:00:00. > :00:12.Good evening. this evening. It as good night
:00:13. > :00:14.The UK Independence Party is celebrating
:00:15. > :00:16.after topping the poll in the South West European Elections.
:00:17. > :00:19.But it wasn't enough to get an extra MEP.
:00:20. > :00:22.There was success, though, for the Greens, who made history by taking
:00:23. > :00:31.UKIP gained 32% of the vote, polling 140,000 votes more than in 2009
:00:32. > :00:34.That pushed the Conservativds into second place.
:00:35. > :00:37.They also get two MEPs. That's down one.
:00:38. > :00:40.Labour regained the seat it lost last time `fter
:00:41. > :00:45.The final seat was taken by the Green Party, thanks to the system
:00:46. > :00:50.of Proportional Representathon. It polled 11%.
:00:51. > :00:53.That gain came at the expense of the Liberal Democrats, who were fifth
:00:54. > :01:01.Here's our political editor Martyn Oates.
:01:02. > :01:03.They got the backing of the billboards
:01:04. > :01:06.during the campaign, and whdn it came to polling day, UKIP got
:01:07. > :01:13.As the counting took place the party polled most votes in places from
:01:14. > :01:19.Cornwall to Weymouth and Portland and Plymouth to Devon via Torbay.
:01:20. > :01:24.140,000 more votes than in 2009 although the party only enddd up
:01:25. > :01:31.Five years ago we got about four first places.
:01:32. > :01:37.This time we got at least 24 to 30 first places and that gives us a
:01:38. > :01:45.The Conservatives came top in a few areas but this was a night
:01:46. > :01:52.More than 30,000 fewer votes than last time saw their MEPs drop
:01:53. > :01:58.People felt they had a free go and they had a bit of a go but as
:01:59. > :02:02.it happens in the South West, they haven't returned any more UKIP MEPs
:02:03. > :02:08.than they had before, so I don't see that this is going to be repeated
:02:09. > :02:14.next year in the general eldction, but I'm not complacent about that.
:02:15. > :02:18.UKIP and the Greens fought out the final seat to be announced.
:02:19. > :02:23.History was then made as thd region gained its first Gredn MEP.
:02:24. > :02:27.I've been in the Green Partx for 25 years now and I've lost very
:02:28. > :02:30.many elections so it's a wonderful feeling to have won one.
:02:31. > :02:34.It's a huge responsibility but I'm looking forward to what I c`n
:02:35. > :02:38.It's a great opportunity for the Greens in the South West.
:02:39. > :02:42.Labour managed to regain thd seat it lost last time thanks to pl`ces like
:02:43. > :02:48.We need to make sure the European Union works
:02:49. > :02:52.for the people of the South West and that is what I regard as my primary
:02:53. > :02:57.task as an MEP for the region, to bring jobs and investment into the
:02:58. > :03:03.The big losers were the Liberal Democrats.
:03:04. > :03:05.They came fifth across the region and lost `n MEP
:03:06. > :03:09.of 20 years' standing ` a particular blow in a region
:03:10. > :03:22.they've traditionally regarded as one of their strongholds.
:03:23. > :03:25.Well, to look at the Lib Del situation in more depth, Halish
:03:26. > :03:36.To Yes, the local MP here shnce 1997, Adrian Sanders, has not done
:03:37. > :03:41.interviews today but he has gone online and said the party mtst have
:03:42. > :03:43.a debate about the future. Writing on the Lib Dem voice websitd, he
:03:44. > :04:00.said the question... Sir Graham Watson, who lost his seat
:04:01. > :04:01.last night, said part of thd problem has been associated with thd
:04:02. > :04:04.coalition. This is quite common
:04:05. > :04:08.for junior partners in coalhtion across the European continent, the
:04:09. > :04:10.junior partner always suffers more. The important thing is that we are
:04:11. > :04:13.there in government making the contribution
:04:14. > :04:15.and keeping the government fairer than it would be if
:04:16. > :04:30.the Conservatives were therd alone. So how the Liberal Democrats address
:04:31. > :04:33.this? The North Devon MP saxs the party must separate itself from the
:04:34. > :04:38.Conservatives next year. Nick Clegg says he will not resign, and he is
:04:39. > :04:44.being backed by Lord Ashdown, but defeat does bring division `nd it
:04:45. > :04:49.seems a long time ago since the south`west seem to be coverdd in
:04:50. > :04:56.Liberal Democrat yellow. And Martyn Oates joins me now. A dramatic
:04:57. > :04:59.night. This was expected to be a contest between UKIP and thd
:05:00. > :05:04.Conservatives as to which could carry the largest number of seats.
:05:05. > :05:08.As we have seen, the Green Party denied the UKIP and the Torhes that
:05:09. > :05:12.crucial third seat, which stggest that people are fed up with the main
:05:13. > :05:17.Westminster parties they might not simply be looking to UKIP instead.
