 Sir Menzies aims for 'maximum seats' in the assembly election |
The new Liberal Democrat leader has told Welsh colleagues that the party must be pragmatic to gain power. At a conference rally in Wrexham, Sir Menzies Campbell said: "If radicalism is to offer change, it must always be married to policies that can work."
Assembly leader Mike German urged the party to prepare a "programme for government" at next year's elections.
He challenged the party to produce new "radical" and "non comformist" ideas for its assembly election manifesto.
Sir Menzies said that the party would be looking for "maximum votes and maximum seats" at the 2007 assembly elections.
"It's absolutely vital we take maximum advantage from both the Welsh assembly and Scottish parliamentary elections," he told BBC Wales.
"This is the party of devolution, of home rule. We're determined as a party that the Welsh assembly should have a legislative parity with Scotland and we'll be arguing for that."
Nuclear power
Mr German was also looking forward to the assembly elections and said the party must "leave no stone unturned" in searching for ideas for the next manifesto.
He said: "We have always been the party of new ideas. We are still challenging ourselves to produce new ideas.
"Radical ideas. Non-conformist ideas which give people the freedom to live their own lives, their own way."
Mr German suggested that parents should be given more choice over schools and new powers for the assembly could be used to scrap council tax and reform the electoral system in Wales.
He said: "I challenge all of you here to go home and ask your friends and neighbours how they would improve Wales. What laws would they change to make life better?"
Delegates at the Welsh spring conference earlier voted to oppose any new nuclear power stations in Wales.
They backed a motion calling for a nuclear-free Wales, despite opposition from some prominent Lib Dems.
Brecon and Radnorshire MP Roger Williams said delegates should not "tie down" their AMs and MPs to an anti-nuclear stance.
"It might actually prevent them taking a decision on it should an opportunity be presented in Wales," he said.
But Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates said: "The legacy that we would leave is so bad for future generations I believe we cannot contemplate building more nuclear power."
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