OMRLP (History Of The Party)

1961

SOD 'EM ALL PARTY - Screaming Lord Sutch, a successful rock 'n' roll singer, decides that as he can now vote he can also stand for parliament. After discussions with his fellow singers and musicians he decides to call his new political party the Sod 'em All Party, and Sutch's first political party was thereby formed. This party title reflected Sutch and his musician friend's collective view of politicians of the time.

1963

WINSTON CHURCHILL PARTY - With the resignation of the MP in the Profumo scandal Screaming Lord Sutch prepares for his electoral debut and considers changing his party name to the 'Winston Churchill Party'. This reflected his mentor's influence on his undertaking a political career. Friends however told him he'd be seen as an independent conservative with this party title. Screaming Lord Sutch therefore dropped this name for a more appropriate one.

NATIONAL TEENAGE PARTY - As the plan was to campaign on a platform of reducing the voting age from 21 to 18, Screaming Lord Sutch opted for a new party name and the 'Sod em All Party' was renamed the 'National Teenage Party'. Adopting the top hat to show his contempt for top hatted leaders of the country, he prepared for parliament.

STRATFORD UPON AVON BY ELECTION - Following the Profumo scandal the seat of Stratford upon Avon became vacant. Screaming Lord Sutch decided to use this time and location to launch himself into the world of politics. With slogans like "Parliament Will Be Screaming If You Vote Sutch", "Vote Sutch & Gain Much" and "Vote For A Ghoul. He's No Fool" Screaming Lord Sutch polled 208 votes. The shock 'n' roll singer had made his initial transformation into the world of politics.

1964

GENERAL ELECTION - Screaming Lord Sutch decided not to stand at this general election, expecting a predicted Labour government to improve things for his chosen cause. He was to be sadly disappointed when one government was found to be very similar to another, with politicians only really interested in their own pet campaigns and personal issues.

1966

GENERAL ELECTION - Under the banner of the 'National Teenage Party' again Screaming Lord Sutch took up the political campaign trail once more by standing against the current prime minister Harold Wilson in Huyton, Lancashire. On a familiar platform of "Votes For 18 Year Olds" as well as a new campaign issue demanding the "Legalisation Of Commercial Radio" Sutchy polled a staggering 585 votes. His political career was well on the road to eventual notoriety.

1970	GENERAL ELECTION - Sutch returned to the political field once again after being informed by a friend in Carnaby Street that traffic was getting really bad there. Sutch took up the cause and demanded that Carnaby Street be pedestrianised as part of his election campaign.
	GO TO BLAZES PARTY - The 'National Teenage Party' had effectively been made historic because its campaign issue had been achieved. The voting age had been reduced to 18. Screaming Lord Sutch reworked his previous 'Sod em All Party' idea and chose the name 'Go To Blazes Party'.

1972

DOWNING STREET DEMONSTRATION - Screaming Lord Sutch took his political demonstrations onto the streets of Westminster and invaded Downing Street with a group of topless female supporters. Clogging up traffic and to the bemusement of many onlookers they got plenty of attention and press coverage as Sutchy was surrounded by these unusual demonstrators. Needless to say the local bobbies had a different view of the demonstration and it was soon over.

1973

GOVERNMENT LEGALISE COMMERCIAL RADIO - The 1966 General Election campaign issue of Screaming Lord Sutch's 'National Teenage Party' to legalise commercial radio became a reality as the government of the day takes this idea for their own. The airwaves were opened to private enterprise and the BBC's monopoly was finally over. All was not completely rosy though and the airwaves were still restricted to regulated radio stations and not the total freedom of the airwaves anticipated by some.

1974

GENERAL ELECTION - Still under the banner of the 'Go To Blazes Party' Screaming Lord Sutch took to the streets of Stafford & Stone to challenge the current Prime Minister for his seat. 351 voters thought that his form of politics was a sensible idea.

Following this election Sutch goes to America to perform his Rock 'n' Roll gigs and disappears into the political wilderness. British politicians were only to have a short reprieve though.

