we have rachel reeves. and a guest, back by popular demand. president of the lib dems. and in a few minutes time, we'll be joined by nic robertson, who is one of many people today battling his way through lots of securi security. let's join any colleague norman smith who is live. >> the government's plans for the second half of this parliament, what might be dubbed coalition phase two. >> thank you very much. and it is reassuring, on a morning like this, to say that some things never change. the color and traditions of the state opening should be very

familiar to most of us anyway. a short while ago, one of the early ceremonial parts of the day, the guard, we'll see lots of them today, where they performed their ceremonial search of the palace of westminster. >> slow march. >> this was a short while ago, officially the queen's bodyguard. and with the lanterns and swords at the ready, they assure that all is secure for the queen to attend the state opening.

the yeoman were the ones who thwa thwarted an intrusion in 1865. that's a little sense of the job right before you there. when we see the crowd in the house lords, they will be accompanied later on by members of the government and the opposition, and leading the way will be the prime minister, who's just left downing street, by the way, he left just a few minutes ago, with his wife samantha. and there's been lots of focus the last few days, precisely what mr. cameron would insist on giving priority to. we'll be discussing that with our guests in a few moments time. back in 2010, very early days of the coalition. we had a statement that day, we had mr. cameron just coming to number 10 as prime minister and

deputy leaving number ten. we have a joint show from them yesterday, didn't we? when they appeared at that factory in essex. today we don't have a joint show in that respect. mr. clegg has just left himself. he left a few moments before mr. cameron. a quick good morning for those waiting -- don't really blame him, it's been a rather gray drizzly day so far at westminster. we have seen some sunshine in other parts of the u.k., if you're in the sunny part of the u.k. today, we envy you. >> in a way, the queen's speech -- it's a problem of communication according to the prime minister. to others, it's not just communication. there's specific concerns about the substance of the budget. more concerns about the coalition's priorities in this new program.

let's here from norman smith again what he thinks is at stake. >> reporter: in government, helps to have a grand vision, a big picture. why? because it gives you a sense of perspective, direction, momentum. and in the early days of the coalition, there was a real buzz about it. >> reporter: emergency budgets. radical welfare reform, sweeping changes to schools. >> the pace was relentless. we could hardly keep up. but then the pace dropped off. the nhs report got bogged down, hacking claimed time and high profile victims. the unions went on strike. the eurozone and the economy ground to a halt. ♪ >> reporter: but the trumpets could herald a moment of change for the coalition, with problems

seemingly mounting on all sides. so today's queen speech is vital, a chance to regain momentum. when her majesty arrives here. when you appear behind the scenes, it's hard to see this much in this queen's speech. >> and that's dangerous. if you don't keep your back benches busy, they no longer look kindly upon you. small things start to dominate. bad headlines follow. voters start to dessert the polls. and one time coalition colleagues fall out with each other. and friends become foes. ministers, inevitably seek to talk up this queen's speech with, plans for banking reform,

a national crime agency. and something on lords reform. but will those measures be enough to relaunch the coalition and make it a big enough splash. >> you see, the queen's speech needs to send out a clear course through the murky westminster waters. otherwise it signals drift. and drift is dangerous. >> that's norman's take on what's at stake. nick has just joined us. it's good to see you again. let's have a quick thought from the guests first of all on what we're expecting today. are are we going to see one big piece of legislation that will dominate the rest? >> no, i think not. not unless the government choses to drive house of lords reform through -- against unwilling conservative back benches and against the house of lords. if they do chose to do that, it

will dominate, can you already see the signs of nervousness in the government, the prime minister hinting that he likes the idea of a referendum, talking about not using the parliament act, as the act that allows you to force something through the house of the lords. just say, give parliament a chance to think about this, to see if they could reach a consensus. i could save them a lot of time, there isn't one. so they need not have a bill. there's going to be one. if they don't do that, the other things that will take up time, important reforms on the banking sector. important reforms on adoption. important reforms on parental leave, important reforms on a whole series of areas there, which will make the big music, the big noise if you like in politics, but will change people's lives. >> the main thing for you will be what today? >> it will be building on the

