Damon Young is the SDP prospective candidate for Epsom and Ewell. We spoke with Damon about his decision to stand.
“Some of the people I read, listen to and admire such as Andrew Doyle, Graham Linehan and Winston Marshall publicly expressed support for the SDP and so I was drawn to the party”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a published poet and a teacher at Epsom College. Most importantly, I am a single father to my 11 year old daughter.
What made you decide to stand for the SDP.
Like so many, I have been feeling the frustration of political homelessness. In that frustration I became more and more conscious of an eco- system of similarly minded people online and have taken solace by reading and listening to UnHerd, Triggernometry, Brendan O Neill and Spiked, Bombshells, Matt Goodwin, Laura Dodsworth and many more.
Some of the people I read, listen to and admire such as Andrew Doyle, Graham Linehan and Winston Marshall publicly expressed support for the SDP and so I was drawn to the party. In doing so I was enormously impressed by the leadership of William Clouston and the Mayoral candidacy of Amy Gallagher and felt it was time for me to contribute to the SDP’s ambition of raising its electoral profile.
“The lack of affordable housing is an equally pressing matter. I am passionate about solutions being found for my daughter’s generation”
You’re the spokesman for Epsom and Ewell what’s made you decide to represent the area?
My daughter and I moved here two years ago and we very quickly came to love the area.
“As a teacher at one of the country’s top independent schools, I am horrified by Labour’s punitive policy on school fees”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
Like the rest of the country, the breakdown of health and social care is a crisis that must be a top priority.
The lack of affordable housing is an equally pressing matter. I am passionate about solutions being found for my daughter’s generation.
As a teacher at one of the country’s top independent schools, I am horrified by Labour’s punitive policy on school fees. This policy will not impact the very rich (for whom school fees are pocket change) but will impact disastrously on middle- class families who make sacrifices and work extremely hard to provide the education they have chosen for their children. The knock-on effect will be an influx into already overcrowded state schools. It strikes me as a policy born of resentment and envy rather than a genuine desire to raise educational standards.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
Richard Brunning is the SDP prospective candidate for Mid-Bedfordshire. We spoke with Richard about his decision to stand.
“It was some years before I started taking an active role though and became a parish councillor. I’m primarily a (small c) conservative but the Conservative party is no longer worthy of the name”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I grew up in Shropshire, spent four years living and working in the USA in my mid-twenties before coming back to the UK and finally settling down in Bedfordshire. I’m married with twin daughters – who can be a real handful at times – and enjoy walking our Hungarian Vizsla, reading, films, playing with cars, motor-racing, football, cricket and much more besides.
What made you decide to stand for the SDP?
Being wholly ambivalent about politics in my youth, I became much more interested while living across the pond. The 9/11 attacks shook me – along with most of the world – and jolted me out of my political complacency. It was some years before I started taking an active role though and became a parish councillor. I’m primarily a (small c) conservative but the Conservative party is no longer worthy of the name, so I became politically homeless. A chance contact on Twitter led me to research the SDP and I found them to be aligned very closely to my beliefs and values, so it was a natural fit for me. The SDP is a patriotic, economically left leaning and socially right leaning, culturally traditional party. That’s what attracted me.
“my roots run deep within the Bedfordshire soil. It has a wonderful mix of rural and urban areas with a long and proud history of being open to newcomers who share the values of the locals”
You’re the Spokesman for Mid Bedfordshire what’s made you decide to represent this area?
My family and I have lived in Mid Bedfordshire for nearly fifteen years; my daughters were born and go to school here, I’ve been a parish councillor here, so my roots run deep within the Bedfordshire soil. It has a wonderful mix of rural and urban areas with a long and proud history of being open to newcomers who share the values of the locals. Having a representative in parliament who’s representative of the people and not some parachuted in career politician is something I’m keen to provide.
