Rude Britannia: Mysterious effigy of UK PM May says 'up yours' to Europe

[webfact]

Rude Britannia: Mysterious effigy of UK PM May says 'up yours' to Europe

REUTERS

 

 

A giant scaffolding sculpture with an image of Britain's Prime Minister wearing the Union Flag and making a gesture towards continental Europe is seen on top of the cliffs overlooking the south coast of England and the Channel, June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Simon Hare

 

LONDON (Reuters) - A giant scaffold bearing the image of British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared on the cliffs of Dover on Monday, complete with a Union Flag skirt and a rude hand gesture indicating to the rest of Europe that it should go away.

 

The iconic row of white cliffs along Britain's south coast is the closest British landmark to continental Europe and the first sign of England that many sea-faring visitors see.

 

But Dover, 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Calais in France, voted by nearly 2 to 1 to leave the European Union in last year's referendum, with coastal towns in southeast England seeing some of the highest levels of immigration from the EU.

 

May has promised to deliver Brexit and is hoping to win a strong mandate for her approach in Thursday's national election.

 

The structure, which was erected with a crane but whose origin is a mystery, towered over trees and nearby buildings, and had been doctored to show a smiling May flashing a V-sign with her left hand.

 

A V-sign with palm facing outwards is a sign of peace or victory, famously used by former British leader Winston Churchill. But when the back of the hand is outward, it is a cruder sign which indicates contempt.

 

The Sun newspaper used the latter kind of V-sign on a famous front cover in 1990 which read "Up Yours, Delors," in a message to the then-President of the European Commission, which invited readers to tell Jacques Delors to "frog-off" over his plans for European integration.

 

It's not the only public display of a Union Flag in recent days, with the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin lit up with the flag, affectionately known as the Union Jack, in solidarity with the Britain after an attack in London Bridge by militants that left 7 dead on Saturday.

 

May has said that she wants Britain to be a close partner of the European Union once it leaves the bloc, though one local resident said the effigy of May swearing at Europe was vulgar.

 

"Whether you agree or disagree with Brexit, it was crass, vulgar and insulting to any Europeans coming into Dover on the ferry and a ridiculous message to send to Europe when we are about to start negotiating our exit from the EU," local resident Simon Hare told local website Kent Online, which said the structure had now been taken down.

 

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Pritha Sarkar)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-06

[canuckamuck]

A proper Statue of Liberty. A few spirited Brits still around. Good for you.

[darksidedog]

Crass, Yes. Vulgar, Yes. But funny also.

[colinneil]

Who ever did that deserves a big round of applause, well done.

Funniest thing i have seen in a while.

[ilostmypassword]

1 minute ago, colinneil said:

Who ever did that deserves a big round of applause, well done.

Funniest thing i have seen in a while.

You gotta get out more. Or at least do some random tv viewing.

[colinneil]

Just now, ilostmypassword said:

You gotta get out more. Or at least do some random tv viewing.

Being paraplegic it is a problem for me to get out.

Now if you want to come and push my wheelchair i would be extremely grateful.

[ilostmypassword]

21 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Being paraplegic it is a problem for me to get out.

Now if you want to come and push my wheelchair i would be extremely grateful.

I did mention TV.

[pitrevie]

I wonder what the reaction would have been if any of the European countries had done a similar thing. 

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, pitrevie said:

I wonder what the reaction would have been if any of the European countries had done a similar thing. 

I think you nailed it.

[colinneil]

21 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

I did mention TV.

Still waiting for you to offer helping me with my wheelchair, do not side step your own comment, man up.

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

Still waiting for you to offer helping me with my wheelchair, do not side step your own comment, man up.

Actually, I could use the exercise. But I did give you an option. I will requote my comment to you:

"You gotta get out more. Or at least do some random tv viewing."

[aslimversgwm]

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

Who ever did that deserves a big round of applause, well done.

Funniest thing i have seen in a while.

Detestable little Englander

[phantomfiddler]

10 minutes ago, aslimversgwm said:

Detestable little Englander

We,re not detestable, many of us are cute little devils spreading joy and enlightenment around the world !

[colinneil]

12 minutes ago, aslimversgwm said:

Detestable little Englander

Rule Britania, Britania rules the waves, Britans never never never shall be slaves.

Hitler tried it and got his a..e kicked, now the minions in the EU are trying it and will get the same, bye bye Europe.

[sanukjim]

7 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

A proper Statue of Liberty. A few spirited Brits still around. Good for you.

