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Politics UK Archive

A weekly look inside British politics from the BBC

*** This programme is no longer on-air, but please listen to our archive of available episodes ***

Issues affecting British social and political life.

*** This programme is no longer on-air, but please listen to our archive of available episodes ***

Politics UK is the weekly programme that covers British political and policy issues, economic and cultural change and Britain’s standing in Europe and the rest of the world in a way that is relevant to an international audience.  
It's the flagship programme for UK political analysis and debate on the BBC World Service.  
Leading politicians, commentators and intellectuals take part each week to discuss and reflect on the main events shaping British politics.

Politics UK

Politics UK Archive: 11/12/2009

Factual: Politics

11/12/2009

BBC World Service - Politics UK Archive, 11/12/2009

Can the Chancellor reduce Britain's debt and why has class war erupted at Westminster?

Cuts, pay freezes and tax increases. Can such a package of pain from government ministers halve Britain's huge borrowing requirement? And what is the attraction of politics for writers of fiction?

Spending cuts, pay freezes and tax increases - can such a package of pain from government ministers halve Britain's ballooning borrowing requirement? Or is it too little, too late? Is happiness perhaps the answer - should politicians concentrate on increasing people's well-being? Why has class war erupted in Westminster? And what is the attraction of politics to the writers of fiction? All that in Politics UK, presented by Norman Smith.

Britain's chief finance minister, the Chancellor Alastair Darling, delivered his annual pre-budget report this week, setting out the state of the nation's finances. Mr Darling announced a series of measures to try to control the country's ballooning debt. Mark Serwotka - the leader of the Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents public sector workers - and the economist, Ruth Lea, discuss the Chancellor's rescue plan.

Perhaps the Government should spend less time worrying about money and Britain's finances - and a lot more time thinking about the country's happiness. The Government recently launched a programme to put more resources into tackling depression. One of the driving figures behind the aim to make Happiness central to Government policy is David Halpern, who was the chief analyst in Tony Blair's Strategy Unit in Downing Street. He tells us it's not difficult to gauge people's happiness.

Class has frequently been at the heart of political debate in Britain, with the Labour party traditionally seen as speaking for the 'working class' and Conservatives often regarded as more representative of the wealthy and privileged in society. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, recently sought to embarrass the Conservative leader, David Cameron, for being educated at one of the country's most prestigious (and expensive) private schools.  Labour MP Martin Salter, and Conservative MP Justine Greening, discuss why Mr Brown adopted this line of attack.

Politicians have always been a rich source of material for authors and, despite the apparently low esteem in which politicians are held, books and dramas about them seem to be incredibly popular. This week the Labour MP Chris Mullin - himself the author of the political thriller "A Very British Coup" - will speak at a conference looking at the way politics and politicians are portrayed in fiction. He considers why writers might be attracted to the world of politics.

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