YouSaid · the spoken record

James Brokenshire

lines on the record: 48
first: 2018-11-29
most recent: 2018-11-29
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Right. Well, I suppose my reflections are that we've covered quite a broad range of personal and political issues and actually how the two are interwoven, the influences that we all have as politicians, as people, and what that actually does in terms of defining our political outlook and that sense of duty and responsibility and what actually matters. And somehow actually there are bigger things than simply political debate and trying to keep things into proportion. Been listening to political thinking with Nick Robinson, the editor was Martin Rosenbaum, the producer was Peter Snowden, and the studio manager was Richard Townsend.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“passionately, but equally as a Democrat, as somebody who believes in free speech, I'll defend someone's right to hold that view. And I think that's something very special about our democracy and our country, something that we should hold very dear and really stand up and protect.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Think having seen the Prime Minister go through so many different challenges in her political time as Home Secretary and obviously now as Prime Minister I worry a little bit, and this isn't just about this particular issue and as important as it may be on just the nature of our debate in politics at the moment about playing the individual rather than the issue and as I say this is just how we look back to some quite awful events with the murder of Joe Cox on just where our politics is going to that's the bit that I do have concerns about on how we should be able to have rational passionate debate where we disagree but it doesn't cross that line into the very personal you can disagree with someone profoundly”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Do you know what? I could have done. And it was, I think, a very conscious choice on my part to say to, I remember having a chat with my consultant saying, do you know what? I've had my surge. I'm feeling, you know, I'm actually doing quite well. I'm doing lots of walking and all this sort of stuff. When do you think might be the moment that I could step up a bit more and I could get back into the front line of politics? And he said, well, you know, maybe about the end of April. Maybe that's sort of an interesting thing. Virtually, I don't know if he's a soothsayer or anything like that because that was virtually to the date that I came back into government.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think on that, what I would say is the Prime Minister is driven by a profound sense of personal duty and a profound sense of what's in the national interest. And I think that she is determined to see Brexit through and to see that we can and do chart that positive, bright new course for our country outside of the European Union and giving effect to the Brexit referendum.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We got to think hard. Obviously, there are things like no deal planning which continue apace and therefore on that front because it's not just about the meaningful vote. There are still further steps that need to happen over the withdrawal agreement bill that would follow and therefore the parliamentary steps around that as well as the European Parliament approving this deal too.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You know, I think our discussions are on what we can do to support the Prime Minister to get this deal done and to underline the significant benefits that attach to this on delivering on the referendum, on that Brexit vote.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Nothing to see here. The thing is that clearly at that stage, that was the political declaration which has now translated into now I see 599 pages of legal text in the withdrawal agreement. And in the same way, though, I would point to the political declaration that we have agreed in relation to our future relationship with the EU, how that will translate into, I'm quite sure, several hundred pages of legal text as well and demonstrates what you're able to do in a short period of time in translating one to the other.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, I think there has always been a sensitivity and a recognition of the importance of the relationship between Great Britain and Northern Ireland profoundly what this means for our United Kingdom. And so, yes, I think you could sense at that time the issues around the need to have that insurance policy in place. Obviously, we don't want this insurance policy to happen at all. And I'm reel off, I could reel off all the reasons why it won't happen. Not the place.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think that this was always going to be a significant issue and how you practically ensure that we leave whilst ensuring that we have that frictionless border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and also recognising one devolution and also secondly the unique political settlement in Northern Ireland which has made brought about so much positive change in Northern Ireland how I always enjoy spending time in Northern Ireland. It is an amazing place. The people are incredible and what I see is the positive opportunities of Northern are huge and why I want to see us get on with that.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think that's right. I think that there had to have been some mechanism to respond and deal with this. And as much as anything to assure the people of Northern Ireland.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, because I think that this is an interesting point because any deal would have required a backstop of some arrangement. And therefore, all of the things that people are saying, well, you know, we should have Canada plus plus plus or Norway or variants of all of that. That would still have required some form of backstop arrangement to it in terms of assuring our obligations in relation to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and indeed our duty and responsibility to the people of Northern Ireland and maintaining that commitment to a frictionless border. And so I'll look back on that and think, no, that would have been necessary. We would still have been discussing phase one, I think, now if we had not made that determination at that point in time. But it's also worth phrasing.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Bridges to cross to sort of set out that some of the presentation of the deal by others is not the reality of what the deal is. and equally that sense of assurance on the approach that we are taking to this and why some of the fears that have been expressed are not grounded in the reality. But I know, you know, there is no perfect deal.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Think that's right. I think the Chancellor is absolutely correct in setting out what a process would be that collectively the Cabinet would have to decide. But that's not something that we're obviously not wanting to contemplate. And actually, yes, this is trying to pretend that this is easy. It is about providing, as I would describe it, bridges to help people come back from the positions that they have stated at the moment. But ultimately in other ways.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It's quite interesting, although I know one of the national newspapers sort of published all of these different groups as they like to break it down in that way. I think that it's actually not quite like that, surprisingly enough. And there are conversations that take place across cabinet, across all of these ostensible groups that people have been grouped into as to the right way forward, actually getting behind the deal and making this happen.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Why I'm consulting on longer tenancies and what more steps we can take to ensure that we have a vibrant, strong private rental sector to ensure that that works and equally the new duties on local councils as well to prevent homelessness. It's also why, clearly, I'm passionate about building more homes and more affordable homes and equally giving councils with my local government desire as well that ability to borrow, to build, to actually ensure we've got a new generation of council homes too.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“the money that is. It is more complicated. And one of the most significant causes of homelessness is around people losing their tenancies in the private rental sector.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“My department, but also involving other departments across government as well. Things like the prison service on ensuring that we don't have this not just a revolving door, but people leaving prison and effectively almost going straight out onto the streets because they're released on a Friday evening when all of the housing department is shut down. So you were saying it's more complicated.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think there are a number of quite complex reasons that lie behind the challenge over homelessness and most acutely rough sleeping, which is something that I feel morally we have to take action to get people off the streets and into homes, and particularly as we speak at this moment, just in approaching the winter period and what that means in terms of people being out on the streets. You can look at family breakdown. Interestingly, talking to some of LGBT charities as well on young people being thrown out of home because of their sexuality, issues over drug and alcohol addiction, the sort of concept of what's known as dual diagnosis and the pressures of novel psychoactive substances and cause and effect and how you look at this in a number of different ways. And so it's why I did publish a wide-ranging strategy on combating rough sleeping, not just in”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, no, I'm going to standing up for what local government can deliver because of my, I suppose, my family experience. I'm a passionate believer in what local government can do and the real benefit that it provides and that sense of locally driven delivered services. I believe very strongly.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I firmly recognize the pressures that councils have been experiencing. You highlight children's and adult social care and the growth in demand that we have seen whilst at the same time councils having had to make savings. It's why the budget important that we did provide additional funding, 650 million pounds for the next year for 1920, which is something I lobbied for, I pushed for very firmly, knowing that there were real challenges, real pressures that are there.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, you're right. My dad was very firmly. His career was in local government. He was a chief executive of a London borough. And ironically, was acting control of what was the audit commission as was that used to scrutinise and examine and look at good practice within local government around the country. I think I think local government has done an extraordinary job, and I will always pay tribute to what local authorities have achieved in making savings. and difficulties that they've had to experience.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“The Jimmy Mizen Foundation, which is something quite close to my heart, it sort of does make you sort of look at what's important. And actually, you don't get stressed out about things perhaps in the way that you do. You just deal with it and knowing that actually there are more important things. There are a bigger deal. Yeah, there are a bigger deal.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think it does change you. I think that whilst my prognosis is very positive, that I'm delighted to be feeling fit and well to have done a 24-mile charity walk earlier this year in May for.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, not quite. You know, there was a difficult decision to take as to what to do. I was literally at the start of January about to start a renewed talks process. In Northern Ireland on something like the 5th or 6th of January with Simon Coveney, the Irish Foreign Minister, we'd started to align certain meetings to try to get devolved government back up on its feet again. And having to recognise that I couldn't start something that I couldn't conclude, I couldn't follow through. And therefore, making that judgment that the best thing that I thought I could do for the best interest of Northern Ireland, the government, was to stand down to focus on getting my health right. And equally, prior to surgery, not for certain knowing what the outcome would be.