conference in Brighton. The stage is set and Nick Clegg will be on

his feet in the next half-hour seeking to reassure his party that

the -- that there are stormy waters ahead.

Scotland's new police chief says as many as 3,000 support staff could

be lost as the forces merge. And the author JK Rowling says

independence has not cast a spell on her. Scotland is doing great

under devolution, I think. We are in a pretty stable condition.

First, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will today tell his

party conference not to pull back from economic decisions. With me to

discuss this is Professor John Curtis from start -- Strathclyde

University and ugly Barnes, the editor of the Scotsman. Thank you

The question of the people in the hall are going to be asking is how

are we Azzopardi going to get up the very low opinion poll ratings.

What messages can the party come up with. Messages they might be able

to get across on the doorstep and in the media. As far as the public

is concerned, he has to give them a reason as to why they should listen

to him in the first place. He tried to do that last week by saying he

was sorry about the tuition fees promise. He has got to grab

people's attention and he's got to be able to say, I am worth

listening to. He has some key messages to get across. Last year,

the first party conference when the cuts were starting to bite, is this

a tough a conference for Nick Clegg? The economy has not picked

up since last year the way they were hoping. There is also a

question of a Nick Clegg's leadership and whether he is going

to take them into the next general election. I think the apology may

have dealt with the issue. He has articulated in this conference that

he wants to contest the next general election. He has also tried

to set out that the Lib Dems are not going to be a party of protest

or a party that is none of the above party. He wants to show this

is a genuine third party of Government. It is going to be tough.

It is difficult for the Liberal Democrats to try and a just their

mindset. -- I just their mindset. The Liberal Democrats are in

Government so how do they get out of the whole they are in? The way

they have revived themselves and the passes through successfully

dealing on the back of a protest vote in by-elections. They were in

trouble in the late 1980s, they won a by-election in Eastbourne and

then a few months later in the North of England and they managed

to recover. That avenue is not open to them because they are in

Government. They have to learn how to revive their fortunes, given

that voters are cross with some of the decisions they have made in

Government. Thank you for now. Nick Clegg will speak at around 3pm.

Let's cross to Brighton to speak to our political correspondent. We

have been hearing from my guests in the studio that it is a difficult

time ahead for Nick Clegg. I think that messages going to be

throughout the speech. It is not going to be one of the jovial

nature at all. We have seen some advanced copies of the speech

already and he is warning the party that there are going to be tough

times ahead. He's trying to persuade the party that the

decisions being taken by the coalition of the right ones. They

might well be difficult but he is looking forward to the 2015

Election. Two of the people are going to be watching that speech

joining out to discuss what you're hoping for from the speech. You

were a candidate in Edinburgh North. What are you hoping for from the

speech? What we're hoping for is that we'll get a clear sense of

where we're going to stand in this next election. We want to see how

we have differentiated from the at parties. A lot of this conference

has been trying to put that clear distance between you and the Tories

but there has been a lot of the century. How does Nick Clegg

persuade you that that dissent is wrong? There is always to send at a

Liberal Democrat conference. -- dissent. He'll be wanting to know

that we are with him. We have to thrash out our differences. He has

talked about that abuse that you can expect on the doorstep. That is

not a message that is going to fill people with confidence. It is

almost like a half-time speech. It is a rallying of the troops. We are

not exactly popular at the moment but we have achieved rather a lot

since we have been in Government. I hope Nick Clegg will be reinforcing

this afternoon what we have achieved and set out the agenda for

the second half of the parliament. What we have to say to those

outside the hall? -- what will he have to say. He has started a new

narrative with the apology. Whatever people make of that, it is

an opportunity to start a new dialogue with people. He will be

trying to say, we know we have not got everything right but I want to

listen see you. -- listen to you. The other big constitutional issue

is the referendum. I don't think he'll be making a big issue of it.

He has treated it with a great deal of respect. There has not been much

talking about leadership challenges. Do you think Nick Clegg has put

back to bed? The media always likes to run the narrative of disruption

in the Liberal Democrats. But he has done an excellent job. I think

he's done a fantastic job with the situation he has been placed in. I

don't see any sense in getting rid of him. This conference has not

just nip asked just been about the austerity measures but about some

of the things you are putting through the parliament. Do you hope

the leadership take lessons of that? Into date after debate, which

had cabinet member after Cabot number coming to persuade us which

means they take the results of those debates extremely Sisley --

Cabinet. There is still a lot of work to be done. When you leave

here today, will you leave with a spring in your step as luck it has

stopped raining for a start! You can hear some of the music starting

in the conference hall. We are expecting the speech to last around

50 minutes and that will bring the curtain down on this conference.

Nick Clegg's wife is wearing a dress designed by a Scottish

designer so we will have a look at that and see if it is likely to be

a big conference when a. -- winner. Just listening to the delegates,

they seem in an upbeat mood. There are always seems to be done and a

care, whenever the media is having a pop up -- Popat party, in these

conferences there is a natural rallying of the troops. But they

are struggling and it is not a media hatchet job. It is desperate

times for them. Nick Clegg's popularity is desperate. According

to two recent opinion polls, it is at its lowest level ever. It was

unrealistic to expect that there would be any movement on the

leadership issue. The crucial date is going to be around 2014. That is

when the party will decide whether it wants to get out of the

coalition and whether they want to fight the election under Nick Clegg.

The crucial people to decide will be his MPs. If they lose confidence

in Nick Clegg, he won't last May -- very long. A busy day at Brighton

for the Lib Dem conference and a busy day at Holyrood. Let's turn

our attention to environmental policy. Efforts are being made to

bus travel. Announcement will be made on the Green Bus Fund.

Keith O'Brien is just getting to his feet. The Labour party is

saying that this -- buses are being cut. The Government is committed to

creating a more successful country for everybody in Scotland are to

flourish through increasing economic growth. The Scottish Green

Bus Fund is a subject of our debate today. It is an integral part of

our commitment to sustainable economic future of Scotland. Public

transport services play a vital role for employment and public

services and training and leisure and friends and family. They

produce less pollution and less congestion than the private car.

The bus sector plays a particularly key role. The number of miles run

by buses in Scotland covers 354 million kilometres. 80 % of all

passenger journeys made by public transport. They also carry 12 % of

the population to work on a daily basis. For many communities, they

are the only means of public transport. Over the last few years,

the Government has worked closely with the bus industry to support

the introduction of more environmentally friendly vehicles

into the Scottish Bus fleet. This debate will consider the importance

of this work. This work is I would like to start by setting

the context on delivering on our climate change agenda. Transport is

a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions

are by all transport account for quarter of all emissions in

Scotland. Bus produces a 3% of road emissions but this figure is

growing because of increases in the wake of conventional buses

resulting from the equipment needed to be sure they are accessible by

all passengers. Buses in urban areas also contribute to other

emissions which affected air- quality. Since we see bus transport

as an important and growing part of the transport makes it is important

we take action to address environmental impacts and that is

why we have been at incentive rising the purchase of low carbon

vehicles. Part of this is the Scottish green bus fund. It can

reduce the direct impact buses have on the environment in terms of

carbon and other emissions. It improves the quality of service as

a result of newer vehicles. It can increase demand for low cop on

vehicles benefiting bus manufacturers. Although the

government role is to try to incentive buys the purchase of a

low carbon vehicles, it is not the idea we continue to do that for

ever more. We want to provide encouragement for operators. This

will help contribute to the reduction and cost of low carbon

vehicles. It creates and sustained opportunities for Scottish

businesses. It develops expertise in bus manufacturing an operation.

