Hello and welcome to the Political Party. Today's guest is Kevin Brennan, the Labour MP for Cardiff West. He's been an MP for 20 years. We do talk about the changes he's seen in that time.

But you may recognise Kevin from the fantastic Cross Party Parliamentary Rock Group MP4, who were the House band on the TV show I did on Spongebob. They also provide the live music at the Christmas specials of the political parties. If you've ever been down to the Leicester Square Theatre or the Bloomsbury for those Christmas specials.

Kevin is one of MP for along with Ian Caulsey, Greg Knight and Pete Wishart. We talk about that band and what it's been like being in a Cross Party band in the years of Scottish Independence and Brexit.

And also, Kevin himself has just released a new album. It's out and just under a fortnight. It's called The Clown and the Cigarette Girl. One of the songs is available to stream now on Apple Music and Spotify called Tabernacle Lane. And I'm not just saying this because I know him. It is absolutely brilliant. It's a fantastic song. And obviously whenever a friend makes something, you're desperate for it to be good. And I think sometimes if anything, if it's not really good, it's more awkward.

It's brilliant. It's really, really brilliant. So I've put a link to the album that you can preorder and I've also put a link to the song. The song is fantastic. We talk about the song because it's an incredible story within it. And I thought this can't be made up. So I googled it and that she's based on a true, very sad story.

But a very important story. And Kevin is fantastic. A former whip. I mean, there's so much we talk about, but before all that, don't forget you can email the show political party podcast at gmail.com. In fact, before that, I've stopped reminding people to leave a review. And I know you're probably thinking, oh, God, admin. I've got enough going on in my life as it is.

But come on, while you're listening to this, you could just do it. You could just pick up your tablet or mobile device for every listen to the show, leave a five star review. And if you're on iTunes, if you leave a written one, it just helps the show get in the charts and go up the charts. And maybe you think, or why do you care?

Well, you want a show to do well, don't you? So thank you to all of you that have written very nice reviews. I know I'm basically asking you to do it.

But still, thank you for doing it. Now, onto the emails, political party podcast at gmail.com. Let me know if you've ever had a mundane peculiar strange encounter with the politician. If you've seen them somewhere, you didn't expect to see them.

Fergus has been in touch, saying when just in greening was the MP for Putney Roampton and Southfields, I used to see her around Putney quite often, but I won't spotted it in the co-op next to East Putney Tube Station.

Well, that's a classic sighting. I mean, MPs go to the supermarket as well, particularly in their own constituencies. I mean, I don't want this to border on people following MPs around. Obviously that clearly crosses a line. This is just like if you happen to see them.

I don't make a big deal out of it. Just email the show political party podcast at gmail.com on this discussion during this where I'm trying to guess the name of an MP. If you guess it before I do, because I do it, well, no spoilers. But if you know the name, get in touch and just say, I got it before you. And I shall take you at your word.

Don't forget the political party is now back as a live show as it was always meant to be as it always was. But now in London's glittering beautiful West end and my next guest at those shows is Caroline Fulin who's so good. Obviously now a TV star and pond it, but a fantastic outspoken labor politician who was a real star of those new labor years.

And really should have been a lot more prominent such a fantastic talent. Come and see one of the most fantastic communicators who really tells it like it is on Monday, the 25th of October, you can get tickets for that show at matford.com slash live. That will be a cracking night.

Thank for your emails about the penny more than episode. That was an absolute treat. And now on to Kevin Brennan who I've known for a long time and obviously as I said MP for.

And we've done a lot of stuff together and we still get booked for events together and they're always great. And but I'm Kevin was the first member that I met and when I used to work for the labor party, we met on the blinding went by election. I didn't say this in the interview because I don't want to make it to walk with an also some of the guests I have on either I have met or I haven't met.

I don't want to really treat people any differently, but I think sometimes it's handy for context. Kevin was so popular among party staff when you work on a by election and this will be true for all political parties.

You have the staff, you have the volunteers, you have the local members. And then what you also have is usually an MP from that region effectively leading it on the ground.

So it's still run by the party that MP there is kind of there. I guess reporting back to whoever the leader of the party is. But also to look after the candidate support for the candidates have an MP there and for very understandable reasons.

Those MPs aren't always hugely popular with with with everyone with the staff and they don't always get that right. A lot of the times they do, party tipping on the list of South by election was superb. Kevin in blinding went was magnificent and yeah, this that's a long four days a garden of his still got it.

But he would make like playlist CDs for people he was fantastic from a row he really understood how exhausting it was for everyone that staff had come from all over the country that they were away from home.

And he was just so friendly and warm with everyone. And when you're a new young member of staff.

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