Browse content similar to 04/12/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Tomorrow, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be at the chamber | 0:00:02 | 0:00:07 | |
across the road to make his annual statement | 0:00:07 | 0:00:10 | |
on the state of the economy. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:11 | |
And the BBC's biggest brains will be sitting around this task, | 0:00:11 | 0:00:15 | |
analysing every word. | 0:00:15 | 0:00:18 | |
Tonight, we're keeping the seats warm and asking | 0:00:18 | 0:00:21 | |
whether you have any confidence in the Chancellor's plans. | 0:00:21 | 0:00:24 | |
Y Sgwrs, live from Westminster tonight. | 0:00:24 | 0:00:27 | |
Good evening. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:38 | |
Vaughan and I have caught the Y Sgwrs Express to London this week. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:43 | |
As well as tomorrow's statement we'll also be talking about | 0:00:43 | 0:00:46 | |
the perspective on our education system from over the border. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:50 | |
Yesterday Welsh students came bottom of the British table | 0:00:50 | 0:00:54 | |
for their ability in maths, reading and science. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
I wonder if George Osborne's maths will be better tomorrow. | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
But first, let's welcome Vaughan Roderick and tonight's guests. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:05 | |
Professor Deian Hopkin, | 0:01:05 | 0:01:06 | |
a historian who's spent his career in the education field. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:10 | |
Rhian Jones, who runs the London Welsh Society, | 0:01:10 | 0:01:13 | |
and the Conservative MP Glyn Davies. Welcome. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:17 | |
Let's start with the economy. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
First, we're visiting a small business near Caernarfon to see | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
if there is a feeling, for the first Christmas in years, that the | 0:01:26 | 0:01:29 | |
economy is improving. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:31 | |
How much goodwill is there towards a politician who's | 0:01:31 | 0:01:34 | |
introducing the latest step in his economic plans here in Westminster? | 0:01:34 | 0:01:38 | |
Christmas is on the way. But before the celebrations, plans must be made. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:53 | |
Before Father Christmas arrives, the Christmas tree needs to be | 0:01:53 | 0:01:55 | |
prepared and decorated for the presents. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:58 | |
The Chancellor is trying to do something similar with | 0:01:58 | 0:02:01 | |
the economy - years of planning and watching the pennies before | 0:02:01 | 0:02:05 | |
accepting the economic presents that he hopes are on the way. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
But the Chancellor is confident that the economy has turned a corner | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
and that his economic strategy is about to bear fruit. | 0:02:12 | 0:02:15 | |
Justin Williams works in the family business. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:19 | |
Frongoch gardening centre by Caernarfon | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
started off as a farm shop in the 1980s but they had to | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
diversify over the years in order to respond to the demands of the market. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
In the last six years, we have started a cafe | 0:02:29 | 0:02:32 | |
and have developed that side of things so food | 0:02:32 | 0:02:37 | |
and people going out for a cuppa is very important to us. | 0:02:37 | 0:02:39 | |
It ensures that people come here year round, | 0:02:39 | 0:02:43 | |
through the winter, so that side has been important. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:47 | |
The recession has affected us | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
and we have two realise how people want to spend. | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
People want good value for money. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:58 | |
So we are here to advise and to ensure that they buy carefully. | 0:02:58 | 0:03:03 | |
But the Labour Party is reading a different story. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:08 | |
They are saying that though the economic figures are moving | 0:03:08 | 0:03:11 | |
in the right direction, it is a recovery for the minority. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
With wages having stayed still and the cost of living rising, | 0:03:14 | 0:03:17 | |
they are arguing that most people do not feel that things are improving. | 0:03:17 | 0:03:21 | |
Like almost everybody else, Enid Lloyd Thomas, | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
who runs the cafe in the garden centre, has seen | 0:03:25 | 0:03:28 | |
the price of fuel and food rise appreciably over the last few years. | 0:03:28 | 0:03:33 | |
Living in Anglesey, she has been able to find work easily enough, | 0:03:33 | 0:03:36 | |
but it has not been the same for her friends. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
