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I woke up yesteray morning in a B+B in Pembrokeshire to find the landlady in the kitchen leafing through the Sunday Telegraph.

I should explain that she is a landlady cum barrister, who tends to her garden and to people like me at weekends and who despite being of a certain age, still works as a barrister during the week in Cardiff. I get the impression that not much gets past her and that not much ever has got past her.

She is also the widow of a politician who might have become a Conservative MP himself had he not chosen to fight a seat that's been in Tory hands only once since it came into being - and that was some twenty years too late for our landlady to start worrying about allowances from the inside.

She knew personally one or two of those whose breakfasts on Saturday had, perhaps, been a little uncomfortable. "He was at Oxford, used to be all for the poor people" she chided "and just look at how much he's spent on his home!"

She had, however, had enough of the revelations. It was time to do something about it and the same went for Assembly politicians too.

She'd never been to the Senedd building. I urged her to pop in, wondered what she'd make of the glass walls, the open galleries, the chamber with its many vantage points. Yes, she said archly, she'd heard all about the idea of conveying transparency. Maybe it was me but she didn't sound convinced.

Next Monday you'll be able to go online and discover what your Assembly Member has claimed in the past financial year. If any of them have bought iPods or bargain pyrex dishes, you get the feeling they won't have claimed any public money for them this time round. If they've dared buy a sofa at all, it won't be one they'd be ashamed to tell their constituents they helped pay for, though it might be one they'd be ashamed to show their neighbours.

Online transparency here will reflect that of the Scottish parliament so if you want to get used to it, take a look at their guide .

But before you can say "Expense Headings Financial Year 2008/9 onwards" it'll be on to the verdict of Roger Jones and his panel of five who've been Their report will be made public in a fortnight's time.

Should AMs be allowed to buy a second home at all? Shouldn't they, instead, be given a contribution towards renting a property in Cardiff?

Should regional AMs work together and rent one office between them?

And should allowances be based on attendance? In other words could , only to be shouted down as "paying 'em just to turn up to work", come into force in the National Assembly? Hands up those of you already tempted to coin phrases about the Brussels gravy train coming, not to Westminster but to Cardiff Bay? Coin? Or should that read 'revisit'?

And what of the Assembly party leaders? Will they urge their groups to accept all of the recommendations, whatever those will be? Or will they take a risk and take on Sir Roger if they don't like his conclusions? "What and commit electoral suicide?" said one official this morning.

"By the way who is the MP for the constituency these days" asked the landlady - harking back to her husband's old stomping ground - as we left. I told her. "Never heard of him" came the response.

Pity the Telegraph journalist who'd have had to pick up the phone to this political wife.

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