tonight, we'll discuss the migrant crisis as over 400

across the english channel today . is the government any closer , . is the government any closer, any form of solution, energy policy , new splits emerging policy, new splits emerging among us mps and some real questions about smart metres in your home. and joining me on talking pints tonight john , the talking pints tonight john, the former us ambassador to , the un. former us ambassador to, the un. he was national security with donald trump. we'll be talking china. we'll be talking . we'll china. we'll be talking. we'll be talking russia . and, of be talking russia. and, of course, the war in ukraine. i'll ask him. is american politics now. a but before all of that, let's get the news with tatiana sanchez. let's get the news with tatiana sanchez . thank you, nigel. this sanchez. thank you, nigel. this is the latest from . the gb is the latest from. the gb newsroom more than 50 conservative mps have signed a letter urging the prime minister to introduce emergency legislation to ease the migrant crisis. they want modern laws

changed so that are returned to safe countries faster. they also , those who claim they've been trafficked , should be sent back trafficked, should be sent back without object . signatories, without object. signatories, including graham brady and esther mcvey believe it would deter people crossing the channel to news understands almost 450 people have been intercepted on nine small boats. so far today . the government is so far today. the government is considering asking the armed forces to stand for hospital staff during possible strike this winter. health officials are drawing up contingency to cover frontline workers as ambulance and drivers and. paramedics consider joining nurses in their upcoming walkouts . the health secretary, walkouts. the health secretary, steve barclay's says they're concerned about the impact the action could have on patients . action could have on patients. the foreign secretary is backing the right to peaceful in china over covid protesters turned again this evening despite strong police presence. it

follows demonstrations over the weekend started after ten people were killed in a fire at an apartment block . protesters apartment block. protesters blame quarantine saying that they prevented victims from escaping . national grid has escaping. national grid has decided not to introduce its energy saving scheme tomorrow paying energy saving scheme tomorrow paying households if they can't power usage. the move would have been the first ever live run of the operators demand flexibility service designed to ease pressure on the country's energy grid and avoid blackouts . the grid and avoid blackouts. the government is launching a £1 billion scheme to make middle income homes more energy efficient . the three year scheme efficient. the three year scheme will see hundreds of thousands of homes receive loft and cavity wall insulation from the spring. households that don't currently get support to upgrade their homes will be prioritised whilst fifth of the funding will be set aside for the most vulnerable and ukrainian families joined the prime minister in switching on the christmas lights at

street this evening. a warning the following contains flashing images . to one oh mr. sunak, images. to one oh mr. sunak, welcome ukrainians to the annual tradition , including those from tradition, including those from conflict zones in the east and the south of ukraine. well, earlier today the first lady of ukraine hung ornaments . the tree ukraine hung ornaments. the tree with the prime minister's wife elena zelenskyy's expected to address mps and peers tomorrow as part of her visit . tv and as part of her visit. tv and dab+ radio . this is gb news. now dab+ radio. this is gb news. now it's back to garage . it's back to garage. good robust pragmatism . yes. good robust pragmatism. yes. that's the new phrase we heard overnight . and it's being overnight. and it's being appued overnight. and it's being applied to foreign policy with china and with russia. i sense

perhaps this is the new creep of the sunak government. rebel east pragmatism. but quite what that will do to sort out the english channel crisis. i simply don't know. after two weeks of very bad weather today , seas were bad weather today, seas were calmer and they'll stay that until at least thursday of this week, over 400 people crossed today. here's an update on those crossing , but also on the crossing, but also on the growing over diphtheria from gb news this home affairs editor mark white. just after light, the border force typhoon could be seen . dover harbour with the be seen. dover harbour with the first of hundreds of migrants picked up in the channel this morning . around 50 people were morning. around 50 people were taken on board typhoon for the journey to the dover processing centre for more than a fortnight . bad weather has largely scuppered attempts by the criminal gangs to push boats off the beaches of north france in

since the 13th of november, just one small boat with three six people on board has it across the english channel, but conditions are now flat calm, meaning some of the who've been waiting in various makeshift camps around dunkirk and carly are funnelled down to the beaches and on to the boats. increasingly frustrated at the government's seeming inability to get a grip on the crisis around 50 conservative mps have written to the prime minister , written to the prime minister, demanding he introduce emergency legislation to deal, in particular with the number of albino arriving in small boats . albino arriving in small boats. they want all albanian is rapidly removed back their own country and danny claimed to have been trafficked also returned home. one of the problems is the longer you take the more appeals you get a harsh

truth. if here for a couple of weeks they'll find a british lawyer and away they . if they're lawyer and away they. if they're here for a couple years they'll meet somebody, get married, have children and then then the stories over they can stay because they have family rights. the cooking do it the better . the cooking do it the better. are you concerned about the spread of other diseases? some secretary. it is yet more pressure on the home secretary already with the consequences of dozens of migrants who were infected with diphtheria being farmed out to various hotels around the uk , even though they around the uk, even though they were highly . the home secretary were highly. the home secretary . i were updated on the situation over the weekend by. dame jenny harries of the hsa who to us that 50 cases of diphtheria have been reported in asylum accommodation. it's important emphasise that uk hsa has been clear that the risk to the wider uk population from

