:00:26. > :00:31.Welcome to the programme. Coming up to date, a committee in crisis, and
:00:31. > :00:35.SNP MP withdraws after saying she was threatened by a Labour minister.
:00:35. > :00:41.And keeping the country running during the wintry weather. And EU
:00:41. > :00:45.leaders will meet later as doubts grow about a credible solution to
:00:45. > :00:48.the euro-zone crisis. We're expecting a statement this
:00:48. > :00:52.afternoon from the Labour Party after alleged comments made by Ian
:00:52. > :00:57.Davidson, the chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee. It has emerged
:00:57. > :01:03.last night that Dr A E Y to complain to the Speaker about his
:01:03. > :01:08.conduct. Let's go and get the latest on the story, first, can you
:01:08. > :01:13.update us with what has happened? These allegations were put to the
:01:13. > :01:16.Speaker last night. Today, Labour whips in the Commons started an
:01:16. > :01:20.investigation and we are told that they were treating this issue
:01:20. > :01:23.seriously. We understand at least some of the member is, by Labour
:01:23. > :01:27.members of the Scottish Affairs Committee, recalled to a meeting to
:01:27. > :01:33.give their version of events last week to see if they could back up
:01:33. > :01:37.the claims made by Dr White, the SNP member on the committee. She
:01:37. > :01:44.has alleged that Mr Davidson last week during a private meeting of
:01:44. > :01:47.the Scottish Affairs Committee said that she would get a doing if
:01:47. > :01:52.deliberations will lead to the media. Nothing has been said
:01:52. > :01:57.publicly so far by Mr Davidson, he is due to chair the latest
:01:57. > :02:02.committee later today, had we have been told a short time ago by
:02:02. > :02:08.Labour sources that we should anticipate an apology from Mr David
:02:08. > :02:11.Santh, an apology for any offence caused to Dr White, but we are told
:02:11. > :02:16.that he denies having made any threat. We hope to bring you some
:02:16. > :02:20.of those pictures shortly. In the last 24 hours, we try to speak to
:02:20. > :02:25.all of the committee members, we have spoken to half a dozen or so,
:02:25. > :02:31.and most of them do not remember that phrase being used. What has
:02:31. > :02:37.confirmed that they do remember the phrase being used. -- 1 has
:02:37. > :02:40.confirmed. Today, the First Minister wades into the row. This
:02:40. > :02:46.is 2011, men cannot make threatening remarks towards women.
:02:46. > :02:50.Ordinary people know that, and if it applies to normal people, it
:02:50. > :02:56.must apply to the chair of the select committee in the House of
:02:56. > :03:00.Commons, and he should apologise and resign. I suppose supporters of
:03:00. > :03:04.Mr Davidson had been trying to support them. The yes, Labour
:03:04. > :03:11.supporters said that they believe that there is a smear campaign
:03:11. > :03:15.going on against Ian Davidson. One member of the committee has said
:03:15. > :03:20.that this has been our role orchestrated by the SNP, because
:03:20. > :03:25.they dislike the idea of the Scottish affairs committee looking
:03:25. > :03:28.at the independent referendum. Jim McGovern had this to say. I was
:03:28. > :03:34.here at this committee, and the first session was in private, so I
:03:34. > :03:39.cannot say what was said, but nothing intimidating, nothing
:03:39. > :03:44.hostile was said by any member to any other member. So, not long
:03:45. > :03:49.until we find out what will happen. We have been told to expect some
:03:49. > :03:55.kind of apology from Ian Davidson. That has not come so far. We were
:03:55. > :03:58.also told to expect a statement from Rosie Winterton, the Labour
:03:58. > :04:03.chief whip, but we do not know if that will happen or if it would be
:04:03. > :04:06.superseded by a statement from Mr Davidson. Whether he does or does
:04:06. > :04:10.not apologise, whether he does or does not admit that that anything
:04:10. > :04:14.was done wrong, Dr White has withdrawn for that committee and
:04:14. > :04:20.last night, she said that she would not go back on to that committee
:04:20. > :04:23.while Mr Davidson held that post. Thank you.
:04:23. > :04:28.Enjoyed in the studio by a political commentator this
:04:28. > :04:33.afternoon, thank you for joining us, an interesting story developing at
:04:34. > :04:38.Westminster, if these comments are true, pretty ill judged. I think if
:04:38. > :04:40.it is true, and I wasn't there, you were not there, it was a private
:04:41. > :04:45.meeting, so we do not know, and clearly there are different
:04:45. > :04:50.opinions from people that were at the committee, ever not judge if it
:04:50. > :04:55.is true or not, but if that kind of language was used, politics has a
:04:55. > :05:00.tendency to get into pretty chorus use of language sometimes against
:05:00. > :05:05.political divides. If it is true, then there is a problem, because
:05:05. > :05:08.politicians have had problems all over other areas of activities,
:05:08. > :05:12.particularly Westminster with expenses and everything else, and
:05:12. > :05:18.the public's tolerance for this kind of language and that kind of
:05:18. > :05:23.treatment, again, if it is true, is very short now. Thank you.
:05:23. > :05:28.More details on that story later in the programme. Now, it is bright
:05:28. > :05:34.and sunny year, at least, and I do not want to depress you, but we
:05:35. > :05:40.bassoon dip into those dreary, wintry times. Last year we saw
:05:40. > :05:43.major transport chaos following the biggest snow falls in many years,
:05:43. > :05:47.and the Transport Minister lost his job because of this. This year,
:05:47. > :05:51.preparation is the key according to the Government, and the successor
:05:51. > :05:56.of the Transport Secretary outlining his winter resilience
:05:56. > :06:00.measures. We can cross now to our commentator in the chamber.
