Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

My review of Patrick Hannan’s ‘A Useful Fiction’ is over on the waleshome blog should you wish to read it. No comments as yet- come on, I’m sure you have differing opinions to me on what it means to be British. If anyone has any other ideas for book reviews and so on, of if there are any publishers out there reading this blog who want me to review their books, then please let me know! I’m on a roll now, and I’ll have enough time to read while I’m in Brittany in a few weeks time…

Busy week so far, but I like to be busy. I’ve had two young people from Ysgol Ystalyfera on work experience with me this week and last week, and their enthusiasm is great. I really think that they are a shining example of the passion that young people have for politics- contrary to all this mumbo jumbo about young people being apathetic. We just need to engage them, and I am convinced they will be hooked! ( though I hope they get hooked on Plaid Cymru politics also, of course!)

Of late I’ve been visiting local groups who have received grants from the lottery, as well as visiting various constituents. I went to see the Forest School project in Caswell today, spoke to young people involved with Barnardos projects in Penlan, and the Undercurrents eco/film project in the Waterfront Museum. Most projects involved young people, and all of them showed enthusiasm for what they were doing.

On Friday I am going to the Climate Camp in Merthyr. I don’t know much about what’s happening yet but I’m looking forward to catching up with people, and in supporting the campaigners.

I’ve put a press release out today about the fact that HSBC plans to close its Kenfig Hill branch. You can see it on my website. They say that to keep the bank open is ‘unsustainable’. I hope to meet with the Managers to find out why this is. It might be very simplistic for me to say, but the Government has pumped millions in to the banking system. Surely, its their duty to keep services open and accessible?  They won’t be able to keep using  the slogan ‘the World’s local bank’ if they continue to close branches in communities like Kenfig Hill, that’s for sure.