One Love Party

The One Love Party was a minor political party in the United Kingdom that identified itself as techno-progressive.[1] The party campaigned for clean air and a federal union of the world.[2] It was founded in 2015[3] and its first contest was in the 2016 London mayoral election.[4]

One Love Party
LeaderAnkit Love
General SecretaryPax Brown
Founded12 October 2015 (12 October 2015)
Dissolved19 December 2017 (19 December 2017)
IdeologyTechno-progressivism
Colours  
Black and white
Website
http://www.oneloveparty.eu

The party was led and founded by Ankit Love, a musician and film maker.[5] It was statutorily deregistered on 19 December 2017.[3]

History

The One Love Party was founded in Hackney, London by Ankit Love and his friend from Cambridge University, Finn Grant.[6][7][8] The party was set up in a dormitory room at a youth hostel.[9][10]

The One Love Party was registered with the Electoral Commission on 12 October 2015.[3] In 2016, Pax Brown became the party's general-secretary.[9][11]

In May 2016, Love stood in the London mayoral election[12] and was the youngest candidate to do so.[10][8] His campaign focussed on London's housing crisis and air pollution in the capital.[13] Love, who was technically homeless during the campaign,[9][14] claimed not to have spent more than "a couple of thousand" pounds on the campaign.[14] Nevertheless, Love had almost twice as many Facebook followers as the campaign's frontrunners, Sadiq Khan (Labour) and Zac Goldsmith (Conservative).[8] Love came last with 4,941 first preference votes (0.2%).[15]

Love subsequently stood for the party in the Tooting by-election, which was called after Khan, the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP), was elected as Mayor of London. During the election campaign, Love released a rap video depicting a map in which the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is an independent country; such representations are illegal under Indian law.[16] Love obtained 32 votes (0.1%), coming 10th out of 14 candidates.[17]

On 15 September 2016, the party achieved its best electoral result by vote share: French artist Dawa Ma won 494 first-preference votes (1.5%) in the Hackney mayoral by-election, campaigning for a second referendum on the UK's membership in the European Union.[18]

Love stood in the Batley and Spen by-election on 20 October 2016. Love wanted to unite Britain on the air pollution issue, claiming that it would kill 200,000 people in the UK over the next five years.[19] He came last with 34 votes (0.2%).[20]

Emilia Rose Arnò stood for the One Love Party in the Witney by-election, which took place on the same day as the Batley and Spen by-election. Arnò's campaign called for emergency action on air pollution and better youth enfranchisement.[21] She came second to last with 44 votes (0.1%).[22]

Love stood in the Richmond Park by-election on 1 December, using the title of Maharaja Jammu and Kashmir, with plans to reunite India and Pakistan,[23][24] and end the potential for a nuclear war between the two countries, embroiled in 69 years of armed conflict in Kashmir.[25] His vote total of 67 represented 0.1% of those voting. He came 7th out of 8 candidates.

The One Love Party was statutorily deregistered with the Electoral Commission on 19 December 2017.[3]

Ankit Love

Love calls himself the "Maharaja of the sovereign state of Jammu and Kashmir" and is the son of Bhim Singh and Jay Mala, the founders of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party of India,[10][26] a socialist party opposed to Islamic terrorism.[26] He was born in 1983[12] and grew up in Shimla (former Simla),[12] but was moved to Surrey in 1989 for security reasons, given the political engagements of his family.[10] He later studied art and music in Surrey and California.[27] At the age of 24, Love was expected to take over his father's political party, but he refused to do so, given his father's former connections with Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.[14]

Love is a musician and film-maker. Love's short film Whale! and documentary Runners premiered at Cannes Film Festival.[10][12] Love was also previously a racing car driver.[14]

On 24 February 2017, Love announced his candidacy for Prime Minister of India for the 2019 Indian general election.[26][28][29] Love joined the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. He became the party's leader on 28 May 2017.[26][30] His announced policies including sending the first woman to Mars, and tackling air pollution in India.[28]

In the build-up to the 2017 UK general election, Love joined the Liberal Democrats based on their opposition to Brexit.[31] In the 2017 general election, Love stood as an independent candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency using the title "The Maharaja of Kashmir".[32][33] By the time of the election, he was registered homeless and living on the streets.[26] He came second to last with 59 votes, winning 0.2% of the total vote.[32]

On 18 August 2017, Ankit Love attended a Panthers Party campaign rally at Barmulla district in Jammu and Kashmir.[34] At the rally he called for the abolition of Article 35A, and the reunification of India and Pakistan to stop the threat of an “apocalyptic nuclear war for Kashmir.”[35] Shortly after leaving the rally, Love and his convoy of twenty-two Indian army guards, survived an armed attack by Al-Qaeda terrorists, in which his father, Bhim Singh, was wounded.[34]

Policies

The party described itself as "techno-progressive".[36]

