Browse content similar to Wed, 29 Feb 2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
Good evening and welcome to the Senedd for half-an-hour of politicking. | 0:00:21 | 0:00:25 | |
As the Liberal Democrats prepare for their spring conference, | 0:00:25 | 0:00:29 | |
we'll put their policies and hopes for the May elections under the microscope. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:34 | |
And, a year after the referendum, have politicians shown vision in using the Assembly's new powers. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:41 | |
And if you want to join in with the discussion, | 0:00:41 | 0:00:44 | |
you're welcome to do so on Twitter - #CF99. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:48 | |
On tonight's programme we're joined by Myrddin Edwards from the Liberal Democrats, | 0:00:48 | 0:00:52 | |
Harri Lloyd Davies from the Conservatives, | 0:00:52 | 0:00:54 | |
and, in our Westminster studio, the Labour MP Nia Griffith. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:58 | |
-Welcome to the programme. -Yes, welcome. | 0:00:58 | 0:01:00 | |
Well, it's a leap year, and I wonder whether Nick Clegg would voluntarily | 0:01:00 | 0:01:06 | |
get down on one knee and propose to David Cameron, | 0:01:06 | 0:01:09 | |
knowing the cost of their relationship to his party so far? | 0:01:09 | 0:01:13 | |
I'm sure many within the party in Wales would encourage him not to. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:17 | |
Campaigning on the doorstep in the local elections over the next few weeks, | 0:01:17 | 0:01:21 | |
will members of the party here promote the coalition in Westminster | 0:01:21 | 0:01:26 | |
or will the party pay the price for their marriage with the Tories? | 0:01:26 | 0:01:30 | |
Here's Elliw Gwawr. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:32 | |
ROCK MUSIC | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
Historically, this is the strength of the Liberal Democrats. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:47 | |
An army of campaigners walking the street and knocking doors. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:52 | |
Four years ago, the hard work paid off. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:55 | |
They secured more seats on councils across Wales than any other party. | 0:01:55 | 0:02:01 | |
One of the strength of the Liberal Democrats over the last 40 years, | 0:02:01 | 0:02:06 | |
and everyone acknowledges this, is the fact that we work hard | 0:02:06 | 0:02:10 | |
throughout the year on the doorstep in our communities. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:14 | |
People know exactly what they'll get from us. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:16 | |
But they won't win these elections through campaigning alone. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:21 | |
The opinion polls are consistently between 6%-8%. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
It looks as though the Liberal Democrats will be defending seats this time | 0:02:24 | 0:02:29 | |
rather than challenging for more. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:32 | |
They are in power... or lead three local authorities | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
and their record has been relatively successful in those local authorities. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:41 | |
But, naturally, many people will be criticising their record in Westminster. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:47 | |
And as the unpopular cuts start to bite for the first time, | 0:02:47 | 0:02:52 | |
there will be a temptation for people in Wales to strike a protest vote. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:56 | |
So there will be a challenge for the leadership | 0:02:56 | 0:02:59 | |
to persuade voters that they're relevant. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:02 | |
The Liberal Democrats will hope to give their candidate a boost | 0:03:02 | 0:03:07 | |
in the local elections as they meet here, | 0:03:07 | 0:03:10 | |
at the Holland House hotel in Cardiff this weekend, for their spring conference. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:15 | |
Nick Clegg and Kirsty Williams will emphasise in their speeches | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
that they are making a difference at the three levels of government. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
It's true that the party has realised many policy promises in Westminster | 0:03:23 | 0:03:29 | |
but they have also had to accept a programme of strict austerity cuts. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
At a British level, it has been a difficult job. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:38 | |
We're trying to say what our principles are as a party. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:43 | |
We will be talking about tax thresholds - | 0:03:43 | 0:03:45 | |
the fact that we are trying to influence the Chancellor | 0:03:45 | 0:03:49 | |
to encourage him to increase the tax threshold to £10,000 a year. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:53 | |
What we are trying to say is that money is short, | 0:03:53 | 0:03:57 | |
but with the Liberal Democrats, at a local level, we'll keep taxes low, | 0:03:57 | 0:04:01 | |
we'll make sure you get value for money from your services, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
but we'll also remember those who need more help in society. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:09 | |
But it could be a step back for the party | 0:04:09 | 0:04:13 | |
if the message fails to resonate with the electorate. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
Local government politics | 0:04:16 | 0:04:19 | |
has been a cornerstone of their electoral success | 0:04:19 | 0:04:24 | |
at the Assembly level and in Westminster. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:27 | |
Losing that presence and those people to knock on doors and spread their message | 0:04:27 | 0:04:33 | |
would be a significant blow to the party | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
as they try to secure support in the Westminster elections. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:41 | |
