If sits on just straight it saw a tsunami may have been caused by undersea landslides after the crickets volcano erupted Labor's calling for an independent inquiry after drones grounded planes against wake a man and woman are being questioned and flies have now regimes their governments being teased of not doing enough to deal with the risks caused by drones Ministers insist the laws of clear though they've done zone experts in international security we learn from Americans Americans of a bit ahead of us and you do this just in a strange man you know all right you people are ahead of us not to why re regulation registration insurance and some physical means on the drawn today to find a drone when it's been brought down or to an electronic signature that it gives off while it's July a group of M.P.'s is warning the universal credit system leaves too many claimants facing a choice between turning down jobs or getting into debts their Work and Pensions Committee says parents have to pay for childcare up front and then claim it back making it a barrier to work the government insists child care supports more generous under the new system Donald Trump's canceled his Christmas holiday to stay in Washington following a partial government shutdown hundreds of thousands of employees have been put on paid leave a special sitting of Congress failed to break the standoff over funding for president Trump's war on the Mexican border and Super Saturday didn't see a big rush of last minute Christmas shopping for force estimated to be down in last year but an improvement on Friday's business and whirls from the retail analysts springboards it's not in a good December for a raise her people having spent as much as they did last year on the line is increasing but it still represents only 20 percent of all of our each house and we're sending the majority of our money shops but the increases that we saw last year in the air before are diminishing. Crace and online scams. That is the 5 Live needs he has the support and manager Pep Guardiola dispelled suggestions that a changed line up cost Manchester City a shock home defeat by Crystal Palace Sergio aquaria and Kevin Brennan were both on the bench welfare Endymion missed out with injury said his team created and of chances in their surprise 32 loss Manchester United's Paul Pogba has thanked his former manager chose a Marine yoke for improving him as a player and as a person the Frenchman's words came off to United's $51.00 win over Cardiff in only going to some Sky's 1st match as they were interim boss their wins to false know what fit Bournemouth and Southampton but Chelsea were beaten at home by Leicester for them strip to Newcastle ended goalless Celtic have stayed top of the Scottish Premiership with a 3 nil win over bottom side done Di Yorkshire is just working since successfully defended his IB a featherweight world title with a unanimous points decision I have a Northern Ireland's call from sin in Manchester Charlie Edwards became a world champion taking the W.B.C. Flyweight saw 2 with a unanimous points where tickets Christof a result as well duly and white knocked out Derek to Zorra in the 11th round of the heavyweight clash and Saracens 20 match on beat and run in Rugby Union to Premiership has ended with a $3113.00 defeat by xa to chase who moved above them to the top of the table this On the way tributes to the late the former Liberal Democrat leader has died at the age of 77 to get the latest from Indonesia following reports that tsunami and a look at the morning paper is. The official death toll from the tsunami in the Sanaa Strait is crapped out 43 people are now reported as dead and 584 injured the editor of the B.B.C.'s Indonesia bureau Rebecca Henschke is with me now good morning or Becca. Good morning that's a very fast changing number when I state that we were looking at. Fewer injuries and sadly far fewer free time sees what's been happening in the last couple of thought well a clearer picture of the devastation caused by the tsunami is becoming clear and I spoke to you last we were talking about a clear warning from Wolf already is that that death toll that we had would rise a very conservative estimate some of the areas is still not able to have communication with and along the beach there the kind of images that we're seeing all the houses that are very close to the Sea These are mainly made out of bad and would have completely collapsed we've also seen some extraordinary 40 recorded by mobile phones capturing the moment when the tsunami he had one of them shows a rock concert before main intangible the rock in full swing and then suddenly the waves hit the back of the stage and the stage collapses now that local band has said that the wife of the vocalist and 2 crew members are now missing dead and you can see from the panic in the crowd that they really had no warning whatsoever that the tsunami was about to hear it. Now often memory we hear about tsunamis we think of quakes but it seems this time the volcano was just fronts for it. That's right that's what the national disaster agency believes at this stage there is a volcano in this room distrait Cold Mountain I'm not Krakatoa this is the child of the crack of toa volcano that erupted in the 18 hundreds one of the most infamous folk you know if it killed thousands of people when it erupted in and was even recorded to have been felt in the Thames the myth goes. This volcano that has risen from the same place is erupting at the moment and officials believe that that volcanic activity may have caused an underwater landslide so powerful that it triggered this and combined with high tide because of the full moon and what kind of emergency response is underway at the moment. We Indonesians of course is no stranger to these kind of events so the national disaster agency has swung into action sending people to the affected areas local communities there are at times like these always pull together so people are setting up community kitchens mosques have become places of refuge where people slept in last night who ran to higher ground also maybe teams being sent to the area and need to get there talking about almost 600 people injured as so the hospitals in those areas will be over capacity at the moment so being sent from the capital Jakarta and we're making the journey now the 4 hour or so