Piggate: Difference between revisions

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Extended confirmed users
1,160 edits
Extended confirmed users
17,440 edits
Undid revision 683176246 by Reaganomics88 (talk) As it's adequately sourced, rather than WP:Edit warring, you'll have to take it to the talk page & explain why it needs to be removed
Line 22: Line 22:


==Response==
==Response==
After being asked about the allegation, Downing Street said that it would not "dignify" the claim with a response. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-refuses-to-comment-on-claims-that-david-cameron-put-his-genitals-in-a-dead-pigs-mouth-at-university-10510692.html|title=David Cameron says he 'will not dignify' claims he put his genitals in the mouth of a dead pig|work=The Independent|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/downing-street-stays-silent-over-claims-david-cameron-put-genitals-in-a-dead-pigs-mouth-while-at-oxford-university-10510500.html|title=Downing Street stays silent over claims David Cameron put genitals in a dead pig's mouth while at Oxford University|work=The Independent|accessdate=21 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailydot.com/politics/david-cameron-pig-sex-allegations-piggate/|title=Piggate explained—or, why everyone is talking about David Cameron and a dead pig|work=The Daily Dot|accessdate=21 September 2015}}</ref> ''[[The Independent]]'' reported that Cameron had told friends the claim was "utter nonsense".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dead-pig-allegations-are-utter-nonsense-david-cameron-tells-friends-10511399.html|title=Dead pig allegations are 'utter nonsense,' David Cameron tells friends|work=The Independent|date=21 September 2015|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref>
After being asked about the allegation, Downing Street said that it would not "dignify" the claim with a response. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-refuses-to-comment-on-claims-that-david-cameron-put-his-genitals-in-a-dead-pigs-mouth-at-university-10510692.html|title=David Cameron says he 'will not dignify' claims he put his genitals in the mouth of a dead pig|work=The Independent|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/downing-street-stays-silent-over-claims-david-cameron-put-genitals-in-a-dead-pigs-mouth-while-at-oxford-university-10510500.html|title=Downing Street stays silent over claims David Cameron put genitals in a dead pig's mouth while at Oxford University|work=The Independent|accessdate=21 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailydot.com/politics/david-cameron-pig-sex-allegations-piggate/|title=Piggate explained—or, why everyone is talking about David Cameron and a dead pig|work=The Daily Dot|accessdate=21 September 2015}}</ref> ''[[The Independent]]'' reported that Cameron had told friends the claim was "utter nonsense".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dead-pig-allegations-are-utter-nonsense-david-cameron-tells-friends-10511399.html|title=Dead pig allegations are 'utter nonsense,' David Cameron tells friends|work=The Independent|date=21 September 2015|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref> Cameron did not post a tweet on his [[Twitter]] account until 23rd September, whereupon he received a barrage of pig-sex-related replies.<ref name=”nsubuga”>{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2015/09/24/david-cameron-tweeted-for-the-first-time-since-piggate-and-it-didnt-go-very-well-5405621/|title=David Cameron tweeted for the first time since #piggate and it didn’t go very well|work=Metro|author=Jimmy Nsubuga|date=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref name=”allegretti”>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/23/david-cameron-piggate_n_8184162.html|title=David Cameron Given Searing Reaction By Twitter Users After First Post Since #Piggate|work=The Huffington Post UK|author=Aubrey Allegretti|date=23 September 2015}}</ref>


Cameron joked about the situation during a talk in Oxford later that week, stating "I've had an interesting week. It's a week in which thousands of trees have died in vain, sales of [[Supertramp]] albums have gone through the roof and one man's reputation lies in ruins. I don't think Michael Ashcroft will ever recover."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34363685|title=David Cameron jokes about Lord Ashcroft's book|work=BBC News}}</ref>
Cameron joked about the situation during a talk in Oxford later that week, stating "I've had an interesting week. It's a week in which thousands of trees have died in vain, sales of [[Supertramp]] albums have gone through the roof and one man's reputation lies in ruins. I don't think Michael Ashcroft will ever recover."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34363685|title=David Cameron jokes about Lord Ashcroft's book|work=BBC News}}</ref>

Revision as of 18:27, 28 September 2015

This article is part of
a series about
David Cameron
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
First ministry and term
Second ministry and term
Post-premiership

David Cameron's signature

"Piggate" is a political scandal in the United Kingdom that concerns the allegation that, during his university years,

The Daily Mail on 20 September 2015, prior to the book's publication.[1][2][3][4][5][6] They attribute the allegation to a Member of Parliament who was a "distinguished Oxford contemporary" of Cameron's.[7]

Ashcroft and Oakeshott failed to receive a response from the purported owner of the claimed photograph, and since the extract's publication no corroborating evidence has as yet been produced to support the allegation. In their book, Ashcroft and Oakeshott comment that "Perhaps it is a case of mistaken identity. Yet it is an elaborate story for an otherwise credible figure to invent."[7]

Downing Street said it would not "dignify" the allegation with a response, and Cameron said later that "a very specific denial was made a week ago".

