The Political Week on Twitter: 15th – 20th January 2012
All the week's best political tweets in one handy location.
By Ian Dunt Follow @IanDunt
The royal yacht
Michael Gove's suggestion that public money be used for a royal yacht sparked vitriol and bemusement online.
@bloggerheads – I'm actually all for the royal yacht. And I know just the captain for the job…
@archiebland – I look around train at the haggard faces of people worried about economy and think: what will help them is the construction of a royalyacht
@ChrisBryantMP – Gove plan to spend £60million on a new royal yacht just shows ideology can turn a clever mind to mush.
@j_freedland – That Gove feel able to suggest a new royal yacht shows the Tories are feeling ultra-confident
Tom Harris' Downfall
Labour's Twitter tsar, Tom Harris, added another Downfall spoof to the endless list already on the internet. The result? Resignation.
@LukeBozier – Tom Harris forced out over a YouTube meme sensation which has provided innocent fun for many? Diane Abbott gets to stay. #Labour2012.
@JackofKent – Late to this, but I see @TomHarrisMP was sacked as Labour social media adviser for, er, understanding social media
@JonathanHaynes – Meta. RT @hwallop: The Downfall parody of Tom Harris's downfall parody. Twitter was made for days like this bit.ly/zjdygh
@GuidoFawkes – Sun headline on sacking of Tom Harris "Ve gaffe ways of making you walk". We salute the headline writer, truly ve are not vorthy.
@andyneil_ – Deary me, Tom Harris blasts Joan McAlpine for her remarks and then posts a video depicting Alex Salmond as Hitler. A parody of himself.
@wallaceme – Scot Labour thought process: We don't understand the internet. Let's get someone who does. We don't understand what he's doing, sack him!
Miliband's leadership
The rumours over Ed Miliband leadership continued throughout the week, as trade unions attacked him for backing coalition rules for public sector pay.
@johnmcdonnellMP – For Miliband and Balls economic credibility means accepting Tory cuts and pay freezes. To me it sounds like capitulation to neoliberalism.
@AndrewSparrow – Ed Miliband makes typo on Twitter + Sun calls him 'bungling'. Suspect they won't saying same about @rupertmurdoch, who's just done same
@tom_watson – Hey @rupertmurdoch Did you know the Sunday Times spent your money on a poll to ask people if Ed Miliband was too ugly?
@GuidoFawkes – Some good news for Ed Miliband, according to YouGov only 10% of voters think he is "too ugly" to be PM
@dlknowles – Pretty ballsy of David Cameron to attack Labour for tolerating a deregulated City when he and George wanted more deregulation #justsaying
@LouiseMensch – I'll give a shiny penny to anybody who can explain to me, tonight, what Labour's policy on the government's spending cuts is as of right now
@PerfectVerse4U – What's the difference between Ed Milliband and a midwife? A midwife has a plan for labour.
@samirashackle – This 'new Labour strategy' is such an own-goal. Accepting your opponents' terms makes it look like they were right all along.
@Ed_Miliband – Len McCluskey is entitled to his views but he's wrong. Im changing Labour so we can deliver fairness w less money.That means tough decisions.
