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The newly formed Anti-PowerPoint Party (APPP), is a newly formed single interest party in Switzerland, dedicated to saving the world from the evils of Microsoft (MSFT) Powerpoint presentations reports TechEye. On its blog, the party claims that about 11 percent of more than 4.1 million Swiss employees have to waste their time assisting in the creation of PowerPoint presentations.

CIO.com says the APPP, calculates the use of presentation software costs the Swiss economy 2.1 billion Swiss francs (US $2.5 billion) annually, while across Europe, presentation software causes an economic loss of €110 billion (US$160 billion). TechEye ironically points out that the amount is how much the Greek debt bail-out will cost. APPP bases its calculations on unverified assumptions about the number of employees attending presentations each week and supposes that 85 percent of those employees see no purpose in the presentations.

APPP is aiming high. It plans to become the fourth strongest political party in Switzerland. It has already had to adapt its strategy to emphasize that it is not just Microsoft’s Powerpoint software it wants to be banned but all makers of such software.

Still, it has a good chance of getting what it wants. In Switzerland, citizens can force a referendum on any subject. All it takes is 100,000 voters to sign a petition demanding one. It also looks like it has the backing of the U.S. Army.

The BusinessInsider reports that the APPP’s founder Matthias Poehm is a public speaking trainer. He has a particularly strong aversion to PowerPoint. Mr. Poehm has written a book called “The PowerPoint Fallacy” which just so happens to be featured on the APPP website. Mr. Poehm admitted to PC World that he’s using the party as a promotional tool to sell his book and he suggests the classic flip chart as the best option for presentations.

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What if Abraham Lincoln used PowerPoint at Gettysburg?

What do you think?

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.