There is enough work in catering, but a lot of my friends have | 0:03:40 | 0:03:46 | |
moved away to Cardiff or to England, to Chester. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:53 | |
There is definitely more work away. | 0:03:53 | 0:03:56 | |
Did they want to move, or did they have to? | 0:03:56 | 0:03:59 | |
I think they had to in order to pursue their careers. | 0:03:59 | 0:04:02 | |
It depends what you decide to do, of course. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:10 | |
But there are definitely more opportunities in other places. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:15 | |
We have already heard that help towards fuel costs is one of | 0:04:15 | 0:04:18 | |
the presents that is likely to be in the Chancellor's snack on Thursday. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
He proposes to reduce fuel costs by around £50 a year | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
and it is envisaged that married couples | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
and civil partners will have to pay fewer taxes. | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
There are suggestions that the increase in business taxes | 0:04:30 | 0:04:35 | |
will be capped in order to encourage businesses and the high street. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
But what would the garden centre's customers like to | 0:04:38 | 0:04:40 | |
hear from the Chancellor? | 0:04:40 | 0:04:42 | |
I think he wants to look at what families are spending, to see | 0:04:42 | 0:04:47 | |
what is causing waste and what is needed, | 0:04:47 | 0:04:52 | |
especially in a rural area like Wales. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:55 | |
You need a car to travel about, | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
so how will he help people in approval areas? | 0:04:58 | 0:05:02 | |
Is there anything the government could be doing to help you? | 0:05:02 | 0:05:06 | |
Not to help me, no. I think I have enough. | 0:05:06 | 0:05:09 | |
I'm retired so what the state gives me is enough, to be honest. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:17 | |
I think it would be better if they helped young people. We get enough. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:22 | |
So the people of Caernarfon would like a mixture of things | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
in the economic stocking. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:27 | |
But we shall see tomorrow what presents the Chancellor has to offer. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:31 | |
James Williams and Vaughan, we have had a good luck at the stocking. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:36 | |
George Osborne has shown most of his presents already. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:39 | |
He has shown a bit of leg! | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
Not many people can say, like that woman, that they have enough. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:46 | |
There is a lot of pressure on him but he has a lot of freedom this time. | 0:05:46 | 0:05:50 | |
The economy is growing better than expected, | 0:05:50 | 0:05:52 | |
although there is doubt about its sustainability. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:57 | |
But he has some kind of flexibility. | 0:05:57 | 0:05:59 | |
We know some of the things he has done | 0:05:59 | 0:06:02 | |
because they have already been announced, | 0:06:02 | 0:06:04 | |
for instance that there will be free school meals for children in England. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:09 | |
That means extra money for Wales | 0:06:09 | 0:06:11 | |
but it is unlikely that Wales will follow the same pattern. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:14 | |
We also know that there will be some kind of change in the tax | 0:06:14 | 0:06:18 | |
which will benefit married couples and also, we know that petrol tax | 0:06:18 | 0:06:24 | |
will be frozen | 0:06:24 | 0:06:27 | |
and that there will be a cap on business rates. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:32 | |
So, much of what he has said is already public, | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
but it is certain that there will be the odd surprise. There always is. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:40 | |
Glyn Davies, he wants the agenda back as well, doesn't he? | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
To all intents and purposes, Labour is setting it at the moment. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
That is, the living costs. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:48 | |
Everybody is discussing that and that's Ed Miliband's theme. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:52 | |
The cost of living is important. I'm not sure... | 0:06:52 | 0:06:55 | |
You said it was Ed Miliband's theme, I know that. | 0:06:55 | 0:06:58 | |
But in Westminster it isn't like that. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:02 | |
What we are going to see is something steady. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
We have already heard a lot and usually, | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
there will be something new and unexpected. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
-There are still cuts to come, aren't there? -Yes, I know that. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:15 | |
We are turning a corner | 0:07:15 | 0:07:18 | |
but the deficit is still £100 billion a year. | 0:07:18 | 0:07:23 | |
Debts are still going up. We still have problems. | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
But things are better than they were and better than expected. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:31 | |
Rhian, you live here in London. We can see growth everywhere. | 0:07:31 | 0:07:35 | |
Vaughan and I were discussing earlier. You can see growth. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:38 | |
You can't see it in Wales. It is a different world. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:42 | |
It is a very different world and as a Cardi in London, | 0:07:42 | 0:07:47 | |
it is a very difficult world to live in. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:49 | |
What worries me most, whether in Cardiff or London... | 0:07:49 | 0:07:53 | |
we're talking about the cost of living. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
Wages aren't going up, yet the cost of rent... | 0:07:56 | 0:08:00 | |
we were talking earlier on about rent in London. Rent in London is bonkers. | 0:08:00 | 0:08:04 | |
That's the only word I can use to describe it. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:06 | |
Rents are going up in Wales as well but wages are not. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:11 | |
But there is growth. Deian Hopkin, he is doing something right. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
Definitely. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:15 | |
And on the macro level, you can see the statistics | 0:08:15 | 0:08:18 | |
indicate there is growth, possibly better than the rest of Europe. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:23 | |
But when you break down that growth, you will see a big difference. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
You mention London. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:27 | |
London is an island, and central London is an island. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:31 | |
If you go to the periphery of London, the south | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
and the east, you will see a different pattern. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:37 | |
But is there too much centralisation in London regarding the economy? | 0:08:37 | 0:08:41 | |
Possibly, one of the great problems facing us | 0:08:41 | 0:08:45 | |
is the over-emphasis on the financial industry. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:50 | |
2,700 people in London earn £1 million a year. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
But nurses and teachers and so on... | 0:08:54 | 0:08:56 | |
It depends where you live in Britain. And also how old you are. | 0:08:56 | 0:09:02 | |
Young people are suffering more. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:04 | |
Glyn Davies, does George Osborne visit rural Wales occasionally? | 0:09:04 | 0:09:08 | |
-No, he doesn't. Does he understand? -He talks to me. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
What do you say to him? | 0:09:11 | 0:09:12 | |
I will be talking to George Osborne tomorrow morning. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:15 | |
-I talk to George Osborne every month. -Does he listen? | 0:09:15 | 0:09:20 | |
He listens sometimes. Sometimes he doesn't listen. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:24 | |
That's what I would expect. | 0:09:24 | 0:09:25 | |
As a member of Parliament from rural Wales, I can speak to | 0:09:25 | 0:09:31 | |
George Osborne and David Cameron whenever I want. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:34 | |
That is my situation. | 0:09:34 | 0:09:35 | |
But the feeling I get sometimes, you remember back in the 1990s, | 0:09:35 | 0:09:39 | |
John Major... people would talk about a voteless recovery. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:43 | |
That is, that the economy would recover | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
-but that it made no difference. -I hope it isn't like that. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:49 | |
There is a feeling that the clock is ticking to the general election | 0:09:49 | 0:09:54 | |
but the opinion polls do not reflect that. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:58 | |
What is important for George Osborne, the Chancellor, | 0:09:58 | 0:10:02 | |
Is that if it works for five years, | 0:10:02 | 0:10:05 | |
and that after five years people feel better than | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
they did in the beginning, and that the economy is better in Britain, | 0:10:09 | 0:10:14 | |
people will say he has done a good job. If people don't feel like that, | 0:10:14 | 0:10:17 | |
there will be a bit more of a problem. | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
Rhian, do you feel that things are improving? | 0:10:20 | 0:10:22 | |
-We can see it in London but do you feel this growth? -That is the thing. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
You asked whether George Osborne knows what is | 0:10:25 | 0:10:27 | |
happening in rural Wales and the answer is probably no. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
He needs a bit of a reality check. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:32 | |
