and the cross party wants to hold the government his previous commitments to pensioners. that's will it make a difference? he's in discussion with alex lud 2nd. welcome to the alex armand. sure. pleasure to meet you. and to be here that you are a relatively new member of the upper house, the house a lot, happy you come into the, the chamber with substantial outside experiences, a professor of finance and accountancy. how have you found the arcane process is of the house a lot? well, just to amplify a little bit. i was professor of accounting and finance had 3 major u. k. universities. generally i was researching what i call the dark side of capitalism and now are confronted actually in parliament. you can see that there is in build lobby of big corporations and the rich people and frequently legislation is modified to appease those interests. and those people who are really negatively

affected by the dark, our practices, whether it is bribery, corruption, money laundering taxes, dodging often there please are not really heard. and this is what i really want to represent in parliament. i una visor to jamie corbett, a slave of party leader to south law for contradiction. suddenly hooted, advisor, jeremy, carbon st. let's cut out the tax dodge. is the lobbying of these big corporations coming in to the non elected chamber of the house? a lot on the appointed, undemocratic jim. i think you're absolutely right, and one has to face up to these are a contradictions i came in the house and i did say to john macdonell, when i won that this issue was 1st discussed through the liberal party finance treasure and he was the shadow chancellor. i said, look, i would, i would go to the house a lot on the condition that i can vote it out of existence and have it replaced by an elected

a chamber. but another issue is they're all kind of competing discourse as an issues. and they need to be amplified in all kind of institutional spaces. if i, for example, i'm not raising questions about tax avoidance, bribery, corruption, money laundering. chances are many of those issues won't get a good airing. so i am really here to represent what tends to be ignored and marginalized because that is, that is a key in a sense, the good life that you have to tackle those issues had on. well, i been, i was in the house of commons for 25 years wanting to vote it out of existence. as far as scotland was concerned, i am not one to talk now no short time in the lord's just or a year. if a mouse is a, a champion of pensioners and this cross party alliance, which have been making some ground there, in terms of passing a dissenting voices from the lord's, having them flung back in your face by the house of commons. but what is this cross

party alliance trying to do in the upper chip? i think people may have heard different perspectives on this, but essentially what we're concerned about is justice for our retirees. the eucharist age pension is the lowest as a fraction of average earnings in the industrialized world, it is about 24 percent of the average earnings. the ear average is about 60 percent and some countries have it even higher. and nobody can live on around 8000 pounds a year of the state pension. and there are about 2100000 pensioners who get less than 100 pound a week. and the majority of those are women. women are particularly disadvantaged because there is no gender pay equality and that then works his way through that they don't pay if he like, full national insurance contributions, they can get full occupational pay. so it is really people being condemned to a life of poverty, misery. it's an early death and that is what we are really concerned about that

that is wrong and that needs to be addressed. but it is not just an issue for the current retirees. it is an issue for future retirees as well. because current retirees are suffering from the past misdemeanors of governments. so we want to make sure that the future retiree is, don't suffer from the same. so therefore you need a much, much higher state pension. now, what is that? this triple law, a professor of countless who can you tell our views was as triple lot that we're so concerned about. it was really introduced in 2011. and the idea was that the state pension should rise and lined with the highest of the 3 measurements that is either 2.5 percent or the rate of inflation or average earnings. and the government has decided this year that it really wants to suspend it. they say for one year, but that itself is catastrophic because that one years suspension means pensioners

are deprived of about 5400000000 pounds of pension payments in one year. and the recent treasury forecast covers the next 5 years. and it shows that over 5 year period, pensioners would lose a spending power of $30500000000.00 pound. can you imagine what the consequences of that are? and pensioners tend to generally spend money in the local economy. so a lot of local economies would actually be decimated as a result of the chance that shattered got by so it would been for the this global pandemic, we're still going through. it's a public expenditures increase massively a to try and protect the economy, including pensioners and actually just asking for one year of a lower rise. it is not asking too much from the chancellor's death. well, that is what the government says until you borrow down into his claims. firstly, there is a 37000000000 pound surplus sitting in the national insurance,