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Therefore, that somehow what I'd got was not a primary source but secondary. So ironically, when I had the final diagnosis on the 2nd of January, that it almost felt that, okay, yeah, I know what this is now, I can deal with this, and you almost move into that project management type mode of right, okay, get ready for surgery, this is what I'm doing, get yourself fit.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“There were moments when I was going through the, I suppose, the diagnosis approach and all of the different things that I was having to try and get to the bottom of what it was. And at that time where I was having some of these procedures, it was saying, well, it could be that there is some sort of tumour, that we'd need to have some sort of operation. And having seen my dad die of pancreatic cancer just two years before in 2015, it made me think as I didn't know about lung cancer or anything like that at that stage, that, well, perhaps it was a secondary tumour rather than a primary tumour because, you know, I hadn't smoked how I didn't say I was in the low risk. I didn't feel ill.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“There were so many times where I could have said you know what? I'm just too busy or a sort of blokish type stuff where you just ignore it. I could have done that. That would have been so easy and the outcome for me would have been so, so different. And so there was something, I suppose, in here intuitively inside that told me this is just something profoundly wrong and I need to get to the bottom of that.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Correct. So literally, that's right, December of last year. And it's interesting, when you're sort of going through this, you think, well, who would I have to discuss with about your health and something quite intimate in that way? And obviously sort of family, those, you know, because of the nature of, I think, this job and the intense period that we're in, I would end up having some quite detailed conversations with Prime Minister about my health and saying to her, I remember when it was the night that she was literally flying out to conclude that first phase of the negotiations and having to say to her, well, I can't be around in the morning to do media and any public facing stuff because I've got to go in and have a bronchoscopy. And how supportive she was. So goodness, you've got to get that sorted out. That has to be your priority.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In this room. And therefore, if you even look at that on its own, that would probably be in the cancer top 10 if you took that as its own specific cancer type. But you're right, it was a really busy time. We were in the midst of where the Prime Minister had gone out and had her initial meeting with Juncker and the fact that this wasn't going to be acceptable back at home. We had this quite intense week where we were seeking to conclude the first communication around moving into phase two of the negotiations. Yeah, we're talking about them.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And I think the interesting thing on that, Nick, is that there are 46,000 diagnoses of lung cancer each year, 15% of which are in non-smokers, and therefore 15% of 46,000 is actually a rather large number in its own right. As you know,”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, I'd had one symptom. This was going back to the August Bank holiday weekend where I had cleared my throat and noticed that there was a blob of blood in my tissue, which I knew was just profoundly wrong and how I'd followed that through to go and see my GP to have an x-ray. That was clear. Then saying, well, you know, probably should just follow this through and go and see a consultant, consultant and say, well, you know, we probably should send you for a CT scan. That showed that there was something. It looks as if there was some inflammation. So even at that stage on the CT scan, it didn't actually show that I had a tumour. And so that then led to, well, probably should do something. We should probably pursue this and you should probably have some sort of what's called a bronchoscopy where they effectively put a”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think she will be completely focused as I am in underlining why this is the right way forward on how a deal has been secured that to somehow think that by going back as some are suggesting to Brussels that this will unlock a grand new opening, I think that if you were to try to do that, it would actually take us backwards in the negotiation that you'd have all sorts of new competing interests coming in and therefore why that profoundly is not in the national interest. But equally that uncertainty, that instability that if people are thinking that, okay, well, we can vote safely not to a vote in favour, well, actually all you get is more uncertainty, more instability, more division, and I don't think anyone can say where that would lead to as to whether that would be no Brexit or no deal.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But equally, that it was never some sort of cut and dried choice, that there's a spectrum that on balance, you know, I voted for Remain, but ultimately I could see that there were arguments that competed against that that meant that I could see compellingly the argument on the other side as well, and therefore it wasn't some sort of right or wrong answer. It was a spectrum that you could look at and rightly come to your own conclusion on.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, you know, obviously that will be for Parliament as we look to the meaningful vote, but I suppose what I would say is there is a very clear choice and why I believe, government believes, that it is right that we should back this deal, that that provides that, I think, delivery of Brexit, that sense of duty that the Prime Minister, I know very keenly feels in that regard.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It's interesting. I see her in a very, perhaps a very different way having worked with her so closely over so many different years. And equally where there have been some of those real pressures, real challenges where I look back to that time where we were seeking to deport Abu Qatada, for example, back to Jordan, all of the detail, where there was just so much pressure on us to say just put him on a plane. Just take him out of the country. She was very clear that we had to do this properly. We had to do this right. And that sense of one public duty, but also ensuring that we play by the law, the rules, I think is very much part of who she is, and indeed the approach that I take to politics and the approach that I seek to bring to my job as well.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, we've certainly over all of that time we went through some quite significant challenges at the home office as it does. It's just that place where events happen and you need to be able to respond to them and keep a calm head. Theresa has this sort of unique quality of being good at the detail as well as good at the big picture. Often people are one thing or the other and she's able to combine both with an acute political sense and also ability to command respect, but also that is very personable. She was hugely supportive to me, particularly at the start of this year when I was going through some of my health challenges and has that real personal touch where some people externally present her as being as cold in some which she's not, she's very warm, she's very generous, she's very thoughtful, she's very kind.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, absolutely. And I don't think I interviewed Saj, but certainly the people at Robert Halfon, I'm pretty sure I did Robert's the MP for Harlow. I did interview Robert at one stage. He's been on the podcast. And equally, Tim Montgomery, who now is obviously into the sort of journalism side of the world, but was very political at that side. So yes, there was quite a, I suppose you would say quite a hotbed of political activity taking place on campus in Exeter at that time.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, very tempting as it might be. But no, it was interesting. Radio was something that I really enjoy, I think, as a medium and equally now as we're sort of looking into sort of podcasts and things like that. It's just so much more intimate. You can have this type of conversation. And that's where I think radio is absolutely at its best, which I'm why I'm such a passionate advocate for it. And equally how I enjoyed my time at university interviewing people like Tom King, Lord King, I remember, as one of the people who came down. And so it's quite strange now to have done his Northern Ireland job and to have chats with Tom on a whole range of different things now”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Oh, I can't see. It was normally sort of particular products and things like that for them. Let me see if I can inspire you. Here Let me Whenever inflation rears its ugly Smooth to the touch polybel, capture 999. That's not me. That's not me. I can rest assured that. Assure that somebody is very experienced and clearly able to do some quite detailed sort of voiceovers. It was much more straightforward. Texas DIY in Essex, in Lauton. Sadly, you probably could have heard me heard you go polyfiller, 9.99. Not quite like that, but some store announcements and things like that were just...”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“For a DIY chain. I did do some voiceovers at one stage, which was just one of those random things that you. What advert? Yeah, or in store, install, this sort of whole concept of in-store radio. Can you remember?”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“For the clip that you'd accidentally been. And it was normally you're having some mark what you wanted and what you didn't want and then how it all got played out. And yeah, so I quite happily sit behind a mixing desk now and it wouldn't probably feel too avian. Because you were doing music.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Now, this concept now that must seem just completely peculiar to our modern digital world, where to do an interview like this, you would then record it onto a physical piece of tape. You would then, if you wanted to take a clip, a short extract from that physically, have to extract it out of the tape by listening to it carefully, winding it round, marking it with a special China graph pencil as they used to be known, and then actually splice it up and actually put it onto a plastic reel to be able to use. It seems utterly peculiar and obviously took quite a bit of time except you sped up with practice and experience.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Jingles for there'll be some. Were you just called James or Dusty Reel to Reels and things like that that probably should be consigned to a, well, in a locked vault more than anything else, but equally probably consigned to a museum, I suspect, with the technology, the non-digital technology that we used to use in those days. Tape, physical stuff that used to have to cut and edit in that way. So a very different age to the one that we live in today.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Now, what do you want to ask me now? But did you at that stage, did you quite fancy a career as a radio? There was a moment where I toyed with the idea. There's no doubt about it. And a lot of people that I was doing radio with at that time have gone on to big and illustrious careers that the BBC and other broadcasters too. But I decided to go into the law, so I was a lawyer for the best part of 13 years, had already lined up my training contracts and everything like that, and just felt that it was a safer bet perhaps, and I don't know. But you tell me, Nick. Sitting in the attic.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Because we can now roll backwards and So let's pause. Well, welcome to the Nick Robinson podcast with me, James Brokenshire.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I think you're referring to the fact that when I was at university, I spent a lot of my time in broadcast studios like this one we're in today as I was involved in my university radio station and interviewing the politicians rather than vice versa as we are today. Well”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Union while protecting our economy. If that is rejected, we will have to review the options. We know what the different options are. We know what the different proposals that people have talked about are, but we will have to look at the parliamentary arithmetic, look at the decision that Parliament has made, and consider what is the best way to proceed, but we will do that.”
2018-11-29 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The James Brokenshire One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source