0:00:00 > 0:00:02Welcome back.
0:00:02 > 0:00:05It has been 15 years since the first Assembly elections,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07but is there any cause for celebration?
0:00:07 > 0:00:11And are the council cuts threatening the future of the arts in Wales?
0:00:11 > 0:00:14That is what we will be discussing this evening on Y Sgwrs.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Good evening and welcome to Y Sgwrs.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Here tonight to look back at devolution, we are joined by
0:00:29 > 0:00:31the former First Minister, Rhodri Morgan,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33the presenter and singer Caryl Parry Jones,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and the president of the Welsh Liberal Democrats,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Christine Humphreys, joins us from London.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43And as usual, Vaughan Roderick is also here to offer his views.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Welcome to you all.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49On tonight's programme, we will be discussing whether
0:00:49 > 0:00:51work e-mails should be banned after 6:00pm
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and the concerns of one familiar face
0:00:53 > 0:00:56about the effect of the financial cuts on the arts.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58We depend on public money in the arts
0:00:58 > 0:01:02and I am worried that only wealthy people will be able to afford
0:01:02 > 0:01:05to work in the arts in the future.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10But first this evening, it's 15 years since the first Assembly elections,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and for those of you who may not remember,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17May 6th 1999 was that historic day.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20So is it time to celebrate the success of devolution,
0:01:20 > 0:01:25or has the new system had little effect on our everyday lives?
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Our reporter, Janet Ebenezer, has been looking back.
0:01:29 > 0:01:3315 years ago, Wales hosted the Rugby World Cup,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36but they lost to Australia in the quarterfinals.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40The euro replaced the peseta, the deutsche mark and the franc
0:01:40 > 0:01:43across Europe, but not the pound of course.
0:01:43 > 0:01:49And Huw Edwards started presenting the 6:00pm news on BBC One.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54As well as that, the Assembly opened its doors for the first time
0:01:54 > 0:01:58since Owain Glyndwr's parliament 600 years ago.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02So let's enjoy the high points and the low points of the Assembly
0:02:02 > 0:02:05over the last 15 years.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12It was Labour's night 15 years ago,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16and one or two familiar faces reported on the night.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20It was a minority government and the party experienced a change
0:02:20 > 0:02:24in leadership less than nine months later.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Alun Michael decided to resign as First Secretary
0:02:28 > 0:02:32following threats of a vote of no-confidence.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Rhodri Morgan was elected to fill the post five days later.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41However, after experiencing problems leading a minority government,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43the Labour Party was forced to form a coalition
0:02:43 > 0:02:45with the Liberal Democrats.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50That relationship lasted until the 2003 election.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53The measures outlined in Mrs Windsor's speech
0:02:53 > 0:02:55will not address this risk.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58While some opposed the royal family,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02most members welcomed the Queen to open the new Assembly building
0:03:02 > 0:03:07and to approve the 2006 Government of Wales Act.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Following the 2007 election, once again, Labour's victory
0:03:13 > 0:03:15was not enough to lead with a majority.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20This time, Plaid Cymru would be the party to lead with Labour.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23According to Rhodri Morgan, it was a choice between the unpleasant
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and a choice he could not stomach.
0:03:28 > 0:03:312011 was one of the most memorable years
0:03:31 > 0:03:35in the history of devolution in Wales
0:03:35 > 0:03:40with Wales voting yes in the referendum on more powers.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44And Nobody was expecting Carwyn Jones' government to literally fly.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51And for the first time ever, a visit from the Prime Minister and his deputy last year
0:03:51 > 0:03:54to announce new powers for the Welsh Government,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58including the right, possibly, to vary income tax.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04So that is the last 15 years on the big screen in less than two minutes.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Let's look at what is happening now live on the stage.
0:04:19 > 0:04:26I think there is still confusion about devolution in Wales and how it works.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28We have a complicated system,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32compared to what they have in Scotland.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35We can only legislate on specific matters,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38while in Scotland, they can legislate on anything
0:04:38 > 0:04:40apart from the things that have been kept back.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46But what is the opinion of those who do not remember life before the Assembly?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49This group of pupils are from Ysgol Bro Ddyfi.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54I do think it has changed Wales. It has given our parties more powers.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I think it has been good for Wales,
0:04:57 > 0:05:02but I certainly think it's time for them to have more powers.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07I think it is a good thing on the whole, but it could be improved.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12I can't remember a time without it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17But I can't remember much change with it either.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22We have a different education system. We don't have SATs.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26We have the Welsh Baccalaureate.
0:05:26 > 0:05:32In the health service, we have free prescriptions and they do not have that in England.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39So there are big differences because of the Assembly
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and that's been a big factor in living in Wales.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46In the context of British politics, the Assembly is relatively young,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48but what about the next 15 years?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Well, that is in the hands of the politicians.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I feel very old all of a sudden!
0:05:55 > 0:05:57You have not changed at all!
0:05:57 > 0:06:00What was I wearing?!
0:06:00 > 0:06:06Anyway, take us back. This was a huge change, wasn't it?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It was.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And it only happened by a narrow margin because of the referendum.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15And there were problems in the Assembly from the very start
0:06:15 > 0:06:22because Ron Davies and others designed the system to win the referendum.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25There were deficiencies in the system.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29People found it difficult to differentiate between the government and the Assembly.
0:06:29 > 0:06:36There were also questions at the time about the capacity of the civil service in Wales
0:06:36 > 0:06:43to deal with the change and all the new ideas and policies that were coming through.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47People say now about the foundation phase,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50and they were great ideas,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54but the capacity was not there in the civil service
0:06:54 > 0:06:59to deliver all of those changes in a short time.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Foundation Phase, we're seeing it this week,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03is being seen as a success.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07It wasn't easy to introduce because there was such a change
0:07:07 > 0:07:12between the Welsh Office system and an elected government.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16We'll come to the politicians later, but you were singing in 1979,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19but what were your hopes in 1999?
0:07:19 > 0:07:25I remember the night the victory happened.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29After going through the nightmare of 1979,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I sat on my sofa at home, with my youngest in my arms,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and cried that night.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39I felt that something big had happened.
0:07:40 > 0:07:46Going to vote for the first time was also a cause for celebration.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I congratulate all the politicians
0:07:50 > 0:07:53for what they have done over the last 15 years.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I admire them.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59I have never wanted to go into the political world.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I am not creative enough.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08But I think the last 15 years, anything that has been...
0:08:10 > 0:08:14..created to help Wales has to be a good thing.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Rhodri Morgan, back in 1999,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Alun Michael and Tony Blair were against you.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23You were standing there and you got a good majority in that election.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27If I remember, 60%. What are your memories of that night?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32I remember winning in the end.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37I thought, after a few results coming out certain counties,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39we weren't going to win.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42We knew at five o'clock in the morning that Carmarthenshire
0:08:42 > 0:08:48had come in with a yes vote and we had got over the line.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52But the important thing, looking back,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56was that the no campaign made these claims that Wales,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00was a country that had such a north and south divide,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03and the Welsh speaking and non-Welsh speaking,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06we could never run Wales and it would we scandal after scandal,
0:09:06 > 0:09:11that non-Welsh speakers would never speak with Welsh speakers,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15that the north couldn't cooperate with the south.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Denying all those claims
0:09:19 > 0:09:20and the jobs for the boys,
0:09:20 > 0:09:25jobs for your mates especially in the Labour Party,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30so avoiding those kind of scandals
0:09:30 > 0:09:32and those nasty claims of the no campaign,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34that was the most important thing,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37because we have proved that that was not the case.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40The scandals in Scotland have been much worse,
0:09:40 > 0:09:46about the exams, about the votes in the 2007 election
0:09:46 > 0:09:50and the trams and so on.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53We haven't seen anything like that in Wales.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Let's bring Christine Humphreys in.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58What are the big successes of the Assembly so far?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I think it is the fact that it still exists.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Is that huge praise?
0:10:04 > 0:10:05I think it is.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08The Assembly is very young.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11It has had successes.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14I think most Welsh people
0:10:14 > 0:10:18feel very close to the Assembly now.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Has education and health improved?
0:10:21 > 0:10:23No, and those are some of the weaknesses.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Education and health services, there are problems.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29The challenge for the Assembly
0:10:29 > 0:10:35is to realise that it is all right to do things differently.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39That is the right that devolution gives you.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41But if you do things differently,
0:10:41 > 0:10:47you have to do things better or as well as England.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Has that happened, Rhodri Morgan?
0:10:50 > 0:10:51Your party has been in power.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55I think you make a huge mistake
0:10:55 > 0:11:00if you accept a measuring stick which has been set in England
0:11:00 > 0:11:03to measure success in England.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07And you accept a measuring stick like that
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and try to use it in Wales.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12That is never going to work.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16- But has education and health improved?- Yes.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Caryl Parry Jones, have they improved?
0:11:20 > 0:11:24I don't know exactly what is going on behind Assembly doors,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27just like I don't know what goes on behind hospital theatre doors
0:11:27 > 0:11:29or plumber's pipes.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31But I hear teachers complaining,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33although that is not an unusual thing.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38I hear headteachers say things are difficult at the moment.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39I hear doctors saying
0:11:39 > 0:11:45waiting times and so on are difficult.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48But I am not sure whether that is because of the Assembly
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and devolution or whether it would exist anyway.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I would agree with Rhodri Morgan.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Education and health are better than in 1999.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02That is mainly because we now spend more money on them,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05despite the cuts due to the increase in public spending
0:12:05 > 0:12:10that happened during Tony Blair's Labour government.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12But is devolution responsible for that?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Well, that is the question.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19I think it is fair to compare Wales and Scotland,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Wales and Northern Ireland, Wales and England.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Where it gets pointless, I think,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29is when you pick one statistic out or one measurement out,
0:12:29 > 0:12:34where Labour picks one where Wales has seen improvements,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Maybe the Tories would choose another where Wales looks worse.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41That is pointless, because we have to look at the thing as a whole.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43With regard to public services,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45they are better in Wales today than in 1999.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47But they are better in England as well.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Christine Humphreys, you are in Westminster in the second chamber.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53How does the level of discussion compare?
0:12:55 > 0:12:57It is very different.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03When I listen to some of the people in the House of Lords
0:13:03 > 0:13:06debating and discussing, I admire them very much.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09There is so much experience and ability there.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Not that that does not exist in the Assembly,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18but it is a different level.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21In a word or a sentence, Rhodri Morgan,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25what is your biggest disappointment about devolution?
0:13:25 > 0:13:29That the Welsh psychology has not changed.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32People in England do not compare what is happening in Wales
0:13:32 > 0:13:34with what is happening in England or Scotland,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36they don't care.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41In Wales, which is unique, I think within the UK,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45we tend to look over the border and say, that is happening in England,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47why is it not happening in Wales?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50That psychology has not shifted.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53The old colonial psychology.
0:13:53 > 0:13:59I think that is a huge challenge for the Assembly in the future.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02People who support the Welsh rugby team
0:14:02 > 0:14:05have their red dragon flags out on a Saturday,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08if England are playing in the European cup the next day,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11the Union Jack is out in the same window.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14People are still saying their Welsh language is not good enough.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17We have to remove their Britishness, in a way,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and encourage a Welsh identity.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I acknowledge that is a huge challenge for the Assembly.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Thanks. We have heard a lot from the arts world recently,
0:14:27 > 0:14:32with the celebrations to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36However, many theatres, museums and libraries
0:14:36 > 0:14:40face an uncertain future as local authority cuts bite.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45So how important is it to protect the arts when money falls short?
