:00:07. > :00:11.On The Wales Report tonight: The state of Welsh rugby and the future
:00:11. > :00:14.of the regions - we'll be talking to the man in charge of the WRU.
:00:14. > :00:17.Scotland's heading for a referendum on independence - what does that
:00:17. > :00:20.mean for Plaid Cymru and its new leader, Leanne Wood?
:00:20. > :00:25.And we have four new police commissioners, but most of you
:00:25. > :00:35.didn't bother to vote. We'll be asking what kind of mandate they
:00:35. > :00:38.
:00:39. > :00:42.Good evening. We're back in Cardiff after Washington and London in
:00:42. > :00:45.recent weeks, and tonight we explore a subject that many of you
:00:45. > :00:48.feel very strongly about, judging by the number of comments and
:00:48. > :00:51.questions you've sent us - and Friday's insipid performance by the
:00:51. > :00:55.national side at the Millennium Stadium hasn't improved the mood.
:00:55. > :00:58.But hang on - we've enjoyed three Grand Slams in eight years, we
:00:58. > :01:08.reached the World Cup semi-finals just over a year ago and the Welsh
:01:08. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:13.Rugby Union has posted a record turnover of �63 million.
:01:13. > :01:16.That's all very impressive but then you look a little deeper into the
:01:16. > :01:18.games in Wales. Top-level players are leaving, enticed by better
:01:18. > :01:24.deals, the regional structure is judged to be financially
:01:24. > :01:28.unsustainable and there's been a clear fall in support. And in the
:01:28. > :01:32.words of one former Welsh rugby giant, Bob Norster, there needs to
:01:32. > :01:36.be a better balance between the national and regional game. Nothing
:01:36. > :01:39.short of a complete restructuring is needed.
:01:40. > :01:43.In a moment I'll be putting these points to Roger Lewis, chief
:01:43. > :01:53.executive of the Welsh Rugby Union. But first some views from the
:01:53. > :01:59.
:01:59. > :02:03.Eight is all going horribly wrong for Wales!
:02:03. > :02:08.The regions are desperate for more money to be competitive in Europe,
:02:08. > :02:13.but the benefactors are withdrawing, Tony Brown at the dragons, Mike
:02:13. > :02:16.Cuddy at the Ospreys. It would appear that the regions do not
:02:16. > :02:19.touch our soul. But you don't have to be a
:02:20. > :02:29.structural engineer to know that if you look at the top and weaken the
:02:30. > :02:32.
:02:32. > :02:38.bottom, even the mightiest of Wales needs strong regions, and if
:02:38. > :02:46.they are successful then we will be successful. With all this bickering,
:02:46. > :02:49.Welsh rugby is going to lose out. There is a danger that increasingly
:02:49. > :02:54.Welsh players will be playing outside Wales. I don't blame the
:02:54. > :02:57.players foregoing where they will get top dollar, and top dollar
:02:57. > :03:01.right now is in France. The danger is that more will follow, with
:03:01. > :03:06.people like Jamie Roberts and somewhere down the road, Leigh
:03:06. > :03:09.Halfpenny. How to prevent them from going and keep them in Wales?
:03:09. > :03:13.money that could be made in France for some of the guys at the moment
:03:13. > :03:17.is twice or three times as much as what they would earn in Wales, it
:03:17. > :03:22.is merely a financial choice in the end. If you are getting this money
:03:22. > :03:28.offered to you in France, it is difficult to turn down.
