tv The Brexit Panel BBC News March 30, 2018 4:30pm-5:01pm BST
4:30 pm
have been all afternoon you might look at this and feel a little envious, this was the scene for over the watcher in —— for weather watcher in cornwall earlier on. this is more typical, lyme regis in dorset. we will get some rain and snow over the weekend. generally rather cool but in between all of that, some sunny spells. sunshine in short supply, very heavy rain which will continue to slide gci’oss rain which will continue to slide across a good part of england and east wales through the night. winter enis over high —— wintry weather over higher ground. northern scotla nd over higher ground. northern scotland gets clear spells so it will be cold enough for a touch of frost, not as chilly when we have the extra cloud. some of the rain will continue during tomorrow, wintry weather over higher ground particularly for northern england and scotland. the rain fizzling out, brighter skies over north scotland and maybe the far south. breezy and cool and maybe the far south. breezy and cool. easter sunday, are mostly dry
4:31 pm
but easter monday has the risk of some snow. if you have travel plans, it's worth staying tuned to the forecast. this is bbc news, our latest headlines: moscow has ordered the uk to further cut its russian diplomatic staff. it follows a series of tit—for—tat expulsions of officials from countries that have acted in support of britain over the salisbury nerve agent attack nine palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded by israeli forces, according to the palestinian health ministry — protesters and troops have clashed during mass demonstrations at the border between gaza and israel. tighter rules on police bail have led to thousands of suspects in violent and sexual offences being released without conditions — new regulations on pre—charge bail came into effect in england and wales last year. a group of labour mps and peers has urged jeremy corbyn to suspend former disputes panel chair christine shawcroft from the party's
4:32 pm
national executive committee, as the row over anti—semitism continues. now on bbc news, withjust 12 months to go, what do voters make of the progress towards brexit? we've been to coventry, where just over 55% of people voted leave, to meet a group of leavers and remainers to find out. they were selected for the bbc by the research company britain thinks and our political editor laura kuenssberg was listening in for this special brexit panel. for all the political shenanigans, brexit was a decision taken by the public. what you are about see is not scientific but a slice of opinion, a flavour of the conversations that you, we are all having around
4:33 pm
the country about brexit with one year to go. i will ask you, thinking about brexit, don't think about this too hard, but just think of the first three words that come to your mind. when you think about brexit. and write them down for me. you've got one? is everybody done? great. what did you put down? i put lies. because going towards brexit on both sides, we were told different things. how do we know what is going to happen? so, lies. and who do you trust to tell you the truth? i think you just get on with it. i don't trust any of the politicians really. you watch bits of the
4:34 pm
news but either way, you have to get on with it. i think they were really clever because they chose the two biggest issues that bother us, the nhs and immigration, and pummelled us all with that and didn't give us enough information to stay in and they attacked the weaknesses, if you know what i mean. people's emotions. they pushed buttons. when you say they, who is that? i voted to leave but they still lied to us. they tampered with the figures and they said on the bus, we pay £350 million a week into europe, which is true, but what they didn't tell you is that we get over £100 million back a week. there is still a deficit of 180 million. and then they said, let's invest
4:35 pm
in the nhs which led to infer that they would invest that money into the nhs but it didn't actually say that, it inferred it and that's what you got in your mind to say, i'm leaving. what did you put on your sheet? my first one was the infrastructure of the whole country including the nhs as a primary thing, but all the housing you will need. how does this relate to brexit? as i say, with those people coming in, they've got to go somewhere, they've got to live somewhere in there has to be jobs for people. indira, what did you put?
4:36 pm
nhs is my biggest one because my daughter is a doctor and every time, she said, i'm having to do this, i'm on call all the time and really stressed out and on top of that, she's had to do presentations and projects and there are so many cuts. how does this relate to brexit? brexit, i think like you said earlier, about national health, it's just not happening. we do need more staff and they are undercut, not paid enough so it affects all the nhs. i do worry about that. belinda, what did you put? i put lack of knowledge. just the lack of information that is given to us about the consequences of leaving brexit and the amount of knowledge that's just given to us in dribs and drabs so we are only told what people want us to know. what did you put, lauren? closed borders.