her fund account. and out of that, if he paid of high point 4000000000, that's not gonna make a big dent. secondly, at the moment we have huge anomalies. for example, in the u. k. there is no national insurance on unearned income. just take one example. what is called capital gains, that is what people make who own 2nd homes are dabble in the securities market, art markets, commodities market. if you charged care and national insurance at the current rate on the capital gains alone, that would raise a about $8000000000.00 pounds. and capital gains are also taxed at a much, much lower rate than earned income. if you did that, that would raise another 17000000000 pounds. so in other words, the government can easily fund the rise for in the state, pensions by simply dealing with tax anomalies or dealing with or eliminating the perks enjoyed by very few people. so capital gains,

perks is just enjoyed by 263000 people in the country where as a government has disadvantage ing about 12 and half 1000000 pensioners now you put together wrong, the fathers se quitting x to the ministers a coalition to pass an amendment in the house a lot, but then it was flung back in your face by that the house of commons. does that not illustrate that at the end of the day that the house of lords can huff and puff, but you're not the blue, the host. i think this is certainly some truth in that, but the fact that the house of commons is not willing to listen also shows what is wrong with our political system. a political party with around 40 percent of the votes and of a huge majority. and the house of commons and then ignore all reasoned arguments. so maybe what we need is a form of proportional voting so that her broader voices are heard at

represented. then we also need loss of younger people in parliament because it is their future. we're talking about not just about the retiree's, it's great interest. if you look at the last few weeks, i bought us johnson's government and desperate trouble on what's generally generically called sleazy desperate trouble law on the the shift there at the national health service in terms of social care banker bought voltage to the benches. and yet no real revolt on pensions, rather curious that an issue like pensions, which of effects tens of millions of people, no sign of revolt, whereas issues, lack sleeves and social care, important huge issues, but not perhaps affecting just as many people. why is this discrepancy between what is regarded as a political pressure a and why a pensions don't seem to be high and the government's agenda. the real issue is about poverty. now when the government says we can't afford it, what they are implying is we can afford poverty, misery, squalor,

early death. and really that is the issue. the issues about equitable distribution . i mean commonwealth, it has nothing to do with the young versus old. and the media itself has been highly complicit in spreading that myth. and that is what we really need to debunk . and hopefully we're deep on that in the parliamentary debates. but it is interesting when these things were debunked. the responsible they ministers, responsible for pensions had absolutely no answer. they were unable to answer back and quote, any statistic about anything. and finally was hand so tragic reasons, sir. recently the death of sir david amos, the importance of consensus sentence even at danger to empties how to members of the house, the laws go about keeping in touch with the electorate. i'm in it, you don't hold sublease presumably lately can peace of mind that you do it online? the people sealant listener a have your speech, lord speaker, you keep going on,

pensions, you're speaking for me, or do you take part in demonstrations for pensions? how to crab amazon has laws keep in touch with the people and issues that are trying to inflect. while recently, after the, or even during the debate about the state pension i received, i would say probably over a $100000.00 messages from our pensioners. somebody clearly felt that there was an issue which needed to be aired and neglected. i have many, many online meetings. and last week i participated or indeed led a demonstration by the national pensioners convention against death of senior citizens due to a cold. many people just can't afford to choose between a heating and eating, or they have to make the hard choices and the result is early death. so certainly i have attended many online meetings, also meetings in person. i also been involved with some of these activities before i came to the house, for example, amico,

founder of texas justice network. and where we particularly brought the public's attention all over the world to organize what i would call corruption and sleaze, which is tax abuse. and we organize all kinds of activities against giant corporations and indeed government departments as well. so i am quite at home with these kind of things. and i really would encourage people to come out to the streets, make their voices heard because unless their voices are heard, very little will change, launch seek out more strength. your elbow is a competing peer of thank you so much for joining me. and they'll examine, shall. thank you, alex, join us after the break. well, alex turned to the political storm, which has engulfed the johnson government in recent weeks, joined us then you were told it was bad for your eyes and your posture that it would stop you from having real friends

and finding a girlfriend. but what they failed to mention is that you can make thousands of dollars over the weekend by simply playing video game with a stacy for years and a couple of them because we formed the fortune to was sure it's a little under it was originally because much for the net, okay, much more to do except there's no phone of course to make video games a high paying job. you have to be gifted and quick witted. i'm going to open up with the little bit more to live near bottom in this santa webpage. but here from young booth but even started yet, glove voice. when you most told me i was do it. i don't you me? i was at kneels. few are you guy of the owner. without that vehicle it will still be justice. these is hard to do. i also use a when i was shown seemed wrong when i

