:00:10. > :00:14.On The Wales Report tonight, it is your health service but what is
:00:14. > :00:17.happening to it? Drastic changes on the way and for some it really is a
:00:17. > :00:20.matter of life and death. Also tonight, unemployment is
:00:20. > :00:24.falling but we are still in recession. What is going on with
:00:24. > :00:28.the Welsh economy and are we getting a fair deal?
:00:28. > :00:34.Clubs in crisis, why one of our great Welsh institutions faces a
:00:34. > :00:39.bleak future. One man wants to have his say. I love the raw, crude
:00:39. > :00:49.devotion of Welsh club rugby. Mr Butler is a man with a message.
:00:49. > :00:51.
:00:51. > :00:54.Stay with us to find out why. Welcome to you all and thank you
:00:54. > :00:57.for tuning in. This is the first edition of The Wales Report, the
:00:57. > :01:01.new weekly meeting place where we will be talking about Wales and the
:01:01. > :01:05.things that really matter to the people that live in Wales. We will
:01:05. > :01:09.be looking at what life in all its diversity and asking searching
:01:09. > :01:13.questions about our future. We will be talking to those making
:01:13. > :01:16.decisions and the people whose lives are affected by them. And yes,
:01:16. > :01:20.it does mean politics, that is essential, but The Wales Report is
:01:20. > :01:23.about more than that. It has to be otherwise you will not be getting
:01:23. > :01:27.the big picture that we have promised to you. Anything is
:01:27. > :01:31.possible, just about, and we will be depending on you to tell us what
:01:31. > :01:35.matters in your part of Wales. We are going to start with the biggest
:01:35. > :01:39.changes to the biggest organisation with the biggest implications
:01:39. > :01:43.anywhere in Wales. The NHS is going to change. It is under huge
:01:43. > :01:47.financial pressure. There is a big consultation under way but parts of
:01:47. > :01:52.the system are already under immense strain. If you listen to
:01:52. > :01:58.some experts, they say that lives are clearly at risk. David Williams
:01:58. > :02:02.has been investigating for the first The Wales Report.
:02:02. > :02:06.It may look real enough, but this is in fact a film set for a
:02:06. > :02:10.hospital drama. All sorts of things are enacted here. Art imitating
:02:10. > :02:15.life, you might think. But out there beyond this make-believe,
:02:15. > :02:20.there is a real-life drama unfolding and the consequences for
:02:20. > :02:26.all of us could be far-reaching. Every individual page and believes
:02:26. > :02:32.that he or she has the right to a universal service. -- individual
:02:32. > :02:35.patient. And an equal chance of survival, irrespective of which
:02:35. > :02:39.hospital they are admitted to. But you will be shocked to learn that
:02:39. > :02:46.your chance of buying it was hospitals increases if you are
:02:46. > :02:53.admitted at weekends compared to weekdays. -- chance of dying. Life
:02:53. > :02:57.is often far more complicated than art, and death is for real.
:02:57. > :03:07.For more than two years, Paul has dedicated himself to a task which
:03:07. > :03:09.
:03:09. > :03:15.has gradually consumed him. The inquiry into the circumstances of
:03:15. > :03:18.the death of his wife Janet at the local hospital, the Royal Glamorgan.
:03:18. > :03:24.She had been suffering from cancer but she was rushed to hospital
:03:24. > :03:30.early one Sunday morning over two years ago, suffering from severe
:03:30. > :03:34.abdominal pains. We were there for three-and-a-half hours. They put us
:03:34. > :03:38.in cubicle number 10, where they closed the door and left us.
:03:38. > :03:42.Because of the pain factor, it was 10 out of 10, the highest pain
:03:43. > :03:48.factor that you can get. She literally was crawling up the walls.
