This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-2014-outrage-at-tory-party-chairmans-attempt-to-celebrate-tax-cuts-on-beer-and-bingo-9203669.html
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Tory Bingo: Grant Shapps brings the house down as bingo and beer tweet to back Budget backfires | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| An attempt by Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps to celebrate cuts in tax on beer and bingo to help “hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy” has sparked a backlash. | An attempt by Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps to celebrate cuts in tax on beer and bingo to help “hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy” has sparked a backlash. |
| Mr Shapps tweeted a poster with that message under the headline “Bingo!” written in colourful bubbles, urging people to “spread the word”. | Mr Shapps tweeted a poster with that message under the headline “Bingo!” written in colourful bubbles, urging people to “spread the word”. |
| However it sparked a series of parodies, while Labour tweeted “Dear Tories - what else do you think ‘they’ do that you don't?” followed by “Out. Of. Touch”. | However it sparked a series of parodies, while Labour tweeted “Dear Tories - what else do you think ‘they’ do that you don't?” followed by “Out. Of. Touch”. |
| Simon Blackwell, scriptwriter on the satirical comedy The Thick Of It, tweeted: “Genuinely, if that Conservative beer and bingo ad had come up at a Thick Of It script meeting we’d have rejected it as being too far-fetched.” | Simon Blackwell, scriptwriter on the satirical comedy The Thick Of It, tweeted: “Genuinely, if that Conservative beer and bingo ad had come up at a Thick Of It script meeting we’d have rejected it as being too far-fetched.” |
| Another Twitter user, @loveandgarbage, replied to Mr Shapps to say: “Do you remember the pasties @grantshapps? And the news programmes asking the people when they last had pasties?” | Another Twitter user, @loveandgarbage, replied to Mr Shapps to say: “Do you remember the pasties @grantshapps? And the news programmes asking the people when they last had pasties?” |
| The hashtag, Torybingo, was trending on Twitter and was the only budget-related hashtag on the site at about 10pm. It quickly developed a life of its own with people tweeting bingo callers number-rhymes to make their point. | The hashtag, Torybingo, was trending on Twitter and was the only budget-related hashtag on the site at about 10pm. It quickly developed a life of its own with people tweeting bingo callers number-rhymes to make their point. |
| They included: “Bank off-shore? 44”; “Rickety hips that you can't get fixed - 66”; “No time to skive it's (p)45”; “Closed your local A&E, number 23” and “77, let's frack Devon”. | They included: “Bank off-shore? 44”; “Rickety hips that you can't get fixed - 66”; “No time to skive it's (p)45”; “Closed your local A&E, number 23” and “77, let's frack Devon”. |
| Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps (Getty) One of the parodies reproduced Mr Shapps’ poster, complete with the Bingo! heading. | Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps (Getty) One of the parodies reproduced Mr Shapps’ poster, complete with the Bingo! heading. |
| However the message was altered to say: “I say, you there! How is your whippet? Jolly Good, Jolly Good. Carry on.” | However the message was altered to say: “I say, you there! How is your whippet? Jolly Good, Jolly Good. Carry on.” |
| George Osborne's Liberal Democrat deputy in the Treasury said he thought Mr Shapps’ tweet was “patronising”. | George Osborne's Liberal Democrat deputy in the Treasury said he thought Mr Shapps’ tweet was “patronising”. |
| Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said: “I thought it was a spoof at first, it's just pretty extraordinary.” | Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said: “I thought it was a spoof at first, it's just pretty extraordinary.” |
| He told BBC2's Newsnight: “It may be our Budget but it's their words, I think it's rather patronising. Also I think it actually demeans some quite sensible things. | He told BBC2's Newsnight: “It may be our Budget but it's their words, I think it's rather patronising. Also I think it actually demeans some quite sensible things. |
| “There are good reasons to be supporting bingo, there are good reasons to be encouraging our pub sector to be stronger - that's the analysis behind those measures. | “There are good reasons to be supporting bingo, there are good reasons to be encouraging our pub sector to be stronger - that's the analysis behind those measures. |
| “This language, well that's for Grant Shapps to justify.” | “This language, well that's for Grant Shapps to justify.” |
| Bookmaker Ladbrokes was offering 10/1 that Mr Shapps would be soon seen playing bingo with a pint, ITV News reported. | Bookmaker Ladbrokes was offering 10/1 that Mr Shapps would be soon seen playing bingo with a pint, ITV News reported. |