just don't hold me you world is yes to shape out disdain becomes the answer to an engagement. it was the trail. when so many find themselves worlds apart, we choose to look for common ground. a pinnacle of evolution, everything's a bacteria. is a product to 4000000000 years of evolution in a specific environment. so we, so in that sense, when we, on the left, the survivors are the end of a long, long process you. so as in to the springs at yellowstone, we will not do very well. we'll do much better with

welcome back. the voice johnson governor has become accident prone to issues as diverse is northern real reform or social care and government sleeves. the consistent message which emerges is at the prime minister has lost his grip. johnson came a copper last month when he tried to overturn the standards committee lobbying decision on former cabinet member on partisan. he won the boat, but the soon and headlong plates critique and ignited the whole issue of empties i'd state interest. however, is the big issue,

the clean sailing of peaches and other owners for political pro. but i think young n p doesn't these angles many of fun. there be a government into chaos in 2006. can you repeat the check with the johnson government? alex speaks to him 9. i'm just randomly or welcome back to the alex salmon show. thank you. good to be back. let's take a look at the, the question your questioning of the prime minister a couple of weeks ago. and milly's on committee, which is a huge chance for committee chairs like yourself to, to ask the prime minister in a succession of questions. let's take a look of i had to say, do you think yourselves look yours down and should, and should i d, we should stop sending big valued donors to those, the lords, a commonly known as casual owners and seen as a very common practice international. how could you, at any rate that would be either on today? yes, i'm looking for or not? well, it was actually my colleague. yes, jonathan edwards, i happen to be sitting beside him by pass right on. i look,

i think he'll be able to, should the, but his end to the answer to that is that these are a bond large by the way they do contribute. huge brought to probably $3000000.00. and until you do the work to, to get rid of the system by which the trains you, you barons, fund, other parties, we have to, we have to go ahead. will you have with us or you haven't completely taxpayer. the funded says to the politics. we will need to have it so we need, we need to continue with this as a system by which a public spirited people are give donations. now, what interested me about that was almost an implicit admission from the prime minister. the reason for people going to the loves was they were donors to the past, the mitchell and you asked the question, is i talking about a union bobbins giving money to the labor party if such a thing?

legal is not legal and factors and explicit acts, the 1925 owners prevention of abuses, act that has meant to say that if you buy it, if you sell an owner, you'll get 2 years in prison for that. that's just not taken very seriously part of law. if you case, i'll take it very seriously at all. i think it was really interesting, but we the 5 minutes that answered was, he went straight to the fact that this was something he had to do for funding because the labor party, he was old and i will get the money from the trade unions. so therefore, the only way the conservatives serially could get money was $3000000.00 phone dollars to end up in the house of lords, $925.00 act open and shut case me foreman this of us and use that back as a young m p and 20052006. you hide tony blair, then prime minister on exactly the same issue that may yourself popular with 20 believe it seemed to make much difference to the the voters to the well,

i think by the time the election came in 2010, i think it was maybe played it might've left labor shorter funds for the 2007 scottish election. the didn't quite the coffers fluid may have played a role in the election of a, a certain individualist 1st minister, claiming the credit for the roughly yes. for that guy solomon with ronko, you know, with the serious point for those us the despite the fact that the met interviewed boy on his own to us and caused him huge inconvenience. and i remember sitting in the commons that you want his favorite pass. and let's put it that way. mean if looks could kill, you'd have been 6 feet under it, but it at the end of the day lead to anything. so if you couldn't succeed in toppling tony blair, why do you think it's worth hurrying? bought us johnson. know, well, the korea, the collision then was 1000000 pounds depletion. there's a large,

