brett kavanaugh as a third person makes claims of sexual misconduct against thejudge. the president said the allegations were part of a "big fat con job" but did hint he could withdraw support for mr kavanaugh if testimony due to be heard later is convincing. the real name of one of the men accused of the nerve agent poisoning in the english city of salisbury in march has been revealed. an investigative website says the man who called himself ruslan boshirov and said he was a tourist is in fact a colonel in russian military intelligence. and the anti—kremlin activist pyotr verzilov who is believed to have been poisoned has been released from hospital. the pussy riot band member who fell ill in germany two weeks ago says he "firmly believes" he was the target of russian secret services. it'sjust going half past two in the morning. you up—to—date with the headlines.

—— you are. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the old certainties in europe are crumbling. voters are fed up with a long established supremacy of parties of centre right and ce ntre—left. parties of centre right and centre—left. the politics of identity and warm ocean have fuelled populist insurgencies from italy to sweden to eastern europe. mostly it is the right, not the left, in the ascendant. my guess is yanis varoufakis, greece's ascendant. my guess is yanis va roufakis, greece's radical leftist finance minister at the height of the economic crisis, and an advocate ofa the economic crisis, and an advocate of a new global progressive politics. but is he losing the argument in europe? yanis va roufakis,

looking to hardtalk. you still play a political role. you have a new political party, which you are determined to make a force in greece and in europe. but would you accept as a radical and they left us the tide in europe, the tide of public opinion is running against you? absolutely. civilisation is in retreat. we are experiencing a new post—modern 1930s moment. the liberal establishment has made a mess of it. they've been insisting on policies that are failing left right and centre. and they are crumbling like the weimar republic. tha nkfully crumbling like the weimar republic. thankfully not with the branches of the streets, gatt. but we have the

nationalist republic rising across europe. look at what is happening in italy. we are losing the battle. this is why this is the time to regroup across a broad alliance of progresses, the democrats, liberals, left—wingers, that have civilisation at the heart. before we drill down into the detail of that analysis, i do want to ask you whether you think it is justifiable to, as so many progressives and leftists do, it uses to about your looking like europe in the 1930s. history neil fergus and address that recently, saying it is nonsense and lazy. if one takes one example, italy, you just mentioned the fashions and mr salvini. and we spoke the other day in hardtalk me his abandoned many of his more radical positions, particularly on leaving the eurozone. well, he hasn't. he has

strategically placed this on the backburner for a year. and we can discuss this next year. but what he has primarily done is that he has used the same storyline from the 19305 used the same storyline from the 1930s of promising the average italian, whose income has been falling for a0 years, to restore his pride back by justifies falling for a0 years, to restore his pride back byjustifies just opposing him against the migrant, even the italian roma. it isn't exactly the same as the 1930s. even the italian roma. it isn't exactly the same as the 19305.” didn't exactly the same as the 1930s.” didn't say it is exactly the same. i said a post—modern version of it. painfully history does not repeat itself exactly. you need in the sense to set this idea up to make the case for your own radical leftist progressive politics. i put it to you that there is a fundamental exaggeration. we talk about this post—modern crisis in europe, look at germany, look at

france, look even at italy. but even at sweden, where yes the far right democrats did well, but 83% of the nation did not vote for them. you are setting up a notion of europe in crisis which simply is not true.|j wish you were right. but i don't think you are. the fascists and the parochial is and the extreme nationalists do not need to win government in order to change the complexion of europe. look at, for instance, france, where it were in the pen never one, but nevertheless she infected the right wing party of the republicans, so much that on social issues, civil liberties, even the socialist party voted for legislation that would make marine le pen exceptional about. that marine le pen. this is how it works. —— exceptionally proud. they do well and then push the whole little

