2017???

Happy New Year to all. Conjecture about the relevant goodness or badness of 2016 is raging ... but, circumstances concerning my wife's health place me in the 'it was a baddie' corner. Almost the whole year was expended in getting her back to reasonable health and mobility after a nasty fall on the 18th of January 2016.

I hope our experiences in 2017 will be happier.

The Innocents??

This cartoon was constructed yesterday but not posted pending the outcome of a court order served on the Victorian Government to desist from incarcerating children in a maximum security prison meant for adult offenders only. The deadline was supposed to be Friday night... but somehow the so-called 'children' remain in Barwon prison as I write.

Children or not... the detainees are in Barwon prison after destroying most of the specially designated facility in which they were previously being held. Criminal vandalism (or similar) will be the charges they face once the accommodation imbroglio is resolved.

Malcolm at the zenith?

After a summer of discontent (ask the 'Grey Army' once they digest this week's assault on their pension entitlements) there inevitably comes the 'fall'.

A Budget Holiday...

... or summertime dreaming?

DIY Santa.

The trick (if one exists?) is to consume the rewards for service after the event at another location!

Three Blind Mice

I've been idle on the cartoon front for week or so and, as this little example of flap doodling was already in the works, I figured it would fill a space while I get my usual act together again.

Dutton's Christmas?

Our Lord of the island prisons laments the meaning of xmas is being destroyed as children are allegedly being deprived of the right to sing christian carols in schools due to mis-application of 'Political Correctness'.

You postulate as a practicing 'christian' sir, but your works indicate other than a christian ethic in the main thrust of your calling as a minister of the crown. It's 'posers' like you that helped cancel-out any child-hood allegiance I may have been encouraged to show to the christian religion. When I was a child, I acted as a child. Now I am an octogenarian, I act and judge others as an adult. With your recent blathering about christian ethics and standards ... I don't think you're going to make it cobber.

Don't panic!

Sco Mo has been on TV telling us not to panic about the sagging OZ economy.Echoes of Dad's Army I reckon.

This scribbled reaction was done on an ancient Wacom tablet which, like a lot of my computer equipment, has suffered greatly over the past decade or so...but, refuses to die!

Political Gymnastics

Not the thrilling physical kind as seen in real circus. This is mostly boring verbiage (known as cant)  performed by largely spineless creatures inhabiting 'circus OZ' in Canberra.

Exiled?

Josh Frydenberg, federal minister for wild weather and bad smelling stuff, created a noxious odour among some coalition colleagues when he recently uttered the words carbon and pricing in a ministerial statement without first clearing it with party policy makers.

Within hours of that indiscretion he was on a ship bound for Antarctica. Pure coincidence we suppose... but easily misconstrued as being exiled as a punishment for breaking ranks?

Ape pad.

This cartoon first appeared on July 7, 2011 in an earlier blog of mine where space limitations meant accompanying illustrations could not exceed dimensions of 12 x 12 cms.

This one was supposed to laud man's mass adoption of the iPad and, since it was created in vector format, can now be displayed at 20 x 20 cms without any loss of sharpness.

 

Jungle George?

Apparently still not enjoying a firm footing on this planet... National party leader Barnaby Joyce reckons he can 'groom' loose cannon George Christensen from Whip to a senior parliamentary leadership position within the foreseeable future.

Bearing in mind that Christensen's political philosophy seems well to the right of Genghis Khan, we can only wish Barnaby good luck before he proceeds too far into such a hare-brained endeavour.

Counting down!

Is the 'dumbing down of Australia' confirmed by the latest international survey of  'Trends in Mathematics and Science Study' which shows our performance has plummeted since 2011 in relation to other countries?

I wonder if anyone similarly rates the performance of 'leadership' groups who are responsible for declines like this... either by example or simple indifference to the importance of education in the well-being of nations?

Untidiness?

A bit like the last election ... a flagship piece of legislation finally scrapes through the legislative process missing a substantial portion of its original elements. Hardly anything to crow about one would think.

Where do all their bad ideas come from?

Federal ministers may have discovered a font of bad ideas modelled on the famous suppository source employed by a former leader? A veritable Well of Iniquity perhaps?

Super Mooned?

I guess many 'toonies in Australia will be dealing with this phenomenon today... so apologies if any of our ideas on the subject appear similar. In this case the script almost wrote itself in the light (pun intended) of political developments during the past week or so.

California dreaming?

Once again the notably most progressive state in the 'union' feels aggrieved that their clearly expressed political leaning has been swamped in the recent Presidential election.