We have completed two rounds of the green bus fund. The first have

delivered 721 low carbon hybrid vehicles to nine different bus

operators which provides services in Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeen. The

cabinet secretary announce further funding for hybrid buses in 2013.

It will bring Scottish funding for green buses to �11.3 million. What

are the practical benefits? We have reduced the environmental impact as

each new bass delivers a reduction in CO2 of 21 tonnes per year. In

parallel with reducing carbon use these buses are producing less

exhaust gases, helping to improve air quality. The initial estimate

of around 40 % of a reduction in fuel consumption has been succeeded.

As well as using far less fuel the benefits it has for the environment

and businesses. New vehicles which have been supported by helping to

encourage moral shift by delivering higher quality services. An example

of the successful operation has been the No. 10 route for those who

have used it in Edinburgh. The took the opportunity of improving the

speck of the vehicle and developed a specific marketing brand. That

demonstrates the extent boss uses respond to the provision of high

quality, green transport. I mentioned also the economic

opportunity. Green buses are very much a case in point. We are

fortunate in Scotland at having Alexander Dennis, a world-class bus

manufacturer which has been successful in developing hybrid

buses. The green bus fund is competitive and market-driven.

Operators receive grants. It is commendable that Alexander Dennis

has enjoyed so considerable success in the first two grounds of the

green bus funds and that has helped the company invest further in

hybrid bus technology. I am grateful and I recognise the

benefit of some of what he is saying but is there not a danger

that this approach gives opportunities for the bigger bus

companies to improve what they are doing while the smaller companies,

some of whom are running the least fuel efficient and most polluting

vehicles, do they get the chance to improve the vehicles they are

running? That is a fair concerned but if you look at the way the fund

is distributed you will see that small companies compared to the

bigger ones benefit greatly from hybrid bus technology. Further

development of the green bus fund there is the possibility of doing

exciting things in relation to the school bus transport system, which

is comprised of a number of small operators. So far that has been the

picture with the green bus fund. Alexander Dennis has been winning

orders across the world and they have substantial investment in bus

building in Australia and they are continuing to innovate and look at

how hybrids can be effective in operation. Alexander Dennis are

able to provide examples of the delivery of other benefits that we

have sought to deliver through the green bus fund. They have invested

in technology, developed Scottish expertise and they are delivering

real commercial benefits as well as environmental ones. We should all

be very pleased about the turnaround taking place. That was

the transport minister at Holyrood. Lots going on at Holyrood. In 10

minutes we will get Nick Clegg's Speech but let's join Brian Taylor,

our political editor. A big story today is Stephen House, the man

taking the reins as Scotland's new chief constable, has said that as

many 3,000 support staff could be lost as the forces merge. This is

the consequence of centralisation which the party opposed most

vigorously on grounds of exactly this point about jobs. They are

saying they had been promises that jobs would be protected but one of

the principal purposes of this exercise is to save money and you

do not do that without shedding what would be in future duplication

of back office effort. The response of the government would be that

police numbers, policing on the ground will be maintained but they

one of the new appointment and already there is a challenge to

jobs. The Lib Dems have voiced their opposition but supported by

the Conservatives and Labour. But 3,000 jobs is a lot for politicians

to swallow. It is a lot of jobs over the entirety of Scotland but

that could be spread over a period. Nonetheless cities are a

disquieting factor but no one should be surprised about this. The

object of the exercise is to save money and you save money by

trenching on the number employed. The Labour leader signalling this

policy shift. The something for nothing culture, that is still

reverberating around Hollywood today. It is, members of the

parliament still chatting over this. The narrative she is trying to

drive is one where she depicts Alex Salmond as in some way shifty or

untrustworthy. She did mix him in that position and she tries to

characterise herself as being honest and straightforward with the

voters. People are beginning to question whether the various free

goodies can be sustained in the longer term and Labour's hope is is

that they can gain political advantage by being straight with

the electorate but the big challenge is that they are sitting

on a commission that will not report for quite some time. In that

interim, the SNP will be entitled to say that we are offering

certainty on issues such as free personal care, Labour offering

uncertainty. The Unionists are saying that the independence

proposal is fraught with uncertainty. I have to say that SNP

ministers are absolutely delighted, they can scarcely conceal their

glee at what they will field is an advantage for them but Labour say

this is genuinely what Joanne Lehman believes. -- Joanne Lamont.

If they are talking about potentially removing some goodies,

they have to talk up what they believe will be there in their

place. If you are removing a council tax freeze, then you talk

about the services that could be sustained in that regard. Right now

ates the SNP faces that are looking chirpy around here. One other thing

that is appearing at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton and possible

agreement on the process of the referendum. Signals were coming out

that there will be a single question. It has been looking

extremely likely for quite some time. There are a couple of

sticking points. Nothing is agreed until it is all agreed. I think

there will be a single question. There will be a transfer of power

as a consequence of section 30 of the Scotland Act to bring about a

referendum and there will be an accompanying member on the other

issues such as funding. I believe the Scottish government have set

out a proposal for certain levels of promised an agreed funding and

funding limits for the various campaigns. The other side would

like them to be higher. Why? Well nationals say they UK wider

unionist opponents can afford rather more than the SNP can. That

is causing difficulty. I think the outcome will be this - there will

be a single question. The power to determine the nature of that

question will be given to the Scottish parliament and they will

put the proposals to the electoral commission. 16-17-year-old will be

entitled to vote and the ballot will be in October. The elements

governing the broadcasting by the various campaigns during the

elections, are other elements will be a memorandum that goes alongside

it. It will all be signed and sealed in mid-October and it is on

with the referendum. Let's talk once again with our two

political commentators, Professor John Curtice and Eddie Barnes. We

were just hearing from Brian and before we go to the conference

speech in Brighton, we are moving close to a deal. But the

interesting question is how that deal will be sold. Also we are also

getting suggestions from the SNP that we may well discover that just

before the agreement is reached they will publish the result of the

consultation on the referendum they held in the spring, and they will

conclude from that that there is a demand in Scotland for a second

question on devolution and then when the agreement is reached they

will say, this is the agreement we had to reach. We did want to give

you a vote on devolution. The UK government would not be asked to do

so -- allowed us to do so. That is I suspect the line the SNP will

pursue. There was one London commentator who were saying a

single question, a victory for the pro-union parties. Do you think it

They have got what they wanted. Alex Salmond was tempted by a

second question. The fact they have a single question, he said that was

his preference. He can now try and sell it to bring in these so-called

soft nationalists and try to attract them by saying they haven't

got the middle ground option they wanted so come over to our side.

