Jenny Randerson A.M. is one of two candidates in the contest to become the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
This is her interview she gave exclusively to me and exclusively to the Blogosphere.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL MOTIVATION FOR STANDING FOR THE LEADERSHIP?
JENNY ;I am tired of the way that politics is failing Wales. I want to make Wales a place where people are empowered and communities are given the tools to make their own decisions. But to be able to do this, our party needs to change. I want to change our ambition and lead us back into Government. I believe that this country will be better off with us in power. It will be fairer, more prosperous and greener , with local communities empowered along with the people who live in them.
I've done many things in my career. From being the only female Liberal or Liberal Democrat Minister in British history , to delivering an awful lot of leaflets. But now, I want the chance to use my vision and experience to turn our party into a winning machine. Winning more seats at all levels, but above all, winning for Wales.
UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP,HOW WILL THE WELSH LIB DEMS GO FORWARD?
JENNY; Over the last ten years, we have progressed very strongly in every level of Welsh politics except one. We have come close to increasing our seats in every Assembly Election, but never quite done it. If I'm elected, I will set a very clear target of doubling our Assembly Group in two elections. Targets themselves are not enough though. I will review the party's processes and make them fit for the job of achieving this. We have professionalised large parts of the party, but not all parts and we'll need to do this if we are to achieve such an ambitious target. We need to look at how we get more members, more campaigners and how we can best take the fight to the other parties. My review of how we do things will be far reaching, because we cannot risk being left behind. A liberal force for Wales is too important.
In terms of our policy, I'm a liberal so I can't change what we say or believe, but I can change how we say it. I want to make us a party with a very clear message of empowerment, localism and environmentalism. At the moment, our voice is sometimes lost in the crowd and that has to change. I believe that we need to take on the cosy consensus and provide a Welsh voice that isn't obsessed with independence, staying in power at all costs or trying to make amends for Thatcherism. Politics in Wales is bankrupt and we need to offer an alternative and gain people's trust. If we can begin to gain that trust, we'll move forward very quickly.
WHAT DO YOU ENVISAGE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR A WELSH POLITICIAN IN THE NEXT DECADE?
JENNY; First of all, making sure that Wales gets through the next few years of financial turmoil in as painless a way as possible. Whatever the Labour party say to people about it all being international, they are responsible for large parts of it. Vince Cable was warning years ago that the economy was in a bubble that would burst, but Labour and the Tories mocked him.
By ensuring that Wales gets through the next few years with as few job losses as possible and that as many people as possible can pay their bills, we can lessen the long term problems for Welsh society. As we come out of the recession, I believe we have to build a new, more sustainable Welsh economy. There is a great opportunity to build a green economy here by making use of new technology and creating green jobs.
There is also the very important issue of fighting for a final devolution settlement that will make the assembly a place that can really change people's lives for the better.
WHAT VISION DO YOU HAVE FOR THE WELSH LIB DEMS BY 2015?
JENNY; I want us to have achieved what I have always worked for, making this country a better place for all. At some point before 2015, this country has to have a debate on a final settlement for devolution. I hope by 2015 I will have had the chance to play a leading role in winning support for the Welsh Liberal Democrat model of devolution, a Senedd with proper powers to make Wales a better place. A Senedd in a country which is comfortable with its place in the UK, Europe and the wider world. Only once we have the powers to change people ' s lives properly and forever can we make the difference.
By 2015, I want to achieve my lifetime dream. I want the Welsh Lib Dems to be changing Wales forever. Changing Wales into a country that is a fairer, greener place to live. A party that is strong, both electorally, but also in terms of our influence. I've said before that we have to change our ambition and work towards getting into Government. You can never guarantee that we'll be in government in 2 years or in 6 but if we meet my aim of doubling our number of AMs, we'll be in a strong bargaining position to get there
HOW IMPORTANT WILL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES BE TO YOUR LEADERSHIP?
JENNY; It 's very tempting in tough economic times to abandon your environmental commitments. We are sadly already seeing some European countries doing this and I want to make sure that this doesn't happen in Wales. I've already mentioned the need to build a green economy and jobs in Wales. We have a proud record as a party on environmental issues, dating back to long before it was cool to be green. We have a strong commitment through existing policies like energy independence and renewables, but I want to take that further. I want to see if we can draw down our commitment as a UK party to make it pay for people to go green. Obviously we don't have powers over tax yet, but I'm really keen that we look at business rates and our plans for Local Income Tax to see if there is a way to do the same through the Assembly.
I am confident that Wales can lead the world towards a cleaner, greener future for our planet. But we need a political force that are not fair-weather environmentalists but will put the planet at the heart of everything we do, whatever the economic, social or political circumstances. That can be the new Welsh Lib Dems.
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