Gail Downey: UK correspondent on the police cracking down on ongoing protests

The UK Government has announced the police will be given powers to put conditions on repeat protests.

This follows last weekend's pro-Palestinian demonstration in London, which saw almost 500 people arrested.

UK correspondent Gail Downey explained further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gail Downey, our UK correspondents with me. Hello Gail, Hello, right,
So what is the government doing in your part of
the world about these repeat protests.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, so they've made these announcements that they're going to
make some changes to the law following the rest of
almost five hundred people who took part in the weekend's
pro Palestinians demonstration in London. There have been a number
of these demonstrations over the past couple of months and

(00:31):
the Home Secretary, should been in the mood, has said,
you know, enough is enough from now on. The plan
is that police forces will have the power to stop
organizers using the same location for protests. So if the
numbers have been held there already, which they have been
in central London, it means the organizers may have to
hold their events elsewhere.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
What do you make of these plans to give the
young people some money towards their first homes.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, it's an interesting one, isn't it. Actually, because also
the government has made some announcement today about helping first
time buyers because actually it's quite difficult. It can be
quite a long process buying a home. Hearing's quite complicated
and quite expensive and it's the Tory Party conference this

(01:20):
week and what they've said, the Shadow Chancellor has said, look,
we're going to give young people a five thousand pounds
ten thousand pound New Zealand dollars tax rebate towards their
first home when they get their full first full time job.
So they're linking getting a job with getting tax supports.
So what they're saying is this is about rewarding work. Now,

(01:43):
how a they're going to pay for it? What they
say is that the payment will be funded by cuts
to public spending on welfare, the civil service and the
foreign aid budget.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Well, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, gir, but
you ain't going to be buying a house un least
you've got a job, are you.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
I can't ever foresee a time when any lender would
lend you some money without you having a job. So
it is an interesting one that it's part. It's a conference,
so things are said at conferences, you know, these things,
whether they ever come to fruition. Of course, the first
thing that must happen is for the Conservatives to come

(02:23):
to power. And there isn't an election here for at
least another two years.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
You know, why do you reckon it is that there
has been this increase in the sale of evs.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Well two things really, and what analysts are saying is firstly,
the government, because they want to get people to buy evs,
is that they are offering discounts to people. So the
Grant scheme, say you buy a small fully electric car
for about thirty four thousand dollars, which will be the

(02:56):
absolute starting point. They rise up to one hundred thousand
dollars probably more, you'll get a discount of eight and
a half thousand New Zealand dollars. So doing the maths there,
you can end up paying about twenty six thousand dollars
for a new electric car, and the government is giving
this discount because it wants to encourage people. The other thing,

(03:17):
of course, is that there are so many changes in
terms of you know, charging points that are going to
be put up everywhere, the far far more charging points.
You can have one at your home, of course, and
there are some cities where actually you know, you've got
to be really careful if you don't have an EVY
or your car is of a certain type, you get

(03:40):
charged like a congestion charge for going into the cities.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Gail I need you to clear something up for me,
because I can't be sure. Is the noise in the
background a small dog or a parrot? Oh, it's a
small dog. It is a small dog.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
It's it's my small dog. I do apologize. I have
put her in the other room, but she likes to
join in, so I mean.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Look, you know all about audience participation. Gail, thank you
for that, Gail Downey, UK correspondent, glad I settle that
otherwise I think, geez, she's got a parrot.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
People with parrots say, remember when parrots were a thing.
It was my best friend when I was in primary
school had a parrot called Charlie, and Charlie was a
crack up. But I cannot think of a single person
since the late I reckon Charlie only died Geese. I
reckon Charlie only died in the mid two thousands. But

(04:33):
who has had a parrot since the mid two thousands.
Nobody has birds anymore, do they? Is it is a
strange thing to am I wrong, it's a strange thing
to have. It's not a pet that you have nowadays,
see anyone. I'm glad that Gail is not a bird person,
But in fact, it just as I am, you know,
small dog person, which is much more normal.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
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