Willie Rennie was talking up the a Dem conference yesterday. Is he

getting concerned that if there is a no vote in the referendum that

the Labour and the Conservatives will park the Deval marks option

and move on from any more powers for Holyrood. If there are going to

be some voters who want more devolution and are wondering what

way to go on the single question, the question is what steps are they

going to take to persuade them to stay with the union. The Liberal

Democrats are going to announce the result next month and that is going

to come out for more taxation powers but not the devolution of

welfare benefits. The Labour Party announced a commission last spring

and the Prime Minister said he was interested in having a conversation

about devolution but nothing has happened. The danger for the unions

is that we might end up having three different answers to this

question in the event of a No vote. Willie Rennie is saying we do not

think there needs to be a referendum in order to introduce

more devolution and he may find the nationalists won't want a vote on

their preferred option. We are waiting to hear from Nick Clegg who

is going to speak at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton. He is being

introduced and we will hear from him shortly. Ugly Barnes from the

Scotsman, the whole concept of this conference was about fairer taxes

and there was a lot of discussion on Sunday and Monday about a

mention tax but not good strong announcements on fairer taxes.

Clegg is trying to say, we are going to be the party of coalition

but at the same time there is this decoupling agenda. The same time as

being the responsible coalition partner, there is this attempt to

push party political proposition. He is having a dig at David Cameron

attempts to embrace the green agenda before he became party

leader. So let's see how that plays out in this speech. It has been a

week of gigs at the Lib Dem conference. The Andrew Mitchell

chief whip story, the problem that the Downing Street gait and so on.

Has that been cranking up the tension or is it a relief of

tension? If you have a pot shot at the Conservatives, Andrew

Mitchell's troubles presented a ready target. Andrew Mitchell was

not always entirely popular on his own side of the House and firing at

Andrew Mitchell was a fairly safe shot. It was an obvious crowd-

pleaser. In truth, we wait and see over the next few days whether the

Prime Minister comes back and whether Andrew Mitchell towers

survive. -- whether Andrew Mitchell does survive. We are hearing that

the speech is two minutes away. Nick Clegg speaking on Sunday was

trying to make it clear he was trying to be fair and did not want

to take on aggressive Tory caps any more. Was he just trying to paint

that dividing lines that he wanted these fairer taxes but actually he

will have to agree to the 2015 -- 2015 -- 2016 spending cuts? This

signal about the taxes, there is not much substance. There needs to

be further tightening of the Government revenues in 2015 and

2016. The Liberal Democrats will want that to come by way of raising

taxation. They are saying, we accept that there is a need to get

more demand in the economy and we're not going to be willing to

tighten Government spending any further if the Revenue's don't come

in and they will look at put some more money back into the capital

budget. I hear that in the hall, there collecting donations for the

party at the moment. Ugly Barnes from the Scotsman, -- ugly Barnes

An there has been a slow rolling back from that. In that period, the

every issue -- the other issue, this is another issue he might have

to tackle in that period. You're going to have this two-track

manifesto. You've signed up to these ideas but in not going to

have a concrete pledge like good tuition fees. The voters will be

more can he because they will no, whatever we're getting now may be

completely different in two of three months' time. We've had the

experience of coalition now but perhaps we have not it -- we don't

know how the experience will change next time. Danny Alexander suffers

from the sketch writers. His main point was he was trying to tackle

tax evasion and was appointing more people to work at Heacham Revenue

and Customs to tackle Lichtenstein, the famous tax haven. The issue of

tax evasion has become a common theme for Danny Alexander. This is

the third conference in a row that he has been saying what we're

trying to do is ensure that those who we think are managing to evade

should be paying more, this is what they're trying to do about it.

Given the very tight financial circumstances, it is very difficult

for Danny Alexander to offer very much in the way of policing red

meat to the crowd. -- pleasing red meat. Thank you for the moment. We

are hoping to go to Brighton as soon as we can. A debate is going

on in Holyrood about The Green Bus In terms of C02, they are rather

less so. Graham Day raised the fact that the World Health Organisation

now believes that diesel fumes are a carcinogen. We have to worry

about how we deal with that problem longer term. Hybrid buses to have

the effect of taking away much of the pollution. I do remember being

able to travel around Aberdeen in a demonstration best -- best. It was

powered by chip fat I believe. It was very efficient but the smell

did result in the becoming very hungry! That is where we have to

think about the effects of other changes and how they affect the

green this fund. Bus service operators grant and concessionary

fares scheme have been the basis of support for broader bus travel for

some years. The effect we've seen over the term of this Government

and in its previous term is that concessionary fares have been the

highest priority. It could be argued that the bus service

operators grant has been squeezed to some extent in order to protect

the course of the value of concessionary fares. We've had some

recent changes and I have stood in this chamber previously and

expressed my support and -- in principle for many of these changes.

The refocused nature of the scheme it means that operators are

encouraged to go for fuel efficiency when they replace their

vehicles and consequently hybrid vehicles are becoming more

attractive. However, they do have a significantly higher purchase price

and that is deterring some potential customers. But these

changes to mean that in many of our city areas, there is a shortage of

funding because city bus routes have in some cases been

disadvantaged by the change. That is why we on this side of the

chamber believe the total value of support currently being given to

buses in the round must be considered in terms of how it is

focused in the future. I have said it before, that we believe the

concessionary fares scheme must be aligned to pension age.

That was the Conservative transport spokesman talking about The Green

Bus Fund. We are going to head a bright and short before Nick

Clegg's speech. Nick Clegg will be getting up to speak but lots of

rumours about his future and possible alliances with Labour.

Have there been overtures from Labour? Some of which is yes. --

some mortgages, yes. It is clear that some members of the Labour

Party and some members of the Liberal Democrats are indeed

talking to each other. They have done for many years. On the other

hand, there are parties in -- there are people in both parties that are

not keen on the idea. Harriet Harman said, we should not be

cosying up to the Liberal Democrats. We should be aiming for a majority.

It is all about whether the Labour Party will do well enough in the

next election to get an overall majority. As the opinion polls

stand at the moment, it suggests they would. There is also a lot of

feeling that those opinion polls are as much to do with

dissatisfaction as to do with positivity from Labour. Despite the

Liberal Democrats problems, we might end up with a hung parliament

again but one in which the Liberal Democrats and Labour might be able

to do a deal with each other. At least some people in both parties

which to keep the avenues of discussion open so that if they do

find encouraged to negotiate after 2015, those negotiations go rather

better than widespread report during the negotiations between the

Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. In 2015, will there be any Liberal

I do not think they will be in as bad a place as they are now.

think Nick Clegg is coming on to stage at the Brighton Centre. He

will address the delegates there. They are standing up and applauding

him as he makes his way to the podium. Nick Clegg going to give a

very important speech to the delegates. Let's listen to what he

has to say. Thank you. Let me start. Colleagues, this summer as we took

our athletes to gold after gold after gold, Britain remembered how

it feels to win again. But more importantly we remembered what it

takes to win again. Whether from Jessica Ennis or Mo Farah, Sarah

Storey or David Weir, the message was the same. We may be the ones on

the podium but behind each of us stands a coach and behind the coach

a team. Behind the team, the organisers, the volunteers, the

supporters and behind them a whole city, an entire country, the UK

nations united behind one goal. What a contrast from a year ago.

