Howling Laud Hope
Encyclopedia
Alan "Howling Laud" Hope (born June 1942, in Mytchett, Surrey
) is the Leader of the United Kingdom
's Official Monster Raving Loony Party
(OMRLP). In 1999, following the death of the party's founder, Screaming Lord Sutch
, Hope and his pet cat, Cat Mandu
, were jointly elected as leaders of the OMRLP. Since June 2002, Hope has been the party's sole leader following Cat Mandu's death in a road accident.
Hope was the first-ever OMRLP candidate to be elected to public office, when he was elected unopposed to a seat on Ashburton
Town Council
in Devon
in 1987. He subsequently became the Mayor of Ashburton in 1998. In 2010, Hope was elected unopposed to Fleet
Town Council in Hampshire
.
As an OMRLP candidate, Hope was elected unopposed to Ashburton Town Council in Devon in 1987. This caused a dilemma in the party as it had previously been decided that any member who was serious enough to actually win an election for a public office should be expelled from the party. These rules were changed at the 1987 Party Conference to allow Hope to remain a member and official representative of the party. He later rose to become Deputy Mayor, before being made Mayor of Ashburton in 1998. (Contrary to some reports, Hope is not the only OMRLP candidate in history to have won elected office.)
Hope's pub and guesthouse in Ashburton, "The Golden Lion", was the OMRLP's Party Headquarters and conference centre from 1984 until 2000, after which he sold the property and moved to Hampshire
, where he took over the Dog and Partridge public house at Yateley
. This became the new party headquarters.
Upon Sutch's death in 1999, Hope and his ginger tabby cat
, Cat Mandu, were elected as joint leaders of the OMRPL. Cat Mandu served until his death as a result of a traffic accident in July 2002, after which Hope became the sole leader of the party.
Hope stood as a candidate in the 2003 Brent East by-election
, where he gained 59 votes in a contest won by the Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Teather
. Hope then stood as a candidate in Aldershot in the 2005 general election
, where he took sixth (and last) place with 553 votes. He stood in the 2006 Blaenau Gwent by-election
, coming last with 318 votes; and in the 2007 Sedgefield by-election
where he came tenth out of 11 candidates with 129 votes. In the 2009 Norwich North by-election
, Hope came ninth out of 12 candidates with 144 votes.
In the 2010 general election, Hope stood under the banner of the Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party
for the parliamentary seat of Witney
in Oxfordshire
against the sitting MP and Conservative Party
Leader David Cameron
. Hope gained 234 votes, while Cameron retained the seat and became Prime Minister
.
Hope stood in the town council elections in Fleet, Hampshire in May 2010, and was elected unopposed.
In March 2011, he stood in the Barnsley Central by-election
winning 198 votes, and being placed eighth out of the nine candidates.
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) is the Leader of the United Kingdom
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...
's Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
(OMRLP). In 1999, following the death of the party's founder, Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
, Hope and his pet cat, Cat Mandu
Cat Mandu
Cat Mandu was a ginger tabby cat who served as the joint-leader of Britain's Official Monster Raving Loony Party from 1999–2002, along with his owner, Howling Laud Hope.-Political career:...
, were jointly elected as leaders of the OMRLP. Since June 2002, Hope has been the party's sole leader following Cat Mandu's death in a road accident.
Hope was the first-ever OMRLP candidate to be elected to public office, when he was elected unopposed to a seat on Ashburton
Ashburton, Devon
Ashburton is a small town on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, adjacent to the A38 Devon Expressway.It was formerly important as a stannary town , and remains the largest town within the National Park, with a population of around 3,500...
Town Council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in 1987. He subsequently became the Mayor of Ashburton in 1998. In 2010, Hope was elected unopposed to Fleet
Fleet, Hampshire
Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England, located 37 miles south west of London. It is part of Hart District. The 2007 population forecast for Fleet was 31,687.-History:...
