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and the opinion polls are like a horror show.

Nick Clegg is hoping that the apology

will mean that a new page can be turned.

Two years on, the critics have been confounded.

Our mettle has been tested in the toughest of circumstances

and we haven't been found wanting.

We have taken the difficult decisions to reduce the deficit

by a quarter and have laid the foundations

for a stronger and more balanced economy

capable of delivering real and lasting growth.

Not that being in Government has been easy so far.

They failed to reform the House of Lords

and have suffered significant losses in the by-elections.

But some say that this isn't all doom and gloom.

The experience of Government brings credibility,

according to some. A good reason to be confident about the future.

I think for the first time ever, the Lib Dems will have the right

to say that we have influenced Government policy.

As a Liberal, it was difficult to avoid the fact

that people were saying it was a wasted vote.

Now we can say that we do have experience in Government.

I think in the end that will help the party.

But some are worried that the future is looking like the past.

We had hoped to do better, there's no doubt about that.

In the late 60s, the Liberal Democrats only had one MP in Wales

with Emlyn Hooson working to keep the flame alive.

It's possible that the fate will be the same for the modern party

after the next election but that might not be the end of the story.

By 2015, I don't think that Labour or the Tories

will win enough seats to form a Government on its own.

But I hope what will happen now with the experience of 2010,

I hope there will be more discussion,

and I would like to see a multi-party Government.

Labour, Liberal and Tory working together.

It's possible that neither Labour or the Tories

will have a majority in 2015.

They might be trying to form a new coalition.

If that happens, would Nick Clegg have to do more than apologise

in order to stay in charge?

Myrddin Edwards, we saw the late Emlyn Hooson there,

Nick Clegg talked about "Marching towards the sound of gun fire."

He also mentioned David Steele's words.

It appears to me that your party has to dig deep

to its roots in order to keep going at the moment.

It is a very difficult situation for the Liberal Democrats at the moment.

In his speech today, Nick Clegg said today we are doing right thing,

we are on the right track.

He was saying that Liberal Democrats should

say on the doorstep that we are having an influence on things

like income tax and on the green economy

and creating apprenticeships.

And giving money to children from poorer background.

When we explain to people what we have been doing in Government

people say fair enough, well done.

That may be so,

but the economy has forced you on to this path with the Conservatives.

You can't change things really. The only way forward now is to cut back.

The cutbacks, if that doesn't work, you are going to be punished.

That's a good point.

We were in a very difficult economic position in 2010.

Labour's spending did not help.

And the worldwide recession hasn't helped.

Labour's overspending didn't help us.

We went into a coalition with the Conservatives

and we had to reduce the deficit.

But it's true to say that 2015 will be difficult.

Simon Thomas, you have been in a coalition Government in the past.

Some say you lost your identity,

what is your advice to the Liberal Democrats?

I am sure they wouldn't want advice from me.

What is your advice?

My advice would be to write down in the agreement

where you draw a line in the sand and not to cross those lines.

They've had to fight for a year to save this story of regional pay

coming to Wales, that was not in the agreement in the first place.

But there has to be a compromise in a coalition.

The Liberal Democrats could have done something a year ago.

Yes, but you have to compromise in a coalition.

There has to be compromise, but before you go into a coalition

you have to draw the lines and not move them.

The Liberal Democrats have not been clear

enough on things like tuition fees.

During the conference, they admitted they had not been strict enough

on tuition fees during the agreement with the Conservatives.

They have not provided a strong voice on the economy either.

The economy isn't strong in Wales at present.

Labour is in a tricky situation.

We see Ed Balls on one side closing up to Vince Cable.

But at the same time you are damming them for the economic policies.

Are you hoping for a coalition next time?

What's important for us is to follow our plans.

We have to follow what we think is right.

Our disappointment was that Nick Clegg doesn't have any understanding

of how to improve the economic situation.

We have given them so many ideas.

We have suggested that we need a plan B

and that we need a growth in the economy, but we don't see any of it.

He's just following the Tories.

The Liberal Democrats say they are doing things,

they are trying to fight for things that will help the economy.

A bank for small businesses etc.

Surely you would welcome some of those things?

I welcome the fact they want to help small businesses

but we haven't seen that for two years.

Tory backbenchers have been calling for more money

for smaller businesses.

Nick Clegg has promised something before the election on tuition fees,

without any idea of how to deliver it.

He didn't have the financial plan to follow it through.

That's not true. Every party goes into the election

saying we are going to win this election.

You weren't expecting to win, that's the problem.

We wanted to keep that policy but we had to compromise

because two parties are in a coalition.