1976

LEOPARDSKIN COLOURS ADOPED AS CAMPAIGN COLOURS - After being presented with a fake leopardskin jacket as a present, this became Screaming Lord Sutch's campaign trademark. The leopard print and the colours of yellow and black were adopted as the party colours. The top hat had already been adopted many years before when Screaming Lord Sutch first entered politics, as a way of poking fun at the top hatted aristocracy who ran the country from their isolated palaces, insulated from real society.

1981

CROSBY BY-ELECTION - Tarquin Fintim-Limbim-Whimbim-Lim Bus Stop F'Tang- F'Tang- Olé- Biscuit- Barrel (aka John Dougrez-Lewis) of the Cambridge University Raving Loony Society stood in this by-election for the loony cause. He later stood in the 1983 General Election in his local seat of Cambridge, as well as acting as Screaming Lord Sutch's election agent at the Bermondsey By-Election where the OMRLP name was launched on the hustings.

1983

OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY NAME ADOPTED - Over a cup of tea with an old friend, Sutch discussed the condition of British politics. It was at this time he decides to re-enter political life at the next election. The new party name was constructed to the cries of 'We shall fight them on the benches'. Sutch chooses the 'Official Monster Raving Loony Party' title for his party from this day forward.

Official - No other party in Britain had the word 'official' in its name, so all the other parties were unofficial.
Monster - Sutch had a 'monster' act and in his opinion there was nothing more monstrous than politicians.
Raving - Included because all politicians 'rave' and Sutch had been a 'raver' for many years.
Loony - Everybody had been telling Sutch for years he must be a real 'loony' to stand for parliament.

OMRLP IS LAUNCHED AT THE BERMONDSEY BY-ELECTION - Screaming Lord Sutch along with his election agent John Dougrez-Lewis (aka Tarquin Fintim-Limbim-Whimbim-Lim Bus Stop F'Tang- F'Tang- Olé- Biscuit- Barrel), who stood himself in the 1981 Crosby By-Election under the CURLS banner, launched the Official Monster Raving Loony Party on an unsuspecting British political system. Coming in at 6th place out of an amazing 16 candidates, Sutch was spurred to continue his political career. The most annoyed candidates were the communists who only just managed to score about half the votes that a self declared loony could. Later this year Sutchy stood in two more by-election of Darlington and Penrith, both with a good degree of success.

VOTE FOR INSANITY - YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE - The rallying cry of 'Vote For Insanity - You Know It Makes Sense' is adopted as the party motto of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and has lasted the test of time, spanning two millooniums. This parody of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's repeatedly used saying 'You Know It Makes Sense' makes more sense than she did.

GENERAL ELECTION - Screaming Lord Sutch is joined by 11 other loony candidates across the country during this General Election, as he stands himself against Margaret Thatcher, in her home constituency of Finchley. Sutch's old friend and former rock singer himself Alan 'The Great White' Hope (aka Kerry Rapid) stood in Teignbridge, Devon. Locally known as 'The great white hope' Alan polled 241 votes. In Cambridge, Sutch's former election agent in Bermondsey, Tarquin Fintim-Limbim-Whimbim-Lim Bus Stop F'Tang- F'Tang- Olé- Biscuit- Barrel (aka ohn Dougrez-Lewis) sailed home with 286 votes, but the most individual loony votes went to Wally Welly in Esher with a remarkable 664 loony supporters discovered. With a total loony ballot of 3,623 votes it would appear there were many voters who thought the the loonies were a better choice than real politicians.

FIRST OMRLP NATIONAL CONFERENCE - The first national conference of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party takes place as loonies from all over the country gather together for a night of music and fun. It becomes quickly established that the Loony Party will be the party to put the 'party' back into 'party politics'.

1984

BY-ELECTIONS - Once again Screaming Lord Sutch finds another by-election to contend. In Chesterfield he flies the loony flag against Labour's Tony Benn and rocks in 5th out of 17 candidates. With an election promise to 'straighten the crooked spire' he only polled 178 votes though. Maybe the local voters didn't want a loony to interfere with a local landmark. When the result was announced at the count a shout went up from the back of the hall decrying 'The wrong loony won'. This seemed a source of amusement to many present, with the notable exception of Tony Benn himself.

