Whilst the successor of Lord Buckethead is not a candidate that should be taken wholly seriously, he does have some qualities which highlight the problems of the parliamentary democratic system we vote into.
SIDE NOTE: Jonathan Harvey's depiction of Count Binface in the UK political system is not to be confused with the prestigious Lord Buckethead, who fought valiantly in 4 elections since 1987. However, It was all going swimingly until recently. The trouble was, the identity of Lord Buckethead comes from the 1984 film Hyperspace written by Todd Durham, who was not a happy bunny that his copyrighted character had been poached for some election malarkey. Thus, Count Binface was born.
Imagine you're a nurse, and you've been on the orthopaedic ward for 10 hours straight, and you're told a poltician is going to visit (much like we saw after the COVID-19 pandemic) to see how operations take place. In your mind, you'd envision the frizzy-haired, scandal-magnetic Boris Johnson, or whoever.
Count Binface would be the last on your list of "politicians" that you'd want to see there. There would be an encompassing facade of ridicule surrounding the visit, because, well, look at him. He's got a bin on his head. Personally, I'd relish the honour of welcoming Count Binface because of what he means for the UK, and what his electability entails for democratic function.
His alias and costume adds to the humour and mystique of Harvey's creation, which in turn has led to some hysterical imagery from mayoral and general elections, such as this one below (which Elmo has joined seemingly enough)...
You see, Count Binface is an effervescent example of what democracy is here to do. When you break the word down from the Greek derivative "demokratia", which if broken down in to two parts, means "demos" (people) and "kratos" (rule). By definition, the word means "rule of the people". But where does the galactic satirical alien come in to all of this?
The fact is, he does not have to justify his being in the elections due to his appearance. Anyone and everyone is allowed to run for Parliament in the UK, and rightfully so. Those over the age of 18 who don't wish to run can use their right to vote to support whichever candidate they please, which is the beauty of it all. Some could argue that his mere presence is actually a hindrance to the political system, because he makes a mockery of an event which has a serious effect on everybody's lives. I think that that opinion misses the point entirely.
As stated, Count Binface has a right to represent his beliefs in a public arena just as much as anybody. We don't get to pick and choose who runs for elections as that could be construed as a fascist system, which we don't have.
To give you a glimpse into his ideas, here's a list of some of his manifesto policies that were pledged in the 2021 Mayoral election:
"Loud snacks to be banned from theatres."
"Piers Corbyn to be banished to the Phantom Zone."
"Hammersmith Bridge to be repaired, and renamed Wayne after the former England international footballer."
"No shop to be allowed to sell a croissant for more than £1."
Come on, these are genius aren't they!?
These policies wouldn't result in a large effect on anyone's lives, they serve little purpose, and improve nothing. He instead, I think, is there to disrupt the status quo, potentially to highlight a systemic problem with British poltics. As already beknownst to the public, the UK political scene is taken up disproportionately by public school alumni, who are able to enter office through hard work, resiliency, and a large sprinkling of nepotism. The majority of the UK are working class people who can't truly be represented by those who have had a silver spoon in their mouth from day dot, alluding to an elitist structure in place.
Count Binface reminds people that no matter your age, sex, identity, choice of headwear, or name, that you can enter this system and combat elitism through democracy. But, is the democracy that we so well and truly endear actually representative of the people, regardless of whether Count Binface is integrated or not? As previously stated, anyone can join the political process, but there are countless other factors that affect the electability of a candidate. Things like family background, education, party affiliation, previous work experience and social popularity are key determinants of public support in elections. That's why we have never, nor will we ever, see an independent as Prime Minister of the UK. You must have a party to be Prime Minister anyway, and I doubt that the Monster Raving Loony Party have a shot in this millennium - maybe the next though.
The fact is, even though many believe that Count Binface makes a mockery of the system, he is a sole reason for the purpose of democracy, whereby anyone can run, and by garnering enough support, can implement their policies no matter how ridiculous they are. He could instead be viewed as a poignant reminder that the structure we have in place to protect privileged elites of a wealthy and educated background is unrepresentative, and much needs to be done to level the playing field.
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