4:37 pm
again, i can see both sides working for the nhs because i work with some fantastic nurses from eu countries, fantastic nurses and doctors and without them, being able to move freely, we wouldn't have those staff but on the flipside, we are treating so many non—british patients that is putting a strain on us and enabling us to not give the full care that we want. it's very difficult to say. i personally don't know what is best. i'm not saying close the borders but immigration in moderation. what did you put? i put immigration. going back to my parents, they came over as immigrants and they went straight into jobs. they went straight into and it was jobs. my mum is a retired nurse.
4:38 pm
they went into the jobs that other people didn't want to fill that they were classed as immigrants but this version of immigration, people are coming from different countries for different reason but it seems like, coming in and looking after them and it seems to have a ripple effect and a strain on the nhs, the schools, housing, it's just everything. it is causing resentment. they know they can come in, they will get a house, they can get a job, they might not need to have a job but they will get paid something from our government that will keep them here and everyone knows it's an easy option. it's changed a bit now, i think so. i think it has. so it's been two years almost since the referendum. what's happened in that time? oh, dear. politicians seem to have dragged their feet immensely.
4:39 pm
somebody is making an awful lot of money out of it. who? the people in the know. it's just taking too long to happen, isn't it? one of my first answers was costly. because they don't talk about thousands or millions. it's billions of pounds that we are still going to be paying into the eu when we have left. and they've done a deal to navigate to pay this or pay that. and you think, where does it all come from? where does it go to? where is this eu market? where are they? where does all this money go to? and what specifically have you noticed has struck you in that time in terms of what's happened? just the argument on both sides. no—one seems to know
4:40 pm
what's going to happen. it's a lot of to—ing and fro—ing. we are threatening the eu with this game, it's that game. it's like playing a game of cards, like poker. if we are leaving, we just have to leave. is there are a really specific thing you noticed? the prime minister changed. he gave us a referendum and as soon as he didn't get the decision he wanted, he was gone. he should never have allowed it. as the prime minister, you should be impartial, i believe. you shouldn't be pro—europe or whatever it is. now she is having to deal with it as well. what's gone wrong? what's gone right?
4:41 pm
we are arguing with 27 other countries, i think it is, who don't want us to leave. how on earth are we going to get anything out of it that's advantageous to britain? i think they are talking about it, it's nearly two years since we have left. i don't know why we could have left sooner than we had done. they are supposed, we are supposed to be importing more from them than they are from us. does anybody feel optimistic? no. i just thought it was a straight out. you know, goodbye. so there are the 27 other countries
4:42 pm
but also you said that you thought maybe the government don't actually want us to leave? what makes you think that? david cameron, he is the one that arranged the referendum and then he ran off. and in replace of him was theresa may wanting to stay also and how can you have someone that was so for europe leading us out of europe? she is not... like i said at the beginning, you need an impartial prime minister, someone that is in it for the people, not themselves. some of it doesn't sit right with me. what would need to change for the negotiations to go well? what would make you feel they were going well? i think it's being done. the european trade agreement. get things actually ticked off, say that is sorted, that is sorted,
4:43 pm
a list of things to get done, go down the list. but nothing seems to be happening. what would make you feel it was going well? to see facts and figures and understand a bit more about the future in terms of immigration, like we talked about the points system. what is the system going for? does anybody know, has anybody heard anything about what they are going to do about that going forward? is itjust close the borders or a points system? are jobs going to be affected? most of us have got children and our main concern is their futures and by the time my children grow up, we will be in full, a full country on our own. what position will we be in? will there bejobs available for them? it is if you think about the brexit process, who will be the winners and who will be the losers?
4:44 pm
nobody knows. good question. my number one was uncertainty, when you asked us to write down. that was my top answer. i don't think anybody knows, not the prime minister. does anybody have a sense of who might do well out of this at the end? i don't. we don't have the information. i do not know because i don't think government knows. they gave into this thing of brexit and it is old news and nobody knows. what information would you like that you are not getting? i want a plan saying what we have achieved. simple. no fancy words about this policy and that policy. just what they have achieved with northern ireland, with the pound, with the borders, simple things like that. maybe just some simple facts. like the facts that they were giving
4:45 pm
us when they were trying to make us make a decision and vote leave or stay. it would be nice to have updates. things that simple families can understand where it will benefit them and where we are so we have... so that we are not so uncertain about what will happen. i would like to know why we could notjust honour our agreements and leave. whether you voted for it or not, we voted 52—48, whatever, and i think we should just leave. if we have to pay billions to this, ok, but if not, finish it. ideally that would have been a process that is... that is the way i thought it was going to go. i have obviously been totally incorrect. two years later, i would like to know what benefit we would have had from remaining.
