The Imperial British Conservative Party was a farcical political party founded by The Wizard of New Zealand in 1974. It "stood for the traditions of British imperialism in the face of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

globalisation Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

and the distinct lack of culture in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand." It was still operating in 1984, though news reports also referred to it as The Wizard Party. The party contested the on a platform of conserving the monarchy, waging a fourth world war using votes and notices of motion to convert everyone to the British way of life, and the elimination of work to strengthen the family. It planned to stand a dozen candidates. The party stood a candidate in the 1976 Nelson by-election, where a tabulation error in their final results was attributed to a "hex" placed by the Wizard. For the it changed its name to the Tory Party. It later ran a candidate in the 1980 Onehunga by-election. At the it ran a candidate against Geoffrey Palmer. It also ran candidates at the .

Activity in Australia

The Imperial British Conservative Party also had a presence in Australia, especially during the republican debate of the 1990s. The party ran three candidates at the 1983 Australian federal election. One of its candidates, Cecil G. Murgatroyd, had run for parliament in several Australian federal elections, at each time standing against the Prime Minister (initially Bob Hawke), and in the 1992 Wills by-election after Hawke resigned from parliament. In official statements, Murgatroyd listed his occupation as " dole bludger". At other times, Murgatroyd stood under the banner of another New Zealand joke party, the McGillicuddy Serious Party. In one Australian election in the 1980s, the party promised to dye the Speaker's wig a conservative blue. Another candidate, James Ferrari (at one point contesting as Jim Ferrari) ran for the party in the seat of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

at every election from 1980 until 2001.

References

External links

The Wizard's explanation of the IBC's aims and purpose
Australian fringe and underground culture Defunct political parties in Australia Defunct political parties in New Zealand Joke political parties in New Zealand Joke political parties in Australia Political parties with year of establishment missing Political parties with year of disestablishment missing {{NewZealand-party-stub