25/01/2012

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0:00:03 > 0:00:07Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight we are at the Scottish Parliament here

0:00:07 > 0:00:17in Holyrood, asking what moves towards independence might mean for

0:00:17 > 0:00:26

0:00:26 > 0:00:31Today it became clear that the Scottish people will vote on

0:00:31 > 0:00:36independence in just over two years time. Our First Minister says that

0:00:36 > 0:00:40he would regret seeing Scotland leaving the United Kingdom.

0:00:40 > 0:00:44Scotland's future is a matter for Scotland but the constitutional

0:00:44 > 0:00:48debate is a matter for everybody. We all have an interest in what

0:00:48 > 0:00:53happens to the future of the UK. We will take a whistle-stop tour

0:00:53 > 0:00:57around Britain's centres of power. As well as the Scottish Parliament,

0:00:57 > 0:00:59we will have the reaction from Welsh MPs in Westminster and

0:00:59 > 0:01:03Assembly mentioned -- and Assembly Members.

0:01:03 > 0:01:09Also tonight: Empty properties on run-down high streets.

0:01:10 > 0:01:14A new report on saving our town centres from decline.

0:01:14 > 0:01:23And Wembley, here we come. Its penalty drama as Cardiff City wait

0:01:23 > 0:01:27to hear who they will face in the Cup final.

0:01:27 > 0:01:31Good evening. It is the latest chapter in the history of the

0:01:31 > 0:01:34United Kingdom. Scotland and whether its people want

0:01:34 > 0:01:39independence. This afternoon in the parliament behind me, the First

0:01:39 > 0:01:43Minister, Alex Salmond, revealed the question he wants to put to the

0:01:43 > 0:01:47people of Scotland in over two years time. Beer answer will

0:01:47 > 0:01:52certainly have profound implications for us in Wales. On

0:01:52 > 0:01:57the day a Plaid Cymru politician suggested we might face our own

0:01:57 > 0:02:03referendum on independent in around a decade's time. This beast does

0:02:03 > 0:02:05contain flash photography. Where better than the Great Hall of

0:02:05 > 0:02:10Edinburgh Castle than to Laud the great debate?

0:02:10 > 0:02:14Not a bad place to set out some grand ambitions. Alex Salmond set

0:02:14 > 0:02:18out his plans for Scottish devolution. His plans but ones that

0:02:18 > 0:02:25will have a profound event on the future shape of the UK. Where would

0:02:25 > 0:02:28more devolution for Scotland leave Wales? Valerie was once Alex

0:02:28 > 0:02:34Salmond's 8 in Westminster. She now lives in Cardiff and keeps a close

0:02:34 > 0:02:39watch on Welsh politics. I think is maybe an indication that

0:02:39 > 0:02:46devolution is, as is often said, a process, not an event. Devolution

0:02:46 > 0:02:52has now been in place for almost 12 years and we are seeing that those

0:02:52 > 0:02:56processes, the Kinks are being ironed out. The structures put in

0:02:56 > 0:03:01at first word quite working and his time to revisit those. Does that

0:03:01 > 0:03:04mean independence for Scotland? Further powers for Wales?

0:03:04 > 0:03:08With Scottish independence now a possibility, some would like to

0:03:08 > 0:03:11insulate Wales from creeping separatism, fearing change in

0:03:11 > 0:03:16Scotland will change Wales's relationship with England.

0:03:16 > 0:03:21The implications for Wales are clear. The change in the balance of

0:03:21 > 0:03:26power. Therefore, a question about representation. But what is the

0:03:26 > 0:03:32relationship between Wales and England? Labour has delivered

0:03:32 > 0:03:35majorities in the UK from Scotland as well as Wales. England has a

0:03:35 > 0:03:39natural Tory majority. It will be quite an interesting political

0:03:39 > 0:03:43balance. For better or worse, we have hung

0:03:43 > 0:03:47together as the nation of Britain or the United Kingdom for a very

0:03:47 > 0:03:55long time, hundreds of years. It has seen us through some very

0:03:55 > 0:03:58difficult times. World wars, the defeat of fascism, and I think

0:03:58 > 0:04:01anybody who knows anything about history must feel quite concerned