“Real change is needed to tackle the very real problems and concerns of the British public, and the SDP has the right policies”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
There are myriad concerns throughout constituency, but the economy and health are among the most pressing. The Tories have wasted fourteen years tinkering with their fingers in their ears while Labour have gone through successive self-immolation periods and have ended up with a leader and a front bench that looks as lightweight as a packet of Quavers. Real change is needed to tackle the very real problems and concerns of the British public, and the SDP has the right policies to achieve the real changes that will benefit everyone.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
Irene Yoong-Henery is the Reform UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Birmingham Ladywood. We spoke with Irene about her decision to stand.
“The NHS appears to have a culture of Death at the moment, whether it is due to a lack of resources or “woke” ideology. All lives are precious to God”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I will be standing as a Reform UK parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Ladywood in the General Election on 4/July/2024. I was born in Malaysia (previously a British colony for 133 years). I studied at a Catholic convent school founded by British nuns for 11 years. Later I also studied in Singapore, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom where I qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant.
I started my professional career at J. Sainsbury’s plc, preparing and monitoring multi-million pound budgets for hundreds of its supermarkets from Scotland, to Northern Ireland, to Coventry, for 5 years. I then embarked on a legal career as CEO of Ian Henery Solicitors Ltd for 23 years. I have worked with local and international businesses, promoting British businesses overseas in China and Hong Kong. I was part of the England China Business Forum in Birmingham.
However I have now retired from professional life to work for the good of our country.
I will be very pleased to meet Ladywood constituents and find out what their concerns are affecting them and their families.
What made you decide to stand for Reform UK?
I was approached to become a Reform candidate through my work as Chairperson of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) Walsall branch. I am a staunch Catholic and am convinced that I can save hundreds of thousands of lives, the lives of mothers and their babies, if better laws are passed in parliament. DIY abortions by poison- pills-in-the-post may save the NHS money but the outcomes are terrible for both mother and baby. The NHS appears to have a culture of Death at the moment, whether it is due to a lack of resources or “woke” ideology. All lives are precious to God and as Christians, we must do our outmost to preserve lives. Reform UK has a large number of Christians as members and we are all working to improve the quality of life for British people. “We want our country back” is often heard amongst our members and we mean to turn back the clock to a more gentle and peaceful period where British people went to church, loved God, King/Queen and country, and did not shout hatred at each other and tear down statues nor stop traffic and hold the British public to ransom with impossible demands.
“I speak Mandarin to Chinese Mainland constituents, Cantonese to Hong Kong constituents, Malay to Malaysian & Indonesian constituents, and English to everyone”
You’re the Spokesman for Birmingham Ladywoodwhat’s made you decide to represent this area?
I am representing Birmingham Ladywood which encompasses Chinatown where I had 2 branches of my law firm for many years. We were a full service law firm that won many awards and were well respected in the Chinese community. We also won the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year award from Birmingham Law Society. I still count many business owners in Chinatown as friends, and they are supporting my campaign. I speak Mandarin to Chinese Mainland constituents, Cantonese to Hong Kong constituents, Malay to Malaysian & Indonesian constituents, and English to everyone else! As I spent my childhood in Malaysia which has a majority of Muslims, I can relate to Muslims. In some wards within Ladywood, there are up to 84% Muslim constituents.
“We have the ridiculous situation of a lack of housing in Birmingham, yet we have nearly 1000 apartments in Perry Barr, Birmingham from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, still standing empty”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
The big concerns that Birmingham Ladywood constituents have brought up for my attention during my campaigning which started last year, are crime, housing, immigration, the rising costs of living. Amongst Muslim and Christian parents, they are also concerned about LGBT teachings in the classrooms. Asian families want schools to concentrate on helping their children get straight A’s in the exams, and woke ideology to be banned. As a mother of 4, I can understand these parents’ concerns and would fight for all these issues. We have the ridiculous situation of a lack of housing in Birmingham, yet we have nearly 1000 apartments in Perry Barr, Birmingham from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, still standing empty. We need to bail out Birmingham City Council in order to complete the development, sell the apartments at market value, and pay off the Council’s debts so that Council Tax does not have to be raised by over 10% every year. I am a qualified accountant and business entrepreneur, so I believe I can sort out these problems quite easily.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
Reform UK is still a relatively small and very new party, and we are always looking for volunteers to help out with campaigning and fund-raising. Anyone wishing to volunteer and donate can reach me, by email to [email protected], by text message to 07779 253682. I do have Facebook and X accounts but the best way to volunteer are by email and text.