:03:29. > :03:33.If you have the chequebook, you dictate. At the moment, there are
:03:33. > :03:36.two different bodies, if you like, trying to work with the same
:03:36. > :03:42.players. If it was under more -- one umbrella, I would think it
:03:42. > :03:45.would be more effective. It is a little bit of common sense,
:03:45. > :03:54.and the regions and the WRU to thrash out something sensible for
:03:54. > :03:59.Wales. Bad news, the All Blacks are coming
:03:59. > :04:04.to town next Saturday! We asked a fundamental crossroads
:04:04. > :04:10.in the history of Welsh rugby, let's make no bones about that. --
:04:10. > :04:14.we are at a fundamental crossroads. We need a solution lasting for many,
:04:14. > :04:20.many years. I would like to see a fundamental difference from the
:04:20. > :04:24.start of next season, so we can't drive our feet, we have to act. Now
:04:24. > :04:29.is the time for action, the time for talking is over. Let's go on
:04:29. > :04:32.and do it. Roger Lewis joins me, good to have
:04:32. > :04:36.the withers. There is time for more talking, despite what you said,
:04:36. > :04:41.there is much to talk about. I wonder whether you accept that
:04:42. > :04:45.Welsh rugby as a whole is in crisis? The good news is that
:04:45. > :04:50.talking is virtually over, I'm pretty confident that this side of
:04:50. > :04:54.Christmas we will sign a new accord with our four regions. Now is the
:04:54. > :04:58.time not to look into the mirror, which we are fond of doing in Wales,
:04:58. > :05:03.and over our shoulder, now we need to look forward and look through
:05:03. > :05:09.the windows and come together with confidence. As someone once said,
:05:09. > :05:13.if we are inseparable, we will be insuperable. The people we are
:05:13. > :05:17.talking to and have spoken to over many months, very discreetly, are
:05:17. > :05:21.coming together with a new sense of purpose. I am confident it will be
:05:22. > :05:28.sorted this side of Christmas. is it about the new deal that will
:05:28. > :05:32.change the picture and give people more hope? The Welsh Academy's's
:05:32. > :05:37.the Welsh Academy's and Sega PAD of Wells says that Welsh rugby is a
:05:37. > :05:42.barometer of the national condition. The economic condition in Wales is
:05:42. > :05:48.very challenging. We have to have a more joined-up and central attitude
:05:48. > :05:51.towards how we manage Welsh rugby, for the benefit of all of Welsh
:05:51. > :05:55.rugby. We're close to finishing up now, we're in the final throes of
:05:55. > :05:59.this, we are close to putting together a new agreement that would
:05:59. > :06:05.see a far greater structural agreement between the regions and
:06:05. > :06:09.Welsh Rugby Union. How would that constitute practical changes? Give
:06:09. > :06:15.me an example of how people would say, oh, I can see what they have
:06:15. > :06:20.done and why this makes sense. Rugby, we need to be more joined-up
:06:20. > :06:24.in approaching the rugby issues. We need to work far closer with our
:06:24. > :06:28.players. Which players play for which regions and when, how do we
:06:28. > :06:31.manage that with the national team? Financially, we need the right
:06:31. > :06:35.systems and structures in place with the right people and skills to
:06:35. > :06:38.make sure we maximise the opportunity in what is a very
:06:38. > :06:42.challenging economic set of circumstances. The regions will no
:06:42. > :06:48.longer be starved of funds, as they say they have been over the past
:06:48. > :06:52.few years? I don't agree they have been. We only signed a
:06:52. > :06:56.participation agreement three years ago which gave the region's
:06:56. > :07:00.fantastic financial horizons. But has not been the case. We have been
:07:00. > :07:05.working on a rolling five-year financial plan within the WRU which
:07:05. > :07:08.has delivered consistently. I am confident it will continue to
:07:08. > :07:12.deliver. We can work with the regions to ensure they have the
:07:12. > :07:17.same thinking. It is delivering lots of things including, some
:07:17. > :07:20.would argue, top players leaving. You can't blame them for doing this,
:07:20. > :07:25.they are looking up their own resources and financial conditions
:07:25. > :07:29.and thinking, well, why would I stay as I am getting a far better
:07:29. > :07:35.deal elsewhere, a deal not possible because of the structure in place.
:07:35. > :07:42.When you change that? We need to put it into context.
:07:42. > :07:47.Will it change? Welsh rugby is a barometer. In the 1920s and 1930s...
:07:47. > :07:52.We don't have time to go back there! 64 Welsh internationals left
:07:52. > :07:57.Wales in the 20s and 30s to go north, seek employment and play
:07:57. > :08:00.rugby. In the 80s and 90s, 19 players left Wales. It is not a new
:08:00. > :08:04.phenomenon, these things happen in economically challenging times. But
:08:04. > :08:08.we can work together with the regions to create an environment
:08:08. > :08:13.that is so attractive that people will think twice. Will we stop the
:08:13. > :08:18.flood? I think we can if we get it right, but will we stop everyone
:08:19. > :08:22.leaving Wales? No, that has never been the case. We have to create a
:08:22. > :08:26.sense that this is something so important for a Welsh player to
:08:26. > :08:31.play their rugby here that we have to make it so attractive that they
:08:31. > :08:36.will not consider that. How? really get the sense of immense
:08:36. > :08:40.pride within Welsh rugby... shouldn't have to tell people to
:08:40. > :08:45.have pride to play for their team! You are so right, but I think it
:08:45. > :08:48.has been eroded by so many conditions, so many things that
:08:48. > :08:53.have gone on and Wales. It has been tough, and some players find it
:08:53. > :08:56.better to be out of the goldfish bowl when trying to swim here.
:08:57. > :09:02.Should players who decide to go abroad be allowed to play for the
:09:02. > :09:05.national side? That is an argument that has been deployed. That is a
:09:05. > :09:09.card that can be played, but you have to play it at the right time.
:09:09. > :09:15.Now is not the time, we haven't got the joined-up contractual
:09:15. > :09:20.relationship with the regions. If we have that, if we have a sense
:09:20. > :09:23.that it is Team Wales, we can then say, if you do not play your rugby
:09:23. > :09:28.in Wales, you do not get picked for Wales, that is something New
:09:28. > :09:31.Zealand has done and Ireland have also emphasise that point. If we
:09:31. > :09:35.get the joined-up thinking between ourselves and the regions, we can
:09:35. > :09:40.think that way. And if you don't get the region's right, very soon
:09:40. > :09:44.you will see a very bad impact on the national picture? We have to
:09:44. > :09:48.get it right. I think it will impact the national team. Put it in
:09:48. > :09:53.context, let's not forget we came back from a World Cup last year
:09:53. > :09:58.with our reputation and performance greatly enhanced, we won a Grand
:09:58. > :10:02.Slam, so it is not bad, but it is very serious. When we are good, we
:10:02. > :10:08.are awesome. When we are bad, we all full, and the last two weekends
:10:08. > :10:12.have been seriously awful. -- when we are bad, we are awful. We have
:10:12. > :10:15.to get its structure the right, I am confident we can do that and a
:10:15. > :10:20.thick white smoke will appear from the Millennium Stadium before
:10:20. > :10:24.Christmas. -- and I think white smoke will appear. I was hoping we
:10:24. > :10:29.would get it right before the season started, as the film showed,
:10:29. > :10:34.but I will not come up with a sticking-plaster solution. If Welsh
:10:34. > :10:38.rugby is littered with short-term solutions, I've always said it is
:10:38. > :10:42.long-term sustainability and thinking to get our systems,
:10:42. > :10:47.structure and staffing and skills, to get a real strategic attitude
:10:47. > :10:51.backed up by huge ambition. That is what I need him place, that is what
:10:51. > :10:55.we are close to. I feel if we can continue, as we have done
:10:56. > :10:59.discreetly over the past few months, if we all make an announcement over
:10:59. > :11:03.the next couple of weeks which will give the Welsh fans great
:11:03. > :11:06.confidence. Let's hope so, we will talk to you
:11:06. > :11:14.in the New Year, good to talk to you, thank you. We will keep our
:11:14. > :11:17.fingers crossed for the matches coming up. We have to front up.
