Political Shake Up

Who would have thought that a milkshake being thrown over a neo fascist could be condemned as being on a par with a terror attack?  But that's what some people would have you believe after a recent spate of such incidents over the past couple of weeks.  The recipients of these hurled milk products have been extreme right-wing Brexiteers from UKIP and the Brexit Party.  It was becoming so frequent that police forces were trying to ban the sales of milk shakes in areas where  candidates from these parties were campaigning in the European elections.  It all culminated with the abominable Nigel Farage - a recent victim of a milk shake dousing - apparently refusing to leave his campaign bus until a group of students clutching milk shakes were dispersed.  It's astounding how much media comment these incidents have generated.  Even more astounding is the vehemence with which the milk shake throwers have been condemned in some quarters.  Farage, for instance, described his 'attacker' as 'radicalised', clearly trying to draw a comparison with Isis terrorists.  Plenty of other, generally pompous, politicians and commentators have similarly weighed in, trying to tell ua that throwing milk shakes over politicians somehow heralds the end of democracy.  Some have even, bizarrely, tried to draw parallels with the murder of Jo Cox, contending that throwing milk shakes encourages violent attacks against politicians.

The fact is , though, that hurling a milk shake over a politician is, generally speaking, pretty funny.  It is also pretty harmless and part of a long tradition in the UK of throwing stuff at politicians,  In recent years the egg has become favoured.  Now, I have grave reservations about throwing eggs at people - they can actually do some damage, especially if hard boiled.  In the seventies the tomato was the favoured projectile for throwing at politicians.  It is pretty much ideal: soft enough that it won't do any damage to the person, but satisfyingly explodes on impact. leaving a livid red 'splat' and hard to remove stains.  Obviously, the level of humour to be derived from throwing anything at or over a politician is very much dependent, not just upon one's political sympathies, but also their character.  Let's face it, seeing someone as pompous (not to mention unpleasant) as Farage spattered with milk shake is hilarious - it totally destroys the aura of gravitas he is trying to project.  Smashing an egg on Jeremy Corbyn, on the other hand, just doesn't seem as funny, looking, as it does, too much like an assault on a pensioner.  (Pelting him with tomatoes from his own allotment, however, would be hysterically funny).  The idea that throwing stuff at politicians could lead to actual violence is pretty ludicrous.  Violent attacks on politicians is generally the result of an atmosphere of hatred and contempt engendered by the violent rhetoric of right wing rabble rousers. Let's not forget that Farage hinself frequently invokes violent imagery, with his references to taking up arms if Brexit isn't delivered, or raising the spectre of civil unrest if judges don't rule in his favour.  So, he should think himself lucky that his opponents confine themselves to throwing harmless milk-based beverages at him, rather than punches.