So members of the party will still be walking the streets, | 0:04:41 | 0:04:45 | |
hoping to persuade their supporters to stand by them on May 3rd. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:50 | |
ROCK MUSIC | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
Elliw Gwawr. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
Myrddin Edwards, | 0:04:56 | 0:04:57 | |
the Liberal Democrats' local machine, where it exists, | 0:04:57 | 0:05:02 | |
is extremely effective. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
Are you relying on that machine to protect you | 0:05:04 | 0:05:08 | |
from the changing climate in British politics? | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
That machine can be very successful, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:15 | |
as we have seen in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:20 | |
But we have a good record in those places where we are part of the local government, | 0:05:20 | 0:05:26 | |
in Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham, | 0:05:26 | 0:05:28 | |
where we have managed to give local people a good service | 0:05:28 | 0:05:33 | |
but, as you saw from that clip with Aled, | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
where the council tax has remained low. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:39 | |
-But people don't just vote on local issues. -That's difficult. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:44 | |
I admit that the situation in Westminster is going to be difficult | 0:05:44 | 0:05:48 | |
but what we're going to tell people on the doorstep | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
is that we are making a difference in Westminster | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
by increasing that tax threshold to £10,000 | 0:05:54 | 0:05:56 | |
so that people will not pay income tax on the first £10,000. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:59 | |
That will put £700 back in your pocket. | 0:05:59 | 0:06:02 | |
At a local level, we're not increasing council tax very much. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:07 | |
In Swansea it's been frozen. In Cardiff it's only gone up 1.4%. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:11 | |
During a difficult time, we see that there is pressure on the family budget | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
-so we're doing what we can... -VAT has gone up, wages frozen. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:18 | |
Whatever you do, people are not going to be particularly happy. | 0:06:18 | 0:06:22 | |
But we are delivering at the three levels where we have an influence. In Westminster, the Assembly... | 0:06:22 | 0:06:28 | |
Harri Lloyd Davies, these are your partners in Westminster. The little brother, if you like. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:33 | |
You're not going to be too nasty during this election. You have got to work with them. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:37 | |
Not locally. We'll be going out across Wales | 0:06:37 | 0:06:40 | |
and, in places like Swansea, I think the Conservative Party | 0:06:40 | 0:06:44 | |
has more hope of taking seats away from the Liberal Democrats than anyone else. | 0:06:44 | 0:06:48 | |
We will be working very hard to do that. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:51 | |
The difference is that your supporters like what this Government is doing. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:57 | |
Exactly. And that's the difference. | 0:06:57 | 0:06:59 | |
The people in our coalition in London, many of the MPs | 0:06:59 | 0:07:03 | |
are English and they feel a lot closer to the Conservative Party. | 0:07:03 | 0:07:07 | |
The people in the Liberal Democrat camp in Wales are closer to the Labour Party. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:13 | |
They don't see what the Liberal Democrats are doing in London | 0:07:13 | 0:07:17 | |
as a positive thing for Wales. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:20 | |
Nia Griffith, if the Chancellor decides to increase the tax threshold to £10,000, | 0:07:20 | 0:07:26 | |
we don't know whether he will do that, | 0:07:26 | 0:07:30 | |
the Liberal Democrats will get praised for that | 0:07:30 | 0:07:33 | |
and that's going to be something to sell on the doorstep. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:37 | |
But at the same time you have got to remember that they | 0:07:37 | 0:07:40 | |
have voted in favour of increasing VAT and they have voted in favour | 0:07:40 | 0:07:46 | |
of cutting tax credits which help poorer families who got to work. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:52 | |
This is very important because people see a party | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
which has lost the confidence of the people | 0:07:55 | 0:08:00 | |
because they promised so much back in 2010 | 0:08:00 | 0:08:05 | |
and now they have failed to deliver. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
They have trebled tuition fees in England | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
and people see the Lib Dems very differently now | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
to the way they saw them in 2008 | 0:08:14 | 0:08:17 | |
when they were a relatively new party. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:21 | |
And yet you as a party in the Assembly | 0:08:21 | 0:08:25 | |
are happy to use the Liberal Democrats to support your budget. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:30 | |
Well, what happens is, you have got to use what you can | 0:08:30 | 0:08:35 | |
to create a good environment for your policies. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:39 | |
But what you should not do | 0:08:39 | 0:08:43 | |
is to something like the Lib Dems in Westminster. | 0:08:43 | 0:08:46 | |
They haven't had anything from the Tories at all. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:50 | |
What are you talking about? | 0:08:50 | 0:08:52 | |
We're going to cut tax for people who work across Wales and Britain. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:57 | |
