Brexit billboard crusaders: Four 'working dads' are holding politicians to account

 Brexit billboard crusaders: Four 'working dads' are holding politicians to account
Copyright Twitter/@ByDonkeys
Copyright Twitter/@ByDonkeys
By Emma Beswick
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

Four 'working dads' are the billboard campaigners holding politicians to account over Brexit armed with ladders, roller brushes and 'damning statements from leaders'.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I feel like a heist has been carried out on my country," one of the men behind the billboard campaign that is sweeping the UK told Euronews.

With three friends, he has pasted tweets and quotes on billboards across the UK, holding politicians to account for what they have said about Brexit.

"It's like we watched the robbers escape with the money and now we're going after them armed with ladders, roller brushes and damning statements from our leaders," he added.

'Brexiters promised the earth and got away with it'

The four "working dads", who wish to remain anonymous, came up with the idea for the Led By Donkeys project at the pub and "borrowed advertising real estate from companies who could afford it" for their first "guerilla" posters.

They started out with tweets from former Prime Minister David Cameron and ex-Secretary of State David Davis, going on to feature those of Conservative MPs Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

"We were angry that Brexiters promised the earth and got away with it," the spokesman said.

Twitter/@ByDonkeys
Billboard in Ilkley in YorkshireTwitter/@ByDonkeys
Twitter/@ByDonkeys
Billboard on Tower Street in DoverTwitter/@ByDonkeys

Their wrath hasn't been reserved for Tory politicians, with a recent billboard in London taking a swipe at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose critics say has failed to make his position on Brexit known.

Twitter/@ByDonkeys
A billboard in Jeremy Corbyn's North Islington constituencyTwitter/@ByDonkeys

Such was the campaign's popularity that the group set up a crowdfunding page, which garnered £50,000 (€57,079) in 36 hours. The total stood at just over £156,554 (€178,721) at the time of writing.

"We spend the money responsibly," the group's spokesman said. "Our aim is to remind people that our leaders said the EU would crumble before Britain's awesome negotiating power when what actually happened is the other countries showed a united front."

They estimate that, on average, the rental of a billboard costs £1,000 and this is what the group has pledged to spend the money on.

Indeed, one issue with their so-called guerilla tactics was that the owners of the advertising space took down their posters, often within a day of them being put up.

Twitter/@ByDonkeys
A backlit billboard at Nottingham County football groundTwitter/@ByDonkeys

'We get a demand every two or three minutes'

Led By Donkeys has put posters up across England, Wales and Scotland and would like to further their efforts to Northern Ireland.

They do recognise that their small team has its limits, though, as they are dads, working full time, and running the campaign "in that order".

"It's difficult, we get a demand every two or three minutes," the spokesman explained.

The group's wish for the future is simple — they don't want any politicians to be able to leave a TV studio or meeting with constituents without being held to account on Brexit.

"We'll react according to the political reality that emerges in the next few weeks," they said of their next steps.

Do you like what Euronews does? Click to sign up for our twice-daily WhatsApp newsletter, a selection of the top stories from around Europe, and download our smartphone app for Android or Apple.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

EU can still compromise over Brexit, ex-Commission president says

France denies softening stance on Irish backstop

First deportation flights to Rwanda set to leave UK in a few months