Swearing by the EU - UK's anti-Brexit Lib Dems opt for earthy election slogan
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s pro-EU Liberal Democrats are showcasing their European election campaign with a down-to-earth slogan they hope will attract frustrated voters who want to remain in the bloc: “Bollocks to Brexit”.
Fresh from a strong showing in local council elections, the opposition party posted a photograph on Twitter of its leader Vince Cable with a “special edition” of its manifesto for the May 23 European parliament vote. The document will be launched on Thursday evening.
The picture showed a black front cover emblazoned with the phrase on a yellow placard at its centre.
“It is an attempt to put in a more pungent way what a lot of people think actually,” 76-year-old Cable told broadcaster ITV, which featured the cover with the presenter’s finger partially covering the colourful word.
Literally meaning testicles, it is used as a synonym for ‘nonsense’ in colloquial British English.
Britain’s third mainstream party more than doubled its number of seats in last week’s local elections, when voters punished the governing Conservatives and main opposition Labour over a perceived collective failure to break the political deadlock over Britain’s EU departure.
The phrase adopted by the Lib Dems, who also support holding a second Brexit referendum, has previously been used on stickers and T-shirts by ardent ‘remain’ campaigners.
“It is clear, it is honest,” said Cable, a former business minister. “Some people will be offended, some people are easily offended. Other people will think well actually these guys are absolutely straightforward about what they believe.”
For those keen on more measured language, there is an alternative front cover with the words: “Stop Brexit”.
Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by John Stonestreet
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