spectrum in an antiliberal and rabbit nationalist direction. now we have a fragmentation of the european union. all right. if the alarm bells in the emergency sirens going off all across europe, how come in your own country, if you look at the opinion polls, how different is the new party, the mainstream age—old centre—right party. your old party, the syriza party, the radical leftist government of the moment, they are struggling in the polls, that your own even more radical progressive offering them at your new party, you are struggling to get even a single percentage point of the vote in the latest opinion polls. i would say that is unfair because we have just under the party. the election is the onion opinion poll. -- is the only. take my point. allow me to address the point directly. firstly, firstly,

the real winners of opinion polls are the apathy and discontent with the political system will stop the majority of greeks today declared through opinion polls that then i go to participate in the democratic triumph celebration at the ballot box. that is the greatest defeat of democracy. even people who actually say that they are going to vote for the mention parties that you mentioned, they will do this defensively. they will do this with no degree of enthusiasm. the democratic system can only function when citizens are engaged. at the moment, citizens across europe are becoming disengaged from the political process. this is something that we shall worry about. as long as we are democrats. you are a democrat, right? committed, passionate... because you point towards other ways in which people can alter the political landscape. to be claire, you are four square a

democrat. i staunchly eight democrat. i staunchly eight democrat. stephen, i grew up in a dictatorship. —— to be clear. —— a democrat. the action that you meant is apps essential. participating in meetings. participating in workplace democracy. these are the pillars of a liberal democratic process. we are spoken before about what happened in 2015, went for about nine months you are finance minister. i do want to go through the whole thing again. are finance minister. i do want to go through the whole thing againm .5, you are exaggerating. and it seemed longer. —— 5.5. looking back at the perspective of being in september of 2018, can you now acknowledge that actually, alexis tsipras and his syriza party government took the right decisions? as the knot. i wish i could. the one

thing i would like to do more than anything is leave the political scene and kabealo, write my books, and read and applaud alexis tsipras, or whoever is in power, so to speak, in government. but the suggestion is exactly. . . in government. but the suggestion is exactly... look at the reality. greece has finally escaped from the boot of the imf, the troika. not really. yes, really. let's look at the facts, were we? greece can now shepparton future. who told you that? -- shepparton future. who told you that? —— greece can now shape its own. you said this the other month when finally the bailout conditions we re when finally the bailout conditions were lifted, a new beginning, an historic break with a pass. and he is ready started talking about his own economic policy with tax rates, higher social benefits. you bet many politicians in your life. i do believe you are so gullible as to

expect a politician to tell you the truth, especially when he is presiding over a complete catastrophe. one in two families in greece as we speak have non— working in them. one in two families. i will repeat this. have no one working in them. one third of the working greeks are receiving less than 38a euros are month. in a country which is not cheap. we have about 10— 15,000 youngsters, is not cheap. we have about 10— 15, 000 youngsters, well educated ones, leaving the country, migrating, month. to consider this to bea migrating, month. to consider this to be a success story, and by the way, we are still in the, under the thumb of the troika. walking away from the dat, defying the...” thumb of the troika. walking away from the dat, defying the... i never could pose to walk away. it your philosophy and defiance had been adopted. —— debt. chris wood are being insolent and crashed out of the eu, and the condition of the families you are talking about would be worth. —— is greece had for the

—— eye on a proposal he went on.” was reposing technically competent debt swaps that would have made the debt swaps that would have made the debt payable so that we would not need to destroy it the private sector with tax rates and rates for social security payments which, stephen, visited this, 75% of profits a small business now has to pay the state 35% of profits. you don't have to be left—wing or right wing to realise that this is what you do to a country when you want to destroy it. let's stick to what is happening in europe today. so many countries, the radical left proposition does not appear to be appealing to, if i can put it this way, he left behind come at the alienate working class, those were feeling insecure, angry, disappointed, and neglected. those of the people, whether you talk about donald trump's america or in

