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Lib Dems demand 'real solutions' Lib Dem leader 'no sleaze' appeal
(about 7 hours later)
The Welsh Liberal Democrats open their Spring conference with Kirsty Williams facing delegates for the first time as leader. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams told her party conference it was time to move away from spin and sleaze in politics.
The party are keen to stress policy changes could result from the debate and motions and want "real solutions". She told their spring conference in Cardiff there should be honesty and openness for schools and hospitals in money they can expect from government.
UK party leader Nick Clegg attended a question and answer session before the conference began in Cardiff. Kirsty Williams also stressed their pledge to scrap tuition fees for Welsh students.
Among motions is a call for more directly elected members of police boards in Wales. Ms Williams was addressing her first party conference as leader.
Kirsty Williams, AM for Brecon and Radnor, said the party encouraged debate among its members and one session is devoted to discussing party policy on prescription charges. She emphasised her party's commitment to new technology to reach potential voters, but also made an apparent reference to the current controversy in Westminster over scurrilous emails.
Currently the Welsh Liberal Democrats favour free prescription charges only for those who need them. "It is already clear that on blogs, on twitter and on YouTube, the old politics is proving to be as bereft of principle as it is of creativity," she said.
"This conference is about demonstrating how our values and principles which we hold very dearly can actually translate into real solutions to the problems that people face today," said Kirsty Williams. Without honesty and fairness there will be more promises broken, more irrational cuts, more trust squandered Kirsty Williams
'Bureaucratic' "We watch this tragic comedy unfold and find that when we talk straight, allow open debate and reject the politics of spin and smear our ideas are spread, shared and promoted further by a Welsh public desperate for honesty, substance and a clear sense of values."
She addresses the conference at a Cardiff hotel on Saturday afternoon. Kirsty Williams focussed on getting rid of tuition fees and giving schools more certainty when it came to fixing budgets.
She is likely to focus on the economic problems facing Wales and using the powers of the assembly to help businesses. "Without honesty and fairness there will be more promises broken, more irrational cuts, more trust squandered."
The party have contrasted the rapid rescue package for the banks with what they say has been the long-drawn out and bureaucratic process for helping people facing redundancy in Wales. "We would scrap tuition fees for Welsh students, we will be straight with our teachers and tutors about the money they will have to run their schools this year and next."
The Assembly Government's Pro-Act scheme to help re-train workers has been criticised as too bureaucratic by Kirsty Williams. She attacked what she said were the bureaucratic processes of the Welsh Assembly Government in helping to retrain workers.
In the motion on police reform it is proposed at least a third of police board members should be directly elected. Bail outs
Other motions focus on keeping families in their homes, tackling alcohol abuse and bringing 21st century jobs into Wales. "If you run a business and have waded through the red tape trying to apply for assembly government support, you will know that just a few hundred thousand pounds have actually been released.
Kirsty Williams hosted a question and answer session with Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg on Friday. "They might call it Pro-Act but it's looking more and more like Slo-Act to us."
She accepted it has been difficult for Mr Clegg to become established with voters. Addressing the financial crisis, Kirsty Williams advocated lower taxes for those in lower and middle income brackets and said banks should be better regulated.
"It is always difficult for a new leader of the Liberal Democrats to get themselves well-established in the minds of the electorate," she said. The banks should be given a choice between concentrating on High Street lending and taking high risks playing the markets, she said.
"It will take an election to do that, there's nothing unique to Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat leaders come to the fore during elections." "They can take these risks as long as they're completely detached from the High Street," she said.
The conference will be opened by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff Coun Kate Lloyd, and other speakers will include, Roger Williams MP, deputy leader of Welsh Liberal Democrats and Christine Humphreys, President of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The Welsh leader earned the loudest applause with her comment about no extra public money for banks.
"If things go wrong there will be no more bail outs," she said.
Earlier the conference debated motions on police accountability, keeping Wales's families in their homes, tackling alcohol abuse and making Europe work for Wales.
On Sunday the conference will be addressed by Roger Williams MP, deputy leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Christine Humphreys, president of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.