Category: SDP

Dickie Fletcher is the SDP prospective candidate for Macclesfield.  We spoke with Dickie about his decision to stand.

“The experience of trying to build and sustain businesses over the last 30 years, through the 2008 financial crisis, the covid lockdowns and myriad ups and downs in between, has sharpened my thoughts on how badly we have been led by politicians”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am the owner of a small business which is based in Manchester and serves the music industry with equipment hire and technical services. I have run my own businesses since graduating from Manchester University with a Psychology degree in 1994. I now live with my wife, cat & dog, in Bollington, having recently moved out of the city.

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

I have been politically engaged all my life, from a childhood growing up in Sheffield during the hothouse of the Miners’ strike and the upheaval that Thatcherite policies brought to the North. I was also very influenced by my Great Uncle, Eric Fletcher, who was a Labour MP for 25 years following the war. With parents who were a teacher and an academic, there was always stimulating debate in the house growing up.

Following the sheltered atmosphere of university, it was somewhat a baptism of fire to go straight into setting up a business in Ancoats, Manchester, which in the 1990s was still a tough place to be. The experience of trying to build and sustain businesses over the last 30 years, through the 2008 financial crisis, the covid lockdowns and myriad ups and downs in between, has sharpened my thoughts on how badly we have been led by politicians for so many years.

“I then felt I should do whatever I could to aid the effort to change things. We will not get change from the “uniparty” of Lab/Con/Lib”

I picked up the SDP’s New Declaration last year and immediately found a political home where I could see there were like-minded people. Having seen William Clouston, the party leader, speak at the party conference last October, I was very impressed with his depth of thought and commitment to building a real party of change for the UK. I then felt I should do whatever I could to aid the effort to change things. We will not get change from the “uniparty” of Lab/Con/Lib.

You’re the Spokesman for Macclesfield. What’s made you decide to represent this area?

I am a keen cyclist, and the Cheshire edge of the Peak District has always been a favourite place for rides out from the urban jungle. As I have cycled through it, it became a place I have wanted to live. I am fortunate that it is now my home, hopefully for many years.  I am representing the SDP in this, my home constituency.

“we need to preserve our national democratic accountability to our citizens and reject the failed neo-liberal globalist project”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

I have only been here a short while, so I am very much looking forward to learning about the concerns of Macclesfield’s residents and the people living in the surrounding towns and villages. I suspect that the cost of living pressures, housing for young people and the over stretched health & social care services will be at the forefront of people’s minds.

I think the concerns nationally will be reflected locally also and I am keen to focus on the failures of the economic model over the past 30 plus years, that all the main parties have followed. This is the root cause of all the problems from immigration, to lack of affordable housing and the decline of our industries.

Importantly, we need to preserve our national democratic accountability to our citizens and reject the failed neo-liberal globalist project that has based growth on debt and cheap immigration, at the expense of our manufacturing and industrial base.

For those eager to help, how can the get involved in the campaign?

You can find out more about the SDP at https://sdp.org.uk/

People can find me at:

[email protected]

Or on X – @sdpdickie

Paul Murphy is the SDP prospective candidate for Runcorn & Helsby.  We spoke with Paul about his decision to stand.

“I knew very little of the SDP when I first started researching, but quickly became enamoured with their common-sense policies”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m a 40-year-old IT consultant, originally from Yorkshire I now live in Cheshire with my wife, 5 year old daughter and 2 dogs. I’ve always had a keen interest in politics and will often bore anyone who will listen as I debate some particular policy.

I’ve previously been a paid up member of both the Labour and Conservative party – but found that neither of these truly represented my own beliefs.

“I put my name forward as I believe people should have the choice to vote SDP”

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

Following my split with the Conservative party I was looking for a new political home. Like I guess many of your readers I knew very little of the SDP when I first started researching, but quickly became enamoured with their common-sense policies. Shortly after joining a call was put out for people to stand and I put my name forward as I believe people should have the choice to vote SDP.

“A political elite who looks down at them and refuse the introduce the policies that they want, an obsession on woke and thought policing while actual crimes go unpunished”

You’re the Spokesman for Runcorn & Helsby what’s made you decide to represent this area?

I live in the constituency and see day to day how the policies of the government have a negative effect on the constituents.