0:04:01 > 0:04:06about that. Carwyn Jones has already sounded a

0:04:06 > 0:04:10warning that this debate is, as he put it, to Scottish. A fundamental

0:04:10 > 0:04:13change to the way Scotland is governed would mean Wales

0:04:13 > 0:04:18relationships in the UK and its relationship to Westminster, how it

0:04:18 > 0:04:22is funded, would also change. Rhodri Morgan told me it's a

0:04:22 > 0:04:25Scottish road but not one that will affect Scotland alone. -- a

0:04:25 > 0:04:31Scottish vote. Where would it leave Wales and

0:04:31 > 0:04:34Northern Ireland if they vote for independence, I don't know. If

0:04:34 > 0:04:38Scotland those were independent, we are in an impossible situation. We

0:04:38 > 0:04:41need to make sure that question is flashing along the consciousness of

0:04:41 > 0:04:47the average voter before they get to the ballot box.

0:04:47 > 0:04:52And today a time the -- a sign the debate is shifting again with their

0:04:52 > 0:04:53plight Cymru candidate raising the possibility on a referendum for

0:04:53 > 0:05:01independence in Wales within the decade.

0:05:01 > 0:05:04Clearly, we have the vision for Wales to become an independent

0:05:04 > 0:05:11country and the people of Wales will ultimately decide whether to

0:05:11 > 0:05:14choose that past -- to is that part. How ready are the people of Wales

0:05:15 > 0:05:19for change in the United Kingdom? I think it's very happy and healthy

0:05:19 > 0:05:24for the UK. It's what we are all about. Scottish, Irish, English,

0:05:24 > 0:05:29Welsh. I think I would start that -- I

0:05:29 > 0:05:35would rather stay as part of the UK. Here in Scotland, there is a date.

0:05:35 > 0:05:40There will be a referendum in 2014. It is a long way off and

0:05:40 > 0:05:43politicians except there is a number of questions to be asked

0:05:43 > 0:05:48about what yes would mean or devolution would mean for the

0:05:48 > 0:05:52United Kingdom, let alone any detailed answers. Those questions

0:05:52 > 0:05:56will be about Scotland. Despite the answer is having a profound impact

0:05:57 > 0:06:01on the people of Wales. Joining me now is a man who has not just been

0:06:01 > 0:06:05watching events all day, he has been watching them in Scotland for

0:06:05 > 0:06:10many years. The assistant editor of the Scotsman. Was there anything

0:06:10 > 0:06:16unexpected? A lot of the detail, we knew was

0:06:16 > 0:06:21coming. I thought what was profound is we now can foresee a date, a

0:06:21 > 0:06:28month, anyway, when Scotland could potentially become independent. If

0:06:28 > 0:06:37Scots vote Yes in the referendum, by 20th May 16, Scotland could be

0:06:37 > 0:06:40leaving the United Kingdom -- by made 2016.

0:06:40 > 0:06:44Not just be found in Scotland but in England, Northern Ireland and

0:06:44 > 0:06:49Wales. The concern in Wales that the debate is too focused on

0:06:49 > 0:06:54Scotland and an issue which had profound implications on us as well.

0:06:54 > 0:06:56I understand that. I worked in Wales a long time ago but I

0:06:57 > 0:07:02understand the feeling of nationalism being different in

0:07:02 > 0:07:05Wales. I can't see that it won't have huge implications for Wales.

0:07:05 > 0:07:09The constitutional relationship between Wales and the rest of the

0:07:09 > 0:07:14UK will be different. If Scotland does the road for full independence

0:07:14 > 0:07:17but has far greater powers, but will also be the case. Wales has

0:07:17 > 0:07:23just had extra powers but you can't imagine the Welsh and the Northern

0:07:23 > 0:07:27Irish, possibly even the English regions wanting more power.

0:07:27 > 0:07:32Scotland leading the way but we don't know where we are going yet.

0:07:32 > 0:07:37We know where we are going now, to the Assembly in Cardiff Bay and my

0:07:37 > 0:07:44colleague, Vaughan Roderick. It won't surprise you to hear that

0:07:44 > 0:07:48centuries of history has been mentioned here all day today. It's

0:07:48 > 0:07:55a different story in Wales but is that important in this debate?

0:07:55 > 0:08:00I think it is. It is too easy to see Wales as being Scott and light.

0:08:00 > 0:08:05-- Scotland. The history of Wales is different. The relationship with

0:08:05 > 0:08:10different has always been closer and more complex. In Wales Today, a

0:08:10 > 0:08:15huge number of people who live here were born in England and many of us

0:08:15 > 0:08:19live within an easy drive of the English border. Any change in

0:08:19 > 0:08:28Scotland will affect us. Earlier I spoke to the First Minister, Carwyn

0:08:28 > 0:08:33Jones, about how he thought -- Ohio he saw things playing out.

0:08:33 > 0:08:39The polls suggest they wouldn't vote for independence. I would very

0:08:39 > 0:08:43much regret seeing Scotland leave the UK. We regret -- the London

0:08:43 > 0:08:47media sometimes see it as something between England and Scotland but

0:08:47 > 0:08:51Wales and Northern Ireland are also involved and any change on the

0:08:51 > 0:08:53status of Scotland is bound to have an effect not just in England but

0:08:53 > 0:08:59on Wales and Northern Ireland as well.

0:08:59 > 0:09:01Do you feel the UK government has been given -- have been giving due

0:09:01 > 0:09:06weight to Wales and Northern Ireland or have they been acting

0:09:06 > 0:09:10like an English element? I think the debate has been driven

0:09:10 > 0:09:14by Scotland and I think that is unfortunate because it is about the

0:09:14 > 0:09:18whole of the UK. Scotland's future is a matter for Scotland but the

0:09:18 > 0:09:24constitutional debate is a matter for everybody. We all have an

0:09:24 > 0:09:28interest in the future of the UK. If Scotland leaves, how would you

0:09:28 > 0:09:31seek the remaining United Kingdom, whatever you call it, working?

0:09:31 > 0:09:37Would they have to be changes in the relationship?

0:09:37 > 0:09:42Yes, there would. It can't carry on as it has in the past 90 years

0:09:42 > 0:09:47since the Republic of Ireland left. We are a long way from that stage.

0:09:47 > 0:09:51It seems to me the people of Scotland don't want independence.

0:09:51 > 0:09:58The Poles seem to suggest that. There is an appetite for more

0:09:58 > 0:10:02devolution in Scotland but my focus will be on insuring the UK is kept

0:10:02 > 0:10:07together for -- four different nations drawing strength from each

0:10:07 > 0:10:12other for the common good. That was Carwyn Jones. Joining me

0:10:12 > 0:10:21now is David Melding, Conservative am, and plied can reach their,

0:10:22 > 0:10:26Helen Mary Jones. -- and plied country chair.

0:10:26 > 0:10:30I think it gives Britain a new chance to regenerate itself and to

0:10:30 > 0:10:36really advance and insure that the nations of Britain succeed as well

0:10:36 > 0:10:40as the state of Britain itself. What does that mean to you if it

0:10:40 > 0:10:44doesn't mean independence? I think it will mean some form of

0:10:44 > 0:10:48federal state but people can get the birth -- the best of both

0:10:48 > 0:10:52worlds. They can be both Scottish and Welsh and British, they don't

0:10:52 > 0:10:57need to choose their national Celtic identity or whether they

0:10:58 > 0:11:02both want to be in Britain. Helen Mary Jones, we heard a call

0:11:02 > 0:11:05for a referendum in 2020 on independence. Is that any more than

0:11:05 > 0:11:09a foolish dream? I think it could possibly be sooner

0:11:09 > 0:11:14than that. Who better than the people of Wales to decide what we

0:11:14 > 0:11:20need to do to build a strong economy, the Ferrers society we

0:11:20 > 0:11:24know we can have. -- the fairer society. I think the impetus for

0:11:24 > 0:11:31the people of Wales to say, we want to be able to do that, will be much

0:11:31 > 0:11:37stronger. We have always believed to at Plaid Cymru we can build a

0:11:37 > 0:11:41stronger nation. I think this is an exciting time, the same as David

0:11:41 > 0:11:46Melding. Nobody would have thought in March last year that we would be

0:11:46 > 0:11:49debating these issues in Wales. Your colleague David Davies has

0:11:50 > 0:11:55described Britain and the United Kingdom as the Titanic, a matter of

0:11:55 > 0:12:01when, not if. Is he right? No, I have great confidence in the

0:12:01 > 0:12:05future of Britain. We need a really expansive vision that the ancestors

0:12:05 > 0:12:10who built Britain had. This is a challenge, no more than that.

0:12:10 > 0:12:17Thank you. That is it from Cardiff Bay. That's not the only place

0:12:17 > 0:12:21politicians have been reacting. Let's go over to Westminster.

0:12:21 > 0:12:25While the Scottish government has been setting out his plans, the UK

0:12:26 > 0:12:29government is stressing that the power to endorse the result of that

0:12:29 > 0:12:36referendum lies in Westminster. I am joined by the Wales minister,

0:12:36 > 0:12:42David Jones, Roger Williams. Carwyn Jones, there, stressing what

0:12:42 > 0:12:44happens in Scotland has a profound effect on the rest of the UK. Are

0:12:44 > 0:12:50you preparing for a life without Scotland?

0:12:50 > 0:12:53No, we are preparing to fight to keep Scotland within the Union. The

0:12:53 > 0:12:58people of Scotland should have a referendum which is legal, fair and

0:12:59 > 0:13:02decisive. We are pleased to say that Alex Salmond today appeared to

0:13:02 > 0:13:06recognise that he needs to work with the Westminster government in

0:13:06 > 0:13:10order to deliver a legal and fair referendum.

0:13:10 > 0:13:13Is it time to make a case for the union in Wales as well as Scotland?

0:13:13 > 0:13:17I think is time to make the case throughout the kingdom and I was

0:13:17 > 0:13:22pleased to see that Carwyn Jones was stressing the other day that

0:13:22 > 0:13:26Wales and the rest of the UK is much stronger with Scotland. We

0:13:26 > 0:13:29need to make the argument for the union but we need to get the

0:13:29 > 0:13:33process out of the way and get the issue of when and how the issue

0:13:33 > 0:13:37will be fought separately. Roger Williams, the Liberal

0:13:37 > 0:13:41Democrats have always been in favour of a federal United Kingdom

0:13:41 > 0:13:45so you must be quite relaxed? Available Democrat in the coalition,

0:13:45 > 0:13:49we support the right of the Scottish nation to have a

0:13:49 > 0:13:52referendum on this important issue. Along with my little Democrat

0:13:52 > 0:13:56colleagues in Scotland, we will be opposing the break-up of the United

0:13:56 > 0:13:59Kingdom because we believe nations are stronger when they are working

0:13:59 > 0:14:04together. Briefly, the tide seems to be

0:14:04 > 0:14:07flowing away from Westminster in terms of power. Is it going to be

0:14:07 > 0:14:11harder for Welsh MPs like yourself to have your say?

0:14:11 > 0:14:19There are many important things like defence, Farrant -- foreign

0:14:19 > 0:14:29affairs and macro economic issues. Wales will have a major influence

0:14:29 > 0:14:30

0:14:30 > 0:14:40The debate is certainly alive in Cardiff, Westminster and in

0:14:40 > 0:14:45Edinburgh. I enjoyed by Nicola McEwan from Edinburgh University.

0:14:45 > 0:14:52The question is very blunt. certainly is. Why it was proposed a

0:14:52 > 0:14:58couple of years ago, it was carefully crafted. This one today

0:14:58 > 0:15:05is much clearer, less ambiguous. The UK government called for

0:15:05 > 0:15:11clarity. It is difficult to challenge the clarity. But it will

0:15:11 > 0:15:16require a transfer of competence to be able to ask that question.