drive from Jakarta to this area to report more closely on what's happening there thank you very much for joining us for. Following this story throughout the day. He was the B.B.C.'s Indonesia. To vs have been coming in for the former Liberal Democrat leader. Has died at the age of 77 petty asked to lead the party for more than a decade from 988 until 999 and is credited with making its a significant political foods the current lived and the dissident's cables that it was a hugely sad moment in British politics the Conservative M.P. Colonel Bob Steve it was a UN command serving in Bosnia when he became a friend. When he turned up pic of dead space to take him to the front lines I wasn't allowed to take anyone to the front lines there generals were meant to go to the front lines he was clearly confident at ease on the front lines on the way back I think great explosion back had quite you had to buy a vehicle it was a waterfall and he was standing in the back and I saw that said that done it well that's all I want to be reported that I take him to the front line it was almost 6 o'clock. paddy ashdown became n.p. Few young fool in 1083 taking a see that always previously being conservative with the majority of moon 3000 malcolm bruce with also and that did that you for the 1st time now baron breeze he with m.p. For goeden from 108322015 lead a of the scaf to sleep with daimler cars under pa the estat well pedi and i met sort out we were both selected on the same day in 1000 she's free wi the one of 6 the bold and peace who won a lot of cation and he immediately oversee came across a somebody with huge energy 8 and live a great hinterland of courses he'd been in the military he seen in the diplomatic service he'd also be not employed and worshipped hard to win an unwinnable seat affectively him and had managed to try i'm so he was always clearly from the beginning somebody with cues resource and great personality what was he like to work with challenging how do you was full of life liga energy people always you say he would the in a dream of age impossible things before breakfast and he was famous for saying the lunches so wimps i mean he was full of energy full of i'd is some good some bad and it's a famous quote this been repeated often but from his military background he was described as a wonderful officer the men would follow him anyway as if sheer curiosity and essentially i think that was to a he let the party is well so he wouldn't necessarily agree with everything there he was doing but you would be very very trees the you had a lead it was such energy an excise who was prepared to take risks make challenge isn't fine a for 3rd party that's what you often need and how much change did he bring to the liberal party which of course it was that it came the liberal democrat well how much does the current path the to one man well i think of a law to mean the date doesn't The party didn't build the party single handedly but the sheer vigor and energy that he brought to it when we were frankly on our knees because the you know the measure was extremely painful we hadn't had a good election result members were falling away there was confusion over the name direction purpose that was the whole issue of the policy statement which became the dead parrot and he just frankly just used energy and commitment and ideas to just crash through that he was undeterred he would he would he would motor on and he would take up issues at home and abroad so he was always a fighting having been unemployed himself for the rights of an employed fighting for funding for education which came out with the idea of a penny on income tax for education fighting for the rights of the Chinese in Hong Kong and the his argument being they should be given British passports and fighting over slave for the beleaguered people Sarajevo in Bosnia where he subsequently over city came the U.N. High Representative So you know he was always always ready to stand up and speak out on issues and as he would say to you would always look confidence but at times inside he was saying I'm not sure really with this is the right thing to do but I'm just damn well going to do it anyway and usually to great effect there are many people tonight paying tribute to him of easily as you would expect but a surprising amount of people saying that actually he represented a certain type of politics and the type of man that potentially we don't see as much in politicians at the moment just that humanity and to manage the principles I think that Fred I mean I think that's when I think it's unfair to say there is nobody like that about but he was certainly unique and . Committed and the point was he he wasn't a typical politician and he didn't come to politics having preplanned that he had several other careers before and after his. Career and that gave him a great deal of depth and resilience I think I think the criticism is that we have too many people who've come into politics as professional politicians who've if you like started out with the intention of becoming an M.P. Kind of look to the opportunists to get that wasn't the case fatality he had a whole different career and he then decided to go to his wife's hometown and basically work up and win a seat that everybody thought was impossible but that was exactly you know he paid Aspinall to do impossible things in the ministry and he kind of I think that that's what inspired him and drove him so not many people are like that in politics I have to say that is that is unique I met him when I was I think I think I was his helicopter landed at my secondary school I grew up in north Devon he loved helicopters and. I have to tell you as a girl growing up on a phone in north Devon not that far away from that was about the most exciting thing out there was the my memory of him is in striding across the playing field and then this absolutely crowd gathered around him and I got to shake his hand at the time I thought that was the coolest thing that has ever happened. I mean he was action man wasn't he and I think if you're a 13 year old girl if you if you come to ruffle your imagination the vision of a hero that would mean it wouldn't. I think that's what it is he kind of knew that but he I mean he was he was he was great company he specially when he'd fallen off when he was in the middle of a major challenge or leadership he was difficult demanding and challenging but then possibly also how he got there but when he was sort of more relaxed enough to say he was hilariously funny very very entertaining he enjoyed a drink you great storyteller and I actually I had the privilege of staying in his house for a few days when he was doing the UN job in Sarajevo and he was sitting on the terrace me. Pointing out where the where the sniper city is and where the mortars have been launched and he would leave the house in the morning and walk from is higher switches are also the half way up a hill in some way out of the center of the town he walked to the UN office through the marketplace and along the streets oversee the worst security people positioned around him but in Sarajevo he was absolute hero had been seen to be with them in the tunnels joining the siege and he was safe because everybody admired him and liked him and they chatted him all the way through but it was typical paddy of course that he would he would usually relish doing that and I think he famously said I want to Kazan when he was on a truck during the actual hostilities and a mortar landed close by and Patty said elsewhere when you see one more do you see the hole to which his driver said until the last one party. But that again I think it just gives you that kind of character it is that sort of military style of dance and backbone that that was part of his his character and his charm and he was still hugely energetic and I was talking to many to 3 months ago of exchanging texts and you know he was very committed to the current politics and trying to make things move in the direction he wanted offering his opinion trying to get people to come together in a new policy even though he said a new movement so he was absolutely restless and that's where you expected out that he was never going to retire I think we're all devastated that he was struck down still in his prime really with by a cancer that was thrown into Lady court. Hearing what he went through in the last few weeks I think we're not surprised that he didn't recover the wheels hoped he would pull through. And I think the only good thing about that is he will be remembered by pretty well everybody that vigorous energetic character that he was so I was sitting. 35 years that I knew him. That's Baron Bruce talking about his friend Lord Ashdown we've got something he passed on himself he gave me and said 5 Live. And we get to he just some of his insights into life well lived he was speaking to Pete Allan a little bit earlier and we'll get something here that after us full but now David Wooding is the political editor of The Sun and he's played too many and he gave me a little heads up about was making the headlines on the front pages on some well it's the man he's been making the news quite a bit in the last couple of weeks Joe same Renia the ferryman Manchester United manager he made the front pages when he was on ceremoniously sacked a few days ago I read before that he was heavily on the back pages today is on the front pages are front page full different reason we're revealing Joe say he's special world now he's enjoyed a secret friendship with a blog 40 years his junior for the past 8 years and we have some pictures and details of all the friendship now this is quite interesting because Mr Varian you know tried to take a court action a legal challenge to stop the site on Sunday revealing the friendship but of course that failed and we are on the story today which is another interesting aspect of this man who's going through. An unfortunate patch and is it is both his work life and his private life we've had some lovely tributes to the ass down safely on the program lots and lots of people paying tribute to him and I imagine he forms a big part of the paper this morning yes his his death was announced a little bit as we were just going to print in the 1st edition. We managed to put together what I thought was quite a good. Account of his life in a short space of time moving all the stories off the page and he was 4677 and had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and I did learn about 2 or 3 weeks ago that he had been put into an in just coma which of course for reasons of prissy and intrusion we didn't publish at the time but it did give us a bit of time to get some of his life story put together and he was in fact a massive example to all the politicians tributes were coming in rather rapidly from the prime minister the later their physician Jeremy called in and Vince Cable led them later and another season and Clegg who took the Liberal Democrats into government in 2010 and he said the party was the reason he actually entered politics it's going to amazing story life story I mean he was in the Royal Marines and he served in the Special Boat Service which is the water based equivalent of A.S.A.'s and he led the posse from 988-2999 that's longer than than most of the recent leaders and he was an entity for Yeovil from 1983 to 2001 and of course after he quit as the Lib Dems leader before going into the Lords he became the high representative for Paul's never had a governor in 2002 which of course is just recovering from from that terrible war and was the popular with Janice Yes I didn't know him it is then if in politics because I went in that just at the beginning of the blood years when it was it was just ready to leave but I've done business with and I've interviewed him a couple of tons I got quotes from him on stories bumped into him had a chat live. Social events and then once or twice I asked him to write for the for the Sun on Sunday and he's always been a absolute Jen writes a wonderful piece I'm going to say that's really good company Yes A does Michael copy so yeah nice man respected by a lot of people and full of personality you know some politicians are just using personality which is why they go so far and he was a very tall man and a giant of a man in so many ways and I think the Lib Dems got to where they were probably because he was somebody who he would help them to punch above the parliamentary ways. Now the story that has managed to push breaks off the front pages on the airways the extraordinary story over the during the cold misery 240000 people yes we were on top of this story very early yesterday before the rest a Fleet Street said woken up and