It may not have hit the mainstream news but you’ve got to chuckle that in St Ives Labour were beaten in the County Council elections by a candidate from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

He didn’t win, but Lord Toby Jug, Cambridgeshire’s first Loony candidate, was celebrating his best ever result in decades of political campaigning by winning 566 votes – well ahead of Labour’s two candidates who finished last.

“It is a Loony landslide. Democratic loonyism has arrived in St Ives,” said Lord Toby.

“People in St Ives have voted for the sanest candidate.”

St Ives was won by the Conservatives, with the Liberal Democrats in second place.

Lord Toby won 6.23 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labour’s Richard Allen on 362 and Angela Richards on 343.

It was the first time that Lord Toby had beaten a mainstream political party after following in the footsteps of his mentor Screaming Lord Sutch and contesting elections at all levels.

“I am absolutely chuffed,” said Lord Toby, a musician from St Ives.

“I think it sends out the message that people in the community are dissatisfied with politics at the moment. The man in the street just doesn’t trust them any more.”

Bookies William Hill, who have traditionally helped the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, gave Lord Toby a free bet which means he has raised £275 for the News Teenage Cancer Trust Appeal by winning more than 50 votes.

Now Lord Toby is gearing himself up to his next challenge – taking on Huntingdon MP Jonathan Djanogly at the next General Election.

“He came up to me at the count, congratulated me and was a great sport,” Lord Toby said. “He said he was very much looking forward to meeting me on the hustings at Huntingdon.”

Lord Toby said that if his support continued at the General Election he could beat the record of Screaming Lord Sutch, who died 10 years ago, when he won 1,114 votes at Rotherham.

“If I can get 566 in St Ives I think I could get 2,000 – there are enough loonies in Huntingdon,” he said.

For our overseas readers, check out the wonderful history of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. It is hilarious although, as all things are, laced with tragedy on occasions.

Source: Cambridge News