history

Sock it to ’em

Dazzling Socks of Canadian Prime Ministers

Above: Robert Borden, William Lyon Mackenzie King, John A. Macdonald

 

Above: Canada’s Prime Ministers, Pierre Trudeau, The Trudeaus: father & son

Above: Brian Mulroney, Macdonald and Laurier, Stephen Harper

Canadian Rebels and Fighters

Above: Emily Stowe, Nellie McClung, Louis Riel

Above: Rene Levesque, William Lyon MacKenzie, Young Doug Ford

Many many more Prime Minister & Rebel socks at Redbubble

Presidential Socks

Above: Presidents – Republicans, Democratic, and Mixed

Above: Abraham Lincoln, Founding Fathers, Theodore Roosevelt

Many Many more socks of Presidents of the United States at Redbubble

Monarchy Socks

Above: British Kings and Queens of all eras

Elizabeth II, George IV, House of Windsor

Many many more Monarchy socks at Redbubble

…And many more socks of personalities from the past

 

 

Sunday September 20, 2020

RIP John N. Turner

When John turner became the new Liberal Leader there was a very strong sense of change in the air in Canada. It wasn’t just the Liberal party that was looking to renew itself, the Progressive Conservatives had done that very thing by electing a promising, charismatic newcomer to the political scene, Brian Mulroney.

It wasn’t until I neared the age of 16 that I witnessed my first major changing of the guard in Ottawa. With the exception a brief interregnum when Joe Clark seized control the same machine that guided Liberal governments in the 1970’s was there into the mid 80’s.

The election leaders, 1984

Pierre Trudeau had essentially been Prime Minister since before I was born. 

People forget that by 1984 Canadians had grown quite tired of Pierre Trudeau. While his legacy now shines for repatriating the constitution and putting the nation on a progressive path, thanks in part to inspiring activist movements of the 60s and 70s, there were big dark clouds that hung over Trudeau and his government. Relations with the western provinces were horrible thanks to the National Energy Program, and Quebeckers were in full on separation mode thanks to work left undone in signing on the province to the Charter of Rights. The arrogance of the elder Trudeau had highlighted by growing deficits, crony patronage appointments, and a lavish farewell world ego tour (minus cultural costumes his son would later show up in) to promote peace in the waning days of the cold war.

A walk in a snow storm convinced Pierre Trudeau to retire from his position, a whiteout, perhaps, that was a metaphor for an empty slate of ideas left to run on. 

The last John Turner cartoon – May 26, 2016

John Turner, the Prince in waiting, had all the qualities to become a long reigning Canadian Prime Minister: Rich, smart and well-educated, athletic, handsome, bilingual, connected, and well experienced in powerful cabinet positions. 

Timing was Turner’s worst enemy, however. 

He couldn’t brush off the reek of arrogance left from 16 years of Liberal rule, and faced formidable opponents not just in Brian Mulroney, but also Jean Chretien, who, when running for the leadership against Turner in 1984, used the slogan, “call for a man from Main Street, not Bay Street.” The Turner vs. Chretien struggle was a carry over from the Trudeau vs. Turner fight that had brewed since the latter’s resignation from cabinet several years prior. This inner party challenge would play out among future Liberal leaders and wannabe leaders.

Patting the bum of Liberal Party President Iona Campagnolo during the 1984 election might be regarded as Canada’s first #MeToo moment that may not have sunk him were he a 1960’s cabinet minister. It did him no favours in the mid 80’s and will remain part of his ugly legacy, and among one of the many reasons which resulted in a rump of 40 or so Liberal MPs in the House of Commons.

by Graeme MacKay, 1988

The Free Trade debate and the passions it unleashed in John Turner may be his most enduring legacy of his leadership. But again, timing was his biggest enemy when he fought hard against Mulroney while at the same time having knives stuck in his back from the dissent in his own party.

Turner was able to oversee a doubling of the Liberal caucus following the 1988 convention he might have been able to carry on were it not for the ongoing sniping and sideline maneuvers from power hungry Jean Chretien. It became too much for Turner and he resigned from politics in 1990. Eight years of Chretien rule would send Turner deep into private life and declining health. While the testimonials are full of praise for a gentleman who devoted much to the importance of public life, he as much a victim of political skullduggery and dirty politics from within his own party.

