Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Simon Jeffery

Bigotgate: the birth of a hashtag

A trendsmap from Twitter showing what people across the UK are Tweeting about this afternoon
Bigotgate spreads across the UK: a Trendsmap from Twitter shows what people across the UK are Tweeting about this afternoon. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Around half an hour after Twitter "discovered" the amusingly-musical website of Tory candidate Greg Knight, it had moved on to the next big thing – Gordon Brown calling a 65-year-old Rochdale woman "bigoted".

So #bigotgate soon began to trend on the site worldwide and up popped fake accounts for Gillian Duffy, who is probably entitled to feel mystified since she had only popped out for a loaf of bread when she ran into the prime minister and an open mic.

And it carried on and on. Above is a map showing Twitter trends from around 3.30pm this afternoon, when the UK's two major 24 news channels turned over their live coverage for more than 45 minutes to rolling footage of a closed door.

It was, as an old joke has it, the biggest thing to happen to Rochdale since Cyril Smith.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.