PRESS RELEASE - 25 September ‘06
New political party to reconnect the British public with politics
Blah! Party offers protest vote to politically disaffected nation
Today heralds the launch of a new political party that will change the current political landscape and will directly challenge the major political parties to forget spin and rhetoric and deliver on the promises that they make.
The Blah! Party offers a real alternative for no-nonsense, straight-talking people who are disenchanted with the irrational and senseless aspects of everyday life and of modern-day politics. The Blah! Party also aims to become the UK’s biggest, by attracting over 300,000 members, beating the current largest - the Conservative Party - and offering a protest vote to the millions of voters who are disaffected by current politics.
Voting figures have seen a sharp decline over the past thirteen years, with turnout at the last election the third-lowest since 1899. Turnout at the 2005 election was only 61.4%, with just over 17 million of those registered to vote choosing not to. In contrast, increasing numbers of people are voting on reality television shows, with 10.8 million votes cast for the last X Factor and 22.5 million votes for Big Brother 2005.
Blah! Party leader Captain Sensible, the ‘70s & ‘80s punk icon, founded the party after years of continual political disillusionment. He comments: “Politics is dead. The British public aren’t voting because the parties are totally ignoring their opinions. At the moment, the only real method of mass protest against this is by not voting, which is why voting figures continue to fall.
“But we believe that voting is an important part of the democratic process, and we want the Blah! Party to be the party of protest; a channel through which the people of the UK can vent their dissatisfaction at nonsensical everyday things, and protest against the government and the current crop of political parties.
He continues: “The Blah! Party simply demands accountability and honesty for the actions and decisions that are taken by individuals and politicians. We will fight for simple answers to straightforward questions.We believe in the right to an opinion, the right to question, the right to disapprove and the right to change things for the better – we want to see the current leading parties pull their socks up, stop spouting hot air, and actually deliver on their promises.
The Blah! Party manifesto is a rolling document of policies, driven by the current and immediate need to say ‘Blah!’ to nonsensical and unaccountable occurrences in modern-day politics. The Blah! Party manifesto will drive action and change, rather than offering statements of political intent that are never followed through. Members of the Blah! Party will control the manifesto by voting for what needs to be Blahed! on a month-by-month basis; this will be the foundation of the party’s policies and campaigns. The main policies at the time of launch are:
- Blah! to the Labour Party electing the next prime minister – the election of Gordon Brown as the next prime minister may be seen as foregone conclusion by many, but surely the British public should have a say in the matter?
- Blah! to the FA: stop paying Sven Goran Eriksson £13,000 a day for doing nothing - the Blah! Party demands that the Football Association stops paying Sven Goran Eriksson. He has already been paid £4.4 million for the past five years without any success. Surely we should not be paying him a further £3.2 million; money that could be spent on youth football or inner-city sports projects?
- Blah! to multi-national companies taking over great British brands - Raleigh Bikes, Hamleys, Fortnum & Mason, Harry Ramsden’s and HP Sauce are just a few great British brands that have been bought by overseas conglomerates. The Blah! party believes that the loss of heritage and jobs must be stopped, and the spending power, market dominance and commercially aggressive tactics of so many overseas companies challenged.
- Blah! to the obesity debate - turn two jags from a fatty to fitty - the Blah! Party is well aware of the health risks associated with obesity, but surely the problem is obvious? If you eat too much and don’t do any exercise, you’ll get fat. We believe our own deputy prime minister, John Prescott, is worryingly obese, with a body mass index of over 30. Therefore how can the rest of the nation take the government’s campaign seriously? He must lead by example.
- Blah! to non-violent offenders going to prison - our prisons are already bursting at the seams, so why lock up non-violent offenders when they could be made to do something useful, instead? They should be made to perform constructive tasks and make a positive contribution to society.
Supported by main sponsor Seabrook Crisps (we Blah! trying to cover up party backers), which shares the same straight-talking, no-nonsense values, The Blah! Party is dedicated to connecting with the nation and fighting against the nonsensical issues that the British public sees as important.
“As party leader, I am committed to making the Blah! Party the biggest political party in the UK, with membership figures of over 300,000, explains Captain Sensible. “At last, the people of this country have a mouthpiece to voice their disapproval at the policies and decisions that just don’t make any sense, and have never been called into question or justified.
He concludes: “Fundamentally, we want to become the party of protest. Because until politicians really begin to listen to the people that they represent, the only sensible vote is the protest vote.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
The Blah! Party is for no-nonsense people who are fed up with the irrational and senseless aspects of everyday life and of modern-day politics:
- A party that stands against whatever irritates and annoys the majority of British citizens
- A party that simply demands accountability and honesty for the actions and decisions that are taken by individuals and politicians
- A party that believes in the right to an opinion, the right to question, the right to disapprove, the right to change things for the better and, fundamentally, the right to Blah!
The Blah! Party was formed by Captain Sensible who approached his marketing partner, Propaganda, to find him a party sponsor. Propaganda quickly identified synergies with another client, Seabrook Crisps, which shares the Blah! Party’s straight talking no-nonsense values.
Captain Sensible is a co-founder of the original punk band The Damned. He was also signed to A&M as a solo artist, and had a number-one British hit single with the old musical number Happy Talk.
Seabrook Crisps - founded in 1945, Seabrook Crisps is one of the oldest British crisp manufacturers in the UK. The family-run, Bradford-based business is famous for its crinkle-cut crisps, which are available in 19 flavours, including Canadian Ham, Roasted Garlic, Beefy and the best seller, Sea Salted. Seabrook’s crisps come in 31.8g singles and ‘sixer’ mulitpacks, each containing six full-size (31.8g) bags.
Available in all major multiples throughout the UK, Seabrook’s crisps are cooked in pure sunflower oil and have been for over 25 years. They also use only natural sea salt. The company has a turnover of £16m and employs 200 people.
For further information please call the Blah! Party hotline: 0113 287 8955, Nick Blythe at nick.blythe@blahparty.org or 07917138723, Claire Anderson at claire.anderson@blahparty.org or 07717 276923, or Amie Pascoe at amie.pascoe@blahparty.org or 07917351187.
To join the Blah! Party: Text BLAH to 83010 (Terms & conditions apply ) - AND GET EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL CONTENT FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE
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