I’m sure you’ve probably heard by now (most probably from twitter), but in case you haven’t, today is twitter’s 7th birthday. Whether you tweet your political views, political quotes, use it to pick fights, spend all day trying to squeeze something witty with just the right amount of political depth into 140 characters, or think it’s all just a waste of time, there’s no doubt that in those 7 years twitter has changed politics. Over 400 MPs are now on twitter and a single tweet can endear a politician to the public, make them public enemy number one, or even a complete laughing stock. Now, courtesy of Fred Metcalf’s Biteback Dictionary of Humorous Political Quotations and Phil Mason and Matthew Parris’ Is That Mic Off? More Things Politicians Wish They Hadn’t Said, we present a light-hearted look (because we love politics really) at some of our favourite things said on or about twitter, from politicians, journalists and observers alike. Make sure you tweet us your favourite political tweets as well, or let us know on facebook.
1. I’m in House Chamber waiting for Netanyahoo to address Congress.
Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa mixing up Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an internet channel in a Twitter message, May 2011, illustrating the modern pitfalls of using social media to announce one’s importance (and ignorance).
2. Sad to hear that Bob Holness has died. A generation will remember him fondly from Blackbusters
Labour leader Ed Miliband attempting to chime with the modern world by maintaining a Twitter feed, getting mixed up on the name of Holness’s show, Blockbusters, January 2012.
3. From someone else fine but I do not want my fingerprints on the story.
Chris Huhne caught by a mistakenly published message on Twitter, advising a journalist on a smear story alleging plagiarism in a speech by his coalition Cabinet colleague, Conservative Home Secretary Theresa May, October 2011.
4. You know I think I might be completely sober for the first time in four days.
Stuart MacLennan, Labour candidate for Moray, in one of several dubious observations published on his Twitter page which led to his sacking less than a week into the campaign.
5. I always get my shits from Marks and Spencer.
Eric Pickles missing out a key letter in a message about his shirt buying, posted on, and quickly retracted from, his Twitter page, 15 April.
6. Tourist in Whitehall to copper. What side is Foreign Office on? That’s a good question, sir.
Andrew Neil, British journalist, tweet, 2012
7. It’s never worked before, but let’s try again.
Oliver Cooper, tweet #socialismineightwords, Twitter, December 2011
8. Cameron offers Scotland the ‘haggis’ agreement. No one will ever be quite sure what’s in it.
Alan Mills, tweet, February 2012
9. Too many tweets make a twat.
David Cameron, Conservative Prime Minister, 2009
10. I mean Twitter is edgy and you know it provokes debate. It looks on this occasion as if it has caused a serious problem and we need to go back and look at that.
Labour MP David Wright adopting a distancing trick after posting a message on the social networking site in March 2010 insulting the archetypal Conservative as a ‘scum-sucking pig’. Seemingly, to Wright, it was Twitter, not the message, that ‘caused’ the problem.