:03:48. > :03:53.That is how bad she was. Janet died the following day from the cancer
:03:53. > :04:01.that she was suffering from. And from an overwhelming infection, due
:04:01. > :04:04.to her body's lack of resistance to that infection. She was 65. Her
:04:04. > :04:10.husband's determination to pursue the events surrounding his wife's
:04:10. > :04:15.death has had some success. An ombudsman's report, which uphold
:04:15. > :04:19.the complaint, that Janet should have been given a higher priority
:04:19. > :04:26.in hospital on the weekend that she was admitted, given her severe
:04:26. > :04:30.abdominal pain. Death is still a taboo subject. Little wonder then
:04:30. > :04:34.that the mortality figures for Welsh hospitals remain largely out
:04:34. > :04:39.of sight of the public. But they do exist, and if you do know where to
:04:39. > :04:43.look, they make for uncomfortable reading. They show quite clearly
:04:43. > :04:51.that you are much more likely to die in was hospital at the weekend
:04:51. > :04:54.than and any weekday. -- in a Welsh hospital. They are just a snapshot
:04:54. > :04:59.but they clearly show a worrying increase in hospital death shops
:04:59. > :05:04.during the week. These rates gradually increase during the week
:05:04. > :05:10.and reach the high point at weekends. Sunday in particular. You
:05:10. > :05:13.are much more likely to die than on a weekday in hospital. Professor
:05:13. > :05:18.markers Longley has been commissioned by the health boards
:05:18. > :05:23.in Wales to advise them on how to improve their health service. We
:05:23. > :05:27.asked him why it more people are dying at weekends in hospital.
:05:27. > :05:31.There are a number of reasons for that, as always. There is no one
:05:31. > :05:36.single answer. It is partly to do with the availability of senior
:05:36. > :05:40.medical staff. They are not always available at the right time. It is
:05:40. > :05:43.the way services are arranged in various hospitals. A variety of
:05:43. > :05:47.reasons, some of which to do with the overall configuration of the
:05:47. > :05:51.health service and some much more local than that. But Government
:05:52. > :05:56.recognises that keeping things as they are is not on option. They
:05:56. > :06:01.have seemingly decided to take the bold step of driving hard for what
:06:01. > :06:05.they call a world-class service. Except the Welsh Government is not
:06:05. > :06:12.exactly to be found at the front line of what it knows will be a
:06:12. > :06:18.difficult campaign. Instead, they have passed that responsibility to
:06:18. > :06:22.Wales's seven health boards. Their plans include the closure of some
:06:22. > :06:26.community hospitals, the reduction of services at others, greater care
:06:26. > :06:32.provision in the community, and the development of centres of
:06:32. > :06:37.excellence. They are widely regarded as political speak for
:06:37. > :06:41.greater centralisation. We are at a watershed in our socio-economic
:06:41. > :06:47.history and we have to radically we considered the way that we provide
:06:47. > :06:51.public services. I start would be looking at the current
:06:51. > :06:55.unsustainable mix of hospitals that we have been South Wales. This
:06:55. > :06:59.professor is a leading health economist. Together with Dr
:06:59. > :07:03.Christopher Potter, the former Director of Public Health, they
:07:03. > :07:06.prepared a special report on the health service for this programme.
:07:06. > :07:13.While that report recognises that a lot of good health care is
:07:13. > :07:18.delivered in Wales, it also identifies a number of weaknesses.
:07:18. > :07:22.The professor expresses concern at the proposed changes, that they
:07:22. > :07:27.have not been properly costed. we are talking about at the moment
:07:27. > :07:29.is very much a blueprint, a vision. We do not know what the cost
:07:29. > :07:33.implications of these proposed changes will be and we do not know
:07:33. > :07:38.if it is affordable. The need for reforming the health service in
:07:38. > :07:48.Wales, however that is achieved and at what cost, is a tough message to
:07:48. > :07:52.