When England's cities burned in a week of riots, when the images

beamed to the world were not of athletes running to the finishing

line but the mob running to police lines. When the flames climbed not

from the Olympic torch in east London but a furniture shop in

south London. A 140 year-old family run business which survived two

world wars and countless recessions raced to the ground. Of course,

even then amid the smoke and embers, we saw our country's true character

when residents came out onto the streets to clean up the mass and we

saw it again this summer when the furniture shop in Croydon reopened

in new premises. The walls are decked off photos of young people

holding up messages of hope and who put those pictures up? Young

volunteers from Croydon and and 81- year-old man who likes to three

generations before him, ran the shop before handing it to his son.

Your example should inspire a generation. You see, what Morris

has shown, what our Olympians and Paralympians have reminded us off

is that for most people success does not come easy or quick. That

is what a culture of instant celebrity obscures, that real

achievement in the real world, it takes time, effort, perseverance

and resilience. The war veteran, a victim of a roadside bomb in

Afghanistan competing at the Paralympics. The businessman, the

victim of an arson attack in south London, serving his customers again.

The millions of people up and down the country who no matter how

heroic or mundane their battles keep going, keep trying, keep

working at whatever life throws at them and these are the qualities

that will see our country through these tough times, and these are

the qualities that will guide an all-party through tough times also.

So let's take our example from the British people, as together we

embark on the journey ahead. Our party from the compotes of

opposition to the harsh realities of government and our country, from

the sacrifices of austerity to the rewards of shared prosperity. Two

journeys linked. The success of each depending on the successor of

the other. Nine there will be easy and neither will be quick but it

will be worth it and be in no doubt, if we secured our country's future,

we will secure our own. As a politician, you get used to

receiving criticism and praise from the strangers quarters but even I

was taken by surprise by the force some backing I received on the

comment pages of the Daily Telegraph on Monday. The article

praised my judgment, my policies, Miriam of course, but then I saw

who it was by, a certain Alexander Johnston. At least he has found one

party litre he is prepared to endorse in public. -- party leader.

Colleagues, we live in a time of profound change. Almost

revolutionary in its pace and scale. Here in Britain we are faced with a

gargantuan task of building a new economy from the rubble of the old

and we are doing so when our main export market is facing its biggest

crisis since it was formed. Well the European economy has stalled,

countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, India and China continue to grow at

an a phenomenal rate. The potential consequences of the shift in power

should we in the West failed to respond cannot in my view be

overstated. Our influence in the world, our standard of living, our

ability to fund our public services and maintain our culture of

openness and tolerance - a call on in the balance. Four power would

move not only away from the liberal and democratic world but within it

also, from moderate to hardliners, from internationalists took

isolationist, from those committed to the politics of corporation did

those hell-bent on confrontation. If history has taught us anything

it is that extremists ride in tough times. If we fail to deal with our

debts and tackle the weaknesses in our economy, our country will pay a

heavy political price. But the human cost would be higher still.

Not only would be fall behind internationally, we would leave a

trail of victims at home also. So to those who ask what we, the Lib

Dems are doing cutting public spending, I simply say this - who

suffers most when governments go bust? When they can no longer pay

salaries, benefits and pensions? Not the bankers and the hedge fund

managers that is for sure. No. It will be the poor, the old, the

infirm, those are the least to fall back on. Labour may have thought it

was funny after crashing the economy and racking up record debts

to leave a note on David Laws desk saying, there is no money left. But

it is no joke for the most vulnerable in our society, the

people Labour claimed to represent but let down. But let's take no

more lectures about betrayal. It was Labour who plunged us into

austerity and it is we the Liberal Democrats who will get us out! It

is easy to forget sometimes that the debate we are having in this

country is actually playing out across our continent. It is a

debate between those who understand how much the world has changed and

those who do not. Between those who understand the need to adapt to be

changes and those who balk at the size of the challenge. And the fate

of every European country, ours included will depend on the outcome.

In the coming years, some countries will get their own house in order

but some will not. Those that do will continue to write their own

budgets, said their own priorities and shape their rogue futures. But

those that do not all find their right to self-determination

withdrawn by the markets and new rules imposed by their creditors

without warning or clemency. That that will never to happen to us is

often blithely assumed. The comparisons with Greece breezily

dismissed. Yet it is the decisions we take as a government, as a party,

that will determine whether we succeed or fail. For the first time

the future is away us to make. -- is ours to make. Our journey from

austerity to prosperity starts of course with economic rescue.

Dealing with our debt and delivering growth. If you listen to

Labour you would be forgiven for thinking that austerity is a choice,

that the sacrifices it involves can be avoided. If we only and acted Ed

Balls's press release we would be instantly transported to that

fantasy world where there is no boom or bust and the money never

runs out. But the truth is this - there is no silver bullet that will

instantly solve all our economic problems. Some of our problems are

structural, others international. All will take time to overcome. We

are dealing with an ongoing surge in global energy, food and

commodity prices, an existential crisis in the euro-zone and the

banking collapse which more than four years on is still blocking the

arteries of our entire economic system. Ranged against these forces

the idea that if government just the regulated a bit more as Liam

Fox proposes all borrowed and spend as Ed Balls proposes, we would

achieve strong and lasting growth and that is not credible. In my

experience, A E Q are being attacked by Liam facts are -- Liam

Fox from one side and Ed balls from the other, you worry in the right

place. You see, what is needed and what we are delivering is a plan

that is tough enough to keep the bond markets off our backs, yet

flexible enough to support demand. A plan that allowed us when the

forecast worsened last year to reject calls for further spending

cuts or tax rises and balance the budget over a longer timescale. A

plan that even at the end of this parliament will see public spending

accounts for 42 % of GDP, higher than at any point between 1995 and

2008 when the banks collapsed. And a plan that because it commands the

confidence of the markets has given us the room to create a business

bank, provide billions of pounds of infrastructure and house building

guarantees and and �80 billion funding fallen the scheme, the

biggest of its kind, anyway in the world. So much of this is about

perception. People keep telling what they do not tell you is a much

of what the President had to legislate for we are already do it

automatically. So let's not allowed the caricature of of what we are

doing go unchallenged. If plan a really was as rigid and dogmatic as

our critics claim, or I would be demanding a plan B at getting Danny

and Vince to design it. But it is not. Which is why you were right.

