'No rush' over powers referendum

Lord Elis-Thomas said the coalition marked a 'different politics in Wales'

The assembly presiding officer Dafydd Elis-Thomas has said that there was no point rushing towards holding a referendum on full law-making powers.

The Plaid Cymru AM said that there was nothing worse than a nationalist party - as was seen in Quebec - calling for a referendum and then losing it.

He told BBC Wales that the Labour-Plaid partnership governing Wales could last for more than one term.

Lord Elis-Thomas said it was "post devolution politics come of age."

The coalition deal has seen Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones become deputy to first minister Rhodri Morgan.

The One Wales document deal agreed between the parties sets out objectives over the next four years.

'Impeded'

It includes an agreement on a referendum on full law-making assembly powers "as soon as practicable" in 2011 or before.

The parties also agreed "in good faith to campaign for a successful outcome" to a referendum.

Lord Elis-Thomas said it was "important to have a proper constutional set-up" and the agreement between the parties looked towards 2011.

"No government is going to call a referendum if they're not going to win it - that's the logic of politics."

"We've got to concentrate on the work of government," he told the Politics Show.

"And where it's clear that the work of government is being impeded by the fact we don't have the ability to make our own laws without permission from Westminster, then that becomes clearly an argument for a referendum."

He said that the assembly seeking powers in areas like the environment would provide an "opportunity to test our powers early on".