we've got quite a lot of detail in the set on Sunday this morning. We've got details of who the drone found Wallace who was arrested and and it is his wife who was also arrested with the now there he is in his. Forty's and his wife is in his fifty's and they were questioned by police yesterday for what is described as a criminal use of an industrial drone over the airport now our reporters on the ground spoke to lots of friends there who are absolutely baffled by these arrests saying that this couple it's that they must have the wrong person you know that a sensible people someone must have said to the police is a very Canal Street used to fly drones on the face of put $2.00 and $2.00 together made 6 is what one person says of course the truth of what's happening it will all come out but we've got some pictures of some of the some of the drones which this gentleman Captain and his 3 bedroom house not far from the airport it was about a mile from the Apple less than a mile off a place activity around the house is being set and obviously will and will then as this all of the exactly what the the truth and the detail is behind this one but we've got quite a lot in the way of pictures and background they tell on the couple which is which is quite fascinating and the extraordinary story one of. The 50000 people having the flight plan. Really and the real. These trends so you know everyone's eager to know whether the time will force it was a some kind of eco worry is leading some save the planet protest but it seems that if if if it was this couple and we don't whether it was or it was and who were behind it they don't have any links to any of these groups so if it was them then one month baffled as to why they would have been doing it. That was fiscal editors then giving us a heads up on the news that the we read in the paper today it's just coming up to have us. On digital B.B.C. Sound possibly. B.B.C. Radio 5 Live Time now for the B.B.C. News with Kev McGrath former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown is being remembered by friends and colleagues following his death age 77 still mages described him as a true patriot while X. Labor leader would know a lot Kinnick says he was a dynamic campaigner he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in October at least $43.00 people have died in Indonesia after a tsunami hit beaches there and some destroyed nearly $600.00 or injured may have been caused by an erupting volcano the Commons Work and Pensions Committee says the way parents on Universal Credit have to pay for childcare up front and claim it back later is a barrier to work the government insists the new approach to welfare is more generous and police have searched a proper seeing cruelly 5 miles from Gatwick Airport following the drone sightings that 2 people arrested in the town late on Friday still being held as the 5 Live news Hugh has the sport at Crystal Palace pulled off a huge surprise in the Premier League winning 32 at Manchester City their 1st away win against city in 28 years it means Liverpool have a 4 point lead over city at Christmas while Palace move 6 points clear of the relegation places the City boss prep Guardiola says he's looking for a quick response from Misty this should be good to people who believe you know said . The last 14 to different amount of people believe that can happen but will want to happen so that's normal when all the store in this club in all the clubs report on warning carry went on this isn't where in December winning or losing always just to recover and try to win games are only going to solve Scholes Rader's Manchester United's interim boss got off to a terrific. They want to 5 want to come out of city Jesse Lingle go to braces so skulls team scored 5 goals for the 1st time since ceramics Ferguson's final game in charge back in May of 2013 Jamie volleys called The only goal of the game for Leicester as they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge defend Antonia really good now believes Chelsea's toss Obaid is over and the situation that there was a disaster. About Tyrus we don't need to speak any more. Stressed about. Going to determine if they want elsewhere Southam to made it back to back wins with a 31 victory at Huddersfield what food want to know at West Ham bone with beat Brighton also beat but only 31 new coffin against full and did goalless North City return to the top of the championship with a one deal when it black but meanwhile reading have appointed Portuguese manager chose a Gomez as their new boss in Scotland Celtic won 3 nil at home to down day to ensure they'll go into Christmas top of the Premiership have a Dane defeated hearts to go 2nd above ranges who travel to St Johnstone later today just Warrington has retained his idea for the wait world saw it so with a unanimous points decision over a call from in Manchester afterwards Warrington spoke to a boxing correspondent Michael and held his year which included it's hard to win over least if you just said to the Boks in public that just want to go on. The left you know that nobody would have believed that nobody would have believed up. A SHOT show more of our. Journey Continues my early a Charlie Edwards became the W.B.C. Flyweight will champion with the unanimous points decision over Christopher Rizal is still in white stop Derek his aura in the 11th round of the heavyweight clash exits as director of rugby row backs the says he was delighted with his team's attacking display as they ended Saracens unbeaten start to the Premiership season. The. Bonus points for the table above series elsewhere with. A 17 point deficit to beat while. Victorious and the P.T.C. World championship darts top seed Marco Van Gerwen has made it into the last 16 with a full one victory over Germany's Max hope the latest from. This radio. B.B.C. Sounds. Good morning what a difference a day makes after the sunshine of yesterday this far more cloud in store for many of us except Scotland and also. Northern and Central Scotland temperatures a way it's going to be a frosty start the day the around that will be reluctant to clear what you just get some shine temperatures lifting. But limited to close to freezing weather as. To whether we see the rain and certainly some clown around. As well but the risk of a little bit Apache rain which eases into the afternoon so it