Finally, I want to say a big THANK YOU for helping Reform UK get its message out. I hope that together, we can spread the word that there is a good alternative to voting Labour or the Conservatives – vote for change, vote for Reform UK.
My tuppenceworth is back, on Wednesday 17th July upstairs at Whispers 5 High St, Purley.
You are the star!
This is your opportunity to speak to those assembled on an issue that really matters to you and give your tuppenceworth. Each speaker will have up to 5 minutes to speak about an issue dear to their heart, followed by a short Q&A.
We ask all speeches are non-partisan and remind you the laws of slander still apply!
Come prepared or do off the cuff, this is your opportunity to exercise some free speech.
If you do have notes, we can publish to increase the reach of your ideas as we have in previous years.
If you would like to speak, please let us know by emailing [email protected].
Join us Upstairs, Whispers, 5 High St, Purley CR8 2AF on Wednesday 17th July, from 7pm.
Held as part of our regular #ThirdWednesday drinks, we hold these in association with Dick Delingpole’s #ThirdWednesday Libertarian drinks club, and POLITICS in PUBS a group of people from across the political spectrum who value the freedom to question and to speak openly.
Neil Norton is the SDP prospective candidate for Bristol South. We spoke with Neil about his decision to stand.
“The main parties do not speak for the ordinary people. Labour have lost their way for a long time, and focus on more luxury beliefs and identity politics”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I am Neil Norton. Brummie born and bred and have lived in the Bristol region for 12 years. Spent 11 years in Weston-Super-Mare, and just under a year in Bristol. My background is mainly business support within in the public sector (care homes, social services), and did do some volunteer work within Citizens Advice for a couple of years before Covid-19. Currently, I am a full-time carer for family members. I have stood for the SDP in the 2024 local elections here in Bristol for the Hengrove and Whitchurch Park ward, and did enter for Labour in two local elections in North Somerset back in 2015 and 2019.
What made you decide to stand for the SDP?
I came across the SDP a year ago. Their policies spoke to me and felt they represented me and the ordinary working class. The main parties do not speak for the ordinary people. Labour have lost their way for a long time, and focus on more luxury beliefs and identity politics. The Greens are just the Corbynite reserve team with whacky and crazy policies. I was politically homeless at the time tired of Labour’s “flip-flopping” and ineffective governance locally.
The SDP were calling out my name. I took the plunge and joined. There’s not much to disagree with, and it’s a party that is reflective of true British values. This is a part for the future, and will be big news shortly.
You’re the Spokesman for Bristol South what’s made you decide to represent this area?
As a local resident based in Hengrove; this is an area that has been neglected by both the local council and government, and offers true potential. I will represent the local community and listen to residents concerns.
“Considering there are numerous homeless people and families in the city; why are students top priority? These are only temporary residents and will bring little to local communities”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
Bristol South has a lot of high crime, deprivation and sadly in recent over-development of alleged “affordable” housing, which is out of reach to many people. The state of Bedminster High Street is unbelievable. The local Green councillors have let their area become a glorified building site by building ridiculous student housing developments and turning buildings into HMOs often attracting undesirable people. Considering there are numerous homeless people and families in the city; why are students top priority? These are only temporary residents and will bring little to local communities.
Meanwhile, homeless families are in expensive, low-quality temporary accommodation with little to zero hope of getting a decent home. The Greens have no housing policy. Everyone should have a home and more focus needs to be on homeless families. Crime is a key issue, especially with drugs, anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and knife-crime. A zero tolerance approach is needed. Policing needs to be back to basics on real crime. Drug dealers need to be punished, and more needs to be done for addicts to stop relapsing. People and businesses alike should not be living in fear. Harsher punishments for knife crime, and for those carrying a knife. Why take a life?
