Mark Beech

Dr Mark William Beech
Personal details
Born 1985
Walsall, Staffordshire
Nationality British
Political party The Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Residence Walsall
Occupation Unemployed Career Politician
Religion Protestant! (And fiercely proud of it)
Website MWB.org.uk

Mark Beech (born 1985 in Walsall, Staffordshire) is an unemployed career politician nominally affiliated with the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, he has also represented the Labour party and as an independent campaigner.

Contents

Early Political Successes

University Politics

Beech studied law at the University of Glamorgan, where he had an early involvement with politics within the student council, successfully winning an election to the position of Non-Sabbatical Officer for Welsh Affairs. Beech abstained from voting in the election due to prior commitments but succeeded in gaining the position, becoming the first English person ever to hold the office.

Beech clashed with other members of the student council, particularly on the issue of student fees, resulting in Beech ultimately chosing to resign his post. This followed six months clashes with the editor of the student newspaper over his use of English as opposed to Welsh, both official languages in Wales.

Beech also held officer positions in the university debating society, breaking to the final of the John Smith Memorial Welsh Mace, with his team coming in the top 5 at the Glamorgan IV.

Labour Politics

Also whilst at Glamorgan a clerical error resulted in Beech becoming a member of the Labour Party in late 2004. On June 17, 2005 he became the Chair of the Treforest Branch Labour Party.[1]

Beech represented the Labour Party against the Liberal Democrats and Socialist Students in September 2005, at a rock climbing completion held during the fresher’s faire, he finished in second place, about 3 feet behind the Lib-Dem editor of the student newspaper.[2]

Beech left the Labour party in 2006, and did nothing important for another three years.

Independent Action

In 2007 Beech ran an unsuccessful campaign calling upon the then government “to give Mark William Beech a knighthood, for his services to trying to get himself a knighthood.” despite having several supporters by this time the government were not willing to acknowledge the request.

In 2008 Beech ran another unsuccessful campaign, this time calling for an end to unicameralism in Wales. This campaign failed to gather popular support for a variety of issues but did succeed in proving Lord Foulkes of Cumnock wrong.

In 2009 Beech started campaigning for the restoration of Stonehenge back to Wales, his campaigning on this issue was curtailed by the General Election and subsequent change of government. Beech as continued to campaign on this issue, bringing it into his National Assembly for Wales election, 2011 manifesto.

In December 2010 Beech registered as an independent campaigner for the Welsh Assembly devolution referendum, to be held on 3 March 2011, as part of the No campaign, described as fragmented by the press.[3][4] It is believed Beech campaigned for a No vote, due to his earlier stated abhorrence of unicameralism.

Loony Political Failures

Beech joined the Official Monster Raving Loony Party at their conference in 2009. In his seminal conference speech he put forward he called upon his comrades to consider the importance of Peas in the Middle East, asserting that the Israeli-Palestine conflict is due the land being Holy and put forward the case for supplying both sides with peas that they could been use to fill the holes, which would ultimately result in a peas-full middle east. He also questioned the leader of the party Howling Laud Hope on what was going to be done to tackle the banks in solvent abuse.

Pontypridd Town By-Election

Beech contested the Pontypridd Town By-election on 18 February 2010, where he gained 30 votes out of the 514 cast. Many in the local Labour party consider Beech’s presence in this election to have cost them victory even though they were beaten by Julie Richards and Stephen Farr in the town council elections two years earlier and also beaten by Mr Farr in the county borough elections of the same year (2008).[5] Beech campaigned in the election on a platform of increasing taxes, banning umbrellas and cloning dinosaurs.[6]

Pontypridd Town By-Election 18 February 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Monster Raving Loony Mark Beech 30 5.84 +5.84
Plaid Cymru Clayton Jones 100 19.46 -
Liberal Democrat Philip Price 196 38.13
Labour Lynda Thomas 188 36.58 +
Majority 8
Turnout 514
Liberal Democrat hold Swing

Cardiff Central – General Election

In May 2010 Beech became the first member of his family to stand for the UK Parliament, in the seat of Cardiff Central. In an interview with Hannah Waldram of the Guardian, he said: "Contrary to the view presented in the media, this election is not to elect a government; but to elect someone to represent you and your community. If you want a representative free from the shackles of cartel politics, free to practise common sense, the sane option is to vote Loony.".[7] Beech finished in 8th place, just 20 votes behind the Trade Unionist Coalition Candidate.[8][9] Beech had been campaigning on changing the plural of euro to euros to create more work at the Royal Mint, an increase in the number of female teachers and opposing the destruction of Bute park.[10] Beech was widely criticised for being too sensible and not entertaining enough.