The party proposed legalising, licensing and taxing drugs such as cannabis in the hope of ending the war on drugs and reducing violent crime.[9][8][37] Love claimed that the prohibition of drugs "was originally based on racism, and it funds all the criminal activity in our society."[9] During the London mayoral campaign, it proposed to do this through municipality-owned licensed dispensaries.[9][14][38]

The party called for a vote on the final Brexit deal, which would have enfranchised citizens of the European Union resident in the United Kingdom and 16- and 17-year-olds. Because EU citizens could not vote in it, the party claimed that the Brexit referendum was illegal, violating the Lisbon Treaty and the European Convention on Human Rights.[39]

During the London mayoral election campaign, the party endorsed Terry Farrell's proposal to build six new bridges across the River Thames in order to boost the regeneration of East London and provide 47,000 homes.[40][41] The party also pledged to introduce "discount travel cards for Londoners"[42] and make higher education free for London residents up to phD level.[14][42]

During the Tooting by-election campaign, Love favoured bringing the Crossrail 2 line through Tooting Broadway and voiced his opposition to HS2.[16]

Environment

The One Love Party's priority issue was air pollution.[42] It campaigned for immediate emergency action to bring fossil fuel emissions to zero by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and Royal Prerogative to force all power production, shipping, aviation and automobile companies to convert to only clean energy sources.[1][36] The party pledged to ban all cars except electric and hydrogen vehicles.[43] Love had previously called for the army to organise a military coup d'état and overthrow David Cameron, then the Prime Minister, on the issue of air pollution.[8][14]

During the London mayoral election campaign, the party called for a ban on all fossil fuel emissions vehicles from the capital.[14] Love called for the city's cycle superhighways to be suspended from the railway network.[14] The party would have converted all water vessels from bunker fuel to hydrogen fuel, solar or SkySails.[40] The party also pledged to increase the use of driverless electric vehicles,[42] reduce the cost of installing solar panels in residential homes,[42] adopt electric and hydrogen-powered buses,[41] scrap the Garden Bridge project,[8] cancel the Silvertown tunnel project, revive the Thames' eel population and investigate the potential of new moorings.[40] Love also called for adverts for cars to be banned in the same way as adverts for cigarettes.[8] During the Hackney mayoral by-election campaign, the party called for a monument to remember the victims of air pollution akin to a war memorial.[43]

Technology

In agreement with its techno-progressive philosophy, the party supported the expansion of drones, driverless cars, robotic technology and artificial intelligence, stating that these would make more efficient use of scarce resources even if they increased unemployment.[36]

The One Love Party believed in an accelerated program of space exploration, including the colonisation of Mars and Venus and the mining of asteroids to mitigate economic scarcity.[36]

They had pledged to establish a London municipal space program to detect unknown asteroids on a collision course with Earth.[14]

By applying robotic technology and artificial intelligence, the party wished to abolish personal income taxes and introduce a universal basic income for all citizens.[44] During the London mayoral election campaign, the party pledged to introduce Li-Fi networks[41] and use maintenance drones to oversee roadworks and street and building repairs.[42] Love said that he wanted London to be the first major city "to have driverless cars on an everyday basis."[41]

Electoral performance
Summary of One Love Party election results
Election Date Type Candidate Votes Vote share
2016 London mayoral election[15][n 1] 5 May 2016 Mayoral Ankit Love 4,941 0.2%
2016 Tooting by-election[17] 16 June 2016 Parliamentary Ankit Love 32 0.1%
Hackney mayoral by-election, 2016[18][n 2] 15 September 2016 Mayoral Dawa Ma 494 1.5%
2016 Batley and Spen by-election[20] 20 October 2016 Parliamentary Ankit Love 34 0.2%
2016 Witney by-election[22] 20 October 2016 Parliamentary Emilia Arno 44 0.1%
2016 Richmond Park by-election[45][n 3] 1 December 2016 Parliamentary Ankit Love 67 0.2%

Notes and references

Notes

  1. The vote and vote share are for first-preference votes only.
  2. The vote and vote share are for first-preference votes only.
  3. Love contested the by-election under the name of "Maharaja Jammu and Kashmir".

