Most candidates for political office have lofty goals for the betterment of society. They put themselves through the ordeal of a campaign with aspirations of influencing policy and making a difference.

John Desmond Lewis had somewhat different goals.

When he stood as a candidate for the British Parliament, he changed his name to Tarquin Fintimlinbinwhinbimlim Bus Stop F’tang F’tang Ole Biscuit Barrel. The choice of name was made with much deliberation. He hoped it would allow him to achieve his goals of receiving the least number of votes ever cast in a British election. He also wanted to see how broadcasters would deal with pronouncing his name on the air.

Tarquin Fintimlinbinwhinbimlim Bus Stop F’tang F’tang Ole Biscuit Barrel stood as a member of the Cambridge University Raving Loony Society. It eventually merged with the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, whose standard bearer was Screaming Lord Sutch, Third Earl of Harrow (read about his political career here).

Sadly, election night was a disappointment for Tarquin Fintimlinbinwhinbimlim Bus Stop F’tang F’tang Ole Biscuit Barrel. He attracted 233 votes, far outpacing other candidates. When the time came to read the official election results, he was referred to simply as “Barrel, Tarquin” or “Mr. Tarquin Biscuit-Barrel.”

The candidate’s inspiration for changing his name was a sketch from the November 3, 1970, episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus entitled “Election Night Special.” The pivotal moment Tarquin Fintimlinbinwhinbimlim Bus Stop F’tang F’tang Ole Biscuit Barrel was hoping to recreate can be seen in the video below: