Question: What is your advice to the new leader of the Scottish parliament?

Rhodri Morgan: One thing I do know is that this first piece of advice is wholly superfluous; it is to learn from and build upon the legacy inherited from Donald Dewar. History will one day tell how Donald, working initially with John Smith, did not just change the nature of Scottish politics but was also pivotal in creating the very necessary decentralisation of the whole British state. Because of Donald Dewar Scottish, British and Welsh government and politics will never be the same again.In the spirit of devolution the new leader should seek advice primarily from within Scotland itself. Scotland benefits from having more developed institutions of civic society than Wales. It is from the dynamism of the Scottish people that the Parliament and the leader will learn how to take Scotland further forward.

The National Assembly for Wales has only been in place for 18 months. It will be a little while yet before we can confidently advise other countries. But I suggest that it is a mark of successful devolution that once we have broken down the rigid controls of a centralised state we then have the self-assurance to build bridges between the various devolved parts - devolution is not separation. It is about having living laboratories in the different parts of the islands of Britain from which we can all learn lessons.

Question: What should be their first priority?

Rhodri Morgan: I am not sure that one national administration should advise another on priorities. A key priority of my leadership is to give the people of Wales the confidence to look forwards, not backwards. I need to share a vision of a people who have all developed their skills to participate and compete in the global economy and yet sustained successful and diverse local communities which provide real quality of life. As a political leader I need to share this vision both with the people of Wales and with people everywhere else in the world. Explaining the potential of Wales to others is one of my priorities.

Question: How does he avoid being labelled a "Blair puppet" whilst remaining true to new Labour principles?

Rhodri Morgan: I have been accused of many things but being a Blair puppet is not one of them. Leaders of the new devolved administrations must be seen clearly to base their actions on the needs and political processes of their own countries. I am convinced that this is the reality of devolution in Scotland and in Wales; it is only the media that invents its fantasies of puppetry. When our Labour policies reflect the future needs of our people in this rapidly changing world - they are inevitably new rather than old. We should all stop inventing ideological schisms where none exist.

Question: How should they handle relations with London

Rhodri Morgan: With confidence, self-assurance and a spirit of comradeship; a willingness to learn and a readiness to teach - but often in such a subtle way that London actually thinks it is doing the teaching; it often works better that way!

Question: Has the National Assembly for Wales been damaged by not following Scotland's lead and entering into a formal coalition immediately after the Assembly election?

Rhodri Morgan:Our different nations can always learn from each other but very rarely can they mimic each other. Labour in Scotland had developed a positive relationship with Scottish Liberal Democrats through the constitutional convention and other means. Wales had no such recent experience. Labour and Liberal Democrats in Wales had similar progressive values but we had co-existed rather than formed any working relationships.

The partnership we formed this month was born of the experience of working together in the Assembly. It could not have been formed in advance of that experience. There has been no damage in waiting until the foundations of a successful partnership were in place.