Monsters, Raving, Loonies & Donkeys

It’s often been said by Mrs Zorro that if the East Devon Conservatives were to stand donkeys with their traditional blue election rosettes affixed that they would literally romp home. Some, more politically aggressive than Zorro would also say that in such circumstances given all that has politically gone on around East Devon over the years that voting for such donkeys would be loony.

 

But art often imitates life, or precisely political life, as yet again the results of another local council election here in East Devon shows!

 

The official “The Conservative Party” candidate for the Sidmouth seat on Devon County Council, one Stuart Hughes, found out today that he had secured the seat by winning the popular. So, it should be congratulations to the winner, or is that commiserations to those who he now represents?

 

But wait a minute....isn’t this the very same Stuart Hughes who has so far been a member of at least two other parties before finding a convenient home inside “The Conservative Party”?

Monster Raving Loonies - Screaming Lord Sutch & Stuart Hughes in Seaton 1988

Yes, back in the day Stuart was a proud member of Screaming Lord Sutch’s Monster Raving Loony Party. Said party had, and still has, a sad track record of standing in elections for pure media publicity based upon ridiculously silly manifesto pledges.



Shortly after he was photographed in Seaton with Screaming Lord Sutch, Stuart fell out with the party and went on to help found the Raving Loony Green Giant Party. Wikipedia informs Zorro that by 1991 whilst leader of this new Raving Loony Party Stuart stood and was elected to East Devon District Council and to Sidmouth Town Council in 1991 (along with another Raving Loony Green Giant Party candidate, Stuart Greenwood).



The Raving Loony Green Giant Party became effectively defunct after Stuart Hughes's election to Devon County Council in 1993 and he is reported to officially have joined the Conservative Party just before the 1997 local elections.



Fast forward to yesterday as Stuart Hughes stood for the newly created Sidmouth seat in the County Council elections for The Conservative Party. And he won! I know, that he has been involved in local politics for years now, but seriously, how loony is that!?

                                                                  

Now, where did I put that donkey!