:07:52. > :07:59.take anywhere in Wales. Every area, every group is -- has established a
:07:59. > :08:03.stake in their health service. Here they are challenging the plans to
:08:03. > :08:06.close the minor injuries unit at the X-ray department at the
:08:06. > :08:11.community hospital. Confronting this group of protective health
:08:11. > :08:20.custodians with the arguments for change are likely to go down well
:08:20. > :08:26.at the local pub. But we risk the round anyway. Can I played devil's
:08:26. > :08:30.advocate? Do you accept that the service is not fit for purpose
:08:30. > :08:35.anymore? The Community Health Council, a watchdog, is saying that
:08:35. > :08:41.the minor injuries unit does not get much use. You hear about
:08:41. > :08:45.community led health care. How can you have that if they close all of
:08:46. > :08:49.the community hospitals and wards? Give us the evidence, the rationale,
:08:49. > :08:53.and if we can understand and digest it, we will work with it. At the
:08:53. > :08:58.moment we are not getting that and until we do, the people will not
:08:58. > :09:04.sit down. They should Prosser's stations are reinforced by the
:09:04. > :09:11.concerns of clinicians and nursing staff. -- patient protestations. In
:09:11. > :09:16.Cardiff, the director of the Royal College of Nursing are -- is
:09:16. > :09:20.grappling with the proposed changes. I do not know if health boards are
:09:20. > :09:24.being set up to fail. There is another difficulty. The difficulty
:09:24. > :09:28.in discussing the concerns with the health minister. I have met with
:09:28. > :09:33.the health minister wants. Don't you think you should have dialogue
:09:33. > :09:35.with the health minister? I think it is getting increasingly
:09:35. > :09:41.difficult to have regular conversations with the health
:09:41. > :09:47.minister. Why? I have no idea. Professor Longleat cause to Ferrari
:09:47. > :09:55.earlier this year when it was disclosed that he had emailed civil
:09:55. > :10:00.servants asking for killer facts to support his argument. -- Professor
:10:00. > :10:03.Longleat caused an uproar. He is resolute that the case for change
:10:03. > :10:08.is strong. The danger is that we postpone some of these things that
:10:08. > :10:13.the evidence points clearly to. We will fight it and gain some time
:10:13. > :10:17.but we will not have solved the fundamental problem. We will be
:10:17. > :10:21.back where we are now in a year or two. That is a shame because bits
:10:21. > :10:25.of the service will just collapse because there will not be key staff
:10:25. > :10:30.available and that is very risky. If you have an unplanned closure of
:10:30. > :10:34.a service, that is worse than planned closures. As the arguments
:10:34. > :10:38.about the future of the health service swirl around him, one man
:10:38. > :10:44.is more concerned about the immediate and current dangers to
:10:44. > :10:48.patients admitted to hospitals at weekends. As we are talking now,
:10:48. > :10:53.there is something happening somewhere in another hospital to
:10:53. > :11:00.your grandchildren, to your mother, to your father, where the system
:11:00. > :11:04.then says, oh, sorry. That report by David Williams.
:11:04. > :11:07.Joining me from Wrexham is a health minister for Wales. Thank you for
:11:07. > :11:12.joining us, the first guest on The Wales Report. We are pleased to
:11:12. > :11:17.have you with us. There was an idea that you are running scared of some
:11:17. > :11:22.of these stakeholders. Is that right? Absolutely not. I have
:11:22. > :11:25.several meetings every week with stakeholders. Or importantly, I am
:11:25. > :11:29.out in health care settings every week talking to staff on the front
:11:29. > :11:33.line. When are you meeting with the Royal College of Nursing next?
:11:33. > :11:38.will have to check my diary. Is it fair for her to suggest it is
:11:38. > :11:41.difficult to get meetings with you? I do not think it is difficult to
:11:41. > :11:44.get meetings with me. Over the weekend I have been answering a
:11:44. > :11:49.written question to a member and I was shocked at how many meetings I
:11:49. > :11:53.have. I wonder that I have time to get out and about but it is
:11:53. > :11:58.important that I am, meeting frontline staff. As someone that
:11:58. > :12:03.were done the NHS for 20 years, I have lots of friends in the NHS and
:12:03. > :12:09.we know they are the best sort of friends. -- as someone that worked
:12:09. > :12:13.in the NHS. We do not envy the pressure that two or under. Is this
:12:13. > :12:18.about reforming quality of service or saving money? Both things cannot
:12:18. > :12:22.be possible, surely? It is about rebalancing and modernising our
:12:22. > :12:30.services. The reason why we have to change the NHS in Wales has been
:12:30. > :12:33.very well articulated over many years. You can go back 10 years,
:12:34. > :12:43.and you can hear that Professor in your report saying the same thing
:12:44. > :12:45.
