Free Party (UK)

J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, whose image was the party logo

The Free Party was a minor political party in the United Kingdom. They were founded to promote the free party scene during the 2001 general election. They stood candidates for the three Parliamentary seats within the city of Brighton and Hove, under names associated with the Church of the SubGenius. They proposed to select their policies from a wheel of fortune.

Bob Dobbs

In the 1997 general election, a candidate stood for election in Brighton, Pavilion, using the description Church of the SubGenius, and the name of the "church" leader, Bob Dobbs. This was the election when the Labour Party was swept into power, winning the election in Brighton and making Tony Blair prime minister. The Labour Government introduced legislation requiring registration of political parties, and at the 2001 election, the Free Party was registered as with the Electoral Commission, and the registered party symbol chosen was the image of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs.

At the 2001 election, the party stood candidates in all the local constituencies, with Bob Dobbs achieving 1 per cent of the total votes for the Pavilion seat, beating the UK Independence Party into seventh place. This was not enough, however, to secure the return of the candidates' £500 deposits.

After the 2001 election, the party failed to submit the required returns of electoral expenses, and the party was deregistered in March 2002.[1]

At the following election, two candidates named Dobbs were again on the ballot, but without the party name their votes dropped dramatically.

Elections contested by Free Party and allies

Date of election Candidate name Constituency Party Votes %
1997 general election Bob Dobbs Brighton, Pavilion Church of the SubGenius 125 0.3
2001 general election Bob Dobbs Brighton, Pavilion Free Party 409 1.0
2001 general election Dave Dobbs Brighton, Kemptown Free Party 227 0.6
2001 general election Simon Dobbshead Hove Free Party 196 0.5
2005 general election Gene Dobbs Brighton, Kemptown none 47 0.1
2005 general election Bob Dobbs Hove none 95 0.2

References

  1. ↑ "Renamed or Deregistered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
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