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CNN Live At Daybreak

Euro Edition: Morning Papers

Aired November 18, 2003 - 05:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as you can imagine, President Bush's visit to the U.K. is making headlines overseas in this morning's 'Euro Edition.' So let's head live to London and Becky Anderson.
And the headlines have not been kind -- Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well they haven't been kind, but interestingly enough, one of the newspapers this morning being widely quoted as suggesting that in fact the British public itself is fairly pro American. And it's not being reflected in the newspapers.

We are just hours away from the beginning of this trip. The Bush's arrive, of course, this evening British time, and they are here until Friday. They are, by the way, if you are interested to know, and you may be interested to know, staying in the Belgium Suite in the -- in Buckingham Palace, a bedroom that overlooks the gardens. Last stayed in by the Putin's when they were here a couple of months ago.

But let me just say -- show you the headline today on "The Guardian," protests begin but majority backs Bush visit as support for war surges. I hope you can see that there.

COSTELLO: What?

ANDERSON: A majority of Labor voters, this poll found, welcome President George Bush's State Visit to Britain, which starts today. That's according to "The Guardian" poll, which was conducted over the last couple of days. And they say the survey shows that public opinion in Britain is overwhelmingly pro American, with 62 percent of voters believing that the U.S. is -- quote -- "generally speaking a force for good, not evil, in the world. And it explodes the conventional political wisdom at Westminster." That Blair, and indeed Bush, are despised by most of the British public.

COSTELLO: But, Becky, explain...

ANDERSON: So an interesting poll out there today.

COSTELLO: ... to us...

ANDERSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... this paper, because how can that headline be so very different with headlines the past few days?

ANDERSON: Yes. It's interesting, isn't it? I mean it begs -- it begs the question are the papers writing for their reading public or is the reading public dictating what the papers say? And at this point it appears that the papers, to a certain extent, have got it wrong. I mean this is only a poll of a thousand people, don't forget. They were Labor voters as well. And of course you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) supporters at present.

COSTELLO: And Labor voters are conservative voters, right? Is that right, Labor voters?

ANDERSON: Well no, Labor -- no, no, conservative voters are conservative voters, but Labor voters are generally less conservative, in fact.

COSTELLO: OK.

ANDERSON: But because Bush and Blair have this relationship, it deemed that perhaps Labor supporters are more pro Bush at present. And also the poll shows that since the last few weeks worth of suicide bombings, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the sense for those at least polls was that there is more sympathy for what's going on now in the Middle East. And that while nobody wants death and destruction in the Middle East, many people, certainly in the U.K., now believe that it was right to go in and at least it's right to stay there until the job is done. So an interesting poll in "The Guardian" today.

Let me just show you the other papers. We've got the "Daily Mail" today, overkill, half of London's police will be guarding Bush. Two hundred and fifty U.S. Secret Service agents carrying guns and even -- and even mobile phones apparently may be cut off.

We've got 14,000 policemen on the street. And just 24 hours ago that number was just 5,000. So evidently the Metropolitan Police in the U.K. certainly believe that they have to keep a very, very, very tight noose so far as security is concerned.

And that paper suggesting this morning that even mobile phones will be barred in and around the area in London where President Bush will be traveling. So I'll try my phone later, see if I can use it, report back to you tomorrow -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Becky. And many Americans are very appreciative of the security measures Great Britain is taking.

ANDERSON: There you go.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Becky.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 18, 2003 - 05:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as you can imagine, President Bush's visit to the U.K. is making headlines overseas in this morning's 'Euro Edition.' So let's head live to London and Becky Anderson.
And the headlines have not been kind -- Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well they haven't been kind, but interestingly enough, one of the newspapers this morning being widely quoted as suggesting that in fact the British public itself is fairly pro American. And it's not being reflected in the newspapers.

We are just hours away from the beginning of this trip. The Bush's arrive, of course, this evening British time, and they are here until Friday. They are, by the way, if you are interested to know, and you may be interested to know, staying in the Belgium Suite in the -- in Buckingham Palace, a bedroom that overlooks the gardens. Last stayed in by the Putin's when they were here a couple of months ago.

But let me just say -- show you the headline today on "The Guardian," protests begin but majority backs Bush visit as support for war surges. I hope you can see that there.

COSTELLO: What?

ANDERSON: A majority of Labor voters, this poll found, welcome President George Bush's State Visit to Britain, which starts today. That's according to "The Guardian" poll, which was conducted over the last couple of days. And they say the survey shows that public opinion in Britain is overwhelmingly pro American, with 62 percent of voters believing that the U.S. is -- quote -- "generally speaking a force for good, not evil, in the world. And it explodes the conventional political wisdom at Westminster." That Blair, and indeed Bush, are despised by most of the British public.

COSTELLO: But, Becky, explain...

ANDERSON: So an interesting poll out there today.

COSTELLO: ... to us...

ANDERSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... this paper, because how can that headline be so very different with headlines the past few days?

ANDERSON: Yes. It's interesting, isn't it? I mean it begs -- it begs the question are the papers writing for their reading public or is the reading public dictating what the papers say? And at this point it appears that the papers, to a certain extent, have got it wrong. I mean this is only a poll of a thousand people, don't forget. They were Labor voters as well. And of course you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE) supporters at present.

COSTELLO: And Labor voters are conservative voters, right? Is that right, Labor voters?

ANDERSON: Well no, Labor -- no, no, conservative voters are conservative voters, but Labor voters are generally less conservative, in fact.

COSTELLO: OK.

ANDERSON: But because Bush and Blair have this relationship, it deemed that perhaps Labor supporters are more pro Bush at present. And also the poll shows that since the last few weeks worth of suicide bombings, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the sense for those at least polls was that there is more sympathy for what's going on now in the Middle East. And that while nobody wants death and destruction in the Middle East, many people, certainly in the U.K., now believe that it was right to go in and at least it's right to stay there until the job is done. So an interesting poll in "The Guardian" today.

Let me just show you the other papers. We've got the "Daily Mail" today, overkill, half of London's police will be guarding Bush. Two hundred and fifty U.S. Secret Service agents carrying guns and even -- and even mobile phones apparently may be cut off.

We've got 14,000 policemen on the street. And just 24 hours ago that number was just 5,000. So evidently the Metropolitan Police in the U.K. certainly believe that they have to keep a very, very, very tight noose so far as security is concerned.

And that paper suggesting this morning that even mobile phones will be barred in and around the area in London where President Bush will be traveling. So I'll try my phone later, see if I can use it, report back to you tomorrow -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Becky. And many Americans are very appreciative of the security measures Great Britain is taking.

ANDERSON: There you go.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Becky.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com