General Election Prediction

(Above, the current poll averages extrapolated into a prediction, courtesy of Electoral Calculus)

Back in 2017 I made my predictions for that snap election. Here’s what I predicted and what actually transpired:

Conservative 306 (down 24) - Actual result: 318

Labour 240 (up 8, inc seats in Scotland) - Actual: 262

Lib Dem 36 (up 28, inc seats in Scotland) - Actual: 12

UKIP 0 (as is) - Actual: 0

SNP 50 (down 6) - Actual: 35

Greens 2 (up 1, gaining a Bristol seat) - Actual: 1

So Tories and Labour both did better than my instinct, Lib Dem and SNP worse. It was Labour who I most underestimated two years ago. How will it change this time? Well, here’s my knee-jerk, top-of-the-head prediction for December 2019:

Conservative 298 (down 20)

Labour 232 (up 10)

Lib Dem 50 (up 38)

SNP  50 (up 15)

Brexit Party - 0 (but splits Tory votes)

UKIP  0 (stands in hardly any seats)

Greens 1

Plaid 2 (down 1)

DUP 9 (down 1)

Sinn Fein 7

This will, as always, be wildly inaccurate (in fact it doesn’t add up properly, which is a bit of a cop out). If it happened, it could put Labour in charge of a coalition government with the SNP or Lib Dems, or the Tories in charge of a coalition with DUP and Lib Dems.

I look forward to being proved wrong in all regards, and whatever happens you can confidently predict it’ll be totally unpredictable.

UPDATE: 13th Dec - ha ha ha, this must be the most incorrect prediction I've made since 1983. I'm currently looking at the Tories on 363, up 66, heading for their biggest majority since 1987. I know nothing.

Joker - this year's Halloween pumpkin

The first, and most likely last, Halloween pumpkin to be carved at the old family home in Kibworth, where Heather and I are staying as we sell off furniture on eBay, here's 2019's effort from Uncle Kev, Joaquin Phoenix's Joker (the film of which I've not seen yet).

This has tended to be quite a busy time in previous years, resulting in me having failed to make a pumpkin on two out of the previous three years, but it's worth it when you can do it. And guess what, it doesn't take that long either.

It joins a collection of my past triumphs, some of which are assembled here. Not every year can be 2012's Jimmy Savile, but I do my best.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries & art centres. email for details. Facebook, Twitter. Promo video here. 

My Nana Plays Minecraft - comic by kids

These two classes at Bishop's Hull primary in Taunton were a delight. Year 5 and 6 are the prime audience for the class, and it's heartening when the teachers ask for your details afterwards so they can recommend you to other schools. Also they came up with titles that wouldn't scare the horses, which makes a change.

Here at Hilgay Riverside primary in Downham Market, Norfolk, I was surprisingly pleased with that Godzilla, resulting as it did from a class where we were really pressed for time. Shows what you can do when you're working against the clock. The colour on these covers, by the way, is done by me later when I get home. Often it takes longer than the class itself did. You're welcome.

At St Andrews in Evesham I just did a morning class, courtesy of Bible Society for whom I'd drawn artwork as prizes for pupils who'd entered a story writing competition. The year 3 class was called Medlar (it's been quite the week for imaginatively titled classes, as you'll see from above I've also taught a Tawny, a Barn, an Oak, a Morpurgo, and a Horowitz class).

The celebs these five groups chose to appear in my demonstration strip were Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, David Walliams, Stormzy and Simon Cowell.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries & art centres. email for details. Facebook, Twitter. Promo video here. 

The Big Bad Poo - First kids comics of term

The school term's up and running and, after a quiet month, my Comic Art Masterclasses began in earnest in the past week. The first full days in school were two days at Haberdasher's Monmouth School for Girls, prep school, the second of which threw up these, my two favourite front covers of term so far. The Year 3 class was so small I had ages to draw Winnie The Pooh demolishing a city. The Year 5 class, by contrast, was larger than I usually agree to (40 kids), but we had time enough, and the end result was grand.

The Year 6 class at Monmouth introduced me to the concept of Vsco girls, and their catchphrase "Ssskkk and I oop". No, me neither. Having researched this a bit, as the teachers had to do too, it seems to be something like the Valley Girl caricature of the 80s, and girls perform parody versions of this character on Youtube and an App I've not come across called Tik Tok. I'm sure, in years to come, my unfamiliarity with Vsco girls will make me seem as out of touch as a High Court Judge, but there we are.

The Chagford Film Festival, last week, brought me down to the wilds of far flung rural Devon where I did an afternoon class at the village school, followed by an evening class in the local hall, both of which were great fun. The evening class was a mix of kids and adults, and one of those ones where there's no photocopier so, sadly, they didn't get a comic to take away, but made all the components all the same.

Prema Arts in Gloucestershire, where I've done quite a few classes now, had decided this time to restrict the class to adults and to charge the highest ticket price yet (an eye watering £25 I believe). Probably coincidentally I had a class of just four, who made a fine end result between them. Bizarrely they all seemed way better qualified than me, with one already being a childrens book illustrator, one a costume maker for movies and TV shows, and one a model maker and animator who's worked for Aardman and is now studying illustration, so I hope my class was able to add to their wealth of knowledge. They seemed happy.

The celebrities these seven groups chose to star in my demonstration strip were Tina Turner (bizarre choice from Year 3 pupils there), Boris Johnson, Elvis Presley, Ed Sheeran (twice), Justin Bieber, and their teacher and cover star Mr B.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries & art centres. email for details. Facebook, Twitter. Promo video here.