Raving Loony Green Giant Party
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The Raving Loony Green Giant Party was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1989 by former members of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) after clashes between them and other members of the party over direction and party activities - in particular with regard to how the party should win votes at elections. The final straw was some leading figures in the OMRLP attending only the start and finish of a charity walk for the media call, rather than attending the whole event.
The party stood candidates in the Mid Staffordshire by-election, 1990 and the Ribble Valley by-election, 1991, where they finished behind the OMRLP, and in the 1992 UK general election. It was at a local level that the party was far more successful, and their insistence on fighting a "proper" election campaign (many OMRLP candidates' campaigns consisted of little more than their names appearing on the ballot paper) resulted in some notable successes.
Leader Stuart Hughes was elected to East Devon District Council in 1989 and to Sidmouth Town Council in 1989 (along with another RLGGP candidate, Stuart Greenwood), and with David and June Beesley were elected in Ribble Valley. The party managed to stand a full slate of candidates for the local District Council elections in Cannock, Staffordshire in 1990. Hughes was eventually to oust the local Conservative Party Chief Whip on Devon County Council from his previously safe seat.
They also had "half" a councillor on Johnstone Community Council in Scotland, who disagreed with the split and stood as a joint candidate with the OMRLP - the candidate also wished to highlight the duplicity of a number of individuals that were holding claudestine membership of each and waiting to see which "Loony" faction came out on top. Screaming Lord Sutch of the OMRLP and Hughes of the RLGGP are said to have found having a joint councillor for two warring factions hilarious, Alan Hope less so.
The party became effectively defunct with Hughes' election to Devon County Council and the defection of Danny Bamford (aka Danny Blue) back to the OMRLP. It has not stood any candidates for a number of years and is not registered with the Electoral Commission. Hughes officially joined the Conservative Party just before the 1997 UK general election.
