OLYMPIC TRIATHLETE

Candidate for Gower

Marc Jenkins: Husband, Father, 0lympian

BUT NOT A POLITICIAN… Yet!

Who Am I?

Hi, I’m Marc Jenkins-

I am a Husband, a father, an old Olympic Triathlon athlete, a sports fan, a fan of anyone working hard and striving for success, a surfer, a surf lifesaver, and proudly Welsh and British.

BUT NOT A POLITICIAN… Yet!

I've won multiple British Triathlon titles and competed for Great Britain in European and World Championships, finishing in the top 15 Worldwide. I've also podiumed in World Ranking Events, including a win in Swansea (I trained out of The National Pool Wales, Swansea) and Podiumed at Triathlon World Cup events.

I competed in the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics. I was the last man to finish because of a collision during the cycling leg that left my bicycle unusable. Rather than quit, I ran 2km with the bike on my shoulders to be able to finish the race, ending forty-fifth of the fifty who started. My time was 2:05:33.60.

I married fellow Olympic triathlete Helen Tucker in October 2008. I coached Helen to three World Titles and three Olympic games: Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016.

I always aim to be me, but if you want a “career politician” as your representative, that’s probably not me. But, here I am standing as your Conservative candidate for Gower in the next general election.

Why am I Running for Parliament?

In short, out of frustration and disappointment with the direction that my country and society is going. I am fed up with 25 years of Welsh Labour and the devolved government’s socialist practices, such as:

A forced 20mph speed limit, which we didn’t ask for.
Arbitrary farming policy dictating what farmers can do with their land.
The lack of investment in infrastructure which has left Wales crumbling.

It’s absurd. We have the worst-performing health service in the UK and the worst education statistics; Wales is rapidly becoming the worst performer in the UK and Europe, all under Labour's control.

This will only get worse if Labour is in government in Westminster as well!

I began a political journey very recently as I wanted to see someone and something new. I felt I wasn’t well represented, and I wanted to be able to vote for someone who wasn’t politically aspirational but aimed to influence government and attempt to build a brighter future for all.

So, about ten months ago, when debating with friends about the state of Wales and the future for us as a society, I stated, as I’m sure many of you may have, What are we all going to do?…NOTHING! We all get upset and annoyed about issues and politicians, yet we mostly do nothing, assuming it is out of our power to influence change directly. The next day, I decided to start the process and attempt to become a candidate for Parliament.

Think About Your Vote!

It is apparent that the Welsh Labour government isn’t thinking about you and your family moving forward. They don’t represent my views, as they may have done for the majority of the Welsh population a generation ago. The Labour Party is not the same party my grandad campaigned for, my parents voted for, or even the party I voted for as a young Welsh man, and neither is Wales; it, too, has changed.

Voting Labour is almost part of being Welsh. Some friends I’ve discussed this with still say, “I’m Labour,” to which I ask why, and some have said, “I don’t even think, I just vote”, with no understanding of what the person or party represents. We need to stop this cycle of idle support for Labour in Wales. I’ve already changed a few minds by simply asking friends to read what each party stands for.

I will not think about my political position when I take a stance and will fight for the best interests of all in Gower, Wales and the United Kingdom.