Support for Count Binface is growing across Britain, with the self-styled intergalactic space warrior drawing backing from Brighton to Manchester. Over the past two weeks, murals supporting the bin have been painted and Binface fans have taken to the streets as "Binmania" builds momentum.
An IPSOS poll has put Binface ahead in the Clacton by-election, with 33% of British adults saying they would prefer him to win, compared with 21% who want Nigel Farage to take the seat. That gives Binface a 12-point lead.
Online support swells
Online groups backing the Count have mushroomed. The "Count Binface for Clacton" Facebook group has grown to 25,000 members, while the "Count Binface Appreciation Society" has more than 100,000 members.
Simon Wallace, from Walsall, a member of the "Count Binface for Clacton" group, urged Brits: "Always back the bin over Farage." He added: "I have nothing to hide, I wouldn't say anything that I wouldn't say to Farage's face."
Explaining why people like Farage succeed, Wallace said: "The reason why people like Farage do well is because they only debate on their terms. They hide from real debate, they thrive on sound bites and creating divisions. People have to challenge the establishment and there is nothing more establishment than Farage and his ex-Tory colleagues."
TikTok fan accounts draw attention
"Binmania" has also erupted on TikTok. One anonymous supporter, who started a fanpage called "Count_Binface" and keeps their social media activity separate from work, told the Star why they got involved.
The fan account stated: "I'm a bin supporter because he highlights how a lot of politicians are in it for themselves, and not for the people. This is evidenced by his policies."
Drawing attention to their favourite Count Binface policy, they said: "The one affordable house! If he pulls that off, then he's already saved the British taxpayer more money than Nigel ever has."
Slamming Farage's parliamentary record, the same user said: "Nigel is notorious for not representing Clacton in parliament, he has one of the worst attendance records. Moreover, the issue of Brexit has famously made our country weaker. Everyone heard out Nigel and the Tories about it, with Nigel saying that we would 'take our country back'. If that was the case, why are we in one of the worst states we've been in since 2000?"
A serious point behind the satire
Despite the comedic aspect, the London-based Binface supporter said the ongoing battle between Farage and the Count represents a much bigger issue the UK grapples with.
They continued: "Even though Binface is satirical, he also highlights a fundamental flaw with Nigel Farage and that is his inability to make policies that actually help his constituency of Clacton. Can you name a single thing that he's pushing for in Parliament that helps Clacton specifically? I don't think I can or you can. Binface is obviously a joke but he's highlighting that not just Nigel, but a lot of politicians as a whole are in it for themselves."
The account has racked up more than 750,000 views within weeks of posting videos, drumming up support for the UK's favourite trash bag. Explaining the motivation, the fan said: "I felt a bit powerless in my deep opposition to people like Nigel who set out to divide us. I wanted to try and engage as much as possible with the youth to try and make noise about it through mostly satire and jokes."
