Law and Order Offensive Party

The Law and Order Offensive Party (German: Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive), short form Offensive D (the "D" means "Deutschland"/"Germany") was a minor political party in Germany. It was founded in July 2000 by Hamburg judge Ronald Schill. It wished to call itself PRO but was forbidden from doing so after a judicial complaint by the Pro Deutsche Mitte party. Because of this the official short form was "Schill" and the party called itself Schill-Partei (Schill Party) 2000-2003, after its founder. The policies of the party were right populist.

In the 2001 elections to the Hamburg state parliament it came third and received 19.4% of votes/25 members. It went into coalition with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) which broke down in August 2003 after CDU mayor Ole von Beust accused Schill of extortion.

In December 2003 the party decided to expel Schill. In the 2004 Hamburg elections the party under the new leader Mario Mettbach only reached 0.4% and did not qualify for seats. After the election Mettbach and most of the other members left the party, some of them joining the CDU. The members who hadn't left elected a new leader and changed their name to Offensive D. Under that name, they came in last at the 2005 German federal election, polling 3,338 out of over 47 million votes.

The party dissolved due to poor election results and financial problems in September 2007, having lost several leading figures and entire state groups to other right-wing parties such as the Centre Party.

Famous quotes containing the words law, order, offensive and/or party:

    It is the way unseen, the certain route,
    Where ever bound, yet thou art ever free;
    The path of Him, whose perfect law of love
    Bids spheres and atoms in just order move.
    Jones Very (1831–1880)

    When first this order was ordained, my lords,
    Knights of the Garter were of noble birth,
    Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    Uses are always much broader than functions, and usually far less contentious. The word function carries overtones of purpose and propriety, of concern with why something was developed rather than with how it has actually been found useful. The function of automobiles is to transport people and objects, but they are used for a variety of other purposes—as homes, offices, bedrooms, henhouses, jetties, breakwaters, even offensive weapons.
    Frank Smith (b. 1928)

    A party of order or stability, and a party of progress or reform, are both necessary elements of a healthy state of political life.
    John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)