Vote for Mr None of the Above!

Tuesday, 5th January 2010

If another 650 or so candidates did this then the new parliament could be rather interesting:

An aspiring MP has gone to extreme lengths to protest against the three main political parties.

Adam Osen, 50, has officially changed his name to None Of The Above and hopes to attract support from disillusioned voters as an independent parliamentary candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green.

The move was suggested by Mr Above’s brother, Gideon, who took the idea from the film Brewster’s Millions, which sees a character run a political campaign under the same slogan.

The former Mr Osen, a painter and decorator of Woodberry Way in Chingford, said his wife, Rebecca, 43, tried to talk him out of the move and many did not believe he would go through with it.

However, he admitted his two children, Gabrielle, 18, and Michael, 15, were less surprised as he has a reputation for coming up with “off the wall” ideas.

Mr Above, or None as he is known to friends, has lost faith in Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties since the MPs’ expenses scandal.

Alternatively, consult Tom Harris for a defence of politics.

[Hat-tip: Independent Network]

Filed under: 2010 Election (77 more articles)

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Peter From Maidstone

January 5th, 2010 8:35pm Report this comment

What I had considered was that outside each poll station could be a table with representatives from some electoral monitoring group with impeccable credentials who could collect the poll cards of those who genuinely wish to records their vote as being for 'none of the above'. (I suggest this because presently we are not able to declare our disatisfaction with all candidates save by not voting at all which is then ignored by the parties). If the number of people who voted for 'none of the abovee' in this way exceeded the votes for any particular candidate then the local election would be declared to be morally void and the elected candidate to have no mandate.

cynicalHighlander

January 5th, 2010 8:43pm Report this comment

I have put that on a ballot paper before now the trouble is that the British public seem to feel that they have to vote for a party because they have been brainwashed into believing that we live in a democracy and basically have no interest.

John Hall

January 6th, 2010 1:05am Report this comment

When we interview candidates for a position in industry we often decide not to appoint because no candidate is up to the job. For democracy to work we need to have a "Re-advertise" option for those of us who are dissatisfied with the candidates selected for us by the respective central offices (wasn't that a Soviet inspiration?). In the event that a majority was to vote for "Re-advertise" there should be a re-run of the vote with new candidates until one finally met the approval of the electorate.

Beefeater

January 6th, 2010 4:14pm Report this comment

cynicalhighlander:

Mr. Above would stand a good chance of success in a proportional representation system, which encourages crackpots.
Whatever happened to Screaming Lord Such?

Noa Zrk

January 6th, 2010 6:02pm Report this comment

Would a candidate from the local convent be best advised to stand as "Nun of the above?"

My coat please.

None of the above

January 8th, 2010 10:22am Report this comment

I have read the comments and will re-read them and give a considered response. In a quick reaction to one of them, there is a NOTA party, and their intention, if they win, is to resign and force a by-election, giving the electorate a chance to chose who they really want. I'm pursuing a slightly different tack, I want to give the electorate the opportunity to continuously influence not who but what they want. In the 19th and much of the 20th century this was not practical. In the second half of the 20th century it was becoming steadily more practical, but the establishment had no incentive to change what was, for many, a cosy situation. I believe it is now time for actual democracy. It is possible to argue that we currently have government of the many by the few for the few, one out of three aint good, and in this case, even two won't do.

none of the above

January 8th, 2010 10:31am Report this comment

Having re-read the previous posts, I think I have covered everyone, since we all seem to be on a similar tack, except for nun of the above, I wish I could think of a witty response, I'll work on it