:06:00. > :06:06.Thank you. Mr Brown is just about to speak Getty said that the winter
:06:06. > :06:11.of last year was the coldest of many years, and he will update with
:06:11. > :06:15.the latest measures on dealing with a new winter, hopefully not as bad
:06:15. > :06:20.as before. We have the highest a matter preparation across the
:06:20. > :06:24.public sector than ever before. Last year, everyone mucked in and
:06:24. > :06:28.helped out, and that would be there if needed, but we need to be
:06:28. > :06:34.prepared for more than just that. We need to be prepared as a
:06:34. > :06:36.government and across all public sector agencies. On Monday, we
:06:36. > :06:39.began our public information campaign for getting ready for
:06:39. > :06:43.winter. Individuals and communities are stronger when they have
:06:43. > :06:49.themselves and each other, and this year, we want to make it easier for
:06:49. > :06:52.people to take their own action to prepare. Our first national
:06:52. > :06:57.resilience campaign has been created in partnership with the Red
:06:57. > :07:03.Cross and other organisations, but while there is a duty on statutory
:07:03. > :07:06.organisations to respond, they cannot to everything. No matter how
:07:06. > :07:11.prolong or severe the winter, there should be no surprise to us in
:07:11. > :07:15.Scotland. We need everyone to be more resilient at places of work,
:07:15. > :07:20.at home, in their car, and wherever they find themselves during the
:07:20. > :07:24.winter. The range of activities and resources that make up this ready
:07:24. > :07:28.for winter campaign coupled with the relaunch of our website this
:07:28. > :07:32.week will have to raise awareness of the steps people can take and
:07:32. > :07:38.the support available to people taking them. The Government has
:07:38. > :07:42.significant measures to help people to heat their homes this winter
:07:42. > :07:50.including �12.5 million announced recently to find insulation schemes
:07:50. > :07:54.across Scotland. There is also an investment in the energy assistance
:07:54. > :08:01.package and �2.5 million to help replace inefficient boilers and a
:08:01. > :08:05.commitment to help the fuel poverty programme and carers. We also want
:08:05. > :08:14.to deliver support for hard pressed homes that may face a difficult
:08:14. > :08:19.winter. Over all, the energy assistance package has over 200,000
:08:19. > :08:24.houses getting help. We have delivered using measures to well
:08:24. > :08:28.over 21,000 homes. Since last winter, the Government has been
:08:28. > :08:33.preparing, planning and working to ensure we are as ready as we can be
:08:33. > :08:36.to minimise the impact of severe weather. The winter weather review
:08:36. > :08:42.group convened by the Scottish Government in the summer published
:08:42. > :08:46.this report on Monday listing a series of actions taken across the
:08:46. > :08:49.voluntary sectors and a range of services to improve resilience and
:08:49. > :08:55.the critical national infrastructure. Just to give some
:08:55. > :09:01.examples, the Met Office has, for example, improved the weather
:09:01. > :09:05.Warning Service. We have invested �500,000 to launch online warnings,
:09:05. > :09:09.a direct service, to improve services to the public with Updates
:09:09. > :09:12.on various platforms. They have improved the operation of the
:09:12. > :09:18.emergency arrangements by reviewing the experience of last winter and
:09:18. > :09:21.that includes revising the staffing and training arrangements and for
:09:21. > :09:28.developing sharing information between strategic quarter meeting
:09:28. > :09:33.groups and the resilience room. Some disruption may still be
:09:33. > :09:39.unavoidable, as severe weather hits. This can happen at any time and you
:09:39. > :09:42.only need look at the M25 today to see evidence of that. How we
:09:42. > :09:46.respond to those incidents and how quickly we can recover to them is
:09:46. > :09:49.the issue, so we would like to highlight the key steps we have
:09:49. > :09:53.taken in that regard. Transport Scotland has prepared for the
:09:53. > :09:59.winter with additional equipment and improved information for people
:09:59. > :10:03.on the move. From first November, 23 additional gritting machines
:10:03. > :10:08.will patrol the major routes ahead of him during the peak hours and
:10:08. > :10:13.when there was a risk of snow and I see conditions and in snowstorms.
:10:13. > :10:22.Specialist equipment, an ice- breaker, footways snow blowers and
:10:22. > :10:26.ploughs are been given increased capability. As of a first November,
:10:26. > :10:36.there would be more salt Stockton Scotland than was used during all
:10:36. > :10:37.
:10:38. > :10:42.of last winter. -- stocked in Scotland. We also have 70,000
:10:42. > :10:52.litres of the answers that would work in the serious conditions of
:10:52. > :11:01.
:11:01. > :11:06.below 70 degrees are freezing. -- de-icers. There will be more
:11:06. > :11:11.traffic and travel bulletins which will increase in frequency during
:11:11. > :11:15.extreme weather and will be available on computers and
:11:15. > :11:25.automated devices and any customer care helpline. We have also set up
:11:25. > :11:31.the voluntary institutional alliance where there will be an
:11:31. > :11:34.increase in supplies of winter tyres. We have worked very hard
:11:35. > :11:38.with the police and frayed partners to develop procedures for the
:11:38. > :11:48.proactive management of Hege GPs and other vehicles in severe
:11:48. > :11:51.
:11:51. > :11:54.weather conditions. -- HGVs. There will be also a service where lorry
:11:54. > :12:01.drivers can inform of issues on the motorway networks. A similar
:12:01. > :12:05.service will also be developed and other operators. We have secured
:12:05. > :12:08.�2.2 million of a package of investment by its first Scotland
:12:08. > :12:15.rail for winter improvements and this includes modification to
:12:15. > :12:19.trains and beating the more alive full -- and making them more
:12:19. > :12:28.reliable. There will be more gritting four platforms and car
:12:28. > :12:35.parks and we will be taking the eyes of carriages and tunnels and
:12:35. > :12:42.high-pressure hot water equipment to remove ice from the Eagles.
:12:42. > :12:46.Network Rail has enhanced their structures by using remote
:12:46. > :12:52.monitoring of point teachers and providing protective blankets on
:12:52. > :12:58.rural lines. -- point heaters. There will be more 4X4 vehicles for
:12:58. > :13:04.maintenance staff which will help people in getting to work during
:13:04. > :13:12.times of severe weather. Network Rail has taken action to Richard
:13:12. > :13:15.Bacon do this. For clarity, will he clarified the measures taken by
:13:15. > :13:20.Scotland rail and Network Rail are measures being taken at their hand
:13:20. > :13:25.and does not involve change to the franchise conditions for a formal
:13:25. > :13:29.legal associations between Scottish Government and those conditions?
:13:29. > :13:34.There has been a strong collaboration between all agencies,
:13:34. > :13:39.but these 2.2 million pound investments are investments made by
:13:39. > :13:44.a Network Rail, Scottish rail, and there is other developments going
:13:44. > :13:48.on that will help would resilience. It is all done at Network Rail's
:13:48. > :13:51.own hand. The rail industry recognises the importance of
:13:51. > :13:54.accurate and timely information and we're working with the rail
:13:54. > :13:59.regulator to raise the bar on the quality of passenger information
:13:59. > :14:04.which was an issue last year. Network Rail and in conjunction
:14:04. > :14:14.with rail freight hauliers well maintained year Ruth for critical
:14:14. > :14:24.movements insuring critical supplier of food and fuel by rail.
