It’s fantastic to see the SDP getting bigger and stronger by the day. We need a radical alternative both culturally and economically and so far I haven’t seen a plan better than the SDPs. Keep up the good work.

I had no idea SDP existed. Anything is better than conservatives or labour at this point

It's great to see one of Britain's legends, supporting the SDP.

The real John Clease ! What a great and knowledgeable man he is . A national treasure!

Great speech from one of our very best national treasures.

Very succinctly put by John Cleese. We, the electorate, must vote for who we wish to see in power - not either Tory or Labour in a desperate attempt to stop the worst of the pair winning! I would like to see the SDP form an alliance with Reform as I feel there is much needed talent and great ideas within both parties

Political nomad here. An excellent speech by John Cleese, plus a great preamble from Rod Liddle 👍 Until we have PR, I hope SDP can be part of a "Custodian's Coalition" with other small parties to usurp Cons/Labour and bring about sensible (slightly silly) change...

These guys need more exposure. I have always voted conservative but I cant do that anymore and Labour will never be an option. And even though I don't go along with all the views, I can certainly relate and get behind most. Says it all about the media when this conference was not even mentioned on the news as far as I can tell.

Thank you John, what a great advocate for the party. Well done!

A good listen, with a few good gags, and a good few points, well made. A quarter of an hour well spent.

When Rod Liddle mentioned in an article that he had joined the SDP I decided to investigate this party who I thought were extinct. I was a member of the Labour party many years ago but now wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. I voted Tory at the 2019 election to get Brexit done and immigration sorted.The policies of the SDP are in my opinion about right, that is non woke social conservatism allied with sensible centrist economic policies or the mixed economy as I believe Roy Jenkins once described it.

John Cleese is a fine chap.

Does anyone know if the SDP plan to stand candidates in the next general election?

England increasingly requires a REFERENDUM on Foreign Migration...

"Bumping into an old friend you thought was dead" My thoughts exactly. I thought the SDP had disappeared with the formation of the LibDems. Glad to see they're still about and, even better, are fielding a candidate in my constituency 🙂 #VoteSDP

SDP - The Thinking Person's Party

Brilliant. As a human species to grow and move forward we need criticism and be able for it too. He is so right. All these young so called woke people who sue,cancel and silence people for hurting their feelings need to grow up and get ready for the real world. Everyone born pre 2000 grew up with the slogan 'sticks and stones break my bones but names will never hurt me'.

Good heavens. I was a founder member back in those giddy days when the SDP were going to sweep the board pre-Falklands. We still need an SDP, and I seriously hope it can become a credible force for change again. I lost faith in the SDP when David Owen broke away from the Alliance with the Liberals - ruining the opportunity of a credible third party to this very day. I will research more about the SDP and, if I like it, I may rejoin.

0:00 Intro 4:44 John Cleese

Hope you guys can get more support

A legend

Unfortunately there have been several referendums on Proportional Representation and the electorate voted against introducing it. The last one was on May 5th 2011.

Brilliant

I am Swiss so I usually do the swiss thing which is neutrality towards foreign political affairs. Nevertheless I dare to intervene for once and say that John Cleese made a good point about proportional representation. In my opinion, this is really a thing that prevents other parties but the biggest two from growing and therefor keeps an unhealthy large proportion of the population without propper representation. Very much like the US, where the only "choice" you have on the ballot is between "horrible" and "even worse".

I had no idea the party was still going. Do they have candidates?

“That rather gobby lady with a dead fox on her head”. I’m sorry, but this is what’s wrong with politics in the world today. Don’t get me wrong - I really don’t like Angela Rayner at all. In fact, I find her to be a symptom of the same problem I see here. You see, politics should be about each party telling us what they can do for the country, and to opposition has a role to ‘call out’ whoever is in power and hold them to account for their mistakes. But personal insults for the sake of making people laugh is cheap and tawdry. I remember seeing a billboard poster from the Labour Party many years ago with Margaret Thatcher’s hair superimposed onto William Hague’s bald head. Not long before that was the infamous ‘Bambi’ poster with Blaire’s head superimposed onto a deers body, courtesy of the Tories. We had it with Angela Rayner’s rather unprofessional ‘Tory Scum’ remarks not that long ago. And we have it here. It has absolutely nothing to do with politics and I despise it. I thought the SDP were better than that, but clearly I was wrong.

Good stuff, sadly. John, you forgot the reformation of the upper house in your closing statement. 2 elected reps per county on six year terms?

Hands up who thought the SDP still existed? Introduced by Liddle Rod, it looks like they're up for a rematch wih the Monster Raving Loonies.

Just looked at their website. Still can't make out what they stand for or what real change they could offer.

Cranks

Liberty Action Movement. Universal Basic income, Repeal drugs law, Police accountability board, Scrap the bankrupt NHS, Peoples Bank. Time for big changes

I wonder if Mr Cleese passed through Moss Side on his way in?

Very good. Would the SDP like to discuss our process and plan for equality? Ie, the plan for Co-operative Socialism.

nSDaP the difference a couple of letters make.....or do they? 🤔😉

NB: France uses First-past-the-post with 2 rounds for its parliamentary and presidential elections.

Ditch the keys from the pocket. Very distracting. Otherwise, not bad.

Looking forward to his new stint on GB news.

MR Cleese's comments about the press would have made more sense if he'd been talking about the BBC and any other state finded outlet. But he was talking about the press generally. To which the obvious answer is if you don't like what it's saying don't buy it. Market forces and all that.

8:56 if first past the post would elect an SDP government John would be against PR

Free Speech ..Referendum on Immigration.

Referendum on Immigration.

Oh goody, another lefty option.

i thought the sdp dissovled

🤣🤣🤣🤣

What you mean 'Cleese' - it's 'Cheese' 😁

Crooked players are not in need of capabilty coaching. PR ensures argument-losers & stick-in-the-muds form into government. And pundits are like lighthouses to avoid catastrophe not to say, 'told you so' after the wreck.

Check out Volt UK a new political party.

he is an odd man. hounded out of the uk by woke left wing press, he come back and speaks at their conference ?

Just couldn't ever vote for a party with the word 'social' in its name. It's 3 letters separated from the worst and most deadly word in the human vocabulary. Voting for them would be far too close to comfort for me.

Dose the SDP support working class people, and the families of working class people, because I know darn' well The Labour Party doesn't.

I can't support anything with the word Social or socialist in the title.

Pointless

I'd regard my politics as social democrat. I'm a 64 year old Python fan. BUT couldn't get past Liddle's dreadful introduction. Sorry.

I agree a lot with Rod and Johns views, however I do feel the word 'Social' in the party title is equated to 'Socilaism' by many who may pugeon hole you as communists.. ...unfortunately I will never be onboard with any party that wants to commit ecoomic suicide and join the unelected clowns in the EU......explain the economic sense of getting less out than you invest !

I rather think John feels the enemy is 'the Tories'; it's not, it's 'woke' and whoever wants to be wokest.

I hate the main 3 parties - like Rod Liddle (think he talks a lot of sense). Would even consider voting SDP - only drawback is - it's socialism, isn't it? The ideology which brought us 100m dead last century. Free market capitalism - as opposed to crony capitalism, or corporatism (which FMC is often confused with) - has got to be the fairest system around. In other words, capitalism good, socialism evil. (I mean - who put the Z in Nazi eh?). Just saying.