Piecemeal populism is failing to give Wales direction - German

3.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th Jul 2005

Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly leader Mike German has branded Rhodri Morgan's mishandling of the ASPB merger as emblematic of his administration.

Speaking in a debate about the First Minister's annual report, Mr German condemned the "piecemeal populism" of Labour's approach to government, and claimed the best achievement of the year had been forced on the government by opposition parties.

He said: It is instructive that the greatest achievement of this term - the abolition of top-up fees for Welsh domiciled students attending Welsh universities was something somewhat forced upon you.

"To paraphrase Shakespeare - some are born with great ideas, some achieve great ideas, others have great ideas thrust upon them.

"It is to your credit that you embraced the idea when it was thrust upon you. It is a pity that you could not have come to it alone."

On the badly-thought out decision to attack the quangos, Mr German said the approach was typical of the Labour government.

"You have undertaken what you like to call the "defining project" of this second Assembly. You are right, of course. The shambolic progress of the ASPB mergers, announced almost 12 months ago out of a clear red sky, is truly defining your administration," he said.

"Where you could have offered leadership in a popular cause, you have brought muddle and uncertainty. Here was an opportunity to develop a distinctive Welsh approach to service delivery, which would enthuse the organisations and the staff within them.

"Instead you dropped a bombshell on the three biggest agencies, and now wonder why their morale was detonated in the explosion."

Mr German also condemned the government's failure to meet its election pledges.

"The First Minister likes to tell us about the progress he's made on the feel-good pledges wheeled out for the 2003 election, but as far as I can see there is little to show for a set of intentions.

"The ten pledges are still there, most are still not enacted beyond a pilot scheme here and a pilot scheme there. We've got more pilots than the Top Gun academy, yet few of the First Minister's ideas have really taken off."