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Welcome and thanks for visiting!
Here you can find out what Mark is up to, his current work and campaigns, tour dates and other appearances and we'll be sure to let you know what you can do to help in one man's attempt to subvert the system and investigate and expose the things that need exposing!
Elsewhere on the site you'll find a lot of related info, photo galleries, full details of all Mark's TV shows current and upcoming tour dates and details of how to buy Mark's books, CDs and DVDs. Just have a hunt around the menu on the left and you should find what you're looking for. If not drop us an email and we'll try our best to help.
A funny thing happened on the way to the publishers...
As folk may know I have spent the past year touring the country getting audiences to propose, discuss and vote for policies to make the world a better place. The end result is the People's Manifesto published by Ebury Press (out 28th Jan 10). Before publication the publishers PR department called and asked if I had any ideas to promote the book.
"Er thats your job." I whined , clearing my throat before continuing,"I do the writing and you do the PR. I don't phone you up and say, "Have you got any spare commas?"
"Well it's your book, we just thought you might want it to do well...."
"OK. What about this for an idea, if you want to stand in the general election you have to pay £500 deposit, which you don't get back if you get less than 5% of the vote. Most independent candidates lose their deposit, which I reckon discourages people from standing... So would Ebury be prepared to pay a candidates deposit?"
"What in the election?"
"Yes. Pay their deposit and £500 worth of campaigning funds to help them out... Obviously whoever stands has to use the People's Manifesto as the basis for their election campaign."
I predicted a longish silence and tense pause by way of response, possibly accompanied by the sound of a pencil being broken in the back ground. But instead a sharp and instant retort of "Yes" came down the phone. "What a great idea."
And thus it came to pass that Ebury Press are going to pay for someone to stand in the next general election.
Anyone can apply to be the candidate. Yep anyone!
Once you have worked out where you are going to stand, a campaign strategy and sorted folk who will help just fill in the forms and apply. I will decide who the candidate will be at the end of March and will come along to help campaign too.
So if you have ever wanted to stand for Parliament this is your chance.*
To apply to be the official Ebury Press/Mark Thomas candidate click here.
*If the candidate is successfully elected Mr M Thomas will be expected to be paid a small commission.**
**To take the form of a second home or two.
New book out now!
Happy new year to all, we hope 2010 brings you much prosperity and happiness and to start it off Mark is doing some extra dates around the country (see panel to the right) and also has a new mini-book out based on the manifesto ideas audiences came up with on the 2009 tour. You can order your copy directly from the publisher or Amazon, it should also be available in your local book shop.
In a year of political and economic chaos Mark Thomas toured the country to find out what people really wanted. The result is the People’s Manifesto…
- All politicians should be forced to wear the names and logos of the companies which sponsor them
- Anyone who supports ID cards should be banned from having curtains
- The introduction of a law making it illegal for MPs to knowingly lie. It shall be known as Archer’s Law
- All models should be picked at random from the electoral register
The People’s Manifesto will outline 50 policies of the manifesto shouted out in bold type on a page to themselves with Mark's commentary opposite. Mark has even ‘road tested' some of them - like hosting a party in an MP’s second home (which clearly belongs to the taxpayer) and getting university boffins to work out a way of SAT testing MPs to rank them by value. And Mark’s guerrilla antics won’t end there…
Power to the people is really happening.
As heard on BBC Radio 4
Need a tea towel?
Been to one of Mark's shows this year and failed to get the winning manifesto tea towel of victory? Fear not we have a brand new "expenses" design which make a great humorous gift for any occasion as well as the "stupid economy" design of which we have a few left. Get them while they're dry, get them in our online store. Oh and there are badges too.
Manifesto form to fill in for Mark's Live show.
If you're coming along to one of Mark's shows you can download and fill in a pdf of the form (that will also be handed out before the show) to suggest your policy by clicking on the link below:
Mark will read out the best sugestions as part of the show and the audience will get to choose the best to be added to the list of policies that Mark will campaign for. The winner at each show will also get a victory tea-towel.
IT'S THE STUPID ECONOMY - THE MANIFESTO - LATEST
| Venue | Date | Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 02/10/2009 | To allow asylum seekers to work. Close down tax havens...bomb Switzerland. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 01/10/2009 | To introduce a Tobin tax on currency transactions |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 30/09/2009 | To include a 'none of the above' box on the ballot paper and that vote to be counted as a cast vote. Troops out of Afghanistan. Prosecute Blair for war crimes. Give Jerusalem back to the Palestinians. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 29/09/2009 | MPs should not be paid salaries but loans, like students MPs often get highly paid jobs on leaving Parliament, as a result of having attended Parliament. Thus when they get a highly paid non exec directorship they should pay their loan back. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 28/09/2009 | There should be a public referendum before going to war. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 26/09/2009 | Models should be selected at random from the electoral register. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 25/09/2009 | 1.Boris Johnson should abide by his election pledge and fund London rape crisis centres the £740,000 he promised. 2. Any Mp who votes to go to war should fight in it, in the front line. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 24/09/2009 | All politicians should be forced to wear the names and logos of the companies that sponsor them or with whom they have financial links. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 23/09/2009 | 1. CEO's convicted for fraud should be forced to dress as pirates in whatever job they get in the future. 2. To amend the EU working time directive to give Wednesday afternoon off for all workers to play 'games'. |
| Tricycle Theatre, London | 22/09/2009 | 100% of tips left in restaurants should go to the staff, not used by the owners to boost wages that are under the minimum wage. Restaurants found to be doing this will be fined a percentage of profits which will be shared by staff. |
Older news
Stop and search? Carry the card.
Download this handy card, warning police officers that if a stop and search is intrusive, unlawful or malicious, you will take action. As featured in the Guardian on 10th February 2009 here.
The debate about the use of stop and search – be it protesters or young black and Asian men, be it in the case of stopping knife crime or deterring terrorism – is one that has (understandably, perhaps) been fixed on the police results rather than the times they get it wrong.
But it is in the cases where they get it wrong that attitudes towards police are sharpened and the rights we feel we have as citizens practically defined. So I offer this card for readers to download, print and carry. It warns police officers that if a stop and search is intrusive, unlawful or malicious, you will pursue the issue through the Independent Police Complaints Commission and, if necessary, to civil proceedings. You might want to offer this card to an officer before a search takes place. Enjoy.
Click here to download a pdf of the card. Then print, cut it out, fold it in half and carry it around with you.