We need more powers

Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Welsh nationalists' leader, argues his case.

Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Leader, Plaid Cymru

ANDREW MARR: Now local elections in ten days' time are unlike other parts of the UK.

In Wales every council's up for grabs.

The Welsh Nationalist star's been on the rise, they share power with Labour and the Welsh Assembley.

Well Plaid Cymru's leader is Ieuan Wyn Jones and he joins me now from Bangor. Good morning to you.

IEUAN WYN JONES: Good morning Andrew.

ANDREW MARR: Now, you are in government in Wales alongside with Labour.

Is that going to be a problem for you in these local elections, will it drag you down?

IEUAN WYN JONES: Yes, just before I start can I just send my own personal congratulations to Joe Calzaghe for that fantastic win in Las Vegas. He's done Wales proud again.

In terms of being able to fight Labour in local council elections, well of course we're only in coalition with them in the Assembly and I think we're bringing a new sense of purpose and direction to government there.

But obviously in terms of the local government elections we are different parties and fighting each other very hard indeed in all parts of the country.

ANDREW MARR: Now you're in power in this One Wales Coalition, you call it, and one of the things you've said you want to do is to have a referendum in Wales to get more powers for the Assembly, make it much more like the Scottish Parliament. Realistically, what do you think your prospects are of getting that?

IEUAN WYN JONES: Well, what we've agreed in the One Wales document of course is that there should be a referendum, at or before the end of this Assembly term which is obviously in May 2011 provided of course that the people of Wales, if we can track it, are in favour of it.

So obviously currently there is fantastic support for it, support for it is growing because people I think recognise now that in order to deliver many of the things that we even want to do in the One Wales Agreement we need more powers and if we had legislative powers like the Scottish Parliament then we'd be able to do a lot more.

ANDREW MARR: You are the second party, the smaller party in this coalition. Do you look up to what's going on in Scotland with Alex Salmond and the Scottish Nationalists there with a sense of green envy, if I could put it that way?

IEUAN WYN JONES: Well obviously I'd like to congratulate Alex and the team up there for doing a fantastic job in the first year. But I mean politics in Wales and Scotland are different and we are where we are and obviously we've not the largest party after the Assembly elections 12 months ago but obviously, you know, we felt that we wanted to make a contribution in government.

I'd always made it clear that I was prepared to talk to people to deliver change in Wales, to deliver making a real difference and obviously to provide stable government, and the fact that we have that stable government in Wales means that we can do a lot more things particularly in the Health Service, housing and so on.

ANDREW MARR: You wanted to bring in, fund a Welsh language newspaper - you haven't been able to do that. In any way have you made Wales more Welsh by being in power?

IEUAN WYN JONES: Well it's about delivering services isn't it really? It's about making it clear that you have things like the Health Service, like education, and like transport, like business - doing things that actually change people's lives.

And obviously by doing that you show that you have greater confidence in your nation and of course we've had tremendous sporting success this year which I think raises the confidence of the people of Wales. So I think we are making that difference, it's only by proving...

ANDREW MARR: OK.

IEUAN WYN JONES: ... that we can do these things that we can ask the people of Wales to give us more powers.

ANDREW MARR: Punching above your weight, Ieuan Wyn Jones thank you very much indeed for that.

IEUAN WYN JONES: Thank you.

INTERVIEW ENDS

Please note "The Andrew Marr Show" must be credited if any part of this transcript is used.

NB: This transcript was typed from a recording and not copied from an original script.

Because of the possibility of mis-hearing and the difficulty, in some cases, of identifying individual speakers, the BBC cannot vouch for its accuracy

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