Friday 14 January 2011 at 10.30pm on BBC 2 Presented by Gavin Esler Ed Miliband has said Labour's by-election victory in Oldham East and Saddleworth is the "first step in a long journey" for his party and sends a clear message to the Coalition. Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins came second in the poll, while the Tories - who have denied "soft pedalling" to help their coalition partners - saw their vote share halved. Tonight Iain Watson reports on the challenges the result poses for David Cameron and the coalition, and our political panel - Danny Finkelstein, Peter Hyman and Olly Grender - will give their verdict on a fascinating result. We'll have the latest on the unrest in Tunisia - what is the regional significance of all this? Mark Urban will put today's turbulent events into context. And Matt Prodger is in Somerset investigating if new health reforms could lead to "back door privatisation" of the NHS, as critics claim. A significant number of GP consortiums have already signed deals with large multi-national private health companies - should patients be concerned? Do join Gavin at 10.30pm on BBC Two. Martin Luther King Day will be celebrated in the US on Monday, and that evening on the programme we'll be joined by Dr King's close friend - Clarence B Jones - who helped write what's become known as one of the 20th Century's best speeches. But what other speeches deserve to be ranked alongside 'I Have a Dream'? We'd like you to hear what you think - details of how to send your nominations are on the website. You can get more news and chat about the programme on Twitter (don't forget to use the hashtag #newsnight) and on Facebook. |