It is interesting to see that in the recollections of the life lead by John Turner the strongest voice comes from his biggest foe, Brian Mulroney. 

Often said was the line that Robert Stanfield was the greatest Prime Minister Canada never had. Perhaps that’s true of an older generation, but from my vantage point John Turner was the greatest Prime Minister who never really got the chance.

August 25, 2015

Redbubble Swag: Of Kings and Queens, Emperors, Czars and Wannabes

(Graeme is currently enjoying a Summertime respite from his usual duties drawing editorial cartoons. In the meantime, please enjoy this illustration highlight on offer for purchase through Redbubble. Graeme’s daily satire returns on September 1, 2020.)

House of Tudor socks

You may be familiar with my depictions of each King and Queen through English and British history. Whether it’s simply the bizarre pomp, weird clothes, or the complex social impact they had on civilizations for centuries, they represent an intriguing chronology of human history and culture.

The ermine, the crowns, the jewels, sceptres, orbs, funny hats and regalia – how can anyone not appreciate all that wonderful, ostentatious bling. It’s as fantastic to draw as it is to gaze upon. There’s a reason why the crown jewels at the Tower of London can only be viewed from a conveyor belt moving humans along because of the non-stop line of people who want to look at them.

ER mug

While monarchy as a form of government can be applied to many parts of the world through history, and still does today in various forms, it is the constitutional structure in Canada that is of particular interest to me for obvious reasons being a Canadian. The British monarch applies to this country as the rock solid foundation of power and authority abiding by limits prescribed within an established legal framework. It affirms order in times of peace, with good government, to paraphrase the expression that goes as a pretty good slogan among the realm states of the mother country. They have for a thousand years acted on desires to expand their influence and have fended off external challenges by those seeking to expand their own powers. They have had to contend with many rebellions from within and have adapted accordingly, surrendering human control along the way and all the flaws that come with human nature, to codifying a structure of order, justice, rights, and freedoms.

British Monarchs through the ages pandemic mask

But it’s the human faces of the institution that has stirred countless passions among humanity over the centuries from cultish followings of loyalty and devotion, to utter contempt and hatred. It is the longest soap opera of the English speaking world, with big bold leading figures coming and going through the ages providing volumes of dramatic storylines. From the battles: the victories and the losses; the struggles with the church; the politics; the culture, the literature, the art, the architecture, the music and theatre, there is much we owe a debt of gratitude to the royal figures who led Great Britain as these blossomed.

British Monarchy Merch

“To mask, or not to mask. I know the answer.”

While William Shakespeare isn’t exactly British royalty he sure saw the soap opera nature about them. Writing plays about Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV,  Henry V, Henry VI, and even the biggest Henry of them all, Henry VIII.  Incidentally, he also wrote about Roman Emperors, and there’s a design I offer of Julius Caesar.  

England’s King Henrys

Speaking of Henry, how about just King Henry socks. All the Henrys on one sock – ask yourself, has there ever been such a thing? Is there anywhere else on the planet one can find such a product?  Ideal for the British history buff, or for the Henrys in your life, these socks cover Henry I (1100-1135), Henry II (1154-1189), Henry III (1216-1272), Henry IV (1399-1413), Henry V (1413-1422), Henry VI (1422-1453), Henry VII (1495-1509), and Henry VIII (1509-1547.)

 

Thomas Cranmer coasters, you ask? Why not?

Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, the boy-king Edward VI and, briefly, bloody Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, bringing about the Church of England. Dude wore colourful robes and funny hats. Unfortunate for him was his belief in the supremacy of Kings and Queens, which didn’t go over well with Queen Mary, a rebel Catholic child of Henry VIII. Under her reign he was dragged to a public square and burned alive. 

Louis XIV t-shirt

Designs on offer are not just restricted to the English monarchy. There is a caricature of Louis XIV, King of France, otherwise known as the Sun King (1643-1715.) It was his long 72 year reign as an absolute monarch clinging to the notion of Divine Right of Kings, his failure to reform state institutions which arguably contributed to social dissent leading years after to the French Revolution. Which Frenchman gained more than any other Frenchman because of the French Revolution? Napoleon Bonaparte, of course, but like all other heroes against the establishment, Oliver Cromwell immediately comes to mind, both eventually fell into the trap as pretenders to the crowd, and both have designs of themselves in the MacKaycartoons Boutique.

Czar Vladimir Putin spiral notebook

Speaking of crown pretenders, they may not be a monarchs, but there are two heads of state who might easily be viewed as such considering things they’ve said or done or enacted. Vladimir Putin, has been ruler of Russia since the days of Bill Clinton.  Putin has overseen numerous changes of his country’s Constitution which may effectively find him ruling like a czar over Russia for many years to come. In case you’re not into him being depicted in all that regalia, there is a standard design of  a suited full-bodied Vladimir Putin.

 

King Donald Trup sticker

Donald Trump is all about golden flourishes on his over the top real estate holdings, so much so that he disparaged the digs handed to him when he won the U.S. Presidency. Accused of trying to rule like a king, he declares his admiration for autocrats and oppressive regimes Of our times that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary from 12th century England. 

Statues… and Prime Ministers, Presidents and Monarchs

(Graeme is currently enjoying a Summertime respite from his usual duties drawing editorial cartoons. In the meantime, please enjoy this illustration highlight of things on offer for purchase through his Redbubble online shop. Graeme’s daily satire returns on September 1, 2020.)

June 12, 2020

Statues are getting pulled down on past leaders because the bronze cast honour bestowed upon them are based on long ago glorification among long dead elites, whose decisions and actions are offensive to modern day sensibilities. Those dead elites aren’t around anymore to keep their idols polished, nor the narratives about them sanitized.  One might argue our ancestors and their leaders had thoughts and outlooks antithetical to our own, and it’s important to know the good AND the bad about them.

Sir John A. button

Canada’s Prime Minister gets acclaim and respect for his role in the formation of the nation, yet Sir John A. Macdonald‘s government also enacted a racist head tax to prevent Chinese people from entering after the completion of the CPR, as in the much celebrated “iron road runnin’ from the sea to the sea“. This after 17,000 labourers from China were brought in to accomplish Macdonald’s dream of a cross country railway. 

Jeffersonian Clock

A great Founding Father, the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, gets acclaim for being the principal architect of the Declaration of Independence and penned the statement “all men are created equal”. This, despite owning 600 African slaves over his lifetime as a wealthy landowner.

King John Magnet

The Magna Carta is a royal charter of rights sealed with the stamp of approval by England’s King John in 1215. To this day it’s a celebrated omnibus act that brought about many reforms including guaranteed access to swift justice and the trial by jury system. King John himself was a man of dubious character, with many mistresses, illegitimate children, and not a lot of morals. His accepting of the Great Charter was essentially a gesture to quell rebellion from barons who were sick and tired of his reckless behaviour, incompetence, and disastrous military conquests.

Interpretations of historical figures change with every generation with broader cross sections of cultures increasingly deliberating on legacies from the past. Taking down statues does not erase history but it does destroy the blind glorification aspect of figures from our past. Taking down statues in public squares removes insult to injury aspect of glorification that has shown to continue to this day. 

The dictator magnet

Political power is something I’ve always held a great interest in observing. Whether it’s hereditary, oligarchy, or democracy, to view how the cream rises to the top is a very fascinating thing indeed.

I grew up in Canada, and when I was young and well aware that we had a Prime Minister and a Queen representing the highest offices in the nation, it was what I saw south of the border that I realized the power and influence of Presidents went global in significance. From the chronologies of humble beginnings, the pursuits of power, the victories, the challenges, the familiar trappings of office, the mystiques, and the legacies defining a period of time on this planet’s history, it made me wonder what it took to become President of the United States.

The Presidential placemat available on 70+ products

I embarked on learning about the Presidents, courtesy of my family’s World Book Encyclopedia, which had wonderful profiles of every one of them complete with full page portraits. It was my introduction to the familiar placemat style of chart showing each U.S. President, which I recall spanned from George Washington to James E. Carter. Every night before dinner I’d flip through pages, and commit all their names to memory.

