Summary

  • The Wales Report's Huw Edwards chaired a live debate from Cardiff's Sherman Theatre

  • The panel represented all six main parties standing in Wales - covering topics including the economy and the NHS

  1. Postpublished at 22:16 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    And that is it from the online team tonight - we hope you enjoyed the debate - there's plenty more coverage to come over the next six days as we continue to count down to next Thursday's election.

    If you are still hungry for more - join Felicity Evans now over on BBC Radio Wales - where she is taking your calls and views on how you think the party leaders performed.

    Felicity Evans programme
  2. Postpublished at 22:13 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    Both Stephen Crabb and Kirsty Williams had some uncomfortable moments in defending aspects of the record of the UK government. But on their own most-favoured territory (the economy for Crabb, and the NHS for Williams who has a long-standing expertise in this field) they landed some effective blows.

    For much of the night Leanne Wood seemed in quite reserved form. I was wondering whether she was running out of steam as we approach the end of the campaign. But perhaps she was just waiting her moment - for she had the most effective line of the night, when telling Owen Smith to 'time is up on taking people for granted', which seemed to get a big reaction from the audience.

  3. Postpublished at 22:13 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    I'm not sure that there was a clear winner of the debate. But I think there was a clear loser. Although he had some effective lines, Owen Smith of Labour did not have a good night overall. He was even forced onto the defensive during the section of the debate focussed on the NHS - which is supposed to be Labour's strongest territory. Labour remain in the lead in the Welsh polls, but I doubt that tonight will have done anything to strengthen their position.

    All the other leaders performed capably, I think. The least well-known, Pippa Bartolotti and Nathan Gill, both will have come over well to potential voters for their parties, I suspect. Gill has been notable in both this and the ITV debate for taking quite a softly-spoken approach - that contrasts with the more abrasive style of Nigel Farage in the Britain-wide debates.

  4. Postpublished at 22:11 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    So, what to make of the debate tonight?

    First of all, I think the audience was one clear winner. They seemed to be cut from very much the same cloth as the Question Time debate in Leeds last time: feisty and well-informed. Well done to them.

    All of the party representatives tried to focus on their party's strengths, as I suggested earlier. But I think they did so with varying degrees of success. There was, in the cliché always used about such events, no 'knock-out blow'. But both the representatives of the largest parties, Stephen Crabb for the Conservatives and Owen Smith of Labour, were put on the defensive several times - both by the audience and on occasion by their opponents.

  5. Postpublished at 22:11 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Before we wrap up for the evening - lets get to the final thoughts on the night from Prof Roger Scully, our resident expert from Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre

  6. Via Twitterpublished at 22:05 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Here's one of the final views from the audience on Twitter tonight: em @fluteandnut, external says: I didn't watch #WalesDebates but from my twitter everyone seems to have won. . .

  7. Postpublished at 22:00 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    That's it the debate is over - but were there winners and losers? The debate is continuing on BBC Radio Wales - and of course on social media - #walesdebates

  8. Postpublished at 21:59 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    FElicty

    And as Huw Edwards said - time now for BBC Radio Wales to take up the baton

  9. Postpublished at 21:56 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    The SNP can say what they like about the Barnett Formula, says Leanne Wood. She's interested in parity of funding with Scotland, and asks Owen Smith to "have a conversation" with Ed Miliband about ruling out a deal with Plaid Cymru.

  10. Postpublished at 21:56 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    That's your alternative, says Stephen Crabb, gesturing to Leanne Wood and Owen Smith - a squabbling coalition of chaos.

  11. Postpublished at 21:55 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    Leanne Wood had the best line of the night there, I suspect, on Labour 'taking Wales for granted'.

  12. Postpublished at 21:54 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Time is up, stop taking people for granted, Leanne Wood tells Owen Smith.

    Trying out some slogans for next year's Assembly election campaign?

  13. Postpublished at 21:49 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    The final question of the night is from Kyran Kimberlee - what'll happen in the event of a hung parliament?

  14. Postpublished at 21:46 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    I think that is the first time that a substantial part of the audience have openly laughed at a panellist. Not great for Owen Smith - and on the NHS part of the debate as well.

  15. Via Twitterpublished at 21:46 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Nick Servini
    Political editor, Wales

    @NickServini tweets, external: #WalesDebate dominated by welfare. Crabb came under sustained attack on issue. Slightly muted tone overall. Some good exchanges on economy.

  16. Postpublished at 21:44 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    The NHS is normally thought to be Labour's trump card - but I'm not sure that this discussion on it is going quite how they would have hoped.

  17. Postpublished at 21:43 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    I have diabetes, I love the NHS, says Nathan Gill. He says it's wrong to conflate criticisms of the service with attacks on the front-line staff or somehow talking down Wales.

  18. Postpublished at 21:38 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Mr Smith claims his mailbag has letters of praise for the Welsh NHS

  19. Postpublished at 21:36 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    Prof Roger Scully
    Cardiff University

    So, who wants to take on the challenge of explaining the Barnett Formula to the audience?

  20. Postpublished at 21:36 British Summer Time 1 May 2015

    In my mailbag, there are constituents who write every single week about the challenges of the NHS, says Stephen Crabb. You should seethe language voters themselves use in their letters, he says.

    Owen Smith unsurprisingly keen to talk about this.