People who live in the middle of London do not appreciate | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
the challenge facing people who live in mid-Wales. We share that opinion. | 0:10:35 | 0:10:41 | |
It is expensive to live in rural Wales | 0:10:41 | 0:10:45 | |
because of the costs of the fuel and driving around. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
We are also seeing problems regarding health. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:53 | |
The hospital I was born in, Bronglais, | 0:10:53 | 0:10:55 | |
is having problems at the moment. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:57 | |
So the growth can be seen in London but in Wales, I don't see it. | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
I don't think ordinary people are going to see | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
anything positive tomorrow. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
From the economy, education next. | 0:11:07 | 0:11:10 | |
Could do better. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
Vaughan, did you get that on your school report? | 0:11:13 | 0:11:15 | |
-In every subject, in every report! -Apart from politics, maybe. | 0:11:15 | 0:11:20 | |
That's the opinion of the international Pisa assessments | 0:11:20 | 0:11:23 | |
on education standards in Wales. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:25 | |
This week, it became clear that Welsh students has slipped | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
in these tests in maths, reading and science. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:32 | |
In no time at all, the Westminster education minister, Michael Gove, | 0:11:32 | 0:11:36 | |
mocked education standards in Wales under the Labour leadership. | 0:11:36 | 0:11:41 | |
We talked to a mother here in London who has experienced | 0:11:41 | 0:11:45 | |
the system in Wales and also in England. | 0:11:45 | 0:11:47 | |
As a mother, one of my priorities is to make sure my children | 0:11:52 | 0:11:56 | |
can reach their full potential. | 0:11:56 | 0:11:59 | |
I just want to make sure that they can do their best | 0:11:59 | 0:12:03 | |
and they enjoy the experience. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:05 | |
My eldest daughter is now studying for her GCSEs. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:10 | |
To be honest, the education she receives here is similar | 0:12:12 | 0:12:16 | |
to how she was educated in Plas Mawr. | 0:12:16 | 0:12:18 | |
It isn't better or worse, it is very similar. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
Ruben used to attend Pwll Coch | 0:12:23 | 0:12:25 | |
and now goes to the Welsh School, London. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:28 | |
I think he's receiving a better education | 0:12:28 | 0:12:32 | |
because the class is smaller. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:35 | |
The school itself is smaller. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:37 | |
In London, I know that a lot of tutoring takes place. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
When we first moved to London we were surprised | 0:12:43 | 0:12:47 | |
how much tutoring was taking place even in primary schools. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
Some children aged four or five would start with the tutoring. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:55 | |
I understand now because they want to prepare their children | 0:12:55 | 0:13:00 | |
for secondary school. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:01 | |
In London, there's a huge problem with getting your child | 0:13:01 | 0:13:04 | |
into the right secondary school and this and the other. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:07 | |
There's a lot of focus here on making sure your child | 0:13:07 | 0:13:12 | |
has reached the level in reading, writing and numeracy. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:18 | |
I feel there is pressure on parents, | 0:13:18 | 0:13:23 | |
that their children have reached the level in those. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
It's more than I felt in Wales, to be honest. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:30 | |
What we have to remember as well, on the whole, | 0:13:30 | 0:13:34 | |
depending on where you are, but definitely in London, | 0:13:34 | 0:13:38 | |
parents, I think, have more money to spend | 0:13:38 | 0:13:43 | |
on tutoring, whereas in Wales and many areas | 0:13:43 | 0:13:47 | |
money isn't available to do that. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
That's another reason why children are in front. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:54 | |
compared to areas in Wales | 0:13:54 | 0:13:56 | |
where there are more underprivileged areas. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
Since moving to London three years ago what I've noticed is | 0:13:59 | 0:14:03 | |
there are huge expectations | 0:14:03 | 0:14:06 | |
not just in schools, what they expect from the children | 0:14:06 | 0:14:09 | |
but also more from the parents. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:11 | |
The parents push all the time. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:13 | |
The schools have to accomplish a lot and they expect their children | 0:14:13 | 0:14:17 | |