General Election 2010: Cardiff Central[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Monster Raving Loony Mark Beech 142 0.4 +0.4
Green Sam Coates 575 1.6 +1.6
UKIP Sue Davies 765 2.1 +1.1
Independent Alun Mathias 86 0.2 +0.2
Labour Jenny Rathbone 10,400 28.8 -5.5
Conservative Karen Robson 7,799 21.6 +12.3
Trade Unionist & Socialist Ross Saunders 162 0.4 +0.4
Plaid Cymru Chris Williams 1,246 3.4 -0.1
Liberal Democrat Jenny Willott 14,976 41.4 -8.4
Majority 4,576 12.7
Turnout 36,151 59.1 +0.0
Liberal Democrat hold Swing -1.4

Ilan By-Election

Beech contested the Ilan By-Election on 22 July 2010, he campaigned once again for higher taxes, a promise to be tough on Cliff Richard and for the introduction of bumper cars as a safe, fun and convenient form of public transport.[13] Beech broke the Official Monster Raving Loony Party record for the lowest ever number of votes after polling just 1 vote.[14]

Ilan By-Election 22 July 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Monster Raving Loony Mark Beech 1 0.55 +0.55
Plaid Cymru Ronald Hurn 14 7.73
Liberal Democrat Joe Payne 25 13.81
Labour Ann Yeo 141 77.9
Majority 116
Turnout 181 5.8
Labour hold Swing

Rushall-Shelfield By-Election

On 11 November 2010 Beech stood for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the made vacant after the death of Councillor Albert Griffiths in May, having learned from his past experiences he did not campaign on the issue of increasing taxes, instead his campaign was focused on the restoration of Trolley Buses, the 997B bus route, the mumbles railway and of Walsall Illuminations.[15] Beech gaining 42 votes.[16]

Rushall-Shelfield By-Election 11 November 2010[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Monster Raving Loony Mark Beech 42 2.76 +2.76
UKIP Tim Melville 90 5.91
Conservative Lorna Rattigan 639 41.96
BNP William Vaughan 141 9.26
Labour Richard Worrall 611 40.12
Majority 28
Turnout 1523 15
Conservative hold Swing

South Wales Central

Beech is the lead candidate for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in their South Wales Central campaign for the 2011 Welsh Assembly Elections.[18]

Real Life

Outside of politics Beech is an active entrepreneur, apart from his work as Managing Director of social enterprise Glamorgan Blended Learning he is also involved with several other companies in South Wales across a variety of industries.

References

  1. ^ New blood for Labour branch. Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer. 30 June 2005.
  2. ^ Lib-Dem Victory. Leek. December 2005.
  3. ^ Opponents wonder if 'yes' is trying to stifle debate to treat True Wales. Western Mail. 27 January 2011.
  4. ^ Second Glance. Western Mail. 29 January 2011
  5. ^ Source: Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
  6. ^ The Propaganda Part 1, The Annual Report and Continuing Manifesto - MMX Edition p.7-9 Pocket Propaganda Press, Cardiff. ISSN 2045-1660
  7. ^ Cardiff Central: One-line manifesto. Guardian Unlimited. 3 May 2010
  8. ^ Wales News. The Western Mail. 7 May 2010.
  9. ^ Election 2010; How Britain voted. The Daily Telegraph. 8 May 2010.
  10. ^ Loony solution for our park. South Wales Echo. 15 April 2010
  11. ^ Cardiff Central Cardiff County Council - candidates Cardiff Central
  12. ^ Cardiff Central BBC Election - Cardiff Central
  13. ^ The Propaganda Part 3, The Annual Report and Continuing Manifesto - MMX Edition p.15-16 Pocket Propaganda Press, Cardiff. ISSN 2045-1660
  14. ^ Election in Pontypridd. http://www.loonyparty.com/index.php?page=news-11-5-10. 22 July 2010.
  15. ^ The Propaganda Part 4, The Annual Report and Continuing Manifesto - MMX Edition p.17-19 Pocket Propaganda Press, Cardiff. ISSN 2045-1660
  16. ^ Just 28 votes in it as Tories scrape victory in Rushall by-election. Walsall Advertiser. 18 November 2010.
  17. ^ http://www.walsall.gov.uk/news/rushall_and_shelfield_by-election_results.htm
  18. ^ RCT http://www.rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk/en/relateddocuments/publications/electionservices/nawstatementofpartiespersonsnominatedsouthwalescentralregion.pdf