:00:00. > :00:10.Tonight on the Wales Report. The highest rate of child poverty
:00:11. > :00:13.outside London is here in Wales. What does that tell us about the
:00:14. > :00:17.Welsh Government's strategy? With just over six months to polling day
:00:18. > :00:20.in Scotland, we look at the potential impact of the independence
:00:21. > :00:24.referendum on Wales. And the power of satire. Why is Welsh politics
:00:25. > :00:27.seemingly not such fertile ground for comedy? Stay with us for The
:00:28. > :00:47.Wales Report. Good evening. Welcome to The Wales
:00:48. > :00:50.Report, where we take a look at the issues making an impact on lives in
:00:51. > :00:53.Wales, and question some of those making the decisions. On tonight's
:00:54. > :00:56.programme. Around a third of children in Wales are living in
:00:57. > :00:59.relative poverty, according to the latest figures released by the
:01:00. > :01:02.Department for Work and Pensions. The figures show that 33% of
:01:03. > :01:05.children are judged to be living in poverty - the highest rate outside
:01:06. > :01:08.London. And figures from the Welsh Government show that Wales has the
:01:09. > :01:12.highest proportion of children living in severe poverty in the UK -
:01:13. > :01:16.14%, compared to 13% in England and 9% in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
:01:17. > :01:21.The gap in poverty and educational attainment in Wales is falling - but
:01:22. > :01:26.it's is still wider than in England. The Welsh Government has pledged to
:01:27. > :01:33.eradicate child poverty by 2020. How likely is that? And what are the
:01:34. > :01:37.views of young people in Wales? We'll be joined in a minute by the
:01:38. > :01:41.Deputy Minister for tackling poverty, Vaughan Gething. We have a
:01:42. > :01:54.special report from the Hawthorn High School in Pontypridd. If a
:01:55. > :01:57.child at school is having problems at home, it forces them to grow up a
:01:58. > :02:04.bit and makes it hard for them to be a child. It is obvious for someone
:02:05. > :02:08.in school that there are problems, children tend to pick up on them
:02:09. > :02:16.better than most people. It is a big distraction from school and from
:02:17. > :02:19.learning. It is just hard. If you see people the things you have not
:02:20. > :02:25.got, you will take that back home and take it out on your parents. It
:02:26. > :02:27.is hard to admit it, it is hard to ask for help, because for some
:02:28. > :02:32.people it is embarrassing to say that you are struggling. Free school
:02:33. > :02:36.meals is good, but there was a problem with people getting picked
:02:37. > :02:43.on, people getting left out of trips. Some of them are important to
:02:44. > :02:46.get two exams so they cannot get on the trips and then achieve what
:02:47. > :02:51.everyone else is achieving. People notice and start asking awkward
:02:52. > :02:56.questions that people might not want to answer. It is hard to stay here
:02:57. > :03:02.at the moment. I would want to but I don't see the opportunities that you
:03:03. > :03:06.could get abroad or even in England. The things I want to achieve, I
:03:07. > :03:11.cannot achieve here. I need to move. If you want to achieve things you
:03:12. > :03:20.have to move. Help with scholarships would help a lot, because university
:03:21. > :03:25.is so expensive. It is hard on someone's self-esteem when every one
:03:26. > :03:35.else is doing well around them but they can have little, or nothing at
:03:36. > :03:39.all. Very interesting. Some young adults from Hawthorn High School in
:03:40. > :03:41.Pontypridd. Joining me now is the Deputy Minister for tackling
:03:42. > :03:45.poverty, the Labour AM, Vaughan Gething. This main target we have,
:03:46. > :03:53.of eradicating child poverty in Wales by 2020, are you still
:03:54. > :03:58.sticking to that? It remains a goal of the Welsh government. We have
:03:59. > :04:01.been honest that the challenge of it has expanded. It has got more
:04:02. > :04:07.difficult with the financial crisis and the recession and unhelpful
:04:08. > :04:10.measures taken in the UK Government programme of welfare reform. Every
:04:11. > :04:14.objective commentator says that it makes it more difficult for children
:04:15. > :04:19.to exit jarred poverty as a result of the changes that have been made.
