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TV Shows
Newsnight
Season 2011
Episode 189

05/10/2011

October 5, 2011

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Newsnight - S2011 - E189

David Cameron re-wrote his conference speech at the last minute to omit a call on households to pay off their credit cards. Tonight Newsnight picks through the detail of what stayed in and asks whether his appeal for a can-do optimism at an anxious time for the economy is likely to be heeded. Paul Mason reports on talk of a concerted move to beef up balance sheets of struggling European banks, what is needed and what is likely to happen. We have a strong Lyse Doucet film from inside Syria about the current nature of the anti-government protests. Plus Jeremy talks to musician Brian Eno about art and music in an age of turbulence./

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Newsnight: Season 2011 - 58 Episode s

2011x139 - 22/07/2011
July 22, 2011
Coming up at 2230 on BBC Two, new allegations about phone hacking at a weekend tabloid - which suggests illegal practices weren't just rife at the News of the World. We'll have the latest from the Norwegian capital where at least two people have been killed by a huge bomb blast, while reports say a gunman has opened fire at a Labour Party youth camp in Norway. Mark Urban has been to meet US General David Petraeus who acted as the US commander in both Afghanistan and Iraq and who is expected to take over as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in September. In a wide-ranging interview he talks about the drawdown in Afghanistan and the significance of the death of Obama Bin Laden. And Stephen Smith has been lunching with art historian Dr James Fox and muse Sue Tilley at Lucian Freud's favourite restaurant in Kensington. Stephen asks if Freud, who died at his London home on Wednesday, was the last great British painter.
2011x140 - 25/07/2011
July 25, 2011
Norwegian police are investigating claims by Anders Behring Breivik, who has admitted carrying out Friday's twin attacks in Norway, that he has "two more cells" working with him. Steve Rosenberg is in Oslo for us, and we'll be exploring how deeply ingrained the anti-immigrant strain of thinking is in Europe. Then Catrin Nye examines the links between Breivik and the English Defence League (EDL). Jeremy Paxman will be joined live by the EDL's leader Tommy Robinson. And Paul Mason travels to the north east of England to hear a "mea culpa" from former business secretary Lord Mandelson, who admits New Labour didn't get everything right on the economy when they were in office. Lord Mandelson will join Jeremy live in the studio to explain how he thinks Labour needs to change in order to win back power.
2011x141 - 26/07/2011
July 26, 2011
Growth in the UK economy slowed in the three months to 30 June, partly because of the extra bank holiday in April, and also due to some other one-off factors - including the Japanese tsunami. Chancellor George Osborne said the growth was good news, but Ed Balls accused him of choking the recovery. Tonight Paul Mason will give us his analysis, and David Grossman will explain the politics. Then, with a year to go until the 2012 Olympics, Peter Marshall visits the Olympic Park site in east London to find out if pledges that were made to win London the event - including leaving behind a lasting physical legacy and inspiring two million people to take up sport and physical activity - will be fulfilled. Then author Iain Sinclair, who is sceptical about the London project, explains his feelings about London 2012. And we'll be joined by the athlete turned ambassador who led London's bid, Lord Coe, and by the Welsh athlete and TV presenter Baroness Grey-Thompson.
2011x142 - 27/07/2011
July 27, 2011
Tonight, we take another look at the situation in Libya. While Libyan rebels remain locked in battle with pro-Gaddafi forces, the UK steps up the pressure on Col Gaddafi by insisting all Libyan diplomats leave the UK. Former Labour cabinet minister James Purnell tells Newsnight that one of the reasons the Labour Party lost the last election was that their supporters no longer backed the welfare state. He's live in the studio later to discuss how the welfare system could be transformed. And could we be seeing the end of scientific testing on monkeys? [Spoiler Alert: No] We'll be discussing the issues.
2011x143 - 28/07/2011
July 28, 2011
On tonight's programme, Paul Mason retraces the epic journey from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to the Californian promised land taken by migrant workers the Joad family, which John Steinbeck described in his 1939 Great Depression novel The Grapes of Wrath. Paul's been finding out how it reflects the realities of America's current debt crisis. Read more here. General David Petraeus has been speaking to Newsnight about his time as Nato's commander in Afghanistan. The new Director of the CIA also talks to us about difficult recent relations between the US and Pakistan -- he tells Mark Urban both sides have "stepped back from the abyss after looking into it". Read more on Mark's blog. And Stephen Smith examines the research which claims that if you stay up to watch Newsnight after your partner has gone to bed, it's a sure sign your marriage is in trouble
2011x144 - 29/07/2011
July 29, 2011
Two newspapers have been fined a total of £68,000 for breaking the law when reporting the investigation into landscape architect Jo Yeates' killing, and eight have paid out for libel. Meanwhile, lawyers for the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire have issued a statement saying he "acted on the instructions of others". So why does anyone bother with newspapers anymore? On tonight's Newsnight, our Political editor Michael Crick reports on the state of the British tabloid press. And as US Republican leaders scramble to rescue their deficit-cutting bill hours after a vote on it stalled because of a revolt from members of their own party, we'll be joined by Sharron Angle, the Republican Senate Candidate for Nevada in 2010, and leading Tea Party figure.
2011x145 - 02/08/2011
August 2, 2011
Syrian forces are pushing towards the centre of the town of Hama as they continue an offensive in which scores of people have died. Tim Whewell will bring us the latest tonight. Then we'll be asking how damaged President Barack Obama has been by the US debt crisis. Anna Adams has been investigating why many young women's cervical cancer tests are going unprocessed in England. And Lyse Doucet meets America's top military official, Admiral Mike Mullen, on his way home from what's expected to be his final visit to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
2011x146 - 03/08/2011
August 3, 2011
