Marc Jenkins is a former Olympic triathlete and the Conservative candidate for Gower
I am writing this as my introduction as a “politician”.
Am I though?
My name is Marc Jenkins, and I am the Conservative Candidate for Gower. I am also Welsh, British, middle-aged, possessing less hair than I used to, an ex-Olympian, a former Welsh Commonwealth Games athlete, and a sportsman.
While we are all British, being Welsh is something special. We are a proud, hardworking, and passionate people. We have an affinity with our lush green spaces and rugged coastlines. For generations, we have also shown blind faith in one political party: Labour. It’s a big part of being Welsh.
I was brought up Labour. It was a part of who I am, just as it was for my parents and their parents. My working-class mining grandparents and parents would say “We are Labour” and so I voted in line with tradition and the principles that I was told Labour stood for during the miners’ strikes. These were principles that galvanised a workforce – and taught a nation to hate the “Tories”.
Who was I, as a young man, to disagree with this? I was too busy racing around the world in (essentially) my underwear!
Both Labour and the Wales of today bear little resemblance to that of the past. Now that I have ditched my bike for politics, we must break this generational cycle of idle support for Labour.
For a quarter century in Wales, we have been governed by Labour. It has run the health service, education, farming, and infrastructure. Almost everything we see is devolved. When I see a Labour MP in Wales criticise any devolved service, I know they are criticising their own party.
Under Welsh Labour’s watch, you are twice as likely to be on a waiting list for treatment than in England. We have the lowest educational standards in the UK. Farmers are being instructed to put aside 20 per cent of their land for planting trees and other wildlife schemes.
The argument of a lack of money from Westminster also doesn’t add up. Wales receives 20 per cent more per head for services than England. Yet instead of funding being spent on cutting waiting lists, Labour plans to spend £120 million on creating more politicians in the Senedd. Instead of spending money filling in potholes, we are getting £30 million spent on schemes such as the new 20mph road signs.
It will get worse if Labour gains control of Westminster.
That’s partly where my journey begins. I’m not happy with my nation and the future it’s offering my kids. I want them to grow up in a better place, have a better education, and have more opportunities. If the sentiment is for change as polling suggests, then surely here in Wales, we need to start considering our options and stop voting blindly for Labour.
A vote for Labour means you are happy with their decision-making. A vote for Labour a generation ago was a vote for an entirely different party at an entirely different period in history.
In the wake of the pandemic, I shared the frustrations of many as decisions made by Mark Drakeford and Labour’s leadership in Cardiff were more restrictive than protective, more stifling than supportive. Labour’s desire to lockdown more and dictate what we could and couldn’t buy left me in fear of what socialist ideology would bring at its most dictatorial. These policies have left Wales with a lasting legacy of decline and debt. My concern for the future began.
I don’t consider myself a “politician”. It’s not a personal ambition or desire. It doesn’t seem like an excellent way to make friends. But for the sake of my young children and to create a better future for them, I joined the Conservative Party. I realised that while I have been voting Labour all my life, I am Conservative.
Many within my group of friends are frustrated with the state of politics and the services we are getting in Wales. As a “normal” person, I thought: “What can I do about it?”
Too often, the answer is “nothing”. We just complain. But I decided to do something. I applied to stand to be a Conservative Candidate for Parliament and I was incredibly proud when I was chosen by the local Conservative Party to stand in Gower.
I’m lucky. I trained there almost my whole career. I received my Olympic Selection call while sitting in a cafe at the National Pool, and I won the best race of my life in Swansea. I am the candidate for (what I believe) to be the most beautiful area of the UK.
I didn’t expect to get this far. I have no idea what my chances are. But I must try, or stop complaining. I’ve not been in a political party for long. Nor have I been a local councillor, an assembly member, or an MP. I consider myself an entirely normal, boring, and quiet, person.
I would like to challenge everyone on how they vote: it is a big decision, as I’m genuinely concerned about what a Labour government will do to the UK. We have seen it in Wales over the last 25 years. If we say things are bad, then fine, but why? If it’s around devolved issues, seriously consider who you want to be in power – and break the generational cycle of idly voting for Labour.