onward transmission diphtheria is very low , thanks in no small is very low, thanks in no small part our excellent childhood immunised asian programme. it is a growing health crisis within a migrant crisis that shows no sign of slowing with good weather conditions throughout most of this week . authorities most of this week. authorities are braced the possibility that those more could cross the channelin those more could cross the channel in the days ahead . mark channel in the days ahead. mark white . gb news. so you might ask white. gb news. so you might ask yourself , white. gb news. so you might ask yourself, given white. gb news. so you might ask yourself , given they knew there yourself, given they knew there were cases of diphtheria in ftx , why are people being farmed out around the country with 50 that we know of? been put in hotels all over our nation. well, the reason is a series of legal challenges . you see, ftx legal challenges. you see, ftx is not supposed to hold for more than 24 hours. so there are about four judicial reviews lining up, believe it, or it not. those are pushing these

reviews . actually, what those reviews. actually, what those who were held in ftx for long penods who were held in ftx for long periods of time to receive wait for it. i you're sitting down up t 0 £5,000 income penn station . i to £5,000 income penn station. i think many of these leftist groups even if we put them up in the ritz, it frankly wouldn't be good enough. but think about the health implications . you see, health implications. you see, a letter was revealed by my former mep colleague stephen wolf, dated august . 27th 2021. this dated august. 27th 2021. this was in regard to people settling here from , afghanistan . it said here from, afghanistan. it said those that come from afghanistan should be put and cared . a should be put and cared. a managed quarantine services . and managed quarantine services. and the reason for this was all too clear that in afghan a certain hepatitis b is ten times more prevalent than it is in the uk. hepatitis b, folks, is very, very infectious . the letter goes very infectious. the letter goes on to say that. tuberculosis is

very in afghanistan and, including forms of tb that are drug resistant. all this at risk from typhoid too. so we've known about this for over a year and yet pushing lawyers have had those people taken out of ftx you see the point is folks all while we're signed up to the eci all the while we have an outdated u.n. definition of what a is. these problems in, my view, will go on. you tell me. robust pragmatism, solve this problem, faraj ? well, i'm by a problem, faraj? well, i'm by a conservative of parliament, jake berry, until recently very recently, chairman of the mp for rossendale and darwen. jake david davis, has got 50 mps to sign a letter to say . if you've sign a letter to say. if you've come from the safe country , you come from the safe country, you know, a country that is a negative member, really, you applicant that actually the modern slavery laws should be amended and people could be sent straight back is david davis and

he's colleagues. are they on the right track with this? yeah, i think they i mean we should think they are. i mean we should be really proud in this country of, the modern day act. of, the modern day slavery act. it's something parliament it's something that parliament did. leader in did. we were a global leader in field get things. all field where we get things. all laws to abuse and we laws are open to abuse and we should never shy away from them. david is right. he's picked up on point. i you've picked on this point. i you've picked up previously that people who come claim to be come here and claim to be victims modern don't victims of modern often don't say that so we've had two or 3 hours with one of these highly paid lawyers at the taxpayers who's paying for to say the who's paying for them to say the system is being abused. and i think the government look think the government should look at quickly at changing. yeah. quickly i suggest the country's suggest because the country's getting upset. yeah, but getting pretty upset. yeah, but can't throw the out with getting pretty upset. yeah, but can bathwatere out with getting pretty upset. yeah, but can bathwater because ut with the bathwater because this is a good piece of legislation that is being abused by people who want remain in the want to use it to remain in the uk. we should, we should change rather scrap it. jake rather than scrap it. jake energy, energy energy. energy, energy, energy energy. our problems with energy wind energy. it was during cameron's time that political pressure against , time that political pressure against, onshore wind farms was appued. against, onshore wind farms was applied . i was part of that in

applied. i was part of that in 2013 and 20 up in court. obviously that's a blow for every single . well you know every single. well you know there are actually they don't really work very well. they massive subsidies but you're very much in favour. are you ? very much in favour. are you? bofis very much in favour. are you? boris used to call the white satanic mills, which i think, you know, in the north thing that we can understand. no, no country is sovereign without having its own sovereign energy supply at the moment. we are, you know, being to ransom by a hostile foreign power, which is the reason when your bill drops on your letterbox or arrives in your inbox, you get that bill shock of that huge bill. so the government has to have a plan to become self—sufficient energy. and think that turbines and by and i think that turbines and by the way, fracking as well which i probably when i was going to come with liz truss are part of that mix the wind doesn't always blow the sun doesn't always shine. this is the they shine. this is the problem they should of mix and we should be part of mix and we have facto ban but i'm have a de facto ban but i'm calling simon calling calling simon clarke's calling for been supporting is for i've been supporting him is let's de facto ban let's reverse that de facto ban with a referendum talk local