Tonight, we will be leading on our exclusive report on fresh allegations of phone-hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers. Heather Mills has told the programme that in 2001 a senior Mirror Newspaper Group journalist admitted hacking voicemails left for her by Sir Paul McCartney. Newsnight has also learned that many other prominent people, including footballer Rio Ferdinand and TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, also believe they were hacked by the Mirror group. You can read more about that story and listen to a clip of the Mills interview here. Mark Urban has a report on who is likely win control of the new Egypt in the parliamentary elections. Will it be the young liberals who led the campaign anti-Mubarak campaign in Tahrir Square, or Islamic groups and that relic of the old regime, the army? Andrew Verity has a report on how annual take home pay is dwindling in real terms. And Stephen Smith has been delving into the power of memory, with a bit of help from celebrated mnemonist Dominic O'Brien - who will be doing a memory challenge live on the programme.
2011x147 - 04/08/2011
August 4, 2011
Newsnight tonight investigates allegations that billions of dollars of long-term development aid money is being used as a tool of political repression in Ethiopia. Andrew Verity will be asking if the West is heading for a second economic slump. And as the government's new e-petitions website crashes with people trying to sign a range of petitions including one calling for the return of capital punishment, we'll be asking if it is really time to reinstate the death penalty in the UK. Join Kirsty for all that and more at 2230 on BBC Two.
2011x148 - 05/08/2011
August 5, 2011
Just five days ago, international investors were considering the possibility that the US government might default on its debt. That fear has now gone away, but it has been replaced by a fear that the world could be heading towards another credit crunch. Today instability on the stock markets continues, with sharp falls in the past 24 hours amid a crisis of confidence due to the eurozone debt crisis and concerns about weak recovery not only in the US but also in Europe.
2011x149 - 08/08/2011
August 8, 2011
Home Secretary Theresa May is meeting police chiefs about rioting in London with new violence erupting in Hackney. Skirmishes broke out between police and groups of young people in the area around Mare Street. Tonight Liz Mackean will bring us the latest, and will be considering what the origins of this unrest are and where it can go from here. Gavin will be joined in the studio by former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, Conservative Shaun Bailey, and a community leader from Tottenham. Later we'll be joined by broadcaster and columnist Darcus Howe to discuss if comparisons between these inner city riots and events that took place in the 1980s are useful or misleading. Then Andrew Verity will be asking what options remain for the West to avoid a double dip recession, and we'll be joined by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
2011x150 - 09/08/2011
August 9, 2011
Some 16,000 officers are policing London's streets after three days of violence, with rioters warned they will feel the "full force of the law". Tonight Liz Mackean we'll be asking who the kids are that are perpetrating the trouble, and try find out what their motives are. Then Iranian rapper Reveal co-founder of hip-hop group Poisonous Poets, Lyn Costello from Mothers Against Murder and Aggression, and media exec Kelvin Mackenzie, will join us to debate what we should do with the rioters. Iain Watson will be examining if a malaise in the police force and a lack of leadership have contributed to the unrest. And David Grossman will be considering if the Prime Minister - who returned to Britain this morning after cutting his summer break short - has completely misjudged the situation.
2011x151 - 10/08/2011
August 10, 2011
David Cameron said this morning that parts of Britain are not just broken but "sick". Tonight we will discuss whether he is right and if so what the medicine should be with Conservative co-chair Baroness Warsi and Hackney MP Diane Abbott. We will have the latest on the unrest in the West Midlands from Liz MacKean and what is happening in Manchester from Anna Adams. We will also be reporting on vigilante activity and will be examining what role gang culture has played in the disorder.
2011x152 - 11/08/2011
August 11, 2011
Tonight we will report on the emergency parliamentary session, which was called in response to the riots. Will the debate and the measures outlined by the prime minister bring us any closer to proper diagnosis of what went wrong, and how to ensure we don't see a repeat? David Grossman reports. Also we examine the role of parents and whether lack of discipline and family breakdown have been a factor in the unrest. We will chew over the week's events with our political panel.
2011x153 - 12/08/2011
August 12, 2011
David Grossman will be bringing us the news of the day and will be looking back at what's been a tumultuous week of rioting in English cities. Gavin Esler will be considering how damaged the fabric of Britain has been by the unrest. Stephen Smith will be looking at the foreign reaction to and coverage of the riots. And Emily will be joined in debate by magazine publisher Tyler Brûlé, Hong Kong entrepreneur Sir David Tang, and historian David Starkey.
2011x154 - 15/08/2011
August 15, 2011
Tackling the "broken society" is back on the agenda following last week's riots. David Grossman reports tonight as Cameron and Miliband draw battle lines, and we'll be joined by David Willetts and Hilary Benn. Paul Mason considers the degree to which gangs can be blamed for the unrest. Madeleine Morris visits Berlin to ask how heavy a price the Germans are prepared to pay to save the euro - we hear from their Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and will be joined by economist Joseph Stiglitz. And was Peter Oborne right when he wrote that the moral decay of our society is as bad at the top as it is at the bottom? We'll debate.
2011x155 - 16/08/2011
August 16, 2011
MPs have today released a letter from a journalist jailed for phone hacking, former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman, alleging senior figures at the newspaper knew what was going on and struck a deal to stop him implicating the paper at trial. David Grossman will have all of the latest news on that story and we will be speaking to former deputy prime minister and hacking victim John Prescott, and former newspaper editor Paul Connew. Amid news that two men charged with inciting disorder via social networking site Facebook have each been jailed for four years we ask whether the courts are being too draconian in sentencing people connected to last week's riots, or whether this kind of sentencing is right and in fact overdue. Plus, across the world, slums are home to a billion people. The rich elite want the shanty towns cleared, but residents are surprisingly determined not to leave. Paul Mason has been to Estero de San Miguel, a slum in the Philippines capital Manila, to find out why.
2011x156 - 17/08/2011
August 17, 2011
Tonight we lead on the surprise rise in UK unemployment, which rose in the three months to June, by 38,000 to 2.49 million, official figures show. We will be asking what is going wrong, the threat this poses and looking at measures aimed at reversing the situation, particularly enterprise zones. As we continue to analyse the fallout from last week's riots we have a report on recent unrest in Gloucester and will be taking another look at sentencing of those involved. Plus, why do some people seem to lead charmed lives? LSE academic Dr Catherine Hakim has written a book on the power of erotic capital which she says is at the heart of how we work, interact, make money and conduct our relationships. We will be speaking to the author and debating the issues she raises.
