YouSaid · the spoken record

Stephen Kinnock

lines on the record: 35
first: 2019-09-19
most recent: 2019-09-19
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

“You're stag night time. My goodness, I'm amazed. I don't remember much of that, but I think that's not just an urban myth. But no, I think what I have from him is a very strong strain of pragmatism, actually. I mean, of recognizing that you've got to find solutions, you've got to do deals. You've got to work with people. You've got to build coalitions. You've got to understand it's not just about what the party and party members say and think it's also about what the entire country thinks. And I think if you look at his record in politics, you'll see that there's a... Pretty direct line between what he believes and what I believe in that sense”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We're very different people actually. We're great mates, but I think you definitely have a kind of, well, that's my dad and that's not me. And a big part of that is, you know, he is more expansive than me, I think.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“She is always right, but sometimes her rightness can be slightly adjusted by a slightly different view that I may have in about 1% of the time.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And then of course I went on and did it anyway. But that's the great thing with Hella, she never holds back, always gives me the honest, unvarnished truth. And, you know, that's why I love her so much.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, you'd be amazing, Nick, about how much of the conversation is about the kids and about life and general chit-chat. But yeah, of course, we do get on to political issues and it occasionally gets quite heated.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, yes, absolutely. And on immigration, a clear policy which says we recognize that the rapid pace of immigration has had an impact on certain communities, which has been very destabilizing and very difficult to absorb. And we want an immigration policy, which is also all about integration and a language which talks about what we have in common as a country, not just what sets us apart.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Around issues of if you like culture and values and national security and making sure that people understand that we love this country and that we are patriots and that we want to bring this country together and that we are listening to those communities that have been left behind and not listened to for 30 to 40 years who've been, you know, I call them the communitarian communities, people who are very much rooted in the place that they live that have a strong sense of local identity, that are really committed and active often in their community and feel that London has become this sort of spaceship that's floated off from the rest of the United Kingdom and labour has to show that we're not just the London Labour Party. We are a whole nation party and that means having the right cultural and values offer as well as the right policies on the economy.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think that Jeremy is elected twice and he will lead us into the next general election of that. There is no doubt. I am fully behind the radical Keynesian economic policies that we set out in our 2017 manifesto, the economic model in this country is broken.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, it's been fascinating. There's so much that we disagree on. But what we've seen with the referendum and Brexit, it is an issue that cuts across traditional party lines. I think that's been quite healthy for Parliament, and it's created a kind of more collegiate atmosphere, certainly in terms of MPs who I would describe haven't gone out to the polls and are very much thinking about what's right for the country. I mean, you can call us the moderates if you like. I believe that the national interest comes first, and sometimes you have to put narrow tribal party loyalties to one side in the national interest.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm not saying that the withdrawal agreement bill that comes forward should be a carbon copy of what was done in May, but it needs to be as close as possible to that in order not to alienate Labour MPs. But we're also not giving carte blanche here. This can't just be any old deal. But nevertheless, so much is still up for grabs in terms of the transition period where the negotiations on the future relationship which would take place. So I do think colleagues need to recognize that we're very close to the cliff edge of crashing out without a deal. We have a Prime Minister who's shown that he can be pretty ruthless and reckless. So those who want to prevent no deal need to recognize that the best and safest and least risky and most achievable way of preventing no deal is to leave with a deal.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I think it's really important to remember that the deal that Theresa May announced after the cross-party talks back in May was as much a Labour deal as a Tory one because we'd extracted some really important concessions there about a customs union, about environmental and consumer standards, about a parliamentary lock on the future negotiations, on the future relationship. So I think it's something that Labour can say, look, we co-own this, and that's why we should be voting for it. That's why we should be supporting it. And I think it was a massive error to pull out of those talks and to dismiss that deal at that time.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I do not see it that way because the way to have a general election that would be best for labour in terms of the bread and butter issues, but also thinking about the political dynamics with what's happening on the right wing of politics, is to have a general election, which is about the bread and butter issues of health, education, future of our kids, future of our communities. Remember those things that politics used to be about? That's where Labour did so well in 2017. And those are the messages that resonate on the doorstep.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I think when you look at the Prime Minister's options, he can either break the law by refusing to seek an extension, or he can resign, or he can do a deal. And I would assume that of those three options, that last one would certainly be his preference. So I think the government is boxed in in many ways. There is a growing recognition that a compromise is the only way that we're going to get through this and have a chance to bring our country back together. I think from a political point of view, an electoral point of view, and a general election, whilst we're still under the shadow of Brexit, will be a complete and utter disaster for the country. And I think also disastrous for the Labour Party.