Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

We’ve just got back to the hotel from the day’s TN2020 session today in Belfast. We met with youth groups from the Shankill area of Belfast and from the Republican community for a day of activity. Although it was hectic at times we managed to get down to work- asking people around Belfast whether they thought it would be a good idea to have a flag to bring Belfast together as a city, and what unites them. The young people asked these questions, and videoed the answers. We will be editing this tomorrow- and creating a wall of flags made up of the young people of Belfast and our TN2020 team.

Its all yet to come together for a performance for parents tomorrow, but with 20 leaders in one room I’m sure it will be fine!

I can’t get over the irony of the peace walls here in Belast. We walked for about 40 mins around the communities of Belfast- the peace walls separating deprived communities- loyalists on one side and republicans on the other, with political murals as true territorial markers- although there is more funding available for cross border mural making now…!

In the evening, we had a fascinating discussion with Anne Carr and Bronah Hinds who were both active members, and founders in fact of the Women’s coalition in the North, and both played key roles in the Good Friday Agreement negotiating process. An inspiration to any woman in politics, that’s for sure.

I look forward to tomorrow, and another day in the heart of Belfast.

I didn’t even make Swansea’s Freshers Fayre, and I managed to get the flu this week! Typical. I am trying to take as many lemsips as possible so that I am ready and fresh for Transatlantic Network 2020’s week in Belfast, Wicklow and Dublin- starting on Sunday.

The week looks very exciting indeed. I am in a group that will be spending two days completing community arts projects with local women and young people in areas of North Belfast. My mother grew up on the falls road, so it shall be interesting to return in this context.

We will then be spending time in Wicklow, with workshops led by the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, followed by a few final days in Dublin where we will meet Irish President, Mary McAleese at none other than a Guiness Storehouse.

There will be 100 of us young leaders from all over North America and Europe taking part. To say I’m intimidated after reading some of their biographies is an understatement.Nevertheless, it will give us the chance to work together, and to create lasting links.

I will update you on the week’s progress here when I have time…

You may think that, as a feminist, I would commend the fact that the wives of prospective US Presidents and British Prime Ministers are making speeches to support their husbands and their efforts in government, that it shows a side to our politicians that we want to see- a personable and loving side. I have to tell you that I am not of that opinion. If Michelle Obama and Sarah Brown want to speak about the issues of the day, and we know that they are capable and effective at doing so, then I say, stand for that position yourself! Well, that’s what Hilary Clinton did, we all know that by now!  I think its patronizing and degrading for the women in question to stand up and speak in this manner. No doubt Brown’s advisers were sitting around a table, desperately trying to think of a way to deflect any attention from a tired and uninspiring speech from Gordon. ‘Oh yes’, they said, ‘we’ll put Sarah up,  get her tell everyone how super he is. That’ll change their minds’. Hmmm, not quite.

Word has it that Harriet Harman was supposed to carry out the role of introducing Brown to conference anyway- as if he needs such a display of over indulgence after the media scrutiny that he’s endured since arriving at 10 Downing Street.

Of course, I don’t believe that the wives of politicians should be used as a media tool, and so they should not be drafted in to get their husbands out of difficult situations- of their own making ( I talk mainly of Brown in this instance. Obama doesn’t seem to have had as much of a hard time politically as yet, but it will come…) Just look at how GMTV and other such shows are telling people how to get ‘the Michelle look’- prim beads and purple dress. Please, give me strength, and don’t get me started on the way the media portray Carla Bruni.

Women do not need to stand in the shadows of their husbands, or of others around them. We should encourage women of all ages and backgrounds to have the confidence to run for office themselves. This image does nothing to further this cause, and does nothing to push against the ‘concrete ceiling’ of male dominance in politics.

