welcome to Sputnik orbiting the world
with me George Galloway and me gayathri
I've known my next guest for almost 40
years though she was obviously a baby in
arms then she grew up to be one of the
longest serving Labor members of
parliament for vauxhall in London where
she has remained absolutely faithful to
her beliefs even when those around her
changed theirs in the prevailing winds
not so long ago most Labour MPs like
most of their voters were euro skeptics
the Tony Blair era changed all that like
so much else it didn't change our guests
know who I'm glad to welcome on board
the spa tech que toi mpk thanks for
coming on board we're trying to get a
balance in this debate we're trying hard
to get those who support staying in the
EU into the studio but not yet but we
had a right-wing case for leaving in the
form of Nigel Farage just a couple of
weeks ago but you are one of the if not
the leading labour voice for leaving the
EU tell us why well I think there would
be a number of things that I would have
shared with Nigel Farage whatever he
said particularly on the democratic
deficit you know putting it simply the
fact that we no longer can really say
that we control all the laws in our own
country because it can be overruled by
the the court of justice in the EU but
for me it's more about the way the
common market has changed into various
treaties that we all opposed and try to
oppose and never got referendum on that
change the nature of the European Union
to becoming much more of an organization
that I see as supporting the
multinationals the global corporations
the feeling that they're really there in
the interests of big business and
genuinely lost any pretense that they
had earlier to be the voice of workers
rights getting more more control for
people who in industry
and I think so much of that's gone that
I just believe now that anyone on the
Left who has to argue a case to stay in
is doing it on very very weak grounds
and not anything to do with with
principal about you know left-wing views
of where we should be going it's a
double helix they argue that the
european union represents some kind of
civilizing mission in britain and if we
didn't have it we'd go back to living in
the forests metaphorically politically
speaking and secondly that the EU itself
is civilized although the people in
greece no different and the people in
other european countries that have been
crushed by the financial orthodoxy of
the european union but i was just
tweeting this week that it shows such a
lot such a lack of confidence in our own
people that we cannot for example for a
Labour government in yeah which the
British people have done 11 times
absolutely and I i I've said that at a
number of meetings I've been going round
with a few of my colleagues who are on
the same side to speak it labour party
meetings they did try to stop
constituencies actually having these two
bits the general said she sent out a
letter basically saying you know there
is a policy on this we don't we don't
want you to be wasting time having liver
leave people we want you to be out there
campaigning to stay in the EU well
fortunately most constituencies have
ignored that but when we do go there you
know I find that too I said to somebody
that just last week in my own
constituency where there was it a bit
who said oh but you know we'd lose all
our rights and this Tory government is
trying to crush workers look at the
trade union bill look at all these
things this would just be catastrophic
if we left the EU and I just turn around
and sit him so why are you in the Labour
Party if you actually think we're never
going to have a liberal government again
and he you know retreated a little bit
because it's true and any labour
government could do the things and we
didn't do them unfortunately during the
Blair euro we did some things but we
didn't do what we could have done in my
view we should be strengthening the the
rights of people at work and not waiting
for 27 other countries to decide that
that's a good
thing and it's from the era of Dolores
isn't it but yes mine remember to speak
he came along told the Labour Party this
is it and we were fighting margaret
thatcher at the time and Margaret
Thatcher had brought in a lot of things
that that were against the the basic
tenants of being trade union and trade
Eunice and I think he he convinced the
Labour Party that this was the way to
get Ryan mrs. Thatcher and unfortunately
despite the warnings of some very solid
people who unfortunately are no longer
around like tony benn and peter shor
there there we went along with that and
then ordering the the blerrie era and i
was a minister in the home office when I
would go out with Jack Straw to Brussels
at that time there wasn't majority
voting so we did have a block on certain
things in the whole social and justice
area but every time we would be trying
to block something that was silly we'd
get a dick tap maybe a couple of hours
later from the British you crepes so you
are representative for the European
Commission who would say Oh dining
Street don't want that block now because
we want something else in another area
that's more important so poor Jack would
have to go in there and sort of eat
humble pie and say that we were going to
accept it so I saw the whole way this
machine worked and I just thought it's
not the kind of politics I want I don't
like that idea that you know you scratch
my back and I'll scratch yours yeah your
constituency vauxhall happens to be
quite a hub for portuguese and spanish
diaspora what's their voice in this
debate how house well most returning to
the glaciers and we'll have have a vote
who are here and the Portuguese