“Complacency from both Labour and the Greens in the area has led to the ordinary people ignored. A vote for the SDP will see real change and bring back common sense changes and rules”
Public transport needs improving. Bus stops are needed, as there are areas cut off with huge distances for walking that’s unfair on disabled and elderly people. Reliable services, which do not keep being cancelled as well as being affordable to people. Parsons Street and Bedminster railway stations to be bought into the 21st century with suitable access for the disabled and more regular services than a pathetic one an hour. It’s time GWR and National Rail as well as local councils and the government stopped messing about and actually listened to the customer.
I support the revival of Whitchurch Athletics Track in the area as that would be a benefit to the community, especially young people to be involved in activities and fulfil their potential. I will listen and fight for residents of Bristol South and make their area better again. Complacency from both Labour and the Greens in the area has led to the ordinary people ignored. A vote for the SDP will see real change and bring back common sense changes and rules.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
Alastair Mellon is the SDP prospective candidate for Coventry South. We spoke with Alastair about his decision to stand.
“I joined the SDP recently after about a year of conversations with William Clouston who I admire for his reasonableness, perseverance and calm management style”
I grew up in Coventry South. My father passed away in 1999 and my Mother continued to live in the City until she died last October and so I was in Coventry every other weekend for the last 25 years visiting her which helped me to maintain friendships with people I went to school with and with whom I have been friends for 50+ years.
I’m a chartered Civil Engineer, I run a Contractor-Developer and I’m an Investor in startups. I’ve built railways, factories, skyscrapers, office blocks, thousands of apartments and houses as well as 12 refugee centres for 25,000 displaced people in Bosnia during the Civil War in 92/93. I’ve built and invested in several successful companies including Europe’s largest online psychiatry business which treats 200,000 patients and employs more than 500 staff.
“a local campaign with our focus on bringing back highly skilled, high paying jobs to Coventry which are the bedrock of family formation”
I joined the SDP recently after about a year of conversations with William Clouston who I admire for his reasonableness, perseverance and calm management style. Their message of Family, Industry & Nation resonates with my experience of what works in practice.
I am running a local campaign with our focus on bringing back highly skilled, high paying jobs to Coventry which are the bedrock of family formation. Without high wages it is very difficult to support a family, buy a house, raise kids and take part in the civic life of the City. The SDP regards family as the cornerstone of society and I agree completely with that sentiment.
When my family moved back to Coventry from Liverpool in 1969 it was a self confident town with better pay than almost anywhere else in the country. When I left in 1982 to go and work in a car factory outside Paris, unemployment in Coventry was 19.2% and Ghost Town by the ‘Specials’ was synonymous with Coventry.
“My aim is to create a ‘Can Do’ atmosphere in Coventry, to inspire, enthuse and convene the citizens, the council, local businesses and universities”
The City’s businesses were pummelled by high interest rates imposed by Mrs Thatcher with many, including Standard/Triumph right next to my old school, going bankrupt with 13,000 redundancies in one day. I’d taken the No.1 bus home from school for 6 years with men who worked there all their lives who couldn’t conceive that they’d lost their jobs to an experiment in monetarism.
My aim is to create a ‘Can Do’ atmosphere in Coventry, to inspire, enthuse and convene the citizens, the council, local businesses and universities as well as utilities, VC’s, Private Equity, regional and national government and to harness them all to rebuild the high value add economy we had.
“We have all witnessed the exponential growth of cities around the world who act like start-up incubators be it Singapore, Shenzhen or Dubai”
I aim to generate a Tsunami of imaginative proposals, to trial new ideas, to experiment with new industries and to become the indispensable, flexible place that makes us impossible for the government, of any stripe, to ignore:
Want to trial autonomous cars in the UK? -> Go to Coventry.
Want to establish a new paradigm for building cheap nuclear power stations that dispenses with the crippling costs imposed by ALARA? -> Go to Coventry.
Want to know how to construct economically Build to Rent (BTR) housing and sell it to UK pension funds that are seeking long term, asset-backed, inflation-proof investments with solid cash flows from rental income which track wages to match their pension liabilities?-> Go to Coventry.
We will overcome our lack of resources with resourcefulness.
We have all witnessed the exponential growth of cities around the world who act like start-up incubators be it Singapore, Shenzhen or Dubai who started with far less than Coventry already has. Shenzhen was a fishing village of 3,000 souls, Dubai a strip of desert, Singapore a rejected Malaysian state plagued by race riots – why can’t we put our City back at the top of the pile?
Our football club, The Sky Blues, have been through a desperate couple of decades but under the inspired leadership of Mark Robbins they are demonstrating that, ‘there are second acts in the life of our great City’.
Andy Egginton is the Reform UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North East Derbyshire. We spoke with Andy about his decision to stand.
“Net Zero Immigration is the answer to the UK problems! I believe if the UK had Net zero Immigration over the next 5-year parliamentary term it would give the public services the opportunity to breathe and housing the opportunity to catch up. Our NHS needs a massive overhaul and especially social care and only Reform UK have the ability to carry out our promises.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Andy Egginton and I am 51 years old. I am a black belt in a few martial arts, train at the gym 5–6 times a week, play football and tennis and have covered a few roles in my career. Electrician, policeman, Inland Revenue, financial manager, property developer. I work on a contract basis for two premier league clubs in football and rugby as response, dealing with antisocial behaviour.
I also spend a lot of my time volunteering for people with disability/mental health issues as an advocate, guiding them through legal processes, procedures, housing, etc. This gives me a good insight into our failing country and failing system – which I firmly believe needs Reform.
I have three children, all boys. My eldest is 23 and is an IT infrastructure technician, my second is 19 and studying for a degree in Mathematics and statistics at Warwick University, and my 18-year-old will be joining him later this year studying the same degree.
“While dealing with the local MP on this issue he suggested if I wanted change then I should stand in the local elections, as I would make a great councillor. So, I decided to take his advice and stood in the local elections for Reform UK”
What made you decide to stand for Reform UK?
I became an accidental politician while I was advocating on a case many years ago. In this particular case, which began as a neighbour dispute and evolved into accusations that resulted in wrongful arrest. I decided to start from the beginning with the council ASB team and requesting a community trigger (the community trigger went ahead without her knowledge or attendance even though she requested the trigger), I examined the police evidence and proved they had made a baseless and wrongful arrest (the IOPC is still investigating this).
During the course of this investigation the council took major offence to the fact that “I had opened up a can of worms and wrong practices” and they then tried everything to destroy my client. They even sent a letter to her stating “We do not recognise your human rights under article 8 and will continue to attend your property against your wishes without notice” and even eventually banned her against having an advocate (which goes against the Care Quality Act 2010). I continued to advocate and raised a complaint directly with the local government ombudsman. This was when I realised that quangos are just an illusion and the public do not have any rights.
I recommend that everyone Googles “parliamentary health and social care ombudsman” on Trustpilot, reads the stories and follows up by researching other quangos. Sadly it is a horrific and pointless experience for any member of the public to deal with a quango and will only lead to being told you need to go to a judicial review, This will cost £20–25,000 and if you lose, you will pay the same again in costs to the government department. If you win, they will pay your costs and reverse their decision (without incurring further penalties). Democracy appears to not exist in this country – is it just an illusion created by the government?
While dealing with the local MP on this issue he suggested if I wanted change then I should stand in the local elections, as I would make a great councillor. So, I decided to take his advice and stood in the local elections for Reform UK. I cannot understand why my Conservative MP took offence, as it was his suggestion I stand? I found out at the count he was suggesting the Conservatives (silly me). I have also been an agent for other Reform candidates.
The reason I stood for Reform is easy and simple…. Policies!
How could I possibly sell my children down the river and stand for either theConsocialists who have broken Britain or Labour who will bankrupt Britain?
You are the Spokesman for North East Derbyshire, what has made you decide to represent this area?
I originate from Derbyshire and have family in the area. If elected I will be living in the constituency.
“Policing in North East Derbyshire needs reforming and we need more bobbies on the beat. Visible policing prevents crime and residents should feel safe”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
What I see as major concerns for the constituency is housing being built without the appropriate infrastructure and poor quality planning decisions, such as housing being built in areas of Dronfield which have drainage issues.
