Thursday, 5 July, 2007
- 5 Jul 07, 05:11 PM
Tonight's programme is presented by .
INTEREST RATES
The cost of borrowing is going up again. The Bank of England has raised the interest rate by a quarter of one per cent to five and three quarters percent. Why have interest rates gone up now and who or what is responsible? Our Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders will give us the benefit of her analysis. We hope to be joined by senior politicians from all main parties to discuss the state of the UK economy and whether we can cope with a record 拢1.3 trillion level of personal debt.
FLOODS
The government has made clear that it's considering, "as a matter of urgency", extra funding for those areas hit by last week's floods. In Hull, thousands of people are struggling to cope with what has been described by the local authority as a 鈥渉umanitarian disaster鈥 after the city was deluged with two months of rain in just 12 hours. The local council says its resources have been overwhelmed and it's accused ministers of ignoring their plight. Our Science Editor Susan Watts is on the case. The Department of Environment says it鈥檚 responsible for sorting out the damage. But Susan is finding that it's difficult to pin down who out of the agencies and local authorities on the ground is really in charge. We hope to bring together the Leader of Hull City Council and a government minister to discuss what should be done.
SCHOOL SWAP
Earlier this year on Newsnight we teamed up with our colleagues at 成人快手 Look North in Yorkshire and started a project called Bradford United - with two groups of 15-year-olds reporting on life at two different schools in the city. At one school called Laisterdyke most pupils are Asian. At Hanson School most are white. This week, we got the two groups together for the first time to tell us about their experiences with a different community - and at a different school.
QUARRYMEN
It's 50 years this week since a very young Paul McCartney first met John Lennon and his band The Quarrymen. As Liverpool celebrates, Peter Marshall reports on a day that changed music for ever.
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'...finding that it's difficult to pin down who out of the agencies and local authorities on the ground is really in charge. '
So the money pours (sorry) in, but no one in government or quango who gets paid (handsomely, to retirement and beyond) to spend it like water (bit of a theme here) can even be identified, much less held to account.
Sums up the way are 'governed' these days pretty well, I'd say.
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I feel sure that even as I type (oh no - it's gone 5.00) quango drongos will be preparing a fifty-item questionnaire (clipboard size) to be sent to the printers so that around the middle of next week, in brand new hard hats and waders, an army of "interrogation operatives" can do a "Brown Ask" (say that carefully) amid the filth and misery of the flooded areas. Isn't that what we mean by New Labour listening? When the results have been collated, analysed and drawn into a twenty page (make that fifty) report, a bunch of wiseacres can sit round a Perrier-water table and come up with a proposal - to meet again. Where is Branson when he is needed? Now Blair has gone, he is the only one who can walk on water.
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Now that we are a sort of "banana Las Vegas" could we not get third world status and cancel our own debt? With all the credit cards wound back to zero(appropriately, like a dodgy motor) Johnnie Punter (oops - and Pricilla Catherine Punter) would go on a retail therapy spree, solving "at a stroke" the mental health of the nation, and lifting the economy to heights from which we can taunt our European blood brothers (and sisters) ever more cruelly. Watch the news - I know Darling reads this forum.
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OK waiting for the another swipe on HT by newsnight - like groundhog day this.
Expect Richard Watson to interview a former ht member; it'll be one of two - ed hussain or Maher who will try and 'crowbar' a link with HT and recent incidents.
It's funny that Watson or Newsnight do not object or call for the ban of the objectionable views of the BNP. Maybe its because these are white British born people, as opposed to Asian British born, and hence their intolerable views are naturally accepted.
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I have no problem with the government making money available to repair or improve the infrastructure in the flood-hit areas (Yorkshire in particular). However, I hope that doesn't extent to individuals in general.
I've seen a number of people on various news channels complaining about how they will have to pay for their own flood damage because they have no insurance. I'm sure most of them could have afforded the premiums, at least for limited cover which would include flooding, but chose to spend the money elsewhere.
I realise I perhaps sound a bit harsh, and it's not that I don't feel sorry for the people affected. I have a lot of family in South Yorkshire. But I manage to insure my home and contents, and I've been unemployed for the last 3 months (and I have redundancy cover as well, which I had paid for myself). It's about taking personal responsibility.
As a point of principle, why should people pay for their own insurance, and then pay a second time through their taxes for those who would sooner spend their money on other things? We may as well all stop making provision for ourselves and expect the taxpayers to cover the bills. I don't mind helping out the very poor, like pensioners on the basic state pension, but I will be extremely annoyed if I see blank cheques being issued - backed up by our taxes!
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comment number 4 by jltbro is totally unacceptable in our free democratic country. How dare he question our free media, attack mr Watson and ridicule newsnight for their crusade against political islam, invented by its Head Mohammad 1400 years ago. I am confused with one thing though, this gentlemen Shiraz Maher, does he not have any other title other than 'former member of Hizb ut Tahrir?'. There seems to be a lot of vacancies under that title. Mr Watson, carry on with what you do best. try dramatising your film slightly with music and camara shaking, it will create added interest when watching newsnight.
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Lower voting age to 16? To the party in power, voters are there to be tricked, coerced or paid (bribed) into voting for a continuation of that party鈥檚 power. It is a reasonable assumption that age brings greater awareness - on average - hence it makes sense that a party in power would lower the voting age. As for the age of military service, the most important quality in the forces is that of obedience to an order 鈥 regardless of how misguided. Spot the link.
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Superb Jeremy tonight (21/10)!Excellent interview with Diana Johnson on the response to the floods in the UK 鈥 with typical fluff answers given, as well as an excellent interview with Stephanie on the latest interest rate rise 鈥 and love her graph too. Brilliant interview with Will Hutton and Philip Hammond also on the interest rate rise. Absolutely loved the tribute to George Melly 鈥 including the fact that he was a trout fisherman!:-)
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Our Prime Minister "doesn't do floods"!....
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is Hull the UK New Orleans?
The government has tax breaks for property speculators and public subsidy for hoarding land owners while interest rates moves money from the have nots to the haves. So basically the excellent UK economy punishes you if you are poor and rewards you if you are rich.
IMO while profits on property speculation are 10-30% then rates will have to hit 10% before people start to think they might not make money in that sector.
Psst. Another aspect is that with higher rates the UK will become a carry trade currency pushing exchange rates even higher and give us the problems NZ and Aussie dollar are having.
Is Newsnight going through a midlife crisis? Another story with kids and a story about some music couldabeens?
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Mistress76 - I second that, but you forgot Susan Watts' fantastic 'ice cream' chart !!
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I refer to the discussion last night chaired by Jeremy Paxman. The subject, I believe, was the cause and effect of the interest rate rises on the debted general public.
The expert Mr Will Hutton was useless. He was inconsistent in his opinions, he misrepresented the historical facts and was unable to express himself in English that made sense. EG A subject was regularly ommited from a sentance.
Mr Hutton concluded the discussion by agreeing with the other fellow with whom he had disagreed profoundly.
His frequent interuptions, his attempts to totally dominate the discussion and his body language were offensive.
Whilst the excellent programme is not responsible for the gibberish trotted out by some guests I think you should have a system to select experts of some substance or alternatively insert comment from your excellent journalists and save the viewers the embarressment.
How a man of Jeremy Paxman's calibre sustains his equilibrium with chaps like Mr Hutton is amazing.
Thank you for a great UK institution/programme.
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How delightful the Newsnight Sisters will again play mother and pour the tea and cut the cake on Newsnight Review. But where is uncle Hardeep?
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