europe, those sorts of people appear to feel more of the connection with parties of the populist nationalist right. why is the left—wing position not appealing to them? because it is not appealing to them? because it is not squarer. because the left has failed to put forward a progressive agenda that makes people think this might work. this is a terrible failure on the part of the latter. it is essential that those of us who identify themselves as left—wingers begin with criticism. and that is why it is a sash and only as your question specifically. we have failed to put forward a kind of new deal agenda that extends beyond ideological borderlines and national borderlines. europe today needs what break the denial resulted in 1933, we need a new deal to europe. and u nless we we need a new deal to europe. and unless we create an alliance across

national borders, and across the standard party political lines, we will fail. —— fdr. standard party political lines, we will fail. -— fdr. we'll standard party political lines, we will fail. —— fdr. we'll do the europeans against the southern europeans, the europeans against the africans, or the syrians. and indeed europeans against europeans. politics is very much about emotion as well as rationality and logic. when you put forward your proposition and to flesh out a little bit, you have talked about a new international monetary system that must be greater, and international wealth fund. you've talked about an international digital currency they could insure that you would due to a world of finance have its own sort of electronic currency. all of this, i would put you, doesn't get to the emotional heart of where politics is today. it is those people who are talking about the dangers of mass immigration, those who are talking

about the need for secure borders, they are the people in europe who appear to connect with so many of the voters. you are great right. this is why we need... why are the left not addressing the issue of immigration? the reason why so was greeted a democracy movement in europe, which is a movement bringing together not just the europe, which is a movement bringing together notjust the left but liberals, even progressive conservatives, those of us who are eager to agree on a believable, credible, progressive agenda for europe, this is why we created mera25, because we don't believe the left has what it takes. but let me is your point. because you made a good point. he made the point that it is important to great alternative. we say to people who lauded by the nationalist narrative of secure borders, of the anti— migrant narrative... what is your

proposition to people who are generally concerned that is as a mostly, we say we need to take our country is back. we need to get our towns back. but to get our towns and our country is back, we have to get our country is back, we have to get our europe back, because problems with private debt can be mortgages, with private debt can be mortgages, with public debt, with low levels of investment, with uberisation of jobs, they cannot be sold at the level of england, italy, or germany. we need to look at these problems together and have a solution. so hang on. what you do set is really important. so it hard you are a multilateral us, and for all of your critique of the eu when you were finance minister, he seemed to be saying we still need multilateral, even globalist solutions, and i come back to all the stuff you write about global greed investment programmes, global fair trade deals, global minimum living wages that you are talking to somebody who

paraded up and down this country before the june paraded up and down this country before thejune 2016 referendum and icampaign before thejune 2016 referendum and i campaign feverishly against brexit and in favour of remain, even though no one would accuse me of being a lack of russell. my point is that you out of tune with the spirit of the times, people are thinking very much it seems in terms of nationalism, in terms of their borders, their security. in theory you proposing all of these new, multilateral, extremely ambitious global institutions. except that firstly they would work in contrast and juxtaposition to the current institutions that are failing... how are you claiming that they would work? by the way, i am a collective. i borrow from the best. you mentioned the digital international currency, that is not my idea, that isjohn maynard keynes in 19aa, it

was not digital back then. welcome you have updated at. and that is what we must do. what is this we? we must do? we havejust what we must do. what is this we? we must do? we have just discussed for much of this interview the problems facing the european union because of a deficit, you do not recognised legitimacy of eu institutions, yet here we are talking about we being some sort of global institution that sets up its own currency. who is this we? let me answer the question. in may 2019, our movement is going to stand in the european parliament elections and we are going to stand in greece, we are going to stand with our friends and colleagues in denmark of the alternative party, we are going to stand in poland with the feminist led political progressive party, we are going to run in elections in italy against matteo salvini, that is who we are and our challenge is how to create a