:11:17. > :11:21.WRU is not the only Welsh body actively considering its strategy
:11:21. > :11:23.for the future - Plaid Cymru is also in the same boat. The party's
:11:23. > :11:26.result in last year's Assembly elections looks less than
:11:27. > :11:30.convincing when you compare it with the success of its sister party,
:11:30. > :11:32.the SNP, under Alex Salmond. He'll be leading the party's campaign in
:11:32. > :11:35.the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. Meanwhile
:11:35. > :11:40.Plaid's new leader, Leanne Wood, has decided to abandon her status
:11:40. > :11:44.as a regionally-elected AM and to stand in a constituency instead.
:11:44. > :11:48.She says that could lead to a new breakthrough. We'll be talking to
:11:48. > :11:58.Leanne Wood in a moment, but first here's David Williams on the
:11:58. > :11:59.
:12:00. > :12:05.After centuries living in the shadow of a dominant neighbour, the
:12:05. > :12:09.long burn off nationalism in Wales and Scotland suddenly ignited in
:12:09. > :12:19.the 1960s, with the election to Westminster of two people whose
:12:19. > :12:21.
:12:21. > :12:25.names would become synonymous with their parties. 16,179. Quinn of our
:12:25. > :12:30.Evans, who won the first Plaid Cymru seat in 1966, and the
:12:30. > :12:36.following year, Winnie Ewing, winning her seat for the Scottish
:12:36. > :12:42.National Party. Three decades later and a long journey to devolution
:12:42. > :12:46.reached an important milestone, with both parties enjoying success
:12:46. > :12:51.in the first Assembly election in Wales and the parliamentary
:12:51. > :12:56.election in Scotland. Plaid were very successful at establishing
:12:56. > :13:04.themselves as a moderate Welsh party. They also had the most
:13:04. > :13:08.popular leader in Wales at the time. Plaid's spectacular success in 1999
:13:08. > :13:12.threatened for the first time to end Labour's dominance of Welsh
:13:12. > :13:18.politics. But the early promise was short-lived, and since then, Plaid
:13:18. > :13:22.has suffered a number of defeats and has languished in the polls.
:13:22. > :13:28.The subsequent years under a di Ieuan Wyn Jones, Plaid Cymru has
:13:28. > :13:31.been led by a man who has many admirable qualities and is an
:13:31. > :13:36.admirable politician, but all the survey evidence suggests he was
:13:36. > :13:41.utterly lacking in voter appeal. Plaid and the SNP were now set on
:13:41. > :13:46.very different paths. What Alex Salmond did above all,
:13:46. > :13:50.and I don't think Plaid have done this to the same extent, is broaden
:13:50. > :13:55.the SNP church quite considerably over the past 10 and even 20 years.
:13:55. > :14:01.Going back to when he first became leader, he tried to soften the
:14:01. > :14:08.edges of the SNP's harder, more left-wing ideological positions.
:14:08. > :14:12.Although both parties entered government in 2007, the SNP as a
:14:13. > :14:22.minority government and plaid as junior coalition partners to Labour,
:14:23. > :14:23.
:14:23. > :14:28.only the SNP seemed to have a clear Plaid Cymru fluctuate much more
:14:28. > :14:32.between wanting more powers, more independence, more federalism. The
:14:32. > :14:37.electorate will be confused about what the final destination is.
:14:37. > :14:42.Passing under a statue of Lloyd George in Caernarfon, one of the
:14:42. > :14:48.20th century's most charismatic and successful leaders, a former
:14:48. > :14:52.President of Plaid Cymru reflects on the current state of his own
:14:52. > :14:55.party. It has a new leader in Leanne Wood but some wonder how
:14:55. > :15:01.long she will be there, having announced that at the next election
:15:01. > :15:07.due plans to vacate a relatively safe regional seat and try and win
:15:07. > :15:11.a constituency seat instead. -- she plans. She does not see it as a
:15:11. > :15:15.danger or a challenge. She leads by example. If she means what she says,
:15:15. > :15:19.and she does, that we have to concentrate on winning
:15:19. > :15:24.constituencies, then she is now putting herself in the front line.