Let's go back to the conference because the biggest applause today

was when we heard Paddy Ashdown

would play a key part in the next general election campaign.

This man was getting close to Tony Blair,

we know he is closer to Labour than the Conservatives.

Are you preparing the way for a possible coalition with Labour?

I wouldn't say that because Paddy Ashdown

is an experienced politician. Everybody in the party loves him.

He is a leader and if he will be chairing the campaign in 2015,

people will think we've got somebody like Paddy Ashdown

who will help us through this. People have faith in him.

But a marriage with Labour would be possible?

It's not for us or Labour or the Conservatives

to decide who forms the Government.

It's the people of Britain who decide when they go to the poll.

It's not for us to make a deal before the election.

It's an insult to the voters.

The voters decide who forms the coalition.

Let's look at what's happening on the ground.

I don't want to concentrate on Ceredigion!

Things are changing there!

If we look at the condition of the party in Wales, Simon Thomas,

do you think there is a danger that Plaid Cymru

could have no representation in the Commons after the next election?

I think it could be a danger if we had an election tomorrow

but we have two years to go.

My feeling, although I don't have evidence,

is that half the support that was there for the Liberal Democrats,

those protest votes have disappeared.

They have gone. Nick Clegg has admitted that today.

He said that they are a Government party now and not a protest party.

And that's the problem, isn't it?

If we look at Ceredigion, Cardiff and other seat,

a lot of these seats have a lot of students in their univerisities

and that is who Nick Clegg had to apologise to today.

The students who are there in two and a half years time

will be used to the new system.

It's the students who have now left who had to accept the apology.

That's a good point. We have more seats that in some university towns.

Yes, but there are a lot of them. Bath is another one.

Yes, that's true. Going back to the point Simon Thomas made,

the Liberal Democrats will have to learn a lesson from Plaid Cymru,

because Plaid Cymru was the younger partner in a coalition.

But I don't think they sold the good things they did in Government.

Nia Griffith, I don't expect to you sympathise

with the Liberal Democrats but do you acknowledge

that they are in power in a coalition that at a very difficult time,

they have been unlucky with regard to the timing?

If you can compare them to Plaid Cymru,

Plaid Cymru has been very clear with us as Labour,

they have said this is what we want, we want more devolution.

We want some kind of referendum and something on the language.

They have asked for that.

As a Labour Party, it was difficult to form a coalition

but we decided we could accept the measures on the table.

It did not go against our principles.

-Would you have them back as partners?

-It's possible.

It's up to the voters. But the fact is with the Liberal Democrats

what's happened now is people have lost faith and confidence in them,

but even worse than that, because they've made such a fiasco

of what they have promised, it can damage every party.

-There is less confidence, as a whole.

-We have to move on.

Some Assembly Members are continuing to try to ensure that all records

of the debates taking place here are translated into Welsh.

According to the Assembly Commission,

spending £500,000 on the work would be unwise.

Tonight, in a statement,

the Welsh Commissioner has said it is important that

the Assembly sets an example to other bodies and shows leadership.

More from Arwyn Jones.

I won't give you the history of the battle for the language,

but it's fair to say that the past 50 years has seen

a number of campaigns, some more peaceful than others.

With the establishment of the Assembly,

some believed that there would be a revolution, to an extent.

But when the AMs discuss matters in the full session in the Chamber,

there is a translator available if anyone speaks in Welsh,

so other people understand them.

But a row has been brewing, not regarding the simultaneous

translation, but the written translation of the minutes.

We're not talking about what takes place in the Chamber,

but also the numerous committees.

Following a report by a committee of AMs recommending

the translation of all minutes, there has been a mixed response.

It's unlikely that will now happen.

The body responsible for administering the Assembly,

the Commission, is currently deciding what sort of language plan is needed

and the man responsible for that

appeared on this programme in June.

The costs would be between £400,000 to £600,000,

so around half a million pounds.

And I think in that context, people have asked

whether it is a wise investment.

Does it make the Welsh language equal?

Does it promote the use of the Welsh language?

And the conclusion I have reached and I think many

of my colleagues have also reached is that it does nothing

to promote the use of the Welsh language in this place.

We should be looking at spending on the Welsh language in the same way

we look at spending on English.

No-one has a problem with the cost of publishing in English,

and seeing as the Welsh language is an official language,

that is the meaning of the language measure we have.

That is what being a bilingual country means,

both languages are treated equally.

Again, it comes down to the Assembly setting an example.

Plaid Cymru's calls for all committee minutes to be translated have been dropped.

They say that written translations are only required

for the publication of ministers' work and discussing legislation.

I don't think it is necessarily because of the cost.