:14:24. > :14:30.-- will maintain transport routes for critical movement. They are
:14:30. > :14:36.investing in new equipment which we hope to see in the airports also
:14:36. > :14:39.shortly. I met with the previous managing director of Edinburgh
:14:39. > :14:43.Airport and they have the same issue that the Scottish Government
:14:43. > :14:47.and others had, would be to invest in new capital equipment which may
:14:47. > :14:50.not be used, and can attract criticism for that, or to make sure
:14:50. > :14:55.that they have enough resilience, and they have taken the latter
:14:55. > :15:00.course, had a right to do that. We have been speaking with the ports
:15:00. > :15:04.across Scotland to make sure they can play a key role. Which they did
:15:04. > :15:09.last winter. They have invested in any maintenance and purchased
:15:09. > :15:13.equipment to make sure that they can complete those roles, such as
:15:13. > :15:23.shipping strategic sought supplies and a ferry links to communities
:15:23. > :15:23.
:15:23. > :15:28.that may have as much sought stock as was needed last year. I have a
:15:28. > :15:32.role in relation to transport, but winter resilience does not respect
:15:32. > :15:35.portfolio boundaries, so we will continue services to those that
:15:35. > :15:39.need them most and this needs to be the top priority, and this year,
:15:39. > :15:41.we're working with care providers to make sure that those that are in
:15:41. > :15:45.need are brought quickly to the attention of those that require
:15:45. > :15:50.assistance, so we are developing in consultation with resilience
:15:50. > :15:54.Partners, a protocol to our climb steps that service providers should
:15:54. > :15:58.follow when considering people at risk. Especially those at risk of
:15:58. > :16:03.being cut off from electricity or gas for of running out of heating
:16:03. > :16:12.oil. This will direct activity primarily at a local level but will
:16:12. > :16:16.also inform or wider Scottish Many sectors played a vital role in
:16:16. > :16:24.keeping community is running last year, for example mountain rescue
:16:24. > :16:30.teams and the Army helping to reach people cut off by snow. Land-Rover
:16:30. > :16:33.also or allowed the Red Cross to borrow some vehicles. We need
:16:33. > :16:38.neighbours to check up on the vulnerable as well. We will
:16:38. > :16:43.continue to support those partnerships where possible. We
:16:43. > :16:47.have developed a national directory of third sector organisations
:16:47. > :16:57.capable of us -- capable of providing help and support in these
:16:57. > :17:00.conditions. In relation to making sure that MSPs are kept up to date,
:17:00. > :17:05.Transport Scotland are writing out today to invite all MSPs to a
:17:05. > :17:13.presentation to be given by representatives of the trunk road
:17:13. > :17:20.operating companies on Wednesday. Transport Scotland has worked
:17:20. > :17:23.closely with operating companies to make sure they are prepared. It is
:17:23. > :17:27.impressive the amount of work that has been done on the lessons that
:17:27. > :17:33.have been learned since last year in relation to -- in relation to
:17:33. > :17:36.the trunk road operating companies in particular. At the time of
:17:36. > :17:40.severe economic challenges, we have to demonstrate that the
:17:40. > :17:46.infrastructure and services of Scotland are ready to withstand
:17:46. > :17:53.severe winter weather. Whether can affect people's personal plans, but
:17:53. > :17:57.it can also have a major impact on the economy. We believe in the
:17:57. > :18:00.preparations that we have made. We believe the people of Scotland are
:18:00. > :18:05.ready for this winter and they have taken heed of the idea that we
:18:05. > :18:09.should call for the best but plan for the worst in terms of severe
:18:09. > :18:13.weather. Are ready and capable Scotland is the kind of Scotland
:18:13. > :18:18.that we'll want to see. In that regard, I am happy to move the
:18:19. > :18:25.notion in my name. Now some breaking news. The chairman of the
:18:25. > :18:35.Scottish Affairs Committee, Ian Davidson, who is at the centre of
:18:35. > :18:38.
:18:38. > :18:41.allegations of bullying, has issued an apology but has denied bullying.
:18:41. > :18:49.You are watching Politics Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on the
:18:49. > :18:55.programme: We will reach out with in our communities, door by door,
:18:55. > :18:59.street by street, in the most unprecedented campaign of
:18:59. > :19:03.mobilisation and communication by the SNP and in the history of
:19:03. > :19:06.Scottish politics. The SNP referendum campaign is on a
:19:06. > :19:07.roll, but when is it actually taking place and what will the
:19:07. > :19:10.questions be? But first, Holyrood's Finance
:19:10. > :19:15.Committee has been hearing calls for a review into universal
:19:15. > :19:18.benefits, such as the council tax freeze and prescription charges.
:19:18. > :19:21.One witness said no policy should be protected until all the costs
:19:21. > :19:31.and benefits had been fully analysed. Our Political Reporter
:19:31. > :19:33.
:19:33. > :19:35.Sarah Paterson sat through a rather bleak financial morning.
:19:35. > :19:41.Particularly for Professor Armstrong, you have spoken about
:19:41. > :19:44.the risks associated with and non- domestic rates in particular for
:19:44. > :19:48.local government, that they would be more dependent on that. You have
:19:48. > :19:52.said that it will be quite risky because the grant would be
:19:52. > :19:56.determined on that. But that is not true. The Scottish Government
:19:56. > :20:00.guarantee the figures outlined in the settlement to local government
:20:00. > :20:06.and have always traditionally met the short fall in non-domestic
:20:06. > :20:12.rates. Yes, there is an element of the budget that is not clear as to
:20:12. > :20:16.whether or not the local government settlements that are run the budget
:20:16. > :20:24.lines in the departmental budget lines are covered under the same
:20:24. > :20:27.arrangement. But the budget itself is at risk. If non-domestic rates
:20:27. > :20:34.income does not come in at the levels forecast. That is what we
:20:34. > :20:38.are flagging up. That level of increase well above the rate of
:20:38. > :20:44.inflation, if it does not happen, the overall budget is at risk.
:20:44. > :20:48.would be the same for the Chancellor in England as well?