Now thats the Brits that I know of. "No Damn Fear".

[sanukjim]

17 minutes ago, aslimversgwm said:

Detestable little Englander

Sounds like an European that is not from "Jolly Ole" and is a bit envious.

[dunroaming]

20 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Rule Britania, Britania rules the waves, Britans never never never shall be slaves.

Hitler tried it and got his a..e kicked, now the minions in the EU are trying it and will get the same, bye bye Europe.

Interesting comparison with the EU and Hitler.  We have been in the EU for forty years and are a major contributor and beneficiary.  Hitler was waging war against Europe and as part of that wanted to occupy Britain.

 

In 1945 Hitler was defeated and the war ended. In 2019 (with any luck) Britain will be out of the EU trying to rebuild our economy.  Really hard to see any comparison 

[jobwolf]

Show the V and cry is the thing Brit's do best.

[humqdpf]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

We,re not detestable, many of us are cute little devils spreading joy and enlightenment around the world !

What little Englanders fail to realise is that if all other nationalities applied the little Englander view to visitors and migrants (and lets face it, all falang living in the Kingdom of Thailand are migrants),  little Englanders would have to stay at home and would not be spreading anything around the world.

[ResandePohm]

Pathetically childish. Grow up Britain.

[Baerboxer]

25 minutes ago, jobwolf said:

Show the V and cry is the thing Brit's do best.

 

And prey enlighten us, where do you come from?

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

Rule Britania, Britania rules the waves, Britans never never never shall be slaves.

Hitler tried it and got his a..e kicked, now the minions in the EU are trying it and will get the same, bye bye Europe.

That's right. Britain singlehandedly beat the Germans. To this day, their heroic advance at Dunkirk is still remembered.

[Baerboxer]

4 minutes ago, ResandePohm said:

Pathetically childish. Grow up Britain.

 

There are always those with no sense of humor. The morons that put such things up hope to reach those who can never see any funny side. 

Then they know they've hit their target audience.

[Baerboxer]

Just now, ilostmypassword said:

That's right. Britain singlehandedly beat the Germans. To this day, their heroic advance at Dunkirk is still remembered.

 

Well well, another Yank who thinks John Wayne (he was never actually in the military) won the war with a penknife. Yippee kai hey!!

 

 

[colinneil]

7 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

That's right. Britain singlehandedly beat the Germans. To this day, their heroic advance at Dunkirk is still remembered.

There is no need for sarcasm, if you cannot make sensible comments, then please dont.

as Bearboxer   said John Wayne did not win the war single handed, he was too busy making money out of his films.

Edited June 6, 2017 by colinneil

[ilostmypassword]

3 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Well well, another Yank who thinks John Wayne (he was never actually in the military) won the war with a penknife. Yippee kai hey!!

 

 

Whatever my nationality may be, Britain would never have been able to return to the continent without the USA.  And the world has the Soviet Union to thank for making Normandy possible. If anyone was the hero in the European theater of war, it was the Soviets who suffered massive casualties in that war and inflicted massive casualties on the Germans. The UK was basically an appendage after Dunkirk and both an aircraft carrier and staging ground for US forces.

[ilostmypassword]

3 minutes ago, colinneil said:

There is no need for sarcasm, if you cannot make sensible comments, then please dont.

as Bearboxer   said John Wayne did not win the war single handed, he was too busy making money out of his films.

When you cite silly stuff like the following in support of your case, you're begging for it. Here it is again:

 

Rule Britania, Britania rules the waves, Britans never never never shall be slaves.

Hitler tried it and got his a..e kicked, now the minions in the EU are trying it and will get the same, bye bye Europe.

Hitler did not get his ass kicked by the British. But I think I know where you got that idea and given that it's Sergeant Pepper's 50th anniversary, let me quote John Lennon:

I saw a film today oh boy

The English army had just won the war...

 

 

 

[oxo1947]

Quote

The structure, which was erected with a crane but whose origin is a mystery,

 

That's hard to believe isn't it.....I mean you can not just erect a structure in the UK without about a ton of paper work----the Police could just ask the crane driver....who's paying.?

[YetAnother]

this was a good one

[rice555]

43 minutes ago, humqdpf said:

What little Englanders fail to realise is that if all other nationalities applied the little Englander view to visitors and migrants (and lets face it, all falang living in the Kingdom of Thailand are migrants),  little Englanders would have to stay at home and would not be spreading anything around the world.

Very different, Brits in LOS are paying to stay, not sponging

and trying to spread hate.

rice555