:05:18. > :05:23.How might that affect next xear s general election? People have tended
:05:24. > :05:28.to vote very differently in European and domestic elections but hf we
:05:29. > :05:31.look at the results of the local elections last week, where
:05:32. > :05:35.significant numbers voted for UKIP, if that trend develops the bigger
:05:36. > :05:42.parties in Westminster will be very worried. The crucial question is, is
:05:43. > :05:46.this the crest, the peak of a protest about or an indicathon we
:05:47. > :05:48.will now do politics in a dhfferent way?
:05:49. > :05:51.A male holidaymaker suffered broken bones after being pushed
:05:52. > :05:53.from a restaurant balcony into the estuary at Salcombd, Devon
:05:54. > :05:57.The incident happened at thd Island Street Bar and Grill
:05:58. > :06:03.Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
:06:04. > :06:05.The organisers of the Devon County Show say they're
:06:06. > :06:08.offering a full refund to everyone who bought tickets for last Saturday
:06:09. > :06:13.The third day of the show w`s cancelled for the first timd in
:06:14. > :06:16.the event's history following heavy rain which the organisers s`id made
:06:17. > :06:23.Now, the pride of Penzance was at stake this afternoon
:06:24. > :06:27.as an attempt was made to whn back the world record for the most number
:06:28. > :06:31.The Cornish port lost the thtle to Hastings two years ago.
:06:32. > :06:33.Spotlight's David George has been watching today's attempt to put
:06:34. > :06:56.Ready! Aim! Fire! The battld with the Sussex town is underway. After
:06:57. > :07:00.all, the Pirates of Hastings doesn't have the right ring to it, does it?
:07:01. > :07:02.The Pirates of Penzance werd everywhere. Surely there has never
:07:03. > :07:05.been so much timber shivered, so many swashes buckled and Rogers
:07:06. > :07:08.jollied. In order to break this record, they have to beat H`stings,
:07:09. > :07:14.but Hastings are here. You scurvy crew are armed to the teeth, aren't
:07:15. > :07:18.you? Yes, you are dangerous people in Penzance. We have swords, we have
:07:19. > :07:27.daggers, we have guns and wd have other secret things that I `m not
:07:28. > :07:33.allowed to tell you or else I will have to kill you. Does that hurt
:07:34. > :07:37.through your nose? Only when I put it in. What draws you to thhs event?
:07:38. > :07:47.It's piracy for goodness sake, isn't it, girls? Women, wenching,
:07:48. > :07:57.plundering, cider. What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Sh`ve his
:07:58. > :08:03.Belly with a blunt razor. They want to wake a world record. We did it
:08:04. > :08:13.last time and we can do it `gain this year. What happened to you I?
:08:14. > :08:23.Cutlass. In the end there wdre 14,154 parts of Penzance, 77 short
:08:24. > :08:30.of a new world record. And bad luck to Penzance. Here is the we`ther
:08:31. > :08:35.forecast now. Some of you h`ve seen a fair number of showers today, Port
:08:36. > :08:38.of Cornwall for example, others not a shower insight and mixed fortunes
:08:39. > :08:44.will dominate the weather this week. We could see a ration of drx and
:08:45. > :08:48.bright weather compared to other parts of the British Isles. Tonight
:08:49. > :08:55.many parts done towards the south`west, showers die awax but as
:08:56. > :08:58.we come further north, parts of Dorset and Somerset will catch the
:08:59. > :09:02.tail end of showery rain th`t has affected parts of central and
:09:03. > :09:05.southern England, and by tolorrow morning some of that will still be
:09:06. > :09:10.lingering but many districts will start tomorrow dry, temperatures
:09:11. > :09:15.will drop overnight to betwden eight and 11 Celsius. Tomorrow a fair
:09:16. > :09:20.amount of dry and bright we`ther starts to show itself, especially in
:09:21. > :09:25.parts of Cornwall and Devon. The Channel Islands should stay dry all
:09:26. > :09:31.day. A few showers could brdak out and as we come further north and
:09:32. > :09:36.east more cloud around, gendrally a higher chance here of travellers. A
:09:37. > :09:42.moderately breezy day and temperatures could be quite uneasy,
:09:43. > :09:47.somewhere between 13 and 16 Celsius, but parts of Exeter could gdt up to
:09:48. > :09:49.17. For the rest of the week, a broadly similar pattern.
:09:50. > :10:16.17. For the rest of the week, a straw poll about the weather events
:10:17. > :10:20.today, I suspect we would get a split decision. There were
:10:21. > :10:26.significant differences around, we have sunshine and some warmth, but
:10:27. > :10:27.also this cloud and rain coming up through the Channel into the north
:10:28. > :10:28.of