may well dry up and stay quite cloudy. All of an island after having some sunshine through the. Through the night we've had. Quite heavy rain at times through the morning hours. And the rain this afternoon and it becomes a bit dry but not holding out much hope for brightness that much brightness at least 10 will be the high here not much wind. And Wales and. Away in the east. But the cloud rains already with us for the south and west across many parts and certainly for most of us by Major morning and day is just a cloudy dismal sort of day. In the hills in the case of quite heavy rain potential . For time and then later in. South some heavy rain we think but either way it'll stay drizzly day the consolation is it's Malda it's 10 to 12 degrees Celsius overnight the rain has become more limited to the far south of England so the frost will be more widespread as we move into Christmas Eve But that said it means they'll be partly to weather an awful for most of us with more sunshine take helmet . Night Premier League football and to anyone else on. The station with life Premier League football and anyone else see Sam said this is West pick up to 7 . Feet is your station and he's. Exactly East to come to peace he said softly coming to the B.B.C. Radio I've just gone half full it's me see me in for the one I need to now to buy and now as you've been hearing this morning the death has been announced of mode Paddy Ashdown formerly the leader of the Liberal Democrats who's to 77 they've been recently diagnosed with cancer Well I. Spoke to Peter Allen and Caroline on 5 live about his life and his career and they started by asking him why he's known as Patti his phone I being actually Jeremy Joe. Asked down and I'm from nor not are non time so I was able to get called up and it's a little tired of Kumba in counted out until the day my mum was a. Good strong Protestant lady and my. Family originally came from a Catholic on the lot so that was a bit of a mixed marriage when I went to school 1st off at the age of 4 or 5 to a little primary school and don't look at the they said to me well I used to be I as a Protestant or as a Catholic and I said well I don't know why but I go back and asked my dad and my presenter a Catholic that he said go back into a Muslim. So is a protestant muslim or I as a Catholic Muslim anyway so when they sent me away to school in England to a boarding school that my father went to a course at a broad Irish accent Northern Irish accent but his people to another devastating Olson says so they christened me of original Paddy and then when I left school. About 10 or 11 on my schoolmates some OTA some younger than me joined the wrong Marines they just had with the and to be honest Peter I'm not very fussed about it I feel my support is not your name you'd love it if you like it really I mean this is closer and there are many years I mean to be you are never really looked at your proper name I was. They. Will my my mum and dad used to call me Jeremy of course and my wife does sometimes but only when she's very cross and right I love the fact that you fly mixed beater and you told him something new Patty said that in itself is worth the effort to stop but he mentioned your mother and your father in law your father and there are so many stories that we could delve into but the influence of your father and one story but take that happened I wonder whether he could speak for my minds about that because because quite a story here a litany. I would never see him self as a hero he was in charge of it indeed resit regiment of New York train they came from the northwest frontier Patton's passions were not golden translated to from the beginning of the 2nd World War Dunkirk came all the armies were strapped up he was told to turn his meals loose they eat those kind of things in France especially in wartime so I suspect the French are very pleased and he much them to the sea and he lost none of the gullible gold the last ship to leave from the moat and Dunkirk So here's another fact Peter doesn't know. My dad had 2 sons 1st off and both of them were named after a great retreats of the SEC. In World War I am Dunkirk and my brother was today and they were both conceived and I often thought I should be known as Jeremy John Donne car crash and I suspect I suspect I was conceived in pretty quick all that when my dad got back to not after that not long after that and since you're talking about family matters is extraordinary tragedies in you you know and your 3 no less than 3 of your siblings died young. Yeah they did and that was a sort of attendant bits of my youth but departure leaving saying goodbye. My 2nd brother Richard died when I was full he was 2 of what we called in those days the no specific fever in the Far East. My brother Robert died at the age of 14 of leukemia I'm pretty sure that he was in the direct line of the great Windscale atomic leak and I'm pretty sure that was radiation now this think so too and then my beloved sister Melanie one of the twins who came at the end was killed. In a raid accident in Melbourne and when I was 18 just to add to the. Business of parting and saying goodbye my money that that was a wonderful man but a very bad this isn't lost all his money wouldn't go bankrupt because he regards it as dishonorable up sticks with my then 5 brothers and sisters emigrated to Australia and left me behind at the age of 18 and for myself when he was it was a 10 pound poem wasn't which is something he and I believe yet raise a temple and you're not stuck at it too I guess and mine yes he was he went to Melbourne as a 10 pound on the extraordinary man Colonel in the Indian army really PPACA dressed like a tramp loved by everybody and although he would probably have voted Conservative all his life he was a classic liberal he told me the habits. Of never being frightened to be in a minority and it was had over the years that just as well as I say. Something it was also one old beater who once said democracy the minority is always right I have to say this is getting a great comfort office and I think it's going to hurt Britain I should this point I'm waiting for the moment in the interview when you repeat speeches name over never again which I've had to do many times before remonstration only pays a page of they and their well I just sort of think it makes a sort of personal bond