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| Ken fights off hot air |
“WHEN a politician is caricatured it means he has arrived,”
wrote Lord Kenneth Baker in this newspaper back in July.
He added: “The vast majority of MPs in this present Parliament
will never be caricatured in a national newspaper, or even in their
local paper, but I bet they would love to be.”
One politician who has frequently appeared in cartoons – by
dint of having his own in-house cartoonist – is Ken Livingstone
who was at the Political Cartoon Gallery in Bloomsbury on Wednesday
to open London Laughs, an exhibition featuring cartoons all about
the capital.
But even though he has his own cartoon laureate, Martin Rowson (pictured
here with Mr Livingstone) the Mayor seemed more keen to talk about
the Congestion Charge than the merits of David Low and Vicky.
It had been debated at City Hall earlier that day.
“Angie Bray from the Tories turned up with half a dozen of
her friends from Kensington and Chelsea in the gallery upstairs,”
he told Diary, “and she said the public were against the congestion
charge.
“When I said that opposition had dropped to three per cent
they all groaned, as we all do when we don’t agree with opinion
polls.
“They don’t care that the air quality will get better
and they’ll live longer.”
Standing beside him laureate Martin Rowson interjected “Do
you want them to? “Yes, they never vote for me anyway,”
Ken responded.
A dog called Flintoff
NO ONE among the hundreds of thousands who skipped off work on
Tuesday to cheer on the England Cricket team along the Strand and
in Trafalgar Square looked as proud as Flintoff the Jack Russell.
Diary noticed his owner, who asked to remain anonymous, holding
him aloft so that he could get a better view of the open top double-deckers
carrying the Ashes winning team.
“He’s called Flintoff,” Diary was informed by the
cheering owner.
Waving a St George’s flag and taking in the atmosphere, by
the fourth rendition of Jerusalem Flintoff was barking a respectably
good tune.
His owner, from Notting Hill Gate, added: “Flintoff grew up
desperate to be ball boy but unfortunately didn’t grow tall
enough. He is happy enough as a spectator today.
“It has been a real treat for him to see his hero.”
And what a contrast between the behaviour of the cricket players
and the tiresome antics of footballers. It didn’t take long
for the new season to plumb to new depths with Karate Kid Van Persie
and Wayne Rooney showing their ugly side.
Roll on the winter tour to Pakistan.
Room with pub view
FINALLY this week the giant painting that has been propped against
a window in the Coach and Horses in Greek Street has gone home to
its new owner.
Hubert Gibbs (pictured below), a regular of the pub, bought the
painting by Rupert Shrive for an undisclosed sum, a work which was
completed with speed when landlord Norman Balon announced he was
retiring and selling the lease of the pub.
The paintings captures it in full flow, featuring old regulars,
such as Jeffrey Bernard and Francis Bacon, to more contemporary
drinkers.
“I didn’t want it to go to someone who didn’t know
what the pub was about,” he told Diary as workmen unbolted
it from its hanging.
He added: “It might have gone into private hands and never
be seen again.”
For now it will be going into storage as it is of such a size that
few would have wall space to hang the work.
Hubert added: “I am looking to loan it to a gallery and the
National Portrait Gallery have expressed an interest so we will
see what happens.” |
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