:12:45. > :12:49.now. Why it is the health service in Wales taking the bigot -- why is
:12:49. > :12:54.the health service in Wales taking a bigger proportion of cuts than
:12:54. > :13:00.England? We cannot compare to England. The figures are there.
:13:00. > :13:06.They brought yardsticks, that give us a sense of the kind of cuts you
:13:06. > :13:11.want to make. I absolutely not. My department has 42% of the entire
:13:11. > :13:15.was Government budget. �6.3 billion. We have protected the health budget.
:13:15. > :13:18.We have huge sums of money to work with. We increased the money last
:13:18. > :13:22.year, giving additional funding over three years, so financial
:13:22. > :13:27.plans could be on a stable setting. I understand the sensitivity
:13:27. > :13:30.because of your role on commenting on precise plans in local areas,
:13:30. > :13:35.but there is a lot of sensitivity around about the plans that could
:13:35. > :13:39.come into effect. Let's talk hypothetically. If I am in an area
:13:39. > :13:44.with the full casualty unit in a town with many thousands of people,
:13:44. > :13:49.and someone proposes to change that to a local Accident Centre, I might
:13:49. > :13:54.be very concerned about those plans. What do you say to those people?
:13:54. > :13:57.People are incredibly concerned about plans and that is why I was
:13:57. > :14:01.adamant that health boards had to consult widely. That is being done
:14:01. > :14:05.in North Wales. They are coming to the end of the consultation there,
:14:05. > :14:09.and in West Wales as well. The South Wales are out to public
:14:09. > :14:13.engagement at the present time and will go out to consultation in the
:14:13. > :14:16.new year. Nothing has been set in stone and people must realise that
:14:16. > :14:21.their input is extremely important as those plans come to the end of
:14:21. > :14:27.the consultation period. Minister, I am sure we will talk again in the
:14:28. > :14:31.months ahead but thank you for talking to us. There will be plenty
:14:31. > :14:34.of opinions on that and when we returned to it, we will be
:14:34. > :14:38.reflecting your opinions because The Wales Report depends on your
:14:38. > :14:43.willingness to let us know what matters to you. Our reporter will
:14:43. > :14:47.be gathering your opinions every week, making sense of them. How
:14:47. > :14:52.healthy is the social need to work in Wales as far as politics is
:14:52. > :14:56.concerned? Pretty healthy. We hear about the democratic deficit pretty
:14:56. > :14:59.often in Wales. This is one way of starting to put some part of that
:14:59. > :15:03.right at least. It is a way of making sure that you know what
:15:03. > :15:06.people are saying, how they feel about interviews, the answers
:15:06. > :15:15.politicians get. We might hear them and think that the public will not
:15:15. > :15:20.for -- fall for it, and you find out on Twitter pretty soon. All of
:15:20. > :15:23.that is important. We want questions, comments and responses
:15:23. > :15:32.to this programme, that is very important. How can people get in
:15:32. > :15:42.touch? If people want to get on Twitter, then it is: There is also
:15:42. > :15:50.
:15:50. > :15:54.I will not repeat everything that comes in, but opinions that are
:15:55. > :16:00.worth hearing and when people tell us how things are in their patch
:16:00. > :16:04.and we may not be aware of this, we will talk about that. People have
:16:04. > :16:09.precise questions for people they know we're into the ring, we would
:16:09. > :16:14.welcome that? Yes, and sometimes I would say, I am going interview so-
:16:14. > :16:17.and-so, what would you like to know? That is what we are there to
:16:17. > :16:21.do, to ask ministers what the voters want to know.
