Archives for October 2009
Would YOU give him another chance?
Should Wigan striker Marlon King ever be allowed to play professional football again?
McNulty keeps his promise
The former Home Office and Employment Minister Tony McNulty has apologised after being ordered to repay £13,837 of expenses claimed on his second home. Mr McNulty designated his constituency home in Harrow East, about 13 miles from Westminster, as his second home for expense purposes. It is also the home where his parents live permanently, while he himself lives in Hammersmith, about 3 miles from Westminster. When his expenses were first made the subject of an investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Mr McNulty promised to come back on this programme and discuss the issue in full. Today he kept his promise.
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From Harrow to Hammersmith
The former Home Office and Employment Minister Tony McNulty has been accused of abusing the expenses system by claiming for a house in which his parents lived. Mr McNulty designated his constituency home in Harrow East, about 13 miles from Westminster, as his second home for expenses purposes. It's also the home where his parents live permanently. Mr McNulty himself lives in a house in Hammersmith, about three miles away from the Commons.
The former minister has been the subject of a six month investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Sir John Lyon. When complete, his report was then passed to the cross-party Standards and Privileges Committee which is made up of five Labour MPs and five opposition MPs. We understand the Committee has decided that Mr McNulty should pay back £13,000 and apologise to the House of Commons.
Back in April I asked Mr McNulty about his expenses claims. You can listen to that interview below
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We're hoping Mr McNulty will come back on the programme today.
The ultimate sacrifice
I'd like to tell you about Corporal Sean Binnie, from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - who died from a bullet wound while on a routine patrol with the Afghan National Army on the 7th of May. He was 22.
And Private John Brackpool of Prince of Wales's Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards - a rifleman who was killed during an engagement with insurgent forces near Lashkar Gah on the 9th of July this year - the bloodiest month ever for UK forces in Afghanistan. He was 27.
Lance Corporal Steven Fellows, known as Jamie - from Whiskey Company, 45 Commando Group Royal Marines died in an explosion on the 12th of December last year, while on patrol in an armoured vehicle. He was 26.
How's the recession affecting you?
So, Britain is STILL in recession. Official figures released this morning show the economy shrank for the sixth quarter in a row -- that's the longest downturn since records began in the fifties.
The 0.4 percent slump came as a surprise to experts who'd predicted the economy would grow between July and September.
Shelagh Fogarty's standing in for Victoria today and she's been presenting the programme from St Stephen's shopping centre in Hull as part of 5 Live's Octoberfest.
Does the postal strike make sense?
What's it like being a Royal Mail postman 24 hours before you go on strike? This morning an insight into their job - the routine, how the job has changed over the years and what's the one thing that would make their job better. We're going to speak to three postmen on the programme all of whom are members of the CWU and all of whom voted for the strike.
Also what was Robbie Williams first live performance for 3 years like, and Windows 7 - are you going to fork out for it?
Pioneering surgery has transformed this woman's life...
This morning Katie Piper speaks about the horrendous acid attack she endured and the pioneering surgery she received that not only saved her life but gave her optimism for the future.
18 months ago Miss Piper was an aspiring model and TV presenter. She started going out with a man called Danny Lynch. She met him on Facebook and after a couple of dates he subjected her to a violent rape - holding her captive for eight hours in a hotel room. Four days later he persuaded her to leave her flat and, as she left - an accomplice of Danny Lynch's threw a cup of acid in her face.
That attack destroyed the skin on much of her face, neck, hands and throat, and left her blind in one eye and needing to be fed through a tube in her stomach.
Baby survives after being run over by train
A six month old baby's had a miraculous escape after his pram was dragged thirty metres along a train track in Australia. His mother could only watch as the buggy rolled off the platform just as the train came into the station. In the end though the baby only got a cut to the forehead.
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Would you like a weather forecast like Radio 4's PM prog?
Our colleagues at PM have introduced a new style of weather forecast. The reason? A number of their listeners found they couldn't remember the details of the conventional forecast. Have a look at Eddie Mair's blog. John Hammond from the Met Office is going to try it out today just before 10.30.
Also on today's programme - we hope to speak to the Schools Secretary Ed Balls, to react to the huge review of primary school education which suggests that children shouldn't begin formal lessons until they are 6. Plus the 17 year old British tennis star who's about to turn professional, Heather Watson.
Freedom of speech?
A Dutch MP, banned from the UK because of what have been described as his Islamophobic views is now coming to Britain next week - and we're planning to speak to him on the programme this morning.
Yesterday the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal overturned the ban on Geert Wilders who tried to visit London in February but was turned away when he arrived at Heathrow. He was invited by by the UKIP peer Lord Pearson to show his film Fitna to the House of Lords.The film intercuts verses from the Koran with footage of 9/11 and the Madrid bombings - you can watch it on Youtube.