the collision. there was 3000000 post to prisoners lords and an deflation in the us . and so it's inflation on the conservatives. ah, but that, you know, at that point it was really decided that on the balance of probabilities, that would be successful prosecution. so the didn't continue. i did think that getting some of those characters at the time into the witness box would have been a very interesting situation indeed because there were some the card gonna faustine bargain. but the other bargain that's going on at the moment is that the opposition leader say self care, stammers that debbie, don't want to talk with this. and i've written to all 3 of the party leaders who send people to those of lords to say they will not send donors at those of lords that the response has been silence a, you know, they could come out know a d, v could come out here stammered, could come out and say we will not send their donors. there's a lot of them put pressure on the prime minister not to do the same, but they're not doing that. and this is in the context of lord oak shorts and in 2014. when he stepped down, as i think it was liberal party treasurer at the practice of cash for donors to

somebody feel to put an end to scotland yard them at the bottom. please don't have the investigative capability of capacity to seem a to go very far with us. something very strange. explain to us about the said bill that you've presented your bill to your, your abolishing the sale of autos again, despite the fight is already the law of the land. of what purpose does that bill was the technique and introducing that parliamentary bill a highlight, it gives it a focus and it's a very simple bill that basically says anybody who needs more than $50000.00 pounds or to any political party cannot be appointed or ennobled or to the house of lords repeated to 5 years. acosta pensively see to give 5000000 or 10000000 of 25000000. just don't expect to find yourself names of lords for 5 years. and i think the, the, the linkage between no cache and honors which is very clear in the united kingdom there would be silica tilden because who knows what the political weather will be in 5 years time monitor risk investment to make for, for, for, for,

for summer vanity or vanity position that a let people sometimes feel the need. well yes, i can see that the media's fascination with issues like cache for autos, but as a, as an important an issue for, for ordinary focus. let's say pensions and the ending of the triple lot, the money that's been taken out of the pockets in the past is a pension of what you did about that sort of thing. well, i think a fish rots on the headed off and said, and i think that the problems with this government are a multifaceted and this is one facet of the pensions and another facet of it. i think you know, some of the things ease in action on pensions. i said positive in action and pensions. it hasn't made the mistake, of course, that gordon brown made when he was chancellor. he almost 20 years ago when he up benches by somebody or a daisy seventy's expense or but still we're living in the u. k. with the was pensions in europe. all independent countries run about us take for instance from scotland. iceland, ireland, norway,

an arc of prosperity if you will. so surrounding scotland have higher pensions. this cuts through definitely, but it cuts through in various different ways and each facet. it gets it on time to be highlighted. the liaison committee, this is like a almost unprecedented opportunity for it was a back bench and i'll be a senior m p b a back banjo, but sheila for committee and they should get the prime minister in front of you over a pool. be the time i'm lay primers those questions when they obviously you can swap you away, you've gone and you are very much and you're cross. yes. yeah, we get 6 minutes and just about an uninterrupted 6 minutes bother by the chairman occasionally coming in when the prime minister is waffling. when you try and a counter that. yeah and, and is not moderated by the speaker either you're almost you don't, chairperson. when you have your 6 minutes, i'm, you can enter the prime minister, not a premise discretions. when you ask the question, you sit down and he stands for as long as he wants. this time,

you're both sitting. if you want to interrupt you, interrupt labor, let him hang himself here, let him hi himself to describe square, go and glasgow for homes, particularly of course it's pretty much the squid as go. you're going to get with a prime minister and the to beat nina. and the entire for them of westminster. yes . last few weeks the prime ministers come under a lot of pressure on the genetic issue, sleeves on the social cale him. and then with how much trouble is paula johnson. now, in your estimation voters, johnson's box benches have crossed a sort of rubicon rubicon, the sort of duty, the prime minister is a semi deity before no, they're very much c defeat. and indeed the legs of clear that the prime minister has good. and they've not only felt to be themselves can criticize, but they've had others and colleagues criticize and not moment as sort of it's been of any book for them. they felt stronger as a result on the, on the not as cold as do it. as i think we're going to see more of that because

once that's jeanene, literally at the bottom, that's very hard to present sort of a reverence or, and fear back in the hearts of those m. b 's. previously had that when the ministration runs into trouble, as the johnson administration has done, the people like yourself and the, the back benches. let's call it the of the common. so be a committee chair of course. and people in the house a lot like a lot of 2nd comes off, his pensions initiative is that when you come into your own is that when you, you sent blood, you think to yourself, i got a chance to make an impression here. well, it's sell the time when other people sort of pay attention even the, the spell that bought as johnson could cast over the media sort of goes as well. and the media cast round and look at what else is going on. they're no longer focused themselves and the sort of a semi deity quarter day to put ups view of the prime minister. that spells broken and they're looking as do what's going on. and whereas the next piece of trouble

