Kirsty Williams 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?
KIRSTY; Anyone who knows me knows that I am driven by my passion for people and for politics. Of course it is the Liberal Democrat brand of politics that I believe can affect real change for people, their families and their communities.
Any leader must be able to hold their own with their opponents and I have proved that I can do that both in the Assembly and out on the campaign trail. However a new generation of party leaders is on its way here in Wales and I want to be there fighting for the Welsh Lib Dems and fighting for the people of Wales.
I worry that so many people no longer trust politicians or see how what we do is relevant to their lives. They want and need a politics that works for them – not gimmicks and route maps, but real solutions. The same old people doing the things the same old way can’t give us that change.
If a leader cannot be enthusiastic about his or her politics how can we expect anyone else to be? I believe I have that energy, passion and enthusiasm and can use it to take our party forward.
UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP HOW WILL THE WELSH LIB DEMS GO FORWARD?
KIRSTY; My leadership campaign is all about raising the aspirations of this party. I believe that the approach taken by Mike German has delivered great success, but now we need something new and fresh to take us to the next level. We are at our best as a party when we are campaigning at a local level whether it is in the cities and towns or the villages of rural Wales. When we are demonstrating to the electorate that their concerns are being listened to and acted upon. We have to work along side communities to deliver the best solutions that work for them recognising that one size does not fit all.
So many people in Wales come from that radical tradition, that Liberal tradition – but somehow our message has been lost to them. We have to re-establish in the minds of the Welsh electorate that we share those common values But to deliver this message we need to enthuse our members and our activists and a leader must do this by example.
I want to ensure that the leadership hears our members voice too. I think it can be all too easy to get caught up with what is happening in the Cardiff Bay bubble and become detached from the challenges and issues being faced by our campaigners and the people they meet and work with. I will set up new forums and mechanisms to ensure that never happens under my watch.
At the same time we must become a more inclusive party that talks, not just to its own members, for hours and hours over its own constitution, but reaches out to people. I would ensure that our AMs and MPs do more across Wales. It’s time we got out of Cardiff and Westminster and reached out beyond the comfort zone
We have prided ourselves over the years in being at the cutting edge of campaigning, but the other parties now copy many of our ideas. We must keep ahead of the game and embrace the very latest campaigning tools and communication methods to get our message across to the public.
WHAT DO YOU ENVISAGE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR A WELSH POLITICIAN IN THE NEXT DECADE?
KIRSTY; Firstly it has to be the economy, and not just because we face unprecedented turmoil in the global financial systems. For too long Wales has languished at the bottom of too many league tables that measure prosperity, economic activity and skill levels. Many of our communities are still dealing with the legacies of previous recessions let alone the one that is headed our way. I appreciate that the Assembly does not have control over many of the leavers needed to affect change in this area, but the ones it does have such as European structural funds, regeneration and education they have not used to best effect.
A decade of Labour here and in Westminster has left us with greater inequality than we had under the Tories. Child poverty levels haven’t fallen for the last two years and the greatest influence on a child’s educational attainment is not their innate ability but their family income. This cannot be right. It is the job of Government to address these issues of poverty and social inclusion.
Of course the Assembly’s ability to address any issue is hampered by the grotesque complexity of the devolution settlement we are currently working under. The requests for extra powers that the WAG take cap in hand to London, are held by an unholy alliance of devo-sceptic Tory and Labour M.P.’s Labour have failed Wales on devolution and until we have a parliament along the same lines as Scotland we will continue to have an Assembly which is straight jacketed in its ability to affect real change. We must fight for a yes campaign and we must win it.
WHAT VISION DO YOU HAVE FOR THE WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS BY 2015?
KIRSTY; The Welsh Liberal Democrats are already a party of government in our cities and councils across Wales, but by 2015 I see us as a party putting our radical policies and ideas into action at all levels of government and transforming our country. This is not going to be an overnight task – that’s why I am in this for the long haul.
We see lifelong Labour voters in despair looking for an alternative. When they hear our message in Swansea west and Newport East – they like it. We have to seize these opportunities at the next General Election.
` At the Assembly level we cannot accept that six is our glass ceiling. We must change how we campaign under the Assembly’s voting system and not only have capitalised on our Westminster gains but ensure our numbers increase, by retaining our list seats as well. For the Assembly elections of 2015 we must have the opportunity to campaign on our record in Government over the previous four years.
By that time we will once again be gearing up to Local Government elections, (of course our Assembly group will have introduced PR for these elections by then!) and I am confident we will be able to campaign on a successful record of delivery. There will be no "no go" areas for us and that we will be defending wards in every local authority in Wales.
We will still be a campaigning party in 2015 and one that is viewed by the people of Wales as a party people can trust. A party that has reached out beyond its traditional support and demonstrated to the people that there is an alternative. I want us to a vibrant party with a an even greater stake in running local councils, a presence in Europe and an Assembly group invigorated with new members implementing Lib Dem policy from within Government. Our membership will be larger and more diverse, our communications and public presentation will be more professional and we will have relit the torch of Liberalism in this Country
HOW IMPORTANT WILL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES BE TO YOUR LEADERSHIP?
KIRSTY; The Welsh Liberal Democrats have traditionally been at the forefront of campaigning on environmental issues and we must continue to be so. The challenge of combating climate change is central to building a green sustainable economy in Wales I will work within our party at all levels to lead the debate and the policies to reduce carbon emissions. My children deserve politicians who are willing to tackle sometimes controversial decisions and are serious about combating climate change. For their sake and for the most vulnerable and poorest who often pay the highest price for environmental degradation I am determined to build a better quality environment
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