:20:48. > :20:54.Absolutely. We know that the expectation for economic growth at
:20:54. > :20:57.UK level is significantly lower than was forecast in the Budget in
:20:57. > :21:01.March. We're awaiting the pre- Budget statement in November, which
:21:01. > :21:10.is to say whether or not as a consequence of additional payments
:21:10. > :21:19.to benefits means that we would be facing addition will cuts. And then
:21:19. > :21:23.the issue of free benefits, like the council tax freeze and free
:21:23. > :21:28.prescriptions. Do you think Government will be forced to
:21:28. > :21:32.address these issues through financial restrain its? When one
:21:32. > :21:42.looks that universal benefits, there was some excellent work done
:21:42. > :21:49.on universality verses selectivity. A number of the universal benefits
:21:49. > :21:55.are regressive and those on a higher income tend to benefit
:21:55. > :22:00.disproportionately. I would suggest again that these issues should be
:22:00. > :22:04.visited again, as to whether they stand up to scrutiny. I don't want
:22:04. > :22:10.people to wait until there for us because the budget is 10% less than
:22:10. > :22:17.we think, I won that to be done openly over the coming months so
:22:17. > :22:21.they can be an informed debate -- I want. And whether funds can been
:22:21. > :22:24.released to other essential activities which are high priority
:22:24. > :22:33.in terms of the impact on the Scottish economy and Scottish
:22:33. > :22:38.society in these difficult times. am joined by Alf Young. Is it time
:22:38. > :22:42.to have a look at these so-called free benefits? Who did come with a
:22:42. > :22:49.big cost for their down the line? think the problem with some of them
:22:49. > :22:54.is that they are not prescribed in the sense that, if I use a free bus
:22:54. > :22:59.pass too often, the cost should go up. There has been an escalation in
:23:00. > :23:04.costs in some of these benefits. For some of these benefits like the
:23:04. > :23:11.prescription charges and bus travel, it is not just that they're helping
:23:11. > :23:17.needy people, they are also taking those who are better off out of
:23:17. > :23:20.having to pay. As the budget going forward get squeeze and is subject
:23:20. > :23:26.to all sorts of other pressures because of the kind of economic
:23:26. > :23:31.times we live them, I think there is a case certainly for looking at
:23:31. > :23:36.what looked like good ideas in the time of plenty, but they may be
:23:36. > :23:41.look like less good ideas during difficult time is. The Independent
:23:41. > :23:46.budget review was warning the Finance Secretary about the cost of
:23:46. > :23:50.these policies. Has John Swinney taken this on board? I am not sure
:23:50. > :23:55.they have yet. I think the feel quite proud in terms of what they
:23:55. > :24:01.did with bridge tolls and the free travels -- the free travel scheme
:24:01. > :24:06.and free prescriptions. Two start unravelling that as quickly as this,
:24:06. > :24:10.particularly in a time when they're trying to win a vote on
:24:10. > :24:15.independence, I think it would be difficult for them to go back on it
:24:15. > :24:20.now. I think they will try to stick with it, if they can. A lot of
:24:20. > :24:26.people in England complain about -- complain about these so-called free
:24:26. > :24:31.benefits, but it is up to the Government as to where the allocate
:24:31. > :24:36.their funding. Other things get less of the pot as an inevitable
:24:36. > :24:44.consequence, but the Government made these choices. I think they
:24:44. > :24:47.will find it difficult to move away from these policies so quickly,
:24:47. > :24:55.especially as they're trying to persuade Scottish be able to vote
:24:55. > :24:59.for independence. Where do Scott not receive funding where we are
:24:59. > :25:04.receiving in free buses and free prescriptions? Where are the hidden
:25:04. > :25:09.costs, perhaps? One as the things that was coming up in the
:25:09. > :25:13.conversation with the witnesses during the committee is in this
:25:13. > :25:17.whole area of local government funding. In terms of their
:25:17. > :25:22.settlement, there is a squeeze there and there are some elements
:25:22. > :25:29.of their funding, like the revenues from domestic rates and how the us
:25:29. > :25:36.are allocated. But if the numbers go wrong this way are that and
:25:36. > :25:39.people are not paying their rates, if the inflation projections on
:25:39. > :25:46.rates proved to be wrong, then there is a further short fall in
:25:46. > :25:49.the budget. There will be some shrinkage there. Some of the
:25:49. > :25:56.services that people expect to have from their local authorities might
:25:56. > :26:00.be trained in ways that people don't really like. Public toilets
:26:00. > :26:05.are shouting, for example. If it went further, people might find it
:26:05. > :26:07.to be something which is unacceptable. Thank you.
:26:07. > :26:10.The past weekend's SNP conference was hailed as the most successful
:26:10. > :26:14.yet by supporters. Delegates congratulated each other on their
:26:14. > :26:16.historic win and wasted no time in getting on board the campaign for
:26:16. > :26:22.the independence referendum. But what form will the referendum take
:26:22. > :26:24.and could the SNP be on a risky path with a second question? Our
:26:24. > :26:34.Political Correspondent Raymond Buchanan took a walk around the
:26:34. > :26:42.conference centre in Inverness. Even Court Theatre is some place.
:26:42. > :26:47.This is the main auditorium where the conference is taking place. The
:26:47. > :26:54.pantomime is coming up soon. There is also a cinema where so many
:26:54. > :27:04.different stories are told. When parties are in government, normally
:27:04. > :27:05.
:27:05. > :27:10.the use the conference to make policy announcement, but this party
:27:10. > :27:15.was celebrating their election when and looking forward to the
:27:15. > :27:21.independence referendum. By the time we get to the next Scottish
:27:21. > :27:26.Parliament elections in 2016, we will have had the chance to realise
:27:26. > :27:32.the dream of generations of nationalists throughout their
:27:32. > :27:39.history of Scotland. Delegate, I believe that we will win the
:27:39. > :27:45.independence referendum. APPLAUSE And we shall prevail,
:27:45. > :27:54.because we share a vision. A vision of a land without boundaries and
:27:54. > :28:01.where people are unlimited to be free. No limits for Scotland.
:28:01. > :28:11.APPLAUSE It should be no surprise that the party of independence
:28:11. > :28:14.favours independence. But what kind of independence?
:28:14. > :28:23.United Kingdom will be a country bridge has the same head of state,
:28:23. > :28:28.her Majesty the Queen, and Scotland will be an independent country.
:28:28. > :28:37.Even if we keep the Queen, the SNP favour the Euro, don't they?
:28:37. > :28:45.would not see that as an early priority. It would be dependent on
:28:45. > :28:52.economic circumstances. Want all this talk up Britishness damage
:28:52. > :29:00.Scottishness? Apparently we are over the hang-ups of the past.
:29:00. > :29:05.continuing British a -- British identity poses no threat to
:29:05. > :29:12.people's sense of Scottishness. The complexities of past and present
:29:12. > :29:21.experience that continue to add to Scottish identity and to its
:29:21. > :29:26.richness and diversity. It looks like the time is right for the SNP
:29:26. > :29:30.to embrace a new kind of Unionism, just without the politics. It may
:29:30. > :29:35.be that there are a whole series of areas where we continue to pull our
:29:35. > :29:39.interests both with our neighbours and friends in the silence, but
:29:39. > :29:44.elsewhere in Europe and the world. The key thing is that a Parliament
:29:44. > :29:49.can make whatever decisions it likes. But the party have an
:29:49. > :29:58.insurance option. It is a second referendum question advocating more
:29:58. > :30:03.powers for Holyrood. But some are worried that that risks what was
:30:03. > :30:12.once as simple independence message for. The primary message should be
:30:12. > :30:16.to take people by the hand and sure that independence is unambiguous.
