New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Politics
  2. Media
31 May 2016

David Cameron is enlisting a tactic from a Private Eye cartoon to get young people to vote

CringeyMcCringeFace. 

By Media Mole

Your mole was heartened to learn last week David Cameron is concerned about the youth vote in the upcoming EU referendum – so much so that he has recruited some bona fide yoof experts to get them to the polling station.

We waited with baited breath to see what the experts – Facebook, Uber, a brand called Snap Fashion, and purveyors of blokey news The Lad Bible – would come up with in their brainstorming session. A sophisticated Facebeook ad campaign? Polling station Ubers? Get the lads out on the doorsteps?

Instead, the wise millennial prophets (specifically the founder of Snap Fashion) came up with “VoteyMcVoteFace”, a campaign in which young people would share pictures of their “vote face” on social media, which launched over the weekend. Because the young love selfies, you see. And they all wanted that boat to have that silly name

According to the Financial Times, a source said David Cameron was pleased with the idea. “The PM believes it is essential that we all do everything we can to encourage more young people to register to vote in a referendum that will have such a huge impact on their future.”

He may be less pleased to know that the idea was in fact touted before – according to James Cook’s Twitter feed, in Private Eye:

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Your mole hasn’t ascertained which issue the cartoon appeared in, though images of it were being shared as early as 13 May

Great minds think alike. Your mole would have opted for Quiet Millennial Batpeople, personally. 

Content from our partners
No health, no growth
Tackling cancer waiting times
Kickstarting growth: will complex health issues be ignored?