We desperately need to review the bureaucratic planning system and especially the section 103 developer contributions for infrastructure, such as schools and GP surgeries. Once again, if Reform wins the general election then 5 years of Net Zero Immigration will give the housing sector a chance to catch up and young families a chance to buy a house.
Social care is already a major issue and Derbyshire County Council plan to close eight day centres for the elderly and up to 11 residential care homes. Problems with social care in the UK are adding to the strain on the NHS. For example: 13,000 beds are being blocked because no social care is available and yet Derbyshire County Council are in public consultation to close more social care facilities for the elderly!Once again, if Reform wins the general election then 5 years of Net Zero Immigration will give the NHS and social care sector a chance to catch up.
Policing in North East Derbyshire needs reforming and we need more bobbies on the beat. Visible policing prevents crime and residents should feel safe to venture out of their homes. Unfortunately, I am hearing the opposite from the residents I speak to while canvassing.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
For those eager to join our campaign and make a difference, there are several ways to get involved with Reform UK. You can connect with us on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on our events, initiatives, and ways to contribute. Additionally, you can email to learn more about volunteering opportunities and campaign events or share your ideas and concerns. Your support and involvement are invaluable in shaping a better future for North East Derbyshire.
Alan Adams is the Reform UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Telford. We spoke with Alan about his decision to stand.
“I’m not a polished or practiced politician, nor am I motivated by dreams of a career in politics – I want to do this for Telford”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Alan Adams – the Reform UK PPC for Telford. I’m a Telford native, with deep roots in our community. I was born and bred in Oakengates, I went to local schools, served in the Royal Navy as a Submariner from the age of 17, and then worked as an Engineer in factories across the borough. My grandad fed the kilns at Blockleys Bricks, my mum worked for the company building the M54, and I remember Telford town centre when it wasn’t much more than a Carrefour.
As a local business coach, I’ve assisted start-ups and SMEs to do business better. I’ve volunteered for the Princes Trust as a Mentor and supported the local community – not for personal gain, but because it’s the right thing to do.
I’m not a polished or practiced politician, nor am I motivated by dreams of a career in politics – I want to do this for Telford. I want to give the people of Telford a strong, viable alternative to the Conservative and Labour parties. A hard-working, decent MP who will really focus on our community. A real choice. Because this town is my home, and home to my family, and so Telford’s future matters deeply to me.
“Reform UK stands for freedom of speech and that matters hugely to me. The cancel-culture must not be allowed to censor the respectful sharing of views”
What made you decide to stand for Reform UK?
Reform UK is the only realistic alternative to the status quo. Telford’s other options are a replacement Conservative who doesn’t ‘get’ us, or a Labour Council Leader who’s offering more of the same, only worse. No thank you. Reform UK gives me the platform to fight for Telford, and make change happen.
I like that we’re small and lean and fighting hard to give people a voice. We’re becoming known as a party of common sense, and that appeals. As a party, we believe we need to get Brexit done properly and not just ‘done’, and I absolutely agree. We went to the people – they spoke – and it feels like very little has changed for the better.
I also believe that illegal immigration and abuse of the asylum system is out of control, and communities and local services cannot cope. As an island nation, we’ve always relied on positive immigration, but the system at the moment is broken for everyone. If we allow someone to stay, let them find work, find a home, and establish themselves in their community. Don’t sit them in two or three-year holding patterns, increasingly reliant on the state. And if they’re not entitled to be here, and are just abusing the system, then remove them from the country. Now.
I know first-hand that growing businesses are the best way to ‘grow us’ out of economic difficulty. If we can cut some of the stifling red tape, and support businesses to thrive and prosper, then we’ll all benefit. I’m not afraid of encouraging wealth creation, as long as business pays its dues. Success for businesses means more good jobs. It means more money in the public coffers. And that can only be a good thing.
More than anything, Reform UK stands for freedom of speech and that matters hugely to me. The cancel-culture must not be allowed to censor the respectful sharing of views.
“I served as a Submariner for six years, during the latter part of the Cold War. And it taught me service. To do what’s right and what’s necessary. To stand up and be counted”
You’re the Spokesman for Telford, what’s made you decide to represent this area?
