POLITICIANS who fail to put the needs of Cornwall first should be ousted from office at the next election, says the leader of the region's main nationalist party.

This was the key message to Mebyon Kernow members at the party's annual conference in Bodmin at the weekend.

In one of his most forthright speeches of recent years, party leader Dick Cole hit out at Labour, Tories and Liberal Democrats for refusing to support devolution for Cornwall.

Directing most of his anger at the Lib-Dems for "undemocratically forcing a single-tier council on the people of Cornwall", he challenged MK members to campaign "like never before" to ensure the party achieved significant gains in the unitary authority elections in 2009.

To loud applause, Mr Cole said: "We have never been in favour of the Liberal Democrats' unitary experiment and it has now descended into farce. Any sensible government would pull the plug on the whole debacle – but that is not going to happen.

"Therefore, our priority now must be to look forward. It is right that we condemn the unitary shambles and remind one and all of who is responsible and of their arrogant disregard for the people of Cornwall.

"But we also have to get out there and show the people of Cornwall that there is an alternative to all those undistinguished politicians that cannot be trusted to defend Cornish interests.

"We have to take them on at the ballot box, we have to defeat them and put Cornish nationalists at the heart of local government in Cornwall."

Topics debated by delegates included self-government, the future of local government, the economy, environmental protection, housing, taxation and the Framework Convention for National Minorities. A policy statement will be officially published next month.

As well as Mr Cole, principal speakers included Andrew Long, chairman of South East Cornwall constituency party, Conan Jenkin, prospective Parliamentary candidate for Truro and Falmouth, and Loveday Jenkin, PPC for Camborne and Redruth.

Steffan Lewis of Plaid Cymru and Gwendal Rioual from the Union Démocratique Bretonne in Brittany also attended.

Mr Lewis, PPC for Islwyn, explained how Plaid Cymru had played a major role in winning a National Assembly for Wales. Urging MK members to "keep the faith" for a Cornish Assembly, he told delegates that Plaid Cymru was now part of the administration in Cardiff and was continuing to campaign to increase the powers of the Welsh Assembly.

He said: "The abolition of the South West Regional Assembly offers the best opportunity for a Cornish Assembly."

Mebyon Kernow, formed in 1951, believes that the historic nation of Cornwall, with its distinct identity, language and heritage, has the same right to self-determination as Scotland and Wales. For more details, visit www. mebyonkernow