We have made sure that pensioners get a good bargain | 0:08:57 | 0:09:00 | |
compared your government over the last 13 years. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:04 | |
It's terrible that you say that. We have a good record in Westminster. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:08 | |
We have been responsible over the economy | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
where Labour has been terribly irresponsible in Westminster. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
When you take into account how much you have lost, | 0:09:14 | 0:09:19 | |
how much you have cut from people in tax credits | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
and the winter fuel allowance for elderly people, | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
you have cut more than you are going to get back. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | |
Myrddin, can I ask you another question? | 0:09:30 | 0:09:32 | |
Your party has a conference in a few days' time. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:36 | |
I'm a very familiar with this conference | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
and the percentage of people there that are council members is very high. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
You're a party that relies on its councillors, to be honest, | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
and the councillors allowance pays for those focus forms. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:51 | |
If you lose a lot of seats, | 0:09:51 | 0:09:54 | |
what will that do to the party in Wales, | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
considering it will be five years until the next local elections? | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
It will be a significant blow. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
We have a good record at local level so we will go out... | 0:10:03 | 0:10:08 | |
-But you're bound to lose some, aren't you? -We don't know. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
We'll have to see what happens in the election. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:14 | |
But if we lose councillors, I don't think they are going to disappear. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:19 | |
They will still be activists and they'll still work for the party. | 0:10:19 | 0:10:23 | |
I don't accept that logic. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
Harri Lloyd Davies, how are you going to deal with the fact | 0:10:25 | 0:10:29 | |
that the Liberal Democrats will try to take the glory | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
for the things they like about the coalition government in Westminster, | 0:10:32 | 0:10:36 | |
for example, the tax threshold, | 0:10:36 | 0:10:40 | |
but not the changes to the NHS? | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
They won't want anything to do with that. How will you deal with that? | 0:10:44 | 0:10:48 | |
I don't think the NHS will make much of a difference to the election in Wales, to be honest. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:53 | |
It's on the news every night, I know that, | 0:10:53 | 0:10:55 | |
but I don't think it will have a big effect. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
I do feel the Liberal Democrats will have bog problems in the election. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:02 | |
I think they're going to lose a lot of seats. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:06 | |
But what's different about local elections | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
is that local people care and they vote. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:13 | |
There are many individuals who can influence every council in Wales. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:17 | |
If the NHS is mentioned, what will you say? | 0:11:17 | 0:11:20 | |
Do you support what David Cameron is pushing through? | 0:11:20 | 0:11:23 | |
We respect devolution and health has been devolved. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:26 | |
But it will come up, Nick Clegg's position. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:30 | |
No...the people of Wales have more sense than that. | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
They know the Health Service has been devolved. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:36 | |
-Does Nick Clegg support these reforms? -I don't know. | 0:11:36 | 0:11:40 | |
But the Health Service in Wales is being cut. | 0:11:40 | 0:11:43 | |
That isn't happening in England. It would be a worse situation. | 0:11:43 | 0:11:47 | |
If the Tories and the Lib Dems were running Wales, we wouldn't see those cuts. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:53 | |
If the NHS does come up on the doorstep in Wales, | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
I'll tell people that Labour are making a mess of our health service. | 0:11:56 | 0:12:00 | |
Nia Griffith, that is a factor. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:03 | |
People criticise local government, they criticise what's going on in Westminster, | 0:12:03 | 0:12:07 | |
but they will also criticise what's happening here, which we'll discuss in a moment. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:12 | |
They look at everything, | 0:12:12 | 0:12:15 | |
but the British media and press has a major influence. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:19 | |
They see what is going on in Westminster. | 0:12:19 | 0:12:22 | |
You have seen the opinion polls | 0:12:22 | 0:12:25 | |
and they show that the Liberal Democrats are losing ground. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:30 | |
I think they will have a big shock in the election. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:34 | |
With respect, Nia, before the election last year, | 0:12:34 | 0:12:38 | |
the media and the opinion polls were saying we were going to lose almost every seat. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:42 | |
We lost one seat. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:44 | |
They always predict we are going to lose a lot of seats | 0:12:44 | 0:12:47 | |
