Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements

The Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements (Danish: Sammenslutning af Bevidst Arbejdssky Elementer) was an unusually successful frivolous political party in Denmark. It was founded in Aarhus in 1979 by a comedian, Jacob Haugaard (born 1952), and a few friends. Haugaard stood as a candidate in Aarhus in each parliamentary election, until September 1994 when he was very unexpectedly elected to the Folketing with 23,253 personal votes, thereby winning a "kredsmandat" (a locally based seat in parliament).^[1][2]

He made the following promises in the 1994 election:

• Tail winds on all cycle paths
• Better weather
• Better Christmas presents
• Less sex in school staff rooms (withdrawn during the campaign – he said it had been brought to his attention that sex in the staff room was a long-established privilege for teachers and as such could not be abolished)
• More whales in the fjord of Randers
• The right to impotency
• More Renaissance furniture in IKEA
• 8 hours of spare time, 8 hours of rest, 8 hours of sleep
• Nutella in army field rations
• The placing of a public toilet in the park in Aarhus where he spent his state party funding on serving beer and sausages to his voters after each election.
• More bread for the ducks in parks

The last three promises were actually fulfilled during his term in office.^[3]

While the party had been intended as a joke, he found himself often having the deciding vote in a hung parliament,^[4] and took his duties seriously until the parliamentary election in March 1998. He then announced his retirement from politics.

Quotes

• "If work is so healthy, then why not give it to the sick?"
• "Work? We can't be bothered. That's what we have the Germans for." (from a song)

References

See also

• List of frivolous parties