I believe that the people of Telford deserve a choice other than ‘more of the same’. A real choice. And a candidate who wants to do the very best by them. That’s why I’m standing.
I’ve never had any ambition to be a politician. I was born in Oakengates and studied locally, before joining the Royal Navy at 17. I served as a Submariner for six years, during the latter part of the Cold War. And it taught me service. To do what’s right and what’s necessary. To stand up and be counted. And to do that whether anyone’s watching or not.
I see standing as an MP for Telford as a duty. We all deserve better than the options currently being presented to us.
Telford is a special place, and it has a DNA of its own. We’re proud, we’re hard-working, and we’re no-nonsense. We want common sense to be applied. And the only way that I can help make real change happen is to stand up and be counted, and to fight for Telford’s future.
“the abolition of IR35 rules which shackle those who choose the flexibility of self-employment, but who have one main client”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency, and what issues do you hope to champion?
There are so many ways that Reform UK is the right choice for the people of Telford, but I’ve picked four core areas that I believe resound the most.
1. Business | Business is an integral part of our town, and Reform UK’s commitment to reduce corporation tax from 25% down to 20% will be welcome indeed. As will the abolition of IR35 rules which shackle those who choose the flexibility of self-employment, but who have one main client. Business rates will be scrapped for all SMEs, the VAT threshold raised to £120,000, and a 3% online delivery tax will create a much more level playing field for businesses on our high streets. Less red tape, more common sense!
2. Healthcare | Healthcare is hugely important to everyone in our town and the downgrading of our A&E to an Urgent Treatment Centre just defies all logic and sense for a thriving and growing community. I’m determined to do all I can to fight for the Princess Royal to regain its full status again. People here in Telford, and across the wider UK, are suffering deeply because of record waiting lists and that can’t ever be OK. Reform UK has a viable plan to clear these lists – combining tax incentives to retain and re-recruit staff, providing access to more private healthcare, and reviewing all NHS contracts to cut waste, bureaucracy, and unnecessary managers. And all of this will be funded by reorganising the Bank of England QE debt, ensuring it no longer has to pay interest on reserves for commercial banks, and saving us all £billions.
3. Fairness | Fairness is another core driver for local people, who just want the chance to get themselves ahead. Reform UK is committed to removing stamp duty on properties below £750,000, which covers the vast majority of homes in our town as the average house price is £234,000 (according to Rightmove). Inheritance Tax would be abolished for all estates under £2million, and VAT on energy bills would also be scrapped. Again, all fair, and absolutely the right thing to do.
4. Armed Forces Community | I’m passionate about supporting serving and veteran members of our Armed Forces community. Standing for Reform UK, we’re committed to increasing the basic pay of service personnel to make sure that they earn more in the Forces than as an Amazon worker. And we’ll house and equip them properly too. While they’re serving, and after they leave, they’ll be entitled to a free education. And we’ll upgrade the ‘Office’ for Veterans’ Affairs to a full Department and fund it to the tune of £1billion a year. Best of all, defence spending will increase from 2.25% to 2.5% by 2027, and 3% by 2030 to ensure that we can all fully protect ourselves against all rising threats.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
For more information or to get in touch, please visit the website: www.alanadams.co.uk, or email: [email protected]. And, regular updates are posted on our social media platforms, too:
We recently held a public meeting in Purley and we were joined by Liz Cooper, the Reform UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for nearby Carshalton & Wallington.
