Ed Miliband has unveiled an 8ft 6in stone monument with Labour’s six pledges carved into it – and it’s fair to say it hasn’t received a rapturous reception.
The huge rock – variously described as the “Milimonument”, “Policy Cenotaph”, a “vanity stone” and a “tall limestone structure” (thanks, Observer) will be placed in the Downing Street garden if Labour wins the election, according to the party’s leader.
Ed Miliband’s stone slab. Labour says will be put up in Downing St garden if they win pic.twitter.com/sQ44clVtYq
— lucy manning (@lucymanning) May 3, 2015
In the words of comedy writer Simon Blackwell: “Ed Miliband builds a policy cenotaph. And you wonder why we stopped doing The Thick Of It.“
The Policy Obelisk has already run into a few problems: shadow treasury minister Chris Leslie was asked about it on the Sunday Politics, and was forced to confess he didn’t know if it would need planning permission. ITV’s Lucy Manning added that the Milimonument was unlikely to be moved into Downing Street on Day One, anyway, as putting it in place would probably involve a crane.
The Conservative William Hague was, predictably, not impressed with the idea, saying: “David Cameron has a plan for a stronger economy, jobs and hope for the future. All Miliband can offer is a meaningless gimmick that takes voters for granted. And if he does make it to Number 10, Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP will take their chisels to Miliband’s vanity stone and write their own demands all over it.”
A few rose-tinted types have pointed out that for all the mockery, at least people are now tweeting pictures of Labour’s pledges. Hope springs eternal.
Expect more mash-ups as the day progresses (there doesn’t seem to be a lot else happening), but for now, here’s Buzzfeed’s Tom Phillips:
— Tom Phillips (@flashboy) May 3, 2015
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