:01:30. > :01:33.Later in the programme: In election week, can Labour regain
:01:33. > :01:43.lost ground and, along with it, the control of councils after what its
:01:43. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :29:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1675 seconds
:29:38. > :29:41.former leader called a "belting" Hello, I'm Aled ap Dafydd and on
:29:41. > :29:45.the Sunday Politics Wales, with the council elections just days away,
:29:45. > :29:49.we finish our look at the four main parties with Labour. After a
:29:49. > :29:53.drubbing four years ago, is the ground set for a Labour revival?
:29:54. > :29:56.We'll hear from the Labour minister, Alun Davies. I'm joined for the
:29:56. > :30:05.next 20 minutes by the Welsh Liberal Democrat, Lord German, and
:30:05. > :30:11.the Plaid Cymru AM, Bethan Jenkins. David Cameron's insistence that
:30:11. > :30:14.there was no do with the Murdochs to try and get their support, in
:30:14. > :30:19.turn that the Government would give their support for their business
:30:19. > :30:24.interests. Do you believe him? have got to believe what people
:30:24. > :30:30.tell me. The problem with this issue is that you need to find out
:30:30. > :30:37.the facts. But you cannot judge them on the basis of one side
:30:37. > :30:41.presenting an argument. Whatever happens, there will have to be some
:30:41. > :30:45.form of investigation. Whether it is a longer one or short one is a
:30:45. > :30:50.matter of debate. We need to find out what the relationships have
:30:50. > :30:56.been, and more importantly, that the decision which is to be made
:30:56. > :31:01.eventually about BSkyB, it will be done anyway witches seem to be
:31:01. > :31:06.above board. The relationships between politicians and the media
:31:06. > :31:11.has been under the spotlight. Are we likely to see a fundamental
:31:11. > :31:18.change in that relationship? It is inevitable. Seeing David Cameron on
:31:18. > :31:22.the Andrew Marcio shows there are difficulties, and there are lots of
:31:23. > :31:30.questions to be answered. I do not believe the special adviser would
:31:30. > :31:35.have been mandated to have any communication with Murdoch. I think
:31:35. > :31:45.the Government needs to be more accountable in terms of what they
:31:45. > :31:46.
:31:46. > :31:51.ministers are doing. If Jeremy Hunt is in charge of the actions of his
:31:51. > :31:56.special adviser, why is he still in his job? The Ministerial Code is a
:31:56. > :31:59.very important issue here. The Prime Minister has to look
:31:59. > :32:08.carefully at the application of the Ministerial Code to make sure it
:32:08. > :32:15.has been applied. It has to be seen as the backdrop against people can
:32:15. > :32:19.be reassured. That is the one thing I want to ensure that the coalition,
:32:19. > :32:22.but the Ministerial Code is the one which drives forward an
:32:22. > :32:25.understanding of what is happening here.
:32:25. > :32:29.So, this time next week, we'll know the results of the local elections.
:32:29. > :32:31.Wales goes to the polls on Thursday in all but one of the 22 local
:32:31. > :32:34.authorities. Anglesey's election has been postponed until next year.
:32:34. > :32:42.Each week, we've been taking a look at the four main parties' prospects.
:32:42. > :32:47.Today, our reporter, Adrian Browne, turns finally to the Labour Party.
:32:47. > :32:54.Labour is the largest party in Welsh local government, but it is
:32:54. > :32:59.worth reminding ourselves how dominant it is to be. In 1996,
:32:59. > :33:07.Labour-controlled 14 councils, including Cardiff. That dropped to
:33:07. > :33:12.eight, and was down to two in 2008. In Cardiff, the Liberal Democrats
:33:12. > :33:19.replaced Labour eight years ago. When Labour did so badly, we were
:33:19. > :33:24.talking about it as a historic result. Given where they had been,
:33:24. > :33:29.given the dominance of local government, it was no wonder that
:33:29. > :33:39.people were saying they were given a belting. We were shocked that
:33:39. > :33:44.they lost so much ground. We would never have expected to report this.
:33:44. > :33:53.It was a synonymous for the local government. They could only win two
:33:53. > :34:02.authorities. It was worse than their own expectations. The only
:34:02. > :34:08.way is up. As problems stacked up, they took their toll on one Welsh
:34:08. > :34:12.local election after another. Now, the coalition has experienced its
:34:12. > :34:19.worst it of crisis yet, culminating in a minister and siege, and
:34:19. > :34:24.economy sliding back into recession. Double-dip recession. What timing
:34:25. > :34:30.for Labour. Everything is in their favour. They are starting from a
:34:30. > :34:34.low base. Every step they make it is in the right direction, but they
:34:34. > :34:43.lost to just about everybody. That is even harder to regain them when
:34:43. > :34:48.you have lost to one opponent. would be very surprised if several
:34:48. > :34:54.authorities like Cardiff or Swansea, if Labour was not making
:34:54. > :34:59.significant breakthroughs, and ending up running probably close to
:34:59. > :35:05.six or seven authorities in Wales out right. That would be where my
:35:05. > :35:12.predictions live. Everything points towards Labour increasing the
:35:12. > :35:16.number of councils it runs. The only question seems to be, how big
:35:16. > :35:22.global revival be? Alun Davies, a Labour minister, is
:35:23. > :35:28.in our Cardiff newsroom. On this programme last week, a colleague of
:35:28. > :35:32.yours did not seem convinced with the strategy which has been
:35:32. > :35:39.advocated on making this a referendum on the UK government.