to accomplish as well. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
The Pisa results, why is there so much emphasis on them? | 0:14:21 | 0:14:24 | |
The reason for that is what happened three years ago. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:29 | |
The 2009 figures were terrible. | 0:14:29 | 0:14:33 | |
They showed a significant fall since 2006, | 0:14:33 | 0:14:37 | |
the first time the tests were held in Wales. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:39 | |
Pisa has been promoted to be a sort of higher test | 0:14:39 | 0:14:45 | |
for education in Wales. | 0:14:45 | 0:14:47 | |
That isn't fair. There are other measures. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:50 | |
But Pisa has been placed, if you like, as a political | 0:14:50 | 0:14:55 | |
measuring stick on the success of the Welsh Government. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
Deian Hopkin, as someone who look at the education system from outside | 0:14:58 | 0:15:02 | |
what has gone wrong? | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
I agree with Vaughan. You can't depend on a tower that bends, | 0:15:04 | 0:15:08 | |
that is, Pisa. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:10 | |
It is one assessment but who decides who will answer the questions? | 0:15:10 | 0:15:16 | |
I am very doubtful when one city in China, Shanghai, | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
is in the lead. What about the rest of China? | 0:15:20 | 0:15:22 | |
There are many questions surrounding Pisa itself. | 0:15:22 | 0:15:25 | |
There is a danger we are too comfortable in our education system. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:29 | |
One thing we can say is, there are too many people | 0:15:29 | 0:15:32 | |
are being educated outside the public system. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
That means emphasis is being placed on private education. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:39 | |
We don't know how that influences on the entire system. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:43 | |
Are you saying there's too much neurosis in Wales about Pisa? | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
Yes. I think we have to look at education in its entirety. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
Are people comfortable in their education? | 0:15:49 | 0:15:53 | |
Do they feel their accomplishing? | 0:15:53 | 0:15:54 | |
If you ask children they do think that. | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
They're creative. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
But saying that, I think we should have a system | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
which maintains mathematics for longer than it currently does. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:07 | |
But, Glyn Davies, Michael Gove sees this as another opportunity | 0:16:07 | 0:16:12 | |
to mock Wales, not only just the health service but education | 0:16:12 | 0:16:16 | |
and Labour's failures as he sees them. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:18 | |
Yes, but... | 0:16:18 | 0:16:19 | |
We've heard Michael Gove say that but what's more important | 0:16:21 | 0:16:24 | |
to Michael Gove is education in England. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:26 | |
Sometimes he mentions what happens in Wales... | 0:16:26 | 0:16:31 | |
But how do you feel hearing your minister mocking Wales like that? | 0:16:31 | 0:16:35 | |
To be honest, I don't do that myself. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:38 | |
I want to work with the Assembly and I don't think that helps. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:42 | |
If something like this happens, the Pisa results are important | 0:16:42 | 0:16:47 | |
and people look at them, we have to have a political answer. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:52 | |
I understand that. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:54 | |
But I don't want to concentrate on that. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:57 | |
There are many other ways to measure how things work. | 0:16:57 | 0:17:01 | |
Rhian, it was right across the news yesterday | 0:17:01 | 0:17:03 | |
Wales was seen as a poor example of education. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
How did that make you feel? | 0:17:06 | 0:17:08 | |
I felt pity... | 0:17:08 | 0:17:10 | |
I have many friends who are teachers. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
People like to tease them that they get a lot of holidays and so on. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
But the truth is I sympathise with teachers in this situation | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
because I think the job of a teacher is much more difficult now. | 0:17:20 | 0:17:26 | |
It isn't something that's... | 0:17:26 | 0:17:30 | |
Sorry. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:31 | |
I was going to say I think we're exaggerating this. | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
If you look at the difference between the top and bottom | 0:17:34 | 0:17:38 | |
the gap isn't as shocking as people say. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:41 | |
But if this is an international measuring stick | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
