Political cartoonists: Drawing controversy

When one thinks of the political cartoonist, numerous images are instantly conjured in the mind: those of solitary individuals, studiously toiling away, day after day, surrounded by balled up bits of paper and dirty paint pots.

There may well be some truth to this but the political cartoonist is also often responsible for exposing the pretence of public life, shining a much needed light on a world of hypocrisy and betrayal.

At times their drawing is deemed too controversial, pushing boundaries beyond accepted limits. And that is not the only danger they face – the profession itself could well be in danger as the digital age renders their output outmoded.

The Listening Post spent a couple of days with two of Britain’s best-known political cartoonists: Gerald Scarfe of The Sunday Times and Steve Bell of The Guardian.

With decades of experience between them, they epitomise the rich tradition of political cartooning in the country, and they do not seem to be going anywhere in a hurry.

But as the Listening Post’s Flo Phillips reports, elsewhere, cartoonists are not so free to wield their brushes against hypocrisy.

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