Les Gibbard
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Les Gibbard (obituary, 23 October) was a friend, esteemed for his old fashioned niceness, good humour and lack of malice or sharp professional elbows, writes Edward Pearce.
He was admired as a cartoonist for the same qualities and for a literacy which made him allusive and able to score without self-indulgent excess. On my wallsare Mr Toad and the canary-coloured caravan wrecked by a motorised ERM, while John Major, sitting in the road, says dreamily "Poop-poop". When Blair was nearly ousted first time, he appeared in breeches and shirt, sword in hand, facing halberdiers with familiar political faces coming up a winding stair. I rang Les, "Did you see the Prisoner of Zenda film on Sunday?" "I did see the Prisoner of Zenda film, and I thought 'What a good idea!' 'Can I buy it?'
"Let go", despite, or perhaps because of, his unsmart, ambling virtues, he endured a long, bad, financially harassed time, despite hard work in his second trade. He was out because of a regressive fashion – "Back to Gillray", instant fury lavatorially expressed. He represented, as Nick Garland still does, deftly injurious wit without self-indulgent rage – and not a pile of excrement in sight.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments