What kind of government are we about to get?

THOSE people watching the leaders’ debate on BBC Wales this week will probably have already made their minds up on who they’re going to vote for in the Assembly elections next week.

Such is the nature of political coverage in the media.

Unless you’re interested in the stuff these people are talking about, and often it’s not really the type of thing that captures the imaginations of many, then you’re likely to switch over, turn the page of the newspaper, or click on another story instead.

That’s the great difficulty for politicians in this election, it’s difficult for them to press home how important it is to vote when – rightly or wrongly – people have never been so cynical about politics and when politicians themselves have never been so toxic.

Anyway, back to the debate – for my money the best performers were Carwyn Jones, Kirsty Williams and Leanne Wood.

Leanne’s had another impressive campaign – just as she did in the general election last year. There are few people as endearing in public life these days.

I’m sure there are many in the Labour ranks who wish she’d followed a different political path, given her socialist leanings.

Kirsty, as ever, was good on health and is undoubtedly the best politician the Lib Dems have in Wales.

Carwyn, meanwhile, showed the calm intelligence we’re used to from the Welsh Labour leader. After setting the agenda on health, he faced up to scrutiny from his opponents on his administration’s record on education.

It will be interesting to see the kind of government we get following next week’s vote. And how the Ukip dynamic plays out in the Senedd over the next five years.

Now that’s a really terrifying prospect.