Top five election moments
One year on: what were your highlights of election 2010?
By Sophie Elmhirst Published 16 April 2011 12:39
1. Duffy. Much (too much?) has been written about Gillian Duffy in the past week, as she re-emerged to pester Nick Clegg. But let's remember where the Duffy journey began: Brown's grumpy whisperings in the back of the car (poor Sue Nye); Duffy's expression of indignant horror when the "bigoted woman" line was revealed; the sight of a nation's media camped on a front lawn, cameras pointed at a front door and the collective sinking feeling on realising that this was going to be the "big story" of the election.
2. "I agree with Nick." My colleague George Eaton has already written about the importance of the TV debates, but let's recall some of the details. Cameron getting oddly red and tetchy as he realised doing the debates was the Worst Decision He'd Ever Made. Clegg's brilliance at remembering names of audience members and staring down the camera, in true boy-band style. Brown like a bear in a cage, lashing and griping. Clegg must look back at those golden days and weep (while listening to music).
3. Celebs. Gordon Brown appointed Duncan Bannatyne his "seaside tsar". David Cameron launched a national music competition with Gary Barlow (Gary Barlow!). These are the lengths our great leaders will go to. Clegg, meanwhile, wiped the floor on the celeb front, having tea with Colin Firth. But oh, how life changes. Now Colin has an Oscar and Clegg has Cameron.
4. Wives. Remember Sam Cam's weird video about drinking tea with "Dave"? The wives all excelled in wifeliness: pretty dresses, hand-holding, demure glances at their clever husbands. Moral of the story: "Wives! Stop being so wifely!"
5. Blurb. They all had their own slogans, like pets. Cameron had the big/broken society, depending on his mood. Brown had his manifesto written in the "future tense" because it was all about the future, obviously. And Clegg, with his "pledge" on tuition fees. Hollow, hollow laugh.
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12 comments
7. Margaret Hodge's victory speech - really putting the BNP in their place.
6. TV Coverage - Alistair "Crash-Bang-Wallop, What a Video!" Stewart's eccentric shouting during the first leaders' debate, Laura Kuennsberg turning greyer by the hour due to sleep deprivation caused by days of coalition negotiations, not to mention the all-time treat that was Adam Boulton's meltdown - a YouTube favourite 'til this day!
Hightlights -- in the plural? I can't think of one single highlight.
Adam Boulton's meltdown at Alistair Campbell. Told us everything we needed to know about Sky's aprofessional, impaertial attitude to news journalism.
Best Moment - Caroline Lucas winning Brighton Pavilion with policies that defended rather than attacked the public sector.
Boulton's meltdown the only highlight of a dull campaign tbh
Shocking in it's unprofessionalism the fact he's still employed speaks volumes of sky.
Gordon Brown thinking anyone would go into coalition with him. The triumph of a complete inability to understand anything at all about any other human being.
When Cleggmania appeared, I was amazed but completely failed to get the point. To me he was a nonentity, and looked like a schoolboy. People hoping to run the country really need to grow up first.
"Clegg must look back at those golden days and weep (when listening to music)."
I lol'd.
My favourite election moment was David Miliband giving Osborne a beating on the BBC,as the election results came through.
Totally outclassed Osborne, and still does.
Highlight 1: Watching Campbell, Brown and Mandy scuttle off into retirement having failed with a plot to desperately cling to power just like they failed the British public.
Highlight 2: The boo's greeting Cameron when he entered Downing Street.
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