TV funny men Bill and Ben are running for Parliament on a platform of "no promises" and plan to put the "party" back in political party. Laura McQuillan reports.
It's hard to get a straight answer out of Pulp Sport's Jamie "Bill" Linehan and Ben "Ben" Boyce about how and why they created their own political party, and the likelihood of them winning seats in Parliament.
After a year-long hiatus, Pulp Sport starts a new season in October and should help to boost their profile ahead of the election.
The Bill and Ben Party was registered with the Electoral Commission on July 1, and they've since applied to register their party logo — similar to the "B&B" logo of the hospitality industry, but with a few adjustments for copyright reasons.
Bill and Ben have no policies (aside from a promise to not make any promises) and no campaign plans ahead of the election, other than to "be out there shaking babies and kissing hands. Or is that the other way around? We're always messing those two up".
The boys reckon their previous TV experience will help to boost the popularity of Parliament TV, which they call "a real snore".
"It's no wonder half of the MPs are falling asleep in the chamber. We've got big plans — think Country Calendar meets Sex and the City wrapped in with a little New Zealand Idol, hosted by Jason Gunn's head on Dominic Bowden's body."
And if they don't win seats in the elections, they say they're happy to bring their own.
"We've got some fold out directors chairs with our names on the back that could work okay."
Bill and Ben never thought they'd find an easier job than as "fan mail co-ordinators for The Matthew Ridge Fan Club", but believe they've "hit the jackpot" with their plan to enter politics. They say perks such as free flights, a motorcade to Eden Park on game night and secret donations were major drawcards.
"Plus we have it on good authority that Bill English ran for Parliament as a bit of a laugh in the last election and check him out now."
They say the process of finding 500 eligible voters to join the party was easy.
"We threw a party, 500 people came and we signed them all up."
Registering the party with the Electoral Commission was just as simple. When asked how they found the process, the party leaders said they used the search function on the Electoral Commission's website.
Doubts about whether they answered any of NZPA's questions honestly may also demonstrate their suitability for political life.
They even have some advice for New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
"Winston should invest in a Magna-Doodle, so the next time he has to flash a sign at a press conference, he can change it as quickly as he changes his story."
Bill and Ben claim they have no secret trusts or millionaire backers, but are open to approaches from Sir Robert Jones or Owen Glenn.