:15:24. > :15:31.But what as a consequence if she loses the seat? You lose the leader.
:15:31. > :15:34.I think there are many years to go. By then, if we are successful, I
:15:34. > :15:38.think we will have re-engaged with the people of Wales in a different
:15:38. > :15:43.way. The question of leadership is not the only problem for Plaid
:15:43. > :15:49.Cymru. There is another, and it is rooted in places like this,
:15:49. > :15:52.Caernarfon. The epicentre of Plaid Cymru's political heartland. Set
:15:52. > :15:57.against the backdrop of a castle designed to keep the troublesome
:15:57. > :16:01.Welsh under control, it is not surprising perhaps that Plaid Cymru
:16:01. > :16:06.enjoys strong support in places like this. But much of that support
:16:06. > :16:12.comes from people who speak the Welsh language. And the language
:16:13. > :16:16.can be both a strength and the weakness for Plaid Cymru. I think
:16:16. > :16:21.there is a disconnects sometimes because of the language barrier.
:16:21. > :16:26.The success of Plaid Cymru and Welsh-speaking areas is more
:16:26. > :16:28.consistent than it is in the more anglicised areas. But I think
:16:28. > :16:32.gradually as time goes on the people of Wales are becoming easier
:16:32. > :16:37.with the language and more supportive of it. We have to
:16:37. > :16:41.convince them again that we have the idea is to lead Wales. Plaid
:16:41. > :16:44.Cymru remains in battle, struggling with its various difficulties. In
:16:44. > :16:50.the meantime, its nationalist colleagues in Scotland are
:16:50. > :16:53.preparing for an altogether bigger fight, the historic fight, a fight
:16:53. > :16:59.to persuade the people of Scotland in a referendum to vote for
:16:59. > :17:06.independence. Plaid Cymru can only dream of such things. They are left
:17:06. > :17:09.hoping that their new leader will deliver on her promise and lead the
:17:09. > :17:13.party to new victories in a new Wales.
:17:13. > :17:17.And Plaid Cymru's new leader, Leanne Wood, is with me. Thank you
:17:17. > :17:21.for coming in. How would you describe the challenge facing you?
:17:21. > :17:25.Well, I am very much looking forward to fighting a constituency
:17:25. > :17:29.seat. I think that the days of safety-first politics have to be
:17:29. > :17:33.over now. We face a number of challenges as a country. There are
:17:33. > :17:38.a number of good reasons why we need to do our politics differently.
:17:38. > :17:43.And the same needs to go for Plaid Cymru. We need to be bold, I think,
:17:43. > :17:51.now and ambitious for our party, as well as for our nation. That is why
:17:51. > :17:55.I am going to contest a constituency seat. With all the
:17:55. > :18:00.challenges facing you, you are adding to your problems, some would
:18:00. > :18:04.say, by taking on this huge gamble. Why are you doing that? Is it a
:18:04. > :18:10.sign of desperation? We can either carry on as we are with the limited
:18:10. > :18:17.Dumbo of seats that we have, relying heavily on the lists, --
:18:17. > :18:21.limited number. What is wrong with the list? Nothing, there are just
:18:21. > :18:26.not enough listed seats if we are going to become the biggest party
:18:26. > :18:29.in the National Assembly. We will have to break through into
:18:29. > :18:33.constituency seats and take new constituency seats. I am offering
:18:33. > :18:37.leadership to the party and to the nation to show that we can do this.
:18:37. > :18:41.If we put our minds to it and we are determined to see success then
:18:41. > :18:44.we have to believe that we can get there and we have to take the same
:18:44. > :18:48.attitude to the nation about an economic problems as well in
:18:48. > :18:52.particular. When did you take the decision to go from the list and
:18:52. > :18:56.look for a constituency? I announce the decision this week and it is
:18:56. > :19:00.something I have been discussing with colleagues for a number of
:19:00. > :19:05.weeks. I am yet to make a decision as to which the seat to stand in.
:19:05. > :19:10.Why? Further discussions will take place and I am sure you will fully
:19:10. > :19:14.understand that. I do but I have to say to you that as a leader who
:19:14. > :19:18.will plan strategically, how do I put this? I find it difficult to
:19:18. > :19:22.believe that you have no idea why you want to stand. I'm not ready to
:19:22. > :19:26.make an announcement on that. has to be the home patch? I will
:19:26. > :19:29.discuss options with party members. Do you have an idea of where you
:19:29. > :19:33.would like to stand but you will not tell us? I have a number of
:19:33. > :19:37.ideas in mind. And your home patch would be one of them? Potentially
:19:37. > :19:41.but I will not make any further decision or announcement until I
:19:41. > :19:45.have discussed the options. used the phrase, safety-first
:19:45. > :19:50.politics have to come to an end and you have to make a bold gesture. I
:19:50. > :19:57.take it that in the last 10 years, at least since 1999, the high point
:19:57. > :20:02.of the percentage of the vote, that has been a wasted decade? I would
:20:02. > :20:06.not describe it as a wasted decade. Plaid Cymru over the last few years
:20:06. > :20:09.has focused very much on constitutional change. When our
:20:09. > :20:15.devolution settlement was set up, as is done here was much weaker
:20:15. > :20:18.than they had in Scotland. -- our system. There has been worked over
:20:18. > :20:22.the past 10 years to bring our settlement up to the same level of
:20:22. > :20:24.Scotland even though we are nowhere near that as yet. At least we now
:20:24. > :20:29.have a law-making Parliament supported by two thirds of the
:20:29. > :20:32.people who voted in 2011. That is good. There are a number of things
:20:33. > :20:38.that we achieved while in Government that I think Plaid Cymru
:20:38. > :20:42.can be very proud of. Do you think there is a refocusing now? We need
:20:42. > :20:46.to change our focus on to the economy. That is the one thing
:20:46. > :20:50.since the days of devolution that has not gone in the right direction.
:20:50. > :20:54.Our economy in Wales has been in decline over the last 20 years and
:20:54. > :20:58.we really need to change our game plan in terms of dealing with that.
:20:58. > :21:00.Because the Assembly does not have any powers over taxation, there has
:21:01. > :21:06.been very limited incentive to actually increase the numbers of
:21:06. > :21:09.people paying into the tax pot, if you like. That has to be the next
:21:09. > :21:14.big step change for the National Assembly. What would be the big tax
:21:14. > :21:18.change that he would propose? would like to see the National
:21:18. > :21:22.Assembly over a range of taxes. Including income tax? Partly over
:21:22. > :21:26.income tax as well because that is the biggest earner and the one you
:21:26. > :21:29.can do the most with. But if you have got a range and you can make
:21:29. > :21:33.powers to make changes within the range of taxes, then you have more
:21:33. > :21:37.flexibility and more power to your elbow in terms of changing those
:21:37. > :21:40.things that need to be changed to have a successful economy. What is
:21:40. > :21:45.clear to me is that what we are doing now is not working and what
:21:45. > :21:48.we have done over the last 20 years has not worked. We have an economic
:21:48. > :21:53.crisis were far too many people are really struggling in Wales and the
:21:53. > :21:58.need to seriously address the economy now. 11 seats out of 60 in
:21:58. > :22:04.the last election. What is the yardstick for success for Leanne
:22:04. > :22:08.Wood? What are you aiming for? 15, 25 seats? You must have a realistic
:22:08. > :22:13.look at the targets. What are you aiming for? I am not going to put a
:22:13. > :22:18.number on it. Double it? We need to improve on 11 seats. That could be
:22:18. > :22:21.12 or 13. Would that be good? can do a lot better than that. I
:22:21. > :22:26.believe we are working very hard on putting together a programme of
:22:26. > :22:29.Government that will be exciting. We are opening up our candidate
:22:30. > :22:33.selection process so we will have a very strong, high quality team of
:22:33. > :22:38.candidates in that election. I firmly believe that we can do very
:22:38. > :22:42.well. We will talk to you again. Thank you for coming in.
