Political Pig Races Predict May 7 British Election

The campaign to be Great Britain's next Prime Minister is turning out to be a real dog fight -- and also a pig race.

From now until the May 7 election, Pennywell Farms in southwest England is holding daily pig races featuring swine racers inspired by the Prime Minister candidates from the major parties, Reuters reports.

For instance, the pig version of current Prime Minister David Cameron is named "David Hameron." Ed Milbrad, Cameron's competitor from the Labor Party, has a pig namesake in "Ed Swiliband."

Pigs and politicians have a lot in common, according to farm owner Chris Murray.

"[Pigs] do share several characteristics with politicians, they like to have their snout in the trough sometimes," Murray told Reuters. "Sometimes they can make you feel pig sick, often they are hamming it up."

The political pigs race through a 150-yard course with four jumps -- Bacon Brook, Trotters Turn, The Trough and Hogs Hurdle -- before reaching the finish line, renamed Number 10 Downing Street after the address of the British Prime Minister's official residence.

One racer, "Nigel Forage" -- the pig version of candidate Nigel Farage -- caused a scandal during one race when he kept going under rather than over the jumps.

"Well I'm quite concerned actually because Nigel Forage seems to be coming through each time, but I think he could be disqualified because he's going under the jumps and I think every politician should be going over the hoops to get into power, so it's actually, dare I say, open season and it's any one's guess," Murray told IBTimes.co.uk.

It remains to be seen whether the political pig races at Pennywell Farms will predict the real election, but farm employee Valerie Bickford-Beers said it's safe to say there is more dirt being slung in the human campaign.

"People always associate pigs with rolling in the mud, but we actually think our race was probably a lot cleaner than the battle for Number 10," she told the Plymouth Herald.



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