:35:39. > :35:43.Are you convinced? We are seeing 21 different campaigns being fought in
:35:43. > :35:48.different areas. When you are talking to people on the doorstep,
:35:48. > :35:55.they are looking at the shambles taking place in Westminster. They
:35:55. > :36:01.are feeling the pain. They are talking about everything. We have
:36:01. > :36:05.seen a two-track campaign - a very local campaign, which is a very
:36:05. > :36:10.different, but, at the same time, within the context of the
:36:10. > :36:15.Government but is completely out of control. But this is not a general
:36:15. > :36:22.election. Should the elections not be fought on local matters? When
:36:22. > :36:32.you have got to UK government ticking away opportunities,
:36:32. > :36:32.
:36:32. > :37:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1675 seconds
:37:13. > :37:23.creating unemployment, failing to the extent it is, and... -- taking
:37:23. > :37:26.
:37:26. > :37:34.away opportunities. It equates to a local accent and local fish and.
:37:34. > :37:44.The campaign has been fought in mind Hove borough. -- local issues.
:37:44. > :37:45.
:37:45. > :37:54.You are seeing a number of different campaigns. It is a very
:37:54. > :38:02.different feeling. You are saying that localised campaign. There is
:38:02. > :38:09.also a context to that. -- fought in my borough. You took a belting
:38:09. > :38:14.and lost council's. What is the skill of your ambition this time?
:38:14. > :38:24.We heard a political commentator saying you would win it 6 cancels
:38:24. > :38:25.
:38:25. > :38:33.out right. Is that how you see it? A -- six councils. I think in
:38:33. > :38:42.Cardiff, for example, there is a kales. When people look at the lack
:38:42. > :38:46.of leadership in Swansea, they will react to that. -- chaos. There are
:38:46. > :38:52.opportunities for the Labour Party to regain the trust of people and
:38:52. > :39:00.assume responsibility of leadership. But I do not think it is possible
:39:00. > :39:09.to say we will have seven councils. I will not be so great isn't saying
:39:09. > :39:14.that. What I am hearing is that people want a leadership, and they
:39:14. > :39:20.want leadership than the UK government as well. At the moment,
:39:20. > :39:26.they are seeing local authorities that are failing. We are seeing
:39:26. > :39:29.failure from the UK government, and people want be political party that
:39:29. > :39:34.stand up for Wales, stand up for the town, stand at the village and
:39:34. > :39:42.the family. But there is a question as to whether Labour has stood up
:39:42. > :39:52.for people in the past. Into 1008, people formed the opinion that
:39:52. > :40:00.
:40:00. > :40:05.Labour was not with them. -- in 2000 mate. Had you agreed? When you
:40:05. > :40:12.look back to the Assembly election last year, when you think about how
:40:12. > :40:15.Wales voted heavily for the Labour Party, people right across the
:40:15. > :40:21.country demonstrated Labour is the only party that can stand up for
:40:21. > :40:28.the whole of Wales in boroughs and counties and cities and villages.
:40:28. > :40:36.At the moment, when I'm talking to people on the doorstep, they
:40:36. > :40:43.recognise that Labour is on their side. They want us to work with
:40:43. > :40:47.them to protect services and the communities. Is it easier to fight
:40:47. > :40:56.a local election when you are not in government in Westminster?
:40:56. > :41:04.local elections are very different. Imry and borough, it is different
:41:04. > :41:12.to another borough. -- it in my own borough. That reflects the tapestry
:41:12. > :41:18.of Al communities. It there but any common threads across Wales, there
:41:18. > :41:25.is a sense that we need a Labour Party that will stand up for
:41:25. > :41:30.communities in local authorities in Cardiff and made against the UK
:41:30. > :41:35.government. It is quite obvious where they are coming from. It is
:41:35. > :41:44.an attack on the coalition government in Westminster. That is
:41:44. > :41:48.a tactic used by the other parties. Quite clearly, this is not a local
:41:48. > :41:53.election, it is a referendum on the UK government. What they should be
:41:53. > :41:57.telling us is what they would do with local government in Wales.