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Here is the view of the performer and artist Martyn Geraint,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51who is fighting to save his local theatre in Pontypridd.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04The first thing to say about the arts is that they are popular.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08People enjoy going to the theatre to see a play or even a pantomime.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12They like going to listen to music or to see pictures in a gallery.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And they are willing to spend money to do so,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19which shows its popularity - especially the Cardis!
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Even if the Welsh government didn't spend a penny on the arts,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27people would still want to perform, even in places like this.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The Welsh government has to see the importance of the arts.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42They give the Welsh council millions of pounds,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and people like me are very grateful that money.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49I'm among 6,000 people who depend on that money,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52but the arts can give an understanding of Wales to tourists,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54and if we have high standard works,
0:15:54 > 0:15:59we can take it out of Wales to show the world.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01But that work starts locally.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15And that is where the concern begins, because of politics.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20The obvious example in Pontypridd is the threat to the Muni Theatre.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It is an example of the cuts having an impact locally.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27We depend on public money in the arts,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and it worries me that only wealthy people will be able
0:16:30 > 0:16:33to afford to work in the arts in the future.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Something close to my heart, naturally,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43is the effect these cuts will have on children
0:16:43 > 0:16:45and children's education,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49because if children in Welsh schools cannot go to their local theatre
0:16:49 > 0:16:52to watch a show they enjoy in the Welsh language,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55then the Welsh language will turn
0:16:55 > 0:16:57into the language of school and statistics.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And once that happens, it is goodbye for us all.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Rhodri Morgan, as First Minister,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11how high on the list of priorities were the arts?
0:17:12 > 0:17:17They were not as high as health and education and economic development.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But they were quite high.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24In the end, we solved the problem
0:17:24 > 0:17:29that had been facing Wales for 25 years, and that was what to do
0:17:29 > 0:17:34about a permanent home for the Welsh National Opera.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36We did it in the end.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43I understand that money is tighter now than it was then,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48and we can see that there are threats to theatres in Cardiff
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and Pontypridd and other places, but we need a new model.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54But if you have to make cuts as a politician,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57the arts are an easy target.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Yes, but it is not about cuts, it is about looking for a new model.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05You can't just close theatres in Cardiff and the Muni in Pontypridd.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11What is the model? Bring the private sector in?
0:18:13 > 0:18:18Why should we bring the private sector in? I feel sad.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20There are two points here.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24One is...there is a quote from Winston Churchill, of all people.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Not that I agree with much he said.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Every time there is a threat to a theatre,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32a quote makes the rounds on social media
0:18:32 > 0:18:38saying that people in his Cabinet during the Second World War said,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41"Why don't we cut back on the arts to help the war effort?"
0:18:41 > 0:18:46And Winston Churchill said, "What is it we are fighting for?
0:18:46 > 0:18:48"Why are we fighting?"
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Why do we work? Why do we go out and earn?
0:18:52 > 0:18:56What is the point of having that livelihood?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59It is to feel better about ourselves.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03To fund our lives and enjoy ourselves.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- Everybody needs that leisure. - If you can afford it.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11Yes, but there are plenty of things that are affordable,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13like libraries and so on.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The second thing is, it is an industry.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20If you cut that industry, a lot of people will lose their jobs,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and they can't do anything else, like me for example.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25There are other models. If you look at the valleys,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28most of the theatres in the valleys - not the Muni,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30which happens to be an old chapel,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32but most of them are former mining halls.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37They were built by contributions and they were run by committees.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41If you look within the arts, there are charities
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and partnerships which can raise money locally.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Chapter in Cardiff is a massive success.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I was there lunchtime today.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54I think that's the best arts centre in Britain.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58It doesn't get a penny from the council.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02But how much choice do these councils have in reality?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- They have to keep a lot of the statutory stuff.- Yes.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12The things they are allowed to cut or close are in the minority.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15You have to look at theatres, libraries,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17leisure centres and so on.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I must say, from the councils' perspective,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25the Welsh government did give councils time to prepare.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29English councils have been facing these cuts for three years.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31The councils knew this was coming,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and so you have to ask of some councils,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38why wasn't that time afforded them by the Welsh government
0:20:38 > 0:20:41used to prepare for what was to come?