:16:21. > :16:24.It has been an odd experience reporting this month that we are
:16:24. > :16:29.still in recession and yet unemployment is falling, the number
:16:29. > :16:33.of people in full-time and part- time workers at a record high. It
:16:33. > :16:36.is a curious situation baffling some of the best economists. But
:16:36. > :16:41.the challenge of reducing the deficit and boosting economic
:16:41. > :16:44.growth is no less urgent. This was the message around the Cabinet
:16:44. > :16:47.table recently. Every department around this table
:16:48. > :16:52.is actually involved in an effort to deal with getting the deficit
:16:52. > :16:57.down and the economy moving. One of those sitting around the
:16:57. > :17:02.table, we caught a little glimpse of him, David Jones, the new
:17:02. > :17:05.Secretary of State for Wales. Are you enjoying the job? Yes. It is
:17:05. > :17:09.challenging and has been extremely fast-moving, but overall it has
:17:09. > :17:13.been a good three or four weeks. You were given very precise orders
:17:13. > :17:18.by the Prime Minister, what have you done? The economy is the name
:17:18. > :17:24.of the game, we have worked very hard. The first visit I paid after
:17:24. > :17:28.I became Secretary of State was to end area of crucial importance to
:17:28. > :17:33.the North Wales economy. We are doing all we can to ensure that it
:17:33. > :17:38.is built, it is of tremendous importance. We are working in --
:17:38. > :17:42.closely with the Welsh government. Economic development is devolved,
:17:42. > :17:47.but lots of areas are not. It will only work if the UK and Welsh
:17:47. > :17:51.governments work together. Is it a warm and friendly relationship were
:17:51. > :17:55.just a business relationship? both. It is a good relationship, I
:17:55. > :18:00.think I have a good relationship with Carwyn Jones, I have known him
:18:00. > :18:04.for many years because I was an Assembly member. I have had a
:18:04. > :18:08.couple of meetings with him already, we have done some joint working on
:18:08. > :18:13.certain projects so it is working well. Because the word is you are
:18:13. > :18:19.not a great fan of devolution? is the word put out by Labour in
:18:19. > :18:24.the Commons. The is it not true? They need a line of attack...
:18:24. > :18:30.could be true? Back in 1997, I campaigned, as did the Conservative
:18:30. > :18:34.Party, against the establishment of the Assembly? Have you changed your
:18:34. > :18:38.mind? Yes, it is a fact of life, it is the way Wales has governed and
:18:38. > :18:45.we have to work for the best of wealth. Has it produced good
:18:45. > :18:48.results? One or two... Such as? think the Welsh Language
:18:48. > :18:51.Commissioner... Forgive me, the Welsh Language Commission and the
:18:51. > :18:55.Children's Commissioner are extremely important. Some resorts
:18:55. > :18:58.have not been so good and economically Wales has not done too
:18:58. > :19:03.well since devolution. I think getting red of the Welsh
:19:03. > :19:07.Development Agency was a huge mistake. -- getting rid of. Such an
:19:07. > :19:13.emphasis on the deficit and dealing with that because it is a big, big
:19:13. > :19:17.burden. His Wales bearing a heavier burden than it should be given that
:19:17. > :19:23.lots of the cuts in benefits and welfare are really affecting
:19:23. > :19:27.hundreds of thousands of people in Wales? Is that fair? The Welsh
:19:27. > :19:32.Assembly Government has done rather well out of the CSR settlement. I
:19:32. > :19:35.think when you look at the Welsh Assembly Government budget and
:19:36. > :19:40.compare it with Whitehall spending in departments, I think it has been
:19:40. > :19:44.a fair settlement. At the moment we are seeing the rebalancing of the
:19:44. > :19:48.Welsh economy. Wells has been very heavily dependent upon the public
:19:48. > :19:52.sector. It is now becoming less dependent, we are seeing more
:19:52. > :19:57.private sector jobs being created in Wales. In the last set of
:19:57. > :20:02.figures last week, Wales was the region of the United Kingdom doing
:20:02. > :20:07.best in the terms of job creation, I think it is working. The burden,
:20:07. > :20:11.I am interested in who was bearing the biggest burden. Everybody has
:20:11. > :20:15.to play a part, we are all in it together and all the rest, even if
:20:15. > :20:21.that is not true, that is the message. But you asking people who
:20:21. > :20:25.are, in many cases, very vulnerable, on low income, dependent on
:20:25. > :20:29.disability -- dependent on benefits, some with disabilities, you're
:20:29. > :20:34.asking them to contribute. But we know companies like Starbucks and
:20:34. > :20:39.in some cases IKEA, eBay and Amazon are not paying their fair share of
:20:39. > :20:44.Corporation Tax. Have you got the balance right? Are you asking
:20:44. > :20:48.people properly capable of paying to do the right thing? If you are
:20:48. > :20:52.comparing chalk and cheese. It is a contribution. Companies like
:20:52. > :20:57.Starbucks should be paying a foul- up of tax, the Chancellor has made
:20:57. > :21:02.it clear that aggressive tax avoidance measures will be targeted.
