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. See also joke political party.

Contents 1 Australia 2 Belarus 3 Canada 4 Denmark 5 Estonia 6 Germany 7 Hungary 8 Israel 9 New Zealand 10 Netherlands 11 Norway 12 Poland 13 Romania 14 Russia 15 Spain 16 Sweden 17 United Kingdom 18 United States 19 Pop culture 20 See also 21 References

[edit] Australia

• Deadly Serious Party
• Imperial British Conservative Party (see also: Cecil G. Murgatroyd)
• Sun Ripened Warm Tomato Party (defunct)
• Party! Party! Party! (defunct)

[edit] Belarus

• Beer Lovers Party, liquidated in 1998

[edit] Canada

• The PIRE Party
• Absolutely Absurd Party (defunct)
• Canadian Extreme Wrestling Party (defunct)
• Parti Citron (Lemon Party, defunct)
• Neo Rhino Party
• The Party Party
• Prince Edward Island Draft Beer Party (defunct)
• Rhinoceros Party of Canada (defunct)

[edit] Denmark

• Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements (defunct)

[edit] Estonia

• Independent Royalists (Sõltumatud Kuningriiklased) (defunct after winning 8 seats out of 101 in 1992)

[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
• German Beer-Drinkers Union

[edit] Hungary

• Two-tailed Dog Party

[edit] Israel

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

[edit] New Zealand

• Imperial British Conservative Party
• McGillicuddy Serious Party (defunct)
• The Mad Hatter's Tea Party (defunct)
• Blokes Liberation Front (defunct)

[edit] Netherlands

• Rapaille Partij
• The Party Party

[edit] Norway

• Beer Unity Party
• The Political Party (defunct)

[edit] Poland

• Polish Beer-Lovers' Party (defunct after winning 16 seats in 1991)

[edit] Romania

• Partidul Liber-Schimbist (defunct)

[edit] Russia

• Beer Lovers Party

[edit] Spain

• Partido del Karma Democrático, PKD, ("Party of the Democratic Karma").

[edit] Sweden

• Donald Duck Party
• Ezenhemmer Plastic Bags and Child Rearing Utensils Party

[edit] United Kingdom

• Church of the Militant Elvis Party
• Death, Dungeons and Taxes Party
• Happening Happy Hippy Party (not actually a political party, but perceived as one by many)
• The Mongolian Barbecue Great Place to Party party: it stood in the 1997 election, scoring just 112 votes in Wimbledon,^[1][2] but achieved some fame through their absurd name, which was argued to be one of a wave of new parties that were using their name to advertise.^[3]
• New Millennium Bean Party
• Official Monster Raving Loony Party
• Rock 'n' Roll Loony Party
• Scottish Jacobite Party
• Loony Green Giant Supercalafragalistic Party - stood in direct competition to the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the 1990 Mid Staffordshire by-election and scored 59 votes compared to the "offical loonies" respectable 336.

[edit] United States

• Guns and Dope Party
• Neowhig Party
• Youth International Party

[edit] Pop culture

• All-Night Party

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 abolition of slavery is actually not a real policy, but merely something they 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, Safe Sewage Residents' 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.

[edit] See also

• Index of political parties to browse parties by name
• List of political parties to browse parties by country
• List of political parties by ideology to browse parties by name
• Membership of internationals to browse parties by membership of internationals
• List of fictional political parties
• Animals as electoral candidates

[edit] References

• Adrian Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable, ISBN 0-304-35871-1

1. ^ The Daily Telegraph, "Fringe party candidates set record", April 20, 1997
2. ^ BBC website, 1997 election results for Wimbledon
3. ^ British House of Commons, Hansard, June 4, 1998, columns 529-530, available online here