related perhaps perhaps encourages them to be less nasty to me what do I know my possibly not will wait and see another good 20 minutes say that that moment will come no doubt a few years and how did that affect you being away from your family and such times of tragedy. You know all the rest of my life I have always been very lucky very lucky and think that my luck has been paid for by my parents' bad luck I mean nearly broke them it certainly Omas the motion they brought them this loss off the loss of the loss so I am absolutely paranoid when like kids get ill I go to pieces my wife keeps the family together because I see this tiny cloud on the horizon is going to end up in tragedy I'm always a sort of unwary looking around me for the next sort of personal loss but to direct me on SEO question 2 directly on SEO question I suppose at the age of 18 I left school and I just joined the Royal Marines and to be left on my own without a family it gave me a certain self-reliance and so mostly I mean I've got a great collection of friends my friends and my smile is valuable possession but I don't mind being my by myself and I don't mind making my way according to what I think my lights and principles opposite sound a bit pompous Anyway it's made me that kind of. Like a bit striving a bit driven a bit so focused on. It and the next section you know if you play school before you take your A levels you join the Roman Reigns in. Math for that right I think. I got a naval scholarship which help my mom and dad pay for my school because they were never my brother together and then I couldn't join the Navy because I wasn't very good at math and I joined the Royal Marines which is far better for me probably better than going to university and wasting it wasting my time in in probably booze and having fun I could have gone some cash in any way that's by the past in the past so here I am 18 year old cock a self confident. Quite a sense of my own superiority as there's still banks and very quickly backing out of me by the Royal Marines who did me a lot of good so I trained as a commanding officer and at the age of 19 found myself leading a troop of of 15 festival and then 30 young Marines in the jungle was in Bosnia Yeah then the special boat squad section which is at back to be you know. Tough guys isn't it sorry you had to learn to fight as well. As the ss the is the naval equivalent the waterborne equivalent of the S.S. Yelling rough Yes right in my next book why not give it a plug was going to be the history as serious as the story and so then it was. Doing things in Special Forces from submarines and place for places where you probably weren't supposed to be so be a lot of self discipline people sometimes ask me well was it that definitely they made me a liberal and the answer is my time is theirs because it was my job to lead. And they were all men of course in very difficult situations sometimes quite tricky carries in situations usually in groups of 4 of us any one of them frankly. I was better than I was at the job we were supposed to be doing as soldiers and and or Special Forces uppers as an and I suddenly realized if only we could have a country where you all but your up being you. Didn't matter if you had a country which was based on a meritocracy. Then what a country it would be and so in many ways Strangely it was the special service bless them I don't go back much. To the but I do go back to my reunion with my wonderful special but Service comrades and they gave me I suppose that some of them with shocked at the if they had me said they gave me my liberal beliefs so you were Labor supporter why you see my woes but remember I mean I was the age of 19 I was absolutely I came to school educated listen to the voice really sorry I've lost my my my religion and I really am if you don't push body. Just look up and you'll see that straight away the the I discovered that the 2 Marines in my troop of couldn't read and write and I could not believe that in a country like that 1989 night and then that that was the Labor Party Roy Jenkins of Shelley Williams of the rajah's David Owen and so I counted myself to be a Labor supporter and in the mountains of oddly enough in 1000 $969.00 and when they failed to take on the reform of the trade union movement inside decided that I didn't believe in the corporate state I believed in liberty and power of the individual and I sort of wandered off into the wilderness and didn't really have a political attachment until one day after I joined the Foreign Office and was on my way out to Geneva we were literally packing the whole bus and it. And a little man you know your memory plays tricks with you sometimes but he I'm sure he had to be a good. He may have been wearing a net or AK and he could even be in sandals but maybe I'm just being. On our own from the levels we've I certainly know no way and anyway I got other really I greed that is Oh I see come in sit down if you can if you can persuade me to have health he said and then on later you know I discovered actually that's what I've been all my life more a most strange angel of the epiphany I cannot imagine but at that stage I took liberalism like an old cunt tiny in the cupboard and of wanted to have a sense immensely comfortably you left liberal Marines and my brother biographical notes a bit as you joined in most M I 6 so you respond I. I study Chinese I could speak languages by the way school they gave me 5 out of 200 no level French and Germans I'd never speak languages I speak man you're right. Some people ask me how many languages I speak and my answer is truthfully I forgotten 6. My 2nd one was was Mandarin to turn off years to study Mandarin read it write it became an interpreter in the Far East and then and then I have to draw discreet they are never the next best of my life it was I was in the Foreign Office and if I tell him all that I have to each year as a writer I'll be aware of that but I mean what you had was security and comfort was in a lift in Switzerland 2 kids big house very nice yeah yeah very nice on the shores of Lake Geneva. I loved my job adulthood I did 2 jobs the misses a night job all the evening job the often and all one was a day job which is being a diplomat and one was they saw no one day job. I do it but this is 74 and my country was going to bits behind me. And I was the Today we we were the laughing stock of Europe pounders plummeting and I think it was 3. You're going. To elections Yeah absolutely. Plummeting with a lot of things I couldn't bear it and so I said to Jane I tell you what I think she's going to parties are just so the man thing to do because at that stage that place I live in still yes we think it. Was been done been Tories since 1010 they didn't count them majorities they weighed them and so we gave up and came home resigned and came home undoubtedly the most irresponsible decision I've ever taken but also the best because it got me into the thing such as it is for which my talents and skills are made such as yeah I wonder whether you have any regrets that because there's a price to pay for being in the public light which is likely you wouldn't you would apply you name as an ad lines you personally would drag to the papers and it was a close your wife and family and you you may have suffered that and you probably did something wrong you deserve to be a family suffered and the only did so because you were in politics had you been male Caroline then frankly nobody would give a damn but because you were in politics they paid a price well because also at that time you know this really was known in the 1st person I think is that up and said look OK that's true. A lot about it and I took the consequences no but you're entirely right but you know if you ask them the biggest price they pay will wasn't I don't think that I was very uncomfortable for all of us shaming for me but as you rightly say I did it. My fault I think they would say because it took me 8 years to win my seat to periods of unemployment to 2 in my seat my family is down to a 100 quid on stage and I said to Jane I'll have to give it up if I can't get a job I was unemployed I know everybody remembers Paddy Ashdown extraordinary and no one remembers Paddy Ashdown the only member of. Elements elected from the unemployed register but I was I was a youth worker and what was then known as the community program when I was elected so they suffered a lot but if you asked them and I have frequently I don't think they would say they would have had it any other way the people who potentially to be honest with you. Who could have paid the price for this because the story of politicians children is not good but people are so concentrated on doing the political job they forget their family I've got 2 wonderful totally sane totally wonderful kids not all kids one of 52 the other 48 grandchildren but the fact that it's so actually is much more to do with my wife Jane than me because she's Because the come center of the family just made sure it continued while I went round I remember when I said I would go to buzz and when they asked me. I said I'm sorry your mind has never had a life and he's always an adventure but I could do with no more adventures after this one and she's the chief she's a mazing woman who just made and made all these things possible while I've gone off pursuing my particular says one after another because all the time very selfish that doesn't fully that it's taking want to challenge that was nice that it took a turn right turn around a safe is that kind of the bit of the hunger that you didn't get things the way yeah you know you're so right lately my mum got it right she said you know whenever you hear somebody say it's impossible you can't help try to do it and that's true it's true. You know life in special forces the things that they are there are supposedly not possible to there but every old through my life if someone said they caught that Chinese. When I when I left Geneva this very good very well paid very enjoyable job and people said you could never when you have less been torn. if s. 70 years don't be ridiculous but it is that you know that challenge when someone says something account be done it's their irresistible to shocking temptation to so from the dough thanking a yeast a term around to a seat to with in 5 years the being an m.p. To being elected and not that moment when he take the cool you know that you know your leader of the polity what was not like scary remember as a as i sometimes joke but is no all untrue around that time was represented in a opinion posed by an asterisk to their tea that no detectable support could be fine france anywhere in a land it was an absolute mess off to the s.t.p. Alliance a not to oz before i was elected the the inland revenue turned up at the those of number 10 akali straight witches of n. Headquarters to closes down because he hadn't paid out taxes miss is touch as said this is a dead powered to were never rise again exactly is he said once again people said it can't be done but we did do it it wasn't me it was the x. Extraordinary retain with people go i what with and so i was the finding leader of the liberal democrats i'll tell you that you know still wet behind the is no a tolex there is i really wasn't very go to that i remember people saying to me is mere writing a he'll never survived i can tell you those nothing you know i've done in my life which as as frightening and terrify as bay ritually hand bag by mrs thatcher credit judah have power as its prime minister in the early days as dodgy later they the other thing it's really probably important tonight is a this strange jaw all being up tante leader there's nothing that's can prepay if that you could be roid jake it is president the european commission it ill still the wasn't a very good positive the you could have trolled up beaches a strange places in the far east nothing As you for that say you have to learn very fast and thanks to the understanding and support and help of my friends especially I did and it all sort of took a long time but a right in the end I 9768 and you were thinking what were you thinking in a minute there's been talk about deals with labor talk about Satan you know the one thing that has been the constant in my life as a politician is I've just I just think that the arrangement of politics in Britain is completely bizarre. And above all the left. The center left pushing to get the center left making a political party which I think will be the governing party of Britain and so I saw an opportunity said Tony Blair to try and see if we could realign the left in British politics and have the extremists away doing something else we would be the voice