:22:42. > :22:48.This is a direct question. Where were you on Thursday? The answer
:22:48. > :22:50.most of you will give is not other polling station. Wales was electing
:22:50. > :22:54.its first Police Commissioners but the average turnout across the
:22:54. > :22:58.country was just under 15% and Wales did provide some interesting
:22:58. > :23:05.headlines. Including 0 turnout at one polling station in Malpas
:23:05. > :23:10.Cricket Club in Newport. The blame one game well and truly under way.
:23:10. > :23:15.We now have four Police Commissioner's wielding significant
:23:15. > :23:19.power and influence, but is their mandate weekend by the lack of
:23:19. > :23:23.concern by Welsh voters? Ian Johnston has stood as an
:23:23. > :23:27.independent and is a former police officer. Thank you for coming in.
:23:27. > :23:32.It is a very responsible position to be in. What do you see as the
:23:32. > :23:36.main challenge for you? I think the main challenge is to reconnect
:23:36. > :23:39.communities, certainly where I am represented, in Gwent, who tell me
:23:39. > :23:43.over the past five months that there are certain aspects of
:23:43. > :23:46.policing that they are not happy with. That is against a background
:23:46. > :23:51.of Gwent having a very good record, certainly in terms of reducing
:23:51. > :23:56.crime. The review of how policing has gone, that is perhaps a little
:23:56. > :23:59.bit apart from the way that the chief officers see it. Give me a
:23:59. > :24:03.practical example of the things that people want to see change.
:24:03. > :24:06.People are not happy about the lack of feedback when they make a
:24:06. > :24:08.complaint. Ironically more people are unhappy with the police after
:24:08. > :24:13.they have had an experience of making the complaint than they were
:24:13. > :24:19.before. We need to do something about that. Low follow up after a
:24:19. > :24:23.complaint is the biggest issue that came to me following the campaign.
:24:23. > :24:26.How disappointed, frustrated or even angry are you that voters did
:24:26. > :24:32.not want to engage with the process of electing you and your
:24:32. > :24:36.colleagues? It is extremely frustrating. I stood as an
:24:36. > :24:43.independent and I am not here today to score cheap political points.
:24:43. > :24:47.The facts are that as an independent I had the
:24:47. > :24:50.responsibility for getting leaflets out to people. The Government
:24:51. > :24:55.denied voters the free mailshot. I don't know how many voters know
:24:55. > :24:58.this, I did not, that during the election the comfort that to get
:24:58. > :25:04.through the door is paid for by the Government. We did not get that
:25:04. > :25:08.this time. I managed to distribute with my two of people 180,000
:25:08. > :25:17.leaflets but I know that many people did not put money levered
:25:17. > :25:21.out at all. -- my team of people. Are you going to be more cautious
:25:21. > :25:26.in the way that to tackle things now? Will you think that most of
:25:26. > :25:31.the public are not on side in this process? I think in nine months'
:25:31. > :25:33.time that people will forget about the poor turnout as long as the new
:25:33. > :25:41.police and crime Commission is doing a good job. That is the big
:25:41. > :25:45.if. -- Police and Crime Commissioner. Yes, I am the 4th of
:25:45. > :25:52.the people and I am addressing the complaints. I think a lot depends
:25:52. > :25:57.on the 41 people to make as excess of this. The system is flawed but
:25:57. > :26:03.we have to make it work, and it is the people who have just been
:26:03. > :26:07.elected that do that. Including the Independents. We will invite you
:26:07. > :26:11.back and measure performance against that yardstick. Thank you.
