Historical myth inspires a cheeky anti-Brexit Twitter account
The phrase ‘lions led by donkeys’ made Dan Snow‘s list of top myths about the First World War. As he wrote:
This saying was supposed to have come from senior German commanders describing brave British soldiers led by incompetent old toffs from their chateaux. In fact the incident was made up by historian [and Conservative MP] Alan Clark.
During the war more than 200 generals were killed, wounded or captured. Most visited the front lines every day…
Naturally, some generals were not up to the job, but others were brilliant [and] rarely in history have commanders had to adapt to a more radically different technological environment… Despite this, within three years the British had effectively invented a method of warfare still recognisable today. By the summer of 1918 the British army was probably at its best ever and it inflicted crushing defeats on the Germans.
The phrase, however, is still vivid and used. And so, in the context of Brexit, the “Led by donkeys” Twitter account. Its task? To remind people of “the Brexit predictions of our leaders, rendered as massive billboards”.
Enjoy – and spread – more here.
This is extremely random, but I hope it gets through in some way.
The timing is bad, following today’s nice Guardianunlimited article about them, but I would like to make contact with the “Led by Donkeys” brigade, if only to congratulate them, but also to pass on to them (and you ?) my own version of what they are doing, which comes from much the same need and frustrations as theirs. I think their initiative is better than mine in the sense that it will go further, but mine rhymes !
I am keeping a running commentary on this dreadful Brexit story in classical rhyme royal stanzas, based on an old satire called “Speak, Parrot”. To date there are 60 of the things, plus notes. It’s either keeping me sane or making me mad, I’m seriously not sure which. But if they or you or anyone has time to dip in, please do and I’ll be gratified. Better still, pass them round. https://roganwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/Parrot-Addenda.pdf
Each 7-line stanza is more or less stand-alone, so you don’t have to take a deep breath or reserve significant time for this. I put them up on my blog and on Facebook. I live in Bristol.