David Bettney is the SDP candidate for Mayor of South Yorkshire. This role is a combined authority mayor, who’s area includes Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley and their surrounding areas. We spoke with David about his decision to stand.
“I then joined the Army in 1987 (at the time as a cold-war soldier, training how to fight the Russians) and went then on to serve 23 years, visiting many countries around the world, and many combat operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I was born in 1970 in Mexborough (Doncaster) and grew up a keen sportsman, playing football, rugby and boxing, and heavily influenced by my grandfather who had been a champion boxer and served in the Royal Navy in World War 2 before working the rest of his life down our local coal mine. He was a big tough man but was also very kind and a complete gentleman (the ideal role model).
I grew up in real “Kes Country” if you have seen the 1970 film set in the South Yorkshire Coal fields? I applied to work down the pit when I left school, but there we no jobs, and it was the final stages of industrial decline in South Yorkshire, as the steel works had recently closed down too.
I then joined the Army in 1987 (at the time as a cold-war soldier, training and learning how to fight the Russians) and went on to serve 23 years, visiting many countries around the world. I experienced many combat operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, finally finishing at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major.
After my full military service, I went out to Iraq as a bodyguard. I then soon started my own business, along with my Iraqi (Muslim) business partner. We have since gone on to set up several construction companies out in the Middle East. Home is Yorkshire when I’m back in England.
“The Green Party can be best summed up with the words … “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
What made you decide to stand for the SDP?
I was fortunate to travel the world with the Army, and since with my businesses, so I have watched the UK from the outside for most of my life.
I saw things slowly become back to front. The EU started off as a plausibly good idea, as a combined trading area, and ended up being an antidemocratic failed state, with the ever growing need to take more and more power.
The Conservatives are called conservative, despite selling off every asset and therefore conserving nothing of our industry and nothing of our culture.
The modern Labour Party is now extremely liberal, and in my opinion on the fringe of becoming very Anti-British, and lives on victimhood (never empowerment) with a penchant to spending everybody else’s money…Bizarrely, no Labourers actually vote Labour anymore!
The Liberal Democrats and also extremely liberal, but not at all democratic (Brexit overturn) They have become the pointless pronoun-police and are largely irrelevant.
The Green Party can be best summed up with the words … “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” be as the former head of Green Peace Canada says “The Green movement has become anti-human communists” He calls them water melons, as they are green on the outside but red on the inside, once you look at their policies.
Reform UK (whilst well meaning) remind me of an Army run by Junior Officers with no Senior Officers, no Warrant Officers, no Senior non-commissioned officers, no junior none commissioned officer, but then just troopers at the bottom. They are looking for headlines rather than substance and are in need of some credible leadership.
“I have zero interest in politics but love my country and know that we all really have to put our shoulder to the wheel and push hard to stop if falling off a cliff”
Therefore, I happened upon the small but perfectly formed resurgent SDP. It was nice to agree to disagree on some issues with people who could debate and were educated and worldly. Finally, there were some adults back in the room when it came to political ideas. Also, the leader, William Clouston is very well read, incredibly measured, and very in touch with the mood of the country.
I have zero interest in politics but love my country and know that we all really have to put our shoulder to the wheel and push hard to stop if falling off a cliff. It’s never too late to start to change things, and that’s why I signed-up.
“promote more of the “we” and less of the “I”. The demographics of South Yorkshire are changing, and we need to be “Yorkshire” before identifying as anything else”
What are your priorities for South Yorkshire?
De-Industrialisation. We make very little anymore, and just import from China and the East, who have zero commitments to any form of environmentalism, and in many cases their indifference to human rights is shocking. We need to boost our region’s economy by returning South Yorkshire to a leading manufacturing hub again. We can compete with China, as all modern factories are clean and largely automated (so we can pay our robots the same as China pay theirs… “Which is NOWT”)
Now we have left the EU, we are far freer to make deals and purchase raw materials from the rest of the world, in order to build and innovate back in Yorkshire. We should aim to challenge Taiwan as the world’s leading chip maker. We would have well paid (future proof) jobs, which will create stable families and then stable communities. We would be a new research and development hub, making sure that we don’t lose Yorkshire born talent. You should not have to leave your area or region to prosper!
With the current massive influx of foreign-born people flooding into the UK, we have to find some unifying factors in South Yorkshire. I would promote British values in all schools and promote more of the “we” and less of the “I”. The demographics of South Yorkshire are changing, and we need to be “Yorkshire” before identifying as anything else.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
You can find out more about me at https://sdp.org.uk/david-bettney/, contact me by email at [email protected] or email [email protected]. Please also find out more at the SDP website.
