A hilarious moment in politics happened in the autumn of 1983, when the Labour party, which was still licking its wounds after a thumping defeat in that year's General Election, had just voted in Welshman Neil Kinnock as its party leader. The party conference was held in Brighton that year, and the election of Kinnock and his deputy Roy Hattersley was widely regarded as the 'dream ticket'; two astute politicians who would reform the party and restore its credibility to the British public.
All of that came crashing down within days, as the new leader made an ill-judged decision to stroll onto the beach with wife Glenys; intending to give the cameramen a scoop by pledging to 'walk on the water', instead the water literally swept him off his feet causing an undignified and embarrassing tumble into the sand, whereupon the tide washed over the prone politician. The clip was replayed over and over again on television, destroying the leader's credibility before he even had a chance to establish himself.
His career as leader never really recovered from that moment; the satirical puppet show 'Spitting Image' which launched a year later, used the clip in its opening titles and lampooned him mercilessly (among many others, it should be said) while the tabloid press had a field day with the gaffe. Nevertheless, he did instigate many changes to the party and while never really getting within striking distance of Number 10 himself, he did do a lot to start the Labour Party back towards electability. Kinnock later served with the European Commission before accepting a life peerage in 2005. Even that caused criticism, since he had been a vocal opponent of the House of Lords while Leader of the Opposition.
Once again for the amusement of anyone who remembers it, here's Neil Kinnock being swept away by the tide:
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