with a referendum talk to local communities a legally binding referendum but them a stake. maybe they get paid having them nearby that gives them stake . nearby that gives them a stake. well could be part well actually that could be part of nhs actually they're of our nhs actually they're already. here's point. know already. here's the point. know i've update in i've got the update in everyone's and i was everyone's paper and i was looking well but looking at them. well true. but i'm having a look this. i'm just having a look at this. i'm just having a look at this. i mean obe are updated i mean is the obe are updated figures from the autumn statement from jeremy and since 2012 our renewable subsidies have been £78 billion. between now and 28 there'll be a further £56 billion. now i could live with wind energy , but not with with wind energy, but not with the poor having these these subsidies added to on bill, it's wrong. it may be an opportunity to revisit that as well, but don't think we should be turning our back in any form of energy when what our country desperately. i know you agree with this because we've discussed is be discussed it before. is to be self—sufficient should be self—sufficient so you should be pursuing gas include pursuing nuclear gas include non—conventional gas fracking as everyone calls it wind turbines solar farms whatever we need to do whatever it takes. we cannot let he be held to ransom by

hostile . you know, i agree on hostile. you know, i agree on that. i just all i'm saying to you is that onshore and offshore wind is very expensive. it is the poorer people pro—rata that are for this because are paying for this because energy , a much percentage energy, a much bigger percentage of overall . and the for of their overall. and the for the next three days this week there'll be no wind. yeah, but i think we've to on too. think we've got to come on too. but people also paying but poor people are also paying for new nuclear. i mean just part of our mix . the part of our energy mix. the great i think we've made great mistake i think we've made is move away from more is to move away from more traditional of energy generation like and, like gas, like nuclear and, like gas, historically, coal power stations and have this sort of reliance only on renewables. we needit reliance only on renewables. we need it all that we do and i noficed need it all that we do and i noticed yesterday that our coal imports are doubling this year we're up with coal just in case . we get problems in the winter and there's pit. we've got billions of pounds of and that's why i'm also in of reopening the metal surgical coal mine, which is in cumbria the i'm also thinking about at the moment i say why would we import coal from elsewhere in the world which is often extracted to a

much lower standard to do it here the they don't have here in the uk they don't have the of carbon scrubbing the sort of carbon scrubbing that we would have to carbon dioxide of the from the dioxide out of the from the power stations. why we do that when we have billions of pounds with , a free energy not free, with, a free energy not free, but billions pounds worth of energy under off when it comes to energy , when it comes to the to energy, when it comes to the cross—channel well, it's becoming an emergency. think, frankly, in political terms when it comes to housing for the, you know quite a big rebellion these are just normal debates that are going on within conservative party. real genuine party. these are real genuine splits. the honeymoon is over, isn't it ? well, i think they all isn't it? well, i think they all the normal debates i think this is actually a return to politics as normal conservatives should be arguing about policy. as normal conservatives should be arguing about policy . we be arguing about policy. we don't by 2022, we have as much that full full knowledge over. but we shouldn't be arguing about policy so low on the housing my view is we need to build more houses. i don't think that should be directly by whitehall set targets whitehall centrally set targets because i'm a localist. i actually believe devolution

actually believe in devolution devolving much power as devolving as much power as possible. want a wind possible. if you want a wind turbine, you should have a local vote it. you want vote on it. if you want fracking. i would do that because what everyone? because i know what if everyone? no. know that's no. well you know that's democracy . everyone with democracy. everyone agrees with referendum you know referendum results, as you know very, very familiar with that. it's democracy, isn't it? yeah, i'm intrigued. it's on the housing. i'll look out my door and how sure i, i've got and how i'm sure and i, i've got three kids every house got three kids every house has got under the it's where my under the family. it's where my kids older. i think people kids get older. i think people understand that have build understand that we have to build more think energy more houses. i think the energy people need to people understand we need to become i think, you know, on become and i think, you know, on on on other issues there's an active the next active debate is the next election lost already? no, i don't think is. i can see don't think it is. i can see a path through to victory. but what conservatives what the conservatives to do is regain a reputation for competence and delivery . and the competence and delivery. and the biggest issue that i pick up on my doorsteps in the red wall as my doorsteps in the red wall as my constituency is immigration. yeah, we've got a grip issue. if we grip that issue, we've got a chance. back of a word. chance. if back of a word. sorry, barry. thank you very much indeed. but i don't agree with on energy. but

with them at on wind energy. but the basic idea that we need whatever we can get i do go along with that very, very strongly. a moment, we're strongly. in a moment, we're going deeper into energy going to dig deeper into energy policy and in particular, what's to people with smart metres. some of them are beginning to have a very tough time .

