From: "Brown, R Ken" <brownrk1@texaco.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 04:07:18 +0800
To: ericm@lne.com>
Subject: RE: VANGUARD:  An Election About Nothing? (fwd)
Message-ID: <896C7C3540C3D111AB9F00805FA78CE2013F8561@MSX11002>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Eric Murray wrote:

> Not voting tells the current politicians that you
> don't care what they do to you.  They'd be happier 
> if only % of the electorate bothered to vote that's 
> fewer people to market to.

Yep  look at it as a market. People who don't or can't vote don't count;
jist as people who don't or can't pay don't count in a shop.  If you
vote  or at least if you give a credible threat of possibly voting  they
might notice. Otherwise you are invisible. 

> I was thinking as I read the voter pamphlet that an
> Absurdist party would be quite amusing and would 
> point out the silliness of the current politicians. 
>  But I don't think I could come up with anything as
> wacky as the Natural Law people can.


We used to get "Natural Law" candidates  in UK as well. Not so many last
time round, maybe they finally spent George Harrison's money.   The best
track-record for an Absurdist Party in  this country is the Monster
Raving Looney Party, which used to be mostly Screaming Lord Sutch who
stood for parliament again and again but has recently taken on some sort
of continuing existence (see http://www.surfbaud.co.uk/loony/) and even
has a few town councillors in various places.

Sutch may well have almost invented an electoral version of the
cypherpunk  assasination prototcol - bookies were quoting odds of 15
million to one against him winning a seat once and he pointed out that
if he could find a way to pay voters off anonymously he could bet on
himself and bribe the electorate with his winnings...   I think the odds
fell after that.  Of course the possibility of easy  anonymous bribery
makes traditional electoral law much, much harder to enforce  (see, this
is relevant to Cypherpunks). 

There are some fun looking parties around.  The line up for the UK
General Election on the Glorious First of May was (in order of number of
seats gained):

Labour Party, Conservative Party,   Liberals, Ulster Unionist Party,
Scottish Nationalist Party, Plaid Cymru,  Social Democratic and Labour
Party,  Democratic Unionist,  Sinn Fein,  United Kingdom Unionist,
Madam Speaker Seeking Reelection and  Martin Bell standing as an
independent; all of whom won something. 

And

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland,  British National Party, Rainbow
Dream Ticket Party,  Green Party, 
Liberal Party, Mebyon Kernow,Monster Raving Loony Party,National
Democrats, Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, Natural Law Party ,
ProLife Alliance ,Popular Unionist Party,  Referendum Party  
Socialist Labour Party, Socialist Party,  Scottish Social Alliance,  UK
Independence Party,  Workers Party, 
Workers Revolutionary Party; who didn't win anything but all seem to
have some sort of continuing existence as parties

And 

Anti Sleaze/Corruption,   AntiConservative, Sportsman's Alliance: Anyone
But Mellor, Lord Byro versus the Scallywag Tories,  AntiPoliticians,
Antimajority Democracy, Independent Democracy Means Consulting the
People, People in Slough Shunning Useless Politicians, Common Sense Sick
of Politicians Party, None of the Above, Drugs  Hemp/Cannabis Platforms,
New Millenium, New Way, Hemp Candidate, Hemp Coalition, Legalise
Cannabis Party, Ind AE  Independent Anti Europe, British Home Rule ,
British Isles People First,
Independent Conservative,   Independant Christian, Christian Party,
Christian Nationalist, Christian Democrat, Christian Unity,  Independent
Communist,  Communist Party of Britain, Communist League,  Independent
British Democratic Party, Social Democrat, English Democratic Party,
Rennaisence Democrat, Independent Democrat,  Freedom/Justice/Rights
Platform,   Justice Party, Freedom Party, Justice and Renewal
Independent Party, Pacifist for Peace, Justice, Cooperation,
Environment, Charter for Basic Rights, Fellowship Party for Peace and
Justice, Human Rights ', British Freedom and Individual Rights, Far
Left,   Radical Alternative, Building a Fair Society, Full Employment
Party, Socialist Party of Great Britain, Socialist Equality Party,
Independent Far Right, National Front, Third Way, Independent Green,
Scrapit Stop Avon Ring Road, Newbury Bypass Stop Construction Now,
Independent Liberal Democrat,  Top Choice Liberal Democrat, Independent
Labour,  
and Local Independent; who all seem to have been invented for the
occasion.

Make up your mind as to which, if any, are absurdist. I suspect none of
them bribed the voters much.

Roll on the transferable vote!

Ken Brown & the Disclaimers.