Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements
Encyclopedia
The Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements was an unusually successful frivolous political party in Denmark
. It was founded in Aarhus
in 1979 by a comedian
, Jacob Haugaard
(born 1952), and a few friends. Haugaard stood as a candidate in Aarhus in each parliamentary election, until in September 1994 he was very unexpectedly elected to the Folketing
with 23,253 personal votes, thereby winning a "kredsmandat" (1 locally based seat in parliament).
He made the following promises in the 1994 election:
(The last three promises were actually fulfilled during his term in office.)
While the party had been intended as a joke, he found himself often having the deciding vote in a hung parliament
, and took his duties seriously until the parliamentary election in March 1998. He was afraid of being in the parliament, and he really respected the parties. He then announced his retirement from politics.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It was founded in Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
in 1979 by a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, Jacob Haugaard
Jacob Haugaard
Daniel Jacob Haugaard is a Danish comedian, actor and politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Denmark from 1994–1998. He ran without a party, and still got 23,253 votes, enough for a seat....
(born 1952), and a few friends. Haugaard stood as a candidate in Aarhus in each parliamentary election, until in September 1994 he was very unexpectedly elected to the Folketing
Folketing
The Folketing , is the national parliament of Denmark. The name literally means "People's thing"—that is, the people's governing assembly. It is located in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen....
with 23,253 personal votes, thereby winning a "kredsmandat" (1 locally based seat in parliament).
He made the following promises in the 1994 election:
- Tail winds on all cycle paths
- Better weatherWeatherWeather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
- Better ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
presents - Less sex in school staff rooms (withdrawn during the campaign - he said it had been brought to his attention that sex in the staff room was a long-established privilege for teachers and as such could not be abolished)
- More whales in the fjord of Randers
- The right to impotency
- More pieces of Renaissance furniture in IKEA
- 8 hours of spare time, 8 hours of rest, 8 hours of sleep
- NutellaNutellaNutella is the brand name of a chocolate spread. Nutella, manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, was introduced on the market in 1963. The recipe was developed from an earlier Ferrero spread released in 1944. Nutella is now sold in over 75 countries....
in army field rations - The placing of a public toilet in the park in Aarhus where he after each election spent his state party funding on serving beerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and sausageSausageA sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s to his voters. - More bread for the ducks in parks
(The last three promises were actually fulfilled during his term in office.)
While the party had been intended as a joke, he found himself often having the deciding vote in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
, and took his duties seriously until the parliamentary election in March 1998. He was afraid of being in the parliament, and he really respected the parties. He then announced his retirement from politics.
Quotes
- "If work is so healthy, then why not give it to the sick?"
- "Work? We can't be bothered, That's what we have the GermansGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for." (from a song)
See also
- List of frivolous parties