Thursday, April 28, 2005

Keir Hardie’s flat cap and John Henry’s cut throat razors……

So there I was, counting out 500 quid in twenty pound notes to Jane, a once sexy, now middle aged Returning Officer. They don’t accept cheques, or credit cards – just cold hard cash. Jane stuffed the wad into a brown envelope. I handed over my bit of paper with 10 signatories – all people of sound mind from the said constituency. Jane cross checks the names with the electoral roll and confirms they are all ‘OK’. – She declares that I have been accepted to kiss babies, knock on doors and generally annoy people for the next 4 weeks.

I’m a candidate for the General Election.

It’s been a bumpy old road though. Alfreda almost scuppered the great adventure by declaring I didn’t qualify. "Oh really, why is that then?" I asked.

Alfreda has a weighty tome from the Electoral Commission in her mitt… "Well, it says here ‘People who are ‘idiots’ are disqualified from standing"…..

"Vereee funeeee"… I wittily reposte – well it’s good training for when I get into the House isn’t it? "And does the Speaker agree with me that the Right Honourable Member for Sedgefield is a complete and utter twat"….

"Hear hear"….


But she’s got a point though. It’s a sort of Catch 22 deal isn’t it? You’d have to be an idiot or a narcissistic arse to stand for Parliament in the first place wouldn’t you?

Well I’m not a narcissistic arse am I? A big arse maybe, definitely a big arse, but not a narssy-arse. I don’t even like my big arse – it’s too big and arsey…. So that must make me an idiot – ergo I am disqualified from standing….. I need some lateral thinking. Someone to clear the whole conundrum up for me. Where’s Edward De Bono when you need him?….

Yes, ordinary bloke Alfie has decided to get it on and mix it up with the giants of oratory and spin, fight toe to toe with the slipperiest of characters known to man… the British politician. It’s not exactly ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’ – more Mr Grumpy crosses number 23 off his list of 50 things to do before he snuffs it…. I’m following in a family tradition though, – my old Granddad – George Albert stood twice as an independent in between the two wars.

I decided to have a bit of a root into the Alfie archive. Eventually, I found this picture taken in the mid 1920’s – at first glance it appears to be a Keir Hardie flat cap convention, but it was in fact, the Liverpool section of the mass hunger march to London. My Granddad is the big geezer with the really big and really floppy flat cap just to the left of the banner and next to the little kid. Please note his square jawed countenance.



George was a seaman, a writer and a Communist, active in the docklands of Liverpool. His first electoral slogan above a picture of him as if chiselled out of purest foursquarium was ‘Vote for George Albert – the man that cannot be bought’…… His second, aimed at the jaunty nautical vote was ‘Put it there, sailor’…. The graphic showed a big hand holding a pencil about to draw a big cross on the ballot paper.

He didn’t get very far. He lost both times, but I can’t help thinking that if he’d stood in Brighton he might have been a bit more successful…..

Campaigning then was a bit tougher than it is now, so tough in fact that George Albert employed a bodyguard. His name was John Henry, a mountain of a man, granite jawed, sporting a flat cap made of the ear lobes of his victims - and as tough as a three-week old flame grilled ‘whopper’ beef burger (and that’s really tough). – He was so hard - he had two little pockets sewn into the end of his coat sleeves…. And in those little pockets he hid two razor sharp, cut-throat razors. When danger threatened, as quick as a flash, John Henry would whip them out, wave them about a bit like a demon Sweeney Todd - Whirling Dervish ensemble and ask who’s up for it then….

I don’t have a ‘John Henry’ to protect me, I don’t need him, I’ve got somebody much, much scarier. Alfreda is my newly appointed agent and hired muscle. She’s five and a half foot tall in her very pointy-sharp pointy boots. She’s 100% of feline wildcat savagery…… I just hope we don’t run into John Prescott on the campaign trail, I don’t think having his head shoved up his backside will look very nice – for a start, it’ll stop him speaking the usual drivel and make him look silly to boot. Hmmmm,a win-win situation if ever there was one.

Next instalment – On the stump, on the high horse, on the doorstep, on the ale….

17 comments:

Mike said...

I was right it was you on that leaflet.

Give them hell Alfie.

Trim the Tories,
Lamp Labour into touch.
Demolish the Lib/Dems.
Give England back to the English.....

Five hundred quid? Ouch. I hope you get to keep your deposit.

You've got a big fight on your hands to convert all those died in the wool Labour voters in our ward.

Good Luck, if you get in you'll be the sanest person in Parliament. :-)

Kenny said...

A very brave move.

When I read of the furnishing of monies to a once sexy lady, I of course automatically assumed you were messing with postal votes. What a relief to find that it's all kosher.

Anonymous said...

Go for it man.

And if your better half does meet Prescott I hope the cameras are there!

Anonymous said...

Good luck Alfred.

©gloop said...

I'm movin' to Alfieville and putting my cross against the OK Party.

Give 'em hell Alfred and Alfreda.

Anonymous said...

Are you going to tell us which constituency you're standing in?

Jennytc said...

Brilliant! Wish I could vote for you.

Anonymous said...

Yay! All hail Alfred the ok.

Shooting Parrots said...

Good on you lad. Make 'em have it.

Mosher said...

Very, very good luck fella. Wish I had the nads (and 500 nicker) to do just that!

The Crafty Cruiser said...

You might be a little acorn but...

Good luck mate!!!

Serf said...

Send me a bunch of Postal Voting slips, I'll see that you get voted in. Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink.

Anonymous said...

Thats Alfred and 25 other brave Englishman, putting their money where their mouth is and standing for England - in England.

Let's have many more candidates for 2009 !

Well Done Alfred

Elspeth said...

Good Luck mate! I wonder if I am still able to vote over there......

Anonymous said...

Very cool design! Useful information. Go on! big dick Phendimetrazine sample 100 disk cd changers changers Solid malpractice allegra cost Mussle and fitness Zyrtec adverse reactions http://www.vacuumcleanerbag2.info/Tennisoutfitsfromthe80s.html herbert cain hockey player

Anonymous said...

Best regards from NY! Milfs glazing movies Cellulite lipomi mazda 3 air bag sensors discount ultram gambling online Clomid research online+life+insurance how to order percocet on line Met life car insurance customer service

Anonymous said...

I have been looking for sites like this for a long time. Thank you! contact lens Pda palm developing Propecia de papas Venlafaxine study free black jack game lottery result malpractice Cheap air flights cheep airfare aden Automatic gate garage Telemarketing call center aldridge Cisco foods wholesale seafood Walker toys accutane package insert free bingo game Sama eyewear georgia hp 3150 ink cartridges