robust pragmatism. i can just imagine the sort of 24 year old oxbridge graduate with a fast would have design term. there was always an demobbed yes. the pubuc was always an demobbed yes. the public will really buy that. of course the truth is no one even understands what it means least of all. may i ask you whether this new approach would the cross—channel emergency and rex says don't be silly , we've says don't be silly, we've already solved it by the small but equally good risk. already solved it by the small but equally good risk . jay says, but equally good risk. jay says, no , because even this ambiguous

no, because even this ambiguous term which no doubt some spin doctor. yes absolutely came up with , indicative of deceptive, with, indicative of deceptive, careless attitude, if he was going to sort it, he'd say something blunt like, i'm going to sort it. not much chance that another says, what's your solution nigel? because taking back control after brexit didn't work. no it hasn't worked actually on legal or illegal immigration. actually on legal or illegal immigration . well mercifully we immigration. well mercifully we were spared being fully part of a common eu energy policy as. countries like germany have made it even bigger mess. i know it's difficult to believe , but they difficult to believe, but they have big a mess of things that we have. but that's to not say we have. but that's to not say we haven't got our very deep problems. we do today. we haven't got our very deep problems. we do today . supposed problems. we do today. supposed to quite a big day with a big to be quite a big day with a big grid announcement. don't think it's really quite happened . it's really quite happened. friend of this programme is somebody for has been somebody for months has been warning about just how grave the situation might get this winter is energy analyst clive moffitt and joins me this evening in the

studio. good evening. so we were supposed to hear some big announcement from grid today about perhaps incentives easing us not using energy . what us not using energy. what happened? no, i was slightly perturbed that i thought was the announcement was made out of a much bigger and more important than it was, to be frank thinking by a frightened a few people there who are thinking we're going to have blackouts. and i think you've got a in mind that what the grid have been doing merely doing some tests doing is merely doing some tests for customers to see for the customers octopus to see if they be responsive turn it if they be responsive to turn it off if they were paid to do so. yeah. and all it is a way of mitigating the risk . a blackout mitigating the risk. a blackout by to sort of phase out bit of demand at peak time and nobody quite how many people will participate or what the scale of it would be, what impact it will be in on total demand at peak times . i be in on total demand at peak times. i would have played it

down if i had been grid that of actually sort of had a few real of it before making announcement. yeah it's . a bit announcement. yeah it's. a bit of all day. now one issue, clive, that i've been talking about with people are smart metres because i have had people knock on my door, i've had letters that i get a smart metre, a electricity smart metre and i have been suspicious, sceptical of these metres and. what i've been learning over the course of the last few days. it's not to my surprise at all, is that of course, actually, if haven't paid your electricity bill or if you're behind they put you on a tariff or you have to basically start to pay in advance sorry pre—payment prepayment . and if you don't do prepayment. and if you don't do it at the click of a button , if it at the click of a button, if energy goes and it started to happen to people, presumably if you have a smart metre and there is a shortage of energy, they could also you have to manage demand couldn't that. yeah the two things we just discussed in

a related because i think one of the real motivations the suppues the real motivations the supplies being pushing grid to some kind of mini auction amongst consumers about wanting to be turned off is to get them onto smart metres because you can't in this unless you're on the half a metre. so once they them on the metres, then they are subject if they're in arrears to being cut off as said and without notice . and this , i and without notice. and this, i think this is terrible. and without notice. and this, i think this is terrible . here we think this is terrible. here we are looking at the greater good. we spending billions of our money subsidising the energy . so money subsidising the energy. so that they can hedge the cost between wholesale price of gas and what they and the benchmark and what they and the benchmark and in return what we get what are the consumers getting back that at the very least you'd expect that the suppliers should be bending over backwards to compete each other to offer easy

payment schemes or some kind non—food payment schemes , not non—food payment schemes, not forcing people on to make it. they can press a button now , you they can press a button now, you know, it's interesting, i said to you folks a few months ago, i promise you it was no conspiracy theory. it is coming true . they theory. it is coming true. they get pretty heavy when trying to get pretty heavy when trying to get you to take a smart metre. but they can't force you, can they. no. right. remember that . they. no. right. remember that. they can't force you. my is. don't get a smart metre unless you already . the other issue is you already. the other issue is if you have volunteer with your suppuer if you have volunteer with your supplier like octopus to say i would be prepared to my appliances down at time under the scheme we would discuss . if the scheme we would discuss. if you don't do that , there's no you don't do that, there's no there's nothing they can do apart from see from the phone metre that. you haven't done it right. yeah nope, nope, nope. no i get metres. not a great little clarity in this office . and what clarity in this office. and what will you have discussed here? nine months ago was the need for a public campaign without penalties to actually get to encourage them to show how they could reduce their energy bills

. and we finally, finally last week we got commitments for , £25 week we got commitments for, £25 million of public information programme. yeah now split within the governing over on the show wind thoughts so don't show wind. well if you're let's put it this way if a fan of green energy and wind farms you'll be looking to try get a significant scale of the exercise and provides you with bigger turbines bigger and effectively greater a lower cost per unit of creative . and they do cost more creative. and they do cost more a lot more and their lifetime is a lot more and their lifetime is a little bit questionable in terms where they are. we don't know. doing maintenance costs we don't know. so it's an unknown factor on onshore. onshore you say, well, but the problem with it is that i think the last few days when the wind hasn't been blowing is testament again , blowing is testament again, isn't it, the fact that rishi prime minister was wrong to say

