The party says it wants to find out people's views on policies

It has launched an initiative called "What Wales Wants" as part of an attempt to improve its performance in the next Welsh assembly election.

Voters will be able to go online and set down objectives for the next Welsh Assembly Government in 2007.

Plaid politicians will also be meeting organisations across Wales to allow people to make their views known.

The latest exercise follows a series of disappointing election results, culminating in the loss to the Liberal Democrats of its Ceredigion Westminster seat in last May's general election.

Plaid Cymru leaders have admitted that the party needs to do some serious work if the party is to avoid a damaging assembly election in 2007.

Poor performance

The party has already set up a national campaigns unit and is in the middle of a rebranding exercise.

Now it is taking another step in what a spokesman says is "upping its game" with the launch of a six-month concerted effort to find out what the priorities of voters across Wales are.

What Wales Wants will see every member involved in getting out to find out just that.

A website of the same name will be live by St David's Day on 1 March to allow people to out forward suggestions for what they want the next assembly government to achieve, said a Plaid Cymru spokesman.

But he denied the initiative was purely in response to the party's poor performance in recent elections.

National commissions

"It's a bit more than that," he said. "In 2007 we're going to have a lot more powers if the Government of Wales Bill goes through.

"Obviously it's not the powers Plaid Cymru would like but it is going to be a change and we're trying to look at how best to address that."

National commissions looking in depth at policy areas including, health, education and sustainable living will also be set up.

The project was launched jointly by Plaid's leader of the assembly group Ieuan Wyn Jones and the party's communications director Helen Mary Jones AM in Cardiff Bay on Thursday.

But Ms Jones said not everything was up for grabs.

"Wales needs fresh thinking and new ideas," she said. "But this is not about fundamental issues of principles. We're prepared to listen but we won't be bound by what we hear.

"The final decisions will still lie with the party's membership."