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

I’d say they have the same problems as the rest of the country. A political elite who looks down at them and refuse the introduce the policies that they want, an obsession on woke and thought policing while actual crimes go unpunished and a breakdown of social cohesion that uncontrolled immigration has brought about.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign? You can find out more about the SDP at https://sdp.org.uk/. You can contact me by email at [email protected].

Tim O’Rourke is the SDP prospective candidate for Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester.  We spoke with Tim about his decision to stand.

“I had always voted Labour, but I increasingly felt they were losing sight of what was really important to people and were becoming increasingly ideologically captured”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am a former Electrical Engineer and Project Manager and spent half of my career in the private sector (Power and Rail projects) and the other half in (effectively) the public sector (Nuclear).  I have studied Martial Arts for over 50 years and hold the rank of 5th Dan.  I am also a keen musician and have played guitar in a band for over 30 years.   I retired about 5 years ago and started becoming interested in politics and the way it seemed to be becoming more distant from the views and needs of ordinary members of our society.  I had always voted Labour, but I increasingly felt they were losing sight of what was really important to people and were becoming increasingly ideologically captured. 

“I had also directly seen the effects of deindustrialisation which is what happens when you don’t care where you source goods from”

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

Back in 1981 my dad had also become disillusioned with the Labour Party and joined the original SDP and became involved in Shirley Williams’s Crosby campaign.

Like most people I did not know that the SDP had survived the 80s until I saw something from Ben Cobley referring to them.  I followed it up and was immediately hooked by the SDP’s New Declaration.  It was for me the ideal mix of left wing economics combined with a great respect for pride in our country and the need for a strong sovereign state and control of our borders and where the laws that govern us are made by people we can ultimately remove at the ballot box should we need to.  I had also directly seen the effects of deindustrialisation which is what happens when you don’t care where you source goods from as long as you get the cheapest price. 

I took over as Chair of the North West Branch of the SDP at the beginning of 2023

You’re the Spokesman for Hazel Grove what’s made you decide to represent this area?

Hazel Grove is close to where I live, and I have many friends there and have spent a lot of time in the constituency.

As Chair of the North West Region we are trying to cover as many constituencies as we can as our main problem is exposure.  We find that once people know about us and our policies, they are usually enthusiastic   The North West region runs from Carlisle down to Chester and from the Wirral to Glossop so it’s a big area.  Although I live in the Macclesfield constituency we had another excellent candidate in that area and, knowing Hazel Grove well I elected to stand there.

“We see increasingly that police resources are diverted into into activities which don’t reduce crime and with more sympathy being given for those that carry out crime than are victims of it”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

I think the main issues for the constituency are similar to those nationally.  We see increasingly that police resources are diverted into into activities which don’t reduce crime and with more sympathy being given for those that carry out crime than are victims of it.  We seem to be becoming more tolerant of Anti social behaviour and the real reasons for the breakdown of social cohesion appear not to fit with the current “liberal” mindset and are therefore ignored.

I believe when Hazel Grove constituents look at the SDPs policies they will resonate with them and realise that something must be done to break the endless cycle of Labour/Conservative neither of which achieve any real change for them.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
You can find out more about the SDP at https://sdp.org.uk/. You can contact me by email at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @Iskimore199546.

You can also read about Tim in the Stockport Nub News at https://stockport.nub.news/news/local-news/social-democratic-party-announces-parliamentary-candidate-for-hazel-grove-220863

Allan MacMillan is the SDP prospective candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran.  We spoke with Allan about his decision to stand.

“Scottish voters deserve the chance to vote for a party with real values and morals”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

My names Allan MacMillan, I’m 34 and I stay in North Ayrshire. I’m a single parent and previously served in the Scots Guards for five years. I enjoy anything football related and have managed amateur teams in the past, I also enjoy spending time with friends and family and being outdoors. I’m studying on the side too.

What made you stand for the SDP?

As a former Labour voter, there’s no party that I would trust with my vote. We live in a country where elected members of parliament think it’s acceptable to take a drag queen called “Flowjob” to a primary school. Scottish voters deserve the chance to vote for a party with real values and morals, I don’t believe this nonsense is representative of the people. I’m sure given time and hard work the SDP can grow in Scotland and in the remainder of the UK.

“I’m proud to be British as well as Scottish and I know a lot of people in my constituency are too”

You’re the spokesman for North Ayrshire and Arran, what’s made you decide to represent this area?

I’m proud to be British as well as Scottish and I know a lot of people in my constituency are too. We need a strong alternative to the SNP, Tories and Labour that has fresh policy ideas and supports our union of nations. The SDP offers voters this chance.

“Our communities are struggling in and in need of change. Simply put, people deserve better”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

My constituency is one of the most deprived in Scotland. I live in Saltcoats and it was the most deprived area of North Ayrshire and 26th in Scotland only a couple of years ago. Child poverty is a big concern. For example, I have a supermarket out the back of my home and I see people regularly going through the bins. It’s tragic. We have a drug issue around drug misuse and a conversation needs to be had in regards to benzodiazepines and possible links to free prescriptions, making these drugs more accessible and acting as a gateway to other more illicit drugs. The social and economic issues we are facing is also contributing to a massive rise in suicides within my constituency over the past few years, it feels like every week or so I hear of another attempt or death. Our communities are struggling in and in need of change. Simply put, people deserve better.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

You can find out more about the SDP at https://sdp.org.uk/.  You can also get in touch by email at [email protected], on my social media @AllanMac_SDP or join the party and get involved more directly. We’re keen for people to get involved!

Daniel McNay is the SDP prospective candidate for Alyn & Deeside in North Wales.  We spoke with Dan about his decision to stand.

“most SDP members will tell you, when asked why they are SDP members, is that they are patriotic, economically left of centre, and strong supporters of free speech”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

Originally from the north east of England, I now live in north Wales where I have now settled with my young family. Before settling down, I spent a number of years in the British army, specifically the infantry, which ensured I was fortunate enough to see a lot of the United Kingdom as well as the wider world. With regards to my own passions and pastimes, my love of football, along with a love/hate relationship with Hartlepool United, would certainly top the list. To move in an entirely different direction, I do have a keen interest in a specific collection of vampire novels, although we are talking more Anne Rice than Stephanie Meyer. I also harbour a strong fascination with human history, from antiquity to the modern world, along with politics itself, which naturally brought me to the SDP.

“Sadly, authoritarian progressivism seems to have taken western society hostage”

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

One thing most SDP members will tell you, when asked why they are SDP members, is that they are patriotic, economically left of centre, and strong supporters of free speech and respectful debate which nurtures the free exchange of ideas. I am no exception. While one major party seems to take pride in ridiculing patriotism, and the other indulges in reckless apathy with regards to the less wealthy portions of society, the SDP proves to be the only party which bridges the gap, thus representing the vast majority of people in the UK.

Sadly, authoritarian progressivism seems to have taken western society hostage. Race, gender, immigration, Coronavirus, climate-change, these are all topics the British public is constantly lectured on, but prohibited from offering any opinion on, other than the opinions pre-approved by the loudest and angriest of Leftists. Leftists who, quite frankly, care little about the aforementioned issues, and care only about hijacking them and using them to push extremist agendas. For anyone who is up to date with the motivations behind groups such as BLM and Antifa, they will require no reminders of the agendas in question.

“a very simple yet very honest reason for wishing to stand for the SDP, is that they are good people”

Also, a very simple yet very honest reason for wishing to stand for the SDP, is that they are good people. I have met many people with many political persuasions in my life, and while I have encountered brashness, arrogance and ego in abundance in these encounters, my interactions with SDP members tend to offer none of that. the vast majority of SDP members are mild-mannered, open-minded and seem to enjoy listening to the beliefs of others as much as they do telling others what they believe. Yet for all their pleasantness and amiability, there is a stubborn courage, and a refusal to do what many people have done already. They won’t allow themselves to be silenced by the threat of false accusations or the sting of extremist rhetoric.

“If by standing, I provide people the chance to vote for a party which represents them, this is a great honour to have”

You’re the Spokesman for Alyn & Deeside what’s made you decide to represent this area?