Earlier this week, to overwhelmingly reject the call for

us to change our economic course. We have taken a big and bold steps

to support demand and boost growth and we stand ready to do so again

and again and again until self Of course, arguments about economic

Theory are no interest to the millions of people struggling to

get by right now. The home help whose earnings barely cover the

cost of childcare, the builder who knows the company will be laying

people off but has not yet know if he will be one of them, the couple

who want to buy their first home but can't raise the money for a

deposit. To them and to all the other hard-working families just

trying to stay afloat, I say this. The Liberal Democrats are on your

side. You are the ones we're in Government to serve. But with empty

rhetoric but real practical help. We will cut your income tax bills.

You can keep more of the money you have worked for, so your effort

will be properly rewarded, so the task of making ends meet is made

that little bit easier. At the last Budget, we made two bid

announcements. We were spending �3 billion increasing the tax-free

allowance and just �50 million reducing the top rate of tax while

recouping five times that amount in additional taxes on the wealthiest.

I insisted on the first, I conceded on the second. But I stand by the

package as a whole. Why? Because as liberals, we want to see attacks on

work produced, the tax on unearned wealth increased and the system as

a whole tilted in favour of those on low and middle incomes. The

Budget delivered all three but let me make one thing clear. Now we

have brought the top rate of tax down to 45 p, a level let's not

forget that is still higher than throughout labour's 13 years in

office, there can be no question of reducing it further in this

All future caps in personal taxation must pass one clear test.

Do they help people on low and middle incomes get by and get on?

It is as simple as that. At the next election, all parties will

have to acknowledge the need for further belt-tightening. That much

is inescapable, but the key question we will have to answer is

who will have to tighten their belts the most? Our position is

clear. If we have to ask people to take less out will pay more in, we

will start with the richest and Wicklow Way Down, not the other way

around. We won't sway there in our determination to deal with our

debts but we will do it in our own way. -- we won't waver. We will not

have ourselves to detailed spending plans with the Conservatives

through the next Parliament. We should be proud of the fact that we

have delivered fairer taxes in tough times, we should be proud of

the fact that we are taking 2 million people out of income tax

altogether. We should never miss an opportunity to tell people about it.

But as we do so, remember this. Our tax cuts, like our extra support

for child care and pensioners, these are not consume offers, there

apart of a broader agenda of economic and social reform to

reward work, enhance social mobility and Secure Britain's

position in a fast-changing world. In short, national renewal. That is

our mission. Our policies either serve that purpose or they serve

One of the things about governing is it forces you to confront the

inconvenient truths oppositions 2 - - choose to ignore. Like the fact

that over the last 50 years, our economy has grown threefold and our

welfare spending is up sevenfold. Or the fact that to sustain our

spending we're still borrowing a billion pounds every three days.

All that as a result of that borrowing will now spend more

servicing the national debt than we do on our schools. These three

facts present us with a fundamental challenge to not only regain

control of public spending that to complete the redirect it so that it

promotes a rather than undermines prosperity. How we do that, how we

reshape the British state for the economic challenges of the 21st

century is a debate I want our party to lead. There are only two

ways of doing politics. By following opinion, to get yourself

on the populist side of each issue, or by leading opinion grandstanding

on the future side of each issue. The first brings short-term rewards

but the big prizes are for those with the courage and vision to get

out in front, set the agenda and point the way. Let's take the lead

in building a new economy for the next century. A strong balance

economy built on productive investment. An inventive economy

driven by advances in science and research. And a clean, green

economy as well. Powered by the new low carbon technologies Britain --.

But I have to tell you, we won't succeed in this last part unless we

can see off that most short sighted are arguments that we have to

choose between going green and going to grow. T carbonised in our

economy is not just the right thing to do, be it is a fantastic

economic opportunity. The Green economy in Britain is growing

strongly right now, bringing in billions of pounds and creating

thousands of jobs. Going green means going for growth. It means

going for more energy that we produce ourselves, it means going

for clear air and clean water and a planet that we can proudly handover

Flower children. Going green means going forward. So let the

Conservatives being no doubt, we will hold them to their promises on

the environment. -- so let the He of course, there was a time when

it looked like they got it. It seems like a long time ago now. The

Tories will going through the naturalist phase. The windmills

gently turning, the sun shining. As a PR exercise, it was brilliant.

But at last year's party conference they ruined it all, admitting that

you can't fault blue and green. Of course you can't. To make blue go

green, you have to add yellow. That He as the plot our path to

prosperity, we need to remember that nothing we do will make a

difference and less we make the most important investment of all.

In the education and training of Laurie and people. We will only

fulfil our collective economic potential if we fulfil our

individual human potential. Yet, the legacy of educational

inequality in Britain is an economy operating at half power with far

too many and people never getting the qualifications they could get,

never earning the wages they could earn were doing the jobs they could

do. The true cost of this cannot be costed in pounds and pence alone.

It is a huge drag on our economy but more than that, it is an

affront to natural justice and everything we stand for as Liberal

Democrats. If you strip away all the outer layers to explain --

expose this parties for the last -- philosophical core, what do you

find? And unshakeable belief in freedom. -- an unshakeable belief.

The rich sound of liberal freedom amplified and sustained by the

thing that gives it real meaning, opportunity. The freedom to be who

you are. The freedom to before you are, the opportunity to beat her

you could be. That in essence is the Liberal promise. That is why

this party has always been an almost always be the party of

education because just as they can be no real freedom without

opportunity, so they can be no opportunity with a dedication.

Every parent knows how it feels when you leave your child on that

first day at school, that last look they give you before the door

closes, the instinct to go with them and protect them and to help

them every step of the way. That is how we should feel about every

child. That is the responsibility we have to every parent. To support

them at every stage from nursery to primary, from primary to secondary

and from secondary to college and universe your work. That is why we

are providing more money so the poorest to the roads as well as

every three or four-year-old can benefit from pre-school education.

�900 per child next year in pupil premium. When they leave school, we

are providing bursaries and grants and scholarships and

apprenticeships. Extra resources won't make a difference unless

matched by greater ambition which is why many must be accompanied by

a reform, reform to ensure all children can read and write, to

make schools focus on performance of every child, to turn round

failing schools and put more pressure on standards. I can

announce from this year's that we will provide a new catch-up system,

an additional �500 for every child who leaves primary school below the

expected level in English summer. - If you are a parent whose child has

fallen behind, who fears they might get lost in that daunting leap from

primary to secondary school and was worried poll this talk about making

exams tougher, let me reassure you, we will do whatever it takes to

make sure your child is not left behind. A place at a summer school,

catcher classes, one-to-one tuition. We are providing the help they need.

We are raising the bar but we are ensuring that every child can clear

I am proud of the resolve we Liberal Democrats have shown over

the last two-and-a-half years. We have had some real disappointments.

Tough election results, a bruising referendum, My Song not making it

into the top 10! But through it all, we have remained focused,

determined, disciplined. When we made mistakes, we have put our

hands up. But we have stuck to a task and to the coalition agreement,

even as others have wavered. It was believed we would not be able to

make the transition of going from opposition to Government. It was

said the Liberal Democrats were a party of protest not power. Two

years on, the credits have been confounded. A metal has been tested

in the toughest of circumstances and we have not been found wanting.