:30:16. > :30:22.The Independent's campaign has started, but the final act will be
:30:22. > :30:28.some time away. Sit back and prepare for a long wait before
:30:28. > :30:31.Scotland's constitutional future is finally decided.
:30:31. > :30:37.I am now joined by the SNP's Derek MacKay from the Garden Lobby at
:30:37. > :30:40.Holyrood. Moving Scotland forward was the main theme of the
:30:40. > :30:44.conference there. We are no further forward in knowing anything about
:30:44. > :30:54.the referendum, apart from Alex Salmond perhaps indicating that a
:30:54. > :30:54.
:30:54. > :30:58.We are further forward, our vision for independence is outlined. We
:30:58. > :31:04.have showcased what independence can do for this country, making us
:31:04. > :31:08.healthier, the stronger, and a more compassionate country, so the
:31:08. > :31:16.debate is very positive and constructive and Scotland. We have
:31:16. > :31:21.the vision, but how do we get there? We have already circulated
:31:21. > :31:25.of White Paper on independence and the process involved. The option of
:31:25. > :31:33.a multi-option referendum has been discussed in the last number of
:31:33. > :31:38.years. There is nothing new in that. People can present a solution. We
:31:38. > :31:45.will campaign for independence and a yes, no questions are the people
:31:45. > :31:49.of Scotland can assert their view. I do not think that you're
:31:50. > :31:53.campaigning nicely, according to what was said in that package, the
:31:53. > :32:01.aim should be to campaign unambiguously, are you not muddying
:32:02. > :32:04.the Walter Smith a multi-option referendum question? No, we are
:32:04. > :32:10.campaigning full square for independence, that is our objective,
:32:10. > :32:14.to make this country better. That is what the SNP will campaign for.
:32:14. > :32:17.We are also a Democratic Party, we are putting the choice to the
:32:17. > :32:20.people of Scotland. It is the Westminster parties that are
:32:20. > :32:25.running scared from the possibility of presenting Scotland's
:32:25. > :32:29.constitutional future to the people. It sounds like you were forcing the
:32:29. > :32:33.other parties into presenting a second question, and a Newsnight
:32:34. > :32:39.yesterday, it was clear they did not want to present the second
:32:39. > :32:43.option, it was the SNP wanted it as an insurance policy. Some parties
:32:43. > :32:48.are already moving on from the Calman Commission, the Lib Dems say
:32:48. > :32:53.they want more to be established. And that was said last night that
:32:53. > :32:57.they do not want the second question. I am at a loss as to why
:32:57. > :33:00.they do not want to ask the people of Scotland why and what they want?
:33:00. > :33:05.They will have the choice of further Paris been transferred to
:33:06. > :33:13.Scotland, that is positive and constructed -- constructive. In
:33:13. > :33:17.relation to the Labour Party, some serious figures in the Labour Party
:33:17. > :33:24.supporting a multi-option referendum, Gordon ground antenna
:33:24. > :33:34.McLeish to name two. -- Gordon Brown and Henry McLeish. The have
:33:34. > :33:35.
:33:35. > :33:39.no idea what the new Labour leader would say? I have no idea what they
:33:39. > :33:42.want to say, but they are at odds and want to walk all over the
:33:42. > :33:46.Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people. The SNP will
:33:46. > :33:50.campaign for independence but we are not afraid to put the question
:33:50. > :33:54.to the people of Scotland if other parties want to bring forward their
:33:54. > :33:57.proposals for devolution and further devolution. That is an
:33:57. > :34:04.incredibly democratic and positive position for the party of Scotland,
:34:04. > :34:11.the SNP, too alkaline. One thing other parties are very clear on is
:34:11. > :34:16.the ambiguous resolved, what if you get 51 % voting yes to voting Yes
:34:16. > :34:21.and many people are voting for something else, what happens and
:34:21. > :34:27.the SNP view on that? A primary- school child understands if there
:34:27. > :34:34.is a straight yes majority then... What if there is a straight
:34:34. > :34:39.majority for a Dieselmax? They are saying if he would like a parrot
:34:39. > :34:44.that Parliament to extended, and now they are asking if you would
:34:44. > :34:47.like independence, and if not, would you like something else, but
:34:47. > :34:54.if they vote for independence in the majority, that is what they
:34:54. > :34:58.would get. These two referendums are totally different, the last
:34:58. > :35:05.referendum was one question with something else on top, there are
:35:05. > :35:10.two totally different alternatives. The London party is saying to not
:35:10. > :35:14.transfer other parties to Scotland and Paris to Scotland and do not
:35:14. > :35:18.answer the question. It would be a tragedy for democracy if they did
:35:18. > :35:23.not get the independence of their nation. The debate is about if
:35:23. > :35:27.people want it, yes or no? I believe with independent support
:35:27. > :35:34.growing by the day, the people of Scotland will vote yes and we will
:35:34. > :35:39.have a more prosperous, fair, and just nation. Thank you.