:04:20. > :04:23.But it remains our goal, because it focused the attention on action, and
:04:24. > :04:29.I think that every department should have this as a priority, to what it
:04:30. > :04:33.does and why it does it. If we do not achieve that goal, there will be
:04:34. > :04:39.an honest conversation about why we have what -- not got there, but I
:04:40. > :04:42.want to have that conversation in 2020. I do not think it helps with
:04:43. > :04:46.the direction and focus of government and our partners if we
:04:47. > :04:52.shift the focus halfway through the cause we think it is difficult. Is
:04:53. > :04:57.it not odd to stick to target that you do not expect to meet? I don't
:04:58. > :05:02.think it is odd at all. I think the public are rightly suspicious of
:05:03. > :05:07.politicians say, this is difficult, so we will move the goalposts. There
:05:08. > :05:10.is more respect to be gained by having an honest conversation about
:05:11. > :05:15.what we are doing and why, and saying that, to achieve the target
:05:16. > :05:20.in 2020, we need a significant economic turnaround, and it is not
:05:21. > :05:27.just about the UK Government, we can do things the anywhere else. -- we
:05:28. > :05:32.can do things here pinwheels. We can bring things together in one focus
:05:33. > :05:34.and I have been pleased that that has been bought in to buy other
:05:35. > :05:39.partners across the statutory, voluntary and business sectors. The
:05:40. > :05:42.young people made several points, one of them was about free school
:05:43. > :05:48.meals and some of the stigma attached to that. There is also an
:05:49. > :05:52.important measure, looking at the gap in academic attainment between
:05:53. > :05:58.those on free school meals and those who are not, the gap as I saw it
:05:59. > :06:06.recently was 18.3%. What is your target for reducing that? We want to
:06:07. > :06:11.narrow it to 10% by 2017. We have a clear aspiration for what we want to
:06:12. > :06:15.see happening. We have measures within the action plan so that we
:06:16. > :06:17.can see what progress we make, so we have early intervention in the
:06:18. > :06:22.flying start programme, helping the most disadvantaged families with
:06:23. > :06:28.children aged under four and that has been a positive experience for
:06:29. > :06:35.us. Is that target falling into the category of the 2020 eradication of
:06:36. > :06:39.child poverty category, which is one that you do not expect to meet, or
:06:40. > :06:45.is this one that you do expect to meet? I expect us to be measured and
:06:46. > :06:49.assessed on what we do and do not achieve. There is no good coming
:06:50. > :06:52.into politics if you do not have ambitions about tackling poverty.
:06:53. > :06:57.That is why this ministry was created. I accept that. I am picking
:06:58. > :07:07.up on the figures to measure the extent of your attainment, that gap
:07:08. > :07:11.at GCSE level is 33%, and in England, it is 26%. Do you have a
:07:12. > :07:18.target for it using that? We expect to reduce the gap by 10%. Because we
:07:19. > :07:22.think that is achievable. We think that is something that schools can
:07:23. > :07:26.do, and schools have a stretching target, that is honest and
:07:27. > :07:31.achievable. We will be measured on that. The reason why we have these
:07:32. > :07:35.measures, we do not just want to say that we want to do more and better,
:07:36. > :07:41.we will have a target that people can measure us on, and focus it on
:07:42. > :07:46.all partners across the public and voluntary sector, about what we are
:07:47. > :07:49.here to do. At what point do you accept responsibility for the fact
:07:50. > :07:52.that some of these figures look rather worse than they did ten years
:07:53. > :07:58.ago? That is why we have an action plan. We recognise the scale of the
:07:59. > :08:02.challenge is greater in Wales than in other parts of the UK. That is
:08:03. > :08:06.why this department has been created, why my post has been
:08:07. > :08:10.created, why I have gone out across Wales talking to partners across the
:08:11. > :08:13.country goes this is not just the challenge for us now, but for our
:08:14. > :08:18.collective future. If we do not juice poverty effectively, our
:08:19. > :08:20.future is one of April nation, and that cannot be allowed to happen. --
:08:21. > :08:35.one of a poor nation. In six months' time, voters in
:08:36. > :08:39.Scotland will decide whether to embrace independence or to stay part
:08:40. > :08:41.of the United Kingdom. The debate is intensifying. Labour's Gordon Brown
:08:42. > :08:45.added his voice this week, favouring a new constitutional settlement for
:08:46. > :08:47.the UK. It's clear that whatever the result - there will be significant
:08:48. > :08:51.change in Scotland's relationship with the rest of the UK. Inevitably,
:08:52. > :08:54.that will also affect Wales, so our political editor Nick Servini has
:08:55. > :08:59.been looking at the options. Scotland has voted yes to
:09:00. > :09:08.independence. Scotland will go it alone.
