Angie Lewin, an English writer, publisher and artist, is well known for creating award-winning British cartoons, many of which have been bought and sold by the British Film industry. In recent years, her popular designs for British comic covers have included one in particular, which depicted Prime Minister Tony Blair with a hazy-looking “clouded eye” over his own face. This was a cleverly conceived piece, as its suggestive of an image of a clouded mind, the same image that was being used by the PM to deflect accusations of tax avoidance that were being directed at him. The cartoon in question, entitled Cloudy Days, focused on the fact that Blair had been absent from the House of Commons for several days over an issue related to business ethics and transparency.
Following the cartoon controversy, it was reported that Mr. Blair had met privately with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This meeting took place in Delhi, during a state visit to India, and led to a cartoon photoshoot between the two leaders, in which Singh gave Blair a beret atop a pile of sand, declaring: “Look into my eyes…You are my shadow.” The cartoonist who drew this cartoon has since added Prime Minister Singh as the latest person to add to the list of people who have drawn the cartoon, following in the footsteps of artist Peter Leley. The question of who drew this cartoon and why is irrelevant; what is important is the fact that an MP chose to represent the Government with a cartoon lampoon of their own personal identity, in order to lampoon a government policy over which they apparently had little faith.
This in itself is symptomatic of the divide which currently preoccupies both the British public and Government. Many people believe that the age of David Cameron, at which he became Prime Minister, represents the golden age of British politics and government, in which there was a real sense of consensus across the board on all aspects of society and politics. It seems, however, that this consensus has begun to erode. One common factor between this age of David Cameron and that of his predecessors were their youthful appeal. Now the center-ground of politics and government is set firmly around forty and beyond. When we consider this fact, one wonders whether the British public have perhaps grown too accustomed to power and government and lost sight of how important it is to take a step back from the brink.