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“When we talk about families as inspiration and in many ways my grandparents are an inspiration on my father's side was a coal miner on my mother's side was a railway signalman and as Welsh as the hills and I always took inspiration from them and what they did and what they built for their families and the platforms that they gave to my mum and dad to go on achieve and of course turbocharged by the wonderful things that labour governments did, particularly the 1945 government. So it's about remembering where you come from, never forget where you've come from. And my grandparents have certainly been an inspiration to me. And I think that combined with what I did internationally just made me realize that if you do want to change things so much of it is local, so much of politics and changing people's lives is local and that's where you have to be.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I was. I mean, I was speaking with them in Russian and explaining why I wasn't going to take that test. They started to become a little more aggressive. And the point came where I just decided I was going to get out of the car and get into my flat. And it was a deeply unpleasant and quite, yeah, I'm not ashamed to say it. It was quite a frightening experience. But I think it's not anything like as frightening as what the average Russian person has to put up with whenever they step out of line in the eyes of the Kremlin. And so, you know, that is very much an experience I'll never forget. And it will always remind me of how we must never take our democracy for granted.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“impede progress in that country and liberty and freedom and trying to control in ways which go completely against human rights and civil rights is an absolute disgrace.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I'd obviously just driven home straight from where I'd been with my colleagues and they were, I think, absolutely set on framing me for that. So that just wasn't going to happen. I got permission from the Consul General in St. Petersburg not to take the test. You can then claim your diplomatic immunity, which is what I had. And it was a very, very unpleasant experience. I eventually managed to get into my house, almost had to sort of push my way through the police officers who were trying to impede my path. And then the next day, the British Council decided really I needed to leave. I was never actually expelled from Russia and I actually went back there a few times when I was working for the World Economic Forum and still have a very soft spot for Russia and the Russian people.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I wasn't actually arrested, actually. It was a very difficult situation that we got into in Russia because we were there in the middle of the Litvinenko crisis. And the relationship between the UK and Russia had been bad for many years and it went into the deep freeze at that point. And it got to the stage where they, in essence, hauled my entire Russian team. I had about 25 Russian colleagues working for me in the St. Petersburg office. They were all hauled into the KGB, the FSB, which used to be the KGB in the St. Petersburg headquarters and told that they should no longer be working for the British Council. And then that night I drove home to my flat in St. Petersburg and the Russian police were waiting outside and they tried to make me take a breathalyzer test which I absolutely refused to do because it was clearly part of a political stitch up.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, well, it was not easy because I was for much for the time away in St. Petersburg. I also had my time in Sierra Leone and then working for the World Economic Forum in Geneva. So I was not what you would call the Orthodox and average spouse of a prime minister. I mean, I think it cut both ways in Denmark. I think a lot of people felt that it was great for Hella to have an international connection through her husband and the Danish love the Brits. They love the UK and they're of course extremely concerned about what's happening with Brexit, etc. So I think that gave an extra string to Heller's bow in some ways. But of course it sometimes had its awkward moments when I wasn't always able to be there for a certain event or function. But we made it work. It was an unusual arrangement. But that I guess is how Hello and I have managed to make things work over the years.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Thought I was being Stephen Kinnock. I think you can run, but you can't hide would probably be the slogan to use there. Yeah, utterly bizarre, Nick. What are the chances of that? It's one in a billion. And we've never really figured out how that happened. But I suppose if you've come from a background where you're interested in politics and you're then likely to meet other people who are interested in politics, I suppose the stars align in one way or the other, but I'm tremendously proud as well of what Hella did and so happy that I could support her to in my limited way in helping her, I think, to the first ever female leader of the Danish Social Democrats in Denmark's first ever woman prime minister and that is a truly historic achievement”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You had another idea that she would go on to be Prime Minister of Delhi. We were both interested in politics. We were both doing the politics and administration stream at the College of Europe. But certainly she didn't have any ambitions at that time to go into representative politics and nor did I. But at some point, I think she did realize there was quite a lot of baggage in that area in my life.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I was fascinated by Europe having done languages at university and have always felt that the world is a small place, you know, and you've got to understand it. And the whole history of building the common market and the European community and the European Union, I found it absolutely fascinating experiment also, almost in the way that you can build a new way of international cooperation. But I certainly didn't have a blueprint or a master plan. I wasn't particularly attracted to the idea of going working in the EU institutions and I never did really short stint in the European Parliament but then moved on to the British Council and I think if Hella at the time had said to me look I'm planning to become the leader of a centre-left party in Denmark I probably would have said right I'll get my coat and call a taxi”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, French and Spanish at that time, yes, yeah. And now. And some Danish, I guess, after a while. A bit of Russian Russian along the way as well. Danish as well.