economy, and fix public finances. also, as nick says, bringing forward measures that will really make a difference to people if their everyday lives, around flexible parental leafs. adoption which is particularly important. support for families with children with special needs. things for a long time that have needed reform, but haven't had them, pushing them back, and of course reforms to things like the criminal justice system, they actually really work in not just providing a punishment, but informing the offender. >> unless i missed it, there was no mention of the house of lords there? >> it's been in every party's manifesto in the last general election. >> it should go through like a breeze. >> i think there will be a debate on it, as tim rightly says -- the choice we face is pretty straight forwards in many respects. do we have the house of lords

that's essentially been put there by party leaders or do we want a house of lords that is put in by the public? i think that's what it boils down to. i think the latter is better. >> priority for you would be what? >> getting the economy back on track. the economy's flat lined for 18 months, the unemployment is at a 17-year high, we desperately need some action to get the economy moving and to get people back to work. actually, those are the ingredients you need to get the deficit down as well. more people in work. fewer people receiving benefits. >> we carry on the discussion, because i wanted to show first elements of our live ceremonial this morning, which is just getting underway, and this is at the sovereign entrance. here we have a dismounted attachment -- the legend by the state trumpeters. they will be taking up their positions on the sovereign state

case. and they will form a guard in effect for the queen when she and the duke arrive in a short while. and these members of the house that we can see now, lifeguards on the right. they're still in training. for lots them, it is their first real experience today of a major ceremonial occasion. a lot of pressure on them. and they were businessly rehearsing yesterday. just chatting to them, they were looking for it, they clearly understood there would be lots of eyes on them today for the precision of their movement. there we are, they're in place. the dismounted attachment. and that really is the first part of our ceremonial -- lots more to come. in terms of the debate, we're debating in the studio here about the priorities, and we're

debating inside parliament -- let's join norm again. >> the queen's speech is traditionally a moment when governments can set out their big message. if you like a mission statement to the electorate. also banking reform, trying to get more powers to customers and also shareholders, is there an overall narrative, a big message? to consider that, i'm joined by the deputy chairman, and the little democrats julian hubbard. let me start with you. what is the big message from this queen's speech? >> sorting out the deficit helps us get the economy growing faster and helps us build a fairer and more responsible society. you're going to see bills that not only clear up the last mess we've been left with from the financial crisis, but move forward, the new crime bill, bills to do the pensions, bills

to help families facing a difficult time, help them through the recession. >> you guys -- imagine you have a labor government, what would be the core message you would want to get over if there was a labor queen's speech? >> i think it's clearly important that we have a plan for the growth of the economy and jobs. there's nothing that has been done in the last two years, actually led to employment and in fact we keep going into double dip recession. what labor party -- i would like to see my party do, take the text back and in fact spend that money which has been effective to older people. to test the 100,000 young people, to also introduce legislation which ensure energy companies. the 4 million pensions -- >> let me just ask julian hubbard. the house of lords reform appears to be your key demand.

>> house of lords reform is indeed important. we are elected by the public rather than be appointed. there are a number of other things i'm hoping will happen, one is a grocery adjudicator, we see the supermarkets taking advantage of farmers, and don't provide service to the public as a result. we have to fix that. and also libel. we need to fix the chilling effect. particularly to scientists. >> thank you so much. so few there. big messages, mp's want to hear. we'll be watching that house of lords reform bill, which is likely to be one of the most contentious measures. >> indeed, thanks very much. with that in mind, we're looking at the house of lords side of the palace of westminster. this is the majestic royal gallery, it's the great chamber next to the house of lords. lots of great state occasions. including addresses by heads of

state. they've included nicolas sarkozy in the first great joyful days of his presidency. which we're now seeing in the final days of the election over the weekend. and taking their place to form the guard. we saw them a short while ago, performing their ceremonial search. very bright striking tudor scarlet costumes, using the hats they've used for 500 years, with the ribbons and bows tied around them. the yeoman of the guards are one of the queen's bodyguard. they have more than one form of the bodyguard on duty today. we'll see some them later on. they've taken their place there, and they've been a feature of these ceremony events for many hundreds of years. they were created back in 1485. so the ceremonial elements are