I am choosing to represent this area, simply because this is my home. It is a fantastic place to live, and as with most places in the UK, I know it is made up of hard-working sensible people who are likely frustrated every time they force themselves to vote. Many will reluctantly vote Labour out of habit. I certainly have. Others will vote Conservative through gritted teeth. Most, I am certain, would vote SDP if they were aware of our policies and our values. If by standing, I provide people the chance to vote for a party which represents them, this is a great honour to have.

“being a Welsh constituency, the new 20mph speed limit is understandably proving to be universally unpopular”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

I believe the concerns for my constituency are largely the same concerns most working people have up and down the country. Of course, being a Welsh constituency, the new 20mph speed limit is understandably proving to be universally unpopular. Additionally, the worrying decision of the Welsh Parliament to ban a particular news channel in order to ‘protect’ its staff, is also concerning. Should governments ever take it upon themselves to protect adults from information and opinions the government in question does not like?

Aside from these matters, the SDP has strong and detailed views on a wide range of issues, which are readily available on our website. Unlike some parties, we are not focussed on one single issue, nor do we ignore any matters which impact the British people.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

For more information on the party visit our website at https://sdp.org.uk/.

For those wishing to get involved, it is incredibly easy. The first and simplest step is to join the party. You will struggle to find a cheaper party to join, and struggle just as much to find one where the top brass and the average party member interact as frequently and as effectively as the SDP. When you join, you can immediately make an impact.  You can join up at https://sdp.nationbuilder.com.

You can also follow and get in touch via https://twitter.com/SDPCymru and https://twitter.com/SDPhq.  You can contact me on email at mailto:[email protected].

Philip Peers is the SDP prospective candidate for Torridge & Tavistock in Devon.  We spoke with Philip about his decision to stand.

“Their policies align perfectly with my outlook on life and what I believe would deliver the best future for my family, community and nation”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am pleased to announce my selection as prospective parliamentary candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Torridge & Tavistock Constituency.  I am a married father of two young children. I am a former town councillor for Tavistock. I work locally for an NHS Trust based in Plymouth and am a director of the estate management company for the estate in which I live.

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

The SDP is a political party with policies that are patriotic, economically left-leaning and culturally traditional. Their policies align perfectly with my outlook on life and what I believe would deliver the best future for my family, community and nation.

“Simply put, this is the community in which I have the greatest stake in. It is my sincere wish for the people of this constituency and neighbouring ones to be the most healthy, prosperous, and fulfilled as they possibly can be”

You’re the Spokesman for Torridge & Tavistock what’s made you decide to represent this area?

This is the area that I was raised in from the age of 2 years old and continue to live in and raise my own family in. I have strong roots within the community having attended local state primary and secondary schools, worked for local businesses and where my friends and family live. Simply put, this is the community in which I have the greatest stake in. It is my sincere wish for the people of this constituency and neighbouring ones to be the most healthy, prosperous, and fulfilled as they possibly can be. It has been taken for granted by the Conservative Party for too long and become a forgotten land in the halls of Westminster.

“we have 8,500 households on the waiting list for social housing. It’s not just a lack of total numbers though but suitable housing in the right places”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

Housing, employment and healthcare. These are the big three that will affect just about everyone. We have a chronic lack of housing, in Devon excluding the Unitary authority areas of Plymouth and Torbay we have 8,500 households on the waiting list for social housing. It’s not just a lack of total numbers though but suitable housing in the right places.

There is no coherent strategy for economic development in this part of the country. We lack high skilled, well-paid jobs in a vibrant private sector. This is caused to a great extent by being geographically isolated and lacking the infrastructure to allow for speedy and reliable public or private transport or even rural high-speed broadband. We need central government to form a coherent economic strategy for our region with massive investment in transport infrastructure and connectivity.

Healthcare, we have some of the poorest communities in the nation here with worse than average health outcomes. In the current financial year the NHS allocated the third highest amount of money per head of population to the Southwest ICB’s at £1,536. The formula for calculating this is based on various factors that determine the need of the population, poverty being a high indicator of poor health outcomes and the need for greater funding.  

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

I would ask that any member of the SDP or any citizen concerned with the state of our communities and nation who is based in West Devon to get in touch with me at [email protected].

For more information on the party visit our website at https://sdp.org.uk/. 

Ivan Kinsman is the SDP prospective candidate for West Suffolk.  We spoke with Ivan about his decision to stand.

“I believe that the current duopoly of Conservative and Labour is failing the country, as well as the first-past-the-post electoral system”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am 61 years old and a graduate from The University of St Andrews M.A. Hons.) and Edinburgh University (MBA). I was brought up in the Lake District, later moving to the south-west of England as a teenager and attended Eton College. After my university education in Scotland, I moved down to London, working as a wine salesman, IT and telecoms conference organiser and then website administrator/copywriter for a fund manager prior to moving to Newmarket in Suffolk.

I run my own translation and proofreading business, which I have been doing since 2011 (which also involves a lot of foreign travel).

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

I have a keen interest in politics and current affairs. I believe that the current duopoly of Conservative and Labour is failing the country, as well as the first-past-the-post electoral system. I was persuaded to join the SDP by The New Declaration as well as by listening to the speakers at the party conference in Manchester in 2022. The SDP very much reflects my own political views, which are left of centre on the economy whilst right of centre on cultural and social issues.

“the SDP’s political agenda, focused on family, community and nation, will appeal to voters who live in a county that has a large number of historic towns and large tracts of farmland and countryside”

You’re the Spokesman for West Suffolk ­- what’s made you decide to represent this area?

I have a strong association with West Suffolk through living in Newmarket, a town famous for its horseracing (around 3,000 race horses are stabled in and around Newmarket; by comparison, the human population is around 15,000 and it is estimated that one in three jobs are connected to horseracing in one way or another). 

The constituency’s MP is currently the independent Matt Hancock who is standing down at the next election. Although traditionally a Tory constituency, I feel that the SDP’s political agenda, focused on family, community and nation, will appeal to voters who live in a county that has a large number of historic towns and large tracts of farmland and countryside, so most people lead a predominantly rural lifestyle. Nick Timothy will the Conservative PPC but he carries a lot of baggage as the political advisor to Theresa May who, along with Fiona Hill, was held responsible by MPs for the disastrous snap election results called by her.

I regularly attend the EofE SDP meetings, chaired by Michael McGetrick, as well as the party annual conferences.

“The Conservative party has conserved very little but instead – as William Clouston correctly emphasises – put everything up for sale, and it is increasing clear that Labour has abandoned the nation’s working men and women”

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

Jobs, cost of living, housing, public services, energy and immigration are all issues affecting West Suffolk. voters.

Energy: Sunnica Energy Farm, a solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage project in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. West Suffolk Council are currently evaluating a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate. I am a strong supporter of renewables so am supporting this initiative.

Public services: Suffolk Country council this month (January 2024) has proposed £64.7m in cuts to balance its budget including scrapping funding for the arts, making redundancies and closing two archives’ branches. The Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds could have its funding stopped by Suffolk County Council as part of the proposed £500,000 in savings by stopping core funding to art and museum sector organisations from April 2025.

Cost of living/health: West Suffolk also has some poverty hotspots, for example the Howard Estate in Bury St Edmunds has recently been labelled the most deprived ward in West Suffolk with “significantly higher rates of hospital admissions compared to the national average, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), self-harm and alcohol related conditions being some key areas of concern” (Suffolk News, 5.01.24).

My core message will be that the SDP is not a party of the major urban centres like Labour and the Conservatives but focused on strengthening communities. Like in other parts of the country, I am convinced people in West Suffolk believe that the old Labour/Conservative duopoly is harming our nation. The Conservative party has conserved very little but instead – as William Clouston correctly emphasises – put everything up for sale, and it is increasing clear that Labour has abandoned the nation’s working men and women. To preserve what is best in our nation Westminster must change, and as West Suffolk’s MP I will be working hard for my constituents instead of being sucked into the Westminster metropolitan bubble.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

I require 10 signatures from West Suffolk residents who are on the electoral register so please contact me if you can help with this.

I am focusing initially on digital media activities via Facebook and Twitter/X, and then later local campaigning including leafleting and establishing street stalls. If people are interested in helping out, that would be greatly appreciated.

You can find out more about the SDP at https://sdp.org.uk/ and follow or contact me via:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IvanKinsmanSDP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IvanKinsmanSDP
Email: mailto:[email protected]

Martin Broomfield is the SDP prospective candidate for South Cotswolds.  We spoke with Martin about his decision to stand.

