Looking back at the most absurd Brexit memes

Hoo-boy

Wowee.

Whether you voted to Leave or Remain back in June 2016, there’s one thing the whole nation can agree on: Brexit is a massive dumpster fire right now.

It’s only January, but Theresa May has already faced a historic defeat this year when she put her Brexit deal to a vote in parliament. MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject the deal. 

One thing was clear: very, very few people were happy with it - some because it’s too Brexity, and others, because it’s not Brexity enough. 

People started to wonder if there would ever be a way out of this?

Theresa May and her government then faced a vote of no confidence, initiated by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. 

There were a few ambitious types standing by to step into the role of prime minster, y’know – just in case things didn't go May's way. 

And then there was that government leak about who else might be in the running:

But the government survived the no confidence vote by 19 votes – leaving many impressed at the PM's staying power. 

And asking Jeremy Corbyn - what was the point of all that? 

Luckily, among the gloom and doom, there have been a few funny Brexit moments over the last few months. Remember when the PM arrived in Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel?

Basically, Theresa May got stuck in her car - leaving Merkel standing awkwardly nearby, looking around.

Naturally, people were quick to point out what a perfect visual metaphor for the Brexit process it was...

Some said it was as if it had been written by Armando Iannucci - the comedy brain behind The Thick of It and Veep.

Sure, for many people Brexit has been the cause of anger and a fair bit of heartbreak, but how do you get through these uncertain times without a bit of humour?

With that in mind, here are some of the most unintentionally hilarious Brexit moments - and memes – we’ve seen.

With so much attention on parliament, some politicians have been enjoying the spotlight even more than normal. 

Enter: John Bercow, Speaker of the House. As Speaker, you’d expect he has a pretty tough job keeping all those rowdy MPs in check. Well, it seems he’s developed his own, err, unique style. 

“Zen, restraint, patience” – that’s what he asks of parliament. And yet, more often than not, he needs to whip out his catchphrase – and the internet is obsessed.

Tbf, it’s a pretty handy phrase for everyday life. Whether you’re ordering in... 

...or grabbing a cup of coffee. 

And that’s not his only phrase you can take from parliament and apply in real life. 

While you may be a fan of his inimitable style, you wouldn’t exactly want to be on the receiving end of the hair-dryer treatment – so spare a thought for his pet cat who is aptly named ‘Order’.

What do a Hollywood actress, a former James Bond, and an imaginary animal have to do with Brexit? Very. Good. Question. 

Now, ever since this whole Brexit thing started, people have been looking for that “perfect” deal that satisfies all shades of Leave and Remain – aka the Brexit unicorn. As you can imagine, sightings have been limited: 

Well, the search for the unobtainable just went up a notch. According to the The Times' Red Box newsletter, in a recent cabinet meeting, environment secretary, Michael Gove, was reported to have said that those expecting the “perfect” Brexit deal were like "mid-fifties swingers waiting for Scarlett Johansson to turn up". Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, then chipped in: "Or Pierce Brosnan." 

Finally, justice secretary, David Gauke, took the search next level, saying that those refusing to accept Theresa May’s deal were hoping for Scarlett Johansson to turn up riding the unicorn – aka not going to happen. And so, a new visual for Brexit was born, courtesy of Matt Chorley's Red Box newsletter.  

Finally, a Brexit analogy we can understand.

Grab the mace by the horns

Just another day in UK politics - the prime minister calls off a crucial vote on Brexit at the eleventh hour, so an MP protests by politely grabbing the parliamentary mace. 

Yep - nothing odd about that sequence of events at all.

The mace represents the royal authority of parliament, external, and it’s something of a tradition for MPs to grab it when they want to protest something. He looked pretty awkward about it all, which just makes it funnier.

But knowing that doesn’t make it any less absurd.

Naturally, people outside of the UK were a bit confused…

But we reckon this is the best explanation.

Really, aren’t all politicians really just kids drawing penises on the walls of the nation? (Juuuust kidding...)

A typo, or a… chilling prediction? *Cue spooky music*

As BBC News’ North America editor spotted, CNN wrote in an online headline that Britain could be cancelled.

What they actually meant - or at least, what we assume they meant - was that Brexit could be cancelled. Not Britain. Brexit.

Marry me, eye-rolling girl!

Last November (aka, a million years ago), a student called Harriet Ellis rolled her eyes behind former Ukip leader and ardent Brexiteer, Nigel Farage, during a televised Brexit debate on Channel 4.

And for some people in the country - approximately 48% or so - she became an instant national hero.

So much so that Harriet ended up getting inundated with offers of marriage - something she told BBC Newsbeat that her boyfriend “definitely isn’t too happy about”.

After being spotted going for it on the dance floor in South Africa last August, external, Theresa May decided to poke fun at herself at the Conservative conference last October.

Instead of just walking onto the stage, she did a little jig towards the podium - while Dancing Queen by Abba played in the background.

And as you can imagine, people had a lot to say.

The Swedish ambassador, for example, was a big fan...

Although others... weren't so into it...

But at least Abba's Björn Ulvaeus gave her 10/10 for effort.

When it comes to Brexit, it seems subtlety really has gone out of the window.

Last October, ardent anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller staged a photoshoot to try and show how fragile the situation with the Irish border was.

And how did she do this, you ask?

Well...

Yep, that's Gina, standing at the Irish border with a load of tape saying FRAGILE - the type of tape you wrap around your Grandma's Christmas present before sticking it in the post, but rolled out across a road like police tape.

It's a bit 'on the nose' to say the least - and people just could not resist ripping into it.

Although it gave us all a new reaction pic...

Or, potentially, a dark new crime drama.

Hey, we'd watch it.

When Brexit, Love Island and trees were all said in the same sentence

Remember last summer? There was a searing heatwave, and Love Island was everyone’s guilty bit of escapism. Bliss.

Then, randomly, the Love Islanders decided to chat about Brexit.

“What do you think about Brexit?” Georgia asked the group - to which Hayley replied, “What’s that?”

After a brief discussion about what Brexit could mean for the UK, Hayley asked, “So does that mean we won’t have any trees?”

WELL, after having a good old laugh, everyone had to eat their hats because a bunch of EU experts came out of the woodwork (pun not intended - we promise) to clarify that yes, there is a suggestion Brexit could impact tree and plant imports, external.

Hayley’s Brexit insights were so valuable that she was later invited to put her questions to the BBC’s Brussels guy, Adam Fleming.

And finally…

Tweets are like fine wines: they have the potential to age very well - if they’re put out at the right time and in the right place.

This 2015 tweet, posted by the then-PM David Cameron before that year’s general election, is not one of these tweets.

Yes, we know it’s three years old - but we’ve honestly seen this tweet more over the past year than we did back in 2015.

Theresa May changes her Brexit approach last July? People retweeted this tweet.

Last November’s day of mass Cabinet resignations? People retweeted this tweet.

When they announced that confidence vote in the PM? You bet your butt people retweeted this tweet.

And it's even doing the rounds in real life...

Perhaps that's why it got people thinking about Ed Miliband and his big - errr - culinary moment again. 

The twisted irony here is that this tweet has aged so badly that it’s become a meme - which, perversely, kind of means it’s... aged well?

As you can see, the last year or so has been wild for absolutely everybody involved - and with the Brexit due-date looming, it promises to get even wilder.