carefully rehearsed slogans. Meanwhile I took the liberty ofsaying that the Best Party would also do something for women and girls, and even for the elderly and disabled. For the underdogs, you see. On the subject of immigrants, I reminded them that the man who had brought the toilet to Icelanders had also been a foreigner. To begin with, nobody had taken him seriously—but it was unlikely that anyone now would be prepared to go without his invention. Then I suggested launching a major campaign to promote the immigration of Jews—they’d definitely help us float the economy again.
Furthermore, I wanted to have a woman with a foreign last name on our list of candidates. I remembered Elsa Yeoman, a woman I knew from my time in the advertising agency, where she’d been in charge of catering for the workforce. Elsa was a clever and open-minded person and immediately said yes. When I learned of her Jewish heritage, I missed no opportunity to present her proudly and brag a bit about her: “The Best Party is not only the first smoke-free party in Scandinavia, but also the only party in Iceland that’s happy to have a Jewish woman among the top candidates.”
At that time, parties often flaunted their election propaganda on the pages of newspapers. They outdid themselves with their full-page ads and resorted to completely shopworn clichés. The slogans were devised by advertising agencies and were modeled generally on any phrases that had proven successful in Denmark, the United States, or elsewhere, the usualblah-blah about home, garden, and family. Most people could no longer bear this stuff. The newspaper advertising we invested in appeared in the classified section of a greasy rag. We inserted the following: “The Best Party is looking for men and women who want to change things.” We were almost overwhelmed by the number of replies.
THE BEST PARTY: WE ARE BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS
This party platform, by Jón Gnarr and other party members, was written in April 2010
.
1) Protection and support for Icelandic households
Families are the core of our society and are our greatest asset. The state has a duty to meet the needs of households and to campaign for the protection of families in all circumstances. Because they deserve only the best.
2) Benefits for vulnerable members of society
These people need our help and support. That’s why we offer free use of the city’s buses and free entry to all swimming pools, because everyone, even the poor or otherwise disadvantaged, should have the opportunity to move in comfort through our city after a nice clean shower.
3) An end to corruption!
We promise to fight all kinds of corruption—by indulging in it publicly and in full view of everyone.
4) Create equal rights
We all deserve only the best, no matter who we are orwhere we come from. We will ensure that everyone gets the best, and do our best for every individual. After all, we all play on the same team—the best!
5) More transparency!
We think it’s important that politicians always put their cards on the table so that the citizens know what’s going on. We promise to implement that concretely in our party as well.
6) Active Democracy
Democracy is great, and active democracy even better. Therefore, we are committed to it.
7) Debt relief for everyone!
On this point we will simply let the people decide—because the people themselves always know best what’s good for them.
8) City buses: pupils, students, and the disadvantaged ride free!
We can promise more cost exemptions than any other party—because we won’t actually try to keep our promises! So we could promise all kinds of things, no matter what, from free plane tickets for women to free cars for the rural population.
9) Free dental treatment for children and the disadvantaged
This is a service that, so far, doesn’t exist—so we’ll promise it along with the rest.
10) Free entrance to the swimming pool for all, free towels
Furthermore, I wanted to have a woman with a foreign last name on our list of candidates. I remembered Elsa Yeoman, a woman I knew from my time in the advertising agency, where she’d been in charge of catering for the workforce. Elsa was a clever and open-minded person and immediately said yes. When I learned of her Jewish heritage, I missed no opportunity to present her proudly and brag a bit about her: “The Best Party is not only the first smoke-free party in Scandinavia, but also the only party in Iceland that’s happy to have a Jewish woman among the top candidates.”
At that time, parties often flaunted their election propaganda on the pages of newspapers. They outdid themselves with their full-page ads and resorted to completely shopworn clichés. The slogans were devised by advertising agencies and were modeled generally on any phrases that had proven successful in Denmark, the United States, or elsewhere, the usualblah-blah about home, garden, and family. Most people could no longer bear this stuff. The newspaper advertising we invested in appeared in the classified section of a greasy rag. We inserted the following: “The Best Party is looking for men and women who want to change things.” We were almost overwhelmed by the number of replies.
THE BEST PARTY: WE ARE BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS
This party platform, by Jón Gnarr and other party members, was written in April 2010
.
1) Protection and support for Icelandic households
Families are the core of our society and are our greatest asset. The state has a duty to meet the needs of households and to campaign for the protection of families in all circumstances. Because they deserve only the best.
2) Benefits for vulnerable members of society
These people need our help and support. That’s why we offer free use of the city’s buses and free entry to all swimming pools, because everyone, even the poor or otherwise disadvantaged, should have the opportunity to move in comfort through our city after a nice clean shower.
3) An end to corruption!
We promise to fight all kinds of corruption—by indulging in it publicly and in full view of everyone.
4) Create equal rights
We all deserve only the best, no matter who we are orwhere we come from. We will ensure that everyone gets the best, and do our best for every individual. After all, we all play on the same team—the best!
5) More transparency!
We think it’s important that politicians always put their cards on the table so that the citizens know what’s going on. We promise to implement that concretely in our party as well.
6) Active Democracy
Democracy is great, and active democracy even better. Therefore, we are committed to it.
7) Debt relief for everyone!
On this point we will simply let the people decide—because the people themselves always know best what’s good for them.
8) City buses: pupils, students, and the disadvantaged ride free!
We can promise more cost exemptions than any other party—because we won’t actually try to keep our promises! So we could promise all kinds of things, no matter what, from free plane tickets for women to free cars for the rural population.
9) Free dental treatment for children and the disadvantaged
This is a service that, so far, doesn’t exist—so we’ll promise it along with the rest.
10) Free entrance to the swimming pool for all, free towels
Similar Books