“I feel very comfortable with the SDP’s strapline:- Family, Community, Nation.  Now semi-retired I have some time to spend on helping the SDP to spread the word”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I grew up in Reading, it was a multicultural town even in the 1970s but unlike today, we all understood and respected our cultural differences and we lived happily side by side, it was a real live and let live environment which I really enjoyed.

I went to a secondary modern school. When I was 16 I started an apprenticeship as a toolmaker and studied for HNC in mech. eng. at Reading Tech.  I worked in various engineering jobs, became a service engineer and eventually got into industrial robotics and CAD design, working in car factories including Ford, Rover, BMW, Volvo and Honda in various European locations.

I have lived in Wiltshire for the last 40 years, I now live to the north of Chippenham with my wife Daisy and two teenage sons.  I also have two grown up daughters living in Australia and Thailand.

I feel very comfortable with the SDP’s strapline:- Family, Community, Nation.  Now semi-retired I have some time to spend on helping the SDP to spread the word.

“the EU was a massively complex, cumbersome organisation that was trying to amalgamate the opinions of 27 different nations, headed up by a top table of unelected bureaucrats”

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

For most of my voting life all of my political knowledge came from the TV and I voted depending on who appealed most from the little that I knew.  Then in 2016 the EU referendum was looming, I realised that this was going to be a really important political event. I also realised that I knew nothing about politics or the European Union, so I set about learning everything I could, about how our political institutions functioned and how the EU was a massively complex, cumbersome organisation that was trying to amalgamate the opinions of 27 different nations, headed up by a top table of unelected bureaucrats. I could see the intention was to make “one size that fits all” decisions and laws, but in reality it seemed the best they ever achieved was “one size that fits nobody”.

My attempts to discuss European pros and cons revealed it was a very emotive subject, but worst of all I constantly heard the BBC telling us we were racist idiots for even wanting to talk about it.  Then move on a few years and I found that questioning the main stream Covid narrative brought on a very similar reaction.  Then came the race and culture wars and lo and behold, it was very difficult to talk about any of that without being called all sorts of names.

“It became apparent that there was a culture of suppressing free speech to allow the propagation of niche ideas that were not good for the majority of the British people”

It became apparent that there was a culture of suppressing free speech to allow the propagation of niche ideas that were not good for the majority of the British people, which frankly horrified me. Being able to discuss every subject openly and freely without emotional bullying or guilt trips is the bedrock of a healthy democracy.

I found that the government in power was actually fuelling this suppression, because it seemed that their policies and actions were at odds with each other and their actions did not stand up to any sort of common sense scrutiny. But they were dead set on the idea that “globalism is the new god” and they were going to expedite pulling down Britain’s borders and forcing this thing on the British people whether they liked it or not.

Net Zero, another globalist idea based on very dodgy data. The government’s solution was to enforce the use of electric only power while simultaneously dismantling our electricity generating capability.  Thankfully I realised that the SDP, who’s name I knew of old, actually had policies that I agreed with.  At last I had found my political home.

“if there was a box that said “None of the above”, that’s where I would put my cross.  Obviously this is not good enough, so I am standing to give voters the opportunity to put a cross by the “SDP”

You’re the Spokesman for South Cotswolds what’s made you decide to represent this area?

I live in the Kington ward of the South Cotswolds County Constituency.  As may be apparent from my previous answers, I am not a career politician and I am not from any area of influence.  Every time I go to vote, I find the same problem, if there was a box that said “None of the above”, that’s where I would put my cross.  Obviously this is not good enough, so I am standing to give voters the opportunity to put a cross by the “SDP”.

What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?

One of our main challenges is to somehow force our institutions, councils, NHS, welfare etc. to stick to their core responsibilities and not waste enormous amounts of our money on stuff that most people consider to be irrelevant nonsense.

For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?

At the moment the SDP name and policies need to be spread to as many people as possible. I think if we can get people familiar with the party’s policies then we will naturally get politically homeless people on board. So spreading website links and getting people aware of us will be key to starting the ball rolling.

You can find out more on our website at https://sdp.org.uk/.

You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and email me at [email protected].