:35:39. > :35:44.Let's look at some of the issues raised with our political
:35:44. > :35:50.correspondent, is this an issue with the SNP, this 51 % voting yes
:35:50. > :35:55.in a referendum on independence, but a higher proportion voting yes
:35:55. > :36:03.on the other option? This is a huge problem. They are not properly
:36:03. > :36:09.addressing the problem may be as as their teasing out the option of
:36:09. > :36:14.independence, there is this other option where there separately
:36:14. > :36:18.tested against the status quo. Even if the second option is more
:36:18. > :36:22.popular than the independence option, if they both managed a
:36:22. > :36:26.majority and the independence majority is a small one, it appears
:36:26. > :36:30.from read a stand at the moment, that it would still go ahead
:36:30. > :36:34.because it is a majority. There is another way of doing it. They could
:36:34. > :36:39.test all three against each other on a single transfer, one-vote
:36:39. > :36:43.basis, so we have a choice of each of the three options, and the
:36:43. > :36:49.bottom one drops out and the other two face-off against each other in
:36:49. > :36:54.the final calculation. They could do that way were we test
:36:54. > :36:58.independence against what they are having as the other option. The
:36:58. > :37:03.idea that the second question is like the question refaced in 1997
:37:03. > :37:10.is nonsense, because the second question in 1997 was a question on
:37:10. > :37:16.the Paris of this devolved Parliament. If the first question
:37:16. > :37:19.had not been accepted, if the Scottish people had said we do not
:37:19. > :37:23.want devolution, the second question would not have happened
:37:23. > :37:27.because there was no vehicle for it to happen. The issue now is that
:37:28. > :37:32.they are trying to put both options up saying that they want the other
:37:32. > :37:36.parties, the Unionist parties to come up with what that the other
:37:36. > :37:41.option would look like. If the deal is that they come up with the idea,
:37:41. > :37:45.but even if it gets a bigger vote, he does not happen because
:37:45. > :37:49.independence is won by a narrower margin. Who in the Unionist parties
:37:49. > :37:53.will come along and say be well do that? That is a great idea, we will
:37:53. > :37:58.go along with that. That will not happen. But the SNP want to
:37:58. > :38:04.continue with the other option as an insurance policy or for whatever
:38:04. > :38:08.reason and have the two questions? I am not clear. I do not think
:38:08. > :38:12.anyone is clear what they will do in these circumstances, but the
:38:12. > :38:18.idea that you have these two votes and that the one with the smaller
:38:18. > :38:22.majority would still prevail seems to be a perversion of democracy.
:38:22. > :38:31.Before that stage, do you think the union has party Sarat catch 22 if
:38:32. > :38:36.they take on the second option or not? -- are at catch 22. Ends of
:38:36. > :38:46.the Unionist parties are in such a mess over the consequences of the
:38:46. > :38:47.
:38:47. > :38:51.SNP becoming a majority government at Holyrood. One is in the midst of
:38:51. > :38:55.an election campaign, I do not think their heads or straight, any
:38:55. > :39:00.of them, to come up with the answers. -- are straight. For
:39:00. > :39:05.people looking on, ad that are not committed politicians, members of
:39:05. > :39:11.political parties, that is most of us, the vast majority of Scotland
:39:11. > :39:15.are not members of political parties, for most of us, we can't
:39:15. > :39:19.think that the choice that most people wanted in any situation was
:39:19. > :39:24.the choice that prevailed. Here we seem to have a proposition that
:39:24. > :39:27.says no, you can have the votes, but you might find at the end of
:39:27. > :39:32.the day that the choice that most of the wanted will not prevail
:39:32. > :39:37.because you say at the other one got over the 50 % mark, it will
:39:37. > :39:44.prevail. Thank you. Coalition divisions over Europe have
:39:44. > :39:51.prevented David Cameron from playing a leading role in tackling
:39:51. > :39:54.the euro-zone crisis. That is the claim of David Miliband in a clash
:39:54. > :40:01.at Prime Minister's Questions today. He was also asked about the murder
:40:01. > :40:05.of Stuart Walker in Scotland this weekend. Does the Prime Minister
:40:05. > :40:08.agree with me that we need not just for Greece and Italy to sort out
:40:08. > :40:16.there problems and the proper recapitalisation of the European
:40:17. > :40:20.banks, but also an agenda to help Europe and Britain to grow? What is
:40:20. > :40:24.necessary this evening is to deal with the key elements of the euro-
:40:24. > :40:28.zone crisis which is acting as a drag anchor on recoveries in many
:40:28. > :40:32.other countries including our own. The main elements and decisive
:40:32. > :40:35.action to deal with the Greek situation and a proper
:40:35. > :40:39.recapitalisation of the banks which has not happened across Europe up
:40:39. > :40:44.until now, and the stress tests carried out have not had
:40:44. > :40:49.credibility. The most important thing is the construction of this
:40:49. > :40:52.fire wall of this European funds to stop contagion elsewhere. There are
:40:52. > :40:58.wider growth strategies across Europe which is required, but that
:40:58. > :41:02.is what was debated on Sunday and that is where the Commission
:41:02. > :41:07.proposals on the single market, liberalising energy quality, all of
:41:07. > :41:10.those proposals, they could have been written here in London.
:41:10. > :41:13.would emphasise that those are long-term measures, but we also
:41:13. > :41:20.need immediate action for growth and that needs to happen not just
:41:20. > :41:23.dead European meetings but at the G20 next week. -- at European. We
:41:24. > :41:28.know that his focus was not sorting out the European crisis, it has
:41:28. > :41:37.been sorting out the problems on his own side. He said his priority
:41:37. > :41:47.was to repatriate powers from Europe, which Paris and when? --
:41:47. > :41:47.
:41:47. > :41:55.powers. Boy one serious question and straight on to the politics,
:41:55. > :42:01.how typical! Let me be clear, the idea you could go into this meeting
:42:01. > :42:05.of arguing that Britain should add an extra �100 million to its
:42:05. > :42:12.deficit is a total joke. In terms of the relationship with Europe,
:42:12. > :42:19.let me say, the coalition agreement does so dark to talk about
:42:19. > :42:25.rebalancing power between Britain and Europe. -- does talk about. We
:42:25. > :42:30.have got this bail-out power back, the bail-out power Betty get away.
:42:30. > :42:35.My constituency is in a state of shock following the murder last
:42:35. > :42:39.weekend of the local man, Stuart Walker, a very popular local man.
:42:39. > :42:42.Will the Prime Minister join me in sending condolences to his family
:42:43. > :42:47.and admits the much unhelpful speculation about the motivation
:42:47. > :42:53.for this murder, when he called on local people with any information
:42:53. > :42:56.to go to the police to help with inquiries? I certainly join her in
:42:56. > :43:01.sending condolences to her constituents family and what she
:43:01. > :43:05.said is absolutely right. The police at the public and the public
:43:05. > :43:09.how the police, the police cannot solve crimes without the help of
:43:09. > :43:13.the public and I hope everyone will have as much as they can. It was
:43:13. > :43:16.reported a week ago that the Bank of England had reprimanded one
:43:16. > :43:20.commercial bank and there may be others that tried to manipulate the
:43:20. > :43:30.gilts market to exploit but do these things. Could he ask for a
:43:30. > :43:34.report on this matter and if it is true and we will use the full force
:43:34. > :43:38.against them if they tried to rip off the tax payer. It is important
:43:38. > :43:42.to show that there is not something called white collar crime that is
:43:42. > :43:46.less serious than other crimes. Crime is crime and should be
:43:46. > :43:51.investigated and prosecuted with the full force of the raw. It felt
:43:51. > :44:01.like the days of John Major's government as we waited for revolt
:44:01. > :44:06.
