The People's Manifesto
Encyclopedia
The People's Manifesto is a comedic
and satirical political manifesto
, based on an idea by the British
satirist and political activist Mark Thomas
, and created by his audience
s. The manifesto is made up of policies suggested and voted for by members of the public who attended Thomas's stand-up performances. Thomas himself would then go and campaign on the winning policies. As well as forming part of his stand-up shows, the idea transferred to radio
, being broadcast as Mark Thomas: The Manifesto on BBC Radio 4
. A book of the best policies was published on 28 January 2010, entitled Mark Thomas Presents The People's Manifesto. Thomas then announced a contest to find someone to stand in the 2010 UK General Election based on the manifesto policies. The winner of the competition, Danny Kushlick, stood in Bristol West and finished sixth out of seven cadidates, winning 343 votes, which was 0.6% of the vote.
. Thomas would then go through the policies, deciding which ones would be considered for the manifesto and which ones should be immediately rejected. At the end of the show, the public were asked to vote for the best policy by shouting out loudly in support of the policies, the winning one being formed as part of the manifesto.
Thomas said in an interview with The List: "People innately have lots of solutions. It sounds like an obvious thing, but everyone thinks that they can be prime minister; everyone thinks that they can do a better job. They certainly think they can do a better job than their MP. Everyone has opinions, and that was how the manifesto show was born. Instead of politicians telling us what we should do, it should be the other way round."
The tour began on 27 March 2009 and finished after the 2010 General Election. Amongst the policies included in the manifesto are:
In August 2009, Thomas performed his show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in which the winning policies during the Fringe were debated before a selection of Members of the Scottish Parliament
.
on 25 June and 2 July 2009. The winning policies in these shows were, "Reform the role of Whips in parliament", and, "Banning bottled water and making drinking fountains etc more wide-spread via standpipes." A second series began on 4 February 2010. Winning policies so far include "Re-instate Saint Monday
".
It was announced on 1 April, 2010 that the winner was Danny Kushlick
, the founder and director of Transform Drug Policy Foundation
. He stood in the constituency of Bristol West. The policies that Kushlick campaigned on were:
Kushlick finished sixth out of seven candidates, losing to Stephen Williams MP
of the Liberal Democrats
, Paul Smith of Labour Party
, Nick Yarker of the Conservative Party
, Ricky Knight of the Green Party
and Christopher Lees of UK Independence Party. Kushlick received a total of 343 votes, winning 0.6% of the share of the vote. He defeated one candidate: Jon Baker of the English Democrats Party
.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and satirical political manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
, based on an idea by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
satirist and political activist Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas
Mark Clifford Thomas is a left-wing English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter from south London. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s. He is best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark...
, and created by his audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
s. The manifesto is made up of policies suggested and voted for by members of the public who attended Thomas's stand-up performances. Thomas himself would then go and campaign on the winning policies. As well as forming part of his stand-up shows, the idea transferred to radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, being broadcast as Mark Thomas: The Manifesto on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. A book of the best policies was published on 28 January 2010, entitled Mark Thomas Presents The People's Manifesto. Thomas then announced a contest to find someone to stand in the 2010 UK General Election based on the manifesto policies. The winner of the competition, Danny Kushlick, stood in Bristol West and finished sixth out of seven cadidates, winning 343 votes, which was 0.6% of the vote.
Tour
The People's Manifesto formed a part of Thomas stand-up tour entitled It's The Stupid Economy. Before the show and during the interval people wrote down their ideas for policies, with help from the campaign group NO2IDNO2ID
NO2ID, the public campaign, was formed in 2004 to campaign against the United Kingdom government's plans to introduce UK ID Cards and the associated National Identity Register, which it believes has negative implications for privacy, civil liberties and personal safety.NO2ID is entirely independent...
. Thomas would then go through the policies, deciding which ones would be considered for the manifesto and which ones should be immediately rejected. At the end of the show, the public were asked to vote for the best policy by shouting out loudly in support of the policies, the winning one being formed as part of the manifesto.
Thomas said in an interview with The List: "People innately have lots of solutions. It sounds like an obvious thing, but everyone thinks that they can be prime minister; everyone thinks that they can do a better job. They certainly think they can do a better job than their MP. Everyone has opinions, and that was how the manifesto show was born. Instead of politicians telling us what we should do, it should be the other way round."
The tour began on 27 March 2009 and finished after the 2010 General Election. Amongst the policies included in the manifesto are:
- "Margaret ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
should pay for her own funeral." - "The introduction of a maximum wageMaximum wageA maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
." - "Introduce a USA-style 1st AmendmentFirst Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
, to protect free speech." - "Party political manifestos should be legally binding."