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, I'll always remember one of the evenings, I think it was one or two days after the election, coming home and dad was just asleep on the armchair in front of the TV, you know, and I just thought, How hard it had been for him, and it is something that's very difficult to recover from. And you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, you put everything into it. But it's also really important, you know, and he will say this as well, not to regret, not to look back in anger, but to say you gave it your best shot. And when you actually look at what he built, the platform that he gave for those that came after him, I would say if it hadn't been for him, 97 would not have happened. So there's also the history of the architect of the success. Yes, exactly. He was the architect”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, I was always ready to push back. And you've got to be robust. You've got to develop a thick skin. And you've got to realize your dad is doing a very special thing. He's a very special guy and was very much in the public eye. But he helped me to have a normal life as well. You know, he would take me to the rugby on a Sunday morning. He was always there when he could be. And my mum and dad always gave me a lot of freedom to do what I wanted to do and be independent, take my own choices. So that helped me, I think, to have a normal life in as much as you could have a normal life in those circumstances. And I really did. I went to my local comprehensive school in West London, had great friends who I still see a lot of. And, you know, I think that's really important as well is if you're able to build that normal life outside politics when you...”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, that's right, from 2005 to 2008. And the behavior of the Russian state, the total lack of accountability, the total inability of people to speak truth to power just reminded me how much we take democracy for granted in this country. And in many ways, that was the clincher for me to make me sort of fired up to really come back and get involved here.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah Some laughing and some teasing, but I mean, in some ways I think that's good for you because it toughens you up, gives you a very thick skin. The media was vicious towards leaders of the Labour Party, but on the other hand, there wasn't social media back then, which I think in many ways is much, much worse and much more aggressive. I always wanted to do my own thing. I've certainly never regretted that I waited until I was 45 before going into politics because I think it's really important to have wider life experience before you do go into the weird and wonderful world of the Westminster bubble. But, you know, I love this country and I love South Wales and I always wanted to serve. I think the clincher for me in many ways was my time in Russia.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, it was never easy. And of course him appearing on the opening credits of spitting image every Sunday evening didn't always help when I went to school the next Monday morning.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You say not little kiddick, yeah. Not talking about my dad now. But look, I mean, I'm massively proud of my parents. I'm so proud of what they've done. They've dedicated their lives to public service. And they've inspired me in many ways. On the other hand, I'm a 49-year-old bloke. I've lived and worked in five different countries. I have two grown-up daughters and a wonderful wife. And I think I can pretty much say that I'm my own man. So it's a mixture. I think it's great. I'm very proud of my family and my heritage, but I'm also proud of what I've achieved in my own life and in my own terms.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It made me disappointed in two ways. One, because I think it reflects the deeply radicalized and polarized nature of the debate that we have around Brexit, and it's a shame to see Neil sort of falling into that trap.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, congratulations to Neil for winning the pub quiz, knowing that there were 100,000 people more in 1992 voted than in 2016. Great, well done, Neil on that one. But the fundamental point that I was making is that you cannot overturn the result of a referendum, a massive democratic exercise like that, until such time as the result of it has been delivered.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, and I can also say hand on heart that even if my constituency had voted remain, I would believe that we should respect the result of the referendum fundamentally I am a Democrat, and I think that you cannot overturn the result of a massive electoral event, such as the one we had in 2016, until you've delivered that result.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“There hasn't been enough checking with people. Certain parts of the populations of different European countries have benefited massively from free movement of labour, from the single market, from the part that the EU has played in globalization, if you like, in a turbocharged globalization that we've seen in the last 30 years. But massive swathes of the populations of Europe have not benefited. And the EU has not, I think, done enough to recognize that and to recognize that different parts of the project need to move at different speeds. So I've actually also seen Brexit as an opportunity to reinvent not just the UK's relationship with the EU, but also to reinvent the European project in itself.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's been a major factor. But I've also always been, whilst I've been very much in Europe, as you say, married to a Dane and both of my kids were born in Brussels. I've also always had reservations about the way that the so-called European project has worked.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think politics is very much about going outside your comfort zone. And you have to think about the people that you serve and what drives them, what drives them to be contented, what drives them to be frustrated, what makes them want to change things. And certainly my time as a member of parliament and working so closely and supporting my constituents has definitely had a massive influence on the way I think about the world and the way I think about what I can and should do to make a contribution and what's come through so strongly from that is this sense that people from communities like mine have been left behind. They've been ignored and there's been this shift of money and wealth and resources into London and the southeast and away from the rest of the country and that's changed my view in many ways about how politics should work but also how democracy should work.”
2019-09-19 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Stephen Kinnock One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source