It has long been my belief that comedy can solve anything. Particularly satire. I grew up watching Have I Got News For You, listening to The News Quiz and The Now Show on BBC Radio 4 and cutting out Steve Bell’s cartoons; all the while laughing and believing this medium absolutely contributed to the political landscape. I still do, but there’s been a peculiar shift and satire seems to have lost its sting.
Though it was cancelled in 1996, Spitting Image undoubtedly helped bring down John Major (I recognise many might argue he did a good job himself but go with it) to make room for a New Labour landslide and Tony Blair. And here, perhaps we can pinpoint the beginning of the end. Why? Because I think it is here, my friend, that we entered the world of personality politics.
It began with chinos. Look, we said, Tony is wearing chinos! And a denim shirt. What a nice guy. He must be one of us, we trilled. Don’t look at his policies, look at his pants! A few years ago we’d been questioning what John Major meant when he said ‘back to basics’, now we asked why couldn’t Gordon Brown dress in something other than a rumpled suit. And he’s only got one eye. Technically.
I’d say this paved the way for the character of Boris Johnson. Appearing on HIGNFY all bumbling and buffoonish and loveable – isn’t he funny! Look at his hair! What an oddity! That definitely balances out the time he seriously discussed beating up a journalist. Which is nothing but endearing incidentally. We weren’t worried on the left. Surely he was unelectable. Until he was. Until he was London Mayor and now serious contender for PM. Had HIGNFY not endlessly invited him on would he have benefited from the cult of personality so well?
Which brings us to Brexit. And someone else who has benefitted from endless satire. This morning speaking to John Humphrys about his Brexit triumph, Nigel Farage himself noted that 17 years ago he’d featured on the programme as a joke political pundit. No one took Farage seriously, or UKIP for that matter.
Who would ever have predicted that 10 or 15 years ago? Surely we should have lampooned Boris and Nigel into obscurity. You know, like with Trump. Now it seems we don’t want politicians, we want characters – and it’s hard to make fun of someone who seems to already be a joke. Boris hams up his posh buffoon character and it makes him seem harmless. Farage is surely too drunk to act on his ideas… Trump… oh man I just don’t know what Trump is. They’re all ready made memes.
But exposure counts for so much more in these days of X Factor. There is no such thing as bad publicity. So how can you satirise anybody if ultimately you’re just giving them the oxygen of media coverage?
Memes seem to be the extent of millennials satirical talents. Which is not to say they can’t be good but they also don’t hold people to account, strip a politician down or question in the same way an article, stand up or panel show potentially can. Nowadays when I see new live comedy (which is a lot) most young men seem to be fixated on paedophilia (apparently a safe topic ‘cos everybody hates paedophiles) and rape (‘cos… edgy!). During pig gate I went to several open mics and not one comic even touched upon that… gift of an easy laugh. Why? Are we losing our satirical muscles? Are we so ill informed? Is this why the young don’t vote? Or do we just know satire no longer counts?
I hope this is not the death knell for satire. Because if you don’t laugh…
