We put our trust in Wales, and the people of Wales.

Speech by Michael German delivered to Welsh Liberal Democrat Party Conference on Sat 14th Oct 2006

"Dwi wrth fy modd bod yma yng Ngheredigion - etholaeth gyda aelod seneddol Dem Rhydd Cymru - Mark Williams.

Blwyddyn nesaf, gobeithio byddaf yn dweud: etholaeth gyda aelod Cynulliad. Nid oes gan John Davies y fraint I sypreisio Plaid Cymru, fel wnaeth Mark. Ond dwi'n hyderys bod John yn gallu ennill."

Welsh Party

"We must never be afraid to show that we are a distinctively Welsh Party.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Welsh Liberal Party.

A radical, non-socialist party, whose legacy we inherit, honour and build upon.

Too few people in Wales remember this history - and we must accept the blame for that. We have taken our Welshness for granted.

It is part of our heritage, our inheritance, the DNA of our party.

Lloyd George described himself as a "Welsh Liberal".

And I'm proud to call myself one too."

"You know, a lot of people think that in a Welsh election they should vote for a Welsh Party. I agree. They should. They should vote for the original Welsh Party. The party that puts the people of Wales first - The Welsh Liberal Democrats."

Developing Devolution

"To me, developing devolution means giving communities the right to acquire former-public buildings and retain them for a new public use.

So disused libraries or post offices could be taken on by a community trust in order to meet a specific need in their area.

As Liberals, we talk a lot about mutualism, and our support for the principles of the co-operative movement. We believe in that.

We believe in the common good of shared public spaces and community buildings.

We believe in taking power to the most effective level. The level closest to the people.

For too long our communities have been the victims of decisions made by others.

Let them be the decision makers.

"As well as empowering communities, I want communities to make power. Not just political power - electric power.

I want to be able to offer hard cash to communities and households that want to generate their own renewable energy. Because a community which makes its own energy goes green in other ways too.

They get green fever.

They get excited about recycling, energy conservation and buying local.

We must put our trust in Communities. Give them access to the cash which turns warm words in to warm homes."

Trust in Wales

We are offering something different. We are offering to put our trust in the voters.

We will put our Trust In business - by stripping away red tape and creating a liberal environment for enterprise.

We will put our Trust In teachers - by giving them a greater say over what they teach and how they teach it.

We will put our Trust In communities - by giving them greater control and ownership over their community's assets and facilities. And by encouraging them to develop energy supplies for themselves.

We will put our Trust In ambulance drivers - by giving paramedics greater freedom to give appropriate treatment.

We will put our Trust In the police to crack down on anti-social behaviour, without criminalising young people who are bored rather than bad.

We will put our Trust In school cooks - by enabling them to provide healthier meals for our children.

And we will put our Trust in all the people, by making sure everyone's vote counts when it comes to election time. Wherever you live.

We will Trust In Wales.

Coalition

"I want to make this crystal clear. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have not and will not be making any deals, with any party or parties, before the Welsh General Election.

We will fight this election on our values. A Liberal Democrat programme designed to create a fairer and greener Wales; A programme which puts trust in people to make decisions for their lives, their families and their communities.

Between now and May let me make it crystal clear.

No deals.

No discussions.

No distractions.

All my energies are focused on ensuring more Welsh Liberal Democrats come back to the Assembly.

Make sure your energies are focused on that too.

The more AMs we have, the more clout we will wield in the new Assembly. And the more of the good things in our manifesto we'll be able to deliver.