0:15:16 > 0:15:22Tonight, there is concern in Wales of the implications. To what extent

0:15:22 > 0:15:32will the Scottish people even think twice about that? You have to be on

0:15:32 > 0:15:34

0:15:34 > 0:15:40us. I do not think it will pay a super than grown in the campaign --

0:15:40 > 0:15:44significant role in the campaign. I am sure it will have profound

0:15:44 > 0:15:53implications in Wales but I do not think that will play a major part

0:15:53 > 0:15:57in the campaign. But is it for now from the Scottish Parliament. --

0:15:57 > 0:16:03that is it. A clearer national strategy is needed to save our town

0:16:03 > 0:16:06centres from decline. That's according to a report today from

0:16:07 > 0:16:09the Assembly's Enterprise and Business Committee. It says many of

0:16:09 > 0:16:12our high streets are blighted by empty properties and poor shopping

0:16:12 > 0:16:19environments. In all, the committee makes 20 recommendations. Caroline

0:16:20 > 0:16:25Evans reports. Lucy Jenkins is closing down on Saturday. She came

0:16:25 > 0:16:29to Caerphilly two years ago, hoping to expand her flourishing business.

0:16:29 > 0:16:36I cannot afford to stay here any longer. The town has died. It has

0:16:36 > 0:16:41gone. There is nobody here. Business rates are horrendous.

0:16:41 > 0:16:46Around the corner, Eddie Talbot feels equally aggrieved. When the

0:16:46 > 0:16:52committee visited the town today, he wasted no town -- no time

0:16:52 > 0:16:55telling them how things are. I went through the Times of Margaret

0:16:55 > 0:17:02Thatcher and the miners' strike and that was bad but this isn't

0:17:02 > 0:17:06entirely different. His words held no surprises. In Wrexham,

0:17:06 > 0:17:13shopkeepers say trade has moved into the new shopping centres on

0:17:13 > 0:17:18the edge of town. We have the cheap shops, shoe shops, there is nothing

0:17:18 > 0:17:23much in the centre any more. Every business has been affected by an

0:17:23 > 0:17:30outside shopping centre. problem facing our towns is big,

0:17:30 > 0:17:34says the committee chairman. But it is not all doom and gloom.

0:17:34 > 0:17:41financial situation is difficult, it is tight. The Welsh government

0:17:41 > 0:17:47has leavers adits depose will -- at its disposal. It could be just a

0:17:47 > 0:17:51small change to the regime. That could make a difference. In Swansea,

0:17:51 > 0:17:58they have already set up a book does business improvement districts,

0:17:58 > 0:18:04improving measures and taking boarded-up shops and dressing the

0:18:04 > 0:18:10windows to improve the city's image. Free parking has proved a hit. This

0:18:10 > 0:18:17is a complex issue. Some believe we should be pushing cars out of the

0:18:17 > 0:18:21town centre. Others argue what is needed is free parking. The Welsh

0:18:21 > 0:18:26government says each town has unique issues that require

0:18:26 > 0:18:30individual solutions delivered by local people. The government will

0:18:30 > 0:18:33consider and respond to the report in due course. Police are

0:18:33 > 0:18:37continuing to question a 26-year- old man over the murder of a woman

0:18:37 > 0:18:41in Carmarthenshire. The body of 67- year-old Irene Lawless was found at

0:18:41 > 0:18:44her home in Llanllwni on Monday. She's been described by her family

0:18:44 > 0:18:46as a peaceful person and loving mother. Two other men arrested on

0:18:46 > 0:18:50suspicion of assisting an offender have been released on police bail.

0:18:50 > 0:18:55All three were arrested in the Kent area, where Ms Lawless' car was

0:18:55 > 0:18:58also recovered. Opponents of a plan for a new super

0:18:58 > 0:19:01dairy in Welshpool have welcomed the Welsh Government's decision to

0:19:01 > 0:19:04call in the application for review. In November, Powys council's

0:19:04 > 0:19:07planning committee said they were minded to approve the �3.5 million

0:19:07 > 0:19:11scheme to more than double capacity at Lower Leighton farm to 1,000

0:19:11 > 0:19:19cattle. The farmer behind the project says

0:19:19 > 0:19:25he's confident it will eventually go ahead.

0:19:25 > 0:19:29I just feel that obviously they have got tight protocol to follow

0:19:29 > 0:19:33and they have called it in for those reasons but I do feel that

0:19:34 > 0:19:38once they see the true fact, they will see the benefits of this

0:19:38 > 0:19:43application. The Chief Executive of the Wales Millennium Centre in

0:19:43 > 0:19:45Cardiff is to leave his post after less than 18 months in the job.

