IT was a year dominated by the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States and his subsequent pronouncements on social media, while at home Brexit and a second independence referendum were recurring themes ... and they were all portrayed perfectly by our award-winning cartoonist Steven Camley.
When Mr Trump took office, Camley summed up the mood of the nation with his wicked parody of the Abraham Lincoln statue in Washington DC. As Camley summed up: “January would see Trump sworn in, but most watched from a distance or behind the couch.”
PM Theresa May was the first world leader to meet the new President, with Camley summing it up as: “The PM was relieved to get away from Brexit for a day or two, and delighted in being the first world leader to meet The Donald – desperate people do desperate things.”
March saw Nicola Sturgeon call for a bespoke Brexit deal for Scotland or she was calling a second independence referendum in the first of many cross-border rows over the year.
Camley said: “The FM’s blueprint for a bespoke Scottish Brexit failed to elicit a response and so declared a second independence referendum would be held between autumn 2018 and spring 2019.”
Education Secretary John Swinney was next in Camley’s firing line after poor school exam results became a political issue. He said: “Exam time and the Education, Education, Education Secretary, ( he likes things in triplicate) was fair chuffed, but figures showed 20 per cent of those passing the National 4 did so by failing the National 5”.
Theresa May called a snap General Election in May for the following month and Labour quickly got into a muddle over police numbers, with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott quoting three different figures in a radio interview. Camley’s take on it was: “Beleagured PM calls a surprise snap election. Labour however were not caught unawares – they were 100 per cent ready. no... 200 per cent ... eh I’ll get back to you with that figure...”
Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210.
Unframed cartoons can be purchased by visiting our website www.thepicturedesk.co.uk
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