Anyone see the Steve Bell Gruniad cartoon today?
The only thing wrong with it was the fact Steve Bell gave his supposed Nicola Sturgeon the 'sucking a wasp' face more typical of 'Jabba' the Baillie or Ruth 'Tankie' Davidson.
It was supposed to insult, that is what cartoonists do, as anyone who saw Gerald Scarfe at his peak hacking away at Thatcher knows.
Yet on the Gruniad comments under the cartoon you would seriously think many Scots and SNP supporters considered St Nicola had been shot by umpteen arrows like a latter day Saint Stephen, had her tongue cut out and breasts hacked off or Bell had burnt her at the stake at Smithfield to yooner cries of 'apostasy and heresy' from the usual 'Scottish cringe', all to the backing of football style chants of 'Your just another Willie Wallace' from the rest of the crowd.
Here's what actually happened - nothing. The world did not stop spinning, Scots did not suddenly 'en masse' put on M&S Union Flag themed underwear or other apparel and the sun still peered wanly through the grey clag in the sky we call 'Spring' in Scotland. It is a cartoon and not the tearing up of the Scottish national psyche followed by a derogatory Morris Dance on the scraps.
It is the same humourless whining we have seen over the last few days because St Nicola was photographed holding a copy of the Sun. The difference this time being it was the Marxo-Socialist Jacobin Independistas who wanted her burnt as a witch at the head of the Cannongate for the taint of Rupert Murdoch on her hand.
Honestly folks it is enough to turn this manic, depressive.
I actually liked Steve Bell's idea that St Nicola was turning Scotland 'Scottier' in her wish to make 'Strongerland' strong. For me Bell's misplaced and misdirected 'Marxist Internationale' style critique in this cartoon rebounds back heavily on Bell and suggests the increasing fear growing down South that a Brexit from the EU on the 23rd of June means the end of the UK Union, an end for which the English will only have themselves to blame.
Bell knows his socialist history so he knows where most of the social reforms he and others are watching being massacred in England started their life. From fairer rents to public responsibility for welfare all start in Scotland's past whether it was the Kirk ensuring the parish looked after the local people who were in poverty and were held to account in law for doing so to ending the curse of the 'means test man frae the 'bru'. Instead he is seeing on a daily basis all this inherently communal, social welfare collapsing where ever he looks in Englandshire while the English peasants cheer and dance around the bonfire of their own welfare and health provision.
I will wash my mouth out with soap after saying this but I also saw the dark humour in such a vehemently and virulently anti-Scotland paper suddenly coming up with the 'Boldly Go' meme in supposed 'support' of the SNP.
Maybe it is because I am a certified 'nutter' I view the world differently but I see the dark yoonist hubris embedded in both pieces has an unintended irony which back fires on both Bell and the 'Sun'.
So to all you 'Hillsboro' Independista's at Bella and soor ploom SNP supporters whinin aboot the Sun or Bell; huad a grip aa yersel's an if ye canny laugh at yirsel an' jist ken hoo muckle thon Yoonists are keeking their breeks - y 've aa jist lost the plot. Dae the rest o' us a favour an' slap yersel's aroon the heid wi a wet kipper an pit a smile back oan yer puss.
Aye, an member's tae vote SNP ane an twa oan Thirsday.
The only thing wrong with it was the fact Steve Bell gave his supposed Nicola Sturgeon the 'sucking a wasp' face more typical of 'Jabba' the Baillie or Ruth 'Tankie' Davidson.
It was supposed to insult, that is what cartoonists do, as anyone who saw Gerald Scarfe at his peak hacking away at Thatcher knows.
Yet on the Gruniad comments under the cartoon you would seriously think many Scots and SNP supporters considered St Nicola had been shot by umpteen arrows like a latter day Saint Stephen, had her tongue cut out and breasts hacked off or Bell had burnt her at the stake at Smithfield to yooner cries of 'apostasy and heresy' from the usual 'Scottish cringe', all to the backing of football style chants of 'Your just another Willie Wallace' from the rest of the crowd.
Here's what actually happened - nothing. The world did not stop spinning, Scots did not suddenly 'en masse' put on M&S Union Flag themed underwear or other apparel and the sun still peered wanly through the grey clag in the sky we call 'Spring' in Scotland. It is a cartoon and not the tearing up of the Scottish national psyche followed by a derogatory Morris Dance on the scraps.
It is the same humourless whining we have seen over the last few days because St Nicola was photographed holding a copy of the Sun. The difference this time being it was the Marxo-Socialist Jacobin Independistas who wanted her burnt as a witch at the head of the Cannongate for the taint of Rupert Murdoch on her hand.
Honestly folks it is enough to turn this manic, depressive.
I actually liked Steve Bell's idea that St Nicola was turning Scotland 'Scottier' in her wish to make 'Strongerland' strong. For me Bell's misplaced and misdirected 'Marxist Internationale' style critique in this cartoon rebounds back heavily on Bell and suggests the increasing fear growing down South that a Brexit from the EU on the 23rd of June means the end of the UK Union, an end for which the English will only have themselves to blame.
Bell knows his socialist history so he knows where most of the social reforms he and others are watching being massacred in England started their life. From fairer rents to public responsibility for welfare all start in Scotland's past whether it was the Kirk ensuring the parish looked after the local people who were in poverty and were held to account in law for doing so to ending the curse of the 'means test man frae the 'bru'. Instead he is seeing on a daily basis all this inherently communal, social welfare collapsing where ever he looks in Englandshire while the English peasants cheer and dance around the bonfire of their own welfare and health provision.
I will wash my mouth out with soap after saying this but I also saw the dark humour in such a vehemently and virulently anti-Scotland paper suddenly coming up with the 'Boldly Go' meme in supposed 'support' of the SNP.
Maybe it is because I am a certified 'nutter' I view the world differently but I see the dark yoonist hubris embedded in both pieces has an unintended irony which back fires on both Bell and the 'Sun'.
So to all you 'Hillsboro' Independista's at Bella and soor ploom SNP supporters whinin aboot the Sun or Bell; huad a grip aa yersel's an if ye canny laugh at yirsel an' jist ken hoo muckle thon Yoonists are keeking their breeks - y 've aa jist lost the plot. Dae the rest o' us a favour an' slap yersel's aroon the heid wi a wet kipper an pit a smile back oan yer puss.
Aye, an member's tae vote SNP ane an twa oan Thirsday.
Well said.....
ReplyDeletebest just laugh at them as they scrabble around....
never interrupt your enemy while they are making mistakes
The reason I could not laugh at the Bell cartoon (the 'Scottier' on it was actually amusing) was that it was so poorly done. Anyone who actually knows anything about Scottish politics knows that that is a piss-poor attempt at characterising Sturgeon. If he had given her an evil grin, there would have been some hint he actually knew something about Scottish politics. Apparently all he knows about Scottish politics though is 'SNP evil' and that simply doesn't cut it for a first rate satirist/cartoonist.
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