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Dublin: 12 °C Friday 8 November, 2024

10 times the British election campaign made everyone go 'WHAT?'

Stone slabs… bacon sandwiches… personal appeals from national newspaper editors… what?

Gareth Fuller Gareth Fuller

THE UK ELECTION campaign, which ends today, has been a rollercoaster ride.

But perhaps more than anything else, it has demonstrated the inherent bonkers-ness of British politics. Hell, sometimes they make our guys look good.

1. When opposition leader Ed Miliband literally carved his election promises into an eight-foot-high stone slab

Which he proudly unveiled at a press conference. He promised to put it in the garden of Downing Street if he won.

PA Wire / Press Association Images PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Social media was ablaze.

To give you an idea of the tone of the debate, Miliband’s political rival Boris Johnson called it a “commie slab of rock”.

2. When there was a genuine Royal Baby conspiracy theory

Kirsty Wigglesworth Kirsty Wigglesworth

3. When a very posh person tried to show his ‘passion’ in a speech, and it was a media sensation

https://vine.co/v/eWDOp2lI2p6

Obviously it got remixed.

Mister Meowgi / YouTube

4. When Ed Miliband got a fandom of teenage girls

Yes, this man…
https://vine.co/v/MH6wnaiqxqZ

… gained an actual fandom.

5. When there was subsequent speculation that David Cameron (or someone on his team) was manufacturing fake teen-girl Twitter accounts for his own rival fandom

6. When the editors of national newspapers started sending personal emails to readers, urging them to vote Tory

Daily Telegraph editor Chris Evans sent a personal mail to thousands of readers, warning them of dire consequences if they didn’t vote Conservative.

Giphy Giphy

 

7. When Katie Hopkins threatened to leave the country if Labour won

Ian West Ian West

… and accidentally kicked off a mini Labour surge

8. When Ed Miliband decided that the right campaign tactic was to go round to Russell Brand’s gaff

https://vine.co/v/e77MHBgDIbe

And terrible things happened on social media.

9. When Ed Miliband’s awkward photograph with a bacon sandwich…

… became the reason for an actual Sun front page urging people to vote Conservative

“This is the pig’s ear Ed made of a helpless sarnie. In 48 hours, he could be doing the same to Britain.”

10. And when this little girl summed it all up (and became one of the defining images of the campaign)

Stefan Rousseau Stefan Rousseau

Lucy Howarth, 6. Occupation: national hero.

More: 11 of the finest face-stuffing selfies in support of Ed Miliband>

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Michael Freeman
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