We have taken the difficult decisions to reduce the deficit by

a quarter and have laid the foundations for a stronger economy

But our task, it is far from complete. Our party's journey far

from over. I know there were some in the party, some in this ball

even who faced with several more years of spending restraint would

rather turn back and press on. Break our deal with the

Conservatives, give up on the coalition and present ourselves to

the electorate as a party and change. It is an alluring prospect

in some ways. Gone would be the difficult choices, the necessary

compromises and the betrayal and abuse from right and left as we

work every day to keep this government anchored in the centre

ground. But conference, I tell you this, the choice between the party

we were and the party we are becoming is a false one. The past

is gone and it is not coming back. If voters want a party of

opposition, a stop the World I Want to Get of party, they have plenty

of options but we are not one of them. There is a better, more

There is a better, more meaningful future waiting for us. Not as the

third party but as one of three parties of government. There has

been a lot of discussion on the fringe of this conference about our

party's next steps, our relationships with the other

parties, what we should do it in the event of another hung

parliament. It is the sort of discussion politicians love, full

of speculation and rumour. But it is all based on a false and deeply

illiberal assumption that it is we rather than the people who get to

decide. In a democracy, politicians that take their orders from the

voters. So let's forget... So let's forget all the Westminster gossip

and focus on what really matters. Not our relationship with other

parties but our relationship with the British people. And imagine

yourself standing on the doorstep in 2015, talking to someone who has

not decided who to vote for. This is what you will be able to say. We

cut taxes for ordinary families and made sure the wealthiest pay their

fair share. We put more money in schools to give every child a

chance. We did everything possible to get people into work, millions

of new jobs and more apprenticeships than ever before

and we did the right thing by older people. The biggest-ever cash rise

in a state pension, but most importantly we brought our economy

back from the brink and put it on the right path. And then ask them,

are you ready to trust Labour with your money again? And do you really

think the Tories will make Britain a fairer? Because the truth is only

the Liberal Democrats can be trusted on the economy and relied

upon to deliver a fairer society And to help get that message out

there, I can announce today that Paddy Ashdown has agreed to front

up our campaign as chair of the He is presenting he does not like

the limelight. He loves it! I must admit I am not ready for all those

urgent e-mails and 5:00am phone calls but I cannot think of anyone

I would rather have by my side. Paddy, it is great to have you back.

50, 60 years ago, before I was born, small groups of liberal activists

would meet up to talk politics and plan their campaigns. Stubborn,

principled, they ignored the cynics who mocked them. They simply

refused to give up on their dreams. They refuse to accept that Liberals

would never again be in government and they refused to accept that

liberalism, but most decent, enlightened and British of credence

which did so much to shape our past, with not shape our future again. We

think we have it tough now, but it was much tougher in their day. It

was only their resolve, their resilience and their unwavering

determination they kept the flickering flame of liberalism a

life through our party's darkest days. At our last conference in

Gateshead, I urged you to stop looking in the rear-view mirror as

we journey from the party of opposition that we were to the

party of government we are at the coming. But before we head off on

the next stage of our journey, I want you to take one last look in

that mirror to see how far we have come. I tell you what icy, I see

generations of liberals marching towards the sound of gunfire and

yes, I see them going back to their constituencies to prepare for

government. It took us a while but we got there in the end. These are

the people on whose shoulders we stand. They never flinched and nor

should we. We owe it to them to seize the opportunity that they

gave us which they never had, taking on the vested interests,

refusing to be bullied, refusing to give up, always overturning the

odds, fighting for what we believe in because we know that nothing

worthwhile can be won without a battle. A fair, free and open

society, that is the prize so let's go for red! -- let go for it!

Clegg, the leader of the UK Liberal Democrats receiving applause from

the delegates at the Brighton Centre after giving his conference

speech. He justified the coalition's budgetary plans,

charted his path from austerity to prosperity and saying their critics

have been confounded, their metal has been tested in the toughest of

circumstances. He says they are no longer an opposition party, they

ran out three parties of government. They brought the economy back from

the brink and he announced that Paddy Ashdown will chaired their

2015 election campaign. With me is Professor John Curtice and Eddie

Barnes. Your initial response to that speech. That was a speech that

was to listen to with respect rather that generated enthusiasm.

It was rather a low-key event in terms of the emotion that was

coming out of that war. The essential message, he was trying to

say to his activists and the public, yes we are a party of government

not of protest, that is what we were told the speech would be about

and there are indeed he has a very substantial task because one poll

suggested that only 18 % of people think the Lib Dems involvement in

this coalition has so far helped to make them look like a credible

party of government. Essentially he was focusing on the economy. In a

sense he was trying to argue that actually the good things that are

happening about the economy are actually things for which the

Liberal Democrats are responsible, so he is defending the austerity

and arguing that without austerity it would be worse. He was saying

that it was asked pushing for taxes to be reduced for those at the

lower end of the income spectrum. They are still pushing on the

economy and they've realised matters. They are not willing to

cut public spending any more. They think this is a plan that is

flexible. He is trying to gain credibility for the economic

successes of the coalition that he is hoping will come down the track.

He was not suggesting that economic success would come soon and There

is only two-and-a-half years until the next election. The second thing

is how easy going to succeed in persuading the public that it is

not the Conservative Party, the senior party of the coalition, the

party that people regard as being the party of lower taxes, how are

they going to stop the Conservatives taking the credit?

although he is trying to justify the party and what they are doing

to the people, he is trying to do it to the people in the conference

also, telling them what to tell the people. It was almost

characterising them as the Millwall of political parties, nobody likes

us, we do not care. Throughout our history we have these kinds of

pelters, we will pursue it. He did not mention tuition fees and that

tells you a lot about the apology. The aim was to try to make that

break. He could not have led opinion, he could not have come out

with that passage had he not dealt with the tuition fee issue. The

message that he gave on the economy was interesting because he was

trying to occupy the ground of the Blairite administration from the

90s saying, on the one hand can you trust the Tories to be fair, on the

other can you trust Labour to look after your cash? I am in the middle

trying to do both. He was trying to reassure the party and told them

that things have changed. They are no longer a party of opposition. He

said that the future is ours to make. He is trying to tell his

party that there were things that they will argue on the doorsteps

that they have achieved. One of the problems they face are the things

they have not achieved all the things that they did that they said

they would not do. They do not have been a tour reform, Lords reform,

they did the opposite of what they said on tuition fees. That is what

people are aware of. According to polls, many think the Lib Dems are

not influential enough in the coalition and he was trying to come

up with some lines... We are responsible for raising personal

allowance, the people premium, we are responsible for ensuring

pensions will go up. But the truth is at the moment, none of those

messages are ones that the party has succeeded in getting across to

the public. There are ones have -- they have been trying to sell for

18 months already but what it is that Nick Clegg has to say that

will make the public think this adds up to something. In that

passage about, we want to lead, he was not able to tell us what was

the vision of the 21st century British economy or at least he did

not come up with a vision that David Cameron or Ed Miliband could

equally aspire. He was also coming up with their few lines about the

Conservatives, saying that Boris Johnson would not endorse David

Cameron as leader and criticising the Conservative support their view

on Queen Policies saying you need a bit of yellow in the blue to make

it Queen. That is the line he is hoping will appear on the National

news this evening. It was not too tough on the Conservatives. The

genuine problem is what are people going to remember from the last

seven days? They will remember a YouTube clip of him saying sorry.

