List of frivolous political parties

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This is a list of political parties that have been created for various frivolous purposes: parody, joke, hoax, etc.

Contents

[edit] Australia

[edit] Belarus

[edit] Belgium

[edit] Canada

[edit] Denmark

[edit] Faroe Islands

[edit] Germany

  • Die PARTEI ('The Party'; Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Protection of Animals, Promotion of Elites and Grassroot-Democratic Initiative)
  • APPD Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany

[edit] Hungary

[edit] Israel

  • Pikanti (a food manufacturer that contested the 1992 election as an advertising gimmick)

[edit] Italy

[edit] New Zealand

[edit] Netherlands

[edit] Norway

[edit] Poland

[edit] Romania

[edit] Russia

[edit] Spain

[edit] Sweden

[edit] Turkey

  • Büyük Anadolu Partisi

[edit] United Kingdom

Other parties, such as the Corrective Party or the Rainbow Alliance, were often seen as frivolous, but included some genuine policy aims in their manifestos.

[edit] United States

[edit] In fiction

A special episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, titled Election Night Special, makes fun of the British electoral and party system and the broadcasting of elections.

In the programme, the main competing parties are called:

  • the Silly Party
  • the Sensible Party

There are also two fringe parties called:

  • the Slightly Silly Party
  • the Very Silly Party

In Blackadder the Third, during the by-election for the rotten borough Dunny-on-the-Wold, there is a candidate for the 'Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party'.

This party's policies include:

  • Compulsory servings of asparagus at breakfast
  • Free corsets for the under-5s
  • Abolition of slavery - the candidate later reveals that this policy was only put in as a joke

Other parties standing for this by-election include:

  • 'The Adder Party' led by George, Prince Regent, who is described by his party newssheet as a "great moral and spiritual leader of the nation", but is described by almost everybody else as a "fat, flatulent git."
  • 'The Keep Royalty, White Rat Catching and Safe Sewage Resident's Party' led by Sir Horace Balsam.

In the BBC comedy Dead Ringers, Jon Culshaw walked around a town centre on behalf of 'the Lovely Party' in an election special. Their policies included 'On the spot fines for colour clashes'.

In an episode of Little Britain, character Daffyd Thomas is campaigning for his party, the 'Gay Rights for Gays' party.

In an episode of Knowing Me, Knowing You, Alan Partridge chairs a political debate. One of the candidates is Lt. Col. Kojak Slaphead III of the Bald Brummies Against the Big Footed Conspiracy Party.

In the webcomic Ozy and Millie, a character runs for President for the People with Nothing Better to Do Party.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ AEC list of formerly registered parties
  2. ^ a b c List of parties competing in the 1989 ACT election
  3. ^ Scotsman.com Living
  4. ^ The Daily Telegraph, "Fringe party candidates set record", April 20, 1997
  5. ^ BBC website, 1997 election results for Wimbledon
  6. ^ British House of Commons, Hansard, June 4, 1998, columns 529-530, available online here