:41:57. > :42:05.They want to extract the powers from local government and hold them
:42:05. > :42:09.at the Centre. So, I would suggest to the people of Wales, the what
:42:09. > :42:14.they need to be doing is look at their local candidate and council
:42:15. > :42:21.and taking the message that when you vote Liberal Democrats, you get
:42:21. > :42:28.lower council tax, a better quality of that service, record Investment
:42:28. > :42:33.in terms of capital investment. And not to take the word local out of
:42:33. > :42:39.local government. Is it not a problem when there is a government
:42:39. > :42:49.in Westminster who are making hard decisions, tough choices, which are
:42:49. > :42:51.
:42:51. > :42:59.not always popular? And it is not the Labour Party. If that is the
:42:59. > :43:06.strategy, yes, because there is scaremongering. In my area, for
:43:06. > :43:15.example, or an across the border, the Labour Party are in government,
:43:15. > :43:20.and they have been a Reading paying conditions for staff. -- 0 Roding.
:43:20. > :43:25.Alan Davies cannot just pretend they have no responsibility. We
:43:25. > :43:32.have been offering apprenticeships and new ideas. We have to go on
:43:32. > :43:42.what we are good that, and show we are an alternative to the
:43:42. > :43:51.wranglings that the UK parties will involve themselves in. It is
:43:51. > :43:57.getting quite personal in Cardiff. We have been here many times before.
:43:57. > :44:01.We know very well that this is a series of local elections, both in
:44:01. > :44:06.their local authorities and individual wards, where people are
:44:06. > :44:10.looking for who can provide the best service. We do not concede
:44:10. > :44:16.that this time around, local services, although important to
:44:16. > :44:20.people, I'm not the main thing energising people at the moment? It
:44:20. > :44:27.is about tax, how much money in their pay packet, where they had
:44:27. > :44:35.they have got a job -- job or not. It ought to be about when the bins
:44:35. > :44:41.will be collected. Not the things which are affecting lives. But we
:44:41. > :44:46.are in different times now. There has always been... People have
:44:46. > :44:54.always wanted to take a kick at the Government. That has always been
:44:54. > :45:02.the case. But too blatant plea... But there was not a single word
:45:02. > :45:07.from Alan Davies on what local government should be like. You know
:45:07. > :45:16.where the Liberal Democrats is that you get record investment in
:45:16. > :45:23.capital projects. Let us say the alternative. As we have said, we do
:45:23. > :45:28.have a local government manifested for Wales, to develop
:45:28. > :45:32.apprenticeships across the board for young people. We want to it
:45:32. > :45:37.radically changed the put your mind process so more Welsh companies can
:45:37. > :45:43.benefit from that area, and we want to develop more social housing.
:45:43. > :45:46.Councils do have a very important role to play. We have a new, fresh
:45:46. > :45:50.leader. We need to energise party members to show their support for
:45:50. > :45:52.that leader. Don't forget, the elections aren't
:45:52. > :45:55.just about the four main parties. Many small parties are also
:45:55. > :45:58.standing along with independents, some of whom do control councils.
:45:58. > :46:01.You can find more information on the elections, including how the
:46:01. > :46:10.seats currently stack up on your council, by going to the BBC news
:46:10. > :46:15.website. And there will also be coverage overnight on Thursday on
:46:15. > :46:25.BBC Cymru Wales online, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru. Time now for a
:46:25. > :46:30.
:46:30. > :46:35.quick look back in the week in 60 The Welsh Secretary said that are
:46:35. > :46:45.the winner Harbour should adopt a more mature attitude to working
:46:45. > :46:45.
:46:45. > :46:53.with MPs. She criticised her refusal to co-operate.
:46:53. > :47:01.The education minister said it would make it easier for councils
:47:01. > :47:05.and ministers to intervene. Keith Davies was referred to the
:47:05. > :47:15.Assembly standards watchdog following allegations about his
:47:15. > :47:28.
:47:28. > :47:38.behaviour. This debt at a hotel. The caravan Tax was urged to be
:47:38. > :47:47.
:47:47. > :47:53.Tax Again, creeping up. It seems as though every aspect of society is
:47:53. > :47:57.being hit by tax rises. This is the reality of where we are. We have
:47:57. > :48:02.brought down the deficit, but we have not stopped the borrowing. The
:48:02. > :48:11.problem we face is we will have to have these tough times. People just
:48:11. > :48:17.have different prescriptions for red. But there is not much choice.
:48:17. > :48:22.It has been static. The key to it all is to try and get the economy
:48:22. > :48:32.moving again through jobs and activity in the private sector.
:48:32. > :48:37.This balance, is it hitting the right note? The people of Wales are
:48:37. > :48:43.saying that they are not. People are facing massive cuts to their
:48:43. > :48:49.everyday lives. I was on a rally in Swansea regarding cuts in terms of
:48:49. > :48:52.pensions. We need to reassess the situation. The UK government are
:48:52. > :48:59.becoming increasingly out-of-touch with the Welsh population, and I
:48:59. > :49:04.would urge them to reconnect. powers for councils to intervene in
:49:05. > :49:14.failing schools. Is that dangerous? We would need to see the detail.