but we have a good record | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
and we are going to tell people about that record. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
'Yma o Hyd' is the Plaid Cymru anthem, not yours. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:57 | |
Next week, we'll have a look at the hopes of the Conservative Party in the local elections. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:02 | |
It's a year since the Yes vote in the referendum on further powers for the Assembly. | 0:13:02 | 0:13:07 | |
But how much have we seen those powers being used? | 0:13:07 | 0:13:10 | |
Not much, in reality. | 0:13:10 | 0:13:12 | |
Some blame Carwyn Jones' government, | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
but others, like the parliamentary leader of Plaid Cymru, Elfyn Llwyd, | 0:13:15 | 0:13:19 | |
who say every party has shown a lack of vision. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:22 | |
More from Aled ap Dafydd. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:24 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:13:25 | 0:13:27 | |
"Give us the tools to do the job", was the message, | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
and on March 3rd last year, | 0:13:34 | 0:13:36 | |
our politicians were given full law-making powers. | 0:13:36 | 0:13:40 | |
The argument from the No campaign was that we would need | 0:13:40 | 0:13:43 | |
more Assembly Members because the workload would increase. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:47 | |
But they've barely broken sweat. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:49 | |
Not a single law has been passed since the election. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
And it's unlikely to happen before the autumn. | 0:13:53 | 0:13:56 | |
I've been an AM for ten months and I am still waiting | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
for the first sentence of legislation to scrutinise | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
as an Assembly Member. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:04 | |
There is frustration. I sympathise with the frustration that is out there. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:08 | |
As a new AM, I was expecting to have a lot of work to do after the referendum | 0:14:08 | 0:14:13 | |
but, in reality, I'm still waiting for the opportunity. | 0:14:13 | 0:14:17 | |
And your parliamentary leader in an article today | 0:14:17 | 0:14:21 | |
says your party is as much to blame as the other parties. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:24 | |
Well, he's frustrated, I am frustrated. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:28 | |
The reality is that we're in opposition here at the Assembly. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:32 | |
The ball is in the court of the Labour Party. We are still waiting. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:36 | |
The party has been clear about the laws we would have brought forward, | 0:14:36 | 0:14:40 | |
ranging from education laws to public health laws to planning laws. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:45 | |
Our communities are very concerned about local planning issues that are out there, | 0:14:45 | 0:14:50 | |
so there is plenty of work this Labour Party could be doing | 0:14:50 | 0:14:53 | |
but, the truth is, it's not doing anything. | 0:14:53 | 0:14:55 | |
During the referendum campaign, we asked the people. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:59 | |
One of them was Steffan ap Dafydd. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:03 | |
Today, he was back at the institution he supported | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
by voting Yes a year ago. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
But the claim that the Assembly is resting on its laurels | 0:15:09 | 0:15:13 | |
doesn't resonate with him. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:15 | |
Harold Wilson once said that a week is a long time in politics. | 0:15:15 | 0:15:19 | |
A year is longer and four years is longer still. | 0:15:19 | 0:15:23 | |
It's part of the process. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:25 | |
They have got the tools now and that's the important thing. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
When you have the tools, it is up to you to use them. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:33 | |
Legislation takes time. | 0:15:33 | 0:15:35 | |
Seeing bills being passed will pay the bills for a new company of political consultants. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:42 | |
The Deryn offices, a stone's throw from the Assembly, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:45 | |
have already seen a lot of interests from companies who want to lobby the Welsh Government | 0:15:45 | 0:15:50 | |
before any legislation sees the light of day. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
I'm surprised that any politician says that a law | 0:15:53 | 0:15:57 | |
has to be announced and passed in 10 months. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
You have to consider these laws. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
This isn't a change of policy but legislation, | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
and they're very different. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:07 | |
Whether it's slow or not, Carwyn Jones felt the need in January | 0:16:07 | 0:16:10 | |
to remind everyone of what Labour has done and what it will do. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:14 | |
Legislation doesn't happen over night | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
and speeding up the process means poor legislation, according to some. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:22 | |
But sooner or later, the weapons that were requested will have to be sharpened | 0:16:22 | 0:16:26 | |
in order to justify the result of the referendum. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
Nia Gruffudd, looking at the details, | 0:16:29 | 0:16:34 | |
one bill that's going through at the moment | 0:16:34 | 0:16:38 | |