Allegation

As a student at Oxford University, Cameron is purported to have inserted "a private part of his anatomy" into the mouth of a dead pig, as part of an initiation ceremony for the Piers Gaveston Society. The pig's head is said to have been resting on the lap of another society member during the act.[7]

Ashcroft and Oakeshott recount that a Member of Parliament and "distinguished Oxford contemporary" made the allegation "out of the blue" at a business dinner in June 2014. They initially assumed the statement to be a joke, but the MP repeated the allegation some weeks later, and for a third time with more detail some months after that. The MP claimed to have seen photographic evidence of the event, describing the dimensions of the alleged photograph and naming an individual who he claimed now possessed the image.[7]

Background

Lord Ashcroft had long been a supporter of UK's Conservative Party and was its biggest donor having donated around £10 million, before dropping his support for the party in 2013 due to conflicts with David Cameron, especially his refusal to give Ashcroft a senior role in government despite his donations.[8][9][10] Some commentators have interpreted the pig story and other allegations in the book as Ashcroft's revenge and reignition of the feud.[11][12]

Response

After being asked about the allegation, Downing Street said that it would not "dignify" the claim with a response. [13][14][15] The Independent reported that Cameron had told friends the claim was "utter nonsense".[16] Cameron did not post a tweet on his Twitter account until 23rd September, whereupon he received a barrage of pig-sex-related replies.[17][18]

Cameron joked about the situation during a talk in Oxford later that week, stating "I've had an interesting week. It's a week in which thousands of trees have died in vain, sales of Supertramp albums have gone through the roof and one man's reputation lies in ruins. I don't think Michael Ashcroft will ever recover."[19]

Six days after the story had broken, Cameron responded to a question about the issue saying: "Everyone can see why the book was written and everyone can see straight through it. As for the specific issue raised, a very specific denial was made a week ago and I’ve nothing to add to that."[20][21] At the time of the statement, Downing Street had made no on-the-record denial of the anecdote.[20]

Cameron also stated that he was deferring taking action at the present time to sue Ashcroft over the allegations because he was "too busy running the country", but did not rule out doing so at a later date.[21]

Reactions

Within minutes of the

"Gate" is a suffix sometimes applied to a word to give a name to a political scandal.) The name was quickly accepted by the media reporting on it.[24] This example of social media distraction was so great that there were concerns from some employers about the impact on workplace productivity.[25]

After the allegations surfaced, social media users quickly made connections to the

Sky New Zealand's official Twitter account advertised its airing of Black Mirror with a comment saying "A strangely prescient tale" and using the hashtag #piggate.[29]

Suzanne Moore in The Guardian[30] compared events to those related by Hunter S. Thompson[31] on Lyndon B. Johnson's campaigning, when a fabricated story that his opponent had a penchant for “carnal knowledge of his own barnyard sows” was to be spread. Although unbelievable, Johnson's purpose was to force his opponent to discuss it even in a refutation: “But let’s make the sonafabitch deny it.”

Journalist Soloman Hughes has argued that Ashcroft "has an 18th century attitude towards buying a place in government" and says that Ashcroft thought that his donations to the Conservative Party would provide him with a "shortcut" to a ministerial position. He says that when Cameron "didn't let Ashcroft buy a place in government", Ashcroft filled his book with "barely political smears". Hughes argues that this means the book "tells us something about our political world, but not much about David Cameron".[32]

Claims were made that the story was deliberately avoided by some media sources. The initial decision not to report on the allegations by the BBC and some other broadcasters was criticised by the assistant editor of The Independent, Ian Burrell, who described its choice to "dodge" the story of the day as "unacceptable".[33] The BBC covered the story from 21 September.[34]

Valentine Guinness, one of the founders of the Piers Gaveston Society was quoted by journalist Toby Young as saying that although David Cameron "may well have attended one of their parties", as far as he knew Cameron "was never a member of the Piers Gaveston Society", so would not have taken part in such an initiation ceremony. Guinness called the story "purely malicious gossip".[35]

The scandal also elicited response from other politicians as well as media such as a clip by

Next Media Animation.[39] HBO's satirical news program, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver also covered the scandal, saying 'bizarre is a kind way of describing it'.[40]

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn appeared to criticise the media's handling of the accusations, telling ITV News: “The media treatment of any politician unsubstantiated allegations, be it David Cameron, me or anyone else is wrong, too much of our media is obsessed with personality politics." [41]

UKIP leader Nigel Farage referred to the scandal in the context of the upcoming British European Union referendum. After noting that there was the “In” campaign and the “Out” camp, he reflected: "And then we've got the Prime Minister. Or should I call him, in this context, piggy in the middle".[42]

References

  1. ^ "Cameron biography: Ashcroft makes new debauchery claims about student days". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  2. ^ "David Cameron claims: Five things you need to know". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. ^ "David Cameron 'piggate' allegations: PM 'will not dignify' claims he put genitals in pig's mouth". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  4. ^ "#Piggate- Conservative association cancels planned pig racing night". Morley Observer. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Here's how politicians reacted to David Cameron's #piggate". Metro. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Twitter lampoons David Cameron over #piggate claim". USA Today. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d Michael Ashcroft and Isabel Oakeshott (20 September 2015). "Drugs, debauchery and the making of an extraordinary Prime Minister: For years rumours have dogged him. Now, the truth about the shockingly decadent Oxford days of the gifted Bullingdon boy". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Lord Ashcroft's Cameron biography bears hallmarks of revenge job". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Why David Cameron's 'Pig-Gate' Scandal Isn't Going Away". TIME. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  10. ^ "I'M still a Tory... but I wonder if Cameron is: Top donor Ashcroft drops his support for the party over PM's gay marriage 'obsession'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Lord Ashcroft gets his revenge on David Cameron: #piggate". Spectator. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Lord Ashcroft reignites bitter feud with David Cameron". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  13. ^ "David Cameron says he 'will not dignify' claims he put his genitals in the mouth of a dead pig". The Independent. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  14. ^ "Downing Street stays silent over claims David Cameron put genitals in a dead pig's mouth while at Oxford University". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Piggate explained—or, why everyone is talking about David Cameron and a dead pig". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Dead pig allegations are 'utter nonsense,' David Cameron tells friends". The Independent. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  17. ^ Jimmy Nsubuga (24 September 2015). "David Cameron tweeted for the first time since #piggate and it didn't go very well". Metro.
  18. ^ Aubrey Allegretti (23 September 2015). "David Cameron Given Searing Reaction By Twitter Users After First Post Since #Piggate". The Huffington Post UK.
  19. ^ "David Cameron jokes about Lord Ashcroft's book". BBC News.
  20. ^ a b "David Cameron publicly denies Lord Ashcroft pig allegation for first time". The Guardian. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  21. ^ a b http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-cameron-finally-comments-publicly-6529563
  22. ^ Stewart, Dan (21 Septemeber 2015). "Why David Cameron's 'Pig-Gate' Scandal Isn't Going Away". Retrieved 27 September 2015. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b "From #piggate to #Hameron: how Twitter reacted to David Cameron claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  24. ^ "What #PigGate Really Says About the State of British Politics". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  25. ^ Sheffield, Hazel (21 September 2015). "David Cameron pig allegations could harm UK productivity". Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  26. ^ "David Cameron pig allegations: Black Mirror episode in which a prime minister has sex with pig sees sudden spike in interest". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  27. ^ "9 questions about David Cameron's #PigGate you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  28. ^ "Charlie Brooker on Cameron and #piggate: 'I'd have been screaming it into traffic if I'd known'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  29. ^ "SKY New Zealand". Twitter. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  30. ^ Suzanne Moore (21 September 2015). "The David Cameron #piggate storm is a sideshow from the real issues. It's certainly effective". The Guardian.
  31. ISBN 1447206959
    .
  32. ^ "What the Story of the Billionaire Behind Pig-Gate Tells Us About British Politics". Vice. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  33. ^ Burrell, Ian. "The BBC's decision not to report the dead pig allegations against David Cameron is unacceptable". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  34. ^ "Lord Ashcroft 'not settling scores' with David Cameron book". BBC News. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  35. ^ Young, Toby (21 September 2015). "Is that really the best Lord Ashcroft could dig up?". Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  36. ^ "Politicians Smell Blood As They Begin To Respond To David Cameron #PigGate Allegations". Huffington Post. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  37. ^ "Councillors poke fun at Cameron piggate scandal". Western Morning News. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  38. ^ "Cassetteboy has mashed up David Cameron's speeches into 'Gettin' Piggy With it'". Metro. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  39. ^ Bloom, Dan (22 Sep 2015). "Taiwanese animators take on PigGate — and it's every bit as horrible as you think". Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  40. ^ "John Oliver Mocks 'Noted Swine Fellatio Enthusiast' David Cameron". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  41. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn Says Piggate Scandal Risks Distracting From Real Issues And World Peace". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  42. ^ Matt Dathan (25 September 2015). "Nigel Farage mocks David Cameron with 'piggy in the middle' jibe". independent.co.uk. Nigel Farage has mocked David Cameron over claims he put his genitals in a dead pig's mouth while at university, referring to the Prime Minister as "piggy in the middle".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Piggate&oldid=683186248"