2011x157 - 18/08/2011
August 18, 2011
Stock markets have seen falls of about 5%, and some bank shares have plunged 10%, as the negative mood which has caused recent turmoil takes hold again. Paul Mason will have the latest news and analysis on that and we will be speaking to Jeffrey Sachs, who says we have been tripped up by globalisation. Caroline Hawley will report on the call from the leaders of the US, UK, France, Germany and EU for Syria's President Assad to step down over his suppression of protesters, and whether he is likely to heed them. Plus, many students hoping to go to university face an even more intense battle for places than usual as this is the last intake of students to English universities before the introduction of tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year in 2012. David Grossman reports on whether the government's changes - not just higher fees, but significant changes to the structure of the higher education in this country - really benefit young people and whether they will provide the skills the country needs? We have been to the Mossbourne Academy - a very successful school on the edge of the Mossbourne estate in Hackney, which was the backdrop to some of last weeks riots - and the school's head teacher, Sir Michael Wilshaw, will be joining the debate in our studio. And on the 20th anniversary of the 1991 Russian coup we have a Bridget Kendal film in which she talks to many of the key players including Mikhail Gorbachev.
2011x158 - 19/08/2011
August 19, 2011
Tonight we will be looking at the attack on the British Council office in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in which armed insurgents seized control of the compound for a number of hours, killing at least 12 people. Paul Mason will have more on the ongoing turmoil in the stock markets as concerns over the strength of the global economy and eurozone debt continue. And we will be speaking to author of The Black Swan Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Plus, is Sally Bercow's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother a bad thing, or should what she does not have any bearing on her husband John Bercow's role as Speaker? We will be joined by ex-I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant Christine Hamilton and her husband Neil and Jacob Rees-Mogg to discuss.
2011x159 - 22/08/2011
August 22, 2011
Robin Denselow will have the latest on the battle for control of Tripoli, where troops loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi are battling rebels. Gabriel Gatehouse will be analysing who the rebels' interim administration, the National Transitional Council (NTC), are and what their agenda is. We'll ask guests - including Lord Malloch-Brown and John Bolton - if the Libya conflict signals a rebirth of liberal interventionism. And Sarfraz Manzoor considers if English cricket is doing enough to integrate Asian players. Join Jeremy at 2230 on BBC Two for that, and more.
2011x160 - 23/08/2011
August 23, 2011
The battle for Tripoli seems to be in its final stages tonight, with rebels taking over Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's fortified compound in the city, one of the final areas under the Libyan leader's control. Tonight we are dedicating the whole programme to the day's events and asking what next for Libya? We will be hearing from key players and our reporters on the ground as we examine the prospects for the last pockets of pro-Gaddafi resistance being swiftly eradicated, for a peaceful transition of power once the fighting stops and what is likely to happen to Colonel Gaddafi - whose whereabouts is currently unknown. We will look back over more than 40 years of Gaddafi rule, asking if this should be a day for celebration or not, and forward to what kind of Libya we are likely to see without Gaddafi at the helm.
2011x161 - 24/08/2011
August 24, 2011
The situation in Libya remains chaotic with Tripoli seeing running battles between rebel fighters and Gaddafi loyalists, new Nato air strikes, and a defiant message from Colonel Gaddafi himself, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Tonight we will be making sense of what is happening and asking where Libya goes from here with reporters on the ground and experts in the studio. We will be asking how the National Transitional Council can properly establish itself as Libya's leadership with ousted leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi still at large. And what Nato's responsibilities towards Libya's recovery are. And we will take a wider look at whether the Arab Spring is likely to be good or bad news for women. Plus, Citizen Smith has been on National Citizen Service - David Cameron's training programme for 16-year-olds which is to be expanded in response to the recent riots. How effective will a universal programme be at combating the sort of problems we saw a few weeks ago? And how is it different from existing youth programmes, many of which have been facing cuts? Stephen Smith has been finding out.
2011x162 - 25/08/2011
August 25, 2011
"I was buzzing me, just smashing windows and police cars and stuff... a big massive buzz." Tonight we have a film from Donal MacIntyre who has been meeting some of the young men who took part in the recent Manchester riots. He finds them revelling in the memories of the time when they overturned the rule of law and made the streets their own. To discuss the film Kirsty be joined by a shopkeeper who was trapped in his store during the riots and had to be rescued by police, someone who knows the looters, and a politician. Meanwhile... another confusing day in Libya. The hunt for Col Gaddafi continues, although reports he was trapped in a building in Tripoli came to nothing. It is certainly clear that the Transitional Council are desperate for money. Tim Whewell is in Benghazi for us tonight and Kirsty will be speaking to the Foreign Secretary William Hague. And Madeleine Morris has been looking into new figures which suggest that net migration rose by 21% last year, with 239,000 more people arriving in the UK than those leaving.
2011x163 - 26/08/2011
August 26, 2011
Tonight we will have the latest on Libya from our correspondent Tim Whewell, who is currently in Benghazi, which for now remains home to the National Transitional Council's headquarters. And we will be speaking to the NTC's deputy leader Abdul Hafiz Ghoga live on the programme. Plus former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore has done an authored film for us in which he explains where he thinks the Conservatives are going wrong. Afterwards Danny Finkelstein and Noreena Hertz will discuss his conclusions. All of that, and our Economics editor Paul Mason in the presenter's chair for the first time - 10.30pm on BBC Two.
2011x164 - 30/08/2011
August 30, 2011
Seven people have been shot dead by security forces during anti-government protests in Syria at the start of the festival of Eid al-Fitr, activists say. Our diplomatic editor Mark Urban will have the latest later. Tim Whewell is in Libya and has a film for us about nation building, which sees him haggling over the price of AK47s at a Benghazi gun market. Anna Adams examines the row over independent abortion counselling and who should do it. And Neil Bowdler considers if resomation, a body 'liquefaction' process, and promession, a method of freeze-drying corpses, could offer greener alternatives to burial and cremation. Read more about that here.
2011x165 - 31/08/2011
August 31, 2011
Paul Mason will report on the shake-up of British banks, which government sources have indicated may not come into force for several years. David Grossman explains why the fifty per cent rate of income tax required of people earning more than £150,000 a year has illuminated the divisions within the coalition. We'll return to a story from last night's programme - about changes to abortion counselling services rules so that clinics which offer termination services do not also provide advice. Tonight Downing Street said "the discussions currently underway do not represent any moral shift in the government's approach to abortion as an issue". We'll debate the government's moral agenda and its commitment to social liberty. And Tom Heap visits Croatia, home to the richest cave fauna in Europe, which is under threat by pollution and development.
2011x166 - 01/09/2011
September 1, 2011
Senior diplomats are meeting in Paris for a major international conference on Libya's future. What should that future look like, and will the National Transitional Council and international community's vision dovetail or not? Tonight Peter Marshall will bring us the latest from the Paris conference and Tim Whewell will report from Libya. We have a report from David Shukman on illnesses linked to the dust from the attacks on New York's World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, affecting thousands. Plus we look at government proposals to overhaul planning laws in order to jump-start the building industry and the economy, a major shake-up which green campaigners say will lead to a development free for all and a legacy of blighted landscapes and urban sprawl.
2011x167 - 02/09/2011
September 2, 2011
Tonight we look into the rendition claims made by a Libyan rebel military commander, which if true would suggest a closer than expected relationship between the US and ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Abdel Hakim Belhaj claims he was tortured by CIA agents who suspected him of being an al-Qaeda terrorist and then handed by the Americans to Gaddafi's intelligence services. Peter Marshall will be reporting on that and we will be talking to Menzies Campbell and to Michael Sheuer, former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit. We are looking at the draft emergency measures to relocate terror suspects under Tpims, terrorism prevention and investigation measures. The relocation powers had been ditched by the coalition, but under draft emergency legislation they could be brought back in exceptional circumstances. We will be talking to Hazel Blears and Tom Brake, co-chairman of the Liberal Democrat backbench committee on home affairs. And whatever happened to silly season that period of summer typified by the emergence of frivolous news stories in the media? Stephen Smith reports.
2011x168 - 05/09/2011
September 5, 2011
Tonight on Newsnight Richard Watson examines if Britain was turning a blind eye to maltreatment and colluding with the Gaddafi regime to arrange the rendition of Libyan terror suspects - the PM has said that allegations that MI6 was involved should be examined by an independent inquiry. Paul Mason will be asking if the IMF's managing-director, Christine Lagarde, was right when she said the global economic outlook had darkened suddenly over the summer, and Jeremy will be speaking to the former chancellor Alistair Darling. Then we'll be hearing from Murdo Fraser, the favourite to become the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives who reckons the only hope for the party to attract greater support in Scotland would be to split off from the UK party. And Tim Whewell has been meeting the high command of Libya's National Transitional Council.
2011x169 - 06/09/2011
September 6, 2011
Ken Clarke has blamed a "broken penal system" for the riots that erupted across England last month. Writing in the Guardian, he said the "hardcore" of those involved were known criminals whose behaviour had not been changed by previous punishments. Tonight Liz MacKean reports on whether the justice secretary's assessment is correct and what can be done. Also, former News of the World legal manager Tom Crone has told members of a House of Commons committee investigating the News of the World phone-hacking scandal that he was "certain" he told James Murdoch about an e-mail which indicated hacking at the paper went beyond one rogue reporter. In a previous Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing, News Corp bosses Rupert and James Murdoch said they were not told of an email. And today James Murdoch has said that he stands by what he said. David Grossman will be assessing the discrepancies and whether they are likely to dim News Corporation shareholders' view of James Murdoch and his chances of one day becoming head of News Corporation. And Stephen Smith is looking at some of Britain's worst performing high streets, and with the help of retail adviser Mary Portas, assessing whether they can be saved and if we should even try.
2011x170 - 07/09/2011
September 7, 2011
Tonight we report on the growing global currency war, which escalated dramatically yesterday after Switzerland stepped in to weaken the franc in a bid to rid itself of "safe haven" status - how much of a threat is it and who has the political power to avert a crisis? Nadine Dorries talks about her failed bid to change the law on abortion counselling to stop abortion providers giving NHS-funded counselling to women. We speak to a young man who has been in the Syrian city of Homs, scene of some of the worst clashes between anti-government protesters and government forces, and who was shot during the unrest. Plus, how is popular culture being used to alter perceptions of Muslims? We have an interview with Dr Naif al-Mutawa, creator of The 99 - comic book superheroes based on Islamic culture and society. And Catrin Nye speaks to the creators of Canadian TV sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie - described as The Cosby Show for Muslims. You can read her article about that here, and watch the full report at 10.30pm.
2011x171 - 08/09/2011
September 8, 2011
Is the tail wagging the dog? Tonight we assess the claim that the Liberal Democrats are exercising too much control over the government on a whole range of issues. We talk to former US Secretary of State Colin Powell in the Bush administration about 9/11 and its impact. We have a film from Security correspondent Gordon Corera on the way NYPD and the FBI has responded to terror threats in the years after the attacks on New York and Washington and accusations that they have engaged in entrapment tactics. And we have an interview with Cathy Wilson about her time as the wife of the serial killer Peter Tobin.
2011x172 - 09/09/2011
September 9, 2011
Tonight Kirsty Wark presents an hour-long special on the 10 years since the 9/11 terror attacks live from New York. We will be hearing from key US members of the Bush administration - former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff. Mark Urban has a film on the US response to the attacks and whether it was driven at times by a desire for revenge. And we discuss the events of 10 years ago and the effect on the decade which followed with guests including Carl Bernstein, Suzanne Vega, Christiane Amanpour and Fran Lebowitz.
2011x173 - 13/09/2011
September 13, 2011
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sought to calm nerves over a possible Greek default, warning of a domino effect if Greece fails and exits the single currency. Tonight Paul Mason reports on whether Mrs Merkel's attempts to allay fears will work and what is likely to happen next in the eurozone. David Grossman reports from the Trades Unions Congress where Labour leader Ed Miliband has delivered a key note address in which he said despite public sector worker anger at cuts it was a "mistake" to strike while talks were going on, and was heckled in return. Mark Urban examines the Palestinian bid for statehood set to happen at the UN General Assembly, which gets under way today. And we speak to Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist, about the thinking behind his new book The Magic of Reality and his belief in the need to indoctrinate children with science rather than mythology.
2011x174 - 14/09/2011
September 14, 2011
The leaders of Greece, France and Germany will have a phone conference this evening as they seek to find a way to contain the spiralling debt crisis in the eurozone. Tonight Paul Mason will explain what a Greek default might look like - could it be orderly and managed or are we looking at a Lehman type event? You can read more of Paul's thoughts on that in his blog. As we learn that unemployment in the UK rose by 80,000 in the three months to July and unions schedule a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations for 30 November in protest at changes to public sector pensions, David Grossman looks at the coalition's growth strategy. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and someone from government will join us live. And Tim Whewell has been investigating the assassination of General Abdul Fatah Younis in Libya at the height of the campaign against Colonel Gaddafi in late July. With the murder still unsolved, there is mounting anger among members of Younes' large and powerful tribe.
2011x175 - 15/09/2011
September 15, 2011
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures show that a quarter of those charged over last month's riots had committed more than 10 past offences, while three-quarters had a previous caution or conviction. Tonight we have an interview with Ken Clarke about the link between re-offending and the unrest and what the justice minister thinks needs to be done. IMF chief Christine Lagarde has warned of a "dangerous" new economic phase in which bold, collective action is needed to prevent the major economies slipping back. Paul Mason will have full analysis of that and the latest on the crisis in the eurozone ahead of Friday's meeting of European finance ministers in Poland, which US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is also due to attend. And we have an authored film from one-time "Cameron Cutie" Charlotte Vere on whether the Tories are anti-women. Afterwards she and Angela Eagle will join Gavin in the studio to discuss.
2011x176 - 16/09/2011
September 16, 2011
Last night on Newsnight former chancellor Ken Clarke said that political leadership in Washington and Western Europe has suffered "paralysis" in the face of the financial crisis. Tonight Mark Urban will be taking a closer look at this claim, assessing what is causing the inertia and its consequences. The Guardian newspaper has said that the Metropolitan Police are seeking an order under the Official Secrets Act to force it to disclose the confidential sources of its reports on the News of the World phone hacking scandal - we will have the latest on that. And Susan Watts reports on an extraordinary trial in the earthquake-hit town of L'Aquila in Italy in which science itself seemed to be on trial as seismologists are charged with manslaughter for failing to predict the 2009 quake in which more than 300 people died.
2011x177 - 19/09/2011
September 19, 2011
Tonight's Newsnight comes live from Birmingham where the Liberal Democrats' 2011 conference is in full swing. Iain Watson will be reporting from the marginal seat of Birmingham Yardley where he's asking if the Lib Dems are facing electoral meltdown, David Grossman will be auditing exactly what the party has achieved in government so far, and Jeremy will be speaking to the Business Secretary Vince Cable.
2011x178 - 20/09/2011
September 20, 2011
Paul Mason is in Athens today. Tonight he will bring us the latest on the crisis in the eurozone and Greek attempts to avoid a debt default. We will also be asking whether a default is inevitable and if so why leaders aren't setting out a plan for handling it, rather than continuing down the current path. The Liberal Democrat conference is continuing today and we will have an interview with Energy Secretary Chris Huhne. Plus Iain Watson will be looking at what the Lib Dems think now about the role Britain should play in Europe, and in dealing with the eurozone economic crisis. David Grossman will report on the tribes that make up the Liberal Democrat membership and look ahead to leader Nick Clegg's speech tomorrow. And documentarian Michael Cockerell, whose latest series The Secret World of Whitehall broadcast this month, will report for us on the allegations that an aide Education Secretary Michael Gove used a personal email account to circumvent freedom of information laws.
2011x179 - 21/09/2011
September 21, 2011
Tonight Iain Watson is doing our lead story on growth and will be asking if the government is wobbling on Plan A, and if the governor of the Bank of England and other central bankers might ride to the rescue. Then we have an update on an investigation from last month which uncovered evidence that the Ethiopian government is using billions of dollars of development aid as a tool for political oppression. You can read more about our initial investigation here. Now Newsnight has heard from members of the Ethiopian diaspora that there's been a concerted government backlash. We'll be hearing from the International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell. Prime Minister David Cameron has written to the National Trust to try to reassure its members who are campaigning against proposed changes to planning laws - the biggest reforms of the rules since the 1930s. Tim Whewell reports from rural Northamptonshire for us tonight, where a German-owned electricity firm has proposed building seven 410-foot (125m) wind turbines. And we'll be joined by leading businessman and peer Lord Wolfson.
2011x180 - 22/09/2011
September 22, 2011