is the one on the bye-laws of local government. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:40 | |
It is in its very early stages. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:44 | |
Is that enough to catch the imagination, | 0:16:44 | 0:16:46 | |
considering it's the first year we've had all these powers? | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
We have a strong manifesto. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:53 | |
What's important is, | 0:16:53 | 0:16:55 | |
before you introduce a new bill or a new measure, | 0:16:55 | 0:16:58 | |
you have to be certain that it's good. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:00 | |
What's very important in this process is the consultation | 0:17:00 | 0:17:05 | |
that takes place with everyone who is involved. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:09 | |
New legislation is coming out, the White Paper is coming out on housing | 0:17:09 | 0:17:15 | |
and we have to consult on that because it's a very important issue. | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
Social services, sustainable development. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:24 | |
These are huge issues and they're very important. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:28 | |
It's important to think them through before creating legislation | 0:17:28 | 0:17:32 | |
because you need effective legislation | 0:17:32 | 0:17:35 | |
that's supported by the people of Wales. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:40 | |
That's what's important. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:42 | |
So there's no need to rush, Harri Lloyd Davies. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
I agree to a certain extent. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
I'm concerned about how slowly things are moving | 0:17:47 | 0:17:50 | |
but it's important that we don't produce poor legislation. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:53 | |
That's the last thing we want in Wales. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:56 | |
We don't want more bad legislation. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:58 | |
If you're running a business or something like that, | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
the last thing you want is more rules and regulations. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:04 | |
That holds us back in Wales. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
That would be understandable if several measures | 0:18:06 | 0:18:09 | |
had started on the journey and not one had reached the end. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
-But the fact is, only one or two have started the journey. -I agree. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:17 | |
The question is, what's the point of the Assembly if it can't do anything. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:21 | |
People might turn around in five at 10 years and say, | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
"Why are we paying all this money for people to sit around, | 0:18:24 | 0:18:27 | |
"if they're not going to do anything | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
"and improve the lives of the people of Wales." | 0:18:29 | 0:18:31 | |
If that answer doesn't come out, the people who say, | 0:18:31 | 0:18:35 | |
"What's the point of the Assembly?", will win the argument. | 0:18:35 | 0:18:39 | |
-What's the problem, Myrddin? -It is disappointing. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
I was here almost a year ago watching the results come in. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
The people of Wales said, "Right, you are ready, you are mature. Move on to the next step." | 0:18:46 | 0:18:51 | |
Under a year later, only the one measure has been introduced and it's very disappointing. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:56 | |
Has this measure made a difference to our health, our education system or businesses? No. | 0:18:56 | 0:19:02 | |
But they're coming. They'll come in this session. | 0:19:02 | 0:19:05 | |
There's a feeling in the Assembly already, | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
not with the measures and bills that are going before the Assembly. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:11 | |
Labour does not have any vision or enthusiasm towards Wales. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:16 | |
Carwyn Jones is dragging his heels. We want to do things. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:21 | |
Peter Black, one of our Assembly Members, has already had permission | 0:19:21 | 0:19:25 | |
to introduce a measure to help people who live in houses in parks | 0:19:25 | 0:19:30 | |
to improve the rights of tenants. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
When we were fighting in the referendum, | 0:19:33 | 0:19:35 | |
we were telling people on the that we wanted to introduce things | 0:19:35 | 0:19:38 | |
that would change the standard of their lives in Wales. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:42 | |
We're doing that as backbenchers. We're not part of the government at the moment. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:46 | |
It is very disappointing that only one has emerged so far. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:49 | |
What do we tell the people of Wales one year later? | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
-That only one has been passed. -One in Scotland as well. -Fine. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:56 | |
Maybe the SNP should get a move on as well! | 0:19:56 | 0:19:58 | |
Nia, looking at these measures, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:01 | |
they seem different to the ones in Westminster | 0:20:01 | 0:20:05 | |
because Westminster measures tend to be a compendium of measures. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:09 | |
A long measure that makes a lot of differences. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:12 | |
These seem to be small, narrow measures on the whole. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:16 | |
Whether you think the health measure in Westminster is good or bad, | 0:20:16 | 0:20:22 | |