- "Anyone in favour of banning immigrationImmigration to the United Kingdom since 1922Immigration to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 has been substantial, in particular from Ireland and the former colonies and other territories of the British Empire - such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Kenya and Hong Kong - under...
should sign a register and they will be banned from travelling abroad." - "On the voting card there should be a box that says 'None of the aboveNone of the aboveNone of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system...
.'" - "That WindsorWindsor, BerkshireWindsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
be renamed Lower SloughSloughSlough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
." - "We should build 100,000 council houses a year."
- "The Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
should have to declare on the masthead 'The newspaper that supported HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
!'" - "There should be a public referendumReferendums in the United KingdomReferendums are only occasionally held by the government of the United Kingdom. Eleven referendums have been held so far , the first in 1973; only two of these covered the whole UK...
before going to war."
In August 2009, Thomas performed his show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in which the winning policies during the Fringe were debated before a selection of Members of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
.
Radio show
A two-part radio series based on the People's Manifesto, entitled Mark Thomas: The Manifesto was broadcast on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
on 25 June and 2 July 2009. The winning policies in these shows were, "Reform the role of Whips in parliament", and, "Banning bottled water and making drinking fountains etc more wide-spread via standpipes." A second series began on 4 February 2010. Winning policies so far include "Re-instate Saint Monday
Saint Monday
Saint Monday is the tradition of absenteeism on a Monday. Saint Tuesday is the less common extension of this to a Tuesday.The tradition of taking Monday off has been common among craft workers since at least the seventeenth century....
".
Book
A book containing a selection of the policies, entitled Mark Thomas Presents The People's Manifesto, was published by Ebury Press on 28 January 2010.2010 general election
To promote Mark Thomas Presents The People's Manifesto, a competition was organised by Thomas and Ebury Press to find a person to stand in the 2010 general election as an independent candidate, based on the policies listed in manifesto. The person selected as the candidate would be paid their £500 deposit to stand in the election, in addition to £500 to cover campaign expenses, and would be supported by Thomas during the campaign.It was announced on 1 April, 2010 that the winner was Danny Kushlick
Danny Kushlick
Danny Kushlick is a British politician and founder of the Transform Drug Policy Foundation . He stood in the 2010 United Kingdom general election for The People's Manifesto.-Career:...
, the founder and director of Transform Drug Policy Foundation
Transform Drug Policy Foundation
The Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a registered non-profit charity based in the United Kingdom working in the field of drug policy and law reform. TDPF began as an independent campaign group called 'Transform, the campaign for a just and effective drug policy', and was set up in 1996 by its...
. He stood in the constituency of Bristol West. The policies that Kushlick campaigned on were:
- "Drugs will be legalised and their production will be nationalised (and Mark Thomas will become the 'Drug Tsar')."
- "If it pisses down with rain on a bank holidayBank HolidayA bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
, it will be considered a rolloverNational Lottery (United Kingdom)The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
." - "Trident will be scrapped."
- "NewspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
retractions will be printed in the same font size and on the same page as the offending article." - "A capMarket capitalizationMarket capitalization is a measurement of the value of the ownership interest that shareholders hold in a business enterprise. It is equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of a publicly traded company...
will be put on house pricesAffordability of housing in the United KingdomThe affordability of housing in the United Kingdom deteriorated significantly from the late 1990s onwards, with house prices rising faster than earnings and the average age of first-time homebuyers increasing...
, relative to the average wage in the area (and more council houseCouncil houseA council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
s will be built in these areas)." - "People who complain there are too many immigrants will be banned from restaurants serving anything other than British foodBritish cuisineEnglish cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, largely due to the importation of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India...
." - "The railwaysRail transport in Great BritainThe railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2010, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines range from single to double, triple, quadruple track and up to twelve...
will be re-nationalisedNationalizationNationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
." - "The introduction of a 'maximum wage'."
- "The introduction of a Tobin taxTobin taxA Tobin tax, suggested by Nobel Laureate economist James Tobin, was originally defined as a tax on all spot conversions of one currency into another...
on all currency transactions." - "All minsters will have had experience of their ministry prior to taking office."
Kushlick finished sixth out of seven candidates, losing to Stephen Williams MP
Stephen Williams (politician)
Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, being re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010...
of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, Paul Smith of Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, Nick Yarker of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Ricky Knight of the Green Party
Green Party (UK)
The Green Party was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. It has been succeeded by three political parties:* the Green Party of England and Wales* the Green Party in Northern Ireland* the Scottish Green Party- PEOPLE, 1973–1975 :...
and Christopher Lees of UK Independence Party. Kushlick received a total of 343 votes, winning 0.6% of the share of the vote. He defeated one candidate: Jon Baker of the English Democrats Party
English Democrats Party
The English Democrats are an English federalist political party, committed to the formation of a devolved English Parliament with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament. Whilst not supporting English Independence, the English Democrats consider themselves the English...
.