Monster Raving Loony Party Election Wins

[OneWingedBird]

I have to admit to never having realised before that they'd actually won seats a couple of times, according to the Great God Wiki:

In 1987, the OMRLP won its first seat on Ashburton Town Council in Devon, as Alan "Howling Laud" Hope was elected unopposed. He subsequently became Deputy Mayor and later Mayor of Ashburton in 1998 (mainly opposed by the local Conservatives; they never forgave him for becoming a member of the OMRLP)[citation needed] until he moved to Hampshire after Sutch's death. For over a decade, his hotel "The Golden Lion" in Ashburton (referred to by some in the party as "The Mucky Mog") was the party's headquarters and conference centre.

The second bit is a bit naughty as it was technically a breakaway group that won rather than the main Monster Raving loony Party, also the guy then defected to being Conservative.

The first Raving Loony to win a vote, rather than an uncontested election, was Stuart Hughes, taking the "safe" Conservative Party seat of Sidmouth Woolbrook on East Devon District Council in May 1991. He also took a seat on Sidmouth Town Council from the Conservatives the following day. His success was met with hostility from the local Tories. Hughes' reaction was to attempt to make their lives a misery for the next three years by refusing to pay his Community Charge (also known as the Poll Tax), then dumping scrap metal in the middle of the council chambers to the value of his unpaid tax when threatened with legal action. He also formed an alliance known as "The Coastals" (because of the seats they held) of Independents and the sole Green Party councillor, giving East Devon's ruling Conservatives the first true opposition they had faced for decades (the local Liberal Democrat and Labour parties being negligible).

Hughes retained his seats with increased majorities in subsequent elections, and the final humiliation for the Conservatives came when he took the Devon County Council seat from the local party's Chief Whip in the council. Hughes remains a member of all three councils to this day[when?], although he now does his politicking, ironically, as a Conservative.

Stuart's own biog on there clarifies:

In 1989, he and others formed the breakaway Raving Loony Green Giant Party (RLGGP), mainly due to personality clashes with their local party leader, Howling Laud Hope.[4]

I'm really curious if anyone knows much else about this, and how things worked out while they were in office?

One imagines there could be some colourful tales floating around!

 

[Swifty]

Some of the loony parties policies were eventually actually put in place by a ruling government as I remember reading somewhere (fuzzy memory on that one sorry) .. has anyone got any idea on what I'm waffling about please ? .. (on this subject matter alone, not in general thanks).

 

[OneWingedBird]

Well so far I've not turned up anything much on this, I guess predates the internet by too long to be online, unless there are any searchable press archives?

Did find out something interesting though, Screaming Lord Such has got a blue plaque (tell me it's not just me imagining him standing there grinning with coloured teeth) at London's Ace Cafe.

 

[Analogue Boy]

Some of the loony parties policies were eventually actually put in place by a ruling government as I remember reading somewhere (fuzzy memory on that one sorry) .. has anyone got any idea on what I'm waffling about please ? .. (on this subject matter alone, not in general thanks).

Yeah, I was pretty sure I'd read about this. I've dug around....

7 Monster Raving Loony Party policies which are now part of UK law

...But a glance over their old manifestos reveal that a surprising number of their ‘loony’ ideas have become so mainstream that they’re now part of UK law!

1. 24-hour licensing laws
The party campaigned for all day opening of pubs in the 1980s, which became law in 1995. So at the 1997 elections they went a step loonier with a manifesto pledge for all-night opening too.

24-hour drinking became legal in 2005.

2. Lowering the voting age to 18
Back, in the ’60s, before the Monster Raving Loony Party existed in its current incarnation, founding Loony “Screaming” Lord Sutch stood as a candidate for his National Teenage Party – their key policy was lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

Votes for 18 year olds were introduced in 1969.

3. Abolition of dog licences
It used to be technically mandatory for dog owners to hold a licence, although it was often ignored.

One of the first parties to campaign for their abolition was… the Monster Raving Loony Party!

Dog licences were abolished in 1987.

4. The legalisation of commercial radio
Again another early policy of Loony predecessors the National Teenage Party: until Radio One started in 1967 there was nothing for kids on the BBC, so to hear pop music you had to tune into illegal pirate stations.

The first commercial radio licences were issued in 1972.

5. The pedestrianisation of Carnaby Street
Lord Sutch had heard from friends in Swinging London’s Carnaby Street that traders were finding the increasing congestion hard to deal with. He joined the campaign for pedestrianisation, along with follow political eccentric Bill Boaks, joint holder of the record for the lowest number of votes won in a by-election (5).

The Greater London Council gave in and pedestrianised the street in 1973.

6. Passports for pets
The party made a pledge in their 1983 manifesto to issue pets with passports so that they could travel abroad without lengthy stays in quarantine.

Pet passports were introduced in October 2001.

7. Abolition of the 11 plus exam
Another policy from the Loonies’ National Teenage Party incarnation, because it’s “the wrong age to take an exam that affects you for the rest of your life”.

The 11 plus was abolished nationally in 1976.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/usvsth3m/7-monster-raving-loony-party-5644717

 

[OneWingedBird]

From above link:

An election-based episode of Blackadder the Third paid ‘homage’ to the Monster Raving Loonies, by featuring a candidate for the Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party.

UKIP colours!

 

[GerdaWordyer]

WANT the weenie dog candidate, even if it's off topic.