Monster Raving party fails to get my vote: they’re boring!
Have you ever experienced that excruciating moment when being introduced to a new colleague or mutual friend? After the initial pleasantries, you are informed: “You’ll have to get used to my sense of humour!” or worse; “I’m a bit mad I’m afraid!”
Such people make the fundamental error of confusing relentless and enthusiastic attention seeking with genuine humour. Eccentricity is fine. Contrived eccentricity is quite different.
They stand in next week’s Hartlepool by-election, represented by a suitably zany, madcap etc. candidate who will lose his deposit, but “bring a sense of fun” to politics.
The party first fielded candidates in 1983 (it only seems like longer) having ripped off the idea from a 1970 Monty Python sketch.
In fairness they were quite amusing for about a week, but they just can’t let go of a joke.
What happens, every time, is that candidates with sidesplitting names like Sir Oinka-lot or RU Seerius, stand on policies like pedestrianising Brands Hatch or draining the North Sea. A few “fun” people vote for them and … er… that’s it.
The saying “Politics is show business for ugly people” seems rather unfair as the phrase omits the talentless.
The MRLP is so bereft of comedic talent that members are in danger of appearing on ITV.
We’re aware that there are bigger and more deserving political targets, but they all receive both barrels anyway.
Defenders of the party will say, with a fitting lack of originality: “Well they couldn’t do a worse job than … blah, blah, blah” which rather misses the point. They’re supposed to be funny, not electable.
They will never be as amusing as real politicians.
While we struggle to think of a current one who is genuinely witty or amusing, they still manage to make us smile. It’s just that they never do so deliberately.
But do the MR Loonies not at least add a dash of colour? Nah. Only in a literal sense with their oh-so wacky clothing.
We need look no further than Hartlepool for political colour. If anything there is too much colour in politics. So perhaps we should thank the Monster Raving Loony Party for introducing a much-needed dash of tedium.