:09:09. > :09:14.We should not underestimate the fallout that Wales would wake up to
:09:15. > :09:22.Scotland vote yes on September 18. There would be a huge programme of
:09:23. > :09:26.constitutional change. Firstly, let's talk money. Would we get a
:09:27. > :09:32.bigger portion of UK Government funding if are Celtic cousins went
:09:33. > :09:36.it alone? At the moment cash from Treasury coffers is shared between
:09:37. > :09:39.Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and what each country gets
:09:40. > :09:45.is calculated using the Barnett formula. There is criticism that
:09:46. > :09:49.Wales is short-changed by around ?300 million per year, and criticism
:09:50. > :09:56.that compared to Wales, Scotland receives too much. And surprisingly,
:09:57. > :10:00.the Scots have not been too keen on an overhaul of the Barnett formula,
:10:01. > :10:05.but as an independent country they would be in charge of their own
:10:06. > :10:09.finances, so would that mean Wales receiving a windfall from
:10:10. > :10:15.Westminster? If there is a yes vote, that voice of dissent from Scotland
:10:16. > :10:20.about changing the Barnett, is taken away, but it does not mean that it
:10:21. > :10:24.would be renegotiated. David Cameron is not a fan of ripping up the
:10:25. > :10:28.Barnett formula and starting again, but there are concerns that without
:10:29. > :10:32.any Scottish MPs, Westminster becomes much more focused on
:10:33. > :10:37.England, meaning that Welsh protest about funding formulas and other
:10:38. > :10:41.issues would fall on deaf ears. We are dealing with parties that might
:10:42. > :10:45.not want to deal with Wales, shouting about wanting more of this
:10:46. > :10:49.and more of that. They might decide that actually, no, we are not going
:10:50. > :10:56.to negotiate on these things. As a former MP, Assembly member and First
:10:57. > :11:01.Minister, Rhodri Morgan knows about fighting Wales's corner. He is
:11:02. > :11:04.concerned that there could be a Celtic backlash if the Scots vote
:11:05. > :11:11.yes. If suddenly there was this feeling, damned those Celts, they
:11:12. > :11:20.are nothing but trouble, lots of subsidies and what you get back, any
:11:21. > :11:23.gratitude? None whatsoever, etc. So, getting any kind of understanding of
:11:24. > :11:27.the particularities of Wales would be completely forgotten, if there
:11:28. > :11:34.was an English backlash. With Scotland gone, we're like a mast up
:11:35. > :11:38.next to an elephant, so we would be exposed to what happens in
:11:39. > :11:48.Westminster when Scotland leaves. Our tops Tory, Scotland pose no. --
:11:49. > :12:00.top story. Scots have given independence the cold shoulder. If
:12:01. > :12:04.there is a new vote, there is still plenty to think about the morning
:12:05. > :12:10.after the night before. The government will be considering their
:12:11. > :12:14.next move. If it is a close now, there will be some serious
:12:15. > :12:21.negotiations between the Scottish government and the UK government.
:12:22. > :12:24.Will Wales be invited to the party? There is no guarantee that Wales
:12:25. > :12:28.will have any input into what is going on here and I know that Carwyn
:12:29. > :12:32.Jones has been saying Wales should be at the table but history tells us
:12:33. > :12:37.they would be. If it is a close know at the ballot
:12:38. > :12:41.box, the Scots may not get independence that they may get other
:12:42. > :12:47.powers anyway. Only say that will mean more devolution here in Wales,
:12:48. > :12:50.or maybe not. There is no assumption we will get
:12:51. > :12:55.the same in Wales. It has never been the case in the past. We will
:12:56. > :13:00.probably be on the sidelines, waiting to see what crumbs fall off
:13:01. > :13:03.the table. The first minister thinks we should
:13:04. > :13:08.have more confidence. New financial powers are on the way and he wants
:13:09. > :13:15.more control over policing and energy. His challenge is to sell his
:13:16. > :13:20.vision to the rest of the UK. Carwyn Jones has to show what is
:13:21. > :13:25.this magic that the UK really is and what is its future? Is it an
:13:26. > :13:30.exciting future or is it a future full of resentment and moaning and
:13:31. > :13:35.cross-border finger-pointing, as we have seen over the NHS.
:13:36. > :13:40.Nobody is pretending what may happen in Wales is anything other than
:13:41. > :13:45.guesswork in the event of a yes or no vote in Scotland. There are too
:13:46. > :13:48.many variables and here is another -as soon as the referendum is over
:13:49. > :13:54.we launch into an intense general election campaign and much of the
:13:55. > :14:02.fallout for Scotland and Wales depends on who is in charge in
:14:03. > :14:06.Downing Street after a next year. Regardless of which way it goes,
:14:07. > :14:09.Wales is going to have a huge job getting its voice heard at a time
:14:10. > :14:17.when the constitutional settlement has never been so uncertain.
:14:18. > :14:19.It is a process of ifs and buts. It may have an impact but we are not
:14:20. > :14:30.sure yet. Nick Servini reporting. Plenty of
:14:31. > :14:33.food for short. Joining me now is the Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas and
:14:34. > :14:35.from our Westminster studio, the Labour MP Nia Griffith.
:14:36. > :14:42.Is there a danger, picking up from that piece, that we are in effect
:14:43. > :14:47.sleepwalking into September. Should we be more prepared?
:14:48. > :14:52.Carwyn Jones already said in November it will have implications
:14:53. > :14:57.whatever happens in Scotland this coming September and we do need to
:14:58. > :15:01.be prepared. And we are doing so. I think we are talking about it but
:15:02. > :15:08.until the actual referendum and we know the outcome, there is a limit.
:15:09. > :15:12.There are only two options, if they vote yes and if they vote no, there
:15:13. > :15:16.will still be changes, according to Gordon Brown and other Labour
:15:17. > :15:24.colleagues of yours. So it is not a massive range of options.
:15:25. > :15:27.As you rightly point out, Gordon Brown and Carwyn Jones have said we
:15:28. > :15:33.have to look at what happened then if there is a no vote. Many people
:15:34. > :15:38.in Scotland would say that there are many people there who would not want
:15:39. > :15:40.independence but would potentially want some greater sharing of
:15:41. > :15:45.powers. Simon, do you share the concerns
:15:46. > :15:58.that were graphically set out in the piece, that Wales could be very from
:15:59. > :16:03.rubble -- very vulnerable? And independence vote means the rest
:16:04. > :16:07.of the UK looks very different and the relationship between Wales and
:16:08. > :16:13.England is different because of an island is always an outlier in this
:16:14. > :16:16.context. A no vote is uncertain in terms of how to move forward because
:16:17. > :16:21.we don't have a very clear either Macs opportunity. Gordon Brown has
:16:22. > :16:29.said something and that is good because it is -- Devo Macs
:16:30. > :16:32.opportunity. Gordon Brown has said something and that is good because
:16:33. > :16:37.it is the first time we have heard someone from that position to give
:16:38. > :16:40.out about it and we have no way of taking politics forward while we
:16:41. > :16:44.wait for this result. The matter is for Scotland but it doesn't stop us
:16:45. > :16:51.making the case for what we should have here in Wales, regardless of
:16:52. > :16:57.what happens in Scotland. And the Silk Commission have made that case.
:16:58. > :17:03.Rhodri Morgan said that Carwyn Jones should be putting the case for the
:17:04. > :17:08.UK, if you like, the constitutional pattern that we have at the moment.
:17:09. > :17:13.The suggestion being that the case is perhaps not being made very
:17:14. > :17:16.forcefully. Is that fair? It is not entirely fair but it is
:17:17. > :17:21.important we recognise the value of the union as well as the value of
:17:22. > :17:26.decisions being made closer to people that if you look at the
:17:27. > :17:32.Williams report, you have got a clear statement about strengthening
:17:33. > :17:36.community councils if you go for bigger counties. At the other end of
:17:37. > :17:41.the scale it is very important that we are looking at things like where
:17:42. > :17:47.is High Speed two going to go and what is the impact on Wales? When we
:17:48. > :17:53.are looking at the UK as a whole, it is important to have a whole voice
:17:54. > :18:00.for Wales. Let's say there is a no vote but
:18:01. > :18:04.there is not much of a margin. What does that mean for Wales?
:18:05. > :18:11.We have to look at the suggestions Gordon Brown has made such as the
:18:12. > :18:16.idea of constitution settlement. Also then looking at the issue that
:18:17. > :18:21.has come up again in the Silk Commission, about the assumption of
:18:22. > :18:27.power is being the Assembly unless they are with Westminster, so
:18:28. > :18:31.looking at that model. And then looking at how we strengthen the
:18:32. > :18:35.localism links so what we are doing is saying, what is significant for
:18:36. > :18:41.the UK and what has to be decided at an UK level? That is an important
:18:42. > :18:45.discussion. Simon, is there an appetite to
:18:46. > :18:48.follow that process in Wales? And where would that no vote leave
:18:49. > :18:53.Wales? It leaves us with an opportunity but
:18:54. > :19:01.there is nothing inevitable about what follows on from de novo. There
:19:02. > :19:06.is a school of thought that they would want to take that powers.
:19:07. > :19:11.There is a fight to be made for a proper settlement in what would be a
:19:12. > :19:14.United Kingdom but then there is a question about the federal
:19:15. > :19:17.arrangement and then what is the relationship between the distinct
:19:18. > :19:23.government and the way that could be done at a UK level? That is a huge
:19:24. > :19:27.opportunity for Wales but it is a difficult one. Silk points to the
:19:28. > :19:32.direction of what could happen to Wales, whatever happens to Scotland.
:19:33. > :19:36.What we don't have is a constitutional step on how that
:19:37. > :19:39.would take place. We have an uncertainty over our relationship
:19:40. > :19:47.with the union, which we had a debate on only today about the 2017
:19:48. > :19:57.referendum as our membership of the European Union. That is an
:19:58. > :20:03.interesting debate. Nobody has sketched out how the UK would deal
:20:04. > :20:07.with it. Thank you both very much.
:20:08. > :20:11.Just think of Spitting Image and its power to change people's perceptions
:20:12. > :20:17.of politicians and policy and we are reminded of the power of satire in
:20:18. > :20:20.politics. It can generate interest among those who might not be that
:20:21. > :20:25.engaged, and it can raise awareness of policy debates in a very
:20:26. > :20:29.effective way. But Wales does not seems to be very fertile ground for
:20:30. > :20:31.political satirists and there are plenty of theories about the likely
:20:32. > :20:37.reasons. Comedy writer Benjamin Partridge has been to Amelia Trust
:20:38. > :20:44.Farm to find out more. Political satire. What is that? Use
:20:45. > :20:51.of humour, irony or critical to reveal stupidity or hypocrisy.
:20:52. > :20:59.Basically, taking the mix. -- taking the Mickey. Britain has a rich
:21:00. > :21:03.history of litter call satire, from the satire boom of the 60s,
:21:04. > :21:09.privatise magazine about spitting image and programmes on today such
:21:10. > :21:14.as Have I Got News For You. Why don't we have more in Wales about
:21:15. > :21:22.our politicians? The key thing is that making an audience laugh relies
:21:23. > :21:32.on a stage set of references. That is why a lot of comedy is about dogs
:21:33. > :21:37.or duvets. That is why people don't start their comedy with, do you know
:21:38. > :21:41.the thing about allergen stained-glass windows from the
:21:42. > :21:44.18th-century? What I'm trying to say is in order
:21:45. > :21:51.to make this a difficult point about the health Minister, it helps if you
:21:52. > :21:55.don't know who they are. It is Mark Drakeford and I did have to look
:21:56. > :22:00.that up. Sadly, most people in Wales would be
:22:01. > :22:08.about as successful at picking Mark trick for out of a line-up as this
:22:09. > :22:14.donkey. Is it him? Watched you think back -- Mark Drakeford. He doesn't
:22:15. > :22:19.know. But it's not that simple. You can't make jokes about people no one
:22:20. > :22:23.has heard of but maybe no one will have heard of them unless people
:22:24. > :22:28.make jokes about them. Political satire is entertainment with the
:22:29. > :22:32.ability to educate. As a young person I learned more about politics
:22:33. > :22:43.from Have I Got News For You than I ever did from the news.
:22:44. > :22:48.A Liberal Democrat MP who broke his back in 12 cases, as well as his
:22:49. > :22:59.sternum and jaw... That is the last time he inches and Widdecombe --
:23:00. > :23:04.pinches and Widdecombe's bottom. I need to find the stories that feed
:23:05. > :23:07.a national debate and what gets my goat is when I'm writing a story
:23:08. > :23:11.based in Westminster, I can read six newspaper articles about it but this
:23:12. > :23:25.doesn't exist in Wales. With its active media, Westminster
:23:26. > :23:30.politics seems like a daily soap opera we can all follow.
:23:31. > :23:35.This may be a laughing matter for them, it is not to the people in the
:23:36. > :23:43.North of England. Whereas the semi-politics seems more
:23:44. > :23:49.likely documentary on farming. It is not only because of Mark Drakeford,
:23:50. > :23:54.it also stifles political satire. Whether it is deadly important is up
:23:55. > :23:58.for debate but I think with a stronger media, satire could play a
:23:59. > :24:01.role in introducing the Welsh public to the people who make important
:24:02. > :24:03.decisions about their lives and hopefully help foster a healthy lack
:24:04. > :24:17.of respect for them. Benjamin Partridge there. By the
:24:18. > :24:21.way, if Mark Drakeford was watching, we know you've got a good sense of
:24:22. > :24:24.humour and we know you won't be upset by that and we look forward to
:24:25. > :24:28.having you back soon. Joining me now is the former Liberal Democrat MP
:24:29. > :24:31.Lembit Opik who is now forging a career as a stand up comedian. You
:24:32. > :24:33.got your own production company as well.
:24:34. > :24:40.I'm trying to do the world 's first pro the rainy and political satire.
:24:41. > :24:45.-- pro-Iranians. I was going to dive into Wales for a
:24:46. > :24:50.moment but Iran is too tempting. Are you exporting satire to Iran?
:24:51. > :24:55.We are trying to and if we can make them laugh in a satirical way, Wales
:24:56. > :25:00.is a walk in the park Mac it is a big if!
:25:01. > :25:08.But there is an appetite for their? Yes. Satire is such an important way
:25:09. > :25:12.to get the message across. I'm glad you're sitting down because most
:25:13. > :25:15.people aren't as interested in politics as you and me so we have to
:25:16. > :25:19.make it more accessible and that is how it works.
:25:20. > :25:23.Is it sad that Wales is a barren place for it?
:25:24. > :25:29.It is tragic and I blame my election defeat on the fact nobody was able
:25:30. > :25:37.to laugh with me. The difficulty is you have to know the characters in
:25:38. > :25:41.order for them to be funny and in fairness to Parliament, most people
:25:42. > :25:44.don't know the MPs but there are hundred and 50 of them. There are
:25:45. > :25:50.still a few big characters in Wales and they would be open to satire.
:25:51. > :25:53.Is it the fact that we are in a position in Wales where some people
:25:54. > :25:58.would say we don't have enough scrutiny of what goes on in Cardiff
:25:59. > :26:01.Bay and elsewhere, and for that reason people are maybe afraid to
:26:02. > :26:10.take a risk and don't think there is interest in it?
:26:11. > :26:19.I don't think there is a vehicle, and Have I Got News For You, but at
:26:20. > :26:23.the moment it is the big problem, the conformists are winning. There
:26:24. > :26:30.aren't any nonconformists. You have got George Galloway and Widdecombe
:26:31. > :26:32.but most people are just ordinary and grey and that is the problem at
:26:33. > :26:40.the SMB as well. How powerful can -- at the Assembly
:26:41. > :26:44.as well. How powerful can the Assembly -- how powerful can satire
:26:45. > :26:51.be? It can be immensely powerful. Boris
:26:52. > :26:56.Johnson is a classic example of pulling it off and Alex Salmond has
:26:57. > :27:03.been an example by being a big character. The second example of
:27:04. > :27:09.when people take the Mick out of you. I have been on a Mac myself but
:27:10. > :27:14.you have to roll with the punches. -- I have been on Have I Got News
:27:15. > :27:17.For You myself and I sometimes yield the Welsh Assembly has to lighten up
:27:18. > :27:22.and until it does that, it won't get their satire.
:27:23. > :27:25.We did have Rhodri Morgan as first Minister, he is known as a first
:27:26. > :27:31.Minister. -- he is known as a big character.
:27:32. > :27:36.He was described as the only man who can make an Armani suit looked like
:27:37. > :27:41.a denim jacket. It is true if you think about it.
:27:42. > :27:45.As a final point, is it a part of a bigger problem, the fact that in
:27:46. > :27:49.Wales, if you compare us with England and Scotland, we don't
:27:50. > :27:55.really have a rich patchwork of media outlets, press, broadcasting
:27:56. > :28:03.is very heavily dependent. That doesn't look too clearly healthy.
:28:04. > :28:07.The people on the eastern border of Wales often tune into the Midlands
:28:08. > :28:11.and they are lost to the Welsh culture of politics completely. I
:28:12. > :28:15.think there is a lack of courage and I have thought that since the
:28:16. > :28:19.Assembly was set up. You have got to be big and bold and otherwise there
:28:20. > :28:25.will not be any satire. Good luck in Iran! I never thought I
:28:26. > :28:28.would say that! It is probably a world first.
:28:29. > :28:32.Good luck. That's it for this week's programme.
:28:33. > :28:35.We'll be back next Wednesday with a special programme on budget day from
:28:36. > :28:38.Westminster. In the meantime you can get in touch with us about the
:28:39. > :28:41.issues discussed tonight, or indeed anything else. E-mail us at
:28:42. > :28:44.thewalesreport@bbc.co.uk and we are on Twitter @thewalesreport. Thanks
:28:45. > :28:48.for watching. Good night. Nos da.