community particularly in stockwell
areas been there for a very long time
it's growing but this means there and
you know I I talk to them because I
don't their life will not will not
change the idea that somehow if we vote
to leave on the dresser third each other
they will be out the next day it's just
such nonsense just as it is if you know
I happen to be I don't but if I had a
home in Spain I'm not going to leave my
home the next day and I think the whole
tenets of as we know of the government
and of all the people who are the
establishment
because this is establishment to me
against the people genuinely there's you
know the big banks the big debate all
the political parties you know they just
want to give the very very very worst
extremist kind of fear thing and I think
I'm just beginning to feel that it's so
much now and it's happened so quickly
that it could backfire very much on
David Cameron I think he's looking angry
and looking yes I'm still with months to
go monster oh yeah there may be
diminishing returns already setting in
the got ray pointed out the Spanish and
Portuguese people living in New York
constituents in we know them well but of
course there are others many many others
in your constituency from a Commonwealth
background absol and those Commonwealth
citizens have been shamefully abandoned
by Britain's time in the European Union
we joined and you look back on it now I
voted one of my first folks i voted i
voted not to you know not to stay and to
leave then and i think back to it and i
remember reading at the time some people
talking about our Commonwealth and all
through this last period of forty years
you know I've always felt the
Commonwealth's we completely sold them
down the river now of course they've
adapted Australia's done very well
India's done bro I know it hasn't been a
disaster for them but in terms of their
loyalty to us as a country and what they
contributed I think they it was shameful
but more shameful now of course is that
I have long-standing 3rd 4th 5th
generation almost afro-caribbean who
came way back into into places like
Brixton and there they now I have still
got huge difficulty getting relatives
just to come over for a wedding it's the
same with if you had a lot of people
from India or Pakistan and and you know
no one and I'm certainly the last person
who would be against immigration as such
but I want to see those people having as
fair and opportunity as anyone else what
I argue fairer the terrible they speak
English we owe them a debt hmm we call
it a Commonwealth now
once an empire we stole a lot of things
from the very least we could do now
they're very least we could do is not
make them climb through fiery hoops in
order to get a visa and treat them as a
mother foreign alien you know when
they're actually much much more in
common with our country than you know
the very many and understandably if i
was living in romania bulgaria i would
probably think i'm going to come to the
UK as well but what we do all that Duty
first if we are going to have to
restrict numbers in some way to people
who had that loyalty over the years I
believe now the Dolores era is over the
EU is quite a different beast I would
argue is not that different but it
certainly got a different face no and
that face was shounen in Greece above
all yet the Labour Party now led by
people on the Left who just I'll take a
guess 12 months ago would have been on
our site in this debate are now on the
other side how do you account for that I
sometimes look around my colleagues and
sitting in the commons benches and when
we have it a bit you know the very few
of them speak up to stay in it's always
the ones who want to leave we speak out
but I just I I genuinely cannot
understand it I genuinely can't
understand it because we've seen also
with you know the tea tip the
transatlantic trade partnership and all
the problems that that could give and
they're very opposed to that but they
don't see the next step as being will
actually this is not just the pointy tip
this is about the way that you worked
and when you see what's happened to
people in Greece and you see the way
that they literally overthrew an elected
government changed ministers when it
suited the Commission I I don't
understand that other than that there is
this I mean I can understand it on some
of them what you'd call a hard left in
it who make who have this sort of
sometimes internationalist idea that
we're you know we shouldn't have any
borders and we're internationalist and
therefore you know the EU is is a is a
way towards that I I think actually i
believe i'm much more of an
international
and you know the EU to me is a is a
construct that is tiny to start with is
getting getting less important
economically and I just think it's one
of those things you know it only would
take a few more leaders within the party
at a certain level to change their mind
for an awful lot I'm afraid of well I'd
be pleased but for an awful lot of our
backbench mps to simply follow i think
what we've got now is a lot more
politicians coming into Parliament who
are not prepared to really think for
themselves and I are upset a lot of my
colleagues but I think it's true they
follow the line and if the line is to
say we are unashamedly want to stay in
we missed an opportunity during the
leadership election where all of the
candidates said they wanted to reform
none of them said what they wanted to
reform you know we missed an opportunity
to have liked a bit and it hasn't been
at a bit in the party and I'm absolutely
confident that as the time goes on even
before June the 23rd you know we're
getting so many more people writing in
sending emails saying oh it's great
