One Wales government keeping two parties together but failing to stop Wales falling apart - Kirsty

12.00.00am GMT Tue 17th Mar 2009

After the Welsh Liberal Democrats' last minute intervention in the House of Lords to prevent Labour-Plaid's twisted form of devolution being passed, Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has hit out against Plaid Cymru and the One Wales government for failing to stand up for Welsh devolution and for selling-out their values and principles just to stay in government.

From their controversial u-turn on top-up fees, their fatal climb-down on Housing veto powers, their failure to provide the promised daily Welsh language newspaper to their latent attitude towards further powers for Wales, Plaid Cymru, in coalition with Labour, have a long and growing record of unacceptable compromises, let downs and policy u-turns to the detriment of Welsh devolution and the people of Wales.

Kirsty Williams said:

"It's very worrying that these Ministers are selling out their core values and principles for the lure of ministerial cars and maintaining their position as a governing coalition. It's not good for Welsh devolution and it's not good for the people of Wales.

"I understand that being in a coalition government requires give and take but the deals being made in government backrooms are not serving the people of Wales nor Welsh devolution.

"This was clearly demonstrated when the Plaid Cymru Housing Minister allowed the Secretary of State for Wales to have a veto over future Welsh laws. That fatal Plaid Cymru climb-down put the Welsh devolution process in a very fragile situation.

"We already know that the Labour Party is happy to stall devolution but for a Plaid Cymru Minister, the party who are calling for independence, to betray the principle of devolution is shocking.

"Plaid Cymru went in to coalition with a firm manifesto commitment of opposing top-up fees, promising to deliver for the students who voted for them, and now, half way through their term in office, they abandon that policy. How can Plaid Cymru be trusted to keep their word in election pledges in the future? Their manifesto won't be worth the paper it's written on.

"It takes a strong party to keep its promises both in principle and in practice and we're not seeing this in the One Wales government.

"Wales deserves to be governed by people with principles and strong core values, values that they will fight for - something that is quite lacking in the One Wales government."