taking shape. and the queen's speech itself is taking shape because we have a good idea what's included. an important point about the econo economy. one of the features, of course, of the speech is that we will not see specific measures to do with dealing with the deficit or promoting growth in a broad global sense. getting a handle on it in that way is slightly more tricky. >> it's tricky for any government to use the queen's speech -- >> the reality of the queen's speech, it isn't some party manifesto. it's kind of a negotiation between ministers, in this case between coalition ministers. there are things that have been waiting maybe three or four years, across governments. different political complexions. and then what politicians do. no, no, the queen's speech is really all about x. it's never all about anything. it's about what they agree they have time for.

it's a particular problem at the moment. the labor department highlighting the lack of economic growth. growth doesn't tend to will come through government bills. whether you think the government should change its policy or stick to its policy. it's not essentially about new laws. and, therefore, although there are things will party will argue for. although there may be measures in law to help with youth unemployment programs, the central debate about the economy won't be in new laws, you can bet your bottom dollar, the first few words will all be about the economy, that's the message the government -- >> we're seeing the rah gail ya escort arriving, and this really is the demonstration of the sovereign's authority before the queen arrives. we have the imperial state crown which arrives and delivers in safe hands at the palace of

westminster, ready to be warn by the queen through the gallery and into the house of lords itself. we have orem emblems too of royal authority. an interesting sequence here, because what happens is that the crown jeweller will be present to look after the crown. to take it out to the state coach itself. and then we have -- there's the crown jeweller, just stepping up to do his duty. and then it will be transferred into the hands of the gentleman on the right who's the barge master. the queen's barge master. a very ancient office in the royal household. going back many centuries, and really a reminder of the time they travelled up and down the water. they would play an important role. making a note of the barge master's role, he has the crown

safely, and will now give it to andrew ford who is controller of the lord chamberlain's office at buckingham palace in charge of these occasions. charged of the ceremonial part of the queen's diamond. they will take the crown into the bottom end of the rah gail ya rule, where it will be given a final polish and check by the crown jeweller and will then be taken up to be put on display on the royal gallery itself. imperial state crown, which is only used at coronations and the state opening of parliament. it's a rare thing for us to see it. and it's -- it is a replica of the crown that queen victoria

used. this precise one was made back in 1937 for the queen's father, for the coronation of george vi, the stones were transformed into a new design for this one. just looking down the staircase into the regalia room, a little bit of rearranging going on there. maybe they'll even change the cushion. there's a different cushion to be used for the gallery. let's look at the house lords. what we have there is this magnificent sight. dominated by the throwns of the far end. worth having a look quickly at some of the splendid features of this chamber, designed by barry. lots of the coats of arms of monarchs going over the centuries. return from exile after the death of cromwell, lots of these

coats of arms around the chamber itself. and the windows are magnificent too. they are more recent. the old windows were destroyed in the second world war. they had lots of raw crests on them. these are coats of arms going back over the centuries. a slightly different combination of art going on. they're magnificent. these windows are from 1950. and the main focus of the chamber is the thrown. a pair of throwns in this case. one slightly raised. and the consort on the right. and all within this magnificent canopy. a canopy of state really, intricately carved english oak and covered in gold. it's breathtaking, really. that's the focus of the room.

and that really is the effect of it, everyone looks toward the thrown as they will when with the queen arrives in a short while to deliver the speech. final adjustments have been made hp andrew ford very carefully brings the crown out of the regalia room, and prepares to take it into the royal gallery. we had a glimpse of the other two symbols i mentioned just a short while ago. i'll tell you what they are, the sort of state, and the maintenance, which will come into view in a second. these are important parts of the tradition of the ceremony today as well. the crown symbolizes the queen's authority. the sovereign's authority in parliament. the crown in parliament as we call it, the way the british constitution is bolted together.