there's somebody out there speaking what
can we do to help and the trade unions
are shifting a bit as well but I don't
have a simple explanation other than
voting loyalty to their party well it's
fascinating it's a long way to go you
and I I'm sure we'll cross each other's
paths in the course of this referendum
but here's my prediction mm-hmm we're
going to win and Britain will withdraw
from the well you I think that we will
have a celebration after that because I
think that would be the most wonderful
team to the country let's have in
Brixton que toi thanks for joining us on
the sputnik coming up next is a cricket
and football agent but an unusual one
stay tuned
welcome back to Sputnik it's a man's
world especially in football and cricket
more women than ever play the games but
not many get paid for it at least paid
enough to make it worthwhile to have an
agent our next guest is such an agent
and i'm proud to say britain's very
first woman agent in international
cricket for the english cricket board
she's also director at Lancashire
cricket and football association she's a
model too and I'm delighted to welcome
Farah gorci on board the Sputnik Farrah
thank you for coming welcome aboard the
Sputnik coming Tuesday its international
women's day and you have made such a
breakthrough in this man's world and not
only is the first woman agent but also
as an Asian tell us about your journey
in your world I'm it's been quite an
exciting one I've always had a passion
for sport and cricket as you know being
Asian and crickets energy and so I've
been brought with cricket and i love it
i have a passion for cricket football as
well but then again a very have sports
but i am i took my exam at the English
cricket board got my license in april
2014 and from then on it's just been a
roller coaster of so many opportunities
of opened up and i am really proud to
say i am you know UK's first cricket
agent and as far as is in theme with the
International Women's Day it's it's nice
to be involved in such a male-dominated
industry you say that crickets in the
genes of Asian people and of course
that's true but mainly Asian men in so
far as that's the case is there a
reaction from some of those Asian men
about women cricketers coming through
and about you as a as the first cricket
agent I mean if I was asked this
question prior to me getting involved in
international cricket I would have been
reluctant somewhat apprehensive but only
recently I've been involved in pakistan
super league so I was in dubai last week
and i have two clients in the pakistan
international team and the amount of
respect and warmth and welcome and you
know one of my clients actually turn on
to me and said we respect a lot that you
know there are so many characters in
cricket in sport alone but from we know
as Asia men can be quite a tough you
know tough community to deal with
challenging as well so I received a lot
of respect and warfare and it crashes
down one more barrier for me that I've
made through the asian you know the
Asian industry not only that the men and
now from that trip alone and supporting
this super league as well I've had more
work generated more people are coming my
way so I would say is a woman yet it's
challenging but then I've used it to my
advantage and I'm passionate about what
I do so if someone can see that I goes
again hand in hand in what I do and the
players they they have a lot of respect
a night and I like I like humming that
respect because you know sometimes you
see that in a sports and environment
that women do and you know it's it does
about the crusty old white men in
blazers will run cricket and much of the
football association to is their main
problem with you that you're an Asian or
that you're a woman I wouldn't say it's
a problem if I'm honest um I've again
I've been over to Lourdes and I'll be
one hundred percent honest I walked into
lords in the members area and this was
last summer and everyone had to take a
double take and I was the only Asian in
the members area the Lord's the the Lord
so much very large quick ignore sorry
I'm and that was surprising yet there
was no you know though you more
surprised looks and I'm good friends are
people at the English England cricket
board more to say the Chairman Colin
Graves who I know very well who's very
supportive in what I do and some what I
use them as a mentor and and I think
it's just there will always be
prejudiced within certain areas with an
auspol
but again I think the responsibility
lies with a person themselves too okay
there is the prejudiced and there is
certain barriers you have to overcome
but I'd like to think I'm an optimistic
person and I like to think I can I can
charm them in a in a professional manner
enough to accept me to work you know to
work side-by-side with me well you got
off lightly in the members area at
Lord's because a black woman Labour MP
reported this week that another MP a
white conservative male MP when she got
into the members lift said you know this
lift actually isn't for cleaners but she
was an elected member of parliament Don
Butler is her around so if all you go
was a double take you got off lightly
now for the viewers who don't know this
world um tell us what you actually do as
an agent on my company's called think
sports and it's a sports management
company so we do contract negotiations
we do sponsorship deals we do brand
endorsements we do commercials we do PR
basically as much as an agent and as a
manager we can do we take under our belt
only to only recently I've been involved
once I've been over into by with
broadcasting rights for the next series
of psl so again it's I've got my degree
in sports management so whether I get
