If you watched coverage of the United Kingdom’s general election last night, you may have noticed some interesting candidates and political parties milling in the background as vote tallies were announced. Some of these eccentric parties exist just to mock the political system, while others are serious but have a narrow policy focus. Here’s a rundown of smaller UK political parties, none of which managed to win a seat in parliament (vote counts via BBC).
Cannabis Is Safer than Alcohol
Despite being in its first year of existence, CISTA performed relatively well, earning over 8,000 votes across the U.K. with 32 candidates running for office. As the name suggests, the party hopes to raise support for drug reform.
Monster Raving Loony Party
This satirical party received almost 4,000 votes across the country. The party’s “Manicfesto” has 26 bizarre policy proposals, ranging from “National debt will be cleared by putting it all on our credit card,” to “Greyhound racing will be banned to prevent the country going to the dogs.” Candidates even change their name to reflect the party’s serious nature, such as “Ann Kelly, The Mid Bed Minx,” or “Nick the Flying Brick.”
Class War
The Class War Party finished with 526 votes, earned for the six candidates it ran. The party supports doubling welfare benefits, implementing a 50 percent tax on mansions, abolishing the monarchy, and abolishing all public schools. The party evidently knew it had a slim chance of winning any seats. It tweeted on Friday, “oh crikey mate we wasn’t out to actually win seats in parliament. that would be pure daft.”
Captain Beany
In the past, Captain Beany had his own party, the New Millennium Bean Party. But he ran as an independent this year, earning 1,137 votes. Beany’s campaign may not be serious, but he’s serious about raising money for charity. Beany fundraises with elaborate stunts relating to baked beans, like taking a 100 hour-long bath in baked beans.
Vapers in Power
This pro e-cigarettes party ran two candidates who earned a combined 152 votes. The party was formed to combat burdensome e-cig rules passed by the European Union that the UK government will implement. Vapers in Power calls the rules a de facto ban on nearly all e-cig products. The party touts the various health benefits of e-cigs over tobacco products. One of its two candidates was a 19-year-old university student.
Beer, Baccy, and Scratchings Party
“May have a quirky name but also have serious political objectives,” the party’s website reads. And indeed, that seems to be the case. The party’s positions are quite diverse. It wants to encourage fracking, regenerate fishing, legalize marijuana, increase parking, and keep Scotland in the United Kingdom. As for its name, “baccy” is a slang word for tobacco while “scratchings” are a pork snack. Originally, the party hoped to be called “Beery, Baccy, and Crumpets,” but the Electoral Commission deemed “crumpet” offensive to women. The party’s leader, Ray Hall, earned 133 votes, 19 more than the candidate from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
The Eccentric Party of Great Britain
Led by Lord Toby Jug, the Eccentric Party is a satirical party. It advocates for various hilarious policies, such as “To prevent irritating stone chips hitting your car, motorways will be vacuumed twice a day,” and “You will be required to read a book for every 10 selfies you take.” It supports a generous welfare policy for workers that includes “8 hours of spare time, 8 hours of rest and 8 hours of sleep every day.” Jug earned 50 votes in his election, which was actually enough to beat three other candidates. However, voters apparently find the Monster Raving Loony Party funnier — their candidate received 72 votes.
Pirate Party
Although it might sound like a joke, the Pirate Party is completely serious. Its main focus is tech policy, but the party has positions on other major issues as well. The Pirate Party opposes warrantless blanket surveillance while supporting broadband for all, freedom of information and abolition of drug patents. It is a strong supporter of civil liberties. The Pirate Party’s six candidates earned a combined 1,130 votes.
Above and Beyond Party
This party has one goal: get a “none of the above” option on all ballots in U.K. general elections. The party ran only a few candidates: One earned only 24 votes while another got 208.
By no means is this a comprehensive list of the UK’s bizarre political parties. Plenty more were inactive this election cycle, and surely some of the independent candidates had their own eccentricities as well. Regardless, here’s to all those candidates and voters who felt the main political parties just didn’t fit their mold.
