Nationalists say Yes to devolution

Welsh Nationalists Back Assembly Proposals

Plaid Cymru's 12,000 members will also be urged to support the campaign of the cross-party "Yes for Wales" organisation, despite criticism that Labour's proposals do not go far enough.

The vote to back the Assembly plan came at a special meeting of Plaid Cymru's national council in Aberystwyth.

The party, with four Westminster MPs, will continue to press Tony Blair to give the elected 60-member Welsh Assembly full-Parliament status with the same law-making and tax-raising powers proposed for Scotland.

"It is clearly in Wales' interest to vote Yes," said Mr Wigley. "A No vote would mean that Wales would become marginalised both in London and Brussels for years to come."

Wigley: Assembly offers opportunity

He pledged Plaid Cymru would now co-operate with the non-party Yes for Wales campaign with the aim of ensure a substantial Yes vote in the September referendum. "An elected National Assembly for Wales will have a legitimacy which cannot easily be ignored," he added.

Mr Wigley acknowledged that the Assembly on offer did not meet the Welsh Nationalists' full aspirations. But it did offer an opportunity "to get better public accountability over the Welsh Office and the non-elected quangos, and to develop better public policy in Wales to meet Welsh circumstances.

"It will be able to give Wales a positive profile in Brussels when vital decisions are taken that affect agriculture, industry and regional policy in Wales."

Mr Wigley warned a No vote would "relegate Wales to the bottom division of nations" in the European Union if Scotland had its Parliament and Wales had no Assembly.

Plaid Cymru has in the past been scathing about Labour's proposals for a Welsh assembly without law-making or tax-raising powers.

There may be some resistance to joining the "yes" campaign from grassroots nationalists with bitter memories of 1979 when they campaigned for similar proposals only to find Labour activists urging people to vote 'no' in the referendum.