27 that renewables is the to energy security because the true cost of wind and i really get tired of people saying it's the cheapest form of energy known to man it's just they don't take account the transportation costs of getting remote energy to centres of demand it transport costs that we all pay factored into our bills and costs of having to pay for gas and in some cases coal to come on board short term to the deficiency when . they're not working. yeah. when. they're not working. yeah. so as you what looks like the cost actually an awful lot we have to do the other thing is the latest announcement which we must start in is the latest announcement from shapps is that wants to set up a gb nuclear bank a nuclear fund there with 30 small scale reactors and three or four biggies and would cost an arm and a leg and. the point is it would launch consumer mass into a very, very high energy cost and also a

capital cost, which we're currently hinckley. we're not having pay, thank goodness . so having pay, thank goodness. so i think though, all of these things need to be thrown into sort very analysis , which we sort very analysis, which we haven't had treasury have never delivered a full cost analysis of net zero global. we do well very interesting the some polling over weekend suggesting that the public are getting sceptical about net zero clive as ever you for coming in thank you for being so now you can't fail to have noticed whether you watched it or not. i certainly the matt hancock made the final of i'm a celebrity get me out of here and got a bronze medal we're told he's now going to have a in showbiz. no really, thatis have a in showbiz. no really, that is what we're told . and he that is what we're told. and he pocketed 400 for going pocketed 400 grand for going into the jungle as a serving of parliament until about you. but my is that this man more than any other i remember him saying you know this is not advice this is an a bit like the chap who'd

just been made the sort of head prefect at school and feeling terribly, terribly pleased with himself. but actually he really in lots of people's lives . we in lots of people's lives. we now know most of that lockdown was highly unnecessary . we was highly unnecessary. we should have looked after the and the vulnerable and allowed everybody else to get on with their lives. young not able to have proper universal lives, not able to have the normal up parts of life . and older people too. of life. and older people too. in many cases finding themselves cut and isolated from their family, from their friends, from their loved ones. you know, hancock was responsible much of this, but now what he's questioned he says all he did was take advice but it's just not good enough and i think a big chunk of that 400,000 should go to people's families who victims of that lockdown . and as victims of that lockdown. and as the years go on, we'll learn many more people will die. missed nhs diagnoses than were ever going to die of that virus . in a moment, i'll be joined by john. . in a moment, i'll be joined by john . it's a talking pints

john. it's a talking pints special so much to talk about on the world and not least of course what is happening in usa know we still haven't got an official result for the arizona election . it's unbelievable. election. it's unbelievable. back with you in a couple of minutes .

it's that time of the day. yes, the end of the working day. time to sit down, talking pints. talk about the world of what's going on.and about the world of what's going on. and i'm joined tonight by joe bauza. joe, welcome to the program. welcome to talking . program. welcome to talking. it's good to see you . now it's very good to see you. now had decades , decades of had decades, decades of experience . see over . well it's experience. see over. well it's right at this time doing things that you know you had had your father's american ambassador to

the us. and that was a bit of a shock look that course the big national security would travel much much in between and i credit people like and trump to actually with waking us up to what china as a country becoming a very different country to what it was 1015 years ago under this president xi . i got you know, president xi. i got you know, you guys have warned us. i mean, you've said in the past it poses the biggest threat to going forward . and i think people have forward. and i think people have listened . what do you make of listened. what do you make of the events of the weekend of out protesting against the lockdown to, a virus that arguably was , to, a virus that arguably was, therefore in the first place? right. well think everybody is amazed to . watch these pictures. amazed to. watch these pictures. but it's also important to watch what security forces are doing . what security forces are doing. they are showing a minimum restraint . and the real dilemma restraint. and the real dilemma for asian and peng and the other leaders is , do they crack down

leaders is, do they crack down harder to try and stop it from spreading or are they worried about pictures of another tiananmen square ? i think that , tiananmen square? i think that, you know, over the last almost three years, we haven't learned that much about what's going inside china because they locked down for covid purposes. i think the discussion tent among the people is substantial and these demonstrations are really the first chance they've had to express it. so xi jinping's and no immediate danger. but but let's be clear, people remember the idea of freedom and they don't like giving it up anywhere in the world. well seen what's happened to hong kong? i've been quite extraordinary to the deal that was completely broke by the chinese communist party. this is a very point. you know, a lot people on the left in europe, in the united like to talk about solemn international agreements. well what china did in hong kong shows exactly what they think about agreements. so it comes to trade deals , arms control deals

trade deals, arms control deals , environmental protection deals. they'll sign it , but they deals. they'll sign it, but they have no intention of following . have no intention of following. yeah, well, that's certainly true with all of the global warming climate change stuff as they build eight new coal fired power stations every year. they're talking the they're talking about the delusion left. i've got a delusion of the left. i've got a question i got to ask you. i can't work out. i can't fathom it. so to me, iran , theocratic it. so to me, iran, theocratic regime been there over 40 years. brutal someone that a regime that spreads terror . i brutal someone that a regime that spreads terror. i mean, they to me really are the bad guysin they to me really are the bad guys in the piece yet biden's democrat it's the oh everybody in brussels my ex friends in the . eu in brussels my ex friends in the. eu conservative party boris johnson was foreign secretary they all think we to come to some sort of great deal with iran and somehow we're going to make better and democratise them. what it i'm missing john about all of this. well, afraid you're not well, i'm afraid you're not missing it. really. it's another

