Superheroes liven up election

There's something about a British general election that brings out oddballs, loons and eccentric buffoons who dream of making it to parliament.

In the runup to polling day on May 7, Britain's stuffy politicians are sharing the hustings with quirky candidates poking fun at the whole election ritual.

And in a campaign derided as flat and stage-managed, the new arrivals are bringing some much-needed merriment to proceedings.

The torchbearers for electoral eccentricity are the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, which has been blowing raspberries at politics for decades.

Their leader, Alan "Howling Laud" Hope, dresses in a white suit and Stetson, complete with a ludicrous giant rosette and a leopard-print bow tie.

The Loony "manicfesto" includes pledges to put air conditioning on the outside of buildings to deal with global warming, and to fit air bags to the stock exchange ready for the next crash.

But some of their policies, once derided as bonkers, have actually been enacted, such as passports for pets, 24-hour pubs and honors for The Beatles.

Hope is standing against London Mayor Boris Johnson in the West London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and hopes voters will have trouble picking out the official Loony.

"We're just poking a bit of sensible fun at politics," said the 72-year-old, one of 16 Loonies standing.

Meanwhile, in Aberavon in South Wales, Captain Beany - once voted the Great British Eccentric of the year - is out to cause a shock upset.

Local charity fundraiser Barry Kirk, 60, is a man-sized baked bean: the tinned haricot beans in tomato sauce beloved by Britons. He has spent 25 years unsuccessfully standing for election in his Captain Beany superhero costume and nuclear-orange face paint.

This time round, he has switched the caped-crusader look for a tangerine-colored smart suit to strike a more serious tone.

He is standing against Stephen Kinnock - son of 1980s Labour leader Neil Kinnock and husband of Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt - who has been parachuted into the safe Labour seat.

Beany believes his new look and serious approach to representing his struggling steelworks town is attracting more voters.

"I've got one policy: If you've got any issues, come to see me and I promise if I can do something for you, I'll try my hardest to do it."

Comedian Al Murray is standing in South Thanet, South East England, against Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party.