:44:06. > :44:11.on Europe on Monday night. Concerns for aid and -- concerns over any
:44:11. > :44:14.referendum on that night, and now let's go back to the Scottish
:44:14. > :44:20.Affairs Committee story and Ian Davidson issue that apology a short
:44:20. > :44:24.time ago. Yes, that apology came in the last 45 minutes. At the
:44:24. > :44:28.beginning of the public session this afternoon, Ian Davidson made a
:44:28. > :44:32.statement saying that he apologised if any offence had been caused by
:44:32. > :44:35.remarks he made in a private session of the committee last week.
:44:36. > :44:40.He remained resolute that he did not issue any threats and was
:44:40. > :44:43.apologising for any offence that might have been caused. It is an
:44:44. > :44:49.issue that has caused great interest among MPs from all
:44:49. > :44:54.political parties today, as indeed that issue of Europe. We would do
:44:54. > :44:57.with Europe in a moment, but I am joined by three Scottish MPs, two
:44:57. > :45:04.that the present Scottish MPs and one that is Scottish that
:45:04. > :45:09.represents a sudden Committee. Firstly, Stewart, from what Ian
:45:09. > :45:15.Davidson has said this afternoon, has he gone far enough for your
:45:15. > :45:20.party now to return to the Scottish Affairs Committee no, the
:45:20. > :45:25.allegation was that he threatened to give Dr Eilidh Whiteford a doing.
:45:25. > :45:32.He was suggesting this was sent SNP is me around he was forced to
:45:32. > :45:36.apologise. -- this was an s n p sneer and he was forced to
:45:36. > :45:40.apologise. People are appalled at what has gone on and further action
:45:40. > :45:45.needs to be taken and he must still resign the chairmanship of that
:45:45. > :45:55.committee. Alan our, this does not involve your party, but what you
:45:55. > :45:57.
:45:57. > :46:00.There should never be any circumstances where one member of
:46:00. > :46:08.parliament should be anything other than courteous and polite to other
:46:08. > :46:14.members of Parliament. If he has caused offence, he should apologise.
:46:14. > :46:18.Were hearing that Ian Davidson should fully apologise. Iain has
:46:18. > :46:21.apologised for any offence that was caused. Colleagues across the House
:46:21. > :46:26.have to treat each other with courtesy. I hope we can conduct
:46:26. > :46:30.this dialogue about the referendum that looks like it will come on
:46:31. > :46:35.separation with respect. But it must also mean that the First
:46:35. > :46:41.Minister should treat the Scottish people with respect and answer
:46:41. > :46:44.questions about monetary and fiscal policy and currency. The people of
:46:45. > :46:48.Scotland deserve answers to this question. The Scottish Affairs
:46:48. > :46:53.Committee is quite right to begin a dialogue about what separation
:46:53. > :46:57.would mean. In Brussels today, there is an important meeting where
:46:57. > :47:02.the European Union is basically trying to stitch a deal together to
:47:02. > :47:07.get countries like Greece out of a financial hole. How important is it
:47:07. > :47:12.that this afternoon or this evening they get that deal? We need a final
:47:12. > :47:17.deal. The future of Europe is that state. One in five young people are
:47:17. > :47:23.out of work in Britain. 80,000 and stop them. Nearly half the
:47:23. > :47:27.population of Spain. We need the recapitalisation of the banks. We
:47:27. > :47:34.need a proper fund that is there to stand behind this debt and make
:47:34. > :47:40.sure the markets have confidence. We need growth and the need
:47:40. > :47:45.European nations to recognise that the programme of austerity cuts is
:47:45. > :47:50.not fully working. Where there is no growth, countries after have
:47:51. > :47:54.another look at the fiscal consolidation plans. You Prime
:47:55. > :47:58.Minister is saying to the Euro countries that they have to
:47:58. > :48:02.consolidate themselves more and have more convergence. How worried
:48:02. > :48:07.are you that if the deal was not put together that things will get a
:48:07. > :48:13.issued a man worse? Very worried. The Foreign Secretary and the Prime
:48:13. > :48:18.Minister are doing all they can to help Europe. We are all in this
:48:18. > :48:22.together right across the whole of Europe. They do have to be
:48:22. > :48:26.austerity cuts because part of this crisis has come about because many
:48:26. > :48:32.countries have been spending money that we don't have. We have got to
:48:32. > :48:36.see the realism of the economic situation across Europe. David
:48:36. > :48:42.Cameron is playing that role very well. Posterity or spend our way
:48:42. > :48:46.out of this? It is about growth. All package that needs to be agreed
:48:46. > :48:52.is the European Financial Strategy Fund has to be beefed up to give
:48:52. > :48:58.confidence, the ECB has to provide liquidity into sovereign markets so
:48:58. > :49:03.that Spain and Greece cannot fall away, Italy has to be resolved,
:49:03. > :49:07.debt has to be resolved. We have to look across Europe and in the UK
:49:07. > :49:11.where we are cutting and how we're cutting. If it is as deep as it is
:49:12. > :49:16.here, it is weakening the potential for growth, which means that even
:49:16. > :49:21.the target of the Tories cannot be met. I agree with some of that.
:49:21. > :49:24.We'll see what the problem has, but that has to be some responsibility
:49:24. > :49:29.taken for how the route -- how the problem are rows and the first
:49:29. > :49:33.place and that is because public spending across Europe was too high
:49:33. > :49:38.by countries that didn't have the money to spend, and that was also
:49:38. > :49:43.done in Britain. Fortunately we're not in the Euro because many of us
:49:43. > :49:48.fought to keep Britain out of the Euro, but it does not mean that we
:49:48. > :49:53.are not affected by what is going on. We need to help other European
:49:53. > :49:59.countries in order to save the economy of Europe as a whole.
:49:59. > :50:09.partly you're party's fault for spending too much? I don't accept
:50:09. > :50:12.