I think it is something that we need to look at, as far as,

will it work to translate legislation?

I'm flexible enough to return to the Commission and say no,

there is more demand for things to be translated.

The Lib Dems continue to call for all debates to be translated.

But how important is the Assembly's language policy?

While supporting the need to promote bilingualism, some believe

that must be done on a national level, rather than in the Chamber.

It's important that people are using the Welsh language.

What I am seeing is that it is not being used as it should.

And that includes people who have received a high level of education.

So the question I must ask within our company

is if I have £50,000, do I spend that on translating a website

or do I spend in the community to promote the use of Welsh?

And I would choose to spend that money in the community.

We have made a number of interview requests

to the Welsh Commissioner, but they have been refused.

In a statement, Meri Huws said that it was important

that the Welsh National Assembly set an example for other bodies

and that it shows leadership regarding Welsh.

During the battle for the language,

there have been a number of victories, but if anyone thought

that the battle was over, then maybe it's time to reconsider.

Simon Thomas, surely Plaid Cymru want everything said here

to be recorded in Welsh.

What Plaid Cymru want to see is more use of the language here

and more support for those of us who do use Welsh here.

Maybe I should give you an example.

Next week, the Children's Commissioner is attending

a committee on which I sit. He will present a report in English.

The papers for that meeting, a briefing paper for me

to prepare for the meeting, will be in English.

But the possible questions will be translated into Welsh.

That is of no use to me.

I would like to see the briefing papers to be in Welsh so that we can

prepare for the meeting in Welsh, ask questions in Welsh and so on.

I don't see the point...

If we are talking about prioritising

and expanding the use of Welsh here, I want resources being spent

on staff and support to prepare that material to help me

do my work here in Welsh, rather than after the event,

translating what was said by the Commissioner in English into Welsh.

That is of little use to anyone.

I want to be able to use Welsh before I meet the Commissioner.

-Why not fight for everything in Welsh?

-I think we do want to see that happen

because it is clear in the measure itself when it becomes

legislation that the two languages are to be treated equally.

Everything is available in English.

Yes, and eventually everything should be available in Welsh.

But technology is going to change.

That may enable it to be easier in the long term.

But the practical question is that you need a plan to work

towards that aim and I want to be clear now that the plan

I wish to see is one that supports us and our work in committee,

our work in the Chamber, rather than translating after the event,

which doesn't really help the process of scrutinising

-democracy here.

-It sometimes seems to me

that there are two things working against each other here.

You have one argument saying everything should naturally

be in Welsh, it is available in English, that's how it should be.

But also there is the argument we heard from Ann Beynon,

half a million is a lot of money. Think what the language enterprises could do with that money.

Imagine what use the Urdd Eisteddfod could make of that money.

I know it's different budgets,

but people would say there are more important priorities.

That is a good question, but there is always a price on democracy

and the way that people get access to what is happening in this place.

It costs money to make a freedom of information request

and ask questions.

Everything has a price.

I think it is only fair that if this place legislates

and tells businesses that they have to provide Welsh-medium

services, then...

I agree with Meri Huws. We must set an example here.

What about setting an example, Nia Griffith?

How can this place fail to do everything in Welsh

while expecting large companies to do so?

Why can't Tesco say - we'll use Welsh at the entrance,

but the toilets are English?

The Assembly must decide what its priorities are.

But I think it is impossible to do everything, especially when

you have a lot of written evidence from all kinds of people, but what

is even more important is to have an opportunity to use the language.

That is what is important,

for people to see what is going on at the Assembly.

If people are talking,

then they must have the opportunity to speak Welsh.

And have help to do so.

If they can have something prepared in Welsh, that can help.

It is also important that people in our constituencies

can correspond with their AMs in Welsh.

And get a response in Welsh.

Myrddin, does everything need to be recorded in English

these days, with the technology that we have?

Yes, I think so.

It's important to see what Simon has said regarding education

a fortnight ago.

-Or a month or a year ago.

-The internet isn't good enough?

-Not yet.

I would like to see video and I think that is what Dafydd Elis Thomas was talking about.

But we don't yet have the technology.

It's important we keep a record. It's very important.

I think it's also important if we take these steps towards

full equality between the languages that we start where it makes

a difference, that we help this process.

Legislation, for example. We legislate here now.

I strongly believe that Plaid Cymru would want to see legislation

recorded fully bilingually.

The wording is important.

If there is a legal challenge,

both texts would be compared side by side.

-So it's important we use both languages.

-Right, thank you.

That is all for tonight. We will be back at the same time next week.

I hope you can join us then.

We will be concentrating on the Labour Annual Conference.

-Until next week, good night.

-Good night.