:26:11. > :26:14.We would be very interested to find out what you make of the Police
:26:14. > :26:23.Commissioner's role and indeed by many of you could not be bothered
:26:23. > :26:26.to vote. Send us your comments. You can email and use Twitter.
:26:26. > :26:31.I have to say that you have certainly sent us plenty of Commons
:26:31. > :26:38.in recent weeks. Let's start with the state of the NHS following our
:26:38. > :26:42.reports on standards of care. A retired nurse from Abergavenny is
:26:42. > :26:46.concerned about plans to change the way at that hospital services are
:26:46. > :26:50.delivered in Wales. It is very sad that the NHS, which was born in
:26:50. > :26:54.Wales, is dying here. It is obvious that there was Government is not
:26:54. > :27:04.doing us any favours. Simon Morgan worked for the Department of Health
:27:04. > :27:09.
:27:09. > :27:14.in London and has recently moved Let's stop there for a second
:27:14. > :27:18.because Betsan Powys is with me. She has been monitoring all of the
:27:18. > :27:24.messages that have been coming in. Let big about the importance of the
:27:24. > :27:29.health reforms in the big political climate. -- let's think about.
:27:29. > :27:34.These emails tell us that it is right at the heart of it. The role
:27:34. > :27:38.of the national clinical Forum, the body at arm's length from
:27:38. > :27:42.Government, there to give the minister clinical expertise or as a
:27:42. > :27:45.shield, depending on your take on that. The question this week about
:27:45. > :27:50.whether they should stand their ground when they say things that
:27:50. > :27:53.health boards do not like. The head of the NHS in Wales says that he is
:27:53. > :27:59.confident that local health boards will break even this year. Health
:27:59. > :28:02.minister has staked her reputation on doing exactly that. If they do
:28:02. > :28:12.not, and there are plenty of Assembly members suggesting they
:28:12. > :28:20.will not, will Hernych be on the line? We will keep tabs on that. --
:28:20. > :28:23.will her neck be on the line? Lisa Morgan has been in contact
:28:23. > :28:27.over Twitter about people going into care homes unnecessarily
:28:27. > :28:31.because of a lack of information, what she calls a postcode lottery
:28:31. > :28:41.in Wales where care is concerned. The outlook for what economy is
:28:41. > :28:44.very much on people's minds, a -- for the Welsh economy. Chris Benson
:28:44. > :28:49.said that small businesses need speed, efficiency and less
:28:49. > :28:53.bureaucracy to succeed, which was a common theme. Alan Clark had
:28:53. > :28:57.concerns over possible changes to the Welsh Government's powers to
:28:57. > :29:01.collect tax. He said that if the Welsh Assembly go ahead with the
:29:01. > :29:06.income tax proposal it will cost Wales jobs, because it will
:29:06. > :29:11.antagonise companies and they will avoid expanding or coming to Wales.
:29:11. > :29:14.That brings us right to the heart of one of the hot issues of the
:29:14. > :29:18.moment and we can expect news on that tomorrow. Yes, the Silk
:29:18. > :29:23.Commission reports tomorrow and they will be handing it over to
:29:23. > :29:26.David Jones, the Secretary of State. They were sent out, a cross-party
:29:26. > :29:31.commission, to consider the way that Wales should be funded in the
:29:31. > :29:38.future. The wedding ring in their ears was accountability back then.
:29:38. > :29:45.-- at the wording ringing in their ears. The word that has come back
:29:45. > :29:48.is empowerment. What does that mean? Stamp duty, passenger duty on
:29:48. > :29:52.aircraft, taxation like that will be interesting, but the really big
:29:52. > :29:58.question will be the page about income tax. What will they decide
:29:58. > :30:02.on that? What is your hand? word empowerment sounds positive to
:30:02. > :30:06.meet and I think they want to be part of the way to say yes on
:30:06. > :30:12.income tax. We will effect on that next week. I know that you will
:30:12. > :30:18.have an opinion on all of that. Please keep your comments coming in