California is larger in population, economic strength and industrial output than many independent countries around the world... and is generally acknowledged as being one of the most politically progressive states in the U.S. It is thus understandable that there should be a measure of disquiet when their majority political stance is repeatedly at odds with trends across the entire union in federal elections often driven by issues which do not affect west coast citizens as much as they may do other
demographics across the Republic.

Is the idea of secession casting its shadow over the union again?

George W vs Trump

Former U.S. President George W. Bush and most of the Bush clan did not vote for Donald Trump in the election earlier this week. A microcosm perhaps, but evidence of the very great strain the Trump loose cannon must be visiting on various wings of the Republican party who were responsible for endorsing his candidature for President.

Still, as the saying goes. 'It's an ill-wind that blows nobody any good'.

U.S, Votes...

... well, not quite yet, though I suspect there are plenty of people in both the 'States and abroad who wish the nightmare scenario attached to this Presidential election would either resolve itself or go away altogether!

Still, the whole thing has been so bizarre, it is probably in order to reduce the tension a little by conjuring up an unlikely cartoon dream result for tomorrow(?)

Stable Government

The term Stable Government is being heard often these days, especially in relation to the state of parliamentary affairs in the nation's capital Canberra. 

I'm wondering if the phrase conjures up the same meaning for all those who hear it?

 

Halloween Towers

This must be the home of practicing ancient paganism in Australia.

After all, where else do dirty Tricks and 'selfie' Treats figure so prominently in the culture of the group in general and its leadership in particular?

Doodle time

This post is the result of practice doodling on a piece of printer paper featuring a large artefact which appeared on a failed grab from a web-site.

If nothing else, it illustrates how the wandering 'toony mind can create something worthless out of an equally valueless mistake?

Law 'n' Odour?

As I hinted in another recent blog entry, Senator Brandis appears more and more to be the leader
and conductor of the band in Canberra ...?

Cheap shots over Adler?

Will the proposal to enable importation of rapid fire shot-guns (Adler) into Australia lead to a rift in relationships between government and cross-bench parties... or indeed, between factions within government parties themselves?

Shotgun weddings come to mind...

The dog days of October?

With the performance of a spectacular political back-somersault, New South Wales' premier Mike Baird now seems to think banning the Grey-hound racing industry in his bailiwick might not be such a good idea after all.

You can't bank on banks...

The thrashing of big 4 bank executives with a wet lettuce leaf (conjured up by the government as a remedy for rorts perpetrated against customers under the stewardship of those CEOs) carried with it an implication that unhappy customers can always register their unhappiness by SWITCHING.

That jolted my memory back to a blog of mine written on February 13, 2012 which responded to a wide-spread belief that the big 4 were at that time hiking interest rates to satisfy their own perceived needs rather than any remote concern for customer welfare.

Hasn't it always been thus?

AG itation?

Senator Brandis under pressure once again for for apparently judging his worth and importance as a minister far above his colleagues (including the Prime Minister?) as sole arbiter of legal advice to be sought by the government.

What is it with these people? Hubris or just plain stupidity?

Wyatt Who?

Why... none other than the rootenist, shootenist ex legislator (Law Man?) going around!

Vale Max 'Tangles' Walker 1948-2016

An admirable participant at elite level in both VFL and 1st class cricket, Max also ranked high in the public mind as an all-round bonzer bloke. I fondly remember meeting him in person when he was invited to be guest speaker at a gathering of Caricaturists' in Melbourne.

I reckon he more than justified his advance publicity. He WAS the genuine article IMO.

During 1977,I did a pen and ink caricature 'rough' of Max for a purpose long since forgotten... but it probably had something to do with the formation of 'World Series' cricket around that time. For some reason I coloured his hair on what was essentially just a black and white scribble.

This week in Wonderland.

The Senate... house of review or vaudeville?

Good luck old bean...

Ever since 'Senator Sam' become a figure of note because of his rather less than thoughtful antics... I've harboured a view that the man looks a lot like the TV character Mr. Bean. Maybe it was originally just the caricature bent in my make-up that spawned the visual impression... later reinforced by the disrepute attached to his apparent brain-fade in accepting a foreign donation to help defray personal expenses whilst performing his public role as an M.P.

Whatever, he seems to have been granted a period of back-bench time in which to at least take a damned good look at himself and his previous public demeanour?

Chinese checkers!

Game of the week?

'Sco Mo' and Bill resuming hostilities.

