Bill and Ben Party
Bill and Ben | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Ben Boyce and Jamie Linehan |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Ideology | Joke political party |
| Colours | Dark green |
| MPs in the House of Representatives | None |
| Website | |
The Bill and Ben Party is a New Zealand joke political party formed in 2008. The party's leaders are Jamie Linehan and Ben Boyce ("Bill" and Ben) of the TV3 satirical sports show Pulp Sport. In the 2008 general election the party secured 0.56% of the votes cast, outpolling every other party not in parliament.[1] Overall, they gained the ninth highest number of votes out of the nineteen parties standing for election.
As a joke political party, it shares a rich and varied heritage with the vanished former McGillicuddy Serious Party and Imperial British Conservative Party, both humorous political entities which contested New Zealand general elections from the seventies until the late nineties.
On 1 July 2008 the party applied for registration with the Electoral Commission, which would allow it to contest the party vote.[2] The party was registered by the Electoral Commission on 29 July 2008.[3] On 31 July 2008 the party applied to register a logo with the Electoral Commission.[4]
The Bill and Ben Party also chose not to apply for the $10,000 in advertising money that all political parties are entitled to. They felt this is a waste of tax payer's money and have been self funding their advertising. This also meant that did not qualify for a TVNZ Political Party Opening Address.
They stood on a "no policies, no promises, no disappointment" platform and has the slogan "We're putting the party back in political party". It is understood New Zealand First Party Leader Winston Peters took exception to one of their election signs which uses the phrase "C'mon, you voted Winston in". [5]
Further details have emerged about the party, which now states that it managed to secure its required five hundred members for Electoral Act registration after locating the requisite number of inebriated university students outside a student drinking establishment.[6]
Due to the way that mixed member proportional representation works in New Zealand, had the Bill and Ben Party crossed the minimum 5% threshold required to be admitted to parliament (without an electoral seat), the total number of MPs would have been reduced by about four (an "underhang"). This is because 5% of the vote would entitle them to approximately six MPs but they have listed only two candidates (Bill and Ben) on their party list.[7]
2008 general election
In the 2008 general election held on 8 November, the party secured 13,016 votes (0.56% of the total votes cast),[8] thus allowing them to rebate the $1000 party registration fee. They took this money and put it on the bar in Invercargill as they received more votes from Invercargill than any other place in New Zealand.[citation needed]
Even though they are a joke political party, they out-polled all but one party (New Zealand First) that did not gain representation in the last election, including every other new party: the New Zealand Pacific Party, The Kiwi Party, The Family Party, the Workers Party and the Residents Action Movement. They gained the ninth highest number of votes out of the nineteen parties standing for election, and would have earned a seat if there had been no electoral threshold.[9] They spent a total of NZ$3777 on advertising, or $0.29 per vote, making them the most effective party in terms of dollars per vote.[10]
2009 Mount Albert by-election
Ben stood in the 2009 Mount Albert by-election held on 13 June and secured 151 votes (0.76% of the total votes cast), coming fifth overall.[11] This is an improvement on the 0.38% party vote they obtained in Mt Albert for the 2008 election. Boyce out-polled the parliamentary party United Future New Zealand and every other micro party and independent candidate, including the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party and The Kiwi Party.
References
- ^ Elections.govt.nz
- ^ "Applications to register parties and a party logo". New Zealand Electoral Commission. 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "Electoral Commission meeting summary". New Zealand Electoral Commission. 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^ "Applications to register a party and a party logo". New Zealand Electoral Commission. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ [1]
- ^ ""Bill and Ben putting 'party' into party"". NNew Zealand Herald. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ "There's one reason to support the flower pot men". Stuff.co.nz. 2008-11-04. Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ Chief Electoral Office: Official Count Results: Overall Status
- ^ "Election Results -- Overall Status". Chief Electoral Office. November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/04/2008_spending_and_votes.html
- ^ Chief Electoral Office: Official Count Results: Overall Status