The message of his speech will not feed through. How do they get

beyond the caricature of this party over the last couple of years which

has sold out on their principles. It all really does depend on the

economy. If he can go into the election saying, we stuck through

this, we went through the hard times and now you can see the

benefits, he might get the attraction that enables him to get

beyond the first phase. Nick Clegg, the man as a speaker, he does

compare well to Ed Miliband and I am not quite sure Nick Clegg is

as good a platform speaker as Vince Cable. On Monday, Vince Cable gave

a speech which was more assured. He is this impression that Nick Clegg

is a slightly overgrown schoolboy. Thank you very much for the moment.

We will leave events in Brighton for the moment and head back for

Holyrood. Sandra White from the SNP and James Kelly from Scottish

Labour join us now. Let's just get some reaction from you about Nick

Clegg's speech. He was saying he was giving his justification for

the coalition spending strategy. What is your reaction? By first

reaction was about benefits and he said there has been too much spent

on benefits. He spoke about benefit cuts and about the fact he would

not work with the Conservatives. I found his speech fairly flowery

without much substance. If Nick Clegg said you can't trust Labour

with your money again. Is he right? I thought it was a pretty meek

speech from Nick Clegg. Labour put together a package which rescued

the banks including the Scottish banks and I think that's something

Scottish workers will come from the last Labour Government. There are

questions about whether we can afford free prescriptions and bus

passes. Had the SNP got their heads in the sand? Certainly not. I think

it is time we did have a debate but I think Chor and should have moved

elsewhere in this debate. Instead of talking about cats, she should

be looking at the independence question. The cuts will come from

Westminster and yet here we have Chor and aligning herself with

I think she was making the point that people like us who get free

prescriptions should not get that when there are people who are

facing cuts, for example the education committee said yesterday

there was going to be a wave of redundancies in the college sector.

If you're looking up means testing, it would cost more money. She can

have it all her own way. I think we should have a debate on it but we

must bring in -- bringing to that debate the mention of independence.

James Kelly is speaking about the Labour MSP and was saying on the

radio this morning that free prescriptions will have to stay.

This is about bringing some honesty into politics. We can't have a

position where people on six-figure salaries are getting handouts

instead of those two are poor and vulnerable. Pensioners were having

care packages cut, families living in overcrowded accommodation and

workers not being paid a living wage. It is time we had that debate.

Let's move on to another issue making the headlines today. The new

Chief Constable of the unified Scottish police force says up to

3,000 support staff may be lost when the forces emerge. That is

pretty worrying. I think Stephen House has done a very good job but

he said it could be up to 3,000. We are talking about merging eight

police forces into one. I think we're looking at something that

will go forward. Stephen House says it will not affect frontline

services. I am open to debate. you are in the same boat because

Labour supported this merger. consistently raised the issue of

support staff job losses. Stephen House has indicated 3,000 support

staff jobs and our concern would be that that would take away from

officers on the French line -- on the front line. The priority at

this point is to protect pensioners and vulnerable families and we must

endure during this process that is what happens. It is the negative

mantra of the Labour Party. I said I am open to debate. The SNP are

running away from it. We will have to stop it there because we are out

of time. Scotland needs more powers within the unions, that's the

conclusion of a report by Deval plus campaigners want Holyrood maul

-- to have more tax-raising powers. I am joined by Jeremy Purves. Your

former leader did not even mention Scotland. I am not here to talk

about my former parliamentarian colleagues but I am sure that when

the Lib Dems publish their home rule Commission will get a clear

picture of the Lib Dem position for devolution. Your report was to make

Holyrood a more accountable for what it spends and you are

recommending the transfer of some taxes but not others. What are you

recommending? We've been concerned that quite a lot of the debate had

been about process rather than what will constitutional issues mean for

families across Scotland. We have looked at a number of areas that

affect the most hard to reach people. We have tried to analyse it

objectively as to where we are performing in Scotland since the

creation of the Scottish Parliament. By we had the ability to make laws

in areas but you can't pass a law to abolish homelessness or alcohol

misuse. What seems to be lacking is a spread of fiscal powers. We have

looked at it methodically and have challenged all the different

parties to address some of the issues around social policy

outcomes rather than about processing tactics. Social policy

at Thames, these issues are hitting the headlines. In your report, are

you picking out any areas which Scotland can and cannot afford?

We've tried to avoid some of the policy choices that politicians can

make. If we're talking about whether or not Scotland stays apart

of the UK or if it does stay part of the UK what powers it should

have, to take an objective view. By yesterday we were addressing these

issues because all the different party leaders could have their

policy options. Our focus is do we have at the right mix of powers and

responsibilities and accountability in Holyrood that means that they

can deliver on what their intentions are. We have found there

has been no shortage of good intentions and some good pieces of

legislation but those have been hindered because they don't have

the options to make balanced fiscal choices. We have also looked

carefully at the welfare reform agenda because there is a strong

case to retain some elements that the UK level. -- At the UK level.

Do you think there is a certain irony that you are so clear about

what you want with independence but we're still waiting what will

happen with the pro Unionist parties. The irony is that come 24

teams and a no result, you could be left standing still and we might

not have any more powers devolved to Holyrood. It is an issue of

political will now. We are clear that we didn't think there is a

case for a second question in the referendum because the referendum

is about whether Scotland should be separate from the UK. The reason

why we are put in this information and the public domain is to try and

work with the parties and challenge them to present objective views and

information. It is up to them if they go around it and that is going

to be the focus of our third report next month which is how we could

deliver some form of common ground so that when it does come to the

referendum, this is a clear chose between what independence may or

may not be but when people vote no, hopefully they will have a set of

proposals that are different. It is up to the parties to coalesce

around them. Just a few moments ago, we heard from Sandra White and

James Kelly from Holyrood. Let's head back now and talk to their

colleagues from other parties. What is your reaction to Nick Clegg's

speech. I was particularly pleased to see the strong emphasis on

education. I think the commitment to �500 of catch-up funding for

those pupils moving between primary and secondary school who have not

attained the requisite level in English and mathematics will be

very welcome step. That is in England though. A at my argument

would be that there are good positive initiatives being taken

forward at the UK level. Scottish Government needs to learn

the lessons from south of the border and implement a pupil

premium in Scotland. It is an area where SNP ministers need to look at

South of the border. Ruth Davidson, do you get frustrated that Nick

Clegg seems to be taking the credit for all the things the Government

is doing? We've seen the Liberal Democrats do that in the past. It

was actually quite a muted speech. He seemed tired to me. His half-

time pep talk of let's just get through this was not the most

inspirational leadership speech referred. What about the noises

we've been hearing from conference about things like a mention tax?

be honest, I think this year's Liberal Democrat conference appears

to have been much less about the hard decisions being made in

Government right now and making sure our country is back on the

road to growth and reducing the deficit, it is actually about a

very early start to the 2015 general election. In terms of being

a responsible member of Government, and not sure that responsibility

has shone through in the last few days. I would disagree. Nick Clegg

has been saying they have been tough decisions that have been

taken by the coalition Government and those were necessary decisions.

