Ieuan Wyn Jones says Plaid has to move on from opposition

Plaid assembly group leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said the party must put unity and discipline at the top of its agenda.

Mr Jones spoke out at Plaid's annual conference in Aberystwyth amid intense speculation about the party leadership.

He said: "If you are asking people to trust you with government, they must trust you as a party first."

Plaid has been riven by disputes about its leadership structure.

What our party members don't want is Plaid Cymru members arguing amongst themselves Ieuan Wyn Jones

One former party president, Dafydd Wigley, has warned that it faces an "horrendous" future without change, and another, Dafydd Elis-Thomas refusing to rule out the prospect of standing again for the presidency next spring.

Much criticism focuses on the fact that the president's role was change after poor results at the 2003 assembly election.

It was split, with Gwynedd councillor Dafydd Iwan taking the title of president, and Anglesey assembly member Ieuan Wyn Jones becoming leader of Plaid's 12 AMs.

In his speech on Friday, Mr Jones broke with convention by abandoning the podium and taking to the front of the stage.

He also departed from the text of his speech given out in advance, but his theme remained the same: that Plaid could only hope to wield power if put up a united front.

'Sick and tired'

"What our party members don't want is Plaid Cymru members arguing amongst themselves," he said. "Plaid Cymru members want to take the fight to the Labour Party."

He reminded his party of how Labour were out of power for 18 years after its internal problems in 1980s, while the Conservatives had lost three elections since 1997 while they were arguing amongst themselves.

The Anglesey AM told the conference that since Labour had lost its overall majority in the assembly, Plaid had managed - with fellow opposition parties - to win victories.

Simon Thomas said Dafydd Elis-Thomas was not fit to lead Plaid

These included preventing the introduction of university top-up fees, saving students �34m in 2007.

But he told delegates that at the conference Plaid started the process of turning from a party of opposition that won occasional battles, into a party of government.

"We have to be united and disciplined if we are going to ensure that," he said.

Mr Jones told members that only then could Plaid move on "to discuss our vision for Wales."

'Coalition government'

Earlier on Friday, he had denied to BBC Radio Wales that people were uneasy with the leadership structure, but admitted the issue needed clarifying.

He also told Good Morning Wales that party members were "sick and tired" of discussions about the leadership.

"What the party needs to do is unite behind the current leadership and fight the next election without this constant bickering," he said.

His speech followed an accusation by former Plaid MP Simon Thomas that Dafydd Elis-Thomas was not fit to lead the party.

Mr Thomas, the party's policy director, said it was "absolutely dreadful" that people were using the party as a "vehicle for their ambitions".

He told BBC Wales that the party should not rule out the possibility of forming a coalition government in the assembly.

He said: "The only way you can govern Wales in a post-devolution way - and the Labour Party is finding this now - is working with other parties and other ideas, as long as we retain some control of that."

Mr Thomas, who lost his parliamentary seat in Ceredigion in the general election, also confirmed that he intended to stand as a candidate in the 2007 assembly elections.