Alas, not being American made me unqualified to ever hold that position. So, I looked closer to home and studied Canada’s Prime Ministers. That naturally led to an interest in history, and politics, which paved the way to university life in the nation’s capital, and finally, editorial cartooning.

Placemat Prime Ministers on a pillow & available on 70+ products

In 2014, I embarked on an experiment to cater to a niche audience interested in Canadian Prime Ministers. Fortunately, I live in a young country with half the number of leaders compared to the United States. My drawings have seen some nice sales, with my most popular drawing being the rather obscure and short lived in-between Prime Minister, Sir Charles Tupper. Perhaps people are enamoured by his impressive sideburn chops!

Full figured Presidents

My caricatures of Presidents have seen a bigger number of sales since posting them back in 2015. Based on sales, the earlier Presidents enjoy greater popularity than the newer ones.  George Washington, John Quincy Adams and Theodore Roosevelt are among the most popular. The President whose caricature has garnered the most sales is Lyndon Johnson. Out the blue I’ll see an order made for a child’s sized t-shirt with a full bodied caricature of, say, Chester A. Arthur, and wonder what the story is behind that sort of purchase (a man, by the way, who arguably possessed the most handsome mutton chops of all Presidents.)


My latest series is the Kings and Queens of England. Another fascination I have for the history that the monarchy is steeped in, which I’ll have more to say in the next entry.

My caricatures on products are designed to stir a bit of fun, interest, and reflection on the pursuit of history knowledge. Whether they’re on t-shirts, or socks, cups or coasters, they’re a little reminder of the interesting characters who’ve shaped history. If you love history, or know someone who does, these are great ways to express that passion.

Just remember, unlike a statue, you can toss a t-shirt in the laundry basket, rather than roll it into a nearby harbour.

 

 

 

Saturday June 12, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 12, 2020

‘Their time has come’: Calls increase for removal of statues linked to colonial legacy

As statues and monuments of leaders from bygone eras are being toppled in response to growing calls to end systemic racism and discrimination, the sentiment is also growing here in Canada.

Sir John A. Macdonald available at Redbubble.com

Just this week, protesters in Belgium vandalized a statue of King Leopold II, whose rule of Congo led to the death of 10 million people. At Oxford University, there are calls to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes, an architect of the apartheid. And in Bristol, England, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was dragged through the streets and dumped into the harbour.

Meanwhile in the United States, several statues honouring Confederate generals and slave owners have also been taken down in response to the anti-Black racism protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd.

Canada is not immune to this, either. A Change.org petition calling for the removal of a Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Montreal has received more than 10,000 signatures as of Wednesday evening.

Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, was an architect of the residential school system and led starvation tactics against Indigenous people in the Prairies.

“He was very proactive in starvation of Indigenous people, so why would we want a statue of him?” said Nakuset, executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.

David MacDonald, a political science professor at the University of Guelph, told CTV News Channel that he believes these statues should be taken down.

“(Macdonald) certainly was the architect of several genocides in Canada, therefore I think it’s time that we continue to address his legacies and there shouldn’t be bridges and schools and all sorts of things named after someone who so blatantly went out to destroy Indigenous nations in this country,” he said.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plants told reporters on Wednesday that there are no immediate plans to take down the statue, but she is looking at ways to address systemic racism in the community.

“There is also an opportunity to create a dialogue between what was the past and what was right then or what was acceptable then, where at one point we’re like, as a society, ‘enough,’” she said.

November 9, 2018

A similar statue of Macdonald was taken down in Victoria, B.C., in 2018. Its artist said he is ashamed to admit that he didn’t know about residential schools until after he crafted the statue and now believes these monuments should also be taken down.

“We still need to confront our racism towards Indigenous people and if we have to tear down a few sculptures, great,” said John Dann.

Similar petitions in Toronto are calling for the city to rename Dundas Street, which is named after Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, and for Ryerson University to take down its statue of the school’s founder Egerton Ryerson,who also helped develop the residential schools. (CTV News)

 

Statues from r/canadapoliticshumour