We had an election herer in Norway earlier this week. Looking at the tail-end of the results, I discover that both right-wing whackjob parties got more votes than the anti-abortion party.
I find this oddly comforting, for some strange reason.
(were talking 177 votes versus 178 and 184 votes. It’s not like any of these will ever get to actually do anything politically, it’s just funny.)
You have an anti-abortion party? Do you have a party for every position?
More or less. You see, anyone can start a party, and put themselves up for election, and then later show up in the complete and total stats for that election. That doesn’t mean that party will ever get enough votes to actually appear in any government body or serve any political position. It’s basically just a bunch of sillies muddying the waters and getting themselves into a spin every four years.
There are at any one time a handfull of actual parties i.e. political factions that actually get to play musical chairs in our parliament and other goverment bodies. There have been six parties for several decades now, pluss a stragler with almost enough votes for a single mandate (the communists, in case anyone cares). Anybody else is just trying to make a point, I suppose. None of the actual parties are actively working against abortion (which has been legal here for a generation and a half atleast), although a single candidate here or there might be.
It just struck my funny bone that, of all the things in the world people care enough about to throw their vote away on, faux nazism is more poplular than anti-abortion. Which, although I couldn’t really say why, is a relief.
The even funnier thing is that the anti-abortion party is actually called “The Abortion Party”, which might concievably lead to some confusion as to what they are actually on about.
That probably explains it: people thought they’d give out abortions for everybody.
And perhaps even tiny Norwegian flags – which, if you are anything like the Danes, it’s a vital issue, because how can you otherwise decorate everything, from birthday cakes to baby showers. 
Mmm…abortion cake with flags. Yummy.
A couple of the elections in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have had greater than 100% turnout – perfectly legitimately. (There’s no door-to-door enumeration but you’re allowed to register at the polls; combine that with a small population, and that’s the result.)
I’m just glad Norway is twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom. And that the election went in an orderly fashion, which eliminated the need for a violent blood bath.
Not following - did you lose 100 years there somewhere?
[Eddie Izzard]Do you have a flag?[/EI]
We have one of those in New York State. Right-To-Life Party.
I find them handy clues to whom to vote against. (people here can run as the member of more than one party. Electoral Fusion)
Don’t blame me, I voted for Quisling.
What, this year? What party was he running for?
How could I forget? Of course, the party was forcibly dissolved after the main candidate (aforementioned V. “Braains” Quisling) failed to correctly address the queen and crown prince. Apparently, someone forgot to tell him that ripping peoples guts out is considered gauche these days. The poor man just can’t keep up to date on every social nicety. News sources claim he is “falling apart” after this humiliation, but will try for reelection in four years, provided they locate his arms by then.