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Christine, we are talking about cuts, and yet we look at north Wales
0:20:45 > 0:20:49and there is a massive new PONTIO centre opening in Bangor.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Some councils are thinking imaginatively.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56They are.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01You were talking about some children not being able to go to theatres.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Some councils have come up with the idea
0:21:05 > 0:21:07of theatres coming to the school
0:21:07 > 0:21:12and actors coming to the schools to work with children.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19I think we in Wales are really lucky that we have the Urdd organisation,
0:21:19 > 0:21:25which helps children understand our culture
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and gives them an opportunity to act
0:21:27 > 0:21:32and sing and recite and draw and create models, whatever.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37And more than that, the people coming up with creative things,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41these are people creating things from nothing.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43For example, books for children. There's nothing there.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46They write a story and then children
0:21:46 > 0:21:49get that story to broaden their horizons.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54Finally this evening, does your boss keep sending you e-mails
0:21:54 > 0:21:56after you have left the office?
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Well, in the age of the smartphone, the Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards
0:22:00 > 0:22:05is calling on the UK government to follow France's example
0:22:05 > 0:22:08and ban employers from sending e-mails to their staff after 6pm.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It is hoped the idea will be discussed in the House of Commons.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Rhodri Morgan, do you e-mail in the night?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Not while I was working.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20I learnt to send e-mails after I retired.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24I used to like to have paper to rewrite letters from civil servants.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29I couldn't use the edit suite on the computer.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Could people get hold of you when you were gardening as a first minister?
0:22:32 > 0:22:37I send e-mails at night and during the day,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40but I send e-mails to my friends in the night.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43We only send each other funny ones after six o'clock.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I need to tell you a story.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49I remember being in Rhodri's house on the night he found out
0:22:49 > 0:22:52he was going to be able to form a government,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56because the Liberal Democrats had pulled out of the rainbow coalition.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Nick Speed, the ITV correspondent,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00had to stand on the gate to get a mobile phone signal!
0:23:00 > 0:23:05- That's right, yes. - Caryl, do you e-mail at all hours?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08I am guilty of being a slave to my phone.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11One of my mid year's resolutions is to use it less.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14As a freelancer, if somebody asked me at ten o'clock
0:23:14 > 0:23:19to do a job the next day for £100, I am going to be there.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Christine Humphreys, what about you?
0:23:23 > 0:23:28- Is Nick Clegg e-mailing you at night? - I have no idea. I think that I do.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30I must admit, I am one of those people,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34the last thing I do before going to sleep is check my phone.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37First thing in the morning after getting up,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40I check my phone to see whether there is any mail.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42I do e-mail at night.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47But I do not expect an answer until the next morning.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52- Caryl Parry Jones, is the balance right?- No.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56These smartphones contain so much information.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I was talking to a friend today who turned off their phone
0:23:59 > 0:24:02last night at ten o'clock. Somebody tried to phone her.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04She decided to ignore it,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and then the friend phoned again the next morning and said,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10"I knew you were there because you wrote something on Facebook."
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- So there is no escape. - And there's Lavinia.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16- AS LAVINIA:- You know, it's awful!
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Lavinia wouldn't know how to use it!
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Thanks. Rhodri Morgan, will you be e-mailing and tweeting tonight?
0:24:23 > 0:24:25No, I will be practising the piano.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- Really?- That's what I do last thing at night. Practice playing piano.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31That is a very good idea. Thank you to all our guests.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35And I'll be e-mailing the hens, telling them to lay eggs.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Do they ever reply? They tweet.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40That's it for this evening.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43There is no programme next Wednesday night.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47We will be back the following week to discuss the European elections.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Until then, from me and Vaughan, good evening.