4:46 pm
let us know what has changed behind the scenes in those two years to let us know what the vote actually did. did it create a mess somewhere? is everyone still 0k? nobody knows. maybe i'll ask the other way around. imagine we are at the end of the process. what would be the worst outcome for you? what would make you think that this was a disaster? the ireland borders. if that takes a step back so it is basically borders all the way along again, that is a massive step backward. and that would worry you? not with myself so much, but it feels like what's the point? it can't be worth it. that cannot have been what anybody was looking for when they wanted to leave europe if nothing changed. the trade, if nothing changed there.
4:47 pm
at the moment we are told, who we can deal with? if nothing changed on that... i would be very worried because, you know, when we come out of the eu we can deal with whoever we want to. at the moment, there was something on the tv this week about the fisheries where the fishermen can't fish where they want to fish because we are in the eu. that has always been the way. so, you said you were disappointed with the whole thing and wished that we would just stop this. i did vote to remain. and i have been disappointed. what is your worst nightmare from this? if we got to the end of the process, what would you most dread, the thing that would make you feel worst about it? i'm just not happy about it at all and the future of kids worries me. and people like my mother, who needs 24—hour care.
4:48 pm
although we do have help from social services and carers but there are not enough and we, as a family, care for her. my husband and my children and i, i don't think there is enough, you know? not enough knowledge either. we don't know much about it. and, john, you voted to leave. at the end of the process, what would make you feel disappointed in the outcome? if the government makes cuts with the military and with public services and nurses, policemen, firemen... if they are still on the poor side of things that would be disappointing. if money is not invested into the nhs that would be a disappointment. are you worried? no, i wasjust thinking. from your point of view what would be a bad outcome?
4:49 pm
similar to whatjohn said. that we get to where we are and, going back to the nhs, it is for everybody. i think it is just having an effect on everybody. education and housing as well. we return to the same thing again but it will affect everybody. thinking about the government, and in particular theresa may, how good a job is she doing an brexit? i wouldn't say that well. she doesn't seem to be going well from the press that she is getting. they were not prepared to leave, there is no plan. she was prepared to do this and she was prepared to do that. she gets into a meeting and suddenly changes. she never gives a straight answer. that's the reason why people don't
4:50 pm
trust what is going on. do you think that labour would do any better? no. i don't think they could do any worse either, saying that. i think we need to stand up for our country. i don't know why we cannot be more strong and i don't understand why these negotiations are happening, why are we not leaving? what are we afraid of, what are we afraid of. i don't understand. the consensus around the room is pretty much theresa may is not doing a particularly good job. you agree with this point of view thatjeremy corbyn you agree with this point of view that jeremy corbyn wouldn't you agree with this point of view thatjeremy corbyn wouldn't be any better or do you think he might be better? i don't think he would. but what are we comparing it to? what is your thoughts? i agree up to a
4:51 pm
point, but i feel it is very much sort of like a game, when votes are required, we are promised the world, but when we then vote and someone comes in, then nothing happens. then we go round in a circle again and we go back to the voting stage and we all hear lots of information about what's going to happen and where things can be changed and what we can do but actually it doesn't change. i don't know whether that's because of a lack of support and it cannot be changed, or whether it is actually what we want to hear. last thing i want to ask you to do is to place in politics yourself. what i would like you to do is imagine that you are going to give some advice to these people, to theresa may and jeremy corbyn, give them one piece of advice specifically about brexit. you may be longing to give them
4:52 pm
a more general advice about their footwear but is coming yeah, if you could just think a little bit about advising them on how you would like to see them conduct themselves about brexit. we'll start with jeremy corbyn. let's give him some advice. what would be the best advice forjeremy corbyn? get your party in order so that you will sing from the same hymn sheet. people won't, but get them all organised. do it in the right way. even within himself he is not the best, um, not the best sort of leader, really, for the party. he's trying to come up with a new way of doing things which i don't feel
4:53 pm
that he is leader material. why has he not leadership material? i don't know. hejust does not seem that sort of... that sort of authoritative. he doesn't seem to be focused and dedicated to what doing. he seems to blend in and get on with it but not so much someone to listen to. what advice did you give? he is too weak. he just seems to score points. he will say things and you know that he cannot come up with it himself. he would say all these things about what he would do were he in power but where is it going to come from? renationalise everything. no money for it.