Ho-Hum! They're Baaaack! Bi-partisanship is yet to make an appearance though(?)

Snot tax?

This was inspired by watching federal treasurer Sco Mo on Insiders this morning trying to elucidate his view of budget repair methodology, using the new jargon it has spawned.

Mobile dog grooming part two

The second of two c 2012 'toons on this subject looked at the prospect of multi-purpose operations within the industry.

Mobile Dog grooming... part one.

As the reader will have noticed, content on this blog is rapidly becoming a procession of memories rather than freshly constructed posts. That is not as I would wish, but the coalition of advancing age and latterly becoming a 'home carer' after my wife's traumatic fall last January, has made it almost impossible to dream-up new material on a weekly let alone daily basis promised in the blog header.

Whilst my creative juices are somewhat hobbled... not so my memory. This morning as I did my constitutional walk, I spied something strange in the neighbourhood. It made me think immediately of dealing with the same subject in a series of two blog 'toons published on the 'net back in May 2012.

So, here's a re-run of the first cartoon (hopefully for the  particular enjoyment of my friend and neighbour who provided the prompt for it without knowing until now!?) Part two tomorrow.

Diplomacy?

This blog-toon feels a little like cheating. Back in October 2014 I posted a cartoon using the same theme as today's effort. At that time the comment dealt with former PM Abbott's rash threat to Shirt-front  Russia's President Putin over an on-going diplomatic dispute. In that instance, Russia was caricatured in the form of a huge Bear being confronted by a tiny Australian Koala.

Now we have almost the same circumstances with Australia taking on China over the South China Sea dispute. Only one character needed to be changed.

Pears?

Why this sudden political interest in fruit?

The Vultures are circling...

Suddenly, the plight of children in detention on Nauru is becoming a hot potato ... about time some of us might say.

Peter Dutton must be concerned that he not be the focus when it comes time for 'heads to roll', as the PM has vaguely referred to anyone who could be suspected of being liable for the recent Census calamity?

Numbers game 2

Up until the writing of this piece… reasons tendered by various stake-holders for the extraordinary need to shut down the census web-site on Tuesday evening seem to reflect panic rather than wisdom?

Where is the cool, calm and measured response we should expect from government and its minions to a potential wipe-out of a resource said to be indispensable in the delivery of good and sound governance in coming years?

Makes census?

Countless Homeless?

Room to expand?

Modern figure of speech illustrated 2...

UN wanted!

Well.. politicians will be politicians and that's why I believe they are the last people in the establishment  to decide who of their retired ilk are fit to fill overseas representative posts. Hockey gets a thumbs-up after a disastrous term in charge of the treasury and Rudd gets the 'flick' because … ? Whatever his short-comings, I'm glad HE was in charge when the World Financial Crisis occurred during his turn at the helm in Australia!

Elephant?

Another oft-used modern figure of speech bites the dust?

What a beach!

With the lady of the house still in recovery mode, a combination of 'home duties' and the freezing weather in this neck of the woods continues to hamper my cartooning activities. An unfinished version of this work has been in digital 'rough' form for almost a week awaiting my undivided attention to finishing it off.

The only certainty about my artwork output at the moment is that there is no certainty at all!

Ill-wind!

This is a practice scribble which this morning spun out of the void comprising most of my 'toonie brain.
Bin it… or manufacture a barely relevant text? The latter won, so here's today's contribution to the world of humorous nothings.

Mandate?

With the seemingly endless federal election vote counting nearing its end… looks as if the coalition will stagger back into nominal power in Canberra despite the loss of at least 13 seats? Not much in that to cheer about one would think. But, NO.

Mr. Turnbull is already equating the 'victory' with a mandate to proceed with policies which doubtless contributed to fairly heavy coalition losses. With his government having to negotiate a new term littered with knife-edge prospects of passing any legislation at all, you'd think that 'big stick' tactics would be best put aside in the interests of progressive governance?

Then again, perhaps not in light of the political rabble which many western electorates seem happy to support these days?

Tower of Babble

Just a bit of froth generated by the unusually lengthy spotlight on federal politics over the past week.

If the hat fits…?

Unsure of the election outcome Malcolm has sort protection under the big sombrero of Katter the Hatter who can probably supply limited upstairs cover for even the biggest of big heads?

Of course, the price you pay for that kind of succour may present yet another mountain to climb?

V for victory?

Slowly, slowly it begins to emerge that the coalition may just retain enough seats to form a new majority government.

Hardly rates as a victory when the truth is that somewhere between 15 and 20 seats were lost along the way?