for the moderate center we put that together very nearly worked if it hadn't been for the fact that I did we did very well Lib Dems but got a massive majority on the morning of the 97 election Roy Jenkins and I looking at the results and Blair and I that I was with him at the time took the view wrongly I think we all agreed that it would be somehow democratically improper if we put. The 2 parties together given that there was such a large majority but all the public probably think that's quite right because when they need Nick Clegg went and did a deal what about a price he paid and even though in the any others that I think it was a look what happened he was a result of it there's a difference here you know Blair and I I mean Nick did what he had to do for the national interest Blair and I was saying if we could rearrange the center of politics not when we had to but because it was the right thing to do it was it wasn't to be in government we would do it from the moral high I think we'd have made something completely different the CONUS start of that was electoral reform but I wouldn't tolerate that I wouldn't perp. I wasn't prepared to lose the independents the Liberal Democrats we could have put I think we it could have worked at it but it would have worked because we agreed about things you know because it was a sort of very uncomfortable shuffling together of 2 parties one Tories one the broom Democrats who didn't I mean we played coalition was 2 very uncomfortable bedfellows working together in the national interest I'm very pleased I'm very proud of that but what we were planning was 2 people gathering around the same set of ideas in the center ground to make he says about it and by the way if I can bring it up to date I mean take a look at Britain today. We have this great country of is famous for compromise for respect for tolerance for the habit of working together in a society and I represented by 2 political parties at the absolute extremes so we have a Tory party that is you get by any other name in a labor party that has retreated back to 950 S. Style old fashioned socialism and that great center ground these is the new voice this in our country and by the way I actually think that the historic purpose of the Lib Dems and the rest of us now is to put together a new movement think all March in France as a movement and who knows eventually perhaps a political party that will give voice to the moderate center of our country and we cannot save this country from disaster on the brakes it or a double disaster after having had made a dreadful government have called in for 4 years that would be a disaster for a country the only way to do that is to deliver in the end what they are not we're talking about in 1907 but that's why the the con Lib Dems should be making Haitian and the notes you know there are all sorts of reasons for that if I may says that I mean I think that is right in saying some of us the higher the coalition we understand that but some of it is this bizarre thing this how it isn't just Britain it's every other advanced Western democracy. The center ground is not in danger of a better I should look at it look at France is the only one that stuck to it because it was understood said that it's cable no secret said it to 10 Faran they agreed to that the Liberal Democrats historic row is now not to pretend we can do it by ourselves we can't do it in time we can get but not in time but to act as the catalyst a gathering point for a white a coalition that brings in others from other parties and especially for those and they want to belong to a party at all if we don't do that and breaking the code that the catastrophe that Britain is now facing will be doubly west than it is right and what chance is then of which I guess is what you want to do it yeah of course I want to reverse it is that undemocratic certainly not it's no more undemocratic than Mr Farage continuing to campaign to be out of Europe up to $74.00 ever and chances of it happening is half how it happened you know and I'm not standing up for another referendum or something I want to go I don't think that's true I think that mine view is that on balance not only breaks it isn't going to happen and why because the incompetence of the my government I don't think they can deliver. Any kind of deal except one so stuffed full of fudge that you can stop it no new confectionery business from it I don't think the House of Commons Well by that I think the M.P.'s who are naturally put the national interest 1st I think we're then into. A modular probability a very fluid situation but in the end I think we will not get to breaks it if indeed we do that. Without another. Sounding of public opinion either by referendum or by a general election that was furious that I wouldn't and he's been able the right to handle that background into my present time I'll ask your listeners and you guys this you've got 3 people in around they've got Jeremy Kolbe and you've got to reason and you go Vince Cable which would you really like as prime minister we should think about the best time to sell. It's always possible none of the above but. That's where you thought. This self but I'm not saying the Lib Dems do that by themselves selves it don't but they work with others to do it my Christmas I decided that the reason why bricks it will not be delivered. Because of the incompetence and vision of the country in the time she's got left she cannot produce a deal even by her lights probably the only way out of what will be the paralyzation of the elementary political process is a referendum on of a general election we'll wait and see. If we're on the B.B.C. News on 5 Live at 5 o'clock tributes are being paid to the Form a Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has died at the age of $77.00 he was suffering from bladder cancer but I understand led the policy for nearly 11 years before stepping down in 1999 Lord Steele's a former leader of the liberal policy the last time I spoke to just 2 or 3 weeks back was about the books he was writing even as he was starting to carve out a new career as a really very interesting author on books really to do with the 2nd World War I. Look at it didn't from where of course. Before his political career Lord Ashdown was a Marine the Conservative M.P. Colonel Bob Stewart a former UN commander and bone.