The cartoon awards season results can be found at my colleague Morten’s blog – and congratulations are due him, Dave Brown, Steve Bell and Martin Rowson. The event speech was given by former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken (Kenneth) Clarke. He made a good speech, as you might expect from a professional speech maker, but he also said at least one incredibly silly thing. I paraphrase him here, but the gist of it was, who’d want to look at cartoons on the internet?
Sketchbook caricature of Ken (Kenneth) Clarke – Conservative MP – and guest at the Political Cartoon Awards
I understand why he did this, to connect precisely with what he judged to be his audience, largely middle class, middle-aged, or, elderly and largely suspicious of technology. It worked for him, he got a laugh.
But this, to me, is a classic piece of ostrich-ism and is pointlessly damaging to those of us who have to go out and make a living as professional commercial artists, today, in the ugly here and now. One of my colleagues told me not to get cross about it, to which I can only say bollocks, if we can’t be bothered about how we are going to make a living through our skill at drawing then we won’t survive as a form of either art or journalism.
Clarke’s joke smacks of ‘if I don’t look I won’t have to see what is changing around me.’ This is probably because he (and many others) do not understand the digital world and have no interest in learning about it. I thought this was a sad and silly attitude to perpetuate among other people who love cartoons and drawing as a useful form of human communication.
The digital world may not be easy to understand but it offers opportunity to commercial artists in a way that the old print world, and its surviving fans, would be daft to ignore.
Matt, good to see you last night – if only briefly.
I hope things were jolly at the Tribune do.
Seeing your face when Ken Clarke made his speech, I thought you’d probably respond in blog form today!
I half expected you to challenge him there and then, but I reckon this is probably a more appropriate way of doing it.
You’re right of course. He’s a great speaker, who knows his audience and the middle-aged, middle class mood. And there’s always, as you say, an easy laugh to be had from the “I’ve got a computer, but I don’t know how to turn in on” – line.
Still, let me join our fellow unnamed colleague that you mention, and provoke you a little bit more.
I must admit I didn’t get hugely worked up about his comment about cartoons on the internet, primarily because his views really don’t matter much.
I also have a feeling his argument had more to do with the ever-present discussion about the future of newspapers, than the idea that cartooning won’t survive online.
I like your crossness though. It’s important.
It’s good to say bollocks to those who work against your own idea of progress.
As you say, that is the only way to ensure that the profession survives.
Last night however, I thought Ken Clarke came across less as an threatening enemy of progress than an old man who is more unable than unwilling to keep up with the change happening. He is still very much a champion of the art, and for that he surely deserves some credit, does he not?