coming from the prime minister. and there's probably quite a lot of trouble coming from the premise of, you know, the sort of things he is doing and on kid in england is, is something that's definitely going to bite them because you can't tell people that black is white and, and white is black and expect them to suspend disbelief in the way the bodies johnson is hoping they will. but when you go, when you get back to bata, the we can talk of the steamy and bottom that the prime minister might be selling autism. and the saw thing didn't topple lloyd, george didn't topple stanley bolden, it didn't topple tony blair isn't going to knock over ballast johnson. it could knock overboard as johnson. but i think that would depend on, on our police force kidding about the law. who knows what, but as johnson has done and said about the, to the period, for instance, back a decade, you've got your receptionist working on that. now it did. yes. it's something, it's something worth seeing because em. but it is you bought as johnson would have at the time, surely would have call it as he saw that honor sort of being sold

a question as did he say anything about it? did he say with an imprint, perhaps some of the viewers of your program are, might be the ones who will find those very words somewhere else. i was interested to go back to that club. we should at the start of the senate of you finally a i was interested in the primary this expression for you started class thing. that was i thought nicholas jennifer. here we go again. oops. what's coming? know what did, what did you take out? the prime minister, sir, glance at you when you started on your line of questioning. well, i think the play minister was hoping to sort of go away at the same time. he sort of trying to make a friend of you. at the same time, he's in it, he's. he starts to good in rabbit holes and i told him you, you're heckling yourself. prime minister. he makes up things himself and he was in the chair played interrupt me of the reason committee said he's waffling. so i have to, i have to interrupt the prime minister, and he plays for time is probably the biggest thing he just thing. and i want this over with a, this is an unusual angle. this guy comes from,

it's not one i understand particularly well. i don't even understood the word slander, for instance, when i, when we were talking over m sergeant watch slant, a vital word. in fact in probably the most important word in the gallic language. a for read with the national views. what a slides mean? i mean the health and putting the good health when you've got a drama of scotland, finest in your hand. i grow spread of it meal. thank you so much for joining me once again. on the i'll examine, show, great pleasure. thank you. and doesn't majority of 80 in the house of commons, doesn't make it noon from political pressure. the own patterson debacle. what the prime minister elicit on the limits of political power? he couldn't save his friends. but the same time the government successfully fended off a house of lords boards to protect the incomes of millions of pensioners. it may seem remarkable that the mainstream media invested so much effort into the issue of empties financial dealings and so little into the income of heart raced pensioners

. what the issues threatened long term damage to the government's position. no dates in there. we small hours of the morning, the prime minister news is underworld without turbulent parliamentarians, such as lord secor or anger smith. he is, however, unlikely to get one, but no from alex myself and all at virtue is good bye. stay safe, and we hope to see you all again next week. ah, ah, one of the many paradoxes of big coin is that it wants

everyone to attack it. that's what makes it strong. that's it. makes security go higher. that's what makes the price go higher. and now we've got some new delinquents on the same attacking brake line the war drugs is noted as a way to combat a gray problem. what's the war on drugs? it's part of the attitude of the nation, not just of north dakota, and it got to be something that you could get elected this time in the fight against drugs to go to try and shake. tom told us that andrew was a competent short form, is way too dangerous for him to be doing. clearly they put him in harm's way. a rural college student does interest get shot in the head and found in the river like that something else had to be happening.

ah, the headlines and i see international on the chrome spreads to 24 countries with the us becoming the latest as the w. h. j who signs the alarm, we look at how different countries are responding to the new strain of coded. also this hour, we visit the child care clinic in moscow as more and more young patients are needing treatment for the virus. our children are age from one month to 17 years that conditions vary in severity. but children harris, severely l, than in the intensive care unit. and american face is the highest rates and inflation in decades, while corporations are enjoying record profits. we look at new concerns for the economy. following the only crone i break and students protested university in arizona for and against acquitted murder car written the house is right to attend class.