“such a wide range of views on the next three quarters of a century discredits the notion that the IPCC represents a ‘scientific consensus’ on climate change”
Ben Pile reported in The Daily Sceptic that the Guardian recently published its survey of ‘climate experts’. For the purposes of creating this story, the Guardian’s Environment Editor Damian Carrington contacted 843 ‘lead authors’ of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s reports (IPCC) and 383 responded to his questions. The actual substance of the survey does not seem to have been published by the paper, but the main response Carrington wanted to get from his respondents was an estimate of how much global warming there will be by the end of the century. “World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5ºC target,” claims one headline. A graphic in the article shows the responses:
Ben Pile pointed out that the obvious problem this raises is that such a wide range of views on the next three quarters of a century discredits the notion that the IPCC represents a ‘scientific consensus’ on climate change. The ‘consensus’ – the putative expression of agreement by the worlds ‘top climate scientists’ – is the lynchpin of the narrative, epitomised by the Guardian, that the climate debate is between scientists and denialists. “Seventy seven per cent of climate scientists expect a rise of at least 2.5ºC,” explains the chart. Well, yeah, but 23% of climate scientists do not. And a good number of those connected to the IPCC believe that there will be just 1.5 degrees of warming – a third less warming than is anticipated by their colleagues at the other end of the spectrum. Clearly, there is, or needs to be, a debate.
Clearly, the wide range of results shows the so-called IPCC “experts are and the organisation is itself a complete joke as it cannot even get its so-called experts to agree on a point which is fundamental to its whole existence.
However, help is at hand, because I can state the exact number that the IPCC’s own results show should be the answer!
The question was: “How much global warming will there be by the end of the century”?
“This is the effect of global CO2 increase. That due to humans is 3% of the total. So, the human contribution to the total global temperature rise is about 0.017 ºC”
Now we have to estimate the possible rise of CO2 from the present day to that at the end of the century, 2100 or in 76 years time.
The total global rise in CO2from 1980, (335 ppm) to 2024 (420 ppm) was 85 ppm or nearly 2 ppm/annum over the last 44 years. Hence, at that rate the global total of CO2 will rise about
152 ppm. So, the global total CO2 level will be about 420 + 152 ppm = 572 ppm.
For convenience sake let us round this figure up to 600 ppm.
From figure 2 of my note above the ΔT (increase in temperature) against CO2 ppm for 420 ppm is 3.5 ºC and that for 600 ppm is 4.05 ºC.
Hence the global temp increase by the end of the century implies a total temp increase of 4.05 – 3.5 ºC or just 0.55 ºC.
This is the effect of global CO2 increase. That due to humans is 3% of the total. So, the human contribution to the total global temperature rise is about 0.017 ºC.
So, the ACTUAL ΔT due to human activity is 0.017 ºC or:
17,000 ppm of 1 ºC
The UK contribution to global CO2 increase is about 1% of the total human contribution. So the UK’s element of the temperature increase is:
170 ppm of 1 ºC
“the responses from 77% of the so-called climate experts of the IPCC which claim a 2.5 ºC rise in temperature is nearly 150 times too large! Their answers range from 90 to 300 times too large”
But the Guardian article and the whole climate change hysteria evidently assumes that the increase in global temperature is entirely due to human activity. This is evident because no distinction is drawn between them. Hence, the responses from 77% of the so-called climate experts of the IPCC which claim a 2.5 ºC rise in temperature is nearly 150 times too large! Their answers range from 90 to 300 times too large. So ALL of the so-called IPCC experts who responded got nowhere near the ACTUAL temperature increase that the IPCC results predict!
It is therefore clear that the IPCC’s predictions of catastrophic climate change are nothing more than total horse manure, which is spread around by the shovel full by the media. Unfortunately, this is swallowed wholesale by our politicians, such as Rishi Sunak and Claire Corthino, and the climate fanatics to the total detriment of our society and economy.
As the IPCC is so unreliable I have argued in my note above that their results should be ignored in favour of data produced by the eminent scientists Dr William Happer, of Princeton University and Dr van Wijngaarden, of York University, Canada, (see FIG 1 of my note). The revised and probably much more accurate result is that the temperature increase due to the human element of increasing the global CO2 level from 420 ppm to 600 ppm is:
0.0036 0C or 3,600 ppm of 10C
of which the UK contribution would be:
36 ppm of 10C
CONCLUSION
It is absolutely scandalous that the government is basing its policy on such a ridiculous entity as the IPCC. This was set up purely and primarily to promote the concept that human activity causes increased levels of CO2 which is causing catastrophic global temperature increases.
The hysteria generated by the IPCC and the media, including the BBC, Sky News and the Guardian for example suggests that the title of this note should be changed to:
