Slapstick comedy is one of the great things about the British General Election campaign. At every election, you can guarantee that at least one politician will be pelted with an egg.
In fact, throwing an egg at a politician is probably a democratic right enshrined in the Magna Carta or the 1689 Bill of Rights.
During the 1992 General Election campaign, then Prime Minister John Major was hit in the side of his head by an egg, which cut his face. But he still went on to surprisingly win the election.
Probably the most notorious incident occurred during the 2001 General Election campaign, when then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was egged whilst on the campaign trail in Rhyl. This angered him so much that he threw a punch at the egg thrower!
Today, Tory leader David Cameron became the first politician to be egged in this campaign, when a hoodie launched one at him after he had finished a question and answer session with students at a school in Saltash, Cornwall. The perpetrator was arrested but was later released.
This attack comes the day after Cameron was pursued by a journalist from the Daily Mirror (a Labour supporting newspaper) dressed up as a chicken.
After being egged today, Cameron joked: 'Now I know which came first - the chicken not the egg.'
David Cameron is egged by student protester but laughs it off as 'first of the campaign'
By Niall Firth
21st April 2010
Daily Mail
The chicken, then the egg: One of Cameron's security men confronts the Daily Mirror chicken yesterday which stalked Cameron in Tamworth, Staffordshire. Today, Cameron was egged.
It is an election campaign event as predictable and as time-honoured as kissing babies.
And today David Cameron became the first politician in this election campaign to have an egg hurled at him by a member of the public.
The Tory leader was left with a slimy trail of egg and shell down the back of his clean, white shirt after a 16-year-old student pelted him as he left a school in Cornwall.
But he was relaxed about the attack, joking as he walked out that 'it was the first one of the campaign'.
Mr Cameron had been taking questions from students in Saltash and the protester struck just as he was leaving.
Eyewitness said the young man who threw the egg was immediately led away.
Mr Cameron, who was yesterday confronted by a giant chicken (a Daily Mirror reporter in costume), joked afterwards:
'Now I know which came first - the chicken not the egg.'
The egg struck Mr Cameron's shoulder, but it was his protection officer who took the full force of the mess.
The 16-year-old student was arrested and then quickly released after police established he did not have any more missiles with him, a Tory aide said.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'It was a 16-year-old student that threw an egg.
'It didn't hit David Cameron but it hit someone else at the event. He was arrested but was de-arrested before reaching a police station.'
A spokeswoman for Cornwall College said: 'We are delighted that our students had the opportunity to meet David Cameron today to discuss issues relevant to them.
'It was a terrific event with some great questions and real interest in the election.
'We are extremely disappointed that the actions of one student marred this otherwise excellent opportunity to engage students in the election process.'
Later, on an impromptu walkabout in Torbay, Mr Cameron quipped: 'I've had my first egg, now for my first ice cream.'
The egg attack comes after the Tory leader came face to face with the chicken during a walkabout on the streets of the marginal seat of Tamworth, Staffordshire yesterday.
He tried to turn the tables by giving the bird man a hug, removing his chicken head to talk to him face to face and asking him what question he wanted to ask (today, the Mirror qupped: "We were left with the sight of two headless chickens.").
Mr Cameron's laid-back reaction to today's attack is in stark contrast to John Prescott, who famously threw a punch when he was egged during the 2001 election campaign.
The incident overshadowed Labour's manifesto launch but opinion polls showed it did Mr Prescott no harm and actually may have made him more popular.
And an egg was hurled at John Major's head just three days before the general election in 1992.
Millions of TV viewers watched as the egg shattered near Mr Major's right ear, cut his cheek and splattered over his suit during a visit to a supermarket at Hedge End near Eastleigh, Hampshire.
The moment helped garner Mr Major some sympathy in the crucial lead-up until polling day and was credited with helping him overhaul Neil Kinnock's commanding lead.
David Cameron may secretly hope his own minor pelting will give him a similar boost.
Deja vu: Then PM John Major wipes his face after an egg attack in 1992 and then Deputy PM John Prescott bears the remnants of his own egging in Rhyl in 2001. Bruiser Prescott threw a punch at the protester.
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David Cameron's egg joke and the Top 10 best egg gags
By Mirror.co.uk
21/04/2010
David Cameron was hit by an egg today and then joked that he knew which came first - the chicken then the egg - referring to the Daily Mirror's giant chicken which has been following him around all week.
Here we pick our Top 10 best egg jokes...
What do you call an egg that goes on safari? An Eggs-plorer
Why did the egg go to school? To get egg-u-cated
How did the egg get up the mountain? It scrambled up
What happened to the egg when he was tickled too much? He cracked up
What sport are eggs good at? Running
How do eggs stay healthy? They eggs-ercise
What do you call an egg from outer space? Eggs-traterrestrial
How did the eggs leave the motorway? They took the eggs-it
What do you call a sleeping egg? Eggs-hausted
What day do eggs hate the most? Fry-days
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In fact, throwing an egg at a politician is probably a democratic right enshrined in the Magna Carta or the 1689 Bill of Rights.
During the 1992 General Election campaign, then Prime Minister John Major was hit in the side of his head by an egg, which cut his face. But he still went on to surprisingly win the election.
Probably the most notorious incident occurred during the 2001 General Election campaign, when then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was egged whilst on the campaign trail in Rhyl. This angered him so much that he threw a punch at the egg thrower!
Today, Tory leader David Cameron became the first politician to be egged in this campaign, when a hoodie launched one at him after he had finished a question and answer session with students at a school in Saltash, Cornwall. The perpetrator was arrested but was later released.
This attack comes the day after Cameron was pursued by a journalist from the Daily Mirror (a Labour supporting newspaper) dressed up as a chicken.
After being egged today, Cameron joked: 'Now I know which came first - the chicken not the egg.'
David Cameron is egged by student protester but laughs it off as 'first of the campaign'
By Niall Firth
21st April 2010
Daily Mail
The chicken, then the egg: One of Cameron's security men confronts the Daily Mirror chicken yesterday which stalked Cameron in Tamworth, Staffordshire. Today, Cameron was egged.
It is an election campaign event as predictable and as time-honoured as kissing babies.
And today David Cameron became the first politician in this election campaign to have an egg hurled at him by a member of the public.
The Tory leader was left with a slimy trail of egg and shell down the back of his clean, white shirt after a 16-year-old student pelted him as he left a school in Cornwall.
But he was relaxed about the attack, joking as he walked out that 'it was the first one of the campaign'.
David Cameron's shirt bears a stain after an egg was thrown at him by a 16-year-old student in Saltash, Cornwall today
No yolk: A videograb of the moment a student, in a grey sweater, stood up to pelt the Tory leader with the egg during a visit to Cornwall College
Mr Cameron had been taking questions from students in Saltash and the protester struck just as he was leaving.
Eyewitness said the young man who threw the egg was immediately led away.
Mr Cameron, who was yesterday confronted by a giant chicken (a Daily Mirror reporter in costume), joked afterwards:
'Now I know which came first - the chicken not the egg.'
Hug a hoodie? The 16-year-old student is led away but was later 'de-arrested'
The egg struck Mr Cameron's shoulder, but it was his protection officer who took the full force of the mess.
The 16-year-old student was arrested and then quickly released after police established he did not have any more missiles with him, a Tory aide said.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'It was a 16-year-old student that threw an egg.
'It didn't hit David Cameron but it hit someone else at the event. He was arrested but was de-arrested before reaching a police station.'
A spokeswoman for Cornwall College said: 'We are delighted that our students had the opportunity to meet David Cameron today to discuss issues relevant to them.
'It was a terrific event with some great questions and real interest in the election.
'We are extremely disappointed that the actions of one student marred this otherwise excellent opportunity to engage students in the election process.'
Later, on an impromptu walkabout in Torbay, Mr Cameron quipped: 'I've had my first egg, now for my first ice cream.'
The egg attack comes after the Tory leader came face to face with the chicken during a walkabout on the streets of the marginal seat of Tamworth, Staffordshire yesterday.
David Cameron laughed off his egging with a 99 at the English Riviera in Devon
He tried to turn the tables by giving the bird man a hug, removing his chicken head to talk to him face to face and asking him what question he wanted to ask (today, the Mirror qupped: "We were left with the sight of two headless chickens.").
Mr Cameron's laid-back reaction to today's attack is in stark contrast to John Prescott, who famously threw a punch when he was egged during the 2001 election campaign.
The incident overshadowed Labour's manifesto launch but opinion polls showed it did Mr Prescott no harm and actually may have made him more popular.
And an egg was hurled at John Major's head just three days before the general election in 1992.
Millions of TV viewers watched as the egg shattered near Mr Major's right ear, cut his cheek and splattered over his suit during a visit to a supermarket at Hedge End near Eastleigh, Hampshire.
The moment helped garner Mr Major some sympathy in the crucial lead-up until polling day and was credited with helping him overhaul Neil Kinnock's commanding lead.
David Cameron may secretly hope his own minor pelting will give him a similar boost.
Deja vu: Then PM John Major wipes his face after an egg attack in 1992 and then Deputy PM John Prescott bears the remnants of his own egging in Rhyl in 2001. Bruiser Prescott threw a punch at the protester.
*********************************************
David Cameron's egg joke and the Top 10 best egg gags
By Mirror.co.uk
21/04/2010
David Cameron was hit by an egg today and then joked that he knew which came first - the chicken then the egg - referring to the Daily Mirror's giant chicken which has been following him around all week.
Here we pick our Top 10 best egg jokes...
What do you call an egg that goes on safari? An Eggs-plorer
Why did the egg go to school? To get egg-u-cated
How did the egg get up the mountain? It scrambled up
What happened to the egg when he was tickled too much? He cracked up
What sport are eggs good at? Running
How do eggs stay healthy? They eggs-ercise
What do you call an egg from outer space? Eggs-traterrestrial
How did the eggs leave the motorway? They took the eggs-it
What do you call a sleeping egg? Eggs-hausted
What day do eggs hate the most? Fry-days
dailymail.co.uk
mirror.co.uk
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