Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20220131

A29
world news Dialuna 31 Januari 2022

Boris Johnson’s mounting trouble is treasure for satirists

(AP) — A politician’s depicted Queen Elizabeth II
troubles are a humorist’s wearing a gas mask to protect
treasures. herself from the rotten smell
of Johnson and his Conser-
The scandal-prone British vative government flounder-
Prime Minister Boris John- ing in a swamp behind her. It
son has given cartoonists and was inspired by photographs
meme-makers unimaginable of the monarch sitting alone
riches for years, and with his wearing a black face mask at
hold on power now in jeop- her husband Prince Philip’s
ardy, their fortunes are only funeral in April 2021, the day
growing. after one of the parties held
by Johnson’s staff.
Johnson and his staff are fac-
ing civil and criminal investi- One of the most popular par-
gations into social gatherings odies of the “partygate” scan-
they hosted last year while dal is a video by the protest
the rest of the U.K. was hun- group Led By Donkeys that
kering down under coronavi- inserted Johnson into the hit
rus restrictions. The episode TV detective show “Line of
raises serious questions about Duty.” Through digital cut-
Johnson’s leadership and po- and-paste, Johnson became
litical accountability. a suspect being grilled by the
show’s anti-corruption police
But what gives it extra bite — unit for holding illegal parties
and gives humorists much to Britain has a long and proud Papua New Guinea to the during lockdown.
chew on — are the often lu- tradition of political satire. In Steve Marchant, learning citizens of Liverpool and who
dicrous details: political aides the 18th century, cartoonists coordinator at the Cartoon once got stuck midair on a “You must think we were
hauling suitcases of wine into such as James Gillray lam- Museum in London, says zipline while waving two born yesterday, fella!” the
the prime minister’s resi- pooned British politicians they needn’t have worried: Union Jacks. show’s no-nonsense senior
dence, or drunkenly break- and royalty with an irrever- Johnson is a gift for humor- police officer Ted Hast-
ing a swing set belonging to ence — even viciousness — ists. Rowson says Johnson’s car- ings, played by Adrian Dun-
Johnson’s toddler son. that shocked many European toonish persona is deliberate- bar, thundered in the video,
visitors. “All you need to draw is an ly crafted. He’s the latest in a which has been viewed mil-
One recent newspaper car- egg with some straw on top long line of politicians who lions of times on social me-
toon captured the collision of British TV shows like “Spit- and you’ve got Boris before have “played to being carica- dia.
tragedy and farce by depict- ting Image,” with its latex you even attempt to draw the tures” to keep themselves in
ing Johnson as the betrayed puppet politicians, carried on face,” Marchant said. “And he the public eye. Led By Donkeys has been
Roman ruler Julius Caesar, the tradition in the late 20th is so — gaffe-prone is prob- blending humor and activism
stabbed in the back with century. These days, inter- ably the polite term I should “Even though we ridicule since 2019, when a group of
corkscrews. net videos and memes have use. Every week something them at the same time, it’s a friends got together to blast
joined the fun. happens with Boris. No car- price worth paying for them,” what they saw as the lies of
Martin Rowson, a political toonist is going to die poor Rowson said. politicians who took Britain
cartoonist for The Guard- When Johnson became prime thanks to the antics of Boris out of the European Union.
ian newspaper, says mockery minister in 2019, some feared Johnson.” Even so, not all publicity is Named after the description
is one of the trade-offs in he would be hard to satirize good news for politicians. of British soldiers in World
democratic societies between because he was already a This, after all, is the erratic War I as “lions led by don-
government and governed: cartoonish figure, with his politician who once mused Much of the humor around keys,” the group erected bill-
“They have power and we thatch of blonde hair, rum- about being “reincarnated as “partygate” has an under- boards exposing hypocriti-
have the right to laugh at pled clothes and blustering an olive,” who has offended current of anger. One of cal statements by the Brexit
them.” manner. everyone from the people of Rowson’s recent cartoons campaign.

French left is divided, weakened in presidential race

(AP) — The French left line vote are expected Sun- candidate Valérie Pécresse
is running divided and day evening. But the move and two far-right figures,
weakened in this year’s already appears bound to Marine le Pen and Eric Zem-
presidential race as at fail: key contenders say they mour, are the main challeng-
least five mainstream wouldn’t respect the out- ers according to polls, placing
presidential candidates come because they don’t re- far-left candidate Jean-Luc
have rejected any allianc- spect the process. Melenchon in fifth position.
es with each other — and
an online vote meant to At least five main candidates Melenchon — a political
pick a leader Sunday ap- ranging from left-wing to the firebrand with a notorious
pears doomed to fail. far-left are running for presi- temper — refuses to form
dent, in addition to lesser- a united front with other
The so-called Popular Pri- known contenders. At the left-wing candidates. The
mary has been organized by moment, none of them ap- 70-year-old politician, who
left-wing supporters to unite pears in a position to reach heads the “Rebel France”
their ranks before France’s the two-person runoff in party, has promised to guar-
presidential election is held April’s election. antee jobs for everyone, raise
in two rounds on April 10 the minimum wage, lower
and 24. Centrist President Emman- the retirement age to 60 and nick Jadot, 54, and the So- alliance between their parties.
uel Macron, who doesn’t hike taxes on multinationals cialist candidate, Paris Mayor Another candidate, Fabien
More than 460,000 people hide his intention to run for and rich households. Anne Hidalgo, 62, have also Roussel, 52, is running for
registered for the primary. reelection, is considered the rejected the idea of running the Communist Party.
Results of the four-day on- front-runner. Conservative The Greens’ contender, Yan- together despite a traditional