ASHBURTON CHOSEN FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE - After the Chesterfield By-Election it was decided to hold an Annual National Loony Party Conference at the end of September each year. 'The Golden Lion Hotel' at Ashburton, Devon was chosen as the Loony Party WIG (World International Global) HQ. Screaming Lord Sutch declares that 'The Golden Lion is the rock on which the Official Monster Raving Loony Party is founded.

ALAN 'BOSS HOG' HOPE MADE PARTY CHAIRMAN - Screaming Lord Sutch declares that old friend, and landlord of The Golden Lion Hotel, Alan Hope is to be the party chairman. Alan Hope (aka The Great White Hope) was formally known as 'Kerry Rapid' during his rock 'n' roll singing days when he backed Screaming Lord Sutch many years earlier.

LOONY SONG - 'We'll Be Voting Raving Loony' was adopted as the national loony song. Using the tune from 'She'll be coming round the mountain' this rousing chorus rang out from the bar of The Golden Lion Hotel.

1985

BY-ELECTIONS - At the Powys, Brecon & Radnor By-Election Screaming Lord Sutch toured this rural constituency on a horse & cart on a campaign issue of 'votes for sheep' much to the delight of local loony supporters.

DEPOSITS INCREASED TO GET RID OF THE LOONIES - Prime Minister (and prospective dictator) Margaret Thatcher by this time was getting rather annoyed at the rising number of fringe candidates standing against the so called real politicians (Obviously we were doing something right). To get rid of the loonies, both official and unofficial, she managed to convince parliament to increase the deposit required from £150 to £500.

1986

BY-ELECTIONS - More by-elections this year in Hammersmith & Fulham as well as Newcastle under Lyme further spreads the loony message. Despite the attempt by Evil Maggie to price the loonies out of politics, the same way she bankrupted the unions out of sending flying pickets, the loonies were here to stay.

1987

ALAN HOPE BECOMES FIRST LOONY COUNCILOR - Party Chairman Alan 'The Great White' Hope is elected unopposed onto Ashburton Town Council. The first loony ever to hold public office causes a dilemma in the party. Previously it had been decided that any loony who was serious enough to actually win a seat should be expelled from the party. Consequently these rules were amended at the 1987 Loony Party Conference to allow a successful loony to stay in the party. Sutch had no intention of expelling his old friend, party chairman & party HQ landlord.

FIRST TRUE LOONY MANIFESTO LAUNCHED - In preparation for the forthcoming general election Dick Vero (aka More Dick In Dulwich) proposes the Loony Party release a manifesto like the other unofficial loonies. This leap into actual organisation and coherent structure to present a united set of policies was alien to the loonies, but the idea won support. A party manifesto would be released but each loony candidate would still make up their own as well. A truly loony idea was a party of free spirits speaking as one and only as one also. The first true Loony Party Manifesto was launched with pledges like turning Britain into the world's biggest tax haven by driving the Channel Tunnel through the Channel Islands.

'DON'T KNOW' PARTY NAME CHANGE REJECTED - A suggestion was made to change the party name to 'Don't Know'. The theory was that when voters get to 'Don't Know' on the ballot paper we would coin in the votes. This possibly innovative political idea was rejected though and the Official Monster Raving Loony Party name remained.

GENERAL ELECTION - To the slogan of 'Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come join the Loony Party' only five loonies managed to stand this year, led by Alan 'The Great White' Hope in Teignbridge. To a cry of 'Today Ashburton, tomorrow the world ... or at least Plymouth' the party chairman polled a total of 213 votes. Screaming Lord Sutch in true loony style failed to even get into the starting gate in his bid to run against Maggie again in Finchley. When he presented his nomination paper 15mins before closing, it was discovered one of the signators was invalid. With no time left to rectify the error Sutchy had to sit out this general election. Stuart Hughes polled a remarkable 747 votes in Honiton, Devon while wearing an elephant's head to appeal to the jumbo vote. Freddy Zapp, a fire-eating DJ known as 'The Light Fantastic' campaigned in a hearse while wearing an undertaker's outfit in a bid for the 'dead vote'. Finally Lord Tiverton in Hastings was in favour of importing the sport of dwarf throwing from America.