4:54 pm
i think you need to be decisive. what will he do and what are his future prospects? you feel he is not decisive? in certain respects, he isn't. his party is not. ijust wrote that he needs to support the system and look at more and work with the decisions that are made, regain teamwork because alone, you know, we need to be a team to move forward, really. and, so, what advice did you put for theresa may? ijust told her to be strong in her views and values and look after the british people, keep this country alive. do not back down and start telling us the truth. fight for the nhs. anyone else? i wrote down to toughen up and stand up for the people of the uk and the country. stand up to brussels and stop pandering to them. stand up for the british people.
4:55 pm
do you feel she is pandering? when you see her and she is with angela merkel and the others and angela, you can see she is strong and does not take any clap. and then you see theresa may and she is sort of looking around... as if to say that i am going to say this will say that, she is quite weak. what did you put? i asked her to be more open about what is happening. don't be so soft with the other countries and stop agreeing to pay deals. we should not pay anything once we are out. what was your advice for theresa may? i told her that we voted leave so let's leave. don't beat around the bush. be strong and proud in what we decided and who we are. have self belief in the uk and what lies ahead.
4:56 pm
we won't crumble, this is the uk. thank you. that may be a good note to leave it on. does anyone else want to ask anything? thank you very much. brilliant. this group was more or less evenly split between leave voters and remain voters, so no surprise there was a lot of discussion, some division among the debate tonight and yet one thing perhaps that they mainly had in common, which will please number 10's ears, that rather than refighting the battles over brexit, they want politicians to get on with it. hello. it hasn't been the most inspiring of good friday is in many
4:57 pm
parts of the country. there has been a lot of cloud and rain around as well. this was the scene in lyme regis earlier on. not a great day for a stroll along the beach. but not that far away in cornwall, a totally different story. spells of sunshine and beautiful scenes. we will stick with the mixed complexion as we go through the rest of the weekend. rain at times and some snow as well, as i will show you in a moment. generally quite cool but there are spells of sunshine to be had. you can see this lump of cloud that has been bringing the rain across southern areas but parts of west cornwall just sticking across southern areas but parts of west cornwalljust sticking out into something a bit brighter and will continue to do so. west wales, the midlands, east anglia and the south—east, very wet to end the day. the wet weather sliding northwards, strong and blustery winds as well. for western scotland, for northern ireland as well, clear spells to ta ke ireland as well, clear spells to take us through the night. he particularly, it will turn
4:58 pm
relatively chilly, there could be a touch of frost. tomorrow, breezy and cloudy with outbreaks of rain. the rain tending to fizzle away as the day goes on. perhaps something wintry mixed and over the tops of the pennines, certainly over the high ground in scotland. northern ireland is largely dry if cloudy. perhaps something a bit brighter for parts of the south coast later on, breezy and cool day as well. pretty cool on easter day, but mostly dry. some spells of sunshine, particularly the northern and eastern scotland, perhaps north—east england. generally a lot of cloud. in the south—west later on, winds will pick up and outbreaks of rain will pick up and outbreaks of rain will swing in. that is a sign of what is to come on easter monday. bp still driving the weather and driving this frontal system north. pretty cool air coming in, and we will see some rain in places, but there is the potential for will see some rain in places, but there is the potentialfor some snow. this could cause some travel
4:59 pm
headaches on easter monday. bit uncertainty about this but parts of north wales, northern midlands and particularly northern england, northern ireland and southern scotland, the potential for significant and disruptive snow for a time. further south, turning back to rain and the temperatures will be climbing by that stage. 13 in the channel islands. cold and mostly dry across the far north of scotland. snow could cause and travel problems on easter monday and the advice is to stay tuned to the forecast. today at 5 — russia summons western ambassadors.
5:00 pm
russia summons western ambassadors. london is told to cut its diplomatic contingent in moscow, in the escalating row following the salisbury nerve agent attack. it's important to bear in mind why this crisis has arisen, use of a chemical weapon on the streets of the united kingdom, which has threatened the lives of a number of people in my country. we'll have the latest. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: at least nine palestinians have been killed by israeli gunfire, as thousands mass on the border ahead of a major protest. new bail rules are leading to thousands of crime suspects — some involving murder and rape — being released without any conditions. over a0 labour mps and peers call onjeremy corbyn to suspend a senior
38 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
BBC News Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on