There's quite a lot of sport planned for this evening's Newsnight, including from the BBC's Sports Editor David Bond who'll be telling us five ways competitors could cheat at the 2012 Olympics. Then we'll be joined live by Olympic champion and anti-corruption campaigner Michael Johnson. Gavin will be meeting the Russian oligarch who bank rolls the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, Alexander Lebedev. And our Diplomatic editor Mark Urban will be watching David Cameron's intervention speech at the UN later.
2011x181 - 23/09/2011
September 23, 2011
Our Economics editor Paul Mason has just arrived back from Greece, and tonight he will have the latest on the economic crisis both there and further afield. Plus we will be asking why, unlike in 2009, there is no sign of global leaders coming together to deal with the problem and opting instead for "kicking the can down the road". Mark Urban will be picking over Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' decision to present the Palestinians' bid for statehood at the UN later today, despite a US promise to veto the move in the Security Council. And Susan Watts will have more on the experiment results which are baffling scientists at Cern, home of the Large Hadron Collider, that appear to show subatomic particles known as neutrinos have exceeded the speed of light.
2011x182 - 26/09/2011
September 26, 2011
Tonight Paul Mason will have the latest on the eurozone rescue plan, which is reported to be taking shape in Washington, analysis of what it means, the timetable and the likelihood that it will work. And we will be joined by a fantastic cast of financial experts giving us their analysis. At the Labour party conference in Liverpool Iain Watson will focus on how the party can become economically credible again. We aren't speaking to Ed Balls as said earlier, but we will be talking to shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander. Plus David Grossman will be asking what the Labour party is for these days, and Jeremy Paxman will be taking up that theme with Lord Prescott.
2011x183 - 27/09/2011
September 27, 2011
Kirsty will be joined by a live studio audience at the Labour Conference in Liverpool tonight, where their leader Ed Miliband delivered a speech earlier in which he slammed big bankers, consensus politics, energy companies and benefit cheats. He said for decades our economy and society had been based on the wrong values. David Grossman will give us his analysis of Ed Miliband's performance later. And in light of John Prescott's comments on last night's programme that Ed Miliband should get rid of anyone who is "not pulling their weight", we'll consider if its time for a shadow cabinet reshuffle, and who might go.
2011x184 - 28/09/2011
September 28, 2011
On tonight's Newsnight Paul Mason will be asking whether Europe and the world banking system is on the edge of catastrophe. He'll look at fears that the so-called rescue plan for the eurozone is already in trouble and will consider what would happen if the euro ultimately broke up. We'll be joined by the European Commission, Johanna Kyrklund from Shroders, economist and former DG of the CBI Sir Richard Lambert, and Peter Oborne from the Daily Telegraph to debate if the euro project is worth saving. We have a film about social breakdown amid austerity in Greece, and we'll hear from our correspondent Peter Marshall in Berlin - where Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a vote tomorrow that threatens to weaken her politically and undermine her ability to manage the debt crisis. Plus we'll have an interview with Labour leader Ed Miliband.
2011x185 - 29/09/2011
September 29, 2011
A large majority in Germany's parliament has approved new powers for the EU's main bailout fund, despite opposition from some members of the ruling coalition. Peter Marshall is in Berlin getting under the skin of what the Germans really think about Europe and the euro, and we will be discussing the latest events in the studio. We look at the wider implications of footballer Rio Ferdinand losing a High Court privacy action over a "kiss and tell" newspaper story. We have a live interview with actor Mark Rylance about the stunning success of the play Jerusalem as it returns to London from an award-winning run on Broadway - and what it tells us about being English. Plus, as Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah overturns a court ruling sentencing a woman to 10 lashes for breaking a ban on female drivers we ask whether he can win the battle against the hardliners in his kingdom.
2011x186 - 30/09/2011
September 30, 2011
In our final edition of the week, Andrew Verity will be asking what if anything is wrong with the predatory capitalism that Ed Miliband called for a clampdown on at the Labour Party's conference earlier this week. Tim Whewell will have more on the news that US-born suspected al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, whose death was said to have been personally ordered by US President Barack Obama, has been killed in Yemen. And as Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal against their convictions for the 2007 murder of Perugia student Meredith Kercher draws to a close we ask what the obsession with Knox is and has it got anything to do with Berlusconi's Italy.
2011x187 - 03/10/2011
October 3, 2011
Tonight's programme will come from the Tory party conference in Manchester, where Jeremy Paxman will be joined by an audience of conference attendees. Jeremy will be speaking to MPs Philip Hammond, David Davis and Don Foster. Also we'll be getting the journalist's view of the conference from Fraser Nelson and Kevin Maguire. The main topic for discussion will be the economy and Chancellor George Osborne's big speech today and David Grossman will be giving his analysis of what the chancellor said. Plus Iain Watson will be looking at the European economic crisis amid the news that Greece is likely to miss targets to cut its budget deficit. And as the government announces that it is going to invest £50m to commercialise graphene - a carbon allotrope invented at Manchester University - we ask what is it and why is it important?
2011x188 - 04/10/2011
October 4, 2011
Jeremy is in Manchester tonight with all the action and analysis from the third day of the Conservative Party conference. There has been a bit of a catflap over human rights, is it the Tories' claws four moment? (Sorry....) We'll have the annual conference season interview with the Mayor of London (you can re-watch the interviews from 2009, and 2010 here). This year Jeremy asks Boris if he'd consider standing for Parliament while serving as Mayor, and is offered a hand from Boris should he ever decide to give up his day job presenting Newsnight and run for leader of the Conservative party. And Jeremy will be joined by an audience of 70 Conservative women to discuss the reasons for the government's worsening polling with woman, and to work out what more the Conservatives could do to appeal to women.
2011x189 - 05/10/2011
October 5, 2011
David Cameron re-wrote his conference speech at the last minute to omit a call on households to pay off their credit cards. Tonight Newsnight picks through the detail of what stayed in and asks whether his appeal for a can-do optimism at an anxious time for the economy is likely to be heeded. Paul Mason reports on talk of a concerted move to beef up balance sheets of struggling European banks, what is needed and what is likely to happen. We have a strong Lyse Doucet film from inside Syria about the current nature of the anti-government protests. Plus Jeremy talks to musician Brian Eno about art and music in an age of turbulence./
