News

Democracy is there for the benefit of the country not the politicians”

Published

11 years ago

February 6, 2014

THIS WEEK The Herald spoke with Preselli Pembrokeshire MP, Stephen Crabb. He started by saying:

“Back in my school days at Tasker Milward I asked if we could have a daily newspaper in the sixth form common room and they gave us ‘The Independent’. I think the teachers were keen that we got a balanced view and rightly so!

“That developed into an interest in practical politics later on, after university, when I was living and working away in London. My mum brought me and my brothers up on her own in a council house and I found it really rewarding working with youngsters that I could relate to. I was then asked to become a governor of a large inner city primary school, and from there I started taking a closer interest in political issues – especially those concerning young people, education and poverty.

“I remember sitting next to a Labour MP at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1996 and he advised me that if I wanted to do anything in politics I had to join a party and get stuck in. I took his advice, but didn’t join the party he suggested. He is still an MP and we have become very good friends since then”.

He went on to describe his week, saying:

“My typical week involves leaving Pembrokeshire either on a Sunday night or early Monday morning. I get back to the constituency late on a Thursday night. At the moment, because of the Wales Office job, once every couple of weeks I also do a mid-week visit to Cardiff to meet with Welsh Government ministers and others.

“Every Friday and most Saturdays are working days in Pembrokeshire doing surgeries and meeting with local businesses and other groups. I try to keep Sundays completely clear. The amount of time I have for constituency duties has not changed – that is protected time in the diary.

“I am incredibly fortunate to represent the seat where I grew up and being the local MP is, and always will be, the most important aspect of the job”.

The Herald asked Mr Crabb what were the key issues and events from last year in which he was involved, and what he thought 2014 would bring:

“The biggest issue facing our county last year, as now, was the threat hanging over Withybush Hospital. In 2013 I was also very busy with the decisions being taken by the Ministry of Defence over Cawdor Barracks, the home of the 14 Signal Regiment.

“Again, this was an issue where we knew that the desire to move the base had been around for some years. I fought very hard first of all to try to hold off that decision, but when it became imminent my priority was to secure an agreement from ministers that the Regiment wouldn’t move before 2018.

“I was able to get that agreement and that’s provided an important opportunity to ensure that we are not suddenly left with a hole in the local economy when the Signals move up the road to St Athans.

“On a happier front, I was closely involved with HSA in seeing the Haverfordwest Skatepark project clear its final hurdles and construction underway. To see to it finally open at the end of the year was thrilling for everyone involved.

“I want to see the country continue to improve, the economy to get stronger, and for Wales and Pembrokeshire to continue to feel the benefit of that. If that happens, it means my work both as a Wales Office Minister and as MP is bearing some fruit”.

On what the best and worst aspects of the job are, and how he felt about elections, he said: “I’ve fought three general elections now. I’ve lost one and I’ve won two and I definitely know which feeling I prefer. Democracy is there for the benefit of the country and the people; it’s not there for the benefit of politicians.

“In terms of what’s really fulfilling, unquestionably it’s when I see hard-work paying off and results coming through, whether for individual constituents and businesses, through casework, or at a community level working in partnership with others to secure more investment in Pembrokeshire. Perhaps the worst aspect of the job is the number of hours of my life I now spend travelling each week. I have come to dislike driving very much”.

Finally, we asked the MP when we might be treated to seeing him on Question Time, to which he said: “I was just wondering the same thing!”

News

Carmarthenshire takes leading role in latest Celtic Noir – ‘Out There’

Published

11 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

Carmarthenshire looks set to take another leading role as the location for ITV’s highly anticipated gritty drama ‘Out There’,

Produced by Buffalo Pictures and starring Martin Clunes, the programme will be aired on January 19.

The news means that Carmarthenshire is fast gaining recognition as a hub for the Celtic Noir genre of filming, and the new six-part thriller joins the many TV and film productions which have been drawn by the county’s dramatic, beguiling landscapes and attractive market towns.

It follows on from the highly acclaimed BBC’s Keeping Faith as well as The Light in the Hall/ Y Golau for Channel 4.

‘Out There’ will showcase Carmarthenshire’s natural beauty against the malice of an insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside, led by county lines drug dealers and urban gangs that use the countryside as their field of operations. Martin Clunes stars as farmer and single parent, Nathan Williams, who runs a farm which has been in his family for generations.