about this nuclear deal with iran . in the about this nuclear deal with iran. in the us, the about this nuclear deal with iran . in the us, the democrats , iran. in the us, the democrats, the iran deal as , obama's second the iran deal as, obama's second term most important equal to obamacare in the first term. so when trump withdrew from the deal quite correctly , in my deal quite correctly, in my view, because it's a bad deal the biden administration came in determined to put it back in place and they have made concession concession to tehran in an effort to do that . now i in an effort to do that. now i think ironically , france, think ironically, france, germany and britain are more sceptical of the deal today than the biden administra nation is. but what everybody be looking at as you're as referring to are the demonstrations in iran, all across the country, directed aimed at the legitimacy of the regime. this is not a dispute that the have brought up about a dress code . they are saying we dress code. they are saying we can make our own decisions. we're not going to listen to the ayatollahs. and while again, don't think regime in tehran don't think the regime in tehran going to fold tomorrow, we've

reached a new level of dissent in iran and the regime is more than any since they came than any point since they came to power in 1979. i'll drink to that. that's all i have to say. of course, they're being driven closer in many ways to putin's russia. and there's a quite a strong alliance as really fall between these . we look back at between these. we look back at the last sort of well, the berlin wall came down. there was just a sort of never push and drive to expand nato did we get all of that wrong ? well, i don't all of that wrong? well, i don't think so, because we weren't really pushing it. what and i was in the first bush administration and at that time working for jim administration and at that time working forjim baker , administration and at that time working for jim baker , what we working for jim baker, what we found was when the warsaw pact dissolved and then it began to look like and ultimately did see the soviet union dissolved, we had the countries of central and eastern europe banging on nato's doon eastern europe banging on nato's door, led by hungary saying, eastern europe banging on nato's door, led by hungary saying , for door, led by hungary saying, for god's sakes, let us in because we've been invaded by in one part of the 20th century. we've

been occupied by the soviets and, another part of the 20th century. we just as soon remain independent. and nato responded to that demand. now we're nato and the west as a whole. i did fail was not what the appropriate to end the expansion was . that's my appropriate to end the expansion was. that's my point. and we left the grey zone. we left the grey zone and ukraine, moldova, belarus that putin now exploiting and we're paying the consequences but but you know we've seen just the despair . we've seen just the despair. this past year finland and sweden abandoning 75 years of neutrality to join nato because they see it as protection. whatever we did on we are where we are is the future of . we are is the future of. ukraine. this war, it's just stalemate john, isn't it? well, i think what is doing now, i think his for the next six months is to freeze the military conflict where russia has very badly and to try and up the pressure on the political

conflict , putting pressure on the political conflict, putting economic pressure on ukraine itself by disabling its electricity, generating infrastructure and by if i may say so, preying on the of the european union and the isolationist tendency in the united states to see if the resolve of the west will break. i don't think ukraine's will break. question whether ours breaks first. that's what putin is hoping for. we're going to see we're going to take a break a moment. i'm going to ask john bolton about american politics. is it becoming gerund talk? christie begins look that way christie begins to look that way to me. back with you in a couple minutes .

about what? john bolton ? john, about what? john bolton? john, you know, looking across the pond. you know, looking across the pond . so we got the democrats, pond. so we got the democrats, we got by then. he's 80. we got nancy has just stood down as speaker she's 82. hillary

clinton is 75, 76. and these are the senior democrats that we see then we see the republicans. we got donald trump, who's 76. we got donald trump, who's 76. we got mitch mcconnell, the casarosa. he's what's going on it looks like a gerund rosie. no experience course a mixture of all of those things is exactly what you want. what's happened in these parties ? well, it's i in these parties? well, it's i think a combination things but basically it's the baby generation and those are years even older than the baby generation are not willing to let go. the democrats actually began the transition with barack obama and. people at that point thought that there never be another baby boom. president and along came trump and, then biden. so i it may come more quickly than people think. and the democratic side in the house of representatives, not has pelosi gone, but the top two democrats both also over 80, have stepped down, and they're

going to have an uncontested election for their leadership . election for their leadership. kevin mccarthy, i think, will be speaker of the house. so that's open.the speaker of the house. so that's open. the question. so it's a it's beginning change, but it's taken a long time. there's doubt about it. does this all make , about it. does this all make, ron desantis, look rather attractive, mean, years old, attractive, mean, 44 years old, attractive, mean, 44 years old, a wife, three young kids? he would be for your policy. he would be for your policy. he would run. i know you and donald trump are not exactly besties anymore, but is that a big advantage for desantis? i it is advantage for desantis? i it is a big advantage. look he he wants to be in a position so do the other people competing for the other people competing for the republican nomination to say i can serve two full terms as president if i'm elected in 2024? trump can't say that because he's already had one. yeah and you want somebody who can do a fully eight years to fix the mess that we've got. washington and be visibly washington and to be visibly with the and the with the energy and the enthusiasm chasm and the long time horizon , do it. so my guess time horizon, do it. so my guess is that donald trump will not get the republican nomination. it may be wrong . he would be the

