Party poopers lose the fun vote

There is unlikely to be much party fun on the agenda after the next election whether Labour or the Conservatives win, according to a survey published today by the style magazine EatSoup.

The bi-monthly magazine last month circulated a questionnaire to all the major parties asking 17 questions on a variety of issues from licensing laws to raves and censorship.

When the scores were collated, both the Labour and Conservative parties scored zero, while members of the Scottish Nationalists were found to be the "party animals" with a top score of five.

"From licensing laws telling us when to stop drinking at night to health inspectors telling chefs which chopping boards to use, government attitudes have a profound effect on how, what, where and when we eat and drink," said David Lancaster, the editor of EatSoup.

Asked for his views on the coming election campaign, Mr Lancaster was not optimistic, describing the contest as looking "more like two management consultants pitching for the same hygiene contract".

A spokeswoman for the Labour Party questioned the value of such a diverse survey and said that "the views expressed speak for themselves".

For "the party that likes to party" Michael Russell, chief executive of the Scottish National Party, said that "the SNP is thinking about what people need and want rather than what Westminster politicians think they should have".

Conservative Party officials refused to comment any further beyond their original responses to the survey.