and then the cap maintenance a reminder of the days when the pope would recount those monarchs that he favored. and we still have the cap today as a symbol of the monarch's authority. that will be put on display, but all of that comes after the crown is put on display carefully by the lord chamberlain, the man who's in charge of the royal parts of the palace of westminster. 3,000 precious stones in the imperial state crown. some of the biggest diamonds in the world. and now we see the two other elements of this particular ceremony. i mentioned the cap.

cap being brought in by lieutenant colonel allison. sword of state used at the coronation of james ii back in 1685. carefully placed, and now the cap on a stick. because when the cap was presented to monarchs in the past, it had been carried through the streets on the end of a sword or stick. that's the reason for that kind of display we see. we have the three great symbols of sovereign power in the gallery. and before long, after the queens arrival, that is. the crown will be taken into the robing room ready for the queen to get ready for that process n procession. so we're getting there. the ceremony is gently, efficiently taking place.

justine the thought on the economy, because it's been raised now, and it's clearly going to be on lots of viewers minds today, if we don't see great measures in the queen's speech, it's important to realize you're still wanting viewers and voters to realize that is your main priority? >> that's right. i think everybody knows that we came into government two years ago, inheriting an economy that didn't live within its means, and we have to move from that position to public services that are affordable for the public. and the country where our public finances are in far better shape is growing again. we have as nick said, a lot of the things that we've done haven't needed a bill to help shape our economy. some of the things do. so we've had to reform welfare, are for example. the labor party wasn't willing to support some of the difficult

decisions. we've also brought forward a number of measures, whether it's corporation tax, getting rid of the jobs tax, which is easy to forget, businesses were facing a high national insurance a couple years ago. you won't see -- >> the heralds on their way through the gallery, they're the keepers of records of the guards. led by the principle, thomas woodcock who is very experienced as a herald, but new to the

role. they're making their way down through the royal gallery into the norman porch ready for the queen's arrival at the palace. very soon at buckingham palace, the stroke of 11:00 we have the queen's departure from buckingham palace. in this diamond jubilee year of 2012, the queen is ready to attend her 59th state opening of parliament which is a remarkable statist statistic. her majesty has only missed two state openings during her reign. so the queen has started her journey from the palace down whitehall, and the heralds are now in place led by thomas

woodcock on the right. the leading herald ready for the queen's arrival. we were just having a chat about the economy as we look at the pictures. from your point of view, we've heard firmly they spent two years cleaning up your mess, basically. that's the message, isn't it? >> well, two years ago -- >> two years ago, the economy was growing, unemployment was falling. and the budget deficit was coming down. unemployment was rising, a 17-year high with more than a million young people out of work. the economy is in a double dip session, and also the government is now set to borrow 150 million pounds more than they planned, the reality is, if you have more people out of work claiming benefits, fewer businesses succeeding and paying taxes. you end up having to borrow more, and not less. what labor are proposing, is that in this queen's speech, we should you have a job's program

to help get young people back to work. families at the moment are facing a huge squeeze in their living standards with the prices of everything increasing and in comes a flat in many cases. people are having to work part term versus full time. labor again are proposing in this queen's speech. we have specific actions so they cannot increase fares by more than 1% of inflation. and also the government and regulators can take more action when consumers are being ripped off. they can really help families facing huge pressure at the moment. >> which would you disagree with? >> i hope we're going to see stuff within the green speech which will be very much an attack of the reality out there. we take westminster language. you talk to people as i do,

every day in my neck of the woods, they are bothered about their incomes, worried about their jobs, what comes next. you do not legislate yourself out of a crisis. it's not about passing bills, we don't win wars by passing lots of laws, either you deal with the basket case we've inherited. whether you blame labor or the coalition. we try to correct it for the interests of everybody out there. particular those in the lowest and middle incomes. one thing i think will help hugely. if you trace back the source of this crisis. labor spends too much on the public sector, i'm not sure. deregulate and let them off the leash. that's really the genesis of the mess, and what this queen speech will do today i'm hopeful, is to regulate that to split the banks in two, to make sure the casino banking is not protected, but the economy is