A Mysterious 'Led By Donkeys' Poster Campaign Is Trolling Politicians With Their Own Words

And they're looking for suggestions…
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The first strike in an apparent campaign to humiliate politicians with their own words has begun, after an old David Cameron tweet plastered on a billboard in north-east London.

The giant display features a message from the then-prime minster, posted in 2015, which said the UK faced “stability and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband”.

As anyone with a pulse will be aware, things did not quite go as planned for old Dave in the months following – shortly after the EU referendum (which he called), he resigned. He was then seen in an over-priced shed.

The billboard has been promoted by a Twitter account called Led By Donkeys, but there is no further information on the identities of those involved.

Last night we started a little project to record for posterity the prophetic words of our leaders. Here’s the first one (Manor Rd / A10 in London). Eyes peeled for more #LedByDonkeys #TweetsYouCantDelete @David_Cameron @Ed_Miliband pic.twitter.com/9ED5MUPTTn

— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) January 9, 2019

Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice - stability and strong Government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband: https://t.co/fmhcfTunbm

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) May 4, 2015

On Thursday morning, the Led By Donkeys Twitter account revealed another poster had appeared, this time featuring the David Davis classic: “There will be no downside to Brexit, only a considerable upside.”

Day two of a project to turn the predictions of our Brexit overlords into #TweetsYouCantDelete. You asked for @DavidDavisMP, we give you @DavidDavisMP. Vote in thread below for next poster - location will be a leave-voting town. (Source for DD quote: Hansard) #LedByDonkeys pic.twitter.com/5dVYMy5EKS

— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) January 10, 2019

The use of a tweet to frame the quote is a little disingenuous as Davis made the remark in the Commons, not on Twitter, but given the MP’s later remarks on Brexit, we’ll let this minor niggle slide.

Davis told HuffPost UK: “Not for the first time some of the Remain campaign think it’s proper to use a completely out of context and misleading quotation. Anybody who has read the original will see what was said was not implied by this.”

More importantly, he said that the full context of his remark in the Commons in 2016 was that he said that there would be no downsides if the UK took control of its borders and laws while maintaining current security arrangements and had the best possible open access to EU trade.

“If we can achieve all that, there will be no downside to Brexit at all, and considerable upsides,” he had told MPs.

Is it just me? Or have expectations shifted a little since Davis said: "there will be no downside to Brexit, only a considerable upside." pic.twitter.com/2N7ufv9ULz

— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) February 19, 2018

It’s not immediately clear if the campaign is a guerrilla operation or if those behind the posters have paid for the advertising space.

And if you want to get involved, the account is inviting suggestions for what their next poster should be and where it should be placed.

Please reply with your suggestions for next deployment (and desired locations). Is it Fox and ‘easiest deal in human history’? Maybe Davis and ‘no downside to Brexit, only considerable upsides’. Get involved. #LedByDonkeys #TweetsYouCantDelete

— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) January 9, 2019

Suggestions so far include...

Davis quote about a democracy not being a democracy if it can't change its mind.

— BritsAgainstBrexit🇪🇺#RevokeA50/#PeoplesVote#FBPE (@BritsAgainst) January 9, 2019

"F*ck Business"

— Neil McC (@neilkmcc) January 9, 2019

Dominic Raab poster in Dover

— BayvidDiddler (@DavidFidler88) January 9, 2019

HuffPost UK has reached out for comment from the as-yet unidentified people behind the Twitter account.

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