Single issue political parties are near invisible in the US, thanks to the political duopoly that manifests as an outcome of the use of first-past-the-post election rules. In many European countries more representative voting rules allow for the existence of a much larger number of competing parties, and as a result forming a political party to advance a single issue is a entire viable way to run a long-term advocacy campaign. You only have to look at the many environmentalist Green parties, or the more recent growth of the Pirate party, or even the lasting message provided by the Official Monster Raving Loony Party of the UK to see that this can work. Attention can be captured, and a message delivered, even if no governing seats are ever won. A number of advocates for longevity science in Europe have started parties, and have for the past few years put in the hard work to make waves. Most are associated with the International Longevity Alliance, and it is the German Partei für Gesundheitsforschung, the Party for Health Research, that I'll point out today.

The Party for Health Research folk are strong supporters of the SENS rejuvenation research approach to the medical control of aging. Aging is caused by an accumulation of various forms of cell and tissue damage, and repairing that damage is the best way forward to end the frailty and disease that accompanies aging. In the past the Party for Health Research has organized activities including petitions to government to fund this branch of aging research. From the point of view of the continued growth of the movement, it is encouraging to see that these volunteers have now qualified to run in the upcoming elections to the Berlin state parliament. Every long journey consists of a series of small steps. I believe that the Party for Health Research is the first single issue longevity party to make this leap, and congratulations are due to those who put in the work to make it happen.

We reached quorum, and are admitted to the elections in Berlin!

We have collected 2314 signatures, enough to reach the quorum of 2,200 signatures and can thus stand in the election to the Berlin House in September on the ballot! Thanks to all helpers!

Election program in 2016 for election to the Berlin House of Representatives

Most people in Germany fall ill and die of old age diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer, heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Age-related diseases cause a lot of suffering and immense costs and concern each of us. Today biotechnologies enable us now to finally develop effective therapies against the full range of age-related illnesses and ailments. Age-related illnesses caused by certain developments inside and outside the cells. By repairing these changes at the molecular and cellular level it will be possible in future to cure age-related diseases. The Party for health research advocates for more research against diseases of aging, so that these therapies will be developed faster and they arrive soon enough to benefit people who are already older today. Therefore, the party sets for Health Research committed to build more research institutes in Germany, the work on this issue, and train more researchers in the relevant fields. The party will form a coalition with one or more other parties and even only address health research. In all other political issues, the party does not want to interfere. This can be handled by the coalition partners. We want to spend an additional one percent of the state budget in the development of therapies against diseases of aging. Since all people are directly or indirectly affected by diseases of aging, all would benefit. To finance this one percent is to be subtracted from each other budgetary item. About half of these additional investments should flow in the construction and operation of new research facilities. With the other half more scientists will be trained in the relevant fields such as biochemistry and molecular biology. For the corresponding departments at the universities of Berlin are to be expanded.

I believe that as research and development of the means to control aging by repairing its causes begins to show signs of concrete progress outside the laboratory, as the first therapies start to emerge, we will see ever more of this sort of political activism in Europe. It will slowly sink in that aging is the greatest cause of death and disease, and that perhaps something can be done, and that will give rise to far greater support for this and other forms of advocacy. The Party for Health Research volunteers are now starting their campaign; there are posters on the website, and posters going up in Berlin. The one pictured below says "Cancer? Alzheimer's? Stroke? NO, THANKS! For more pharma-industry-independent research for better medicine against age-related diseases, vote for the Party For Health Research."