UK politicians hold a tearful vigil for a clock because they clearly have nothing better to do
Just in case you were in any doubt about the world falling apart, British politicians confirmed our worst fears today by holding a silent vigil for a bell. Big Ben, to be precise.
At midday on Monday, Big Ben sounded its final bong for four years. The iconic Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and the Great Clock, will be undergoing repairs and the bell must be stopped for the safety of the workers.
The only thing is: the bell will still ring on special occasions. So, it's technically not going to be silent for the next four years. Nonetheless, a group of MPs with nothing better to do decided to hold a silent vigil. It's not like the country's in the midst of Brexit chaos.
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The vigil's ringleader Stephen Pound MP told the Telegraph the vigil intended to mark the passing of "something that you don't know you've got until it's gone."
"There are a group of us who are going to stand there with heads bowed and hope in our hearts, in supplication and sadness, marking the passing of this great tradition of ours," said Pound.
Pound even appeared to shed a tear during the vigil. But, this was likely part of an elaborate prank to troll the media during silly season.
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Peter Bone MP seemed to take the vigil very seriously indeed when questioned by Sky News about his priorities. "Why are we damaging one of the most iconic symbols of Britain," he asked.
But, when Sky journalist Lewis Goodall mentioned the recent Grenfell Tower disaster, and asked Bone whether he'd attended a vigil there, Bone declared him "naughty" for asking such a question.
"MPs are sending a signal about what they care about and where they show up," Goodall said.
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Even the Prime Minister Theresa May spoke out about this apparent crisis saying it "can't be right" for the clock to fall silent for four years.
It seems many MPs may have an entirely different set of priorities to its public. While we're wondering what the future holds for Brexit Britain, our elected representatives are pretending to cry about a clock.
Silly season has reached a new low.
Topics Government Politics
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
