Natural Law Party
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The Natural Law Party is a defunct political party founded in the USA and around the world. The party platform was based on the concept that Natural Law is the organizing principle that governs the universe, and that the problems of humanity are caused by people violating natural law. The Natural Law Party (NLP) supported using Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program to reduce or eliminate the problems in society.
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[edit] Origins
The Natural Law Party (NLP) was founded in the USA in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers in Fairfield, Iowa, many of whom practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique.[1]
[edit] Platform
Among other things, the Natural Law Party proposed to:
- Establish a team of 1000 yogic flyers. According to the party, such a group "dissolves collective stress, as indicated by significant reductions in crime, unemployment, sickness, and accidents, and improved economic indicators and quality of life."
- Introduce daily transendental meditation for all school students.
- Establish a group of yogic flyers in the armed forces, who would provide an "invincible defence" — according to the party, yogic flying would result in "the raising of coherence within the country, thereby replacing negative socioeconomic indicators with positive indicators, and the radiating of positivity and harmony to all other nations".
- Lower taxes, as yogic flyers will supposedly increase prosperity, allowing the government to collect the same amount of money with a lower tax rate.
- Ban genetic engineering, and encourage organic farming.
[edit] National branches
The Natural Law Party had affiliates in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and United Kingdom.
[edit] Australia
In Australia, some candidates gained as much as 10% of the vote,[dubious ] the party was discontinued in 2002.[citation needed] A notable candidate, Bevan Morris, campaigned for a seat in the Australian House of Representatives on the NLP ticket, from a district in suburban Adelaide, in 1993.[2]
[edit] Canada
The Natural Law Party was very active in Canadian federal and provincial elections.
[edit] Ireland
The Republic of Ireland had a Natural Law Party, centered in Dublin. Its highest profile candidate was Paddy Seery from Offaly.[citation needed] The party was later disbanded.
[edit] Israel
The Natural Law Party of Israel (Hebrew: מפלגת חוק הטבע של ישראל, Mifleget Hok HaTeva Shel Yisrael) was a minor political party in Israel linked to the transnational Natural Law Party. In the 1999 elections the Natural Law Party won only 2,924 votes (0.09%), far below the 1.5% electoral threshold required to enter the Knesset. It has not run in an election since.
[edit] New Zealand
The Natural Law Party of New Zealand was formed in 1995. The Natural Law Party never won any seats in Parliament, and was removed from the register of official political parties in February 2001.
[edit] United Kingdom
The first Natural Law Party was launched in the UK, with Dr. Geoffrey Clements as Party Leader. The UK manifesto was founded on two assertions: (1) that the development of consciousness, in particular through the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs including Yogic Flying, can enhance society's ability to resolve problems; and, (2) that the group practice of these techniques by a critical mass of the population, can result in overall improvements in society, including reduced crime, accidents and hospital admissions, and increased prosperity, national security and over all quality of life.[citation needed] The party quoted peer-reviewed published scientific research for many of its assertions.[citation needed]
In the 1992 general election, 310 candidates stood for the NLP in the UK, garnering 0.19% of the vote.[3] A significant number of constituencies were contested by nationals of countries outside the UK, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, as British electoral law allows any member of a Commonwealth country to stand for Parliament. A week before the 1992 general election, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi suggested to George Harrison that he and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr stand for election as MPs for Liverpool as NLP candidates.[4] Although they declined to stand for election, Harrison performed at a fund-raising concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the NLP during the campaign.
In the 1997 general election, the NLP ran 197 candidates for Parliament in the UK, garnering 0.10% of the vote.[5]
The NLP ran 16 candidates in the 20 by-elections held between 1992 and 1997,[6] averaging 0.30% of the vote, with every candidate losing their deposit.
The NLP ran 8 candidates for the 16 by-elections held between 1997 and 2001, averaging 0.10% of the vote with every candidate losing their deposit.[7]
The NLP did not run any candidates for Parliament in the 2001 general election or in the succeeding by-elections.[8][9]
The party ceased to submit accounts to the Electoral Commission from 2004.[10]
[edit] United States
Bevan Morris was the founding chairman of the party. The party ran as a third party with a center-left ideology.[citation needed] It had liberal positions on abortion and gay rights.[citation needed] It supported the use of scientifically verified solutions to combat social ills such as poverty, crime, racism, bigotry.
John Hagelin, a physics professor at Maharishi University of Management, was the NLP candidate for president of the United States in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 elections. In the 2000 Presidential election Hagelin received 84,000 votes.[11]
In 1996, the NLP ran more than 400 candidates in 48 states and attracted support from Democrats, Republicans and independents.[citation needed]
According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the NLP spent $2.3 million on its presidential campaign in the 1999-2000 election cycle.[12]
In 2000, Hagelin created an independent coalition between the Natural Law and the Reform political party, The coalition failed when Patrick Buchanan took control of the Reform Party.[citation needed]
Between 2000 and 2004, the Natural Law Party sought to create an independent coalition of voters interested in election law reform. In 2002, the party endorsed Independence Party of Minnesota candidate for Minnesota Governor, Tim Penny. In 2004, the Natural Law Party endorsed Democratic Party presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.[citation needed]
The Natural Law Party did not run a candidate for president in the 2004 U.S. election and Hagelin went on to create an organization called the US Peace Government[citation needed]
The Idaho Natural Law Party remained active, and was prepared to have three candidates on the ballot for state and federal office in 2006 by entering into a coalition with the new United Party, and thus remained the only Natural Law Party still active in the United States of America. However, on June 16 the Idaho Natural Law Party changed its name to the United Party.[citation needed]
According to the Natural Law Party official web site the national headquarters of the Natural Law Party closed effective on April 30, 2004 and the US Peace Government is now carrying forward the programs, policies, and ideals of the Natural Law Party. [13]The party is still active in some states.[14] In 2008 the Michigan Natural Law Party nominated Ralph Nader to be its presidential candidate and the Mississippi Natural Law Party nominated Brian Moore.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
- Political parties of the world
- List of political parties in the United States
- Parti de la loi naturelle (natural law party of France; article in French Wikipedia)
- Naturgesetz Partei (natural law party of Germany; article in German Wikipedia)
- Österreichische Naturgesetzpartei (natural law party of Austria (ÖNP); article in German Wikipedia)
[edit] References
- ^ Roth, R:The Natural Law Party:A Reason to Vote, page 285. St. Martin's Press, 1998
- ^ "Commonwealth Of Australia: Legislative Election Of 13 March 1993". Psephos. http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1993/1993repssa.txt. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ Summary Results 1992 Election
- ^ Miles, Barry, "Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now", Macmillan 1998, pp 429-430
- ^ Summary Results 1997 Election
- ^ Byelections in the 1992-1997 Parliament
- ^ Results of Byelections to the 52nd United Kingdom Parliament
- ^ Summary Results 2001 Election
- ^ Results of Byelections to the 53rd United Kingdom Parliament
- ^ UK Electoral Commission
- ^ Federal Elections 2000: 2000 Presidential Popular Vote Summary Table
- ^ Campaign Finance Disclosure Data Search
- ^ Natural Law Party official web site [1]
- ^ Natural Law Party official web site [2]
[edit] External links
- Homepage of the Natural Law Party of the United States
- U.S. Natural Law Party Platform 2000
- Israeli website (in Hebrew)
- Archived Natural Law Party of New Zealand website
- Natural Law Party in Finland
- Natural Law Party in the Netherlands
- Natural Law Party in Belgium
- Natural Law Party in Germany
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