John Crace

Do you know John Crace ?

He writes politcial commentary in the Grauniad. If there is a god, may she love that man.

John Crace walks confidently on the tightrope with a wonderful mixture of sharp wit, and serious comment. Is he funny or serious ? Both. He does both with panache, and often both at once.

Beaumarchais remarked

Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’être obligé d’en pleurer
(I make myself laugh at everything, for fear of having to weep)

I think this sentiment informs what John Crace is about. He seems angered, saddened, sometimes even desperate, but rather than yield to those emotions his alchemy transmutes them into humour, losing none of their power in the process.

He is unsparing of the politicians, who must wake every morning and be grateful that John did not become a reporter. It would take some skill to avoid being eviscerated by his incredulity. Perhaps he should consider a second career.

He has a lovely turn of phrase, and coins tags that stick. I think the term 'Maybot' is his, together with the conceit that Theresa May (remember her ?) was a malfunctioning automaton. It was hilarious because that was exactly what she seemed like: descrioption rather than barb.

His is the phrase 'classic Dom', a continuing series of swipes at Dominic Cummings, the unelected Svengali of Number 10, and probably the guy pulling the strings that have Johnson ineptly dancing.
I suspect that JC suffers from a strong element of self-doubt about what he does. If so, he is in excellent company. Brecht, despairing of the rise of political brutality in Europe, questioned the value of his work, and wrote:

Aber die Herrschenden sassen ohne mich sicherer, das hoffte ich
But I hoped that without me, those in power would sit that bit more comfortably

John Crace can take comfort in the company he keeps, and in the certainty that those in power would definitely have an easier life if could not write.

When we have done banging pans and clapping NHS staff, maybe we should raise a grateful noise for John, and those like him, whose wit vents the feelings we all have, and who so lightly hold our politicians feet to the fire. Our mental health depends so much on them.