narrative of inclusiveness that is com pletely narrative of inclusiveness that is completely humanistic, antinationalist and internationalist. any just antinationalist and internationalist. anyjust laid out that you're going to fight in elections, you are a democrat, you're going to walk the walk as well as talk the talk and i respect that, but if one looks at current polling and you say that your wider deal has been around for a couple of yea rs, deal has been around for a couple of years, the fact that you are scoring virtually zero in the polls, we will let that pass. —— and you. what i wa nt to let that pass. —— and you. what i want to get to is this, the only country in europe right now where the left in its more radicalform is actually doing well, or at least gaining traction with a significant pa rt gaining traction with a significant part of the population, is in the united kingdom. indeed. so what makes, and you know the uk very well, what in your view makesjeremy corbyn's labour party different from so many of the other left movements in europe and across the world today? well, the exit has had a lot today? well, the exit has had a lot to do with it because brexit has

been a slap in the face of progressives. independently of their view about what brexiteers. -- brexit. was going to say the labour party is confused about what rex is... well, it is because it is a confusing issue. if you are not confused about brexit, you are fanatical. i can't see how brexit can be the driver of the momentum. what makes it did was it created a realisation or in this country that it is democracy and its role in the world cannot be taken for granted, it needs to be protected, and let's look at the bright side. this gives the people of britain an opportunity to reconsider their position in the world, and i believe thatjeremy corbyn has been doing a very good job at recognising that the last 30

yea rs of job at recognising that the last 30 years of privatisation, of moving towards a business model that effectively tired the economy's growth on to bubbles, onto the housing bubble in the city of london, and he is causing a reassessment of their. interesting, because he would say, you talked about the last generation of politicians in the uk who in your view played that sort of neoliberal economic gain, you would say that tony blair was in left of centre politician. . what does it mean? in the one hand, he was because he gave a little money to the national health service, money that the tories starved the national health service off, but at the very same time he did it i turning a blind eye to the private money minting of the private banks, and creating the circumstances led to 2008 and to the colla pse circumstances led to 2008 and to the collapse in 2008. what i am getting too is thejohn mcdonnell, the

current shadow chancellor of the exchequer here in the uk hasjust made a big speech, where he has painted a picture of a radical economic programme, including just one example, the mandatory imposition on business in the uk of a need to have 10% of their shares given to the workers in the countries, the dividends would then go to those workers and they would beaon go to those workers and they would be a on the amount of dividend to be received by each worker and the xs beyond that would go to the government, so it would actually be a huge new corporate tax. —— xs. it would fundamentally change the relationship between the state and the corporate centre in the uk in a very left of centre sort of way. —— excess. do you really think the british people are going to vote for that? i think so. british people are going to vote for that? ithink so. have british people are going to vote for that? i think so. have you talked to john mcdonald about that programme. he is saying exactly some of the things you have said about that programme. i am proposing a fund

where 10% of programme. i am proposing a fund where10% of the shares after every capital raising by companies go into a public welfare funds, and the welfare fund. where is the labour party is giving them up amongst the workers within those corporations. what i think is very important, remember this is not even in the ma nifesto remember this is not even in the manifesto yet, this is part of the liberal party conference, it may go in the manifesto, i hope it does. it isa in the manifesto, i hope it does. it is a fairly interesting discussion though that we must have, even the tories must have, about the division between capital and labour. put it differently, stephen, once upon a time when an industrialist look for the machine, and the industrialist claimed and took the profits that the machine produced for the company, but these days of goodwill and facebook when every time you search on your google search engine for something, you are providing capital to google and know what is getting the returns for that except for google. we have to reconsider

property rights over the returns of capital, and the labour party is the only party in the world that is doing this. this is the answer to your question of why is it that jeremy corbyn's labour party are picking up votes and support, unlike other left wing parties around the world. sofia, definitely, the uk labour party represents a beacon of hope but throughout this interview you have been saying we must do this, we must do that, and i have been pointing out that actually in the real world and the world of opinion polls and politics, you ideals are not adding very much traction, if we leave aside the united kingdom. i disagree with you. is there a point where you at some point say to yourself democratic politics does not work, one labour mps said recently we need to topple this government, if we can't do it at the ballot box, we will do it with a general strike by working with a general strike by working with the trade unions. is that your kind of politics? well, firstly a strike is not illegal the first time i checked. i am not saying it is

