Sopel on Sunday: clips of the day

Here's my selection of the best bits of video from today's political broadcasting.

Alistair Darling on the Politics Show

It's two years since Northern Rock, well, hit the rocks, and just over a year since the wider banking crisis which has left every family in Britain paying about three thousand pounds each to keep them afloat.

Today some clear signs of how the government wants to turn this situation round and reduce the taxpayer exposure to these banks.

New smaller, more boring banks seem set to rise from the ashes - maybe they'll name one the Phoenix Bank.

Alistair Darling came onto the Politics Show to reveal the government's thinking.

Gordon Brown has been telling anyone who'll listen that Britain was better placed to weather the recession than the other industrial countries, and would be leading the world out of recession. Except - err - France, Germany, Japan, the United States have come out of recession and Britain hasn't. Something I put to Mr Darling.

Interestingly he also said the MoD had been wrong to try to save 20 million pounds from the budget for training members of the TA.

Alan Johnson on Sky News with Adam Boulton

Adam Boulton on Sky had Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, as his main guest. After the sacking of Professor David Nutt, as the government's drugs adviser, this was a great interview to have.

Yesterday Professor Nutt rounded on ministers for ignoring his advice. Today Alan Johnson fired back.

Harriet Harman on Andrew Marr

Andrew Marr had Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman. This week sees the publication of the Kelly report on cleaning up MPs expenses.

One of the proposals thought to be in play would be a ban on spouses working for their MP husband or wife - a very common practice at Westminster.

Harriet Harman appeared to distance herself from anything that would hit the current crop.

Sir Ian Blair on Andrew Marr

Marr also had Sir Ian Blair on the programme, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

He was forced out by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and one of the issues that has come to the fore is the Conservative idea of elected police commissioners.

Sir Ian is dead against.

Where are the Tories today?

Just a post script - if you think there's a dearth of senior Tories from Sopel on Sunday, that's because there is.

Could it be that with the MPs' expenses scandal still raging, senior Conservatives had collectively decided it might be a good weekend to leave the microphones and make-up to politicians from other parties?

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