SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked by a polite but firm voter to "please leave" the town of Morley in Yorkshire, England on Thursday. Johnson is informally campaigning ahead of an expected general election in October. (Photo: Rui Vieira - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
WATCH: Viral Video Shows British Voter Politely Imploring Johnson to 'Please Leave My Town' Ahead of Potential Election
The prime minister has begun informally campaigning ahead of a potential October 15 general election amid Parliamentary chaos over Brexit
Sep 06, 2019
A polite but direct British man in the town of Morley, Yorkshire on Thursday kicked off the viral hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown after making that request of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was visiting the northern town as part of an informal campaign ahead of a potential general election in October.
While the prime minister was crossing a street in Morley, a man approached him to shake his hand, saying only, "Please leave my town."
Watch:
Video of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the original video garnering more than 30,000 retweets in a matter of hours. Some northerners said the voter had spoken on behalf of many in the region.
The phrase became a rallying cry for Brits who have already decided they won't support Johnson and the Conservative Party if there is a general election on October 15. The prime minister demanded an election following the defeat of his no-deal Brexit proposal in the House of Commons this week.
Johnson's term as prime minister, which began less than two months ago, has been marked by chaos in Parliament amid debate over the divisive issue of Brexit. Johnson was hoping to complete Brexit by October 31--with or without a deal.
The prime minister has been faced with questions in recent days over whether he will resign, a possibility the government did not rule out Friday, after his proposal was rejected and a number of Conservative lawmakers abandoned him, leaving him with a minority government.
In the U.S., one observer called on Americans to display the same firm rejection of President Donald Trump, should he appear in their towns.
"Let's all strive to be the 'Please Leave My Town' guy when Donald Trump stops by," the user tweeted.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A polite but direct British man in the town of Morley, Yorkshire on Thursday kicked off the viral hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown after making that request of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was visiting the northern town as part of an informal campaign ahead of a potential general election in October.
While the prime minister was crossing a street in Morley, a man approached him to shake his hand, saying only, "Please leave my town."
Watch:
Video of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the original video garnering more than 30,000 retweets in a matter of hours. Some northerners said the voter had spoken on behalf of many in the region.
The phrase became a rallying cry for Brits who have already decided they won't support Johnson and the Conservative Party if there is a general election on October 15. The prime minister demanded an election following the defeat of his no-deal Brexit proposal in the House of Commons this week.
Johnson's term as prime minister, which began less than two months ago, has been marked by chaos in Parliament amid debate over the divisive issue of Brexit. Johnson was hoping to complete Brexit by October 31--with or without a deal.
The prime minister has been faced with questions in recent days over whether he will resign, a possibility the government did not rule out Friday, after his proposal was rejected and a number of Conservative lawmakers abandoned him, leaving him with a minority government.
In the U.S., one observer called on Americans to display the same firm rejection of President Donald Trump, should he appear in their towns.
"Let's all strive to be the 'Please Leave My Town' guy when Donald Trump stops by," the user tweeted.
A polite but direct British man in the town of Morley, Yorkshire on Thursday kicked off the viral hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown after making that request of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was visiting the northern town as part of an informal campaign ahead of a potential general election in October.
While the prime minister was crossing a street in Morley, a man approached him to shake his hand, saying only, "Please leave my town."
Watch:
Video of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the original video garnering more than 30,000 retweets in a matter of hours. Some northerners said the voter had spoken on behalf of many in the region.
The phrase became a rallying cry for Brits who have already decided they won't support Johnson and the Conservative Party if there is a general election on October 15. The prime minister demanded an election following the defeat of his no-deal Brexit proposal in the House of Commons this week.
Johnson's term as prime minister, which began less than two months ago, has been marked by chaos in Parliament amid debate over the divisive issue of Brexit. Johnson was hoping to complete Brexit by October 31--with or without a deal.
The prime minister has been faced with questions in recent days over whether he will resign, a possibility the government did not rule out Friday, after his proposal was rejected and a number of Conservative lawmakers abandoned him, leaving him with a minority government.
In the U.S., one observer called on Americans to display the same firm rejection of President Donald Trump, should he appear in their towns.
"Let's all strive to be the 'Please Leave My Town' guy when Donald Trump stops by," the user tweeted.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.