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Taking a quick break for breakfast. Thought I'd better post this before I forgot again.
So last night in a bout of insomnia, my brain wandered freely and wide over the internets, and I came upon the site of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. Now why can't we have political parties like that in this country? Or are the established parties already so insane as to defy parody?
From here, I came (eventually) to the 1999 policies of the McGillicuddy Serious Party of New Zealand. Now here's a party! The core of their philiosophy is Funism - the most fun for the most people - and their governmental program is based on accomplishing this through The Great Leap Backwards™.
Again, why can't we have political parties like that in this country?
Darn it, I think it's time to resurrect the sadly defunct Whig Party and start writing a manifesto!
(Why Whigs? They were a major party, once; their name is really kind of silly; it's time to reclaim the letter W.)
While I very much admire the McGillicuddy Serious Party's basic philosophy, we will need to make some changes to account for American insensibilites and to bring it up to date for these trying times.
Frankly, that's way more work than I want to do right now. That will require, I suspect, a new barbeque, much beer, and a select group of Whigs. So I'm thinking Spring some time.
For now, I'll simply propose a plank for the platform, as it were, on a minor issue.
So last night in a bout of insomnia, my brain wandered freely and wide over the internets, and I came upon the site of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. Now why can't we have political parties like that in this country? Or are the established parties already so insane as to defy parody?
From here, I came (eventually) to the 1999 policies of the McGillicuddy Serious Party of New Zealand. Now here's a party! The core of their philiosophy is Funism - the most fun for the most people - and their governmental program is based on accomplishing this through The Great Leap Backwards™.
Again, why can't we have political parties like that in this country?
Darn it, I think it's time to resurrect the sadly defunct Whig Party and start writing a manifesto!
(Why Whigs? They were a major party, once; their name is really kind of silly; it's time to reclaim the letter W.)
While I very much admire the McGillicuddy Serious Party's basic philosophy, we will need to make some changes to account for American insensibilites and to bring it up to date for these trying times.
Frankly, that's way more work than I want to do right now. That will require, I suspect, a new barbeque, much beer, and a select group of Whigs. So I'm thinking Spring some time.
For now, I'll simply propose a plank for the platform, as it were, on a minor issue.
Proposed Plank 0001: Male Head CoveringI can hardly wait for somebody to write the plank on the reinstitution of duelling.
Hats are a civilizing influence on the male of the species, therefore the Whig Party will seek to enact local and national laws strongly encouraging men to wear hats in public. This may include such enforcement provisions as tax exemption for haberdasheries and for television and film productions where all male characters wear hats in public. Men shall not be compelled to wear hats, but they'll look pretty silly if they don't. For the purposes of these laws, baseball caps are not hats. They are appropriate only when actually playing baseball or golf, or perhaps while gardening.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 06:47 pm (UTC)Thats all good and well, but they must be stylish. I think baseball caps are inanely silly (unless you actually participating in baseball-type activities), especially those with beer (or worse) stains and commonly worn by those displaying rifle racks in the rear window of their pickup truck.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 07:01 pm (UTC)http://www.blahparty.org/ . That's Captain Sensible, lead singer of The Damned...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:05 pm (UTC)sillysensible parties and we can't manage one.(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 08:23 pm (UTC)Now I must go listen to the Captain singing "Happy Talk" again.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:58 pm (UTC)Whig (American) derives from Whig (British) derives from the ugly little nickname "Whiggamore" applied to the Scottish radical Presbyterians (the Kirk Party) by their Scottish enemies.
According to the OED, Whiggamore (with ten alternative spellings including my personal favourite, Whigimyre) is derived from the Scottish whig, to drive forward briskly + mere, the female of any equine animal. The Whiggamore army so called because their beat their horses to death in their haste to invest Edinburgh in 1648. They lost.
So, no.
Another urban myth ... busted.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 12:10 am (UTC)From Toraidhe, Irish for bandit, cattle thief or outlaw, this term was initially applied pejoratively to the English supporters of the future James II during the Exclusion Crisis of 1679. 'Tories' later became the nickname of a political party (later known as the Conservatives) of those who, by common agreement, were particularly loyal to 'Church and king'. ...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 03:41 pm (UTC)Tories = bandits and cattle rustlers
Whigs = beating a dead horse
Sounds about right.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 11:01 pm (UTC)Proposed Plank 0002a: Encourage the Superfluous use of the silent letter "H"
Date: 2007-02-08 11:57 pm (UTC)Proposed Plank 0002b: Encourage the Superfluous use of the word "Superfluous"
Re: Proposed Plank 0002a: Encourage the Superfluous use of the silent letter "H"
Date: 2007-02-09 03:43 pm (UTC)Proposed Plank 0003: The Re-introduction of Formal Dueling
Date: 2007-02-09 01:14 am (UTC)Therefore the Whig Party will encourage the passage of laws that will legalize the formal duel. These will include the creation of dueling codes; protection from prosecution or civil suit, any survivors, or their seconds, of properly constituted duels; allowing insurance companies to exempt duel related injuries from claim; and a definitive list of 'challenge worthy' behavior, such as, public insult of one's character or spouse's character, adultery, spilling one's beer on another's shoes, pronouncing the silent 'H', etc.
Re: Proposed Plank 0003: The Re-introduction of Formal Dueling
Date: 2007-02-09 03:44 pm (UTC)Hmmm.... looks like we might need an anti-beer-spilling plank...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 07:09 am (UTC)http://www.secstate.wa.gov/oralhistory/timeline_event.aspx?e=62
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 06:04 pm (UTC)The law that essentially booted the Owl Party off the ballot was rescinded by the new "Pick-a-Party" Primary law.
Oh, this could be fun.
Wanna sign a petition?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 06:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 02:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-09 06:05 pm (UTC)Too bad, really, but I think it gives the Whigs a perfect opportunity...
We're back
Date: 2007-03-07 07:56 pm (UTC)http://flwp.org