Dear Shadow Minister,

Put your money where your mouth is - buy Bill Leak's
book!

Already have,

Waiting for its arrival.

Me too!

I have no doubt Bill LEAK was an exceptionally gifted cartoonist, both in the way he rendered his drawings, together with the clever captions that complimented those drawings.

There were many other cartoonist I found quite humorous, among them was a fellow called 'KNIGHT' and several others, who's names I can't recall. All of whom were equally as clever and quick witted as each other. But there's something about the entire genre of cartoonists, (especially; political satirists) that I find somewhat unsettling. Though probably they're all decent people without a mean bone in their body, but sometimes the illustration and/or caption attendant to those illustration, might just have too sharper barb to it, to a point it causes real hurt, real emotional hurt?

Some years ago I was given supernumerary duties on a close protection detail, of a well known (female) public figure who had her threat assessment appreciably increased. One night quite late I found the subject outside her Hotel room weeping quite dramatically. Apparently she'd received some unwanted attention from a few of the cartoonists, where she was sketched as being inordinately fat, grotesquely so, and generally appeared utterly repellent, as only a well drawn cartoon can depict, she had been thoroughly embarrassed by it all.

After we spoke briefly, I could understand that not everyone appreciated the funny side and absurdity generated by these cartoonists, that's despite the fact they probably meant no harm, and they were just doing their job. Moreover they'd probably be mortified if they thought they'd really offended or upset someone quite unintentionally. It can a does happen, without any doubt whatsoever.

Myself, I do enjoy reading the cartoons, providing they're in good taste, and not calculated to hurt the subject contained therein. Nothing like a good laugh to drive away a bad mood in the morning?