Charlie Brooker likens voting Tory to 'masturbating or listening to Gary Barlow'
The Election Wipe writer on how the polls were so very wrong
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.When the exit polls were finally released at 10pm on 7 May, Britain gasped.
Up until that point, public opinion seemed to indicate we’d be seeing the back of David Cameron and the gawking front of Labour leader Ed Miliband in at No 10 instead, perhaps with a little help from his liberal friends.
But the polls were disastrously wrong.
“Now we’ve got the full-fat Tory government that virtually no one predicted,” comic and Election Wipe writer Charlie Brooker wrote in the The Guardian.
He column draws a vivid analogy: “Clearly, voting Tory is a guilty pleasure some people won’t readily admit to – like masturbating or listening to Gary Barlow. Or masturbating while listening to Gary Barlow. In the voting booth. Using your free hand to vote Conservative. Cameron’s Britain.
The widely shared and, judging by the comments, well-received piece comes as Miliband’s older brother David seized his opportunity for some long overdue revenge. Speaking from New York, he criticised Ed’s decision to steer Labour’s policy away from “the principles aspirations and inclusion”.
“The answer is not to go back to 1997, it's to build on the achievements and remedy the weaknesses, but never to end up in a position where the electorate think you are going backwards rather than addressing the issues of the future.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments