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Greg Evans
Sep 14, 2019
A few weeks ago no one had even heard of 'Operation Yellowhammer' but now it's all people can talk about, apart from the unrelenting misery of Brexit and Boris Johnson's reign as prime minister.
The name, which is code for the UK Treasury and cross-government civil contingency planning for a no-deal Brexit, is apparently taken from the name of a small songbird and was chosen by random, as reported by The Times.
But was it chosen at random or is it a clever use of letters, which could easily be rearranged to read as something else and something far more critical of Brexit.
A few eagle-eyed folks on Twitter noticed that Yellowhammer is actually an anagram for 'Orwell Mayhem' a nod to the acclaimed author George Orwell who famously penned the dystopian novel 1984.
Soon enough #OrwellMayhem was all over Twitter and Reddit with people thinking that they have discovered something truly revelatory.
Yellowhammer" is an anagram of... wait for it... you got to love the civil servant that did this... best institu… https://t.co/zJLRh7k08P— Philip Colligan (@Philip Colligan) 1568388716
Wow. Our party of government has literally started doctoring BBC headlines so they now tell lies. Even Trump hasn… https://t.co/vemsV8u8l9— Rachel Clarke (@Rachel Clarke) 1568399044
There is a tragic comedy aptness of Yellowhammer being an anagram of Orwell Mayhem. #Yellowhammer #BlackSwan— James Melville (@James Melville) 1568280162
😬Just heard an anagram of #Yellowhammer is Orwell mayhem’ 😬 https://t.co/NqpAKhhEeH— Seán de Naipir (@Seán de Naipir) 1568277287
"What happens when smart civil servants meet stupid politicians. ‘Yellowhammer' is an anagram of ‘Orwell mayhem’"— Pamela Morrison 🏴 🇪🇺💙 🦋🦄 (@Pamela Morrison 🏴 🇪🇺💙 🦋🦄) 1568288573
To be clear, in case anyone is not on top of this: 1) According to the document metatdata, the 'Yellowhammer' docu… https://t.co/RXDhzRydyb— Ray Selby💻#FBPEGlobal #XR #antifascist #WeDidWarn (@Ray Selby💻#FBPEGlobal #XR #antifascist #WeDidWarn) 1568246643
did you know ... yellow hammer is an anagram of orwell mayhem,,,— rose_marie Survival is an act of civil disobedienc (@rose_marie Survival is an act of civil disobedienc) 1568242595
I must get off Twitter for the day - I waste so much time. A last comment before I go. Someone pointed out that Yel… https://t.co/pB90hOubNu— Jenny M 💙 (@Jenny M 💙) 1568275266
Been told that Yellowhammer is an anagram of Orwell Mayhem and now I can't stop thinking about it😫 #Brexit… https://t.co/LNMxH7vKjo— KG Miles 😎 (@KG Miles 😎) 1568321588
Well, not sure if I’m slow on the uptake but #Yellowhammer being an anagram of #OrwellMayhem is the most unnerving… https://t.co/T4SDfaPwgI— Luke Moore (@Luke Moore) 1568367300
So, is this actually what the civil servants were aiming for or is it just a coincidence?
Logic would indicate the latter, as the 'song of the Yellowhammer' is also known as 'a little bit of bread and no cheese' which would appear to be a nod to the possible food shortages that Britain is likely to experience in a no-deal scenario.
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