2011x190 - 06/10/2011
October 6, 2011
The Bank of England has said it will inject a further £75bn into the economy through quantitative easing (QE), the first time it has added to its QE programme since 2009. Tonight Paul Mason will take us through the details of what is happening, why it is happening now and how the Bank hope it to aid the fragile economic recovery. With the BBC announcing that it is planning to cut 2,000 jobs and radically change programming in order to cut 20% from its budget over the next five years, Stephen Smith will report on the wider cultural impact of a shrinking Auntie. We look at the impact of the work done by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who has died at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer. And we have a report from Mark Easton on mixed race Britain including some exclusive new stats which show that the numbers of people in Britain who are mixed-race is actually much higher than previously thought.
2011x191 - 07/10/2011
October 7, 2011
Moody's has downgraded the credit rating of 12 UK financial firms including Lloyds TSB, RBS, Nationwide and Santander UK amid concerns that the government is now less likely to support some firms if they get into trouble. Moody's also downgraded nine Portuguese banks, blaming financial weakness. Tonight Andrew Verity reports on the significance of this news and whether the belief that the days of UK government bank bail outs are over is correct. We will also be getting further analysis by studio by guests. And Stephen Smith has a fresh Citizen Smith report. He's had an exclusive look the first wave of community organisers who are meant to build David Cameron's big society and we talk to Civil Society Minister Nick Hurd.
2011x192 - 10/10/2011
October 10, 2011
Defence Secretary Liam Fox has told MPs that he met his friend Adam Werritty 22 times at the Ministry of Defence and 18 times on foreign trips. Mr Fox also said that Mr Werritty, who has no government role or national security clearance, had not been involved in defence procurement issues. Tonight, we'll examine whether the Defence Secretary is guilty of impropriety or simply made some minor errors of judgement. Following the violence which killed twenty-four people at a rally of Coptic Christians in Cairo at the weekend, Tim Whewell will ask if attacks against Christians in Egypt are becoming worse in post-revolutionary Egypt, and if so why. You can watch one of Tim's previous reports on this from Cairo here. And Rory Cellan Jones has a fascinating film about whether the education system in England and Wales is failing to produce enough polymaths and top flight computer programmers who could one day emulate the likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Watch a preview clip here. We'll also be joined by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey.
2011x193 - 11/10/2011
October 11, 2011
David Cameron says he wants his to be "the greenest government ever", but last week Chancellor George Osborne sparked anger among environmentalists when he told the Conservative Party conference the UK would cut emissions no faster than others in Europe, and environmental measures would not be taken at the expense of British business. And MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee have warned today that the government's "schizophrenic attitude" to climate change is undermining investor confidence in low-carbon industries. Tonight Susan Watts examines whether the green agenda is being watered down and we will debate the issues in the studio. US "supercop" Bill Bratton, who has gained a reputation for introducing bold measures to reduce crime in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, is in London to take part in a government conference on how to tackle riots and disorder and has given us an interview. We report on the jailing of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for seven years, whom a judge ruled had criminally exceeded her powers when she signed a gas deal with Russia in 2009. Mrs Tymoshenko said the charges were politically motivated. And the EU said it was disappointed with the verdict, and that Kiev's handling of the case risked deep implications for its hopes of EU integration. Plus, Stephen Smith has been to talk to former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher about the Manchester riots, the coalition and the passing of Cool Britannia.
2011x194 - 12/10/2011
October 12, 2010
UK unemployment has risen to a 17-year high of 2.57 million, according to official figures. Tonight Joe Lynam will give us his take on those figures, the Eurozone crisis and Barroso's plan. Jeremy will be joined by former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt and editor-in-chief at The Economist, John Micklethwait. Jonny Dymond will be asking members of the Mormon Church how they think they are viewed by the rest of the United States, and asseses the likelihood that one of their faithful could be elected the next president. And ahead of the start of Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry on phone hacking, Steve Coogan will join us live in the studio. That and more at 2230 on BBC Two.
2011x195 - 13/10/2011
October 13, 2010
The independent watchdog for health and social care says a fifth of NHS hospitals are breaking the law, when it comes to properly feeding and treating elderly patients. The Care Quality Commission visited 100 hospitals, and found cause for concern at more than half of them. Tonight we examine what was said and how much of this a reflection of how the elderly are treated in Britain more generally. Peter Marshall has a report looking into who are the backers who raised funds to pay for Adam Werritty to act as Defence Secretary Liam Fox's adviser, and David Grossman will have the latest developments on the story. We have a live interview with former Barnsley MP Eric Illsley who was jailed for expenses fraud. Susan Watts reports on the new obesity strategy for England in which the government has tried to stress the importance of personal responsibility. And we have a report on how garments labelled "designed in Scotland" and sold by UK high street chain Edinburgh Woollen Mill are actually being made by North Korean labour in Mongolian factories.
2011x196 - 14/10/2011
October 14, 2011
The news that Liam Fox has resigned as defence secretary has changed our plans for the programme. We will no longer be running a piece on how proposed changes to planning regulations might affect urban areas and speaking to Lord Rogers about this issue. Instead the whole programme is devoted to Dr Fox's resignation, the events that led up to it, the questions that remain and where this leaves the government. We will have analysis from our Defence editor Mark Urban and reporters David Grossman and Richard Watson. And we will be joined on the programme by guests including shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy, former head of the British Army General Sir Mike Jackson, and journalists Fraser Nelson and Miranda Green.