Originally the Home Office barred him saying his presence "would pose a genuine, present and significantly serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society. The Secretary of State is satisfied that Mr Wilders' statements about Musllims and their beliefs, as expressed in the film and elsewhere, would threaten community harmony and therefore public safety in the UK".
Is it right that Mr Wilders comes to the UK and shows his film?
Leggless...
It's VERY difficult trying to convince MPs to come on the radio and talk about the letters they've received from Sir Thomas Legg.
We've spoken to one MP this morning who hasn't been asked for any more documentation, who's been ruled to have done nothing wrong - but who is SO angry that Thomas Legg seems to be rewriting the rules retrospectively.
We emailed Jacqui Smith's husband to ask what the chances were of her coming on today's programme - there was a one word reply: "none".
Oops.
So far, we've booked Heather Brooke, who's a freedom of information campaigner and who has been trying for a number of years to get info about politicians' expenses.
Congratulations...
...to Victoria, who's just picked up the Nick Clarke Award for her interview with Peter Bacon. You may remember back in April we spoke to Peter Bacon, just after he'd been cleared of raping a woman who'd claimed she was too drunk to consent to sex.
The Nick Clarke award was created in honour of the former presenter of BBC Radio 4's The World At One who died in November 2006, to celebrate and recognise the best broadcast interview of the year.
Victoria's interview impressed the judges for its "careful, calm and non-judgemental questioning on a complex and potentially emotive issue". You can listen back to the interview here.
Hacker loses extradition appeal fight
This morning, the High Court refused the British computer hacker, Gary McKinnon, permission to fight his extradition to the US at the new Supreme Court. The judges decided his case was not of "general public importance".
The 43 year old -- who suffers from Asperger's syndrome -- is wanted in the US for breaking into the Pentagon's military computer system in 2002. He insists he was looking for evidence of UFOs. Victoria spoke to his mother minutes after the verdict. She described him as "broken" and "suicidal".
You can hear a clip from the interview below:
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You can also listen to the whole interview again on iPlayer.
Listen again to Janis Sharp's interview in full
Friday's show
We're expecting a busy morning this morning. The British computer hacker Gary McKinnon (pictured) finds out whether he can continue to fight against his extradition to Amercia for breaking into Pentagon computers.
The gorgeous Anglo-Saxon treasure - where should it be kept on display? It's still in Birmingham but what about the British Museum in London ....and Liverpool quite fancy it too. So where should it go on display permanently?
Also today, the Manchester mother trying to find her two and a half year old daughter. The little girl has been abducted by her own father and is missing in Egypt.
And from 11am we'll bring you the whole service commemorating military personnel who died serving in Iraq.
Plus of course the latest news and sport between 10 and 1.
More on General Sir Richard Dannatt
The story has moved on significantly since Victoria's interview with General Sir Richard Dannatt this morning. During the conversation the former head of the British army was pressed on whether he'd consider taking a job in a future Conservative government.
Although he initially said he'd not been approached, he then corrected himself by saying he'd not been approached publicly but that, in theory, he would accept a post. An hour and a half after our interview was broadcast, David Cameron told Nick Robinson they had had private conversations about such a position. And by the time our programme came off air Tory sources were confirming Dannatt is to become an adviser to the party on defence.
You can listen back to our interview with General Sir Richard Dannatt in Victoria's previous post. And do check out this video of an embarrassing frontbench gaffe when the shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, mistakenly appeared to believe that the general was to advise the Labour government, rather than Mr Cameron.
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General Sir Richard Dannatt on Bob Ainsworth
I've just recorded an interview with the former Head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt. He is fascinating - he talks about mistakes he's made in trying to persuade the British government to send more troops to Afghanistan.
He speaks candidly for the frist time about what he thinks of the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth, and his disgust over the attempts to smear him over his expenses claims.
UPDATE: You can listen again to the two parts of the interview below
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We're live in Manchester today
Here at the Tory party conference we're bringing together an audience of 200 5 live listeners, with some of the men and women who want to run the country after the next general election.
It feels like the old days - a Conservative party conference where the main themes so far are welfare reform and Europe. But this morning we'll also find out about Tory policies on tax, spending, crime and whether the party is really in touch with normal people.
Join us at 10 as we ask: Do you want a Tory government? You can comment here on the blog or email victoria@bbc.co.uk.
Hear General Stanley McChrystal's speech in full
The American General in charge of NATO troops in Afghanistan - Stanley McChrystal - gave an important speech in London today about the coalition's strategy in Afghanistan. During the speech General McChrystal posed seven questions which he then attempted to answer:-
1) What is the right approach to use in Afghanistan?
2) What is the environment we're operating in?
3) What is the current situation?
4) Who's winning?
5) It's been 8 years, why isn't it better?
6) Can we succeed?
7) Why bother?
We bought some of that speech to you live on the programme this morning, but, helpfully , we lost our connection to the speech just as he was answering his second question. Lots of you got in contact with us wanting to hear the entire speech and you can do so below:
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