it is very ambitious. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:24 | |
-Nia? -I don't think Nia can hear us. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:29 | |
Harri, Tony Blair was always criticised | 0:20:29 | 0:20:33 | |
for bringing forward too much legislation | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
and creating too much legislation. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:38 | |
Is there something in that? | 0:20:38 | 0:20:39 | |
That too much is created and maybe it is not well needed? | 0:20:39 | 0:20:42 | |
I do agree. | 0:20:42 | 0:20:44 | |
It is a problem and something has to be done during this term. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:47 | |
But we don't have to run straight in and do things. | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
It can create problems. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
Sometimes, as we saw with the Assembly in the early days, | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
there was reorganisation of some kind in the health service almost every year. | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
Sometimes you have to give what's there a chance to work | 0:21:00 | 0:21:03 | |
before you change It'll again. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
Let's try Nia again to give her the opportunity to answer that question. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:10 | |
The measures we're seeing in the Assembly, | 0:21:10 | 0:21:13 | |
they are very narrow measures, they're not very wide reaching. | 0:21:13 | 0:21:18 | |
Should this place learn lessons from Westminster and have measures | 0:21:18 | 0:21:23 | |
based on health for education instead of one small issue. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:28 | |
What's important is what they're going to do. | 0:21:28 | 0:21:32 | |
What difference they're going to make. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
If you take the example of housing for example, | 0:21:34 | 0:21:38 | |
it's important that they try and find ways | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
to create more housing in Wales to help people | 0:21:41 | 0:21:44 | |
and that's what's important is the effectiveness of the measure. | 0:21:44 | 0:21:49 | |
That's why it's very important. It's not the size that counts. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:53 | |
What counts is the quality. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:56 | |
The important thing is to do something you can't do now. | 0:21:56 | 0:22:00 | |
You've got to be effective. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:03 | |
You've got to be quite selective and choose what you want to do | 0:22:03 | 0:22:09 | |
and think through the measures you can do to help you do it. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:14 | |
Myrddin Edwards, if you were in a coalition here, | 0:22:14 | 0:22:18 | |
what would you push for tomorrow? | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
What I would like to see, and what we called for after the referendum | 0:22:21 | 0:22:26 | |
and before the election, is for the bus system re-regulated. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:30 | |
It was regulated in the 80s by Thatcher and we know we have big problems with buses and Wales. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:34 | |
Something that will make a difference to people. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
Buses. Anything else? | 0:22:37 | 0:22:39 | |
I'm happy that Peter Black is taking the park homes measure forward. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:44 | |
That's going to make a difference to people's lives. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
That's what we want to see and that's what the Welsh people want to see. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
We gave you the our vote and now we want you to give us something back. | 0:22:50 | 0:22:54 | |
What should the Assembly and the Government be pushing for? | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
The important thing at the moment is the economy. | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
The problem is, legislation is not the easiest thing to get the economy moving. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:04 | |
I would like to see them using what they've got | 0:23:04 | 0:23:06 | |
to abolish regulations that affect businesses in Wales | 0:23:06 | 0:23:10 | |
and take out things that were introduced by Westminster and Europe. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:13 | |
Thank you very much. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:15 | |
We'll know what the people of Wales want to see in this place | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
and how they want this place to develop | 0:23:19 | 0:23:22 | |
when BBC Wales publishes the results of the St David's Day opinion poll | 0:23:22 | 0:23:27 | |
and that will happen in the hours of the morning. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:31 | |
Bethan will have the result, if you listen to English language radio in the morning. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:35 | |
On 'Y Post Cyntaf' if you listen to Welsh language radio. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
Some of you have tweeted us tonight, thanks very much for contacting us, about the Liberal Democrats. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:43 | |
Cadan ap Tomos says, "I don't like this talk about a coalition government being like a marriage. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:48 | |
"That's not what it is like at all." | 0:23:48 | 0:23:50 | |
Steve Jones has tweeted, | 0:23:50 | 0:23:52 | |
"I hope the little brother will be punished in the local elections after the party lied to students." | 0:23:52 | 0:23:57 | |
Thank you for your tweets. That's it for tonight. | 0:23:57 | 0:24:01 | |
Join us again next Wednesday night at 9:30pm. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:06 | |
-Until then, good night. -Good night. -See you next week. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:09 |