illegal, i am saying is that your view of where your kind of politics needs to go? firstly, let's be very clear because these are dangerous politics with the rise of extremists around the world and we have to be very be in a language and in the way that we support democracy. so the a nswer that we support democracy. so the answer directly, i am going to quote from winston churchill, the democratic process is pretty awful, it is pretty nasty, but it is the best of all alternatives, and we have to be prepared to defend it with our lives. i think that is a pretty straightforward a nswer your question. our weather strikes are pa rt question. our weather strikes are part of the political democratic process , part of the political democratic process, i do believe that they are. and on that note, we have the end. —— now, whether strikes are part. thank you. thank you. good morning.

it's been a lovely spell of autumn warmth for some of you so far this week. yesterday, we saw temperatures reach 2a degrees in lincolnshire. same spots, though, by the time we hit friday could be a good 10 degrees lower, if not a little bit more. and it's during the next 2a hours we'll see those changes take place. it's all because we've got cold air at the moment pooling to the north of this weather front, which is set to work its way southwards. to start the day, it's across parts of north and west scotland, and because of the more cloudier outbreaks of rain, notice the warm colours on the temperature chart to start the day. coolest colours in the south, where we've got temperatures in single figures for the morning commute, even a touch of frost in one or two spots. but lots of sunshine through england and wales to start with. bit more cloud north—west england perhaps compared with yesterday. sunshine to the south and east of scotland, northern ireland, but in the north and west, cloud, outbreaks of rain, most persistent in the highlands and islands in the morning before it turns to sunshine and showers,

as that showery band of rain pushes across the rest of scotland through the day, northern ireland into the afternoon and the far north of england. and so by the end of the day, notice how we reverse the fortunes. cooler air‘s to the north, warmer air‘s to the south, where we could be a degree or so higher as far as temperatures are concerned than we were during yesterday afternoon. the sunshine continues. finished with sunshine across the north, but temperatures in the teens. those clearer skies will work their way southwards behind a fragmenting area of cloud and just one or two showers as it works towards southern counties of england. not quite clear on the south coast for the start of friday, so it'll be a milder night here to take us into friday morning rush—hour. a colder one further north with a touch of frost possible just about anywhere. into friday, high pressure is building in, keeping things dry. but as that cold front clears away, we've got all of us seeing the door open to the colder conditions. so a much chillier day on friday right from the start. we'll see the morning cloud in southern counties of england clear. that will lead to some sunnier conditions for the rest of the day. sunny spells really for most, just a few showers in the north and west of scotland, northern ireland later.

but friday, note the temperatures, 12—16 degrees — a big drop on what some have been used to so far this week. and we continue with the cool conditions through the night and into the start of the weekend. high pressure, though, largely in charge. so a dry start, even if it's a little bit of a frosty one for some of you. sunshine best across england and wales, but clouding over to scotland, northern ireland through the day. showers and outbreaks of rain mainly limited to the highlands and islands, and temperatures still generally around the mid—teens for the most part. by sunday, though, we'll see a bit more cloud drift southwards across england and wales. greater chance ofjust one or two showers here and there. showery scene, though, both scotland and northern ireland. bit more of a breeze, and we stay with things on the cool side. a big change from what we've had so far this week. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: president trump attacks brett kavanaugh's accusers but says thursday's testimony on sexual misconduct could change his mind on that crucial supreme court nomination. they're giving the women a major chance to speak.

now, it's possible i'll hear that and i'll say, "hey, i'm changing my mind." that is possible. an investigative website reveals that one of the suspects in the salisbury nerve agent attack is a high—ranking russian spy. as many more lose their lives, others give up and head home — a special report from libya on the desperate migrants who fail to cross the sea to europe. playstation gives in to gamers, allowing fortnite fans to compete with players on rival consoles for the first time.