1988

BY-ELECTIONS - Sutchy stood in three by-elections this year, Kensington & Chelsea, Glasgow (Govan) and Epping. In Kesington & Chelsea one of the loony campaign policies was to ban wheelclamping and reemploy traffic wardens as dog poo patrols with pooper scoopers, believing that shoveling the shyte was all they were fit for. With hindsight this policy might have been even a bad idea for the loonies. Sutchy's campaign vehicle was an Austin Princess hearse with a message that everyone should write down who they would vote for, and if they die before an election they would still get a chance to vote as their written choice would count. This vehicle collect many parking tickets, eventually got wheelclamped and then towed away to the pound, where it stayed as the fines were more than the vehicle was worth.

ANNUAL LOONY PARTY CONFERENCE - Once again the loonies gathered at The Golden Lion Hotel in Ashburton for the annual loony conference. With recent Olympic scandals in the press, the loonies made a statement denying any rumors that some of our members had achieved their astonishing electoral feats by taking steroids.

1989

BY-ELECTIONS - Richmond & the Vale of Glamorgan are the locations for Sutch's by-election challenges this year. At the Vale of Glamorgan he recruits Shakin' Steven's old band 'The Sunsets' to back him at the pre-victory bash, while the bass player acted as his election agent. One of Sutchy's main campaign issues was to build another six bridges to compliment to Severn Bridge.

EURO ELECTION & VAUXHALL BY-ELECTION DOUBLE - Sutchy isn't content with only one election in the summer of 1989 so he stands in both the City of London Euro elections as well as the Vauxhall parliamentary by-election, with a campaign for the 'Euro Sausage'.

FIRST LOONY PARTY SPLIT - All political parties have their internal struggles, and the loonies are no different. A difference of opinion on how the party should be run leads to the first of many loony splits. With the banana colours of the party this could well be classified as a giant 'banana split'. Do we take a satirical approach to the issues of the day or purely use the hustings to promote our rock 'n' roll bands? This issue was never resolved or rectified so loonies disgruntled with the leadership of the day left to form the rival 'Raving Loony Green Giant Party'.

1990

BY-ELECTIONS - Mid Stafford, Bootle, Knowsley South (Merseyside) and Bootle by-election saw Sutchy campaign on issues like rebuilding the 'Beatles Exhibition' , providing heated toilet seats for OAPs and making Ken Dodd Chancellor of the Exchequer. With a white coffin inscribed with 'Kill The Poll Tax' they toured the streets while a hand emerged from the coffin holding loony money with Maggie's head on it and promising 1lb of flesh to the bearer.

BRADFORD NORTH BY-ELECTION - Wild Willie Becket 'The Psycho-Surgeon' stands in his home town of Bradford North under the banner of Monster Raving Loony Psycho-Surgeons Party. This old friend and fellow musician of Screaming Lord Sutch polled a total of 210 votes and came in 8th place out of a total of ten candidates. Partying the night away at the pre-victory bash had obviously rendered many prospective loony voters incapable of recovering in time to vote the next day. Even the psycho-surgeon's medical expertise couldn't revive enough of them to win.

S.D.P. FOLDS UP CITING OMRLP AS PARTLY RESPONSIBLE - After being suitably trounced by the OMRLP at the Bootle By-Election the S.D.P. gang of four finally decide to put the last nail in the coffin of the party and join with the Liberals to form the Liberal Democrats. Two weeks after Bootle they voted 17/5 to disband the party, but a few diehards continued on for a few more years.

1991

BY-ELECTIONS - Ribble Valley, Neath (West Glamorgan), Monmouth (Gwent) and Walton (Liverpool) are the campaign grounds of this year. Once again the white coffin is rolled out to campaign against Maggie's hated poll tax as well as a few local issues.

