The Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto with a pledge for Home Rule for Wales,UK General Election 2015, Liberal Democrats manifesto, General election manifesto

UK General Election 2015: The Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto with a pledge for Home Rule for Wales

Nick Clegg has launched his pitch to the people of Britain to keep the Liberal Democrats as a party of power. The manifesto commits the party to “immediately” introducing a funding floor to protect the Welsh Government’s finances. The deputy prime minister insisted the decision to go into Government was “worth it”.

He claimed the “era of single party government is over” and neither David Cameron nor Ed Miliband will win outright.

Government with a heart and a brain

Warning his audience that the SNP or Ukip could hold the balance of power, he said the Lib Dems would add a “heart” to a Conservative Government or a “brain” to a Labour one. “Only the Liberal Democrats can ensure that the next Government keeps Britain on track,” he insisted.

 He argued there was a “very thin line” between Britain being led by a “coalition with a conscience” or a “coalition with a grievance”.

 Mr Clegg claimed momentum was building behind candidates and described the manifesto as an insurance policy against a Government “lurching off to the extremes”.

He said three-quarters of the party’s 2010 manifesto became Government policy.

Today's manifesto, he said, was a programme for a Liberal Government.

He insisted: “This is a programme for Government. Not opposition.”

Arguing that “most people want a stronger economy and a fairer society and they are fed up having to choose between one or the other,” Mr Clegg said the Lib Dems offered both.

Adamant that the nation’s books had to be balanced, he claimed there was nothing “remotely progressive” about leaving this challenge to future generations.

He claimed the Conservatives had singled out the “working-age poor” as the people who would pay for the mistakes of bankers.

Welsh commitments

The manifesto states the Lib Dems will devolve powers to the Assembly over “energy, ports, local elections, broadcasting and more” as well as moving to a Scottish-style model where it can make laws in any area not specifically “reserved” by Westminster.

Pledging to go beyond than the measures outlined by Mr Clegg and David Cameron in their St David’s Day proposals, the party states that “Liberal Democrats will go further and deliver proper Home Rule for Wales and a Welsh Parliament”.

In addition to devolving the remaining financial powers recommended in the first Silk Commission report, the party will “consider the work of the Government’s review on devolution of Air Passenger Duty (APD), with a view to devolving long-haul APD.”

In addition, it wants to transfer powers “over S4C, sewerage, transport, teachers’ pay, youth justice, policing and in the longer term other justice powers.”

It further commits to devolve “funding of Network Rail in relation to the Wales network” and strengthen “the capacity of the National Assembly to scrutinise legislation and hold the Welsh Government to account.”

The party also pledges to allow the Welsh Government to set its own bank holidays. It states that in “providing for a Welsh Parliament” it would prevent Westminster from “being able to override Wales on devolved matters” and would devolve “the power to amend electoral arrangements for the Assembly and local elections in Wales with a two thirds majority.”

The party also wants to give the Children’s Commissioner for Wales the power to “examine issues that affect children in Wales but are not within the control of the Welsh Government.”

And on the Severn Crossings, it plans to “abolish the economically distorting tolls on the Severn Bridge once the debts are paid off.”

src:walesonline.co.uk

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