0:19:45 > 0:19:48Mark Taylor, who was previously the commercial director at London's

0:19:48 > 0:19:50Barbican Centre, says he's leaving to concentrate on business and

0:19:50 > 0:19:53leisure events. A controversial housing development

0:19:53 > 0:19:56on the site of the former Stradey Park rugby ground has been given

0:19:56 > 0:20:00the final go-ahead after a High Court ruling. Planning permission

0:20:00 > 0:20:02for more than 350 homes on the Llanelli site was granted back in

0:20:02 > 0:20:052007. But campaigners, concerned about environmental damage and the

0:20:05 > 0:20:15risk of flooding, had taken legal action to try and stop the

0:20:15 > 0:20:16

0:20:16 > 0:20:21development. It has been a long battle and it has been going on for

0:20:21 > 0:20:27almost six years, involving a public inquiry and a number of

0:20:27 > 0:20:31legal Tangiers. The judgment will hopefully bring an end to it --

0:20:31 > 0:20:34legal challenges. Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay will head to

0:20:34 > 0:20:36Anfield tonight to find out whether his side will play Liverpool or

0:20:36 > 0:20:40Manchester City in next month's Carling Cup Final. The Bluebirds

0:20:40 > 0:20:43booked their place at Wembley in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. It's

0:20:43 > 0:20:46the first time the club has ever reached the League Cup final and

0:20:46 > 0:20:50their fourth trip to Wembley in as many years. Here's our sports

0:20:50 > 0:20:53reporter, Ashleigh Crowter. Penalties is a tough way to lose a

0:20:53 > 0:20:55football match but it sure feels good when you win. Goalkeeper Tom

0:20:55 > 0:20:59Heaton couldn't contain himself after Cardiff won last night's

0:21:00 > 0:21:09semi-final shootout. His mistake in the first leg more than made up for

0:21:09 > 0:21:14in the second, with two great stops that sent the Bluebirds to Wembley.

0:21:14 > 0:21:18We have done a great job. We put a list together and at the end -- on

0:21:18 > 0:21:24the night, I had that at the back of my mind and I just went for it.

0:21:24 > 0:21:28It went our way. To be frank, the match should never had to got to

0:21:28 > 0:21:30that point. Cardiff had levelled the tie after only six minutes.

0:21:31 > 0:21:35Crystal Palace goal scorer from the first leg Anthony Gardner heading

0:21:35 > 0:21:39into his own net. From that point there was only one team in it. But

0:21:39 > 0:21:42somehow Palace survived. Even when their captain paddy McCarthy was

0:21:42 > 0:21:50sent off, Cardiff still couldn't score, hitting the woodwork twice

0:21:50 > 0:21:53in extra time and doing everything BUT finding the back of the net. No

0:21:53 > 0:21:57wonder manager Malky Mackay cut a tense and animated figure on the

0:21:57 > 0:22:05touchline. It had looked as if it just wasn't going to be Cardiff's

0:22:05 > 0:22:10night. It goes through your mind but I have so much believe in them.

0:22:10 > 0:22:15There is great character in the team. There is resilience and they

0:22:15 > 0:22:19do not know when to lie down. The crowd tonight played their part and

0:22:19 > 0:22:24really push the team on. The spirit there tonight, a ferret -- a

0:22:24 > 0:22:27thoroughly deserved it. Afterwards, Mackay was quick to celebrate with

0:22:27 > 0:22:31the club's Malaysian owners who now expect interest in Cardiff City to

0:22:31 > 0:22:34soar in their home country. The club's first League Cup final on

0:22:34 > 0:22:36February 26th will be televised around the world where they'll play

0:22:36 > 0:22:46the winner of tonight's semi-final between Liverpool and Manchester

0:22:46 > 0:22:49

0:22:49 > 0:22:54City. Time now for the weather forecast

0:22:54 > 0:22:58It was mild in Scotland and Wales today. Temperatures in Cardiff and

0:22:58 > 0:23:02Edinburgh up to 11 Celsius. 52 Fahrenheit. But there is a change

0:23:02 > 0:23:06on the way. A cold front over Ireland is heading our way. That'll

0:23:06 > 0:23:15bring rain and introduce colder air. So this evening a spell of heavy

0:23:15 > 0:23:22rain. Lasting a couple of hours. Clearer weather following with a

0:23:22 > 0:23:26few showers. The wind easing once the rain clears and turning colder.

0:23:26 > 0:23:29Lowest temperatures around 2 Celsius with a risk of icy patches.

0:23:29 > 0:23:34Tomorrow's chart shows a trough of low pressure over us and that means

0:23:34 > 0:23:39unstable air, towering clouds and showers. Tomorrow morning you will

0:23:39 > 0:23:43notice the drop in temperature. It will feel noticeably colder. Some

0:23:43 > 0:23:45places will start dry and bright but not everywhere. There will be

0:23:45 > 0:23:53showers around for example in Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and

0:23:53 > 0:23:56Swansea. The showers will have a wintry flavour. So a mixture of

0:23:56 > 0:24:01sunshine and showers tomorrow. Some heavy showers with hail, thunder

0:24:01 > 0:24:06and sleet. Snow on the hills and mountains above 400 metres. Feeling

0:24:06 > 0:24:12chilly. Temperatures lower than today and breezy, especially along

0:24:12 > 0:24:22the south and west coast. Tomorrow night further wintry showers. Most

0:24:22 > 0:24:28of them in Mid Wales and the north. Friday a few showers. Mainly in the

0:24:28 > 0:24:32north and dying away during the afternoon. As for the weekend. Some

0:24:32 > 0:24:36uncertainty. On Saturday, there is a risk of rain. Sunday may become

0:24:36 > 0:24:45dry and colder. Next week, we could be in for a spell of cold easterly

0:24:45 > 0:24:47That's it from us in Cardiff. Now back to our main story tonight, the

0:24:47 > 0:24:50implications for Wales of Scotland's planned referendum on

0:24:50 > 0:25:00independence. Betsan Powys is at the Scottish Parliament for us

0:25:00 > 0:25:02

0:25:02 > 0:25:12tonight. Yes, we've heard a lot from our

0:25:12 > 0:25:16politicians tonight, but what do we all make of this in Wales? Alex

0:25:16 > 0:25:24Salmon says he is not surprised there is interest in Wales. -- Alex

0:25:24 > 0:25:30Salmond. One of the arguments being used in favour of legislative

0:25:30 > 0:25:40powers was that the loss last Assembly wanted to get equivalence

0:25:40 > 0:25:53

0:25:54 > 0:25:58with the current powers in Scotland -- National Assembly.

0:25:58 > 0:26:01What do the people of Wales make of all of this? We sent Matthew

0:26:01 > 0:26:04Richards to get a snapshot of opinions in a typical Welsh village

0:26:04 > 0:26:14with a typically English name. Just a few miles from Abergele, St

0:26:14 > 0:26:15

0:26:15 > 0:26:20George has a church, a restaurant and a school. Does this St George

0:26:20 > 0:26:27think the Welsh Dragon should seek independence for? Do the residents

0:26:27 > 0:26:32think these children could or should grow up in a separate state?

0:26:32 > 0:26:38We have a Welsh Assembly, people of Wales have their own voice and

0:26:38 > 0:26:42representation. We have not got so much money as opposed to Scotland.

0:26:42 > 0:26:46They are a larger country. By being linked to the UK government still,

0:26:46 > 0:26:50we will still reap the benefits and we would have the best of both

0:26:50 > 0:26:57words -- world. The man in the street also thinks we're better off

0:26:57 > 0:27:00as we are. We are quite happy being part of the British Isles. I do not

0:27:00 > 0:27:04see any massive benefit of leaving England. But the idea of

0:27:04 > 0:27:10independence has given one villager food for thought. My mum and dad

0:27:10 > 0:27:15have lived here all their lives. I would like Independence personally

0:27:15 > 0:27:19but I think we do not have enough money really to sustain it. I liked

0:27:19 > 0:27:23the way they are trying to do it but I think we should stay as we

0:27:23 > 0:27:28are. St George it appears isn't ready to cut its ties just yet.