Many of the filing locations can now be visited by following Discover Carmarthenshire’s new ‘Set Jetter Trail’ which provides insider tips on how best to follow the sometimes eerie paths that many stars have taken around the county.

Crime

Father of baby girl killed in Tenby incident says its been like a ‘horror movie’

Published

12 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Staff Writer

A SIX-MONTH-OLD baby girl has tragically died after her pram was struck by a car in a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

Sophia Kelemen, described as “smiley and bubbly,” suffered catastrophic brain injuries in the collision on Thursday (Jan 2). Despite being airlifted to a Cardiff hospital, the injuries proved fatal.

Sophia’s family, from Greater Manchester, had been on holiday in Wales and were preparing to head home when the incident occurred.

Her father, Alex Kelemen, 27, told the BBC: “Just before we got to the car, the horror movie started.

“It’s been horrific to see our little daughter lying in that hospital bed and going through all those procedures. Everybody loved her—our friends, our family. She’s always going to live in my heart. I know she’s watching over me every day.”

Sophia’s parents now face the heartbreaking task of explaining the tragedy to their five-year-old son, Lucas.

“He’s been asking about his little sister every day,” said Mr Kelemen. “The hardest thing I’ve ever done is explain to him that God loved his sister more than we did. I told him that God gave Sophia a new pair of wings so she could fly above him and protect him.

“There are things I just don’t know how to explain to him. He’s our only child now, and everything we do is for him.”

Family’s heartbreak

Sophia’s aunt, Adriana Kelemen, recounted the devastating events to the Manchester Evening News.

“They were on a short break in Wales with family friends,” she said. “It was their last day. They’d been out, and then they went to the supermarket.

“It happened in the car park. The pram Sophia was in was destroyed.”

Support for devastated family

Fundraising efforts are now underway to support Sophia’s family. Two GoFundMe pages—one in English and one in Romanian—have been launched to cover funeral costs and repatriation expenses. The family plans to bury Sophia in Romania.

Meanwhile, Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, as well as driving without a licence or insurance. He is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on February 7.

Donations to assist the family can be made via the GoFundMe pages.

Pictured:

Tragic loss: Six-month-old Sophia Kelemen, pictured with dad Alex, died after her pram was hit by a car (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police)

News

Wales at the forefront of UK drive to ‘turbocharge’ AI

Published

12 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST MINISTER OF WALES Eluned Morgan has welcomed today’s announcement from the UK Government of a multi-billion pound investment in Artificial Intelligence.

The UK Opportunities Action Plan, launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer today, aims to drive economic growth, support public services and use intelligent technology to improve people’s every day lives.

Wales is uniquely placed to benefit from the AI infrastructure plans, with work already underway to develop tech hubs, shared resources and data centres.

As part of the investment announced today, US technology giant Vantage Data Centers plans to invest over £12 billion across the UK, resulting in the creation of over 11,500 jobs. The Welsh Government has been working closely with Vantage since 2020 to support the development of its data centres in Wales.

It is expected that the lion’s share of the new investment from Vantage will be in Wales. The biggest investment will be in Bridgend, where the company plans to develop the former Ford factory site to become one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses.

The First Minister is keen to ensure Wales benefits from the investment in AI, saying:

“Today’s announcement, which includes a multi-billion pound investment in AI by some of the world’s biggest tech companies, is a huge boost in confidence for industry in Wales.

“We are seeing that AI is increasingly being used as a power for good, whether that’s increasing productivity or bringing smarter solutions to everyday problems.

“There can be enormous benefits to the economy in establishing the tech and wider infrastructure here in Wales. Industry leaders recognise that the conditions are right in Wales, with a government that will do what it can to make these plans a reality.

“This won’t happen overnight and it’s important that the infrastructure, data, skills and talent is in place to ensure that we all benefit from these solutions. There’s no question that Wales is in an excellent position to benefit, given the work that’s already in progress here.”

The Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans is leading a review to explore how Wales can capitalise on opportunities and develop Wales’ strengths in the development of AI-based technologies.

Over the past year, the Welsh Government has worked with other organisations to develop guidance to support Welsh public bodies in adopting AI in a responsible, safe and ethical way.

Wales has already seen evidence of the value of AI implementation in diagnostic care in the NHS, with a digital pathology platform for prostate and breast cancer detection led by Betsi Cadwaladr seeing a 13% increase in prostate cancer detection rates.

Estyn, the school inspectorate, is also undertaking a review of the use of Generative AI in schools, which will explore the potential benefits to schools, while also considering the challenges they pose.