Category: SDP

Martin Evison is the SDP prospective candidate for Newcastle upon Tyne North.  We spoke with Martin about his decision to stand.

“I am still active in writing and research, and volunteer as an English teacher for a charity working in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, which helps build schools and promote education”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m retired – more-or-less – after a 40-year career in science and technology. A Shropshire lad, I first came to Newcastle in 1979, moving back for a second time in 2010—having studied and worked in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada in the intervening years. My career gave me experience of both the public and private sectors, and a return to the academic world led to work in the life sciences and forensics. I am still active in writing and research, and volunteer as an English teacher for a charity working in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, which helps build schools and promote education.

“My motivation for involvement in politics is the chronic failure of the political system to respond to the reasonable expectations of the public”

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

My motivation for involvement in politics is the chronic failure of the political system to respond to the reasonable expectations of the public, and the pressing need to pass on to future generations those core values of British culture and community for which preceding generations sacrificed so much. The SDP is the only political party that genuinely represents these values.

You’re the Spokesman for Newcastle upon Tyne North what’s made you decide to represent this area?

I have lived in the Newcastle since about 2010.. I stood in the South Jesmond Ward in the local government elections in 2021 and 2023.

“People are not interested in futile NetZero and Diversity schemes. They want resources devoted to a better health service and care system”

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

The big concerns are much the same as they are in many constituencies. The cost of living is too high and there is a lack of affordable quality accommodation for the less well off. State-sector housing is particularly neglected. People are not interested in futile NetZero and Diversity schemes. They want resources devoted to a better health service and care system and want to see an end to open borders immigration and people trafficking.

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

Please email [email protected] and follow @SDPNorthEast on X.

Sebastian Moore is the SDP prospective candidate for Manchester Central.  We spoke with Sebastian about his decision to stand.

“A party that is serious about fixing the broken political system. A party that recognises that a nation is built on family and community and that the upper limit of democracy is the nation state”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I grew up in Dorset as the youngest of five children. I’m grateful to my parents that we always ate dinner around the kitchen table and they encouraged talk of politics, religion, and anything else. When I left school, I became an English teacher and lived in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Maldives. After a friend and I spent some time making YouTube videos around Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, we finally accepted that we should start living an adult life and moved to Manchester. I have lived here a few years now and I work as a maths tutor as well as getting involved in various things in the local community.

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

Our current era is one of polarisation. If you support the renationalisation of the railways, people think you must be a Corbynite. If you’re proud of the country, you’re deemed conservative. When I came across the reemergent Social Democratic Party, I was amazed. Here’s a party that is both pro-market and pro-public sector. A party that is serious about fixing the broken political system. A party that recognises that a nation is built on family and community and that the upper limit of democracy is the nation state. I realised that for the first time in my life, I wanted to become a member of a political party. They didn’t yet have a candidate for Manchester Central, so I put my name forward and I was delighted that they accepted me. I’m going to tell myself that I fought off stiff competition for the nomination.

“Manchester has become my home. As a city, it is special. Where the industrial revolution took off. The first canal, the first railway. It is international but also local”

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

When I moved back to the UK, I came to Manchester with all my belongings and no house or job. The first few months were cold and dark, both metaphorically and literally. It turns out that finding either a house or job is no easy task nowadays. I was fortunate that it worked out in the end and in the years since, Manchester has become my home. As a city, it is special. Where the industrial revolution took off. The first canal, the first railway. It is international but also local. I find it hard to walk through town without bumping into someone I know. Our voting system means that the city is often neglected by politics. The Labour party is adamant that it will win the constituency. And so are the other parties. This means that the voters are taken for granted. I want to offer them a real choice. I am standing in Manchester Central because it is my home and I am ready to fight for it.

“For too long, the main parties have been allowed to control the agenda and maintain the status quo while the nation slowly decays”

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

We face many of the same issues as the rest of the country. Some, like the housing crisis, are felt even more strongly in this area than elsewhere. During the last academic year, Manchester universities paid students to live in other parts of the country because there was not enough accommodation here. Our system currently operates on policies that are in opposition to each other. This is because the establishment parties have no vision. As I cycle around the city bouncing in and out of potholes, I am reminded of the state of things. While the poor condition of the roads is a problem in itself, it is a symptom of deeper fractures. For too long, the main parties have been allowed to control the agenda and maintain the status quo while the nation slowly decays. As the representative of Manchester Central, I will go to Westminster and make the people’s voice heard. It’s time for our politics to be shaken up.

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

There is a role for anyone willing to help with the campaign. From delivering leaflets, to canvassing, or even strategizing.  If you want to help create a society which cares for its citizens, where you know your neighbours, and whose communities thrive, come and join us. This is your call up. It’s time to get on the pitch.

My email address is [email protected]. I live in Castlefield. Drop me a message and I’ll put the kettle on.

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

Shaun Long is the SDP prospective candidate for Penrith and Solway.  We spoke with Shaun about his decision to stand.

“As for higher education, well, I’m glad to be out of it; it’s become too politicised, as has the whole of the public sector”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I live in the Eden Valley where I work as an English tutor. I’ve had a wide variety of jobs over the years, from window cleaning to factory work and higher education, and have never taken anything for granted as you never know what life might throw at you. As for higher education, well, I’m glad to be out of it; it’s become too politicised, as has the whole of the public sector. Outside of work, I enjoy wandering the fells with my wife, and dabbling with creative writing. I’m also a local parish councillor.

“Without the nation-state there can be no democracy, and the SDP believes wholeheartedly in both, unlike the establishment parties”

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

Like most people, I assumed until a couple of years ago that the SDP was dead and buried until I stumbled upon its website and read its ‘New Declaration’. I was blown away, for here was a document, and a party, articulating my views on what should be our economic and social priorities. It chimes perfectly with my positions on all of the major political issues: an interventionist approach to the economy; an end to mass immigration; the assertion of national sovereignty in defiance of globalism; a robust defence of free speech; and a rational social conservatism. Without the nation-state there can be no democracy, and the SDP believes wholeheartedly in both, unlike the establishment parties which believe in open borders.

Politicians these days act as if the people are accountable to them, rather than them to the people. I’m determined to put the everyday concerns of the majority ahead of those of either elite interests or shrill pressure groups.

You’re the spokesman for Penrith and Solway. What’s made you decide to represent this area?

I have my home here, and I love it. I want to see this constituency and its people thrive, rather than merely survive. So far as I can see, none of the establishment political parties possess any real concern for the area.

“Both central government and the two local councils are determined to drive through Net Zero policies without taking into account the realities of heating older rural homes”

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

Many of them are the same as for people elsewhere – the cost of living, housing and immigration – but some are more specific to Penrith and Solway. Much of the constituency is rural, and thus many homes are off-grid. Both central government and the two local councils are determined to drive through Net Zero policies without taking into account the realities of heating older rural homes which are not suitable for heat pumps. Boilers fuelled by oil or LPG, or sometimes solid-fuel stoves, are essential for domestic heating. Even so, these authorities are determined to phase them out, whereas I am determined to fight for their continued and affordable usage. Excess cold, not heat, causes early deaths and illness in Cumbria.

Similarly, I wish to champion Cumbrian farming, particularly livestock farming, which is also coming under attack from our political class at the national and local levels, obsessed as it is with its pursuit of Net Zero at all costs to the detriment of food production. It’s dangerous and wrongheaded, and undermines rural livelihoods and communities. Cumbrian beef and lamb are second to none. Our farmers need our active help and support.

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/.

If you would like to get involved with the SDP campaign in Penrith and Solway, or have any issues that you’d like to discuss, then please do contact me at: [email protected].

You can also follow me on X – @sdpShaun.

Rachel Hayton is the SDP prospective candidate for Carlisle.  We spoke with Rachel about her decision to stand.

“I have been involved in civil society locally, serving as a magistrate for 19 years and leading a small community choir in Talkin”

Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Rachel Hayton, I am the wife of Paul, mother of Tim and Charlie and step mum to Jennie and Will. I live in Faugh and have been in and around the Brampton area since 2001. I came to Carlisle as a single woman in 1995 to join the Careers Service. I am originally from Staffordshire and it is possible to catch the occasional Midlands twang in my accent. I retrained in the early 2000s through the Open University and Newcastle University and have worked full time as an Educational Psychologist since 2009.

I have been involved in civil society locally, serving as a magistrate for 19 years and leading a small community choir in Talkin.    

What made you decide to stand for the SDP?

I found myself politically homeless after the referendum in 2016.  I like the SDP policies. I support the focus on security, food security, energy security, national security and secure borders. I like the hopefulness that the SDP has for ordinary people; that if given a level playing field with nationally owned infrastructure, we can build opportunities in our communities that will benefit everyone.

I hate the cronyism and corruption that seems to be endemic in our politics at the moment, I don’t trust those governing for the vocal minorities and vested interests, lobby groups and global corporations.

“I am proud to be British, I love our history, our belief in freedom of expression, fairness and tolerance”

I believe that a whole swathe, possibly a majority, of British people has no one prepared to speak up for Britian’s accomplishments in the world. I am proud to be British, I love our history, our belief in freedom of expression, fairness and tolerance and our quirkiness.

I agree with the SDPs policies and feel that they offer hope for the future for our young people, for families and for people who still believe that they will be treated fairly by their elected representatives. The SDP prioritises the views of the electorate and not lobby groups, trades unions or unelected supranational bodies. I believe that this is democracy.  

“I met my husband in Carlisle queuing for lunch at Cecil’s Treat in Cecil Street, my children went to schools in the constituency; Castle Carrock and William Howard”

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

I have lived in this area longer than I have lived anywhere else, (almost 30 years), and I love it here. I met my husband in Carlisle queuing for lunch at Cecil’s Treat in Cecil Street, my children went to schools in the constituency; Castle Carrock and William Howard; one completed an apprenticeship through Carlisle College and the other is still at university. I have a grandchild in Longtown. I may be an ‘off-comer’ but I am embedded within the constituency. Social Democrats are committed to supporting the family, community and nation, I want to offer the people of Carlisle the opportunity to choose to vote for someone who is not part of the LibLabConGreen uniparty, who will listen to them and represent their views openly and honestly.

“We need young people to stay and grow our community with entrepreneurial ideas and contributing to society”

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

I see the decline of the city centre in Carlisle- shops have closed down and businesses moved out leaving empty unsightly buildings. At the moment there is a lot of cosmetic redevelopment going on around the station and the city centre but what is being done to attract people into the city? I would want to support and challenge the city council and county council to bring the city back to life. We also need to work to provide homes, jobs and training opportunities for young people and families who want to make Carlisle their home. Often these are people who grew up here but cannot find appropriate work or housing and have to look further afield. We need young people to stay and grow our community with entrepreneurial ideas and contributing to society. 

Although the constituency is ‘Carlisle’ there are also other towns; Brampton and Longtown with their own identities and their own concerns. I would like to hear from residents about the issues they face. Similarly for our villages and rural areas, Carlisle is a mixed constituency and the MP needs to work for everybody.

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

The SDP does not have big corporate donors, we rely on people joining our party and, if you can, making small donations. If you would like to find out more about us visit www.sdp.org.uk to see our policies and read our New Declaration. Please do get in touch with me [email protected] if there’s anything you think I should be focusing on or if you would like to offer help in the forthcoming general election campaign.

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!