it may be wrong. he would be the frontrunner now we've got a very deep bench of people who are running. and while we're on the subject. i don't think joe biden is to be the democratic is going to be the democratic nominee 2024. i think he will nominee in 2024. i think he will declare he's not running for a second term at some appropriate point in 2023. i don't think kamala harris will get the nomination either. i think they're going to have a wide open so i suspect they open fight. so i suspect they will go below the baby boom will go to below the baby boom age level as well. we'll what happens. trump is a great street , of course, and has come back from being written off. many you can't count him out. that's crucial ever. he's also charisma. he's got i mean he's got whatever his faults may be. does have charisma. i would say this. i think he's past his prime now . and i don't i don't prime now. and i don't i don't mean the biden sense. i mean his is the same act as it was . and i is the same act as it was. and i do think . republicans are do think. republicans are looking for a fresh face that may be a controversial view in some but i think that's what the sanders is that's what the sanders is that's what the sanders will now test. what about you, john bolton ? you

about you, john bolton? you neven about you, john bolton? you never, ever, ever shy of saying what you think is very interesting now i was in arizona on the day the midterms and we haven't got a result. it's going to be contested. i mean , how to be contested. i mean, how could anybody . whether 2020 was could anybody. whether 2020 was a stolen election is a separate debate . but but the whole debate. but but the whole thing's a farce, isn't it you're you know, you're getting states now where over 50% of the vote is people voting weeks , even is people voting weeks, even months, almost before polling day itself . is anyone months, almost before polling day itself. is anyone going to sort this out ? well, i think sort this out? well, i think there's an answer here , really there's an answer here, really based on fundamental values. and that we're a deeply divided partisan divisions are very strong. we need things that bnng strong. we need things that bring us together as a country. one thing i believe would do is everybody , with rare exceptions, everybody, with rare exceptions, voting on same day that we vote , the same body of information . , the same body of information. people are not voting a month before election. they're voting

on the same body of information. maybe they have to stand in lines. people say that's inconvenient. well, jury duty is inconvenient, but that's another act of common citizenship . now, act of common citizenship. now, there can be exceptions. people there can be exceptions. people the military people away on business. but by and large, the standard should be you get out and vote on day. well, the french do this and the french have a very , very simple, have a very, very simple, straightforward system with voter i.d. you know , of these voter i.d. you know, of these things. and nobody ever doubts or contests an india with over a billion people within 4 hours. you have a result that you know what it is and i we can do that. look i spent 33 days in florida in the year 2000 when gore contested. remind me, dimpled , contested. remind me, dimpled, hanging chads. you got it. 33 days. florida has over the years made changes. they had their results this november in a few hours . they can do it so can the hours. they can do it so can the rest of. no absolutely no i've talked a little bit about you know , being a brit looking know, being a brit looking across the pond that i

regularly, as you know. tell me, what's it like looking us this yean what's it like looking us this year, 2022 for chancellor of the exchequer, two sovereigns. i'm fortunately the three prime ministers conservative party in disarray . how does it look from disarray. how does it look from the other side ? well, i was the other side? well, i was going to ask you to tell what's going to ask you to tell what's going on. i mean, it's a it's condition of the british parliamentary system. that's that's the way things work. but i just speaking as a conservative across across the ocean here, the conservatives have to get their act together and rally behind what distinguishes them for british voters. and that's adherence to principle. and i think the most important principle they've stood for since the time of the referendum was getting out of the european union, ending the succession with europe and focusing the rest of the world. even today, the remainers in the conservative party, let alone the rest of the estab welshman, are doing what i would consider

are doing what i would consider a kind of trumpian saying they will not accept the results of the 2016 referendum. that's cost britain six years of opportunity to make economy tech advancements around the world. it's not too late a vigorous approach to this i think will pay approach to this i think will pay enormous dividends for britain. but your future is not with the bureaucratic sinking ship of the european union. i've said for a long time european union is less than the sum of its parts. the united states is harmed by. europe's inadequacies. that's i welcomed britain coming out of the european union. you're a global again. and that's britain's place. yeah, well i spent a lifetime fighting for this. and in the i persuaded the conservative party to get to the right position . they didn't want right position. they didn't want to, but they did get the right position and they haven't capitalised it. we have capitalised on it. we have a border. we haven't had supply side reform. it's been very, very disappointing . as we look very disappointing. as we look ahead to 2023 and clearly our

economy is not in great shape. but, you know, in history we go through booms and busts and that's what happens . we look to that's what happens. we look to the potential problems of 2023. final thought , john, from you on final thought, john, from you on this and rather a sober, sombre, reflective one, but putin's great losses and so have the ukrainians to the putin has taken great great losses . do you taken great great losses. do you worry that at some next year he could consider using limited device or do you believe that actually the russian generals would stop him from doing so ? would stop him from doing so? well i don't think the russian generals would stop him. i think until this point he has been bluffing. he hopes play the nuclear card again to fragment the west to convince people that we're being too supportive of ukraine. i think the greatest risk and you have to take nuclear weapons seriously 100% of the time. but the greatest risk is if his regime were