:50:12. > :50:17.that. Denmark has put together at �10 billion strategy but its
:50:17. > :50:19.borrowing powers are less than the UK. We're talking about cutting VAT
:50:19. > :50:28.and National Insurance to get young people back into work. That should
:50:28. > :50:33.be the Prime policy for Britain and Europe. How important you think the
:50:33. > :50:40.debate on Europe this week was in terms of changing the view of
:50:40. > :50:46.Europe from Westminster? I think is extraordinary damaging for the
:50:46. > :50:50.Prime Minister that just under half his backbench MPs did not support
:50:50. > :50:53.him. Instead of negotiating with his backbenchers, he should be
:50:53. > :50:59.leading for Britain in Europe to make sure we get these changes that
:50:59. > :51:03.will be in our interest. It is not in our interest to see the eurozone
:51:03. > :51:07.so unstable with little growth. We need growth for Britain to prosper
:51:07. > :51:12.as well. More than half of our trade in goods and services is with
:51:12. > :51:19.Europe. To have a referendum at this point to pull ourselves out of
:51:19. > :51:26.Europe would have been entirely the wrong course for Britain. You voted
:51:26. > :51:35.with the Government this week. How difficult was it for you not to
:51:35. > :51:39.support other Euro-sceptics? would not support that motion. It
:51:39. > :51:44.was another referendum with three questions, just like you're one. It
:51:44. > :51:51.is not the right way to proceed in Government. I don't have any
:51:51. > :51:56.difficulty not voting for that. All will Labour have to say that this
:51:56. > :51:58.puts David Cameron in a weak position, it doesn't. What it does
:51:58. > :52:03.is let David Cameron and the Government's see the strength of
:52:03. > :52:09.feeling out there in the country about wanting to keep Britain
:52:09. > :52:14.rather separate from the debacle that is going on in Europe. About
:52:14. > :52:17.renegotiating our future terms on which we are involved in the
:52:17. > :52:22.European Union. David Cameron is in a very strong position on that. It
:52:22. > :52:26.was difficult for some backbenchers in the Conservative Party on Monday
:52:26. > :52:31.night. Some of them did want to dig their heels and and make their
:52:31. > :52:39.voices heard. But that doesn't mean it is week for the Prime Minister.
:52:39. > :52:48.The SNP abstain done has fought, why? It was not in our manifesto
:52:48. > :52:53.either. -- abstained in this vote. The real danger here is that
:52:53. > :52:57.Scotland and the UK need a successful Europe to export to, to
:52:57. > :53:01.get growth and recovery. Although the debate here had no particular
:53:01. > :53:05.bearing, the constant sniping and attacking of her friends and
:53:05. > :53:10.partners in Europe is profoundly damaging. We should be working
:53:10. > :53:16.together to get a recovery across the entire Continent which benefits
:53:16. > :53:21.Europe and benefits us. It looks as though it is about to start raining,
:53:21. > :53:27.so I will let you go. Europe is one of those issues that is very much
:53:27. > :53:32.coming back to the fore here at Westminster.
:53:32. > :53:35.Let's get some final thoughts from our political commentator, Alf
:53:35. > :53:43.Young. How important is that deadline for getting that bail out
:53:43. > :53:48.package together as these European leaders meet in Brussels today?
:53:48. > :53:51.Critical. This is entirely about confidence. If the leaders of the
:53:51. > :53:56.eurozone and the leaders of the wider European Community cannot
:53:56. > :54:00.come to an agreement, and it still doesn't look as if the well, then
:54:00. > :54:06.the consequences could be very damaging indeed. There are
:54:06. > :54:13.fundamental differences about the extent to which Germany would be
:54:13. > :54:18.prepared effectively to under right the entire problem across the 17
:54:18. > :54:21.members of the eurozone. There is clearly no appetite within the
:54:21. > :54:26.European Central Bank to do what the Bank of England has been doing
:54:26. > :54:30.and printing money to try to stimulate demand. So, if they don't
:54:30. > :54:34.get that kind of agreement, what you then begin to have to look at
:54:34. > :54:40.is the prospect of bits of the eurozone falling apart. You
:54:40. > :54:47.actually look at default of sovereign nations like Greece,
:54:47. > :54:52.problems in Italy with political instability because the Government
:54:52. > :54:56.has called an election early and there is talk of Silvio Berlusconi
:54:56. > :55:02.moving out of politics altogether, although I will believe that when I
:55:02. > :55:08.see yet! But there is huge political and economic instability
:55:09. > :55:18.built in there. As Stewart Hosie and others were saying, the
:55:18. > :55:21.eurozone is 40% of our export trade. Europe as a whole is nearly 50%.
:55:21. > :55:25.All forecasting is looking at this quarter that we are currently M
:55:25. > :55:29.which runs until December and saying there will not be much crawl
:55:30. > :55:35.for round at all in this quarter. This is three years on from Lehman
:55:35. > :55:40.Brothers, four years on from Northern Rock. We are beginning to
:55:40. > :55:49.look at a period of years running into you is beyond years were there
:55:49. > :55:59.is no real recovery our growth, rising inflation. We heard about a
:55:59. > :56:04.long period of stagflation, which nobody wants. That is an issue of
:56:04. > :56:10.whether we are in the eurozone, whether we are in the wider circles
:56:10. > :56:18.outside the eurozone, and it is a big issue here in Scotland because
:56:18. > :56:23.with the referendum coming up, the whole picture on that is about
:56:23. > :56:28.remaining part of a monetary union that is the United Kingdom, so the
:56:28. > :56:33.Bank of England will set our interest rates. But the ambition in
:56:33. > :56:37.the longer term is to join the eurozone. It part of the remedy in
:56:37. > :56:42.the eurozone is a fiscal tightening, I Union that is not just a monetary
:56:42. > :56:48.union with a single currency, but a fiscal Union where there are some
:56:48. > :56:52.political entity at the centre that is dictating levels of taxation, is
:56:52. > :56:59.that really the prospect of an independent Scotland signing up, if
:56:59. > :57:03.it could get into that? What does that do about the capacity of that
:57:03. > :57:07.independence Scotland Today its own decisions in the interests of these
:57:07. > :57:17.people. He's a huge stakes we're playing with. Difficulties at the
:57:17. > :57:17.
:57:17. > :57:21.end of the day will be felt in people's living standards. David
:57:21. > :57:25.Cameron is flying out to Brussels today. Ed Miliband said that he was
:57:25. > :57:31.pleading, not leading. How is he performing in all of this Kerr ayes
:57:31. > :57:41.will, he has found himself where John Major and Margaret thought --
:57:41. > :57:41.
:57:41. > :57:45.where. Europe -- how is he performing in all of this? He has
:57:45. > :57:54.found himself would John Major and Margaret Thatcher where regarding
:57:54. > :57:58.Europe. He wants to trade with Europe, but that is about it. He
:57:58. > :58:05.does not want to be part of their political integration. He has a
:58:05. > :58:13.battle in his hands because MPs are preparing to vote against them --
:58:13. > :58:17.prepared to vote against him. There is a real difference there and
:58:18. > :58:22.Europe is very much back on the agenda at the very time that it is
:58:22. > :58:28.following a par. Thank you for that and for your company this afternoon.
:58:28. > :58:33.That is all from us just now. We are back at the same time next week.
:58:33. > :58:37.2:30pm here on BBC Two. Gordon Brewer will be here with Newsnight