John Paul Jenkins
Encyclopedia
John Paul Jenkins is a local politician in Wales
, in the United Kingdom
. He is a county
councillor
for the Elli ward of Carmarthenshire
, and a town council
lor for the same ward on Llanelli
Town Council. He stood for election as a candidate of the Conservative Party
for both authorities.
Before becoming a councillor, Jenkins was chosen by the Conservative Party in 2002 to be its candidate for the Llanelli
constituency at the 2003 election
to the National Assembly for Wales
. However, in March 2003, just two months before polling day, Jenkins was reported to have made homophobic
remarks on an internet forum
. The story was first reported in the Western Mail and subsequently on the BBC Wales
news.
Jenkins withdrew his candidacy although he claimed that his remarks had been taken out of context and that, "a lot of selective editing was carried out somewhere between my actual comments being made and the reporting of my remarks in the Western Mail and subsequently the BBC."
Later in 2003, Jenkins started his campaign for election to Carmarthenshire County Council. Running with the slogan "Standing up for Llanelli" Jenkins won election to Carmarthenshire County Council and Llanelli Town Council in 2004.
As of 2006, he serves on Carmarthenshire County Council's Planning Committee and Social Justice Scrutiny Committee, ironically the latter being the committee that scrutinises the Council’s equal opportunity
policies. He is also a Carmarthenshire Local Education Authority
appointed governor of Bryngwyn Comprehensive School in Dafen, Llanelli. He also serves on Llanelli Town Council's Selwyn Samuel Management Committee and is a Minor Authority appointed governor of Old Road County Primary School in Llanelli.
However, the following day, Jenkins resigned as a Conservative candidate for the second time. While attacks from opposition parties to Jenkins' selection were inevitable they were less than ferocious. Jenkins later commented that he was forced to resign by David Cameron who feared Jenkins' selection would undermine Cameron's attempt to re-brand the Conservative Party as inclusive to homosexuals.
Jenkins subsequently announced that following his resignation as a candidate he was also quitting the Conservative Party because of what he saw as the Conservative Party's unfair treatment towards him. Jenkins claimed that he had been encouraged to apply to become a pre-approved Conservative candidate by the Party's group leader in the Welsh Assembly, Nicholas Bourne, had been subsequently pre-approved by the Conservative Party as a candidate and then selected to fight the Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South constituency by the local party in that seat but that the potential controversy that his selection could have caused and the effect on David Cameron's image led David Cameron to demand his resignation as a candidate despite the Conservative Party in Wales giving Jenkins its full backing.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He is a county
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
for the Elli ward of Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, and a town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
lor for the same ward on Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
Town Council. He stood for election as a candidate of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
for both authorities.
Political career
Jenkins was elected at the local elections on 10 June 2004. As of 2006, he is the youngest elected representative in Carmarthenshire.Before becoming a councillor, Jenkins was chosen by the Conservative Party in 2002 to be its candidate for the Llanelli
Llanelli (UK Parliament constituency)
Llanelli is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1918 to 1970 the official spelling of the constituency name was Llanelly...
constituency at the 2003 election
Welsh Assembly election, 2003
The National Assembly for Wales election, 2003 was the second general election to the National Assembly for Wales. It was held on 1 May 2003.The election was characterised by a resurgence for the Labour Party, whilst Plaid Cymru saw a reduction in support and the number of Assembly Members they...
to the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
. However, in March 2003, just two months before polling day, Jenkins was reported to have made homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
remarks on an internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
. The story was first reported in the Western Mail and subsequently on the BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
news.
Jenkins withdrew his candidacy although he claimed that his remarks had been taken out of context and that, "a lot of selective editing was carried out somewhere between my actual comments being made and the reporting of my remarks in the Western Mail and subsequently the BBC."
Later in 2003, Jenkins started his campaign for election to Carmarthenshire County Council. Running with the slogan "Standing up for Llanelli" Jenkins won election to Carmarthenshire County Council and Llanelli Town Council in 2004.
As of 2006, he serves on Carmarthenshire County Council's Planning Committee and Social Justice Scrutiny Committee, ironically the latter being the committee that scrutinises the Council’s equal opportunity
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
policies. He is also a Carmarthenshire Local Education Authority
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
appointed governor of Bryngwyn Comprehensive School in Dafen, Llanelli. He also serves on Llanelli Town Council's Selwyn Samuel Management Committee and is a Minor Authority appointed governor of Old Road County Primary School in Llanelli.
Second resignation
On 15 February 2006, Jenkins was selected by the Conservative Party to contest the Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South constituency, to take place in 2007. The seat is seen as a winnable seat for the Conservatives, as opposed to the Llanelli constituency where Jenkins was intending to stand for in 2003.However, the following day, Jenkins resigned as a Conservative candidate for the second time. While attacks from opposition parties to Jenkins' selection were inevitable they were less than ferocious. Jenkins later commented that he was forced to resign by David Cameron who feared Jenkins' selection would undermine Cameron's attempt to re-brand the Conservative Party as inclusive to homosexuals.
Jenkins subsequently announced that following his resignation as a candidate he was also quitting the Conservative Party because of what he saw as the Conservative Party's unfair treatment towards him. Jenkins claimed that he had been encouraged to apply to become a pre-approved Conservative candidate by the Party's group leader in the Welsh Assembly, Nicholas Bourne, had been subsequently pre-approved by the Conservative Party as a candidate and then selected to fight the Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South constituency by the local party in that seat but that the potential controversy that his selection could have caused and the effect on David Cameron's image led David Cameron to demand his resignation as a candidate despite the Conservative Party in Wales giving Jenkins its full backing.
Current situation
Jenkins has hinted that he will contest the Llanelli constituency for the 2007 Welsh Assembly elections as an "independent". At present, the Carmarthenshire County Council website lists Jenkins as "unaffiliated" (to any political group) on the County Council, which as the sole Conservative he technically was before his resignation as two councillors are needed to form a political group on a council but the change of designation indicates Jenkins' resignation from the Conservative Party has been carried out.External links
- Official website
- Llanelli Conservative Association
- Carmarthenshire County Council information
- News stories relating to alleged homophobia: http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/page.cfm?objectid=12725082&method=full&siteid=50082 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2842341.stm http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Politics&F=1&id=6445
- Reports of second resignation: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4721496.stm http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-516.html http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/newspolitics/tm_objectid=16714134&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=cameron-forces-out-gay-row-candidate-name_page.html http://www.gaydarradio.com/news/detail.asp?iData=25237&iCat=29&iChannel=2&nChannel=News http://uk.gay.com/headlines/9621?REFRESH http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200602/c8720c24-3671-4a72-be38-157331384d80.htm
- Scotsman.com article published before Jenkins' resignation http://election.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=491&id=246732006
- Official Conservative Party website noting Jenkins' election as a Conservative Councillor in 2004 http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=wales.people.localgovernment.page Accessed 19 March 2006