We’re all back at the Assembly, but we’re all a bit rusty, it has to be said. I speak for myself more than anything! Its odd being back after so long, though I’m not knocking it. It is quite subdued in the main plenary session. Perhaps because so many of the other parties have internal leadership elections to think about. Huw Lewis was being quiet about his leadership intentions when I saw his interview at Labour conference on the Politics Show this weekend. In my humble opinion, he’s hoping not to rock the boat too much- deciding ultimately not to run on a platform of removing Labour from the One Wales agreement. Nevertheless, most people know that he is not one of its main supporters, but perhaps he has learnt that to stab people in the back, like Labour members are doing to Gordon Brown at present, is not the best way forward for party unity!  And who knows what he will do if he is elected as Leader. Many such politicians in his position in the past have not kept to their hustings promises, we all know that unfortunately.

A spy of mine at Labour conference tells me that Leighton Andrews was also trying to pitch for the leadership during the Labour Conference. The Welsh media were supposedly swarming around him to get his views on the subject. Carwyn Jones has gone quiet on the leadership front. Surely he’s not leaving it to Huw and Leighton to fight it out? Now that would be interesting!

On another note, I’ve raised questions regarding fuel poverty today at the Assembly. I’ve also asked the Welsh Assembly Government to liaise with Higher Education Institutions regarding the fact that many students have been placed in temporary accommodation in their first week at University. This is obviously not acceptable, yet it happens time and time again as if it is just something that new students must live with. I also raised the issue of the future of Ogmore Residential Centre during business questions. Despite Carwyn Jones purporting to be a supporter of the Centre and its retention, he merely replied  that this was a matter for the local council to deal with (the local council want to sell the land to develop housing by the way. What a surprise!)  I asked for the Welsh Assembly Government to intervene, and to look at whether they could develop it as part of a youth arts strategy. I will pursue this matter, despite the flat response from Carwyn Jones, by writing directly to both Jane Hutt AM and Alun Ffred Jones AM on this matter.

I spent most of my school holiday’s on Glamorgan Valley Orchestra courses at the centre. Now the Orchestra has to travel to Lampeter to practise as the centre is currently closed for usage. This should not happen. In a week where Karl Jenkins is making statements about  the need for more funding for youth arts, I really think that there is scope to develop the Centre for the area, and for Wales. We are minded to remember that it is a Council issue, and I will be contacting the new Labour run council without a doubt.

A video of the the interviews with those of us who took part in the Transatlantic Network 2020’s first ‘meeting’ in Berlin this year. There is a page dedicated to the Network on youtube should you wish to find out more - www.youtube.com/user/transatlantic2020

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Fideo o gyfweliadau gyda’r rheiny ohonom wnaeth cymryd rhan yn y Rhwydwaith Traws Atlantig 2020 ym Merlin y flwyddyn hon. Mae tudalen ar youtube www.youtube.com/used/transatlantic2020 os hoffech ddarganfod mwy am y cynllun.

I’ve had a relatively busy day, and now I’m trying to prepare for the start of the new Assembly term next week. It all gets a bit hectic from here on in, but I like being busy! I did a talk at Bishop Vaughan Roman Catholic School this morning about my work as an AM. Perhaps I’m boring, or it was early in the morning, but I didn’t get many questions from the pupils. It really is a massive issue to get young people motivated about politics. I’m not saying that they are apathetic, as I hate the word, but there has to be new ways of engaging with young people to encourage their interest and involvement. Having said that, I’ve had a person on work experience with me all week who plans to study politics at Cardiff, and who was very keen indeed. I’ve enjoyed showing him the ropes, taking him to meetings, and carrying out street surgeries, so that he can get an idea of what we do as AMs. I hope he has been inspired!

This afternoon I went to a local Breath Easy Lung Foundation group meeting in Neath. I met a few of the members of the group at the Assembly a while ago when they came to visit. There really is a need for more action on this issue from the stories that I’ve heard today. Many sufferers cannot travel far due to the fact that the oxygen that they carry with them only lasts for up to 7 hours. If they want to travel outside Wales, the fact that there are different companies providing the oxygen means that they often have differing products, and the sizes vary so that they are unable to utilise them effectively. Many people with lung problems cannot travel on airlines with ease, with some Airlines stating that they may take their oxygen on board the flight, but that they cannot use it! I have plenty of issues to raise with the Health Minister on this matter, nevertheless, and I hope the situation can change so that they can live a far easier, and more independent life.

