General election 2010: ten top insults
Campaign season means the gloves are off in the scrap for power, and as usual members of opposing sides are not afraid to make the fight personal
09 Apr 2010
Here is a list of some of the most stinging remarks made by candidates so far.
Geoff Hoon in a skirt
Gloria de Piero, the former GMTV presenter hoping to replace the former defence secretary in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, was attacked by Lib Dem candidate Jason Zadrozny, who hopes he can seize the seat.
He said: "Geoff Hoon was unanimously unpopular and Labour thought Gloria was their best bet. She's a world away from Geoff Hoon in looks and appearance but her policies are the same. Even some of Labour's local activists say she is just 'Geoff Hoon in a skirt'."
Scum-sucking pigs
A bitter row broke out after David Wright, the Labour MP for Telford, allegedly called the Tories "scum-sucking pigs" in a message on Twitter. The Labour whip later denied he had written the phrase "scum-sucking" and insisted his twitter page had been tampered with, leading to Tory accusations that he was "treating people like fools".
The message that Mr Wright may or may not have written, as part of a Labour response to the Conservative "I've never voted Tory before, but ..." slogan, did or did not read: "ivenevervotedtory because you can put lipstick on a scum-sucking pig, but it's still a scum-sucking pig. And cos they would ruin Britain."
"Lions led by donkeys"
William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, pre-empted the start of the general election campaign with a stinging attack on Gordon Brown's leadership in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph.
Describing Britain after 13 years of Labour leadership, he said: "I think [Britain] still has the people of a great country but that they are not led in that way, and that their potential is suppressed and everywhere you go you find frustration and obstacles. It’s that First World War sense of lions led by donkeys."
"Puppets dancing to Unite's tune"
Eric Pickles, the Tory party chairman, made hay with Labour's links to the trade unions as it was announced that Charlie Whelan, the political director of Unite, had been given a temporary pass allowing him into Parliament.
He said: "Unite often brag that the Labour Party is their political arm, so it's only appropriate the puppet master Charlie Whelan might want to ensure his puppets are dancing to Unite's tune."
"Bravery, bottle and backbone"
Peter Mandelson played on the privileged backgrounds of the Conservative Party's leading figures as he accused them of lacking the "bravery, bottle and backbone" to lead the country.
He said: "The point about Cameron and Osborne is that, in their professional lives, they have never had to fight for anything ... their glibness might work on television but in government you need policies and real conviction and determination to do the right things."
"Del Boy guarantee"
Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, compared the Labour party to the dishonest character from Only Fools and Horses as they pledged to overhaul the electoral system.
He said: "They have systematically at every turn blocked every single reform ... believing any promises from them on political reform is a bit like accepting a consumer service guarantee from Del Boy – don't believe it, they are trying to treat you like fools."
"Speech no one is paying for"
Tony Blair's support of Labour's election campaign was seen as a major coup for the party, particularly when he used his first speech on British politics since leaving office to criticise Conservative policies, calling the party "vacuous".
David Cameron responded with a barb about the fortune the former Prime Minister is reputed to be making on the world lecture circuit, saying: "It is nice to see him making a speech that no one is paying for."
Baby Mind
John Prescott has never been afraid to speak his mind, and the fact he is stepping down at this election has not stopped him from aiming the odd snipe at the Conservative party.
Speaking as he launched the "Prescott Express", a bus he will use to tour 50 marginal seats, Mr Prescott made a number of swipes at David Cameron, including: "the baby face doesn't worry me, it's the baby mind that does."
And finally ...
One Labour party candidate in northern Scotland could have taken up virtually every position in this list after he took the spirit of political sniping to another level, making a variety of obscene attacks against opponents, colleagues and even voters, according to the Scottish Sun.
Stuart MacLennan, 24, who is campaigning to be MP for Moray, allegedly used Twitter to make insults against Speaker John Bercow, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Labour MP Diane Abbott, all of which are too offensive to reproduce here. He is also said to have referred to elderly voters as "bloody coffin dodgers."
Other famous names to have reportedly been insulted by Mr MacLennan include X Factor judge Louis Walsh, show contestants Jedward and musician Paolo Nutini, while he also turned his sights on Barack Obama, saying: "Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize. Discuss. You've got to be ******* kidding me."
The candidate, it seems, was even aware of the risks he was taking as he vented his spleen online. In one message, he wrote: "Iain Dale [the Conservative blogger] reckons the biggest gaffes will likely be made by candidates on Twitter – what are the odds it'll be me?"
He is reported to have issued an apology, saying: "I have let myself down and I am really sorry."
Source; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/electio ... sults.html
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