News / Brexit

Bristol Brexit Bongs: celebration bells or death knell?

By Hope Riley  Friday Jan 31, 2020

A retired University of Bristol academic has made a striking connection between Big Ben and a feature of his Hotwells home.

Leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, recently failed to secure Big Ben’s bongs to mark the moment when Britain finally exits the EU on Friday.

But on a recent evening, when John Bradfield was playing host to his local reading group, a neighbour of his noted the similarity between Big Ben and the wall-mounted clock in his kitchen that sounds a lovely Westminster-like chime as it strikes the hour.

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Following his neighbour’s observation, John had originally planned to forward a video of his clock chiming directly to Boris Johnson.

On second thoughts, he settled for circulating the video among his friends for their use as a Big Ben substitute at 11pm on Friday evening.

But the bongs at 11pm will not bring good cheer for John, who is a passionate remainer.

He said: “The bongs represent more of a death toll than a cause for celebration.”

Main photo thanks to John Bradfield.

Read more: Bristol artist’s symbolic SOS to EU

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