threatened, if russian forces , threatened, if russian forces, ukraine collapsed entirely and retreated back toward the russian border or his own internal situation became so perilous that he thought he could save himself by using nuclear weapons. he's not at that point yet , but that is the that point yet, but that is the point. i would worry . i will say point. i would worry. i will say this. china is going to be the bigger nuclear threat very shortly. people have ignored their nuclear build—up . we still their nuclear build—up. we still we talked about north korea is even closer to getting nuclear weapons . nobody should believe weapons. nobody should believe that past the threat of proliferate and what what it can do to all us. john bolton will say prayers this christmas. thank you for joining say prayers this christmas. thank you forjoining me . glad thank you for joining me. glad to be with you. in parts. thank you for joining me. glad to be with you. in parts . okay. to be with you. in parts. okay. it's back to hours. the barrage that was barrage, the bolton really because you sent in some questions for. one viewer asks who is biggest threat to the western world? he's answered that already i think that it's

actually to be china is the one we should worry about. david asks how essential is nato in keeping us safe ? nato is the keeping us safe? nato is the successful political military in history. what i think we need to do is consider how to make nato more global is jose aznar, the former prime minister of spain, suggested 15 years ago. i think that's we should look at. interesting another asks we've got to keep him on his toes. we really are. another asks. good question . does the special question. does the special relationships still exist between the uk and the us . i between the uk and the us. i think this is in light of the fact that mr. biden doesn't seem to like us very much. well you know, he has his he has faults many of which are in the foreign policy area. but i think the special relationship not about governments, i think it's about people with a common heritage and importantly of all common ideals . and that's why after ideals. and that's why after a few early disagree commits, has led to partnership that's lasted for over century. and to me

shows every of continuing . and shows every of continuing. and finally, sue asks, is it time to invest our armed forces rather than more cuts? well, so it's really if you look at governments in this country over the last 40 years, every department has ballooned apart from one. and that, of course has been defence, which has been cut significantly . now we always cut significantly. now we always pnded cut significantly. now we always prided ourselves , apart from prided ourselves, apart from a vast royal navy , but we've vast royal navy, but we've always prided ourselves on a relatively small army through most of the centuries outside of world wars. but we have to be enough and good enough for these guys to respect us , because all guys to respect us, because all the while i feel that the uk and america are close together. the world would be a safer place. we are 100. do you still respect our military? yeah. i think you to spend more on defence, but so do . and i think we both need to do. and i think we both need to cut our deficits. so the way do thatis cut our deficits. so the way do that is to cut back on wasteful domestic spending of which we certainly have a lot and

increase military. we've got more . you got joe, but a great more. you got joe, but a great pleasure to have you on the program. that's enough for me going to andrew up to the weather and then mark steyn . weather and then mark steyn. again i'm aidan mcgivern from the met . a big change in weather the met. a big change in weather is now taking place compared the often wet and windy mild weather we've seen during recent and months. still some showers about, but they'll fade away and most places are turning drier over the next few days as high pressure increasingly dominates our forecast. now this little weather front clearing the east first thing this evening will bnng first thing this evening will bring some further showers across . parts of east anglia and across. parts of east anglia and the southeast . a lot of cloud the southeast. a lot of cloud here . that low cloud will keep here. that low cloud will keep temperatures falling too far overnight , but otherwise clear overnight, but otherwise clear spells elsewhere across . the uk spells elsewhere across. the uk will lead to a widespread frost. minus three of minus four in places and some dense patches. first thing for the likes of the central into north—west england, parts of wales , the southwest. parts of wales, the southwest. some of these fog patches could

last until the afternoon, so where we get that temperatures will be held and we'll see some low cloud lingering through the midlands , east anglia and the midlands, east anglia and the south of england . but away from south of england. but away from these areas for parts of scotland and northern england , scotland and northern england, parts of west wales and cornwall , bright blue skies and temperatures to 6 to 12 celsius. dry the vast majority as well. just one of the few showers peppenng just one of the few showers peppering coast of kent and east anglia. no, continue on tuesday nights, but widely across the rest the uk. it's another night of clear skies for some . low of clear skies for some. low cloud for others. mist fog and frost forming . and a chilly frost forming. and a chilly start once again in. the west, particularly on wednesday. but one exception by this stage northern ireland here thick of cloud and some outbreaks of rain will move in from atlantic. however, unlike days and weeks, that rain won't much progress across the rest of the uk because the jet stream slowing . because the jet stream slowing. that's the thing that brings us atlantic weather and higher

pressure over is starting to dominate so the second half of the week although cloudy although it will be colder with some frost and fog it will also be drier .

hey, well, come along to monday's show and may i say happy albanian day. we just got the ratings this show and 94% of our audience, albanian males who've arrived in the last month so happy albanian day to you . so happy albanian day to you. albania is now independent, increasingly independent of albanian males , who've all left albanian males, who've all left for britain. we will have some discussion about that later on