Boris Johnson바카라�s Mounting Trouble Is Treasure For Satirists

The scandal-prone British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given cartoonists and meme-makers unimaginable riches for years, and with his hold on power now in jeopardy, their fortunes are only growing.

Johnson and his staff are facing civil and criminal investigations into social gatherings they hosted last year while the rest of the U.K. was hunkering down under coronavirus restrictions. The episode raises serious questions about Johnson바카라�s leadership and political accountability.

But what gives it extra bite 바카라� and gives humorists much to chew on 바카라� are the often ludicrous details: political aides hauling suitcases of wine into the prime minister바카라�s residence, or drunkenly breaking a swing set belonging to Johnson바카라�s toddler son.

One recent newspaper cartoon captured the collision of tragedy and farce by depicting Johnson as the betrayed Roman ruler Julius Caesar, stabbed in the back with corkscrews.

Martin Rowson, a political cartoonist for The Guardian newspaper, says mockery is one of the trade-offs in democratic societies between government and governed: 바카라�They have power and we have the right to laugh at them.바카라�

Britain has a long and proud tradition of political satire. In the 18th century, cartoonists such as James Gillray lampooned British politicians and royalty with an irreverence 바카라� even viciousness 바카라� that shocked many European visitors.

British TV shows like 바카라�Spitting Image,바카라� with its latex puppet politicians, carried on the tradition in the late 20th century. These days, internet videos and memes have joined the fun.

When Johnson became prime minister in 2019, some feared he would be hard to satirize because he was already a cartoonish figure, with his thatch of blonde hair, rumpled clothes and blustering manner.

Steve Marchant, learning coordinator at the Cartoon Museum in London, says they needn바카라�t have worried: Johnson is a gift for humorists.

바카라�All you need to draw is an egg with some straw on top and you바카라�ve got Boris before you even attempt to draw the face,바카라� Marchant said. 바카라�And he is so 바카라� gaffe-prone is probably the polite term I should use. Every week something happens with Boris. No cartoonist is going to die poor thanks to the antics of Boris Johnson.바카라�
This, after all, is the erratic politician who once mused about being 바카라�reincarnated as an olive,바카라� who has offended everyone from the people of Papua New Guinea to the citizens of Liverpool and who once got stuck midair on a zipline while waving two Union Jacks.
Rowson says Johnson바카라�s cartoonish persona is deliberately crafted. He바카라�s the latest in a long line of politicians who have 바카라�played to being caricatures바카라� to keep themselves in the public eye.

바카라�Even though we ridicule them at the same time, it바카라�s a price worth paying for them,바카라� Rowson said.

Even so, not all publicity is good news for politicians.

Much of the humor around 바카라�partygate바카라� has an undercurrent of anger. One of Rowson바카라�s recent cartoons depicted Queen Elizabeth II wearing a gas mask to protect herself from the rotten smell of Johnson and his Conservative government floundering in a swamp behind her. It was inspired by photographs of the monarch sitting alone wearing a black face mask at her husband Prince Philip바카라�s funeral in April 2021, the day after one of the party바카라�s held by Johnson바카라�s staff.

One of the most popular parodies of the 바카라�partygate바카라� scandal is a video by the protest group Led By Donkeys that inserted Johnson into the hit TV detective show 바카라�Line of Duty.바카라� Through digital cut-and-paste, Johnson became a suspect being grilled by the show바카라�s anti-corruption police unit for holding illegal parties during lockdown.

바카라�You must think we were born yesterday, fella!바카라� the show바카라�s no-nonsense senior police officer Ted Hastings, played by Adrian Dunbar, thundered in the video, which has been viewed millions of times on social media.
Led By Donkeys has been blending humor and activism since 2019, when a group of friends got together to blast what they saw as the lies of politicians who took Britain out of the European Union. Named after the description of British soldiers in World War I as 바카라�lions led by donkeys,바카라� the group erected billboards exposing hypocritical statements by the Brexit campaign.

It has gone on to lambast the government바카라�s response to the pandemic, recently parking a video screen playing testimony from bereaved families outside Conservative Party headquarters.

Oliver Knowles, one of the group바카라�s founders, said the 바카라�Line of Duty바카라� video struck a chord because it tapped the anger that many people feel.

바카라�If you didn바카라�t make your own sacrifices during lockdown, then you know somebody who did,바카라� he said. 바카라�I don바카라�t think it is hyperbole to say the nation is hurting.

바카라�And I think in that context these parties 바카라� plural 바카라� of Johnson바카라�s are very, very damaging. Actually, I think it is going to be hard for him to come back from this. I think we are now in the place where he is the prime minister who partied while the rest of us followed the rules.바카라�

It바카라�s doubtful mockery alone can trigger political change. But Rowson said political humor serves an essential purpose.

바카라�We use laughter very much as a survival tool,바카라� he said. 바카라�If we didn바카라�t, we바카라�d go mad with existentialist terror.바카라