This is the second of our series speaking to Cardiff's four current MPs before the next general election. Read our interview with Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott here and read our round-up of the city politics here.
When he's not busy being MP for Cardiff West, Kevin Brennan likes to indulge in his taste for rock music. His cross party band – MP4 – plays occasionally at party conferences and charity events. Practise sessions in London, he says, form a welcome recess from daily juggle of constituency case work, advising committees in his roles as minister, travelling the country (first class for business, he admits) to attend meetings, giving talks, as well as the odd appearance on GMTV.
Brennan's mixture of tastes and areas of interest in his work reflects the plethora of problems in his constituency. Made up of affluent Pontcanna, ethnic minorities in Riverside, through to disadvantaged communities in Ely – Brennan's widespread support as Labour MP for Cardiff West is testament to his ability to engage with a number of diverse groups in an approachable manner. He negotiates a wide range of issues for what he calls 'a Victorian inner city area with 21st century pressures', typified by a ward in his area – Canton. "Canton is the ideal community," he says. "A mixture of people and a workable community which is not necessarily the most prosperous, but there are employment opportunities there."
The future of Cardiff West
Jobs, housing and public services are the main issues for his constituents, Brennan says. I met him in his constituency office which he shares with Rhodri Morgan AM and Labour Councillor for Canton, Ramesh Patel.
Part of Brennan's success has been his partnership with Morgan. Brennan took the seat in 2001 when Morgan stood down as MP too focus on the Assembly. The two alternate in holding Saturday surgeries in Ely Library and are regular faces at Riverside Farmers market on Sundays. The seat is considered the safest for Labour in the city – but Brennan has his fighting hat on.
"It's not necessarily the safest seat in Cardiff, there aren't any. It has always been very close for Cardiff West, even when George Thomas was MP. There's a very real chance it could go Conservative. You have to earn the vote of people in Cardiff West, and this is a much more different election than it has been for many years. You have to have a fighting attitude."
As for those who believe Plaid Cymru's Mohammed Sarul Islam (currently councillor for Riverside) has a chance of taking the seat this year due to high numbers of Welsh language speakers in the area, Brennan thinks it is crude to box people in politically based on what language they speak.
"Plaid have never come better than fourth. There have been demographic changes but not all Welsh language speakers vote Plaid. There's an assumption people will vote a certain way if they have a certain background, but it's not like that. Assuming people will vote for you because they speak a particular language is insulting."
Brennan on the current government
As for his party being in government, Brennan says he backs Labour's decisions wholeheartedly, and he was pleased with Darling's low profile targets in the budget.
"I'm proud of the record of the Labour government," he said. "The way the government has responded to the recession has been in stark contradiction to the way is was handled in the 80s and 90s. This could be ruined by a slash and burn approach and quick cuts. It is important to focus on growth and the future of the economy."
As minister of state for the department of business innovation and skills, and children, schools and families, he has keen interests in the economy. He thinks about the future of Cardiff West – and is adamant it lies in the manufacturing industry. He accuses the current council of being unable to see a proper vision for the area - something he says they had a grasp of when he was councillor from 1991 – 2001. He says there needs to be a strategy for social housing and something done with the old Ely Paper Mill - a prime place for local development. Part of the problem, he says, is the council's inability to work in partnership with the Welsh Assembly – exemplified in the recent expensive decision to pull the local development plan after criticisms from Assembly officers.
In between councillors and Assembly Members, what does he think people see his role as their MP to be? "To get people an answer when they cannot get an answer by other means" is his quick reply. "You can get things from the completely tragic to the very trivial, and as long as you have tried to help, then people are satisfied."
Key campaigns – silent phone calls
Brennan said his approach to work is to just keep at it and not spend lots of time looking back at what he has and hasn't achieved. But in his years as MP and minister, he has managed to clamp down on companies leaving silent messages on people's telephones – after complaints from his constituents caused him to investigate the source of silent phone calls. He found large credit card and utility companies were using predictive dialling to call batches of homes and when more people answered than they had operators for, silence would be heard at the other end. This offence would cost companies a measly £5,000, and Brennan has hiked this figure up to £2 million. He's now also working with credit card companies to make monthly payments have the lowest interests rates possible.
"I want to do more sitting down and thinking," Brennan says. "I don't tend to brag about what I have done and I try to make change for the better and push things on in an progressive way."
Brennan took part in this Sunday's Walk for Life to raise money for Kidney Wales, and this month launched MP4's first album – Cross Party.
Brennan promises me the tracks on the album are all poppy love songs with no comment on his life as an mp. But with names like 'I should have said', 'Foolish game' and 'Stone in my shoe', I'm still not sure.
Read more about the results of the last elections here.
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