If you fancy being a target for assassination, premature heart attack or just a bog standard smear campaign, apply today for the post of Anarchist Figurehead MP.

Our slogan is: "You know it won't make a difference..."

Firstly, I'm not sure many anarchists would be falling head over heels to become an MP. :)

Secondly, if it was that easy to become an MP when you hold radical and non-standard views, we'd have significantly more Socialist Alliance and Green MPs, I think.

Matt

Given the long history of "anti-capitalists" using elections
and their results, I'm suprised to see this being suggested
yet again!

Look at the German Social-Democrats (or even the Greens).

Working in the capitalist state resulted in them becoming
reformist, part of the system. As anarchists predicted,
btw and that is why anarchists argue that we need to use
direct action and organise outside parliament.

for more on anarchism argues for direct action
and why voting fails visit:

 http://www.infoshop.org/faq/secJ2.html

While we are unlikely to be able to bring about any real change through official "democratic" means, that doesn't neccesarily mean we shouldn't RUN for seats in Parliament/local government. Imagine an anarchist candidate running on an anti-Parliamentarian manifesto or better yet several in the same constituency. Think about the chaos it would cause. It would also help to get the issues we are concerned about into the debate. That we wouldn't stand a chance in hell of winning wouldn't matter.

Thoughts?

I think it's a good idea, after all if you don't stand for MP then some other scumbag will. Having Fighting the system from the inside is gonna be a whole lot more effective than standing around outside parliament holding banners...
Of course, there is the small matter of actually getting enough people to vote for you.....

"You know it won't make a difference..."

vote for a womble today.

campaign pledge: to work to abolish parliment

has anyone got a wimbledon womble suit?

An anarchist, a socialist, a communist, a green - all stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected as an MP to Westminster. The reason is simple - first past the post constituency elections.

If there were a system of Proportional Representation, then some of the injustice would be addressed (Lib Dems 20% of vote, less than 10% of seats), and people would be encouraged to vote for smaller parties, since it would no longer be such a wasted vote. But it would probably still be rigged to require a threshold vote, probably 10% in a certain region before a party could get an MP, specifically to stop the BNP and radical left wing parties getting seats.

There have been some independent MPs, such as Martin Bell, or Dr Richard Taylor, the Wyre Valley MP elected due to the Kidderminster Hospital campaign, but these are the result of very specific local issues. During the 1980s, some Labour MPs were also 'Militant', the group which now makes up the Socialist Party, and still stands as Socialist Alternative in elections.

Former Coventry MP Dave Nellist was the chair of the Socialist Alliance, till the split at the end of last year, and he is still a councillor in Coventry. The Socialist Party also have another councillor in Lewisham, and a group called the Independent Working Class Association has one councillor in Oxford.

The vote for the Socialist Alliance in the last council elections, standing 208 candidates, were 7.4% in London, 4.2% elsewhere, while Socialist Alternative picked up an average of 11.2% over 30 candidates, Socialist Labour picked up 3.4% and the IWCA got no less than 21% for any of their 10 candidates.

Whatever the IWCA is doing it seems to be working. They explicitly campaign on local issues, while being very much to the left of Labour. Here's some links:
 http://www.hackneyiwca.fsnet.co.uk/
 http://www.bliwca.fsnet.co.uk/
 http://www.haroldiwca.atfreeweb.com/
 http://www.redaction.org/communities/declaration.html

So far left parties are gaining some ground, not that you'd know it from the media, who only hype up the BNP (it was the same with the French Presidential elections - candidates to the left of the Socialists got more votes altogether than did far right candidates - did they mention this, of course not!).

If you want to stand an anti-capitalist/anarchist candidate, you probably should
1. Join Charter 88 to campaign for electoral reform!
2. Stand locally, and build a campaign around local issues.
3. Make sure you're not standing against a similar far left candidate, so you don't split the vote.

does anyone have any information on how to stand as an independent MP? I just want to make a stand for common sense policies and against career politicans. I want to run on sensible speed cameras not money earners, better school funding for my local inner city area and for having MP's who have lived in thier consituency as opposed to being placed in to safe seats. I dont expect to win but I would like to be a pain in the backside to everyone else. (Oh..and take votes from the usual far right). I have youth and enthusiasim on my side in an area with a high number of students and younger voters. All i need is the information on how to stand or information on where to look...
Thanks!