SUTCH MAKES RECORD BOOKS - Screaming Lord Sutch makes it into the record books after he is thought to have stood in more parliamentary elections than anybody else. The exact number is debatable as loony records reflect the party name. Nobody kept any and Sutchy didn't really remember exactly how many elections he'd been too, but it had definitely been a lot.

1992

GENERAL ELECTION - The loonies suddenly become a force to be reckoned with as we stand a total of 21 candidates and contend 23 different seats. This may seem a mathematical discrepancy but Screaming Lord Sutch had gone totally loony and put himself up against all three major party leaders. John Major, Neil Kinnock & Paddy Ashdown all had to compete with Sutch on the ballot paper. With a total of 7,563 loony votes the party was by now a household name and going from strength to strength.

1994

BY-ELECTIONS - The by-elections Rotherham, Bradford South and Eastleigh see Sutch attain his most votes in a single election to date. In Rotherham he polled a total of 1,114 votes, the best loony election result to date.

1995

BY-ELECTIONS - Islwyn (Gwent), Tayside Perth & Kinross, Littleborough & Saddleworth make another three by-election stands for Screaming Lord Sutch. No matter what the serious politicians do they can't keep a good loony down.

SECOND LOONY PART SPLIT - Once again the Official Monster Raving Loony Party has a difference of opinion resulting in a party split. The membership collection and merchandise marketing division of Loony Marketing falls out with others within the loony leadership and the two factions go their separate ways. I've heard many different explanations of the circumstances, from many different sources, all diametrically different. I guess only the loonies can have a banana split without anyone really knowing who the nuts, cream and chocolate sauce are.

1996

BY-ELECTIONS - Believe it or not the Loony Party survived yet another party split. We seem to be indestrictably loony and the Hemsworth and Staffordshire South East by-elections seem to prove it as Screaming Lord Sutch stands for parliament yet again

GENERAL ELECTION - In 1997 the Official Monster Raving Loony Party had it's best showing of candidates in the party's history. With a total of 26 candidates standing all over England & Wales the party polled a total of 8,376 votes. Unfortunately due to family illness Screaming Lord Sutch had to once again sit out this election, but his party did him proud, loonifying the husting and brightening up the election process. With manifesto promises like 'abolishing January & Feburary because they are too cold' and 'towing the British Isles 500 miles south to improve the climate', how could we lose.

1998

ALAN HOPE IS MADE MAYOR OF ASHBURTON (FIRST LOONY MAYOR) - The Official Monster Raving Loony Party's first loony to hold public office as a councilor of Asburton Town Council, is made mayor of Ashburton. Not only has Alan (The Great White) Hope achieved honour as the first loony to hold office, he has failed the party again and become the first loony mayor. Fortunately Screaming Lord Sutch had already deemed earlier that to win in an election was no longer a party dismissable offence.

1999

SCREAMING LORD SUTCH COMMITS SUICIDE - The saddest moment in Loony Party history came with the discovery of Screaming Lord Sutch's death. After many years battling depression, the death of his mother just a year before was probably one of the last straws for Sutchy. In true loony style though Lord David Edward Sutch (aka Screaming Lord Sutch) was given a funeral like to no other this country had seen.

ANNUAL PARTY CONFERENCE - A determination to continue running the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the memory of the great Screaming Lord Sutch, who inspired and created it, is one of the main topics of discussion at this first loony conference after his death. The loss of the party's spiritual leader was a massive blow, with many outside the party believing the party would fold without Sutchy to lead us.

NEW PARTY LEADERSHIP - Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope the Party Chairman is declared joint leader of the party along with 'Cat Mandu' his ginger tabby cat in a wonderful loony display of mock elections. Boney Maroney, a long term old friend of Screaming Lord Sutch, becomes the party's deputy leader at the same election. Old friends of Screaming Lord Sutch vow to lead the party he formed into the future as a lasting memorial to a great loony.

BY-ELECTIONS - In the first by-election since the death of Screaming Lord Sutch, Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope, our new party leader, stands in Eddisbury as the Loony Party candidate. Gaining 238 votes he comes 4th place in front of an independent conservative and the Natural Law Party. The loonies are still here and still a force to be reckoned with.

