British socialist cartoonist Alan Hardman has passed away.
Alan Hardman
1936 – January 18, 2024
Internationally renowned political cartoonist, Alan Hardman from Laycock, Keighley died in hospital on Thursday January 18, 2024 after a period of illness. Alan was proud of his Yorkshire roots having been born into a Barnsley mining family. He is known and admired for his brilliant socialist cartoons that could express in one image more than a thousand words.
Alan was, originally, a printer by trade who through his trade union activities in the 1960s and early 1970s was drawn to socialist ideas.
lan was one of a very rare breed of socialist whose skills and dedication helped to amplify the message of socialism through his entire life. His skill lay in the political cartoons he regularly produced, which could convey quickly and simply political messaging which were usually designed as a commentary on ongoing events.
However, Alan’s skills also lay in all things mechanical. He was taken on as a full-time organiser for the Militant in the 1970s to ensure the regular production of the newspaper, which began as a monthly broadsheet but quickly became a weekly colour publication, which served as an essential building block for the Militant, especially in the 1980s.
As the Militant grew, finance was raised to ensure more modern print equipment could be used and Alan was more free to focus on his passion for his cartoons. It is not possible to convey the impact these weekly images had on the wider labour movement, yet Alan had not had any formal training in art or graphics. Like most things he undertook, Alan was self taught.
From Socialist Party (formerly Militant):
Alan is best known among Socialist Party members for his cartoons. At first, these were produced while also making sure the Militant was coming out. He decided he ought to try to complete them in one take. Obviously the response to these first attempts was positive and the rest they say is history!
In later years, despite Alan’s output slowing, such was the lasting effectiveness of his work that ones drawn years or even decades earlier simply needed an updated caption.
Socialist Party presents an appreciation of Alan Hardman from their Socialist Today magazine:
He was conscientious and exacting in all respects, wanting to make sure that he was accurately presenting our position in the magazine cover designs he prepared. I often felt I was spending more time discussing an article with its cartoonist than its author! But most often his images had at least equal impact, sometimes greater, in conveying the essence of an issue in its immediate aspect.
The Alan Hardman Kickstarter page for the Need Not Greed cartoon collection has a score of images.