Investigation: Lord Richard of Ammanford

Indeed, it's difficult to think of anyone more suitable for this job than Lord Richard who, after all, has been the UK's permanent representative at the United Nations and a European commissioner.

If it's experience of ill-feeling, intrigue, bureaucracy, special pleading, bitter rivalries and cultural misunderstandings you're after, then he's your man.

He's a distinguished lawyer, too, experience that will be particularly valuable in trying to unravel the intricacies of this investigation.

After all, assembly members can't agree on what their powers are at the moment, never mind what they should be in the future.

In the context of lawyers, by the way, and given the assembly's commitment to openness, it's interesting to be told that Lord Richard will be paid a "daily rate" for his duties as chairman but not what that daily rate actually is.

Well, as I say, he's well qualified for this task except perhaps in one respect. Lord Richard lost his seat in the Commons in 1974 because of boundary changes and never won another.

'Indiscreet book'

The pain was considerably eased by the high-profile and well-rewarded jobs he was given instead, but British domestic politics still had a considerable attraction for him.

So it must have been a particular satisfaction in 1997 to make it into the British cabinet at last as leader of the House of Lords. It didn't last long. In the summer of 1998 Tony Blair sacked him.

The reasons are obscure, but perhaps as much connected with Lord Richard's style as his abilities.

It was no secret, though, that he was very angry about the whole business, something made very clear by an indiscreet book later published by his wife.

Because of this it's being suggested by some people that any report produced by Lord Richard will get short shrift in Downing Street where agreement would be necessary for changes to the powers of the Welsh assembly.

Power struggle at the assembly

Appointing him as chairman of the commission is a way, as the political jargon has it, of kicking the whole business into the long grass.

There are a number of reasons for thinking that is not the case.

Most important is the fact that once you have opened this particular box it's very difficult to get the lid back on again.

Once there is a report, whatever it says, then the argument will begin with full vigour.

We can say this with confidence because it's already happened.

The royal commission on the constitution, set up by the Labour government in 1969, was a traditional device intended to delay matters in the hope that the whole business would go away.

Political circumstances meant it did no such thing.

In its turn the 1979 referendum was meant to be decisive, and certainly many people (myself included) thought the idea of a Welsh assembly would not resurface in our lifetimes.

Twenty years later, though, it was being opened by the Queen.

Simply appointing a commission at all is a political act that implies things won't stay the same.

If the commission recommends only minor changes there'll be a row; major changes and there'll be a different kind of row.

Agreement is highly unlikely. If he can sort this lot out Lord Richard will certainly have earned his daily rate.

Patrick Hannan's weekly political programme, Called to Order, is live on Radio Wales, 93-104FM, 882 and 657AM, and DSat channel 867.

You can also listen to BBC Radio Wales live online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/live/rwv5.ram.

e-mail: order@bbc.co.uk