:21:02. > :21:05.But by the same token it is very important that people who maybe
:21:05. > :21:11.have been out of work for very many years should be encouraged to going
:21:11. > :21:14.to work, because work is good not only in economic terms but also for
:21:14. > :21:17.social well-being and self-respect. I believe that programmes like the
:21:17. > :21:20.work programme is doing a tremendous amount to get people
:21:20. > :21:26.into work. I have seen these programmes and they are very
:21:26. > :21:30.effective. You are happy, or satisfied, if I can put it that way,
:21:30. > :21:35.that, for example, people in Wales on very low incomes, dependent on
:21:35. > :21:40.benefits, hundreds of thousands of them, are not being asked to pay an
:21:40. > :21:43.unfair price? I believe they are not. I believe the support they are
:21:43. > :21:48.getting to get into work is something the Government is taking
:21:48. > :21:52.very, very seriously. The DWP is working hard to ensure as many
:21:52. > :21:57.people as possible can get back into work. It will clearly be a
:21:57. > :22:00.painful process, but nevertheless... You would know better than I do, it
:22:00. > :22:04.is one of the things people used to say that you are maybe not really
:22:04. > :22:09.in touch with the real world. Really sensing what is going on in
:22:09. > :22:13.people's lives. Again, I your concern that your image as a
:22:14. > :22:18.government is one of people not being quite in touch? They're not
:22:18. > :22:25.in touch message is put out by Labour, straightforward propaganda.
:22:25. > :22:28.I think any constituency MP is very, very firmly in touch. I am a
:22:28. > :22:32.constituency MP, I go back there every Thursday evening and see
:22:32. > :22:37.people with all sorts of problems. I don't buy the message from Labour
:22:37. > :22:40.that we are not in touch. Labour to one side, was Andrew
:22:40. > :22:43.Mitchell in touch when he abused the police constable? Andrew
:22:43. > :22:49.Mitchell did the right thing, he made an assessment of his
:22:49. > :22:54.position... It to come four weeks. Was he a bit slow to make the
:22:54. > :22:58.assessment? That is a matter of Andrew Mitchell. It sounds like you
:22:58. > :23:03.think so. That is a matter for him, but he assess the level of support
:23:03. > :23:08.he had within the parliamentary Conservatives apart -- party, he
:23:08. > :23:14.decided he did not have the right level of support. Did you advise
:23:14. > :23:18.him to go? You didn't feed your thoughts in? I did not speak to him.
:23:18. > :23:22.That is a matter for Andrew Mitchell himself. Andrew Mitchell
:23:22. > :23:26.made the right decision, Andrew Mitchell has resigned. Now we have
:23:27. > :23:31.Sir George Young as the new Chief Whip, I am sure he will command
:23:31. > :23:35.respect of the parliamentary Conservative Party.
:23:35. > :23:38.It is not just the Government struggling with debt, the financial
:23:38. > :23:43.climate is affecting so many areas of Welsh life and one of our best-
:23:43. > :23:48.loved institutions is one of them, the local rugby team. The new
:23:48. > :23:52.regional Welsh rugby structure is looking a bit shaky. Crowds have
:23:52. > :23:56.dwindled and local games are not pulling in the masses. Who or what
:23:56. > :24:01.is to blame? Here is the former Wales and Pontypool captain, Eddie
:24:01. > :24:08.Butler - and he is on a personal crusade.
:24:08. > :24:15.Way back, before I began to change it, one of the great mum if -- won
:24:15. > :24:18.much if -- there was a greater derby match. In front of a full
:24:18. > :24:24.house, the captains would meet and shake hands and the referee would
:24:24. > :24:28.say, well, gentlemen, what is it to be today, rugby or fighting?
:24:28. > :24:35.Without question they would reply, it will be rugby. And with that
:24:35. > :24:40.small matter settled, they would get on with the fighting.
:24:40. > :24:46.Rugby nowadays is all the better for not so easily spilling over.
:24:46. > :24:53.But does modern regional rugby have any soul?
:24:53. > :25:00.There is a harsh reality in 2012. This is now more of a football town
:25:00. > :25:05.than rugby, in Pontypool, rugby hangs on by eight thread. Fighting
:25:05. > :25:10.and losing. Even Pontypridd are out of the main strip, clinging to a
:25:10. > :25:14.thread of their own, dreaming of rekindling valleys would be through
:25:14. > :25:19.a 5th region. Llanelli they have on, geographically blessed by being
:25:19. > :25:25.south of the M4. North of the motorway, rugby suppers. South, the
:25:25. > :25:35.homes of the five professional regions. Five, are you say? There
:25:35. > :25:35.
:25:35. > :25:39.is the 5th, the ultimate region - a To pay for professional rugby in
:25:39. > :25:46.Wales, Wales have to play more than ever before. A minimum of a dozen
:25:46. > :25:49.games a year. Their home is a stadium that can hold nearly 75,000,
:25:49. > :25:55.more people can watch more international rugby than ever
:25:55. > :26:01.before. Wales are our local team - and very good they are, too. Three
:26:01. > :26:06.plants -- Grand Slams in eight seasons.
:26:06. > :26:09.Transformation at the very top and everywhere below left to do what?
:26:09. > :26:14.The regions are desperate for more money just to be competitive in
:26:14. > :26:18.Europe, but the benefactors are withdrawing. Tony Brown of the
:26:18. > :26:26.Dragons, Mike Cuddy at the Ospreys. It would appear the regions do not
:26:26. > :26:30.touch our soul. So what can we do? At club level, I'd have a 16 team
:26:31. > :26:34.league, hopefully including Pontypool, playing under lights on
:26:34. > :26:38.midweek nights. I would put the development players from south of
:26:38. > :26:43.the M4 into this floodlit league, to show they can cope with Welsh
:26:43. > :26:47.club rugby at its most devoted. That would free up rugby lovers to
:26:47. > :26:52.go and watch the regions on the weekend. Put much-needed money
:26:52. > :26:56.through the turnstiles. Well, it is a plan.
:26:56. > :27:01.Would it make any difference? Does anything at all have to be done as
:27:01. > :27:04.long as wells are winning Grand Slams? Perhaps not? But you don't
:27:04. > :27:08.have to be a structural engineer to know that if you load the top and
:27:08. > :27:13.weaken the bottom, even the mightiest of towers can for with a
:27:13. > :27:17.crash. For me, this is what Welsh rugby is all about. But it appears
:27:17. > :27:23.I am old and out of touch, as Roger Lewis of the Welsh Rugby Union
:27:23. > :27:29.would put it, I am a little bit lost in action. But I love rugby
:27:29. > :27:39.where the sun does not shine. It shines on the southernmost Strip,
:27:39. > :27:39.
:27:39. > :27:43.Roger's Riviera rugby. It sparkles, Another winning performance from
:27:43. > :27:53.Eddie Butler, proving that the Wales Report is about opinions,
:27:53. > :27:56.