References

  1. Loeb, Josh (22 August 2016). "'Techno-progressive' One Love Party fields candidate Dawa Ma for Mayor of Hackney". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. "One Love Party - Official Site". Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  3. "View registration - One Love Party". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  4. Joshi, Amita (14 April 2016). "Mayoral elections: 11 things the One Love Party want to change". Get West London. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  5. "Meet Ankit Love, the 'Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir' who was running for London Mayor". Business Insider (India). Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. Joshi, Amita (7 April 2016). "'We're revolutionaries and we're going to win' - One Love Party". Get West London. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  7. Andrei, Thomas (5 May 2016). "The unknown revolutionary royal who wants to be London's next Mayor". Huck Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2016. Weigel likens Ankit to that character who steals every scene in a sitcom, the guy the studio audience cheers for whenever he opens the door. It’s a pretty solid endorsement, of his character at least.
  8. Miller, Lucy (4 May 2016). "Free university and legal drugs: meet Ankit Love, the London mayoral candidate you've never heard of". The National Student. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  9. Noble, Tim (4 May 2016). "Meet the Millennial Mayoral Candidate Who's Going to Legalise Weed and Solve the Housing Crisis". Vice. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  10. Bose, Adrija (2 May 2016). "Meet Ankit Love, The 32-Year-Old 'Maharaja Of Jammu & Kashmir' Running For London Mayor". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  11. Bartholomew, Emma (4 May 2016). "Mayoral candidate drew up manifesto while homeless and living in Hackney hostel". Hackney Gazette. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  12. Heritage, Stuart (5 May 2016). "From pints to propaganda... it's the London mayoral election awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  13. Downer, Martin (4 May 2016). "Kashmiri 'Maharajah' bidding to be London mayor". Gulf News. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  14. Kirkinis, Andreas (5 May 2016). "The ex-MTV sensation aiming to be London's pro-weed mayor". Dazed. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  15. "London Mayor and Assembly 2016 election results". BBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  16. Taylor, Rebecca (15 June 2016). "'Only God can judge me': One Love candidate releases rap video as he pledges to fight for cleaner air". Wandsworth Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2016. The video shows him performing, against images of a map of an independent Sovereign State of Jammu-Kashmir, which could land Mr Love in prison, as images showing this as a separate nation are now against Indian law
  17. "2016 Tooting Constituency by-election result - 16 June | Wandsworth Council". www.wandsworth.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  18. "Mayoral by-election, Thursday 15 September 2016 | Hackney Council". www.hackney.gov.uk. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  19. "'Love' candidate to contest poll". The Press News. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2016-10-19. He claimed to be standing in memory of Mrs Cox with the aim of uniting the public on air pollution... he claimed that air pollution will kill 200,000 people in Britain over the next five years.
  20. "Election results for Batley and Spen, 20 October 2016". Kirklees Council. 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  21. "Witney by-election: The candidates". BBC News. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-19. Ms Arno says she felt "it was about time that the youth have an official political platform from which to express their views and get their voices heard"... It campaigns strongly for emergency action to deal with what it calls the air pollution pandemic.
  22. Oliver, Matt (21 October 2016). "As it happened: Conservative Robert Courts elected as Witney's new MP". Witney Gazette. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  23. "A Dogra bids to make it in UK politics – again". Hindustan Times. Prasun Sonwalkar. November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016. He has plans for peace in Jammu and Kashmir and the reunification of India and Pakistan.
  24. "British Kashmiri To Stand For UK By-Election". NDTV. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  25. Ul-Hassan, Ishfaq (2016-05-05). "Prince of peace' Ankit Love tries his luck at London's mayoral polls". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 2017-01-08. Ankit's concept of a confederation of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is the best solution to 69 years of ongoing armed conflict... there by ending the potential of an apocalyptic nuclear war in the region
  26. Peat, Jack (2 June 2017). "Homeless MP candidate would 'shut down' Saudi, Qatari and Brunei embassies in Westminster". The London Economic. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  27. Sonwalkar, Prasun (27 April 2016). "A Kashmiri Dogra who wants to be mayor of London". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  28. Ganai, Naseer (24 February 2017). "Prime Minister Modi To Face Love Challenge In 2019 Lok Sabha Elections". Outlook India. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  29. "London Live on Twitter". Twitter. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  30. "Ankit Love, 33 is the New Leader of the Panthers Party of India | JK Media News". JK Media News. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  31. Sonwalkar, Prasun (3 May 2017). "New Indian faces likely in Britain's House of Commons". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  32. "Cities of London & Westminster parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  33. "Statement of Persons Nominated 2017" (PDF). Westminster City Council. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  34. Pampori, Rouf (2018-08-19). "Ankit Love and Prof. Bhim Attacked By Al-Qaeda Terrorists in Kashmir". 5 Dariya News. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  35. "Ankit Love returns to Kashmir with a dream to reunite India-Pakistan by referendum – Greater Jammu || The Daily News Paper". greaterjammu.com. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  36. Loeb, Josh (9 May 2016). "Meet the candidates for Hackney Mayor: Dawa Ma, One Love". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  37. "End War on Drugs". One Love Party. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  38. Lowe, Josh (6 May 2016). "What's it like to run for Mayor of London?". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  39. "NPP Chief appeals Hackney electorate to vote One Love Party in Mayor By-Election". Pakistan Christian Post. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  40. "One Love Party candidate Ankit Love's policies for the Thames". River Thames News. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  41. "MAYORAL ELECTION: candidates for UKIP and the One Love party layout their plans for London - Southwark News". Southwark News. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  42. Joshi, Amita (14 April 2016). "Mayoral elections: 11 things the One Love Party want to change". getwestlondon. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  43. Loeb, Josh; Schöffmann, Katharina; Eckersley, Max (26 October 2016). "Reborn river among weird and wonderful ideas as council invites masterplan feedback". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  44. "Manifesto". One Love Party. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  45. "Election results for Richmond Park, 1 December 2016". richmond.gov.uk. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
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