So, the Assembly beckons. I hope that you can attend the event on civic lotteries and public engagement in politics that I am hosting alongside Public Affairs Cymru on Tuesday evening at the Assembly. It should be an interesting event.

I was walking down Neath main street today, when I happened upon this Neath Guardian headline outside a local shop. The opportunity for a picture was too good to miss, especially when I hadn’t seen such a headline at the height of Hain’s donations scandal( but that’s another story)

This one in particular focuses on an attack by Plaid Councillor Martyn Peters on Hain due to the fact that he has not replied to letters from constituents in Neath Abbey who have written to him, irate about the imminent closure of their local Post Office. I sympathise with them, and met with many residents when we held a local meeting to discuss Post Office closures in the area in early July. Peter Hain also organised similair meetings around Neath, despite voting in favour of the closure programme at Westminster. Yet here we have it, the local MP has failed to reply to constituents who are obviously concerned about the future of their local services. It may be interesting for you to know that one of the Post Offices that has been saved is the area where Council leader Derek Vaughan represents. It may be an uncanny coincidence, but…

So Hain, the people of Neath are a little angry with you at the moment. Surely a short letter of recognition to their letters would be more than enough? But fair play, you are probably preparing your election fight against Adam Price MP after all….

Dim ond gair bach cloi heddiw i adael i chi wbod fy mod i wedi lansio fy ngwefan fel AC heddiw. Gallwch gweld y wefan drwy mynd i www.bethanjenkins.org- ac mae .org.uk yn gweithio hefyd. Nes i ni gael .cym, hwn yw’r realiti yn anffodus, gyfeillion! Diolch mawr i Jeremy Clulow (Webs Wonder) am ei gwaith yn creu’r wefan. Croeso i chi adael sylwadau ayb.

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Just a quick note today to let you know that I have launched my website as an AM today. You can access it by going to www.bethanjenkins.org - and .org.uk also works. Until we can get .cym, this is the reality unfortunately friends! A big thanks to Jeremy Clulow at Webs Wonder for creating the website. You are welcome to comment on what you think of the website of course.

I’ve always liked Kirsty Williams, and am confident that she could be a good leader for the Welsh Lib dems. Nevertheless, I am very disappointed by her admission today that she would work with the Tories to form a coalition in Cardiff Bay, if only to say that she has performed one hell of a u-turn. Despite her being one of the main players in the downfall of the Rainbow coalition last year, it looks like she has changed her mind completely.

This does stink of changing a mindset to appeal to those in the party that she quite obviously annoyed in turning down being in government last time around. Surely if you had a principled stand against that coalition from the outset, you should remain true to your values, Kirsty? Obviously not in the case of the Lib dems in Wales. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised really…..

Dwi newydd dderbyn cyfathrebiaeth gan Gyngor Castell Nedd Port Talbot yn tynnu sylw at ei ymgynghoriad ar gynllun addysg gymraeg. Mae’r Cyngor wedi paratoi cynllun sy’n egluro sut mae nhw’n bwriadu darparu gwasanaethau addysg yn y gymraeg ac yn ddwyieithog yn y ‘ ddinas.’

Os hoffech bod yn rhan o’r ymgynghoriad, ewch i’r wefan www.npt.gov.uk/learning/wes. Gallwch ddanfon eich sylwadau i Mr Aled Evans erbyn Dydd Gwener, 14 o Dachwedd 2008 ar a.evans@npt.gov.uk neu Cyngor Bwrdeistref Castell Nedd Port Talbot, Y Ganolfan Ddinesig, SA13 1PJ.

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I’ve just received correspondence from Neath Port Talbot County Council drawing attention to their public consultation on a Welsh Education scheme. The Council has prepared a scheme that sets out how they propose to deliver education services in Welsh and bilingually.

If you would like to be part of the consultation then go to the website www.npt.gov.uk/learning/wes. You can send your comments to Mr Aled Evans by the 14th of November 2008 on a.evans@npt.gov.uk or at Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Civic Centre, SA13 1PJ.