a pupil doesn't want to apply to a university like yours | 0:17:44 | 0:17:48 | |
and say he's come from Wales and maybe GCSEs are seen as inferior | 0:17:48 | 0:17:53 | |
they are going to worry. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
Pisa doesn't count at all in that kind of thing. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:58 | |
It isn't part of the consideration. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
The truth is we look at general education. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:03 | |
How can people be accomplished? | 0:18:03 | 0:18:06 | |
This is one measure, a part of the picture, | 0:18:06 | 0:18:08 | |
But what is interesting I think is, | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
the Assembly was, and Glyn was there in the early days, | 0:18:11 | 0:18:15 | |
obsessed with the foundation phase. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:18 | |
Raising standards. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:20 | |
Those early years in primary school. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:23 | |
What Pisa is doing perhaps is say, look, | 0:18:23 | 0:18:27 | |
there are other parts of the education system you didn't look at. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
There are figures which suggest | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
that the early years at secondary school | 0:18:33 | 0:18:38 | |
are important especially for boys in Wales. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:40 | |
It places the focus on something else. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
That's something social. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
Look at the social difference in people's abilities | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
and also racial. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
There are people from Chinese and Indian backgrounds | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
who are doing much better. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
Is it something to do with the home life? | 0:18:57 | 0:19:00 | |
Is there something..? | 0:19:00 | 0:19:02 | |
There is an interesting point there. | 0:19:02 | 0:19:04 | |
Ten years ago people were complaining that those doing poorly in school | 0:19:04 | 0:19:08 | |
were young boys from the black community. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:13 | |
Now, people say they're the young boys from the white community. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:18 | |
But their parents are very keen. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
I've seen them in Lambeth and Brixton, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
they are keen to succeed. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:25 | |
They are facing social disadvantages. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:29 | |
Rhian, there's a role here for parents? | 0:19:29 | 0:19:31 | |
I agree, there is a role for parents. I don't have children | 0:19:31 | 0:19:34 | |
so I don't want this to seem as criticism. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:36 | |
You have to look at education in its entirety. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:38 | |
You can put Pisa to one side and look at education. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:42 | |
Education isn't a political weapon. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:44 | |
We have to have a cross-party answer to this. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
Thank you for now. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:48 | |
Here in Westminster many familiar faces prowl the corridors. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:52 | |
A few from Wales have already announced they won't stand | 0:19:52 | 0:19:56 | |
in the next general election. | 0:19:56 | 0:19:58 | |
Here are the impressions of two who, after years in Westminster, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:03 | |
are preparing to say goodbye to life in the Palace. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:06 | |
I won't miss all the travelling. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:16 | |
I won't miss the fact that almost every weekend is packed with work | 0:20:16 | 0:20:22 | |
linked to the job. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:23 | |
And I won't miss some of the late nights either. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
But, overall, I will miss a few things, too. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:31 | |
The fact that every day is different, | 0:20:31 | 0:20:34 | |
the debates are different and interesting | 0:20:34 | 0:20:36 | |
and that you need to research and understand new subjects every week. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:42 | |
It's a completely unnatural world, in a way. | 0:20:42 | 0:20:46 | |
You live in a very small community. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:50 | |
Only a thousand or two thousand people work here, | 0:20:50 | 0:20:54 | |
so you have to get on with everyone. | 0:20:54 | 0:20:59 | |
'Advice for your successor?' | 0:21:00 | 0:21:02 | |
You have to develop a thick skin, roll you sleeves up, | 0:21:02 | 0:21:07 | |
put the hours in and don't forget that you can achieve things | 0:21:07 | 0:21:12 | |
by working together as often as arguing. | 0:21:12 | 0:21:16 | |
I remember of friend of mine, Kim Howells, saying, | 0:21:16 | 0:21:20 | |
"If you want advice, the only advice I can give you | 0:21:20 | 0:21:24 | |
"is not to take advice from an MP." | 0:21:24 | 0:21:28 | |
'What next?' | 0:21:29 | 0:21:31 | |
Some rest. | 0:21:31 | 0:21:34 | |
Everybody says more time with the family. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:38 | |
I will spend more time writing, giving lectures, | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
I'll go back to the legal world and I'll see granddaughters more often. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:47 | |
I'm looking forward to that. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:50 | |
I'll have more time to read | 0:21:50 | 0:21:52 | |
and I'll spend a lot of time fishing in the rivers of North Wales. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:56 | |
Glyn Davies, you're in Westminster, you've been at the Assembly. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:04 | |
In terms of culture, which do you prefer? | 0:22:04 | 0:22:06 | |
I enjoyed myself at the Assembly, to be honest. | 0:22:06 | 0:22:09 | |
I didn't want to lose my seat at the Assembly | 0:22:09 | 0:22:13 | |
but now I have to move forward. | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
I enjoy myself wherever I am | 0:22:16 | 0:22:18 | |
and I'm not stepping down, I'm standing in the next election. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
The diplomat! | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
Deian Hopkin, have you ever been tempted to enter politics? | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
I was raised in a political family. I know the price they have to pay. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:33 | |
I wasn't willing to pay that price. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:35 | |
I'm happy trying to run a university unsuccessfully. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:39 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:22:39 | 0:22:41 | |
-You must have had offers. -Yes, but terrible offers. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:46 | |
I was never offered somewhere safe like Montgomeryshire. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:50 | |
Safe? | 0:22:50 | 0:22:51 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
Rhian, many are worried that a lot of women are leaving. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:58 | |
-There aren't enough women in Westminster. -It's a concern. | 0:22:58 | 0:23:01 | |
We need some girl power. I think I'm far too sensitive to enter politics. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:06 | |
I face a lot of challenges at the centre, keeping people happy, | 0:23:06 | 0:23:11 | |
and I think politics would be a bigger challenge. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:14 | |
I suspect there is more politics at the London Welsh Centre | 0:23:14 | 0:23:18 | |
than in the House of Commons. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
I'm saying nothing. | 0:23:20 | 0:23:21 | |
What about the second chamber? Is it completely different? | 0:23:22 | 0:23:27 | |
Oh, completely, but you have to immerse yourself in it | 0:23:27 | 0:23:31 | |
and that is a burden. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
It's not an honour in itself, it's an obligation. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:37 | |
If people get that offer, they have to commit to it | 0:23:37 | 0:23:40 | |
and that is a different question. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:43 | |
I really admire what Hywel and Elfyn have done | 0:23:43 | 0:23:47 | |
but I think the situation for MPs in Westminster has changed | 0:23:47 | 0:23:51 | |
since devolution. | 0:23:51 | 0:23:53 | |
-I can see Deian in red! -And the vermin! | 0:23:53 | 0:23:57 | |
Don't say that to my family! | 0:23:57 | 0:23:59 | |
Do you think you can influence from the backbenches, Glyn Davies? | 0:23:59 | 0:24:04 | |
You obviously speak to George Osborne every day. | 0:24:04 | 0:24:07 | |
More influence than I expected, to be honest, | 0:24:07 | 0:24:10 | |
but we can't see it. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:12 | |
Saying something in the chamber has no effect. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:15 | |
The only way to make a difference is to work with the government, | 0:24:15 | 0:24:19 | |
that's why I always vote in support of the government. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:23 | |
I want to make a difference, like with S4C this year. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:28 | |
So you're not stepping down. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:30 | |
"Carry on and on", as Mrs Thatcher once said. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:34 | |
Thank you for joining us on Y Sgwrs. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
That's it for tonight. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:41 | |
We'll be back home next week to continue the debate in Cardiff. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
From everyone on the team, from Westminster, good night. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:48 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:24:53 | 0:24:56 |