Rivals snigger as Miliband sets promises in stone

LONDON: Britain's Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has unveiled an 8 foot (2.4 metres) tall stone tablet engraved with his promises to voters ahead of a May 7 election, drawing ridicule on social media and from political rivals who likened it to a tombstone.

With four days to go until the vote, polls show Miliband's party is neck and neck with Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, with neither expected to win a majority.

In an attempt to convince swing voters he can be trusted to keep his election promises, Miliband unveiled the limestone monument containing manifesto pledges on the economy, living standards, healthcare, immigration and housing.

"These six pledges are now carved in stone," he said. "They are carved in stone because they won't be abandoned after the general election." Critics of the stunt said it risked looking like an election gimmick that could ultimately backfire and damage Miliband, whose 'geeky' image and leadership abilities have been attacked by rivals throughout the election campaign.

Miliband said if he won, the stone would be installed in the garden of the official Prime Minister's residence in Downing Street, London.
When asked about the tablet at a campaign event, a clearly amused Cameron referred to it as a "tombstone" and said it wouldn't help convince voters of Miliband's judgement.

Social media users quickly mocked the stunt, manipulating images to depict Miliband as biblical figure Moses alongside the Ten Commandments, while other edited alternative unflattering messages onto the stone. On Twitter, the hashtag #EdStone accumulated more than 10,000 posts.

"There isn't a single sentient being with connecting synapses anywhere in any planet in any universe who could think that was a good idea," said John Crace, a sketch writer for the Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper which last week endorsed Miliband for prime minister.