Town Council in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
Biography
Hope was known as "Kerry Rapid" when he was a back-up singer for rock 'n' roll performer Screaming Lord Sutch in the 1960s. As Leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, Sutch made Hope the party's Deputy Chairman in 1982. Hope subsequently became the party's Chairman and Deputy Leader, before becoming Leader following Sutch's death in 1999.As an OMRLP candidate, Hope was elected unopposed to Ashburton Town Council in Devon in 1987. This caused a dilemma in the party as it had previously been decided that any member who was serious enough to actually win an election for a public office should be expelled from the party. These rules were changed at the 1987 Party Conference to allow Hope to remain a member and official representative of the party. He later rose to become Deputy Mayor, before being made Mayor of Ashburton in 1998. (Contrary to some reports, Hope is not the only OMRLP candidate in history to have won elected office.)
Hope's pub and guesthouse in Ashburton, "The Golden Lion", was the OMRLP's Party Headquarters and conference centre from 1984 until 2000, after which he sold the property and moved to Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, where he took over the Dog and Partridge public house at Yateley
Yateley
Yateley is a suburban town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green. It had a population of 21,011 according to the 2001 census...
. This became the new party headquarters.
Upon Sutch's death in 1999, Hope and his ginger tabby cat
Tabby cat
A tabby is any cat that has a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, lines or swirling patterns, usually together with an "M" mark on its forehead. Tabbies are sometimes erroneously assumed to be a cat breed. In fact, the tabby pattern is found in many breeds of cat, as well as among the...
, Cat Mandu, were elected as joint leaders of the OMRPL. Cat Mandu served until his death as a result of a traffic accident in July 2002, after which Hope became the sole leader of the party.
Hope stood as a candidate in the 2003 Brent East by-election
Brent East by-election, 2003
The Brent East by-election, 2003 was caused by the death on 18 June 2003 of the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brent East, Paul Daisley, of the Labour Party....
, where he gained 59 votes in a contest won by the Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Teather
Sarah Teather
Sarah Louise Teather is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Minister of State at the Department for Education, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay....
. Hope then stood as a candidate in Aldershot in the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, where he took sixth (and last) place with 553 votes. He stood in the 2006 Blaenau Gwent by-election
Blaenau Gwent by-elections, 2006
Two by-elections were held for the constituency of Blaenau Gwent in Wales following the death of Member of Parliament and Assembly Member Peter Law on 25 April 2006. As Law was the MP and Assembly Member , his death required by-elections in both the parliamentary seat and the equivalent Welsh...
, coming last with 318 votes; and in the 2007 Sedgefield by-election
Sedgefield by-election, 2007
The Sedgefield by-election, 2007 was a by-election held on 19 July 2007 for the British House of Commons constituency of Sedgefield in County Durham...
where he came tenth out of 11 candidates with 129 votes. In the 2009 Norwich North by-election
Norwich North by-election, 2009
The 2009 Norwich North by-election was a by-election for the United Kingdom Parliament's House of Commons constituency of Norwich North. The by-election took place due to the resignation of Ian Gibson after being banned from standing as a Labour candidate for the next general election...
, Hope came ninth out of 12 candidates with 144 votes.
In the 2010 general election, Hope stood under the banner of the Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
for the parliamentary seat of Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
against the sitting MP and 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...
Leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
. Hope gained 234 votes, while Cameron retained the seat and became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
.
Hope stood in the town council elections in Fleet, Hampshire in May 2010, and was elected unopposed.
In March 2011, he stood in the Barnsley Central by-election
Barnsley Central by-election, 2011
The Barnsley Central by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Barnsley Central which took place on 3 March 2011...
winning 198 votes, and being placed eighth out of the nine candidates.
Further reading
- Monster Raving Loony Party race heating up between chairman – and his cat Reuters. Retrieved 23 September 1999.
- Loony tradition continues at by-election BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
Retrieved 1 July 1999. - Reference.com Retrieved 28 Aug 2010