Newsnight: All seasons

S0: Specials
7 Episode s
S5: 1984
1 Episode
S19: Season 19
243 Episode s
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242 Episode s
S21: Season 21
246 Episode s
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245 Episode s
S23: Season 23
249 Episode s
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249 Episode s
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250 Episode s
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249 Episode s
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250 Episode s
S28: Season 28
249 Episode s
S29: Season 29
248 Episode s
S30: Season 30
234 Episode s
S31: Season 31
217 Episode s
S32: Season 32
84 Episode s
S37: Season 37
1 Episode
S2011: Season 2011
140 Episode s
S2014: Season 2014
1 Episode

2011x139 - 22/07/2011

2011x140 - 25/07/2011

2011x141 - 26/07/2011

2011x142 - 27/07/2011

2011x143 - 28/07/2011

2011x144 - 29/07/2011

2011x145 - 02/08/2011

2011x146 - 03/08/2011

2011x147 - 04/08/2011

2011x148 - 05/08/2011

2011x149 - 08/08/2011

2011x150 - 09/08/2011

2011x151 - 10/08/2011

2011x152 - 11/08/2011

2011x153 - 12/08/2011

2011x154 - 15/08/2011

2011x155 - 16/08/2011

2011x156 - 17/08/2011

2011x157 - 18/08/2011

2011x158 - 19/08/2011

2011x159 - 22/08/2011

2011x160 - 23/08/2011

2011x161 - 24/08/2011

2011x162 - 25/08/2011

2011x163 - 26/08/2011

2011x164 - 30/08/2011

2011x165 - 31/08/2011

2011x166 - 01/09/2011

2011x167 - 02/09/2011

2011x168 - 05/09/2011

2011x169 - 06/09/2011

2011x170 - 07/09/2011

2011x171 - 08/09/2011

2011x172 - 09/09/2011

2011x173 - 13/09/2011

2011x174 - 14/09/2011

2011x175 - 15/09/2011

2011x176 - 16/09/2011

2011x177 - 19/09/2011

2011x178 - 20/09/2011

2011x179 - 21/09/2011

2011x180 - 22/09/2011

2011x181 - 23/09/2011

2011x182 - 26/09/2011

2011x183 - 27/09/2011

2011x184 - 28/09/2011

2011x185 - 29/09/2011

2011x186 - 30/09/2011

2011x187 - 03/10/2011

2011x188 - 04/10/2011

2011x189 - 05/10/2011

2011x190 - 06/10/2011

2011x191 - 07/10/2011

2011x192 - 10/10/2011

2011x193 - 11/10/2011

2011x194 - 12/10/2011

2011x195 - 13/10/2011

2011x196 - 14/10/2011

S0: Specials

S5: 1984

S19: Season 19

S20: Season 20

S21: Season 21

S22: Season 22

S23: Season 23

S24: Season 24

S25: Season 25

S26: Season 26

S27: Season 27

S28: Season 28

S29: Season 29

S30: Season 30

S31: Season 31

S32: Season 32

S37: Season 37

S2011: Season 2011

S2014: Season 2014