NI Conservatives have selected Mark Brotherston, a commissioned Major in the Royal Engineers and a teacher at Belfast Metropolitan College, as their candidate for the forthcoming European election.
Mark, who lives in Bangor with his family, was endorsed at a members’ meeting on Saturday morning and will be announced officially today, at a lunch attended by Conservative Party chairman, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP.
“It is a great privilege and an opportunity to offer voters in Northern Ireland real politics in this election”, Mark explained. “People are so fed up with bickering between Orange and Green, while issues around jobs, education and health are consistently fudged or ignored completely. The European election is a chance for people to tell the current parties at Brussels and Stormont that they want something different”.
“I’ll be the only candidate who can become part of the Conservative Party group at the European Parliament. That means I’ll be part of a team defending the UK’s interests in Europe and particularly those of Northern Ireland”, Mark continued. “I’ll also be the only centre-right candidate, pushing policies which are aimed squarely at creating jobs and getting the economy moving.”
Conservative Party chairman, Grant Shapps, said that the Tories are, “delighted to get behind a candidate with a distinguished career in the military and teaching, who also has detailed professional knowledge of how Europe works, through his roles in European Project Management and is absolutely committed to a shared future.”
“David Cameron has made it clear that the Conservative Party is absolutely committed to Northern Ireland and to getting Conservatives elected in Northern Ireland”, Grant explained. “We have a hard-working, growing party here, who have the potential to transform politics for the better.”
More about Mark.
Mark is an NI Conservatives’ representative in North Down and lives in Bangor with his wife, Sandra. He currently has a leading curriculum development role at Belfast Metropolitan College, is director of Enterprise Development and European Projects at Argyle Business Centre, is involved in a number of charities such as Cancer Focus & the Prince’s Trust and chairs the charity NI Veterans’ Support.
Mark was selected for an Engineering bursary at Arborfield Military Engineering Academy, graduated from the University of Ulster, with Honours in Business Economics, went on to qualify as a teacher and has a PHD in Social Entrepreneurship from Richmond University.
He is a commissioned Major in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and has served his country since 1978, both as a full-time soldier and as part of the military reserve. He was awarded the QVRM on the New Year’s honours list in 2009. As a commissioned officer and soldier, who has seen the consequences of conflict, he is absolutely committed to a shared future.
The series of roles which Mark has held specialising in European project management give him an intimate knowledge of the European Union and its funding streams. He believes that Northern Ireland benefits from the UK’s membership of the EU, but that growing federalism should not be allowed to infringe national sovereignty.
As an engineer and educationalist, Mark is committed to helping young people into work. As a local businessman, he is passionate about helping small businesses and revitalising Northern Ireland’s high streets.