Uploaded March 2015 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Comedian and political activist Mark Thomas staged an ‘act of minor dissent’ in Sheffield city centre. Filmed and archived here for posterity by DeeJayOne.
The stand-up funny man had a special piñata made for the activism event, fashioned into an effigy of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
A number of followers responded to a tweet from Thomas, advising to meet outside Sheffield City Hall at 12:40pm.
Mark Thomas arrived with his unique prop and after a short introduction the group made their way to the Peace Gardens to take part in the stunt.
“The piñata represents Nick Clegg,” said Thomas, “as you break him some treats will fall out, along with slips of paper containing a number of Clegg’s broken promises.
“You’ll note that the coalition agreement is also represented in a symbolic position,” he added, pointing to a roll of paper sticking out of the doll’s bottom.
The Peace Gardens was specifically chosen for the event, being the place Nick Clegg promised to “say goodbye to broken promises” when launching the Liberal Democrats’ election manifesto in a 2010 party political broadcast.
Volunteers were blindfolded and given a stick to swing at the piñata, with each hit garnering cheers and applause from the group.
After the model was broken up Thomas and the group read out several of the ‘broken promises’ from the slips that fell out.
The remains of the piñata were then kept by the comedian, to be put on display inside the Millennium Galleries as part of a display celebrating Mark Thomas’ ‘100 acts of minor dissent’.
Thomas has for the past year embarked on a challenge to commit 100 acts of minor dissent, of which the Nick Clegg piñata was number 95.
He gave himself a year since he started the campaign to complete all 100 acts. If he fails Thomas has pledged to pay £1000 to Ukip, a party he describes as the “political equivalent of chlamydia.”
Following the conclusion of the challenge, which also featured a demonstration against Curzon cinemas outside their soon-to-open Sheffield theatre last year, the political activist will host a stand-up show at The Leadmill on Thursday 15 May, where he will go through a routine based on the years’ events.
With 100 acts to cram in, the already sold out show will last ‘4 to 5 hours’ and feature a number of people who have helped complete the tasks, as well as photos and video from the events.
Additionally, an exhibition will be made from photographs and props used in the 100 acts and displayed at Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries.
Comedian and political activist Mark Thomas staged an ‘act of minor dissent’ in Sheffield city centre. Filmed and archived here for posterity by DeeJayOne.
The stand-up funny man had a special piñata made for the activism event, fashioned into an effigy of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
A number of followers responded to a tweet from Thomas, advising to meet outside Sheffield City Hall at 12:40pm.
Mark Thomas arrived with his unique prop and after a short introduction the group made their way to the Peace Gardens to take part in the stunt.
“The piñata represents Nick Clegg,” said Thomas, “as you break him some treats will fall out, along with slips of paper containing a number of Clegg’s broken promises.
“You’ll note that the coalition agreement is also represented in a symbolic position,” he added, pointing to a roll of paper sticking out of the doll’s bottom.
The Peace Gardens was specifically chosen for the event, being the place Nick Clegg promised to “say goodbye to broken promises” when launching the Liberal Democrats’ election manifesto in a 2010 party political broadcast.
Volunteers were blindfolded and given a stick to swing at the piñata, with each hit garnering cheers and applause from the group.
After the model was broken up Thomas and the group read out several of the ‘broken promises’ from the slips that fell out.
The remains of the piñata were then kept by the comedian, to be put on display inside the Millennium Galleries as part of a display celebrating Mark Thomas’ ‘100 acts of minor dissent’.
Thomas has for the past year embarked on a challenge to commit 100 acts of minor dissent, of which the Nick Clegg piñata was number 95.
He gave himself a year since he started the campaign to complete all 100 acts. If he fails Thomas has pledged to pay £1000 to Ukip, a party he describes as the “political equivalent of chlamydia.”
Following the conclusion of the challenge, which also featured a demonstration against Curzon cinemas outside their soon-to-open Sheffield theatre last year, the political activist will host a stand-up show at The Leadmill on Thursday 15 May, where he will go through a routine based on the years’ events.
With 100 acts to cram in, the already sold out show will last ‘4 to 5 hours’ and feature a number of people who have helped complete the tasks, as well as photos and video from the events.
Additionally, an exhibition will be made from photographs and props used in the 100 acts and displayed at Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries.