Nevertheless, he has been cutting clearly in his speech -- saying

clearly in a speech about the influence the Liberal Democrats

In terms of Furnace, lifting many of the low paid out of paying

income tax, lifting the amount of pension that is paid to elderly -

that would not have happened without the Lib Dems in the

coalition. Becky. Made it was Mr Clegg saying he wanted to look at

benefits which the Conservatives do not want to do. The richest not

getting a bus passes. It does not make you popular. What we have seen

in terms of the rhetoric coming out of the SNP for the last five years

is a view that every car it is the responsibility of Westminster and

every spending decision is the result of SNP ministers. It does

not wash. Their right choices people need to make particularly in

these tough economic times. I may disagree with some of the language

Johann Lamont has been using, nevertheless, the honesty she is

asking for in the debate we have is absolutely the right one. Roof,

where do you stand on that? The Prime Minister has said he would

not want to cut free bus passes for pensioners. Where do you stand on

this debate? If we look at what Johann Lamont were saying, her

analysis was quite right. Some of the things she would put the money

back into I would disagree whip but in terms of what she was talking

about, things like using free prescriptions having a cost, fewer

nurses and midwives that we used to have - we would not have which

people getting their aspirin free on the NHS. What we would be doing

is planning that into frontline services. Spending and politics is

all about priorities and what the SNP do in terms of freebies,

giveaways and bribes have to be paid for somewhere and we do need

honesty in the debate about what it is your priorities are. For me in

health, it is not free prescriptions for rich people. It

is frontline staff. One other issue making the headlines, Stephen House,

the new Chief Constable of the unified Scottish police force says

up to 3,000 support staff jobs may have to go. We were always told

there was going to be savings but I want to make sure it is not fund

like staff. The Tories made heart - - worked hard to ensure... It is a

very big challenge. Stephen house is an experienced policemen. I

represent Glasgow, I know he has a clarity of leadership and I hope he

can bring that to a difficult post. The fact is that savings need to be

made somewhere and savings will not be made from frontline police

officers but it will be support staff that will have to go. I would

first congratulate Stephen house on his appointment but he has been

left a thankless task. While he has indicated that frontline staff may

be protected, you take 3,000 civilian support staff out of the

equation and quickly you find a lot of the frontline staff being

deployed to back-office functions that they were never intended to do.

The implications for this are him - - in serious. He has to balance the

local accountability of policing in our communities with the kind of

political accountability he has to the justice minister. The task

facing Stephen house is usually difficult. Thank you.

0 Olympic legacy, what Olympic legacy? That is what MSPs and

sports committees have been hearing during their inquiry into

grassroots sports. They focused on coaching and had from Judy married,

the mother of US Open champion Andy and Liz McColgan, an Olympic

athlete and a coach. The message.. We need facilities are to be

accessible and they need to be affordable because we have an

enormous opportunity on the back of the Olympics to capture the

imagination of the Scottish public. It is the adults, the parents in

particular who will end rolled the children into sports classes so if

we can end the use the adults, then we have more chance of getting

children playing but they have to be places that are localised and

easy to access and they have to be affordable. I was at the Olympic

Games and we got all this emotion about the legacy of the game's and

how we will all going to go back to our corners of the world and have

these lovely children well catered for in fantastic facilities and it

has not happened. My main grief is the fact that we have all these

facilities in deprived areas yet we are charging �3 from local councils

are to try in get kids to use it and they do not have that finance

to use it. I went to my local club when I came back from the Olympics,

I had 120 kids and we had three coaches and they are volunteers. We

still have 112 kids turning up, a fantastic sight to see and they are

not turned away but again, how are we supposed to cope with that and

how are we supposed to keep their interest? Where is the next Andy

Murray? I do not see them. Whereas the next Liz McColgan? It is not

because we do not have the ability. I have to go elsewhere to get the

support for them. The Commonwealth Games legacy in Glasgow is for

politicians and departments. The department's... The East End of

Glasgow is supposed to be regenerated. But we have been

tagged the murder will capita -- capital of Europe. There is not one

facility that Glasgow has said is billed for these Games. Sport from

a organisation it is something that saves lives. We are not getting the

funding. As far as I am concerned, a great many people involved with

organisations will say we do not see this legacy. We really don't.

can say the exact same thing from my club. We are not getting the

finances. We have a club house that is derelict and we are having to

rent a toilet facility from the council at the track for the club.

It is pretty much similar positions all over Scotland and this is the

sad state of affairs that we are in now. Scotland saying we are a great

nation and we have Andy Murray and all these great, fantastic sporting

heroes but they have not come from the development in Scotland. They

have come from exceptional people that have taken the good and bad

all around them, they have just excelled through red. Poverty, no

matter how talented the kid, poverty is a barrier. At the end of

the day, poverty is the on climate or barrier. No matter how good that

kid gets, once it gets to a certain level, end of Korea. -- end of

career. We have had an extended programme today to cover Nick

Clegg's speech at Brighton so let's get some final thoughts Professor

John quarters and Eddie Barnes. What does Ed Miliband have to do?

In truth, the party is going in a strong position. They have been

enjoying leads in the polls. It is their strongest position since May

2010 but there are two nagging issues ignoring away at the Labour

party. The first, although voters are saying yes, we are more likely

to vote Labour than either Conservative or Liberal Democrat,

ask them who best will run the economy, the answer is still not

Labour. The second issue is that although Ed Miliband is not quite

as unpopular as he was, he is still in negative territory and in

particular, people are still not convinced that Mr Ed Miliband is

able to convey to the his image of what his party stands for. What is

the Ed Miliband Labour about? We have heard phrases about preened

redistribution and responsible capitalism but the public are not

clear about what Labour is about. Labour have to cement that lead and

put some foundations on it to ensure it will survive all the way

through to 2015. Do people see Ed Miliband as a possible Prime

Minister? He is a drag on the party. He is lagging behind the party's

popularity and the interesting thing is the village has begun

looking at him as a potential prime minister because of the poles. The

Westminster village is now looking at this feller and thinking, he

might be the next prime minister, and that makes this beach from him

the most interesting. People are asking, will he make a speech of a

Prime Minister? And that is the hurdle he has to leap over. Some of

the Conservatives were saying if there was an Alistair Darling

figure in charge of labour, they would be dead, they would be out of

the general election already so at Ed Miliband, if he can manage to

rise to that occasion next week, it makes it very interesting indeed.

Do you think he will do it? I think he has more in him than the public

have seen at the moment. It was just a question of building that