Daily column
Professional writers who produce a daily newspaper column find inspiration where they may. Sometimes, it’s personal – a reflection on a recent colonoscopy, perhaps, or a death in the family. At other times, they look to the news, good, bad or indifferent, and weave a story from it. Entertainment can supply a rich vein of material, but the requirement remains that a column must be written, of a certain length and by a defined date and time.
Even more taxing, I imagine, is the job of the cartoonist. It is difficult to encapsulate current affairs through drawing. Some artists are very successful and manage to convey their comment clearly, with small, telling details half-hidden to be discovered with joy by eagle-eyed observers. Other cartoons are almost indecipherable. On such occasions, it is often comments from readers that make matters clearer.
When there is a rapid turnover of political figures, it is not easy to caricature people relatively unknown to the public.
At present, with at least three elections being contested, political commentators and cartoonists are spoilt for choice. Biden versus Trump (how can that continue - a convicted felon being allowed to stand for re-election?), Sunak versus Starmer (and maybe Davey), and Macron versus the rest, all present rich pickings.
Every gaffe, blunder, outright lie, is picked over and dissected mercilessly, and speculation, already rife, is approaching fever pitch, or would be, if there were anything riveting to discuss. We are three weeks away from the General Election in UK. The French election must be done and dusted before the onset of the Olympics on 26th July and the American election rumbles on in its hugely divisive manner until polling day in November.
I’ve just received a notification on my watch to say that Trump has a significant lead in the contest. Oh, dear!
Don't believe the polls. The numbers change constantly. November is still a long way off.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the campaigning actually makes much difference, though. It would be good if everyone voted. Some people just seem to be completely disillusioned, unsurprisingly .
DeleteThe news about Trump makes me anxious, he has so many followers who believe every word he spouts, though much of it rarely makes sense. They believe him because he played into their beliefs when he was President. The opposition, Biden, is more softly spoken and recently when he wandered away a bit from something in France, they all jumped on that as if he was losing his marbles. whichever one wins, there is going to be strife.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the other elections coming up, but I know there is tension there too.
I heard a rumour that Biden is about to be replaced as his party's candidate. It is amazing that in a country as large and diverse as the States, that the two front-runners are both knocking on in years.
DeleteThe polls and the spammy text messages constantly alerting me to donate or whatever are starting to irk me. I have been busy reply STOP to everything.
ReplyDeleteBy the time the elections actually take place, it feels as if they've been fought umpteen times.
DeleteFor some reasons, I would avoid reading about these topics as it is just endless debate on whatever both extreme sides are standing for. Life is better away from these noises
ReplyDeleteThe analysis is often interesting and insightful - depends on who's commenting, of course.
DeleteWe have an excellent Labour Government in Australia, but we usually have a very decent opposition party as well. Now the Conservative opposition parties in Australia are promising to 1] pull out of our commitment with the Paris Climate Change Agreement and 2] reduce the very wealthiest families' and businesses' taxation.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the UK and USA elections could be offering worse :(
In order to encourage people to vote, all sorts of ideas are floated, most of which will never be enacted. It's cynical.
DeleteThank goodness we are not forced to listen to all the election stuff - I'm making an effort not to watch anything connected.
ReplyDeleteMy head is firmly in the sand - although I will vote on the day but who for?
We enjoy listening to the analysis. Analysts can tease out the true meaning . . . I think . . . hope. Only three weeks to go now.
DeleteI am trying hard to ignore it all.
ReplyDeleteIt's like the football - relentless!
DeleteNormally I wouldn't wish an inaccurate watch on anyone, but I hope yours is.
ReplyDeleteSo do I, but fear it may be accurate, heaven help us.
DeleteElections are so funny, I see the News in France, Germany, BBC and Italy and they all tell more or less the same rubbish. At least in Belgium this time we have YOUNG people and not the antiques anymore ! That's the only positive thing I look at in all countries.
ReplyDeleteThey promise the earth and deliver stones.
ReplyDeleteLike Sue in Suffolk I'm tending to avoid the election coverage......
ReplyDeleteFeel like we've been here before and for me anyway I feel that the choices we have are all lacking in some way. I will vote but don't feel at all enthusiastic about it - maybe I should look at some of the cartoons, might cheer me up about it all !
Alison in Wales x
You have to laugh or you'd cry. We were watching Angela Rayner this morning - what an amazing woman she is, to have overcome so much and become the person she is.
DeleteMany of the political messages on feeds of various kinds are unregulated and either stretch the truth or are outright lies. They are also often targeted toward people with particular characteristics in very detailed ways, e.g. Christian share owning pensioners who live near Dover. Recipients receive messages they are likely to be sympathetic towards. Others cannot contradict them because they have not seen them. The other day I ended a YouTube video and one from one of my local electoral candidates began to play automatically. The online media companies make enormous amounts of money from it. It is anti-democratic.
ReplyDeleteI really dislike the intrusive way video and advertisements are used to try and target people. There's too much information of dubious provenance being peddled, I agree.
DeleteIf I followed every shift in the polls and the latest rumors in this terrible time in America, I would be a nervous wreck. Trump is clearly a very disturbed man. What is even more alarming is the great many people who follow him. This would have been inconceivable even a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteTrump was a 'celebrity' before he embraced politics, so had a firm support base, but he's so unbelievable - a dangerous man.
DeleteThat's actually not what I'm hearing. It's closer than I want it to be. A columnist says that he expects that trump will begin to sink in the polls quite quickly now that this trial is over. He used his complaints about the trial to distract from his mental issues. Now the trial is done. He gave a talk to some CEOs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llwh5moo4bU
ReplyDeleteLet's hope it's true and he sinks out of sight.
DeleteThere is certainly plenty to watch or read about in our (UK) election which is only a few weeks away now.
ReplyDeleteHope you've enjoyed your weekend.
Have a good week ahead.
All the best Jan
PS I keep meaning to say I like your new header photograph:)
Thank you, Jan. I always like seeing heavily-laden bees ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe bee header photo is terrific!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'll pass the compliment to the photographer (Barry) :-)
DeleteHi Janice - sad to say I can't face any of them ... I just appreciate the common sense ones, and those who are humble. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDelete'Humble' and 'politician' don't seem to belong together in the same sentence, but you're right, there are one or two who seem reasonably sane. I'd like to think that things will change for the better, but I just think they'll change - and that's it!
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