MAD COW-GIRL LAUNCHES OFFICIAL PARTY WEBSITE - After being given the task of building a new official loony party website by the party leadership, the Mad Cow-Girl launches www.omrlp.com onto the world wide web. For not the first time in Loony Party history the loonies were ahead of the major political parties to provide a fully active, up-to-date presence on the web. Starting as the party Webmistress, the Mad Cow-Girl was soon also the Party Secretary, official Membership Secretary and Treasurer, as the Loony Party launched itself into the electronic age of the 21st century.

THIRD LOONY PARTY SPLIT BEGINS - For the third, and probably not the last, time in Loony Party history a faction battle ensued. Years of dispute over who controled the party came to a head after the death of Screaming Lord Sutch. Some members had been allowed by Sutchy to collect memberships on behalf of the party, but these were kept from the party membership secretary and the new leadership had no information on who these new members were. Many loonies tried to mediate but an impasse was encountered.

2000

THIRD LOONY PARTY SPLIT FINAL (AND THAT'S OFFICIAL) - After a final attempt to gel the party together again under one leadership the unhappy faction continued to refuse to share party information with the official party leadership. It was therefore officially declared that only members on the official loony membership list will get official nomination papers at elections, as the others must therefore, by loony definition, be unofficial loonies. The unofficial loony faction finally split to form their own 'Rock 'n' Roll Loony Party' in competition with the 'official' Official Monster Raving Loony Party. And that's officially official, by official declaration of the officials of the official party. Officially :-)

BY-ELECTIONS - Once again our party leader Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope stands on behalf of the party in the constituency of Kensington & Chelsea. With a result of only 20 votes one might think we did appalling, but loonies always expect to fail anyway. The sad thing is we didn't come last. Some poor 'one issue' publicity seeking for his cause candidate only managed to get 15 votes.

2001

GENERAL ELECTION - With a total of 15 candidates standing in the first General Election since the death of Screaming Lord Sutch it's a resounding success. Many thought the party would disappear after Sutch's suicide, but even after a third party split the official party is still going strong and getting stronger every day. With manifesto pledges including; 'all dogs being fitted with nappies to stop them pooing all over parks' and 'on the driving test learners will at least be able to phone one friend, take a fifty fifty choice of route or ask the other drivers in the traffic jam for advice' we still can't lose.

2002

BY-ELECTIONS - Our very own Loony Les Edwards stands in the Ogmore By-Election this year and successfully fails to win the seat in true loony style. He did however get 187 voters to believe an official loony was a good idea in parliament.

2004

BY-ELECTIONS - Two by-elections were contested by the Loony Party this year. Mr R.U. Seerius (pictured right) gained 225 votes in Leicester South and came a remarkable 6th out of 11 candidates in front of 5 independents. At the end of the year Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope stood in Hartlepool, campaigning on a disco fire engine with Nick the Brick and the Mad Cow-Girl beside him. With 80 votes the loonies came 12th out of 14 candidates and Alan crooned at the count with 13th place Ronnie Carroll. This managed to lighten the atmosphere after a purple powder stunt by the fathers 4 justice candidate.

2005

LOONY ARCHIVE LAUNCHED - A single internet resource for all things historically loony is launched by the former party webmistress and party secretary the Mad Cow-Girl. Combining together her stack of loony photos and memorabilia, as well those from many other sources, this staged creation of a remarkable website begins to grow.

GENERAL ELECTION - Still going strong, The Official Monster Raving Loony Party fielded 19 candidates in this General Election and polled a total of 6,311 votes throughout England. With yet another dynamic, before it's time, manifesto, the country's loony majority were once again represented at the hustings. With plans to coat urban 4x4s in bubble wrap to make them safer and fast food to be labelled "may contain traces of real food", the loonies once again put forward policies bordering on the sensible.

BY-ELECTIONS AT SEDGEFIELD AS WELL AS EALING & SOUTHALL - Another two By-Elections contested on the same day. While Party Leader Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope contested Tony Blair's old seat of Sedgefield, John Cartwright (Colonel Cocoa Bean) took on the challenge of Ealing & Southall.

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