where i can utilize my degree and bring
in generate more income I will do and on
the player itself there's a lot to do
with the player you can do interviews
magazine interviews paper entry so
you're basically their PR their
publicist and then away from that you're
looking at your company as a whole and
you're trying to promote that through me
do you get you to your own PR as well
and sponsorships commercial deals a lot
you have problem solver I mean for
example let's imagine a hypothetical
cricket star or football star gets
themselves into a bit of trouble do they
call you yes and I've had the call soul
is there yeah
sir I've had a couple of those yeah a
couple of clients and I've and just to
you know just have people in on on board
to assist me and i have a dr our
psychologist sport psychologist richard
dean who I work with quite closely as
well and recently a client has been
through a bit of a tough tough time and
they will get on the phone to me whether
it be three o'clock in the morning
whether it be four o'clock or I am their
agent and they can pick up the phone to
me and yeah i like to think as a manager
and that i'm also a mentor and not your
classic asian that just comes in because
agent says revenge it's never a good
name was good you've taken the was right
my mouth because they really don't know
i mean alex ferguson and many others
although mr. Ferguson's son also became
an agent but it's often the case the
agents are cursed as being a part of a
desperation of the game really yes and I
if I'm being honest I have seen that
with other agents and i genuinely
believe it's a title it somewhat is a
poison chalice you can take it and no
matter how good you are your client so
if they say something or you know
something in the relationship doesn't go
as planned then yes it's it's similar to
any other role I would say as a director
as a manager when you're managing people
I think that's it's crucial that you are
yourself one hundred percent and I say
this because when I've dealt on the
football side i would say it there is a
it would be if i can use a mercurial
than cricket so you have to be in
scituate yeah in different situations
you have to try and be yourself at all
times your principles and morals and
values are always challenged so whether
then the agent takes that on board and
things well you know i'm making my money
here i'm going to it really the
responsibility really does lie with the
person themselves
I don't think it's fair and I would say
this is a major I don't think it's fair
to talk every Asian with the same brush
and say he's just it's just that they're
always after more money for their client
that's their job yes and they're
encouraging their client to follow the
money and therefore the idea of team
loyalty club loyalty community loyalty
goes out the window and no matter how
many times they kiss the badge yeah
undershirt if you come along with a
better or further you've got them from
someone else well they'll be kissing a
different bag that is true for with a
lot of my players and I say this only
for myself and I speak purely for myself
and for my client seats there's always a
good balance the money has to match the
person's criteria of who they are and
how well they can you know how well they
are on pitch to deserve the respect to
deserve that amount of money but also
the loyalty to the club's managers I
work closely when I phone worked with my
cricketers especially and I've recently
had this over at one club man I work
closely with a coach with a CEO that
we're working hand-in-hand to make sure
my client is getting the best deal but
not only that my clients also performing
to the best he can so I always whenever
I work my client with a club I make sure
there's this transparency the
relationships very transparent we are
all singing off the same sheet so that
no one can say his agent or her agent
has come in they've asked this for this
merge but yet when he's on field we
don't we don't get the money matching
his talent so I will always come with a
I'd like to think is quite a fair agent
because for me it's important if my
clients in the game long term if he's
playing for different clubs of east
performing at the best he can on pitch
and I'm doing the best I can off pitch
as much made in heaven you can be our
agent thank you thanks very much follow
so much
and now it's your turn to tell us what
you think through the portals of social
media what's rattling gayatri so is it
time for the UK to finally bid adieu to
the EU Martin Farrell said love Europe
and its people hate corrupt bureaucratic
EU x4 banksters not the people and I'm
30 it says I want out of the EU but I
trust this government less than the EU
and the TTIP will still be an issue if
we're out yeah of course but you can get
rid of this government you can't get rid
of the EU from sufferance to suffrage
what about how has international women's
day today gave the lives of women
Ricardo Picasso says equal rights for
all is a real and tangible goal for this
generation but we have to do much more
than talk about it only one day a year
fair point there are so many days in the
year this day that day that 65 days of
for each every one of them is the day of
our course but well look it does provoke
things we had to women guests today and
we particularly set out to do that
because it was international women's day
so thank see these things do work in it
that's all that we've got time for this
week which alas means that's the end of
the show you can stay in touch with us
through Twitter at RT underscore Sputnik
on facebook Sputnik on Russia today it's
goodbye from me Gayathri and for me
George Galloway it's been marvelous