Newsnight - 11/08/2009

Presented by Kirsty Wark. Can the West do anything for the Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi? She has been sentenced to an additional 18 months' house arrest by a court in Rangoon. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was 'saddened and angry' by the verdict and described the trial as a 'sham'. He has called for the UN Security Council to impose a worldwide ban on the sale of arms to the regime. But with India and China heavily involved in enterprise in the country, what chance is there of Asean condemnation of the decision? We'll discuss whether this is a turning point for Burma, or business as usual for the Generals. Better services for less money.....and maybe tax rises. That was the Shadow chancellor George Osborne's big sell when he announced that the Conservatives are now the progressive force in British politics. He said they planned to reform public services while being 'fiscally responsible' and without harming frontline services. Paul Mason will be looking at what this means for their spending plans.